I typically write out the titles of the decks, but I think they are pretty clear in the picture this month!

It’s past time to return to the fun game my Tarot pal and I have invented–the monthly Tarot D&D party! We did this in the spring and wanted to revisit it in the summer seeing as we had such a great time. The idea is we assign a number to the different basic twelve classes, and roll a dice to determine what our party looks like. Then we choose decks that exemplify that class and will pair in interesting ways with our other decks. My Tarot partner is an avid D&D player, but I don’t play, so take what I say about D&D with a grain of salt.

This month in our “party” we ended up getting the Druid, the Warlock, the Barbarian, the Ranger, and the Rogue. Let me show you what I chose!

Of course for a Druid one needs a nature-first deck, and while I have A LOT of nature decks, I wanted one that was balanced in feeling, neither too soft nor too hard. My much anticipated Kickstarter rewards for The Children of Ostara arrived on July first and it is the perfect match! So it was meant to be.

Typically, before using a deck in a formal draw, I at least shuffle a deck and do an introductory five card draw. But, with TCOOT I did not have the time and I leapt in with a coarse shuffle and out popped one of the extra cards from the gold edition, “The Below.” For context, the second extra card is “The Above” (you know, “as above, so below”?). Right to the point, huh? I guess I don’t expect anything less when created by Xia Hunt. To start off we’re going deep. It’s time to explore things that are largely unseen and unrecognized, but are crucial to the world’s beating heart. It’s these things that will provide shelter and nourishment for your and your loved ones. Connecting to nature is critical.

It was explained to me that the Warlock class is typified by having their magic powers given to them by a powerful, not always kind, being and that there is an expected payment for these powers and strings attached. This is very ominous to me. We talked about a situation where a warlock thinks they are doing one thing but there’s something unseen behind the actions. The perfect deck came to mind, well, two decks, the Exile Tarots, Silent and Awaken. What is seen and what is unseen. I’ve had these decks for a while and my first few times using them it was rather a shocking and emotional experience, seeing as I was expecting something sweet like the Monsoon Tarot and got something very different, so I’ve held off from using them extensively but it feels right this month! I’m excited to see what comes of this!

From Silent I drew the rather scary Wheel of Fortune. I love the book that goes with these two decks—while it’s RWS, it is a very different take on the system and the more I’ve been using these two together, the more these decks are becoming some of my favorites! For this card, I understand that something unseen is that the absurd and the profound and the beautiful all simultaneously exist all at once, at the same time. It can be easy to think the world is complete garbage with all the wrong things happening everyday because that’s where your attention is focused, but remember to stop and look around! There is plenty more to absorb! And this will give you fuel and hope.

From Awaken I drew the contemplative Queen of Cups. There are many things happening around her—a rain storm, a rainbow, a sunset/sunrise, but she lets all these things wash over her and focuses at the tasks at hand which is protecting her cup and her raven and its eggs! I will need to recognize the roller coaster of emotion and that they exits also together all at once. I need to take action to protect that which is most important to me but also remember to take the time to “fill my cup.”

Last time we did this monthly deck party we had a Barbarian and we rolled the Barbarian again for this month. I had several Tarot decks I was ready to choose, but I wanted to see if by chance I had an oracle deck to fit the class. Well, I certainly had one that fits a barbaric vibe! While I’ve had this one for a while, I don’t think its been on this blog, so here’s the absolutely hard core Zammer Twins Oracle.

I feel like I connect with the art in the Zammer, especially since it is so reminiscent of the Trionfi Della Luna Tarot, but this is one of the few cards that eludes me. The guidebook gives a fairly good description, but I wasn’t exactly feeling those vibes, especially considering this is my “Barbarian” deck, so I’m riffing on my own for this one. When I hear the term “Red Queen” I think of Alice and Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts and how brutal she is and how she runs a (whimsical) tight ship. I love in this card how our queen has both a red arm and a white arm. She know the balance that must be struck between passivity and activity. From this card, I get the saying “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” While I must go forth with confidence and calm I also must harbor cold ruthlessness. That which does not spark joy must go! I need to be creative and resourceful in utilizing all my tools, and I got to keep my eyes on the prize even if it feels like I’m not heading in that direction.

The Ranger also calls for a nature oriented deck, but one that requires a sense of navigation. I was told a difference between the druid and the ranger is the druid sees the nature as the end focus while the ranger is concerned with the human surviving in nature. The Tarot Landscapes seems absolutely perfect for such a role, and I love how most of the cards take a bit of a “birds-eye view” over the scene!

I pulled the exquisitely tranquil 6 of Swords from the TL. A kingfisher looks on at a placid sailboat in a calm sunny harbor. I get major “enjoy the journey when you have the calm waters” feeling. When you have an easy route ahead, don’t overly complicate things. You are constantly moving so you may not have calm seas tomorrow. Take a higher view. Enjoy what you can today, Carpe Diem. You can choose what boats you board.

Finally the Rogue. I definitely feel like I have decks that are a bit hard, a bit stealthy in how the deliver readings to you, but despite going through my entire collection to chose another, my first gut feeling was the Lubanko, and I could not convince myself to use another deck.

The Lubanko gave me the very shadowy King of Swords. He reminds me of a character from a book series that definitely embodies the Rogue type (Achmed from The Symphony of Ages series, who, lets be honest, was the only character worth reading the darn series for). A Rogue King of Swords feels a bit like an oxymoron as well, but here we are. From this strange dichotomy, I see measuring my actions carefully. The best sword is one that is sharp from sparring use. Truth is sharp and needs to be delivered carefully. This king only steps out of the shadows when needed.

Okay then! Lets check out the puzzling whole:

I see this as a month of finding inner harmony in order to obtain outer structure and calm. In nearly all these cards we see things pausing before action, or a moment of calm. This draw taps into both emotional and logical feelings and making them work cohesively together. I am really enjoying using these drastically different decks together!

How about you? What decks are calling to you this month? Do you do any silly thematic deck choices or even Tarot draws?

V, one of my “helpful” assistants! This past June we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our youngest cat, who made many appearances in this blog and loved playing with the cards with me. Sadie, you are sorely missed.