TAROT Blog Hop - Beltane 2019: Tarot Continuing Education

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Hello Dear Ones, I am happy that I can post with you again. I felt such synchronicity when I saw the Tarot Blog Hop topic for this Beltane - Tarot Continuing education, offered to us by Joy Vernon.

How I met Tarot back in time, it is a mysterious story - I found my birthday date in a phone number - that number belonged to a sweet old Tarot Master. 

It was in 2006 - since then, I have not had a day when I have not read and studied Tarot.

I truly think once someone starts learning and exploring the Tarot, this journey will never end.

My old Tarot Master asked me to start practicing reading the Tarot about stories of which the 'outcome' was already known - so basically about past stories.

I remember those candle-lit evenings when I spread out my Old English Tarot deck and I just practiced, practiced and practiced - and I truly think this is a brilliant method, spreading out the cards for stories which are already past stories and put the puzzle together. Another great method for me was just letting the cards speak to me - without focusing on the exact meanings of the cards. 

Out of passion, long ago, I started to collect decks - I still do. Anytime I feel connected to a deck, I surprise myself with it. I am grateful for all my decks - all of them have taught and teach me something new again and again. 

To be honest, Hungary - where I live - is not really into Tarot. As compared to the crowd, hardly anyone knows the brilliant system of it. There are some great Masters but I could count then on one hand. So here it is not really an option to attend a Tarot School - so I started to set up my own Tarot Course a couple of years ago - and it seems to be a never ending wonderful Journey, as well. 

But what I am very keen on now is Rachel Pollack's work. Her brilliant Tarot deck, the Shining Tribe Tarot is getting almost unavailable but I managed to get a copy at a relatively good price - it is still on its way to me, though it has been three weeks already and I am counting the days. 

Till then, I am studying Rachel Pollack' gorgeous Tarot book, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom - if you do not know it, I can recommend it to you from the bottom of my heart. 

Thank you so much for reading me, I wish all of you a very Happy Beltane!

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Ace of Swords and Camembert - Spring Equinox Tarot Blog Hop

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Hello Dear Ones, 

I think all of us in the Northern Hemisphere are super happy about this day, yes? I was counting the minutes for cold and dark winter days to go away. 

For the newcomers, I would like to briefly tell about what Tarot Blog Hopping is - at each major feast on the Wheel of the Year, a group of Tarot Lovers gather worldwide, all of us posting writings that are connected to Tarot.  

Each time, there is a Wrangler - and often a Co-Wrangler - who offers the topic for a given occasion. We hop from blog to blog to read each other's posts. 

Now at the occasion of the Spring Equinox, our Wrangler Jay Cassels and Co-Wrangler Sharron Basanti offered the topics of 1) What Tarot cards represent us professionally or in our private life and 2) What randomly chosen card represents the Spring Equinox for us and what ingredient it could be in a recipe and why?

I must say I was laughing out loud of joy when I read about this second one, though first I had no idea what to do with the Ace of Swords that I pulled out of my Loginov Tarot deck - what food, what ingredient it could be really, and how could I match it to the Spring Equinox? 

Then in the next moment, the answer was in my head - I hope you will like it, I really do. :) 

Not so long ago, I saw a very simple recipe on the Internet. I said wow, I must try it - so I did. A couple of days later I caught myself on eating this yummy thing daily - I am soon going shopping now, as well. :P

But first let me tell you why I was laughing when I saw this beautiful Ace of Swords and it gave me the right answer in a minute. So this Ace of Swords - such a yummy thing, yes? Yes. Because when I looked at the crown on top of the Sword, what came in my mind was that lovely yummy round Camembert... I feel myself like Remy from the Ratatouille Disney movie.

Then I had an AHA-feeling: yes, the Sword definitely represents the aluminium foil used for this 'recipe' - by the way, if you want to have real pleasure in life, please ask Kati to send you her little cooking videos, best things ever! :) 

So back to this very simple recipe that causes addiction, take a wonderful piece of round Camembert - which represents the full moon, as well, so it will even help us tune ourselves on our Lunar Power -, smell and touch it first - I even kiss it, that is the truth, because I so much like its velvety texture and that it is white makes the feeling even more sacred for me -, so yes, have some private time with it. 

Then put some cooking oil - extra virgin olive oil is even better - in a plate and add some spices to it, whichever spices you like and add sesame seeds, too. My favorite spices with Camembert are pepper and mustard powder but any other fine spices will do. Roll the Holy Camembert in the spicy oil, and then wrap it in aluminium foil - one layer is enough because with two or more layers of aluminium foil, it will take more time for the cheese to get fried. 

So when you are ready with the wrapped Camembert, just put it on fire in a saucepan - you will hear when it is frying. After some 5-6 minutes, turn it on the other side so that it can also get roasted - even its color will be golden-like by the end. 

Then when both sides are ready, unwrap it on a plate - you will have a yummy, round-shaped miracle in front of you with a shiny color - which by now represents the Sun. Then just took a knife - or the Ace of Swords :) - and see what happens when you cut a hole in the cheese. Yes, its inner part will be liquid, it will flow out on your plate and its taste will be just delicious. It is like milk that feeds us, so in this recipe, the energy of the Moon, the Sun, Ether and Mother Gaia with her fertile milk are joined and what could represent the Rebirth of the Spring Equinox more than that? 

Thank you for reading me, I wish you a Blessed and Happy Spring Equinox time!

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Tarot Blog Hop - Yule 2018: Find Your Cozy

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Hello Lovely Ones, 

for newcomers, I would like to briefly introduce our Blog Hop Group: a group of enthusiastic Tarot Lovers publish their posts on a given topic at every major holiday of the Wheel of the Year. You can hop from blog to blog, exploring the great writings of great people from all over the World. Each time, there is a Wrangler who co-ordinates that everything goes fine and smooth. :)

For this occasion, Yule 2018, the themes were offered by our lovely Wrangler Joanne Sprott, as you can see it in the Blog Title, that is it: Find Your Cozy, 'think about how you keep out the cold and keep in the warmth at this time of the year and how it relates to Tarot for you.'

As I am getting older, I am finding my way back to loving winter more and more - there were times when I hated the dark and the cold and I fell in depression that was often followed by long weeks of being sick physically, too. 

However, Yule has always been special to me - even in the darkness and cold these winter months bring us in Central Europe. The symbolic Birth of Light has always been tangible for me around Christmas - and I feel blessed and lucky that I celebrate my birthday at this time of the year, as well.

When I read the prompts Joanne suggested, reading the first one, a card came in my mind immediately - it was about which card in the deck suggests warmth for us.

The Hermit from Ann Moura and Kiri Leonard's Green Witch Tarot

It is not just this single card from this deck, though, but the whole deck is full of lovely pictures that reveal warmth, intimacy and a cozy feeling for me, but the Hermit stands out of the whole deck in this regard, here called 9. The Holly King. The deck itself is the Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura and Kiri Leonard.

In folklore and mythology, the Holly King represents the second half of the year: after the 'reign' of the Oak King, the Holly King starts to regain his power at the Autumn Equinox and his strength is at its peak right at Yule. 

Why this card means warmth for me: just look at it. If the Holly King has just left that cozy little house or he is going there for a nice hot spicy cup of tea - we can decide. Maybe he has just left, maybe he is just looking back at us and he will go in, it is all the same. His face is so kind and jovial, very calm and wise - he is tuned with Nature and with Higher Realms, should it be cold winter or warm summer.

He is in symbiosis with the dear, with the Holly Tree, with Creation itself and his little lamp represents our Inner Light - for me, this period of the year with the wonderful Christmas Lights represents growing Inner Light, Faith and Trust, and that it is cold outside but warm inside also hints at the importance of turning inwards and increase, strengthen and spread out our Inner Light - and a warm and cozy feeling will follow, should we live in big cities or little forest huts. 

I wish All of You a Blessed and Happy Yule and Good Health, Abundance and a cozy place in the World for 2019! :) Thank you for reading my post, feel free to leave a comment below!

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Samhain 2018 - Walking into Life with the Dead

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Hello Lovely Ones,

this is a pleasure to be here again with you! I think Halloween is one of the favorite part of the year for many of us - I am always so happy when the pumpkins arrive! When I am finished with this blog post, I am going to cook a pumpkin-chicken ragout soup - I hope you will also have something delicious on your table! :)

I was also happy to see the topic of this Samhain in 2018, our Wrangler is the wonderful Aisling the Bard - for the newcomers, this Tarot Blog Hop Group is a group of Tarot addicts like me, and at every major feast on the Wheel of the Year, someone takes the role of the Wrangler and offers great topics for the Tarot Blog Hoppers, and if you just hop from blog to blog, you can find brilliant articles and thoughts delivered by Tarot Lovers and Readers from all over the World.

As you can see it from the title, the topic for this Blog Hop is about messages from the deceased ones. Aisling offered several options for us, out of which I have chosen this one: 'What is the most important thing the spirits of your beloved dead have been attempting to show or teach you this year?'

Well, I have some ancestors that passed away long ago and I have never tried to contact them - and it seemed like a challenge this time but I do not think I am ready for that. But there is someone I felt so connected to, not a relative but a teacher of mine and her story keeps on coming back to my mind again and again. A couple of weeks ago I walked out in the cemetery to spend a few minutes by her grave - I just wanted to find an answer why it happened like this. 

She died not so long ago in a car accident - with her husband. They are buried in the same grave, majestic, yet a very sad thing to see their names on their tomb. She was really always smiling or laughing, a truly positive thinker. Married at a relatively 'late' age, being able to give birth to a beautiful little girl at the age of 40 almost, she was just happy, I can still recall her walking with her baby, pushing that white old-fashioned pram, it so much fit her.

So as she has been coming in my mind daily for a while, I just wanted to find an answer. Their daughter was also travelling with them in the car - she survived but her parents lost their lives at the scene of the accident. She is like a mini copy of her mother - in good hands at her relatives, yet she will miss her parents for good and for some reasons, I still cannot digest it. 

As I was standing by their grave, I knew even such things happen according to a Higher Plan, but then I just wanted to ask her through my Tarot cards about what Spirit wanted to show and teach me this year as a most important lesson. 

Parallel to this, a beautiful deck arrived at me - Kati arranged for this as a gift and I was so happy when it arrived  a couple of days ago. I wanted to wait with pulling a card from Tarot till this deck arrived so that I can show it to you, too. If you are interested, the deck is called the Darkwater Tarot by James Douglas - very clear, very straightforward and a very unique, attractive black and white deck.

But back to my story, I asked this lovely lady, my teacher in the past to show me by a Tarot card what my most important task to learn this year has been - needless to say, I was blown away by the answer, though I should have known it because this is why I so much love Tarot... For its clarity and unerring guidance.

And indeed, because this year has so much been about my child - helping and guiding him, standing by him in a difficult phase of his life, getting to know him even better and just feeling it in all my cells that this child will always be part of me and I can never ever let anyone abuse him - as much as it belongs to my territory -, but that this is my very task to help him get stronger to be able to set up healthy boundaries and never sacrifice himself for the sake of others. 

I have always been a tigress-type of a mother, but this year has just made me stronger in it - just through a new filter. Now about helping him to explore the tiger in himself - I think I am managing quite well. :) 

And guess which card I got with the help of my old teacher who sadly lost her life in such a tragic way, leaving a little girl behind... I got the Empress - what else? And just take a look at this brilliant depiction of the Empress - both its straight and reversed illustration, it is just wonderful and now I will let you meditate on it - especially on why the Empress reversed is called the Queen of Life here, it literally gave me goosebumps... I wish all of you a Blessed Samhain and all the best! 

The Empress from James Douglas' Darkwater Tarot

Thank you for reading my post and feel free to leave a comment!

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Don't Fence Me In! - TAROT Blog Hop, Summer Solstice 2018

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Hello Lovely Ones,

I am happy to be here again! Any time I am able to join a Blog Hop occasion, I feel such warmth in my chest - it is good to belong to you, thank you! 

I was very pleased when I saw the topic of the Summer Solstice 2018 Blog Hop, a musical blog and connecting it somehow to Tarot - thank you so much for this, Joy (our Joyous Wrangler if you are new to this Tarot Blog Hop Wonderland, so we have a Wrangler for every occasion :).

There is actually a song I have been addicted to for a long time by now and I must say first I found it a bit absurd to connect it to Tarot, then it just came as it did and I love the outcome - and I felt totally unfenced while preparing this little video. :)

Even more than that, I have just attended a Summer Solstice fire-walk ceremony here in Hungary, and as I was going there, Spirit was talking in my head about the everlasting Power of Love - maybe this is why I find this song happy, despite the not too happy story. I hope you will like it, too. 

Blessed Be, all of us, and I wish all of us a very happy, healthy and joyous summer for 2018!

And here is my unfenced song to you: 

When you are done with that, I must confess that I am addicted to everything 'Russian'. It probably comes from a previous life but when I hear the Russian National Anthem, for me it feels like arriving home. In the Beltane Blog, I have shown you the cards I painted for the Russian Tarot 1917 international co-operation. Now I would like to show you all the cards of this wonderful - though sad but very intense - deck if you are interested, with me singing the National Anthem of Russia - the idea came with the musical blog. :)

Thank you so-so much for watching and thank you also if you leave a comment for me! :)

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What Can I Give the World? - TAROT Blog Hop, Beltane 2018

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I loved the topic of this Blog Hop occasion given to us by our Wrangler for this magical Beltane Tarot blog hopping, Morgan Drake Eckstein. I must tell you this is what I have also been thinking about  for the last couple of months - what could I do to be more efficient on my Path, what can I give the World (people) so that I really feel like fulfilling my mission?

I am dedicated to Tarot and helping people, this is not a new thing to me, and from time to time, I am starving to find a new deck I fall in love with, and when it happens, I am so happy that again, I can sink in something new, exploring more and more new aspects certain cards can give, and the feeling that it is expanding my Tarot-knowledge makes me feel worthier and even more professional.

I have some decks on my wish-list right now, as well, among others the Prisma Visions Tarot, the Before Tarot that will come out in fall 2018, the Numinous Tarot, the Riderless Tarot - they are all wonderful ones and I hope to be able to get them in time. Tarot and the World has given me so much, still does (continuously), and I truly hope that I will be able to do my best for the people and the World for a long time.

I have been thinking about pulling cards for this question our Beltane Blog Hop is about right now - then I thought of something else.

Not so long ago I also contributed to Tarot-painting in a mind-blowing project, the TAROT 1917 international co-operation by Natalia Plakhina and Vladimir Sitnikov. It was meant to pay respect to the 1917 Russian Revolution and its hundredth anniversary in October 1917.

All it took long months and such hard work from part of all the creators that have contributed to it, but I cannot tell you how happy we were with Kati when we had our special Deluxe copies in our  hands! Everyone that created one or more cards has received their copy in a very special box with a card made and chosen by us decorating the box.

So, it is already 'finished', but for me, it has been such a great accomplishment and it is an honor I could contribute to this with my own simple methods - I am not an artist, I just like painting on my own and I adore Tarot, so it was a good combination.

This deck is available for public already - although my contribution to it is humble, this whole co-operation was grandiose and Tarot is a tool that will never cease teaching us so much about ourselves and about the World. Maybe teaching is something similar to healing, and it is true that we heal by healing others, so maybe it is also true that we learn by teaching others. I can teach people about Tarot - and I do so -, and in the meanwhile, I am constantly learning new things.

And of course, I am going to show you 'my' cards - the ones that I have drawn and painted. We were allowed to freely express ourselves the way we wanted to. We were also asked to write a short description about the cards, I will show you them, as well (please scroll down for that). I hope you will like this little video, thank you for watching! :)

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Here you can find the brief descriptions I have given to each card:

IX. The Hermit: Tsar Nicholas II

Card Description: The Spirit of Tsar Nicholas II is returned to the Winter Palace – now calm and no longer in fear and pain, he is lamenting on the development of his native land, on how the revolution and the war itself changed people into stronger men and women after long-long journeys of pain, sorrow, poverty, losses – but also love and hope during probably the toughest and most difficult years of Russia. Nicholas is alone – with his beloved ones in his heart. His Tsar costume fits the elegance of the Winter Palace in the winter night lights. Despite the sadness and the tragedy of the Romanov family and Russian people from that era, the card suggest peace, love and hope.

Keywords: turning inwards, sorrow, isolation, faith, love, hope, inner strength, inner journey, development, seeking God

Four of Flags

Card Description: A young woman is just coming in from farm-work. Looking a bit melancholic, wondering if life will ever offer her better options – like the family whose samovar and elegant cups are visible on the table. She is safe and sound, knowing life can be very tough, but it depends on us if we accept the good things it offers besides all our daily struggles. What life offers her right now is not bad, but could be better, indeed. Sometimes we just need to recognize the importance of the first steps towards our dreams. Gloominess and the first steps are also parts of the bigger puzzle.

Keywords: gloominess, acceptance, the necessity of finding joy in everyday tasks, even in monotony; accept what life offers you right now; insecurity and sadness vs. optimism and joy

Five of Stars

Card Description: Two young children, a brother and a sister are sitting in the snow on a cold and dark winter evening, hugging and protecting each other. They are homeless orphans – having lost their parents and relatives in the war. In the background, warm light leaks out through the windows of the small church – will there be someone to help them? They must go through this cruel period – is it destiny or are they victims of a cruel power? Seemingly there is no help or a way out of it – but no one is predestined for misery and losses. Proper help must come in time.

Keywords: a hopeless situation, pain, sorrow, loss, poverty, misery; hope dies the last; everyone needs someone, life cannot exist without love; faith and the importance of prayer

Six of Stars

Card Description: Two small children are receiving toy-gifts and food aid – support from abroad. As a succession of the previous card, we can see that indeed, help arrives in time. God never gives up on us. There is sadness but also hope in the eyes of these children – they still believe in the Good, and they carry the Good in themselves. A caring hand is reaching out to them.

Keywords: giving without asking anything in return; caring, support, aid, charity; 'So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, … do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.' /Matthew 6/

Ten of Stars

Card Description: Finally progress and joy is seen on the faces of people – in this picture, we can see the result of hard work, faith, perseverance and stamina: the happy 'owner' of a well-off farm, a proud farmer and his young daughter are getting prepared for a harvest ceremony. The cat symbolizes more relaxing times while staying vigilant; the three little ducklings symbolize the Holy Trinity, as well as new life and hope being born even in colder times; the chrysanthemums symbolize power and rejuvenating energy – the legend says whoever drinks chrysanthemum wine will have a strong, healthy and abundant life.

Keywords: abundance, success, social life, happiness; the success of collective co-operation and of joyful creation; the fruits of your effort are ripening; you can lean back a bit and enjoy harvest time

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TAROT Blog Hop - Samhain/MidFall 2017, Le Roi est Mort, Vive le Roi!

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Hello Everyone, 

I am happy we have Blog Hoppers' Time again! I am a bit tired, probably like many of you, and indeed, this year has been very intense so far - and it is not over yet. Last year, the Halloween Blog Hop was about Messages from our Ancestors, this year, as a continuation of that occasion, we were offered a topic by our gorgeous Wrangler and Cat Herder Extraordinaire, Jay Cassels about where we have arrived since last year - our own personal progress, development and understanding, by a single or a three-card spread. 

The topic is Le Roi Est Mort, Vive le Roi! (The King Is Dead, Long Live the  King!), Death, Birth & Rebirth, the cycles of life. I am going to use my tiny bit scary, but wonderful Ludy Lescot Tarot. 

But before I start, I would like to share with you something that has come in my mind when I was wondering about the topic of this Blog Hop. Long ago, when I was a university student, we had American literature seminars for quite long, and once we were supposed to read a short story by Joyce Carol Oates - I am not sure if it was optional or I was lazy to read it, I cannot recall having read it, but I can very clearly recall its title on the Reading List: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? 

Probably this will be the most perfect thing to read at this Samhain - in the company of my pumpkin lantern, and something in me tells me this story will give me answers to some of my questions I have been dealing with for long, and all in all, what I personally feel about this Samhain is that for me, it is not just this year that has been so much of great importance, not just what has been transforming in and around me since last Samhain, but probably for the last two decades even. We will see. But now let us see what the Ludy Lescot Tarot tells me.

For the Present, in the middle, I have got the Seven of Wands - self-defense when actually there is no danger, yet we feel it is better to pull back a bit and protect our own self, our own energy-field, mind and soul, and yes, this is how I actually feel. I have pulled my energies back to myself even from friends for a while, from Facebook, from all sorts of social activities - except for the Tarot People and those who are very close to me. Magic is happening in the meanwhile, I can very clearly sense that, though sometimes I get a bit scared of what if I am going insane. I know I am okay, just yes, indeed, the Veil is so-so thin, and I have problems with grounding myself. I am better at handling my social ties - even if it means pulling back. But it is a must when we split apart if we cannot protect our energy-field. 

The previous card, on the left, from where I started and what has led here, it is the Queen of Cups - also true. For me, this card means healing (ourselves, first of all, but it is also true that we heal by healing others). In the Waite Tarot, the Queen of Cups has crystals at her feet, too - often, I was working with crystals during the past year, still do. What has changed in me regarding the Queen of Cups - I think I am finally really more mature as compared to how I was. I have had so many motherly roles, too, and I feel more mature as a mom, as well. I know the Queen of Cups is just part of our whole feminine self, and I am not sure if I could make a list of importance of more or less important aspects or roles - it must be balanced. I think we constantly have to work on all of those aspects, but yes, for this year, the Queen of Cups-aspect was the most important and influential one. 

And where I am going, on the right - this is the Six of Swords, which in the Ludy Lescot Tarot differs a lot from the Waite-depiction. I prefer this one, to be honest. I am ready to face new difficulties, and I do not want to push my head under the sand when problems arise - we must solve them and life without problems would definitely be boring. Maybe. :) What catches my eyes in this card is the rope-lemniscate at the feet of the guy in the card: infinity, endlessness, and for me, it is a very positive thing, even if it also refers to the endless up and down cycles, as well. But we are endlessly guided, supported and protected from High Above, too. If this guy is waiting for the ship to float in, or he is waving goodbye, or he is asking them to come and pick him up - I cannot decide and do not want to. Ships are coming and going, and we can be passengers or captains. It does not always depend on us, I know, but in an optimal case, we are the captains of our own life-ships. This is what I believe in. What Ludy herself writes about this card in the LWB is this: 'The voyage begins in the mind and ends in the body. The first step already takes you far.' I truly believe in it. 

Okay, I am off to carve my pumpkin. Thank you so much for reading me, see you next time!

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