Body Cards

We hold deep wisdom in every muscle, bone, blood vessel,
nerve fiber, and cell. The human body is not only
complex organism complete with the ability to heal…

~ Quote from the back of the box

 

 

 

Title: The Body Cards

Author: Courtney Putnam

Illustrator: Courtney Putnam

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing

 

• The Body Cards, a 35 – oracle card deck inspired by the marvelous and unique human anatomy. Each card focuses on a body part that can serve as guidance.
• In one of the cards called “Patella”, there is a man who appears to be doing yoga and conducting his posture. This card represents “Stability”. This card talks about living life in a stable manner and letting things flow easily.
• The next card called “Skin” there is a nude woman who dose now show her intimate parts and has the head of a bird with a green crown. In the background, there is white paper with writing in gold. The meaning of this card is “Renewal”. This card speaks about letting things start from fresh.
• The next card that I found interesting is called “Cerebrum” and in there is a human figure with yellow neon skin how bows his head down. In his head, we can see his brain and it is divided in two section. The left hemisphere has an image of a plant and the right one has an image on neurons and numbers. The meaning of this card is “Grace”. This talks about being able to give thanks for what you have.
• The back of the cards is not reversible and the image could be used for a book cover. There is an orange board with a bird and a hand and the word “Messenger” written below it. On the upper right hand, there is a green stamp that reads “insight from the body” and below the image, it reads, “Wisdom for the Soul”.
• The texture of the cards is semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The cards are glossy and feel nice. They are a bit over 6 ½ x 4 ¾ inches.
• The cards, along with the book are stored in purple beribboned magnet box that is hard and sturdy.
• The text book which is in color, is written by Courtney Putnam and contains 96 pages. The book starts with an Introduction and includes topics like, “Why The Body?”, “Wisdom from the Body”, “About the Chakras” and “About Art”. Then the next section is called How To Use The Body Cards and it gives tips such as, “Relating to the Cards”, “Selecting the Cards”, “Card Reading”. The card spreads included in this section are called, “The Present Moment Spread”, “Letting Go Spread”, “Transformation Spread”, “Chakra Spread” and a tip on how to interpret the cards. After all that, we are brought to the meaning of the cards. In each page for each card there is an image of the card with the title of it and a keyword. Then it includes the art title of the image, art meditation, where that part of the body is located, how it functions and a unique fact and its association with the Chakra. In an extensive paragraph the card’s meaning in provided. Regarding the body part, there are tips to use such as color, oils and activities.  Towards the end of the book, there is a list of cards (body parts) that are associated with the Chakras.
• The illustrations for each card are done by Courtney Putnam and the medium for the artwork is photo collage and manipulation.
• This is an interesting oracle that brought back memories when I was perusing my degree in nursing school. I find it so interesting how this oracle deck came about, to use internal and external parts of the anatomy to be able to use as divination. Do understand that there are over thousands and thousands of things in our body, so just a few parts were used for this oracle deck. The book reminds me of a text that I use to have to read before taking an exam (lol!). The text book provides good information that many of us did not know about body parts. It’s also nice to see how Chakras were incorporated in this oracle deck as well. If you are interested in working with this oracle deck, click here!

 

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Bonfire Tarot

Take an exciting trip through an extravaganza of 78 vivid and
expertly hand-painted tarot cards inspired by the vintage,
old school tattoo flash of Sailor Jerry Collins.

~ Quote from the back of the box

 

 

Title: Bonfire Tarot

Author: Gabi Angus-West

Illustrator: Gabi Angus-West

Publisher: Schiffer Publishing

 

• The Bonfire Tarot, a 78 tarot card deck so farfetched that includes the most lucid and vivid artwork that will never let you keep your eyes off of it.
• There are far too many cards to choose from in this tarot deck. As I was going through the deck of cards, I saw a card that appealed to me. This card is the Chariot. In this image, we have a man looking to his left. With him are two dogs that appear to be Bull Dogs. Much like the original image, one dog is black and the other is white. Next to the man there is a wheel that belongs to a carriage. This card tells you about movement and indicates places where you need to be at.
• The second card that I found interesting and very familiar is the Four of Cups. In this image, there is a woman with short blonde hair combed in a 1950’s style. She wears a pink dress and lays on her side dipping her hand in the water.  The character in this card reminds me of Marilyn Monroe. The four of cups speaks about boredom and apathy.
• The last card is the Page of Cups. This image is so cute. Here we have a young blond girl who is by the seaside and wears a red beret (I own one, lol). Out from her cup an orange fish jumps up and she looks at him go. When this card appears, this indicates of feeling emotionally high, having or knowing something that you love so dearly.
• The back of the cards is reversible and they consist of two bones at cross roads. The color theme is black and white. On top and bottom of the card the word ‘Bone Fire Tarot’ is mirrored.

• The texture of the cards semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The size of the cards is approximately under 5 ½ x 3 ¾ inches.
• The cards, along with the book are stored in blue beribboned magnet box that is hard and sturdy.
• The text booklet which is in color includes 192 pages and, is written by Gabi Angus-West. Let me start off by saying that the book is filled with such information for all the cards. The book starts off with a Preface called, “A Warm Welcome” and includes two topics “Tattoo and the Tarot” and “Hook, Line and Sinker”. Then we are introduced to the major arcana and minor arcana. For each page dedicated to the cards, there is the image of the card on the left-hand side. Next to it is the title of card in red letter and underneath the title there are brief sentences that sum up the meaning of the card. Underneath all that is an elaborated meaning of each card and even some information as to how the images came to be. There are spreads included are, Wooden Eye’s One-Card Wonder, Beltane Three-Card Spread and Bonefire Eight Card Enlightener. Then there is a section called “Cherry Flavored Truth Bombs”. Last we are introduced to a glossary of symbols that appear throughout the cards.
• The illustrations are done by Gabo Angus-West. The medium for the artwork appears to be a blend of paints such as acrylics and other elements.
• I knew of this tarot when it was self-published and was very popular. Every time that I wanted to buy a copy, something stopped me. And now, I own my very own copy of this extravagant artsy tarot deck. Every card and its images are so crispy and full of life and color that it is very hard not to keep your eyes off it. Time may be lost or blended with in each card. What I loved so much about the book is that the creator lets us in how she managed and what she wanted to initiate before creating the images for each card. I f you are looking for a tarot deck with a different type of artwork that is soft on the eyes, but wild on the imagination, get this deck right here!

 

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Gaian Tarot

Gaian spirituality understands that humans, plants, animals,
stones, and stars are all inextricably linked when
one strand is pulled, the entire web is affected.

 ~Quote from the back of the box

 

Title: Gaian Tarot

Author: Joanna Powell Colbert

Illustrator: Joanna Powell Colbert

Publisher: Schiffer

• The Gaian Tarot, a tarot deck so neatly done, with a modest touch of Wicca to it, yet that embodies the element of earth as well as everything and anything that dwells on earth. This tarot deck features 78 beautifully illustrated cards and a companion book that tells you everything about the cards.
• Occasionally, in a tarot deck, the devil card will take a different name. The Devil card in this tarot deck has been named “Bindweed”. In this image, we see a man who has blue skin, who is surrounded by bindweed. On top of him there are several crows who stand on a branch. This card indicates a life that is lived out of balance and where there is no order.
• The Two of Water will show a man and a woman embracing, but in this tarot deck, it has taken a different concept. Here we see a gray-haired woman and her white furred dog who is standing on his two legs. They are hugging each other. I can certainly feel the love in this card. We do not always have to love another human being; we can love our pets (other living creatures). This card talks about relationships and loving someone else.
• In most tarot decks, the page is often a messenger who wears clothes from another era. In this tarot deck, the Page of Wands is known as the Child of Fire. In this tarot deck we have an adorable, yet daring child who wears red and is fascinated by the large flames that erupt from the ground. By his side, his cautious orange pet cat keeps a close eye on the boy, not wanting him to get burned. This card talks about making things happen, being ready to make all things possible.
• The back of the cards is reversible. The image used for the back of the card consists of a night sky background, and a circle made of green plants and purple flowers. Very soothing image.
• The texture of the cards is semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The cards are glossed, making them slip when handling. The edges on the cards a pewter (silver foil). The size of the cards a bit larger than “4 X 5”.
• The cards, along with the book are stored in white beribboned magnet box that is hard and sturdy.
• The companion text is in color includes 184 pages, and has enough information that explain a little bit of everything about the cards. The book starts off with a “Thank You”. The Preface introduces us to topics such as, “The Meaning of Gaian”, “Creating the Gaian Tarot”, “Tarot Structure” and “Using the Deck and Book”. In the Major and Minor Arcana chapters, a description of the image for the card is provided, as well as the upright and reversed meanings. But the Major Arcana has more extensive than those in the Minor Arcana. For example, for the Major Arcana you are provided with keywords, a “deepen your understanding (of said card), Symbols found in the cards such as a rose or rabbit along with an interpretation of what it means, an outline for journal questions and an affirmation. The book ends with 10 tarot spreads and some tips such as how to read cards intuitively, working with a card a day, the art of asking questions and reading both upright and reversed meanings. The spreads included are, Three Card Spread, James Wells’s Helpful All -Purpose Spread, Joanna’s New Moon Spread, Joanna’s New Moon Spread #2, Beth Owl’s Daughter’s Predict Your Future by Creating it Spread, Joanna’s Seeking Clarity Spread, Joanna’s New Year Spread, Joanna’s “Elder of Fire/Whisperers of the Ancestors Spread, Carolyn Cushing’s “Soul Practice with The Gaian Tarot: Path, Practice and Posture Spread, Carolyn Cushing’s Aligning with the Earth Spread and James Wells’s Gaian Spread.
• The illustrations are done by Joanna Powell Colbert. The artwork seems to be of mixed media between photo collage and actual art. They blend perfectly that being able to separate the two art forms is impossible.
• For those of you who do not know about the Gaian Tarot, this is not a new tarot deck and was last published by Llewellyn, but later went out of print. Many wondered why it went out of print if it was popular and was selling well. But any who, good thing that Schiffer picked it up and gave it such a lovely packaging and fantastic production. I never owned the Llewellyn edition, but I do know that the cards were a bit smaller that the detail in the images were lost. Know that some of the Major Arcana cards have been renamed, the titles for the suits have changed to elements and so have the original titles for the court cards. The Page’s become Children, Knights become Explorers, Queens become Guardians and Kings become Elders. The cards in the packaging and book follow a different order, they are not placed by suits and numbers (ex. Fire form 1-King), instead they are placed by the numbers, for example. One of Fire, Earth, Water and Air. Two of Fire, Earth, Water and Air and so on. This is a near and warm deck and great for all those who simply love nature. To buy your copy, click here!

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author