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The Druidcraft Tarot Review

druidcraft tarot
The Druidcraft Tarot © Will Worthington 2004

The Druidcraft Tarot deck was first published in 2004, and since then it has become one of the most popular decks in recent times.

What makes this deck so irresistible is the beautiful artwork by Will Worthington, and as a bonus it comes with an excellent companion book by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm.

The theme of the deck is based on nature and the Wicca and Druidry traditions, so it is ideal for anyone wishing to explore these paths on a deeper level with the Tarot.

This is a fully illustrated deck with a Viking feel and filled with symbolism. I love all the animals on the cards.

The cards are a bit oversized for my liking – 140 x 90 mm. As you can see on the image above, they have a white border, which can easily be trimmed, and many tarot readers have done this.

I have seen cropped versions of this deck, which just look stunning, so if you intend to use it regularly, I’d recommend getting rid of the white border.

The 192-page comprehensive companion book includes information on Tarot history, Druid mythology, the seasonal cycles, card descriptions (including reversed meanings) as well as spreads and sample readings.

Although I cannot fault the artwork of the Druidcraft Tarot, I have to admit that the full frontal nudity on some of the images (the Hanged Man and the Star) really bothers me.

I’m not prude, but I don’t think that genitals are a pretty sight, especially in a tarot deck. They remind me of those bad, unnecessary sex scenes in movies, when less would definitely be more.

And the Lovers card is a little risqué, too, which sadly makes it unsuitable for children.

For that reason, the Druidcraft Tarot doesn’t quite make it on my list of all-time favourites, but if you don’t mind the nudity and like the theme and artwork, then don’t be put off by my opinion.

The Druidcraft Tarot Deck & Book Set

Text © Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm 2004
Illustrations © Will Worthington 2004

Connections Publishing 2004

Buy it from the Book Depository (free worldwide delivery)

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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The Threes in the Tarot of Quotes

three of wands tarot of quotes

Three is a magic number.

Apart from using it in mathematical calculations, we encounter it every day in religion, mythology, literature, music and sport as a mystical and spiritual symbol:

  • three wishes
  • three guesses
  • three little pigs
  • the Holy trinity of Father, son and Holy Spirit
  • the three Graces
  • the three Norns
  • the unity of mind, body and spirit,
  • the Triple Goddess…
  • Shakespeare’s three witches casting spells beginning with “thrice…”
  • the three Musketeers
  • the three stooges
  • Film and book trilogies
  • initial family unit of father, mother and child
  • “bad news come in threes”
  • three chords harmony in music

There are countless more examples, but what they all have in common is a sense of completion, unity and harmony, which is reflected in all the threes in the Tarot.

Numbered three, the Empress in the Major Arcana symbolises abundance, creativity and growth, which are also inherent qualities of the number Three.

Three of Wands – initial success, growth, achievement, harmony, foresight

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Established Strength

Astrological attribution: Sun in Aries – building and expanding on initial achievement, moving forward, progress, confidence, optimism, focus on goal, taking risks, power

Interpretation: new beginnings and opportunities to expand horizon through travel, study and new ventures; building on what has already been accomplished; focus and concentrating on the bigger picture; think big; be open-minded and go for what’s on offer; become more aware of opportunities but also challenges around you; travel

Image symbolism:

Sun and light trail – showing the way, focus, energy, outlook, vision
Red, orange and yellow colours – element fire, creativity, ambition, vigour, drive, enthusiasm
Green grass – opportunity for growth and abundance

three of cups tarot of quotes

Three of Cups – celebration, community, friendships, bonding

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Abundance

Astrological attribution: Mercury in Cancer – emotional intelligence; joyful communication, fun discussions, wit, banter, cooking at home for friends, problems resolved

Interpretation: spending quality time with friends and family, helping others in a team, nurturing friendships, socialising, happy occasions enjoyed with loved ones, creative group activities (dancing, arts and crafts…)

Image symbolism:

Three naked ladies embracing – affection, bonding, mutual support and trust, innocence

Flowers – love, beauty of the moment, creative growth, passion (red flowers)
Turquoise, pink and indigo colours – element water, emotional maturity, trusting feelings, intuitive perception, compassion

three of swords tarot of quotes

Three of Swords – grief, distress, heartbreak, gloom

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Sorrow

Astrological attribution: Saturn in Libra – discord, self-limitation, lessons to learn from mistakes, loss of security, loneliness, melancholy

Interpretation: rejection, loss, setback, disillusionment, the need to confront pain or unblock emotions, pessimism, preparing for a difficult situation or event to minimise distress, a painful conclusion (e.g. of a relationship)

Image symbolism:

Cracked, bleeding heart – hurt, pain, separation, feeling torn

Transparency of the heart – vulnerability

Red and white rose – imbalance of emotions and reason

Rain – gloom, hopelessness, clouded vision
Lake – drowning in feelings and emotions
Mountains – a difficult path to healing
Grey colour – element air

three of pentacles tarot of quotes

Three of Pentacles – foundation, teamwork, development

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Material Works

Astrological attribution: Mars in Capricorn – ambition / energy to create; hard work, workaholic, labour of love (or obsession), expansion, decisiveness

Interpretation: initial completion of work, collaboration, unfinished business, long-term project, project management, building for the future, applying skills, learning on the job, maintenance and repairs

Image symbolism:

Cathedral – ambitious project, longevity
Scaffolding – work in progress

Hammer and sickle symbol – representing workers and farmers, the collective, union of a variety of skills and expertise, building something for the benefit of all, labour

Red and green colours – element earth, growth, prosperity, dedication, enthusiasm, stability

I welcome your views and opinions on my cards. Please feel free to leave your comments below.

You can view all images of my Tarot deck created so far in the Gallery. 

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Strength in the Tarot of Quotes

strength tarot of quotes

The lion on the image is guarding the entrance to a pub in a little village close to Hadrian’s Wall.

His posture is composed, dignified, serious and dutiful.

In typical Leo fashion (Strength is linked to the zodiac sign Leo), his presence is making quite an impact in that position.

He’s the first “thing” you notice when you approach the pub.

The lion symbolises the essence of Strength; despite his powerful physical strength, his self-discipline and control is taming the wild beast (desires) within. This lion isn’t pouncing at you any time soon!

The flowers in the tub next to the lion symbolise feminine energies as a balancing influence:

  • assertiveness (rather than aggression)
  • gentle persuasion (rather than oppressive dogma)
  • patience (rather than agitation)
  • compassion (rather than cruelty)

In a reading, Strength can indicate the need to control impulses and desires – not by force but with conviction and determination.

It can also advise to draw upon your inner calm and persistence in difficult situations, facing fears and adversity with the courage and confidence to overcome them.

Other keywords: stamina, endurance, perseverance, kindness despite tension or conflict (with yourself and others), self-mastery, willpower

Negative meanings include: weakness, self-doubt, low self-esteem, over-emotional, lack of self-discipline

Astrologically, Leo is ruled by the Sun, which symbolises the Self and the Ego.

Therefore, Strength may also ask you to explore how you can practice more self-care or, on the other hand, how you can become less selfish or self-absorbed.

If you’d like to learn more about Strength and all the other cards in the Tarot, please check out my ebook The Cosmic Faery Tarot Guidebook.

I welcome your views and opinions on my cards. Please feel free to leave your comments below or just click the ‘like’ button.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Personalised Tarot Cards Competition – The Winners

Queen Of Wands, personalised Tarot card
Eva, Queen of Wands (c) 2013 Image used with permission

A few weeks ago I came up with the idea to create personalised Tarot cards and decided to run a competition.

I’ve been turning my own photography into Tarot cards for ages, so I wanted to offer three lucky winners the opportunity to have their favourite photo turned into a magickal Tarot image.

And here are the winners:

1. Eva

2. Angela

3. Sibylle

Congratulations, ladies! Smile

One photo has already been transformed (see image), and I will be working on the other two this week.

I am so delighted with the response I received to my first ever competition, and grateful to everyone, who posted their entries and supported me this way.

Thank you so much!

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

PS: You can take a look at Sibylle’s card on her blog the Hag’s Den Smile

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Win A Personalised Tarot Card

Page of Wands www.cosmictarot.co.ukWhen I recently came across an old photo of my son in his football outfit, it made me smile and think “that’s the Page of Wands”, and so I turned it into a Tarot card.

What do you think?

I had great fun doing it, so on the spur of the moment I’ve decided to run a little competition:

I am offering 3 lucky winners to turn a photo they provide into a personalised Tarot card.

If you would like to enter this competition, all you need to do is post a comment at the end of this post. I will make notes of all the names and draw one out of the hat on the 12th June.

In typical Fool fashion, I might close the competition sooner or later depending on demand, and I might even pull more than three winners out of the hat… best thing for you to do is leave a comment as soon as possible to secure your entry.

Nine of Cups www.cosmictarot.co.ukOnce the winners are chosen, I will take my time with each photo to turn it into something special. If you win, you can either let me know your preferences (e.g. which card, quote, style), or you can let me surprise you.

If you choose the latter, your personalised card will be a kind of reading; I will tune into the image and let my intuition guide me, which card and quote would work best to offer a special message to you.

Please choose a photo (.jpeg image), on which the main object is centred, so it won’t be covered by title of the card or quote (if you want to have one included).

It can be a photo of you, a loved one or a pet…the choice is yours.

When you leave a comment, please include a link to your website/blog, or email me your details (cosmic.faery@ntlworld.com), so I can contact you, if you have won.

So, what are you waiting for? Make me happy by leaving a comment to enter the competition.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

PS: Please note that your privacy is very important to me. Your photo will never be shared or published on my website or anywhere else without your prior permission. You also retain copyright, and my website address (as shown on the images above) will not be added to the finished card.

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The Twos in the Tarot of Quotes

two of wands tarot of quotesWhile the Aces symbolise potential and new beginnings, the Twos in the Tarot relate to the need to strive for balance.

A solitary spark has evolved into duality.

Duality creates opposites and choices, which are reflected in partnerships, decision-making, planning and multi-tasking.

The High Priestess in the Major Arcana quietly watches over the Twos of the suits and influences them in a subtle way.

The underlying message of all the Twos is the need to follow your gut instinct to a certain extent in order to move forward from a perpetual balancing act.

Two of Wands – planning, risk-taking, making preparations, collaboration at work, travel, seizing an opportunity, seeking a new adventure, restlessness, investing for growth.

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Dominion

Astrological attribution: Mars in Aries – power, will, ambition, conquest, authority, courage, influence

Interpretation: a new project, a joint venture, moving into the right direction, asserting your authority, growing confidence, booking a trip, planning your next move, having a clear vision of your goal, setting priorities, taking a calculated risk

Image symbolism:

Two-forked tree – duality
Cargo ship travelling to a new destination – clear vision and purpose
River: emotions, intuition, having faith
Bright colours: fire, energy, clarity, vitality

two of cups tarot of quotes

Two of Cups – attraction, relationship, friendship, dating, courtship, harmony, cooperation, love

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Love

Astrological attribution: Venus in Cancer – love, beauty, harmony, trust, nurture, emotional exchange, commitment, marriage

Interpretation: emotional balance, personal encounters, meeting someone you are on the same wavelength with, start of a friendship, harmonious partnership in business, companionship, sexual attraction, unity

Image symbolism:

two sheep sitting side by side – friendship, affinity, companionship, mutual fondness (see also the Lovers)
grass – earth (Venus) grounded, stability, nourishment
water – (Cancer) – emotions
pink tint – it’s all rosy Smile

two of swords tarot of quotesTwo of Swords – stalemate, truce, indecision, procrastination, hesitate, defer, choice

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Peace Restored

Astrological attribution: Moon in Libra – a choice between head and heart, working out a fair compromise, balancing thought with emotion

Interpretation: immobilised by fear, ignoring a problem, trying to break a deadlock, blocked emotions; withdrawal from responsibilities

Image symbolism:

waxing moon – a phase of uncertainty, increasing doubts and insecurities, tension

water – emotions, the unconscious, the unknown, feeling out of depth

scales – Libra, the intellect, weighing up the choices, trying to ignore feelings/instinct, careful consideration

two of pentacles tarot of quotesTwo of Pentacles – adaptability, flexibility, multi-tasking, balancing the books, getting by, juggling various responsibilities, agility, fluctuation

Esoteric Title: The Lord of Harmonious Change

Astrological attribution: Jupiter in Capricorn – expansion and growth limited by restrictions; impermanence

Interpretation: growing pains associated with instability and perpetual flux; transforming energies; change, red tape, financial limitations, new goals and priorities emerge from the need to maintain balance; taking a risk is a necessity, not a choice

Image symbolism:

two coins (Euro and British Pound) – balancing opposing forces to maintain equilibrium

view of farm fields from hilltop – the world is ever-changing, keep focusing on the bigger picture; hard work pays off, but sometimes it doesn’t

murky clouds and horizon – uncertainty

I welcome your views and opinions on my cards. Please feel free to leave your comments below.

You can view all images of my Tarot deck created so far in the Gallery. 

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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The Crystal Tarot Deck Review

Crystal Tarot deck
The Crystal Tarot © Philip Permutt & CICO Books 2010

If you are using crystals in your spiritual practice and would like to combine them with Tarot, then the Crystal Tarot deck by Philip Permutt is ideal for this purpose.

The cards have wonderfully sparkly vibes radiating from the colours and images.

Each card depicts a crystal together with the traditional Tarot image. For example, we see Moonstones at the feet of the High Priestess and pink Tourmaline with the Ace of Swords.

The small companion book provides the basic information for each card and its chosen crystal.

It also offers a brief introduction to Tarot crystal meditation, includes Chakra correspondences with each card and also includes two spreads.

The pip cards in the Minor Arcana are non-illustrated, which doesn’t make this an ideal beginners’ deck.

But if you would like to learn more about using crystals in your Tarot work, then this deck is a very useful tool for that.

I have listed below the Major Arcana cards and their corresponding crystals as suggested in this deck.

The crystals in brackets are alternatives based on the Golden Dawn correspondences; use the crystal that you feel more comfortable with, works for you better or is available to you; some crystals mentioned seem to be rare and difficult to get hold of.



  • Fool – Tourmaline (Tourmaline, Turquoise)
  • Magician – Labradorite (Citrine)
  • High Priestess – Moonstone (Pearl, Labradorite)
  • Empress – Emerald (Emerald, Rose Quartz)
  • Emperor – Ruby (Ruby)
  • Hierophant – Herkimer Diamond (Topaz, Lapis Lazuli)
  • Lovers – Rose Quartz (Blue Lace Agate)
  • Chariot – Obsidian (Amber)
  • Strength – Citrine (Tiger’s Eye)
  • Hermit – Peridot (Peridot)
  • Wheel of Fortune – Amethyst (Sapphire)
  • Justice – Jade (Jade, Emerald)
  • Hanged Man – Aquamarine (Aquamarine)
  • Death – Crocoite (Bloodstone)
  • Temperance – Red Garnet (Amethyst)
  • Devil – Smoky Quartz (Jet, Obsidian)
  • Tower – Titanium Quartz (Garnet)
  • Star – Lapis Lazuli (Clear Quartz Crystal)
  • Moon – Selenite (Moonstone, Opal)
  • Sun – Imperial Topaz (Herkimer Diamond)
  • Judgement – Fire Opal (Malachite)
  • World – Clear Quartz Crystal (Onyx)

Crystal Tarot StrengthI have drawn a card from this deck to sum up the inherent quality and energy of this deck, and I pulled Strength:

Based on the book’s interpretation of this card, the Crystal Tarot may be especially helpful when at a crossroads and trying to make sense of the possibilities and opportunities available.

Messages received from this deck will offer confidence, encouragement and illuminate the need for balance and show how to achieve it.

Luckily, I have both Citrine and Tiger’s Eye in my crystal collection, but I don’t see the need to purchase all the crystals suggested in order to read with this deck.

You can buy crystals that are linked to your birth cards, e.g. persona, personality and year card.

You can also obtain crystals for those cards you use more often for spells, magick and path working.

Overall, this delightful deck with its gentle images can be used without crystals if necessary.

The naive-style artwork of the cards will also no doubt speak to children, who show an interest in the Tarot.

I managed to get the Crystal Tarot from Amazon UK for less than a Fiver; if you live outside the UK, try the Book Depository (they ship worldwide and are often cheaper than Amazon).

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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