So, my latest obsession is the Alleyman’s Tarot, which is a Tarot deck I backed on Kickstarter last year. It’s a bit different than the usual Tarot deck in that it’s not standard — it has the standard cards in it, but it has even more — non-standard cards and suits. It’s literally made up of cards from different Tarot decks. A patchwork or “magpie” deck, as it’s being called. It funded at over one million dollars and made history.
And I am in love!
It’s a bit tricky, I will admit, as I have to look up the non-standard cards in the guidebook when they come up. And sometimes I can’t tell what’s what even with the standard cards. They are all different. There’s no unifying theme or any rhyme or reason to it. It just…is. And that’s the beauty of it, I think. It forces you to expand your ideas of “normal” Tarot, of a “normal” reading, and what these cards are telling you. And there is a myth about the Alleyman, too, which I have not, regretfully, dug into yet. But apparently it’s really, really cool. He goes around collecting cards and gives them away to people. A singer was recently visited by a man who could have been the Alleyman…who gave her the exact Tarot card she needed to see on that night. The power of Tarot and universe, yo.
So lately I’ve been tweeting #advicecards from the Alleyman’s deck and have been having fun. And getting some very illuminating stuff. One day I got The Fountain, which asks you to get relief from whatever ails you, be it thirst, pain, or exhaustion. Or provide it for someone else. On that particular day, I needed to rest desperately due to chronic pain that I’ve been having. Another day, when I was really depressed about my publishing career, I got The Publishing Goblin (this is, incidentally, the “pen name” of the creator of the Alleyman’s) which talks about creating just to create. And to keep creating, even if no one will ever see it. And I remembered, very early on before published Fey Touched, saying that I didn’t really care about how many sales I made — I just wanted people to read it and enjoy it. Same with my poetry. Get the chapbooks off my hard drive and into readers’ hands. And isn’t that why we do this in the first place? Sure, money is great, but it’s also about sharing your gift, your thoughts, your stories, your soul, to the world. And truly? You can’t even put a price on that. The Publishing Goblin was a good reminder of it.
The 3 of Wands was interesting when it came up, because I’d never seen a Wands card with peacock feathers before. I resonate deeply with peacock feathers. Peacocks symbolize immortality, but I’d also done a workshop about finding my true purpose once and had an awe-inspiring experience involving a peacock feather. Made me cry, but stuck with me, even to this day. Anyway, the card talks about positive things coming your way and chasing them. Making your ideas a reality. That’s a great #advicecard because so many of us need encouragement and need to hear that. We can make things happen if we just take action (Wands are action). I’ve always been that way, but sometimes I lose my direction and I am not making things happen! So it was another great reminder.
I haven’t pulled any #advicecards — or any cards, for that matter — this week because work has been killing me, but the plan is to continue to pull #advicecards on a semi-regular basis for the collective (that’s you guys!). I don’t know how many people see them or resonate with them, but if even if the card helps one person, I’ve done a good thing!
I also thought about pulling a few cards from my Office Tarot deck (yes, from The Office TV show — it was my anniversary present! I couldn’t resist, as hubby and I are huge fans!). It’s a neat deck, and I am looking for opportunities to use it.
But…the Alleyman’s has an energy to it that not many decks have. Some readers have said that it’s blunt, lol. (Yes, we talk about our decks like they are, well, real. No, we’re not nutty in the head. It’s all energy!). But there’s more to that, in my opinion. Like I said earlier, it feels more expansive….just….more. And I think it really lends itself to #advicecard pulls.
I am so wild about this deck and magpie decks in general that I joined an Alleyman-centered FB group and have been building my own! (Actually, a few!). And it’s been pretty cool. I’ve been meeting a lot of great people and learning some cool stuff and seeing so many different cards and decks and my credit card is crying right now but damn…you only live once, right? But seriously, I’m taking it slow. I’m not going to go broke buying cards!
My first magpie is about 3/4 done though. Which is awesome! I have what could become a second (because of duplicate cards) and an all-Empress deck (just all Empresses…this is another thing we do…Empress is my personal significator card and I love her! When I found myself with several, I said, why not?). The possibilities are limitless!
Stay tuned! I will report on my own deck soon!
If you want to get in on the #advicecard fun, follow me on Twitter.
(<—This one is The Thing Among Reflections, one of the most interesting — and creepy — cards in the deck.)
What are these cards saying in your view? What advice do you think they want to give you? Let’s discuss it in comments!