The Red Tent

I decided to commit myself to use one deck only for three months. I chose the Tarot de Marseilles.

For now, i have only one Marseilles deck - the Universal TdM. But i have the Hadar and the Fournier coming through the mail. The more i study the TdM, the more i want to learn. It’s a fascinating deck, and that’s why i’m using it during my Intensive Deck Study.

Here is my  pledge:

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• From today (March 27th) until June 27th i’ll only read tarot using my Tarot de Marseilles. In this moment i have only one version of this deck (Universal TdM), but as i know other two are arriving, i’ll allow myself to be open in this aspect - i can use any Marseilles, but JUST Marseilles. No RWS, no Mythic, no nothing!

• I’ll use books related to Marseilles, and general tarot books, if needed. But it’ll also try to read the cards without relying on books too much.

• As for oracle decks, i’ll only use The Playing Card Oracles during the three months. It’s a deck that share some of the Marseilles characteristics, and will be a good oracle friend to it

• I will…really WILL…read for other people. I will, i will, i will! And i’ll not have a coronary just because something went wrong! Humph! I’m going to be brave!

• I’ll try to journal, though i don’t know very well how to start this. I have one…old notebook…in which i write down some of my tarot readings and my Playing Card Oracles studies. But i’ll have to find a new notebook and dedicate it to Marseilles only.

• I’ll try to improve my abilities using the Camoin Method now and then.

• All non-Marseilles decks that arrive will be handled with the purposes of checking quality and completeness. Then they will be put in my tarot drawer and forgotten until i have completed the ISD.

Wish me good luck! I know i’ll need it…

The Playing Card Oracles is a book written by Ana Cortez and her father, the artist C.J. Freeman. Their idea is to revive the magic of the playing cards. It’s a fantastic work, filled with insights, card-symbology, ideas and original techniques.Not to mention the poetry, the little tales, the pictures…it’s a work or art and wisdom, that’ll open doors to anyone who believes there’s somehing else behind this apparently common deck.

Althought any random deck of playing cards (yes, the same you use to play poker) may be used, they have designed a very beautiful accompanying deck, called The Picture Book of Ana Cortez, illustrated by Freeman. He spent many years carefully making this deck, and his mysterious and evocative art makes it very different from other decks in this genre.

The ’system’ taught in the book is in no way related to or derived from Tarot - it’s an an individual entity. Thus, it’s best if one leaves his ‘tarot notions’ outside, in order not to get confused or try to mix the two things. The PCO, for instance, use a very different suits/elements assiciation than most of people who work with tarot are used: Diamonds are Fire; Clubs are Air; Hearts are Water; Spades are Earth. It also uses geomancy to further interpret the readings. Sounds confusing at first, but it’s actually just a matter of getting used to the uniqueness of this oracle.

As a collector, i’ve come across many books that teach you how to read playing cards. Most of the systems were confusing, lacked of any depth, they didn’t teach anything - you had to read with the book by your side always, you depended on it. The Playing Card Oracles was the first one i found that thinks out of the box, and the book is not only a little guide of meanings: it teaches you, it talks to you.That’s why i recommend it to all divination enthusiasts and curious people.

Visit the author’s website: Ana Cortez.org
Buy the set (deck & book): US Games Inc.
See some pictures: The Playing Card Oracles

I did this reading in Semptember for my 13 years old sister. Yeah, family’s my Guinea pig ;). She didn’t want a reading, but i gave her the deck to shuffle and did it anyway. I wasn’t being much serious either, but turns out that the reading was fantastically accurate. And my sister isn’t an open person - i knew nothing of this before the reading.

I used Ana Cortez’s the Playing Card Oracles & the method is one she teaches in her book. It’s called ‘The Bridge Layout’. You put the card 6 of ♣ (which is the Bridge card) in the midle, and then draw other four cards and place them around it. The layout for my sister’s reading was this one:

…2 ♥.
Jack ♥… 6 ♣…8 ♥…
…6 ♥

First thing i noticed, before i even tried to see what each position meant: too much water. Too much emotion, maybe? It crossed my mind that it might be the hormones…i don’t know why, maybe because they ‘mess’ with out inner waters…and everything else, actually.
The i saw the numbers…all were even, except for the Jack of ♥, that’s 11. I saw a that she had a ‘Jack’ (a yound boy, probably her age) that was knocking her over. Shehad been until now protected (maybe by the family - 6 ♥.), and now someting is breaking this protection. Slowly of course, since it’s only one card.

Then i started interpreting the cards positions. Continue reading ‘PCO: reading without question’