Romantic, sensuous, yet compelling and powerful, artist Jennifer Galasso show cases her visionary artwork in The Crystal Visions Tarot published by U.S. Games Systems. This softly colored deck would be perfect for the beginner as well as a treasure for any collector. The deck includes an Unknown Card "for gazing into the future or exploring issues with deeper insight."
It is a beautiful Spring day, the end of March, I feel the surge of sap and the pull of equinox, Mercury will go direct soon, Mars too, and all will shift into bloom. After blessing and clearing the cards, I sit and meditate in a pool of sunlight, focusing my intentions, sorting my questions, knowing the answers are at my finger tips now. I pull three cards to represent where am I now, where am I coming from and where am I going.
The first card I pull (the present) is Ten of Pentacles. A woman is perched in a tree, wolf companion by her side, a deer below. There is a castle in the distance, blossoming apple trees, and crystals sprouting from the ground. Along one side of the tree are six shields, each with different jewel, and I am reminded that six of pentacles is the card of compassion, healing on the physical and financial plane. On the other side of the tree, high-up in the branches are four shields, reminding me of the stability inherent in four of pentacles, without the miserliness. In the tree are the figures entwined in the branches, separate yet facing each other, always connected.
My first thought was, "that's what I want" then it turned into "that's what I have". How fortunate I feel to want what I have and have what I want, truly a blessing. I love the earthiness of this card, seen in the browns of the tree, the green ground, the clear quartz crystals, the red apples blooming in the background. It fills me with a calm appreciation, aware that tens are endings and beginnings. I have the sense that I am harvesting the abundance of the last seven years, creating stability in my health and finances, receiving prosperity with graciousness and responsibility. Deer reminds me to be gentle, wolf runs with the pack and mates for life, I am grateful for their animal guidance.
The second card (the past) is Page of Swords. a fairy angel sits on a rock in the snow, sword pulled although she seems to be resting. She is dressed in purple, including some extremely good looking boots. Purple is the color of the crown chakra, the highest mind. Three ravens fly above her in a stormy purple sky. Two more ravens come to land on a bare branch nearby. In the Medicine Cards Raven is said to be the messenger from the void, speaking to cosmic graduation, the feeling of " well done, you did it, now you get to experience more of life's mysteries." Pages are also messengers, and swords represent the mind, and this card both taking and giving classes recently, all the knowledge and experience I have shared, all the information I have been absorbing. I am also aware of messages from dreams and the particular vocabulary of the subconscious, often the same archetypes as found in the tarot.
While the edges of this card are dark, there is alight glinting on her sword, and I perceive this as a reminder to use our minds as the double edged sword of truth, to cut away the lies that bind us to past conditioning as well as to use it to plant new seed thoughts: seeds if change, seeds if peace, seeds of love and everyone's favorite, seed money.
The third card (the future) I pulled was II: The High Priestess. Robed in a light blue edged with purple with a girdle both black and white, the winged High Priestess has long black tresses streaked with silver, and stands on a crescent moon surrounded by blue butterflies.there are jewels at her heart chakra, third eye, and in her crown chakra. In one hand she holds a staff with a crystal ball and an ankh, symbol of everlasting life in Egypt (you know, ankh if you love Isis!) A peek in the LWB reveals she is holding a pomegranate in the other hand, another symbol of regeneration.
Coincidentally, I had pulled the High Priestess from The Goddess Oracle deck earlier at my office, so was really paying attention to this card, and all the messages of metamorphosis and how form will change while essence is eternal. The High Priestess embraces duality and I am reminded of Carl Jung's work on the tension of opposites and the need to create space within in the psyche that can hold different polarities in order to create healing. This is so my role as a hypnotherapist and healer, providing the space and tools for people to create their own integration of seemingly conflicting energies. As it says in the little white book, "She brings a sense of calm to our lives, and helps us find deeper meaning through understanding, wisdom and knowledge."
A positive reading overall, I shuffle through the cards face up, just noticing which ones seem to be calling to me, their colors and images. The Emperor literally fell into my lap, a nice balance to the predominantly female reading I had just had, even the fourth card and it being the IV had a pleasing synchronicity. Jennifer Galasso has created a beautiful tool that will serve very well those who seek the wisdom of the tarot.
It is a beautiful Spring day, the end of March, I feel the surge of sap and the pull of equinox, Mercury will go direct soon, Mars too, and all will shift into bloom. After blessing and clearing the cards, I sit and meditate in a pool of sunlight, focusing my intentions, sorting my questions, knowing the answers are at my finger tips now. I pull three cards to represent where am I now, where am I coming from and where am I going.The first card I pull (the present) is Ten of Pentacles. A woman is perched in a tree, wolf companion by her side, a deer below. There is a castle in the distance, blossoming apple trees, and crystals sprouting from the ground. Along one side of the tree are six shields, each with different jewel, and I am reminded that six of pentacles is the card of compassion, healing on the physical and financial plane. On the other side of the tree, high-up in the branches are four shields, reminding me of the stability inherent in four of pentacles, without the miserliness. In the tree are the figures entwined in the branches, separate yet facing each other, always connected.
My first thought was, "that's what I want" then it turned into "that's what I have". How fortunate I feel to want what I have and have what I want, truly a blessing. I love the earthiness of this card, seen in the browns of the tree, the green ground, the clear quartz crystals, the red apples blooming in the background. It fills me with a calm appreciation, aware that tens are endings and beginnings. I have the sense that I am harvesting the abundance of the last seven years, creating stability in my health and finances, receiving prosperity with graciousness and responsibility. Deer reminds me to be gentle, wolf runs with the pack and mates for life, I am grateful for their animal guidance.The second card (the past) is Page of Swords. a fairy angel sits on a rock in the snow, sword pulled although she seems to be resting. She is dressed in purple, including some extremely good looking boots. Purple is the color of the crown chakra, the highest mind. Three ravens fly above her in a stormy purple sky. Two more ravens come to land on a bare branch nearby. In the Medicine Cards Raven is said to be the messenger from the void, speaking to cosmic graduation, the feeling of " well done, you did it, now you get to experience more of life's mysteries." Pages are also messengers, and swords represent the mind, and this card both taking and giving classes recently, all the knowledge and experience I have shared, all the information I have been absorbing. I am also aware of messages from dreams and the particular vocabulary of the subconscious, often the same archetypes as found in the tarot.
While the edges of this card are dark, there is alight glinting on her sword, and I perceive this as a reminder to use our minds as the double edged sword of truth, to cut away the lies that bind us to past conditioning as well as to use it to plant new seed thoughts: seeds if change, seeds if peace, seeds of love and everyone's favorite, seed money.The third card (the future) I pulled was II: The High Priestess. Robed in a light blue edged with purple with a girdle both black and white, the winged High Priestess has long black tresses streaked with silver, and stands on a crescent moon surrounded by blue butterflies.there are jewels at her heart chakra, third eye, and in her crown chakra. In one hand she holds a staff with a crystal ball and an ankh, symbol of everlasting life in Egypt (you know, ankh if you love Isis!) A peek in the LWB reveals she is holding a pomegranate in the other hand, another symbol of regeneration.
Coincidentally, I had pulled the High Priestess from The Goddess Oracle deck earlier at my office, so was really paying attention to this card, and all the messages of metamorphosis and how form will change while essence is eternal. The High Priestess embraces duality and I am reminded of Carl Jung's work on the tension of opposites and the need to create space within in the psyche that can hold different polarities in order to create healing. This is so my role as a hypnotherapist and healer, providing the space and tools for people to create their own integration of seemingly conflicting energies. As it says in the little white book, "She brings a sense of calm to our lives, and helps us find deeper meaning through understanding, wisdom and knowledge."A positive reading overall, I shuffle through the cards face up, just noticing which ones seem to be calling to me, their colors and images. The Emperor literally fell into my lap, a nice balance to the predominantly female reading I had just had, even the fourth card and it being the IV had a pleasing synchronicity. Jennifer Galasso has created a beautiful tool that will serve very well those who seek the wisdom of the tarot.
Blessed be.
