September is picking up pace and looking much better than the past couple months. I have to be honest, these past months have been rough. My day job has been more demanding, my spiritual practice has been fraught with consistent disturbances, and my health has been like a seesaw. As I was shuffling the cards for this month, a special month for me as it has several special celebratory days, I hoped for brighter skies and clearer days. September is also, for me, a doorway month, it is like walking through a gate where on the other side are the necromantic months, the ancestral months, the months where I connect more pointedly with ancestral lines.
Now, as for the monthly augury, let’s dive in.
Tarot del Fuego by Ricardo Cavolo, published by Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Spain 2014.
There is a sense of accomplishment this month, while all the work it has taken to arrive here, at this point in time, stares us in the face. In the interim, options abound as our hand is at a loss for what to grab. Besides, we might not be up for another new thing, a new task, a new project, new ideas and options. Standing there, with all the the cards in our hands, we know the moves, but we don’t know where to move, how to move. The Magician here shows with flair how to seize the moment, the important thing isn’t what you do, but that you do. It is important to act, to move, to transform and play with these options, instead of standing hesitant, overly debating what is the right step. Take what you have in front of you and work that into something more. What are you being handed this month that perhaps you don’t want to work with? Or maybe too many options are staring you in the face and you are unsure of which to go with? Choose.
Tarot del Fuego by Ricardo Cavolo, published by Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Spain 2014.
Making the choice is more important than deliberating which choice to make. As you move through your choices the path will become clearer, and the way will be made as you go.
In general, September looks to be a more fulfilling month, in that our bellies are full and options abound. It is a month of activity and pushing the boundaries, of testing new routes, and being all around dynamic in our approaches. The gist of this month is seize it, seize the moment, seize the opportunity, and work that into something more.
Tarot del Fuego by Ricardo Cavolo, published by Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Spain 2014.
After the pages come the knights, the mounted ones, the riders of the court. Remember, these surveys are in theirvoice, the voices of the courts as I hear them.
The knights:
Knight of Cups, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.Knight of Cups, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.
of cups:
“I gallop forth with eagerness, the ground swelling at my heels as I go. My cup is held aloft, uncovered like my head. I hold a sack of dreams, unashamed of my openness, I come with gifts and a light heart, trickling like the movement of a cascading stream. I am a burst of emotion, a clear vision from the heart directed, I am the center that guides your steps.”
Knight of Batons, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.Knight of Batons, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.
of batons:
“My horse is draped in finery, with a flower on the bridle. My demeanor is aloof as I brandish my baton. The ground underneath me is fertile and lush, an abundant landscape. I know how to move and where I am going. My pace is consistent as is my determination. I am a direction in business, a call to action and work, an exercise in refinement and perfection. My finery has been attained through the sweat of my labor.”
Knight of Coins, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.Knight of Coins, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.
of coins:
“My horse faces the future as I keep an eye on the mark. I seek money and ways to make it, I seek the sharpening of my knowledge, and cunning refined on the whetting stone. I hold a knife at the ready, prepared to defend what is mine. I value the solid transaction and the spirit of discovery. I am the herald of the quest for gain, the insatiable seeker, the cunning artificer.”
Knight of Swords, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.Knight of Swords, The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.
of swords:
“Armored and ready, my horse and I are poised for any and all attacks. With sword upheld and vision steady, I scour the horizon for the enemy. I am the warrior prepared and stealthy, I bring pain and revolts at my back. I bring desolation wherever my steed charges. I am the doubt that cuts, and the herald of war. On occasions, when the question is right, I am a messenger from the underworld.”
The Spanish Tarot published by Heraclio Fournier, Spain.
I don’t get very many new tarot decks, I like to keep what I have manageable, where I use all the decks I own interchangeably and frequently. However, here is a review and a half of two recent purchases.
I was not originally aware of the creation of Tabula Mundi prior to its release. I found it by chance through tarot reviews on youtube, and through the general tarot community. I ended up getting a second hand first edition.
There are many great reviews out there of this deck, I will list some at the end. Now, why another one, you might ask? Well, perhaps my take on the deck, noting other aspects of it, may bring another perspective to the table.
I will not speak here of correspondences, meanings, and significations vis-à-vis the Tabula Mundi Tarot deck. What I will say is that that it is a strictly Thoth based deck inspired by Crowley and Harris’s early 20th century creation known as the Thoth Tarot.
Content
Starting with the presentation of the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus edition, it comes in a sturdy wine-colored box with a silk ribbon of the same color that allows you to easily take the cards out. I do like the details and the care M.M. Meleen adds to the purchase, and this is based on my in minima and Decans set expansion purchase. The packages were carefully and thoughtfully wrapped.
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The cards are a bit wider than your regular tarot, and the cardstock is supple and almost buttery to the touch which makes for smooth and easy shuffling. The cards themselves are beautifully illustrated, the care, precision, and intention behind the deck is palpable. I must admit, the only reason I purchased the deck was because of the art, when I saw the images I knew I had to have it. The borders are an off-white, ivory color, giving the art further visual appeal and allowing the reader’s eyes to really appreciate the colors of the images themselves.
Aesthetics
Given that the deck is a Thoth derivative in structure, the planetary and kabbalistic associations are included in the cards. The colors and reinterpretations of Crowley and Harris’s Thoth deck are vivid, dynamic, and engaging. What I especially like about the deck itself in its entirety, is the cohesion of its internal narrative. How the cards pictorially weave a story throughout. For example, one can see how the 5 of cups and the 6 of cups progress or speak together. Add the 9 of swords and the 10 of cups and a collective landscape unfolds, a story of images. Continue this with the 7 of wands and The Tower and we have a tapestry woven from the same threads.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
The colors, the shapes, the elements, and the characters move throughout the cards, creating stories that spontaneously develop as you lay the cards on the table. This was a pleasant surprise after purchasing the deck. To find such a carefully woven narrative within the deck itself, when I merely thought I was getting a beautiful art deck. I appreciate these details because I see it as poetry with images, or imagistic poetry (I know imagistisc is not technically a word), my eyes and heart can get on board with this.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
I want to point to a couple noteworthy touches. The more modern aesthetic touches are elegantly done. Mercury, The Magus, as an out of this world DJ laying down some slick rhythms. While Adjustment and The Empress sport more modern attire.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
I also purchased the pocket size, in minima, which has proven to be a worthy and fun travel-size companion. This one came in the same type of sturdy box coupled with a thick velvet pouch to make it easier to carry around. The images translated well into the smaller size and the cardstock is exactly the same.
In addition, I added the Decan cards expansion set which further illustrates the narrative function by each being a composition of the corresponding trio of minor arcana, which each Decan card encapsulates. An example of this can be seen below with the Decans of Libra and the related minors.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
These cards are a nice touch, although I admit to never using them for readings. These can be used for study or for other astrological purposes.
What’s more, I have the extra Babalon card, both in the regular and in minima versions. This card I do keep with the 78.
Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus by M.M. Meleen published by Atu House, 2016.
As you can already guess, reading with this deck is a pleasure. I find the colors and the interplay between the cards afford me depth. It may be imagined that the exuberance of color and details will lead to a cluttered and chaotic reading. Well, my experience of the matter is that the most cards I have laid down on the table with this deck have been nine, for the magic square, and neither the reading nor the cards felt cluttered. It does feel expansive at first glance, when many cards are on the table, but this feeling dissipates. There is no doubt that penetrating vision will serve the reader well. Overall, the tone of the Tabula Mundi Colores Arcus Tarot is dynamic and innovative, and at times even playful, arising out the the Crowleyan universe with fresh ideas. It explores occult concepts and mythologies in a contemporary voice. I find it accessible and deeply insightful. As already mentioned, the colors are deep and vibrant. I consider this deck enduring, highly recommended for those aesthetically drawn to it. I would say, purchase the regular size, sans the Decans set (unless you really want them). The pocket size is not a necessity, but a nice bonus.
Love and interest went out for a walk, and with bitterness reconciled their differences.
Pointner Tarot, Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne Wein, 1974.
August will be a month where what we want will be in conflict with our heart, and perhaps even in conflict with where we are being led. Occasionally we will find these conflicts creating turmoil, at other moments we might find a bitter truce between the two take shape. Do we want to sit and consider our options, survey what the landscape looks like? Or do we want to move forward with whatever desires propel us? Whether sitting or moving, Justice will hold out her balance, and sword aloft, asking us to weigh that which divides us.
Pointner Tarot, Ferd. Piatnik & Söhne Wein, 1974.
This month in the heat of disparate emotions and conflicting ideas, reconsider. Reconsider what divides your heart and your resources, what divides your desires and your head. Perhaps a real truce can be brokered between the two by means heretofore not considered. Instead of approaching these contentions with swords, we should put them on Justice’s balance and discern what needs to be cut. Perhaps even no angle, or reconsideration is needed, instead a circle should be our inspiration. Smooth edges that cycle and move with or against the current. A coin that knows when to be a plate that offers you a fuller range of resources and initiative.
I would say this month isn’t for starting big projects, but for debating those which we are already engaging in. It is a month of wise considerations and deliberations. Note that Mercury will be retrograde for half of August, until the 19th, hence evaluate your plans thoroughly before deploying them.
Natalia Lee 