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Writer's pictureSadhana

My First Dark Deck


Dark Angels Tarot – Tarot Tuesday

I am a lightworker. I believe in light magic. I am a yogini. My daily practices and the practices I teach are about raising frequency and energy - working in the highest. It never occurred to me to purchase a dark deck, explore vampire energy or fallen angels. Recently however, I have been gazing at the black boxes of mystery staring back at me from the shelves at the store where I read for clients twice weekly. I have to admit, I have not been pulling shadow cards, nor making this an important focus on personal or professional readings.

Then last week, I pulled out a deck of oracle cards I haven't used for a while: "Wild Woman Mystery Cards" by Elizabeth MacLeod. "What do I have to look forwards to today?", I asked the cards. Surprise! I pulled the "Shadow" card. "She lives and breathes deep in the passionate well of existence in the dark heat of the wild moon of your soul. Under the buried well of deep passion and effervescent pain lies some of the truths of her story, shaping the person you are now." So thank you Liz, truly.

I have purchased a new deck of Wild Woman Mystery Cards and will be doing a deck unboxing on my new You Tube channel this week!

"Dark Angels Tarot" by Luca Russo is where I decided to begin! Love the partially revealed mask on the back of the cards! My first impression is an unhesitating - wow. Major arcana highlights include:

The Magician: absolutely love how active this magician is - not just standing behind his table

The Priestess: her white skin, her energy . . . she reminds me of one of my teachers

The Hierophant: eyes hidden behind her headpiece . . . she doesn't need to gaze outwardly

The Lovers: one angel looks like Michael Jackson ;) four souls on the card - where will this card lead?

Strength: can I buy the art print? A powerful vision!

The Hanged Man: the grace and elegance of a dancer/aerialist fully surrendered to the experience of being suspended upsidedown

The Devil: sexy she-devil watch out!

The Star: beautiful, full of hope, not at all what I expected in a dark deck

The Sun: powerful image of embracing the light and its creative energy

Minor Arcana | Cups

"The suit of cups relate to the emotions, the love and the loss that drive and coerce the fragile human spirit." There is much to reflect on in this suit. 7 of Cups - the cups filled with "dreams" have been turned away from by the angel. Her back is to us and she looks beyond into a cloudy blue sky. The 10 of Cups teaches us that love is so powerful that it even transcends the darkness. The Page of Cups is hauntingly beautiful, both the Page herself and the scene. There is no option other than to hold the cup and be in obeisance of its power.

Minor Arcana | Discs

"The suit of discs tells of the material world, the possessions and creations that own even as they are owned." Doesn't that suit description want you to move off-grid tomorrow! There is an odd symbol on the discs that makes them very undesirable (if you know what this is, I'd love to hear from you). 2 of Discs reminds us that material possessions cannot be taken with us to the next plane. 5 of Discs appears to be a reversed perspective from inside the church. The angels who once had everything, now reach out beyond the stained glass windows for that which is lost. 8 of Discs reassures us that all that is lost can be regained through hard work. What is usually a favourite suit of mine, partly due to its beautiful connection to the element of earth, shines harshly on the irrelevance of material possessions.

Minor Arcana | Wands

"The suit of wands describes the spheres of action, ambition and power that drive mankind onward, even in the face of disaster." May I say that I don't get that at all from this deck. The suit of wands has no fire, action, nor colour associated with the fire element. The 2 of Wands as a butterfly works transitioning from her cocoon to the unknown world of possibilities (I'd love to hear what you see in her skirt!). The 6 of Wands, which in most decks is a "success" card and seldom reflects on who or what was lost in order to have gained the success, is reflected in this card. Here the victoress humbly and solemnly arrives home only to meet those whom she has conquered. My vote for "Creepiest Page of Wands Ever" - no youthful qualities nor any hint of moving forward.

Minor Arcana | Swords

"The suit of swords speaks of the thoughts, decisions and conflicts that bring torment to the human race." No surprise that it is challenging for me to select cards to comment on in this suit. This is the suit of over-intellectualizing - the suit of no heart. The Ace of Swords shows commitment and potential and naturally an unwillingness to reveal the heart. The guidebook describes the often overlooked importance in the thread of the story in each suit. 2 of Swords "Balance must be maintained for peace of mind." 3 of Swords "When balance is lost, pain and sorrow will follow . . . " The Queen, though a graceful dancer is a master of the sword: she need only make one move to cut through whatever stands in her way.

As I am working in an unfamiliar modality, this is definitely a deck that I will be getting to know for a while and see how it reads. The short phrases in the guidebook are useful in gaining access to the story of the fallen angels and understanding the intention of the creator; however, I definitely see myself drawing a lot intuitively from the (mostly) mesmerizing images.

Print quality could be better. Photographing the cards in the sun highlights the horizontal lines that are visible on some cards. For those not familiar with the Rider-Waite tarot, you'll need a guidebook to support the mini 13-page Little White Book that comes with the cards.

Time to shuffle - what does "Dark Angel Tarot" have to teach me? FOUR OF DISCS: "Possession brings power, but it must be protected." The dark angel is wielding a disc much like a skilled basketball player; the other three discs rest on the ground. The air is fully charged with a powerful energy; the gold colours speak of wealth, power and mastery. This is not RWS symbology. The material possessions we acquire on earth were created from the very same energy that keeps the one disc suspended above the dark angels extended finger. It is so easy to lose sight of this fact in the busyness of life. This deck is going to be one of empowerment for me giving me confidence in the mystic arts and the skills that I will continue to develop. Lately, I have been attracted to and finding wands everywhere - a gift of the earth to harness and wield energy. I like where this is going.

 

Integrative Healing with Sadhana offers instruction and guidance as a full healing package or you can choose individual practices such as Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, Space Clearing or Intuitive Readings in Gibsons BC. ​Either way, you will be met exactly where you are at and together, we will adapt practices to fit your individual needs improving your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. ​

 
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