School and Work

It's amazing how stressful your last year of your undergraduate degree really is, especially when you work 30  or more hours every week. May I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Biology it was an amazing day that at certain points in my life I truly believed was never going to happen. It is a scary change, I am now a college graduate. I must go out and prove my worth to the world yet again to proceed on the next step in my life. I am excited and terrified of the changes that are occurring in my life. No I have not forgotten my blog I just had little energy for it this last year. I plan to spend more time with this blog now that I am only working.

Why I Am A Nerd

I love that I am a nerd girl at heart and it's not something I hide in the least. This blog is just one of the ways I broadcast it. I love gaming, and to me it does not matter whether it is tabletop or video-games  My Mom can be attributed with fostering my inner geekiness, she is the one who read the hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to my sisters and I when I was six.
She was also the one who played board games and card games with us. The other thing that created the nerd that I am is the group of kids my sister's spent our formative years with. Mom was a single parent working very hard to raise three girls who were within three years of each other in age. We went to daycare, at first a stepping stones and than one that was attached to school we attended.
At that daycare we played Nintendo  magic, and dungeons and dragons. We also learned to bead and play tackle football, they are the reason that to this day some of my favorite films are Princess Bride, Men In Tights, Space Balls, and Weird Al is one of my favorite artists. I am grateful to them for helping create who I am.

New Socks

I found this great yarn on sale at Joann's when I was last there. This lead to a Ravelry search for the perfect pattern; I found the Weaselly Homestead. If was quick and simple and did not have to think much about it. I am also able to bring it to watch movies where there is not a lot of light. The only really change I made was to cast on eight extra stitches since I am not petite in the least.

Bags/Cases For My Tarot Decks

 When I got into tarot at first I was simply storing my cards in the box. I was beginning to worry about the box giving out before I found the perfect thing to keep them. I none of the pre-made bags that are popular called to me. The organza bags that are popular were coming out on top, but I felt that they were to flimsy for me to feel comfortable (friends of mine use these bags with no problems). Until the day that I came across author Mary K. Greer's blog which is an excellent resource. Greer is not just a tarot reader and author though, she knits. When I was looking through the different side links on her blog I noticed one called Knitted Tarot Bags. 

I felt really stupid at this point I hadn't even thought of knitting one; the first bag I made for my Deviant Moon Tarot based off of her pattern. Later for my Vanessa Tarot, which comes in a tin I just needed something that kept it with it's clothe I created this bag.

 Now I have been experimenting for different styles of bags.

Tarot Decks II: My Break-down And Reviews Of Current Decks

 The Psychic Tarot: Oracle Deck- Oops, this was my very first deck. I happen to really like it, but I did not know enough to realize that while it said Tarot in the name; an Oracle deck is not the same thing. Easy to read with; but if you are trying to learn the traditional Tarot not so good. So if you see an oracle deck and fall in love with it, buy it but as a second deck or put it side until you are doing really well with a normal 78 card deck. Switching between the two types of decks is not optimal for learning.

Deviant Moon Tarot- This was my second deck after I realized what the above was not a normal deck. This one is great for me, I love the art and had an instant connection to the deck it is still one of my go to decks.

 

Vanessa Tarot- And this was my third deck, every card is depicted with a different woman doing her thing. This deck is about the same size as playing cards and came in a tin which I love for slipping into my purse =)

Tarot Decks Part I

This is just a few thoughts I have on beginner's first tarot decks. First find a deck that really speaks to you; this is IMPORTANT. If you don't have a connection with or like the deck, you won't use the deck and readings will probably be really off. Second get a deck based off of preferably the Rider-Waite system, created by A.E. Waite and  Pamela Colman-Smith. Sometimes referred to as the Waite-Smith Deck. This is one of the most popular decks out there and a lot creators base their images on this system. This means there should be 78 cards: 22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana split into four suits. Usually swords, wands, cups, and pentacles; there is some variation on suits name. I will mention the Thoth Deck here as well, it was designed by Aleister Crowley a contemporary of Waite, this is similar to the Rider-Waite and is possible to find good resources based on the Thoth.  Three every card should have a distinct image on it, there are pretty decks that the only illustrations are on the major arcana. If you really like them put it on a wish list get as your second deck. Having distinct images helps you to learn the meanings. Four if your deck has a book GET IT. I can not stress this enough. Most decks just come with a little white book (LWB) and that's it; which is great except for the decks where the authors wrote a book these decks still come with the LWB they are not adequate for beginners. For some the more unusual decks they are not good even for experienced readers. More on this in my reviews of the decks I currently have.  My next post will go into a little more detail on what made a good beginner deck and what mistakes I made in the beginning.

Tarot For Writers

I enjoy doing so many things that I love when they can overlap. Recently I found a great book that allows too of my passions to overlap; writing and tarot. Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner is an excellent resource for both reading tarot and using to overcome writers block. I have been doing tarot for about a year now, I have been progressing well in my ability to learn what the cards mean, but Google it and you will see the variation that is out there in meanings a well as processes. One of things I like about the book is the second half is a description of all 78 cards and their meanings. Kenner lists both the historical significance and the modern take on all the cards with at least two pages per card. If you don't believe in tarot that's fine, but if your writer I think it's worth taking a look at this book and a deck of cards. Part I is the first three chapters, they are an introduction to tarot and is good if you are a beginner. Part II is the called the The Writer's Tarot, this section offers advice on using the cards for character creation, storylines and plots, settings and description, breaking writer's block, etc. These chapters offer insight on how to use these cards as a jumping off point, and also has a lot of exercises for writers to use. I am enjoying challenging myself with this book and I hope you will too.