Tools of the pagan

Candles and oils, symbols and sigils, herbs and stones - these are some of the tools of the pagan. They all have their uses, and it's one of my favorite aspects of paganism - the connection of the natural world's objects into my practice.

My favorite tool, though, is probably tarot cards. I've been fascinated with them since I was, oh, fifteen or so and sneaking interpretation books home from the library, hiding them away from my mother's distrustful eyes. It was a revelation to learn that our modern playing cards are derived from tarot decks.

Divination is a relatively misunderstood art. The future is not set in stone, so there's no divination practice that is going to state definitively that such-and-such will happen. The cards merely indicate the way things are going. They offer insight into your present situation and potential future; they work, through symbols, to help you realize what path you are on: whether you should stay the course, or look to new ways of approaching a particular problem or concern.

The primary difference between tarot decks and regular playing decks are the inclusion in tarot decks of the Major Arcana, also known as trump cards. These 22 cards represent archetypes, where the Minor Arcana that comprise the suit cards correspond to the elements and deal with day-to-day matters. There are a million websites and books that offer an explanation of the meaning of the individual cards, and I have no intention of laying that out here. Generally speaking, major arcana cards, when they come into your reading, tend to indicate outside influences, where the suit cards indicate your own behavior and beliefs.

The one thing I'll say is this, only because it seems to come up every single time someone who doesn't know tarot asks about it: Death doesn't mean death. It means change. Which, I suppose, is as terrifying to some as death itself. Personally, I am pleased when Death makes an appearance in my readings.

My go-to deck is still what many would call the 'beginner' deck, that is, the Rider-Waite deck. I love them because they are beautiful, evocative, and very easy-to-read cards, with rich symbolism that serves as an excellent assistant to reading interpretations. It's sad to me that the artist of these lovely cards, Pamela Colman Smith, isn't given credit in the deck's name. She was a pretty remarkable woman, definitely someone ahead of and outside of her time.

I've had a variety of decks but I always come back to this one. These cards just speak to me.

Also, the Five of Wands lends itself to a really great joke.