Elemental Tarot for Kids

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine: Elemental Tarot for Kids by Rayne Storm, published by Red Feather, Quality Box of 71 cards, card size: 5” x 3.5”. 

Renamed cards to represent Majors using words like Transformation, Balance, etc. The Minors are Earth (Green), Water (Purple), Air (Yellow), Fire (Red) also with simple titles. 

There are simple explanations and practice for kids who want to play with their first set of divination cards. In the box are several cards that provide information as follows: “Set up, ask a question, shuffle, layout, read, apply intuition, record the reading: Tarot is the art of reading a story laid out in the cards. Messages are hidden to give advice and guidance. Whatever could happen has not happened yet, so it can be changed to a good outcome with forethought, discussion and good advice. Never accept money or gifts for a reading; Only use the cards for entertainment; Never say that anything bad will happen!”

Tarot of the Old Path

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot of the Old Path. Artwork by Sylvia Gainsford. Authored by Howard Rodway. 78 cards and instruction booklet in pack. Published by AGM Urania. £20 

A Handbook of Female Wisdom! The deck is designed for witches, initiates of Wicca and the Craft, also known as the Old Religion or Old Path. The detail of intricate designs, plant and animal artwork is excellent with plenty of action. Some of the major arcana cards have been given different titles, such as Mastery, The Wise One, The Lone Man, The Close, The Guide,Temptation, Illusion, and Karma. 

Sylvia Gainsford is a member of the Fellowship of Isis and the card images contain many leaves of plants. A coven of eight consultants contributed to the card descriptions, meanings, verse and symbols, and gave advice on astrological and elemental correspondences. A 10 card Celtic Cross spread is suggested. It is an attractive deck of cards. Not for a beginner because the booklet carries a few words leaving the insight with the reader to gain inspiration from the cards rather than the booklet.

Sacred Rebels Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Sacred Rebels Oracle - Guidance for Living a Unique & Authentic Life by Alana Fairchild with artwork by Autumn Skye Morrison, published by Blue Angel Publishing, £15.99 boxed set of 44 quality cards and guidebook. Author's website: http://alanafairchild.com

Each card has a number, a title and an image. In the guidebook detailed information on each card is provided with a healing process suggestion of an affirmation and a meditation and frequently a prayer. The artwork is excellent, as in the sample provided of an owl, peacock and raven that sit atop a web and a beaked skull as a grey haired woman relinquishes consciousness. Are her last thoughts about the needs of nature, as we shed our physical body, so many species face extinction.  

Shadow Light Cards

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Shadow Light Cards By Elk Woman and L Guescini, £9.99, Published by Mystic Mouse Publishing, 52 cards and a leaflet of 16 pages. 

This card deck is for personal use only, not to provide readings for other people. These square shaped 3 inch by 3 inch cards are designed to carry concepts to help the user attain 'unity' of consciousness. The cards are contained in an attractive mauve coloured pack which depicts a mandala with a skull design in the centre. The fronts of the cards have a larger skull design. Crystal skulls are extraordinary artworks carved from quartz crystal in ancient times and are said to evoke inspired feelings and thoughts within those who meditate upon them. Some think these skulls can also predict the future. 12 of these cards have a white face, these are the 'light cards'. They carry single positive words, such as 'empathy' 'solitude' responsibility' and 'judgement'. 40 of the cards have a black face and represent the 'shadow'. These have dual words in opposition to each other, such as 'awareness and delusion' 'creativity and career' 'experience and challenge' 'empowerment and victim'. These are designed to make us think, become aware and also provide caution.

The Cathar Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Cathar Tarot - The Secret Wisdom of the Perfecti by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan. Boxed set of 78 cards plus explanatory book. Card size: 4.5 inches x 3 inches. U.K.: £17.99 US: $19.95 CAN: $22.95

“In heaven, there are angels, and good men and good women.” Peire Mary June 1324

“The heart of man is the church of god”. Arnaut Sicre, October 1321

This is a concept tarot deck specifically designed for those who are interested in Catharism. The Tarot according to the Cathars you could say! There is a chart comparing the traditional Tarot cards and the Cathar cards. The book contains information about the history of the Cathars and an explanation on how to work with the cards, how to get to know the deck and how to activate it. Each Major is retitled with the traditional Tarot title and a Cathar title, subtitle, explanation, divinatory meaning and keywords for the light and dark aspects of each card. The Minors have less information but it is sufficient to provide a reading. The Minors are divided into the Book of Shields, the Book of Swords, the Book of Love and the Book of Wisdom. 

Seeker Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Seeker Oracle by Ravynne Phelan, published by Blue Angel Publishing. Boxed set of 55 cards and accompanying Guidebook. Card size: 10cm x 15cm. £18.99

Sample reading: Choose Love - Love is the force that binds and connects, inspires devotion and a willingness to commit. We choose to view the world through a filter of love. There are countless reasons to fear, but we can only counter them with love. We acknowledge that there is bad in the world. It is impossible to deny that humanity and its impact on the world can be destructive. It is also impossible to deny that mother nature can be unforgiving. We must choose to focus on and highlight that which inspires feelings of wonder and awe and do what we can to nurture and protect the source of those feelings. Make a choice to choose love. Act with compassion, empathy, and kindness. Face the source of any pain, anger, or fear with love. Do not allow hurts feelings to make you hard or cruel. When we choose love, we choose with our heart not our head. Well there are times when we must gather the facts, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a logical and rational decision. There are also times when we must put logic and reasoning aside and follow the dictates of our hearts. Sometimes our heart speaks truer than our head. Our head might offer the most logical option, but our heart knows whether our decision is going to bring us joy or sorrow. Do what we love. Be loving. Don’t withhold love. Love harder. Give compliments, show affection, show interest, and be supportive. Our choice to choose love could transform our life and the lives of those around us. Make “I love you” a part of each day’s conversations, let others know how much we care. All the time. Do it even if it makes us, or them, feel uncomfortable.

Ancestral Path Tarot

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Ancestral Path Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts, newly published by US Games Systems Inc. £18.75 Boxed set of 78 cards and booklet. Card size: 3.25 x 5 inches.

You are invited to “discover your own truths”, as the artist and card creator, Julie Cuccia-Watts expresses her own spiritual beliefs through this deck that describes human experience, histories, traditions and myths. Meaningful stories into the human condition are described for each card in 60 words. Four cultures are represented by the four suits: Japan (swords), Egypt (staves), British (cups), and Native Americans (Sacred Circles). One layout offered, the Celtic Cross Spread of 10 cards. 

Wild Kuan Yin Oracle

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Wild Kuan Yin Oracle - Soul Guidance from the Wild Divine by Alana Fairchild, Artwork by Wang Yiguang, published by Blue Angel Publishing, boxed 44 cards plus guidebook.

"For free spirits, passionate hearts and dreamers of impossible dreams"

The Guidebook provides information about how to use the deck and suggests spreads: Bridge of Transition 4 cards, Seeing from a New Angle 4 cards. The Guidebook is excellent, providing different types of information about each card, meaning, divination, guidance and healing aspects.

The cards bear a number and a 5/6 word message and an artwork influenced by the Far East with many animals, women in flight, attractive fabrics and natural settings. The Award Winning artist, with a Masters Degree, has a distinctive style and is a teacher of Fine Art in China.

The Secret Language of Animals Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: the Secret Language of Animals Oracle Cards by Chip Richards, published by Blue Angel Publishing £15.99 46 cards with explanatory booklet.

The booklet provides information about how to use the deck, with each card numbered and titled and provided with keywords, a spiritual perspective and a message and affirmation. There is a section about the importance of understanding current planetary concerns and some recommendations of charitable institutions who are involved in protecting endangered wildlife, many of which are teetering on the edge of extinction. 

There is a dedication to the 'loving, living pulse of Mother Earth and all her sacred children' and that God speaks through nature and how our evolution is bound up with our awareness. The whale, bee, snake, eagle, all so different, all so unique. The author was influenced by nature as a child in Colorado and now living on the coast of Australia where he feels in communion with the natural world.

Archetype Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Archetype Cards by Caroline Myss, published by Hay House, boxed 80 card deck with information booklet. £28.00 Author website: https://www.myss.com/

The information provided assists you in self examination to discover which archetypes are active in your life. Questions help self examination and learning. How can I be more fulfilled? What is my purpose in life? I think these archetypes are a big improvement on astrological horoscopes as they look at self improvement and the question of 'life assignments'. The book examines: life journey, unique challenges, life lessons, behaviour patterns, the inner shadow, and how to step into your archetype.

Nostradamus and The Lost Templar Legacy

Mind Body Soul Ezine Book Review: Nostradamus and The Lost Templar Legacy by Professor Rudy Cambier

Rudy Cambier is a linguist of ancient languages including Picard, and researched the verses of the Nostradamus opus for a decade. He noticed they were relevant on three levels. One conclusion was that these are not words from the time of Nostradamus, nor are they from the region of Provence. His studies show that the stanzas - reputed to be from the pen of the French visionary - were written by a Cistercian monk, in the era of between 1323 and 1328, and from the borders of the area of Belgium - and Rudy Cambier reveals the site of Knights Templar treasure. 

The author translated the Nostradamus 'prophecies' and discovered that a Prior by the name of Yves de Lessines had waited many years for someone - known as the l'attendu' - to collect the treasures of the Knights Templar but he failed to arrive. In order to record where the treasures were kept, the Prior wrote this cryptic lay which was stolen by Michel de Nostradame. The author is said to have traced the instructions and found a hoard of Knights Templar treasures!  

Goddess, Grail and Lodge

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Goddess, The Grail & The Lodge – The Real Da Vinci Code and the Origins of Religion by Alan Butler, paperback 360 pages £12.99 published by O Books 

With a foreword by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, this book has excellent credentials. I loved Alan Butler’s last book ‘Rosslyn Revealed’. ‘The Goddess, The Grail and The Lodge’ does not disappoint! 

Dungeon, Fire and Sword

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Dungeon, Fire and Sword - The Knights Templar in the Crusades by John J Robinson, 494 pages. 

The Holy Land was considered to be the centre of the world and the Christian Warrior Monks known as the 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon', were created to ensure safe passage for pilgrims, and to defend the area against attack. Sacrificing their ordinary life, these men vowed to maintain poverty, chastity and obedience, and with expectations to be martyred on the battlefield abroad, they devoted their life to their religion and their duties to the Papacy. Land in Jerusalem was donated to them by King Baldwin, and after many successful battles which increased their wealth and prestige, their doom was sealed by failure to maintain a Christian enclave far from Christendom, where Sunni, Shi-ite, Kurds, Arabs and Turks out-manouvered them. 

Rex Deus and Rosslyn

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Rex Deus - The True Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and The Dynasty of Jesus by Marilyn Hopkins and the late Tim Wallace-Murphy, published by Element Books. 

A work of the late Tim Wallace-Murphy, Founder of the European Templar Heritage Research Network, suggesting Jesus Christ lived after the crucifixion to travel with Mary Magdalene to France where his descendants have retained a pure blood line to this day. It describes Jesus as the founder of a wisdom based dynasty originating with 24 Jerusalem kings, and follows how descendants joined forces to found the Knights Templar. What is the symbol on the Rex Deus ring? Links are made with the Cathar, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. 

The Square & The Circle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review - The Square & The Circle - The Influence of Freemasonry on Wicca and Paganism by Payam Nabarz, published by Avalonia Books. paperback £10.99

Wow! Connections between Freemasonry, Christianity, Mithraism, ritual Wicca, Sufism, Zoroastrianism, paganism, esotericism, and more! We might think that the great minds behind religious movements are inspired by revelations, but they borrow more from the ancient past than we think! If a set of moral codes, rituals and beliefs has survived for millennia, why not add and take from established literature and use what works! 

Of interest to all levels, from historians to the general reader. It reads like a written painting, with broad brush strokes, a revelation in every sentence! How imperative it is for those who develop religious, spiritual and social networks, brotherhoods, etc., that they declare where their ideas originate, and what they have absorbed from other dogmas. 

I'm impressed by this study. Recommended! 

Rosslyn Chapel Decoded

Mind Body & Soul Book Review: Rosslyn Chapel Decoded - New Interpretations of a Gothic Enigma By Alan Butler and John Ritchie, paperback, £10.99 US $21.95 Published by Watkins Publishing, 262 pages.

This is an outstanding book by two prominent authors in current esoteric investigation who are specialists in the enigmatic Scottish architectural masterpiece known as Rosslyn Chapel. What new is there to say? Evidently lots! Why was the Chapel built? What is so very special about the building? What ancient knowledge was used in its design? Was an ancient religious movement involved? What special information do the authors insist is given to visitors to the Chapel? When all is silent, what can be heard? Is there a scent in the building, and what is that scent? 

The Second Messiah Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Second Messiah - Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasony by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, published by Fair Winds Press, paperback 260 pages $18.95

This book is well researched by the authors of The Hiram Key and ties up many loose threads. From after the death of Jesus, the Jewish members of the royal House of David, a hereditary priesthood, have largely been forgotten, or perhaps intentionally hidden, maybe killed, by the early leaders of the emerging Christian sect. These blood relatives would have been the real Popes in a true succession, unlike the modern claims of apostolic succession from Peter. Was there a bloodline that was protected until the time of the creation of the Knights Templar Order, when 11 selected, related, French knights under Hughes de Payen, searched under the Jerusalem Temple for possibly scrolls, valuables, relics or other finds, hidden for safety and left to them by their ancestors when Jerusalem fell in AD 70? 

Odin & The Nine Realms Oracle

Mind Body Soul Card Deck Review: Odin & The Nine Realms Oracle by Sonja Grace. Published by Findhorn Press. Boxed set of 54 cards plus book.

Quality magnetic flip top box containing a set of cards and instruction book. Biographical information is provided about the author, who is also the artist of this deck. The images are hand drawn and painted and have a beauty and power within their simplicity. Sonja Grace is a visionary, a 'spirit traveller', and channels many topics from Spirit. Included in the book is information about the Norse gods and goddesses, and the runes. Each card offers a message of life wisdom. There is a short message for several reversed cards. There is a lot to learn about Norse myths, the deities and rune energies.
An interesting deck! For those of Viking ancestry and interests who will learn how to pronounce the deity names and runes correctly!

The Dion Fortune Tarot

                                               

                                                 Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Dion Fortune Tarot Cards by Dion Fortune.

The Dion Fortune Tarot Cards are based on the conclusions of Dion Fortune as provided in her book 'The Mystical Qabalah'. The box includes 78 cards, divided into 22 Grand Arcana and 56 Lesser Arcana cards with a booklet that explains about personal and spiritual development and exercising the imagination. Card size: 6 inches by 3 inches. The deck has been devised and assembled by the long serving and esteemed member of her Society of the Inner Light, David Williams. The cards are primarily for meditation and reflection. The card backs show the deck should be read upright only and the information in the instruction booklet only gives basic, traditional and upright meanings which are based on her research of the Order of the Golden Dawn of which W B Yeats was a member.There are helpful titles printed on all the cards, and information on how the cards can be used for meditation, especially of the Major Arcana , where meanings and significance, pathworkings and numerology are provided with the Lesser Arcana, wands, swords, pentacles, cups, included. There is information on the Qabalistic tradition, such as supernal triangle, ethical and astral triangles of the Tree of Life. The cards rely on the reader's knowledge and little information is provided. 

Hallowquest

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Hallowquest - Tarot Magic and the Arthurian Mysteries by Caitlin and John Matthews 254 page book to accompany the Arthurian Tarot Cards by Caitlin and John Matthews. 

This book contains black and white scans of each of the tarot cards in this deck, each of the Greater Powers has an extensive explanation, with archetypal and divinatory meanings, and there are comprehensive write-ups on the Lesser. The template for this deck are the Celtic myths and early mediaeval stories of King Arthur and the Round Table. Spear, Grail, Sword and Stone are the 4 Hallow suits and each have traditions, correspondences, archetypes of Kings, Queens, Knights and Maiden of four castles all described in a good level of detail.