Barbara Moore

The Gaian Tarot Hierophant

The other day I mentioned that I often thought of the Hierophant as the Teacher. Perhaps one of the many reasons I love The Gaian Tarot so much is that it names and depicts Arcana V as The Teacher.

The creator, Joanna Powell Colbert, says that this card is the Humble Teacher, as in a Holy [...]

The Fey Tarot’s Hierophant

In this deck, this card is called “The Wisest” (printed on the actual card), while in the book, it is called “The Wise One.”
The creator (who many of you know is Riccardo Minetti from Lo Scarabeo) says that this card is of a venerable and wise creature, the source of infinite, ancient, and wonderful memories, [...]

The Pagan Tarot & a Special Guest

You are so lucky today! Instead of just reading my babble about the Hierophant, you get a behind-the-scenes peek at the what goes into creating decks. The creator of The Pagan Tarot, Gina M. Pace, has very graciously shared her story behind this deck’s Hierophant. It’s a fascinating tale, and, Gina, I thank you so [...]

Does The Hierophant Need a Makeover?

Yes, I know…everyone’s most favorite card, right?
Here is the image of the classic RWS Hierophant next to the image from the Tarot of the New Vision (a deck that shows the cards from behind the traditional image):

The High Priestess easily transitioned from the Popess to her current incarnation and is, consequently, one of the cards [...]

Quaint Meanings

Years ago, I read the 9 of Cups was related to the 9 of Hearts, which was considered the Wish Card in playing card fortune telling. So I’ve always thought of the 9 of Cups as the Wish Card. When it comes up, I get excited and act like I’ve just blown out the [...]

The Mystic Faerie Moon

Since I wrote the text for this one, it focuses on what I think about The Moon. I actually hadn’t looked at this text in a few years. I am surprised to see how unchanged my thoughts are about the moon, for I really think this sums it up nicely (for me).

“The Moon fae’s illumination [...]

Writing Your Own Tarot Book

About five years into my tarot obsession, I joined the American Tarot Association and went through their certification program. There were various things you had to do to earn certification. One was to create a list of keywords for each card upright and each card reversed. That keyword was to cue you into a sentence, [...]

The Sweet Twilight Moon

The little booklet text for this card says:
The Moon, benign really, minds its own business in the night sky. It cannot help that it must merely reflect. The Moon can give you nothing more or less than your self, with a few shadows thrown in just to keep things interesting.
It is interesting that the sun [...]

My Tarot Story

Do you remember the first time you saw tarot cards? Do you remember when you fell in love with them? I do.
My college roommate and I threw a party. We were both non-trads, which is a fancy way to say “older student,” and we lived in a condo off-campus. At some point she pulled out [...]

The Fairy Tale Moon

Lisa Hunt’s Fairy Tale Tarot features the lovely Sleeping Beauty. I love how the moonlight coming in the window is mirrored in the moonlight in the tapestry. This card highlights the idea of the moon representing the unconscious, comparing it to a dream state (since the princess is in a 100 year sleep, I assume [...]