The Mythic Tarot

Product Information

Greek Mythology has played a very important part in the development of the Western Psyche. Simple common words (psyche included) owe their origins to these Greek Myths. And the Mythic Tarot does an absolutely fantastic job of bringing all of the elements that are integral to these myths – the intriguing stories, the stellar star cast, and the interwoven plot lines – all together into these wonderful cards. When looking at this card, I ask myself, is he bright eyed and red cheeked because he is excitedly hurtling himself towards great adventure? Or is it because he has simply gone a little mad, is blind drunk and Apollo dared him to jump of that cliff for a bit of a laugh? Each of the stories is a lesson in itself, and the cards and the description in the book really makes the whole story come alive. Cards That I Liked A red cheeked Dionysus is on the edge of a cliff, and looks like he is about to take a flying leap. Behind him you see a dark cave, and directly above, an eagle is sitting and watching on a tree branch.

The only snag however was that mortals cannot look upon Zeus without incinerating, so true to form she perished, but not without Zeus rescuing the unborn baby and sewing him into his thigh (as you do) for a few months until the baby Dionysus was born, which led onto him being called ‘twice born’. Is he about to walk off this cliff because he young and foolhardy, inexperienced, takes action without thinking things through and is just plain naïve so doesn’t know what the consequences of his actions could be? Is that necessarily a bad thing?Thyrsus – wand or staff of giant fennel covered with ivy vines and leaves. A symbol of prosperity, fertility, hedonism, and pleasure / enjoyment My suggestion: spend some time with the cards and the book first, and then buy the book and work with it to go deeper. 🙂 The Majors

The Fool is represented by the Greek God Dionysus, wearing an ivy crown and leopard skin, which are particular symbols of this God. The cards are stylised, with slightly two dimensional imagery of the pantheon of gods, goddesses, mythical figures and heroes and heroines of Greek mythology. An Earthy palette of colours is used and fine details embellish each image. The characters appear, illustrating a moment in an Ancient Greek story that also corresponds with a tarot card meaning. The artwork is fresh clean and vibrant the cards appear simple and each illustration has the title written clearly above the lines are exact and there is a good deal of detail to work with.This book really makes a lot of sense for those who have not acquainted themselves with Greek Mythology,and can serve as a primer / introduction into the topic. Not only does the book relate the stories connected with the characters on the cards, but it also talks about what the whole image means on both an inner level, and on a divinatory level. The WorkBook The cards themselves are made of rather thin material, and bend easily. The name of the card is depicted on each card, but These cards have been with me since I began tarot card readings in my teens, twenty years ago. Recently a new version has arrived and you can only get the print I have reviewed here second hand. The older version is still my favourite. Personally, I prefer the originals for style and design. Later on in the story of Dionysus, we see him rescuing his mother from Hades, who then became a Goddess on Mount Olympus with the new name Thyone.

Juliet Sharman-Burke was born in Nairobi, Kenya and has spent over 20 years practising astrology and tarot and has written a number of books on these topics, both for beginners and the more advanced. Her fascination with the tarot began in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until 1976, when she did a course at the Franklin School in London, that she decided to focus more intently on her passion for the tarot, as well as her interest in psychology and astrology. She has successfully combined all these interests into her life and work, through teaching, working and writing books. One thing is for sure, for better or for worse, Dionysus is definitely about actions when commencing a new venture, whether that is slotted in within the health, wealth, love or happiness category will depend on what is going on with the other cards around him. His mother – Semele was a mortal priestess who was seduced and invariably impregnated by Zeus. To make this story brief, Hera (the wife of Zeus), on hearing of the pregnancy, befriends Semele and put doubts into her mind that Zeus was in fact a God. Because Semele then demanded that Zeus prove his divinity, and because he loved her so much, he did as she wished. I love how the Empress (Demeter) has been rendered in this card – pregnant, and standing among her growing crops. Also, love the way that her crown looks a lot like a fort. The way I see it, this seems to symbolize the fact that growth on all levels is essentially linked to her, and to Nature Herself. Any kind of growth that goes against the laws of Nature will not sustain itself. It is interesting to note that his symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull and oak, meaning that the eagle depicted on this card, could be symbolic of Zeus the father overseeing the actions of his son.

The Ace of Swords with Athene, the Goddess of Justice standing tall with her sword in hand is a huge inspiration. I also love the way the clouds show the swirling thoughts that rise up in the air around her. My Thoughts

When looking at the history of Dionysus, it is easy to see why, when in the upward position, this card means: In the distance, the landscape is that of dunes, a path can be seen in the middle and the sun is setting against a pale blue sky. The Workbook uses a variety of exercises that will help you get a deeper understanding of the card. There is a detailed explanation of each card, with space for writing down your notes of the exercises that have been given for the cards.Greek myth, like Tarot, forms its own imagined world of powerful archetypes. In The Mythic Tarot, the intersection of the two worlds is mutually rich and satisfying, and skillfully aligned with the familiar RWS imagery. First published in 1989, here you will find the journey of the Tarot cast from the characters of ancient Greek myth. With charmingly naïve art by Tricia Newell, the original Mythic Tarot illuminates these deceptively simple tales of Greek gods and heroes once again. From the Suit of Wands, the card I truly loved was the 8 of Wands. Not only does the image truly inspire, but it also conveys the happy, positive and ‘fast-fast’ pace of the energy that this card always brings about. Plus, you gotta love the dolphins, right? 🙂 When reading with this card, it is important to take into consideration whether it has come out upright (positive association) or reverse (warning), and how that relates with the other cards that have been dealt in the particular spread you are reading. After login, wordpress sets this cookie, which indicates when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use.