This blog is designed to explore the new Fairy Tale Tarot by Lisa Hunt. But since I LOVE to blog....I am sure I'll wander off into some other musings about fairytales!!

"The Fairy Tale Tarot cards are like gazing into that pool. They reflect different aspects of each of us. They illuminate or accentuate those parts of us that we seek, or deny, or just long to understand. The cards and the fairy tales they are based on, provide a framework for understanding self and the human aspects of life. And maybe the "not so human" aspects too....the spiritual. They are the water in the pool. Clear and shimmering, reflecting clearly and yet also bringing forth tiny glimpses of those wings. It is this aspect of the cards that called to me. I feel they have things to reveal to me and I am anxious to hear them "speak."

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Fairy Tale Maidens

The Lake Maiden (Card II) (A Welsh Tale)
The beautiful Lake Maiden is lured from the lake by the Shepderd who adores her and marries her. She warns him that he must not strike her because if he does so three times she must return to the lake. He taps her on the shoulder absent mindedly one day and she tells him that he only has two times left. At a wedding she cries tears of great joy and love and when he pats her shoulder she reminds him that he must be very careful because only one time remains. At a funeral she laughs and he grabs her. So the thrid time is here and she returns to the lake never to be seen by her husband again.
The Fox Maiden ( Japanese FolkTale)


"I've been waiting for you for over a hundred years." says the little girl beside the road...and thus the man takes her to Kyoto with him and there she dances so beautifully that the Emperor calls for her to dance for him. Eventually she ends up living in the palace and is the most favored by the Emperor. Many years pass and he decides to hold a grand ball for her on her birthday, to which his advisors are opposed.

During the ball a great darkness descends and the Emperor is in a trance. Many of his advisors search for answers and finally a great wise Diviner provides them with a poem and using a Sacred Gohei they recite it to the girl, called Tamamo, Jewel without Flaw. In doing so a great Fox with nine tails appears in her place and rushes off. Off to far far away where it hid itself beneath a great black stone. The river and the stone were deadly and avoided by all that knew of them. So the years passed until a High Priest was passing through and hearing of the stone he did not avoid it but went seeking it because all deserve Nirvana.  He discovers the fox spirit and she asks to be struck down because she has discovered love and she weeps bitterly and can stand the grief no more. But instead he gives her a beggar bowl and prayer beads and tells her to go in search  of enlightment.

The Moon Maiden (A Japanese Fairy Tale)

In the tale of the Moon Maiden, a poor, childless bamboo cutter finds a glowing jewel buried beneath a bamboo plant. When he picks it up, it opens to reveal a lovely fairy dressed in green who wishes to live with the man and his wife. To help the poor couple out, there are golden coins spilling out of the broken jewel. So together they return to the humble cottage and meet the wife. All is well, and the man builds a grand home and has plenty of money. The fairy grows to be a lovely young maiden and everyone wishes her hand in marriage. Finally the King, himself visits and loves her dearly. She declines his proposal and grows sadder everyday. Finally on a lovely night the moon is shining brightly and the air is filled with mist when she confesses to the humble bamboo cutter, his wife, and the King, that her father is the King of the Moon and he had exiled her to earth for three years. Now the mist is not mist but the kings messagers coming to bring her home. She can not stay and the King is broken hearted. She leaves him a bottle of elixir so that he may live forever but he burns it on a mountain top because "what good is living forever being parted from the Lady Beaming Bright." The vapors send his message to the moon.


All three of the maiden stories highlighted here are about love and lost love. The Lake Maiden actually comes across as the coldest because she leaves and it does not indicate that she regrets it. However in the Moon Maiden she despairs because she must leave but she cannot take the King with her. Lastly the Fox Maiden loves and because of it is able to feel great grief, making her realize that she does not want to live forever, for in doing so she will feel the pain always.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Lake Maiden

Card II The Sorceress

The tale for this card is The Lake Maiden.....in the coming weeks we will explore a bit of this tale.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Daily Draw

Princess of Pentacles: This card is based on the Princess and the Pea and is a reminder to stop and enjoy the basal pleasures that nurture the soul. Earthly delights are a necessary part of life. Without them we would simply exist.

I love getting this card today. From the Froud deck I got Faeries of the Future which promises a bright future and when I blogged about that card I wrote about how I was enjoying many positive adventures this summer and how the card seem to be reinforcing how I should ENJOY them without regret or worrying about what I "need" to be doing.

Princess of Pentacles seems to be reinforcing that insight. That there are times in life when we must just indulge in fun and pleasure. Where we must put aside the mundane and venture forth into just plain simple fun...without regret or worry. So I shall follow her advice and indulge myself this summer...work will come again soon enough!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Thunder Dragon: A Tale of Power & Reward

The Thunder Dragon is Card I The Magician is the Fairy Tale Tarot. It is a simple tale of a visit by the dragon and a boy's kindness which is repaid by the dragon. Although simple, to me there are other fine points in the story that might be teased out. For example, the Grandmother is very wise and knows exactly what the events in the story mean. So wisdom from the old and knowledge to be respected.

In researching the tale I came about some information on dragons and Chinese culture which I find interesting. Dragons are viewed as male (yang) while their counterpart the phoenix is female (yin). In the story the male essence is adhered to, by the dragon's interactions with the father and boy but it is the female wisdom that "sees" what is to unfold.

Dragons in Europe were viewed as evil destroyers but not so in China. Dragons there are viewed as potent and powerful with the ability to control water, rainfall, and floods. So just as the dragon does in this tale as he sheds the house with his hood, he controls the rain and the flooding, sparing this house.

The Year of the Dragon comes around every 12 years and it is claimed that those born in the Year of the Dragon enjoy health, wealth and a long life.

I'm still working to locate some other versions of the tale itself and when I do I will do a compare and contrast. There are many dragon tales out there!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

New Look

I decided to dust off and spurce up...Once Upon a Time....I haven't fallen off the face of the earth ...(YET)....just busy with other endeavors. I have many blogs and I am constantly thinking about deleting some and consolidating them...but alas....I can never do it...they are all meaningful and I enjoy them ...so I just keep puttering along...writing when I can!

I am still planning on exploring the Chinese Thunder Dragon Tale...there is just so much to read and learn about the different fairy tales. It is very interesting to explore and compare them between different cultures. Many tales seem to
"cross over" between different cultures. Fairy Tales that teach lessons of value for all human kind.

So next on my list (still) is a post about the Thunder Dragon Tale, which of course is card I The Magician in the Fairy Tale Tarot.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The Thunder Dragon

COMING SOON....comments and history of this Chinese Tale...of the Dragon spirit.

Fairy Tales and Life

Life is like a fairy tale.....rolling along with trolls under bridges and big bad wolves luking outside the door. Life can turn from shining carriage to pumpkin in a split second. Life can be harsh like the story of the Little Match Girl or warm and sunny like Cinderella. Life can be fast paced and unpredictable.

Fairy Tales offer us guidance, inspiration, and a sense of comfort....reminding us of childhood joys and sweet memories. That is the beauty of the Fairy Tale Tarot....it takes the aspects of tale-land and weaves them into our world of today....tiny glimpses of life seen through the magical lenses of time and different lands...

Fairy Tales speak of human spirit, human folly, human reality....yes...reality....for even with talking creatures and magic dragons....they speak of the essence of mankind. They are vibrant tales of the journey through this world and timeless proof that a good tale never ends...