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...

Little Red Riding Hood: A Tale of a Girl Gone Bad

Do you know the song based on Little Red Riding Hood? Well neither did I until I started doing some research on this classic tale.

Sam the Sham and the Pharaoh's Blackwell 1966

Who's that I see walking in these woods?
Why it's Little Red Riding Hood
Hey Little Red Riding Hood
You sure are looking good.
You're everything a big bad wolf could want...

Listen to me!
Little Red Riding Hood
I don't think little big girls should..
Go walking in these spooky old woods alone.

Read all the lyrics and listen to the tune: HERE

Here are some additional thoughts about the good girl...gone bad....(said in jest)

• The classic and probably most common interpretation of the message of Little Red is one of being wary of strangers.
• Some propose that the tale was actually about wolves themselves and being wary of them and the wild forests of the time, as wolves could be quite dangerous.
• Others believe the tale outlines and describes the cycle of life...starting out innocent and then educated in the ways of the world...coming full cycle and being born again from the wolves' belly.
• Speaking of "bad girls" ...there are others that claim that the real warning is against becoming a "working girl" or a prostitute. The red cloak was a classic signal of a prostitute in 17th century France.
• Still others see in the simple tale the story of sexual awakening with the wolf a threat to the girl's virginity.

So as you can see....the Little Red Riding Hood tale....is multi-layered and pondering it's meaning can open up many versions and possibilities.

My Fairy Tale Path

Well I'm back from my blogging vacation. I had to take a little break from blogland for several reasons...the holidays, time, writers block, etc. etc....but I'm feeling like writing again so I was thinking it might be fun to examine each of the fairytales in The FairyTale Tarot...one at a time and examine how the fairy tale speaks to me...what direction it sends me on in the search for self discovery and an understanding of the human experience....

I'm sure my thoughts will differ from others and that's okay. The neat thing about fairytales and the FairyTale Tarot is that they can speak to each person on a personal level...they can teach us the same lesson and different lessons all at the same time.

To simplify matters I will just follow the order of tales as presented in the book ...soooo...first up will be Little Red Ridinghood...one of my faves...so in the next few days I'll get a post or two up about this classic tale of a girl "gone bad"....haha...just joking...sort of!!

The Little Match Girl

This picture sort of reminds me of the Little Match Girl (all grown up). Shivering in the cold at the bottom of a Cinderella type staircase. Cinderella could be the Little Match Girl, she did clean the fireplace and shivered from the cold of the stepmother's hatred. It reminds me that our "frosty attitudes" toward people can plunge us into the bitter landscape of life just as the Match Girl collapsed in the cold of her own inner world. For maybe the story is not about really wasting away in the bitter cold of a real physical world but rather of freezing in our own inner worlds of doubt and self neglect. Just something I thought of as I was mulling over the cold snowflakes falling into the dark landscape of our yard.

Two of Wands: Country Mouse and City Mouse

The Two of Wands showcases one of my favorite tales, The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. Two very different personalities and lifestyles collide. I love the delicate setting depicted on the card and am so glad it was the country scene rather than the city.

Reminded by this card that the "grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence." It also suggests that while something seems like a good idea, it may not turn out to be...very true of so much of life. In another version I remember it is not so much that the city mouse is snobby and putting on airs...but simply that each longs for something they do not have. The country mouse the excitement of the big city and the city mouse the quiet peace of the country. So in that version we are reminded to be happy with what we do have, as well as, recognizing that we are unique individuals with unique needs.

As a Wand card, with the element of fire, it suggests to me that the "spark of life" or the "passion for living" is highlighted by our adventures but more often reflected in the warm glow of the "home fires". As a 2 representing "exchanges" I also see in this card the exchange of ideas about life, what is satisfying, exchanges of hospitality and exchanges of beliefs about what makes "the good life."

It's Tarot Spread Tuesday!

Wow I almost missed posting for Tarot Spread Tuesday!! This week instead of a spread...I'm going to give some links to some awesome spreads and articles by others!!

Tarot Elements has up a very good spread called The Horseshoe Spread!

Tarot Eon suggests trying some non postional spreads.

On YouTube a Six Card Yes or No Spread

At Angel Paths there is an interesting one called the Mirror Spread

And a rather large spread at Super Tarot: The Twenty Two Card Spread

Check them out....each one has something unique to offer.