Fruit on the head (Halloween Kitty)

Sex symbol or fruit stand?

It may just be my imagination, but I think that this Halloween Kitty looks a little annoyed. Wearing a Carmen Miranda inspired cat hat, aka fruit salad on one's head, this kitty makes a face that in my house signals displeasure. Yes, it is a cute hat, but it probably not the type that the Secret Chiefs had in mind when they decided that living with humans was better than fending for oneself. And if you are willing to risk the wraith of your feline superior, this charming hat can be brought from the Esty shop Not So Kitty.

(Not a paid advertisement, remember I am doing this series for the giggles.) 

Captain America is a cat (Halloween Kitty)

For liberty, freedom and catnip!

As a person who used to read a lot of comic books, I remember that strange time when Thor was a frog, so I am not surprised that Captain America could be a cat. One does wonder what a cat version of Captain America would be willing to fight for? The liberty to shred the sofa? The freedom to nap on the bed? Free catnip? (The shield that accompanies this costume actually holds catnip, so I guess that answers that question, doesn't it?) And if your cat wants to fight for the American Dream of long naps and free catnip for all, you can purchase this costume at the Etsy shop Nothin Wasted.

(Not a paid advertisement---I merely like cats in Halloween costumes.)

Mad Cow strikes (Halloween Kitty)

Moo says the Mad Cow Kitty.

One of my rules is that the kitchen shall not be decorated using a cow motif. This rule does not extend to decorating the cats---well, if I could actually convince my cats to be decorated and costumed---I can dream that someday that I will have a cat that puts up with wearing Halloween costumes. And isn't this cat so cute in its Mad Cow costume...is it "mad" merely because the cat was forced into it?! For those of you that want to attempt to dress your cat up as a cow (with a cute little pink bow tie), this costume is available for sale at the Etsy shop Pampered Whiskers.

(Not a paid advertisement. Moo! I am doing this for fun.)

Hipster Cat does it in style (Halloween Kitty)

Ain't I a stylish cat?

Ok, maybe Hipster Cat is not a Halloween Kitty, but ain't his fedora cute? Why can't I get my cats to wear little fedoras? Oh yeah, I would insist on trying to get a picture of them wearing one, and that is just not happening. But maybe you can get your cat to wear a fedora. If you are tempted to try, you can buy a little fedora for your cat at the Esty shop ToScarboroughFair.

(Again, not a paid advertisement.)

Rapunzel Cat let your hair down (Halloween Kitty)

Rapunzel will see you now.

Our first Halloween Kitty this year is a rather stylish looking Rapunzel. You can dress up your own cat in this costume by hopping over to the Etsy shop iheartneedlework. Tall tower not included. (Is this cat mellow or what? My own cats would never sit so quietly with this costume on their head, not alone let me get a picture of their new hair-do.)

(Not a paid endorsement--remember I do 31 Days of Halloween Kitties for fun, not profit.)

All on the table

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There has been several quantum leaps in my ability of working with the Tarot. I have talked about some of them on this blog (such as hand coloring a Tarot deck); others I have not (such as initiation rituals involving specific Tarot cards).

One of the skill leaps I have not talked about yet (at least, I do not think that I have written about it yet on this blog) is the study of a card using examples from multiple decks.

About eighteen years ago, I took a Tarot class at Herbs and Arts (a Denver occult shop); the class was taught by Timothy (I have no clue what his last name is).

Part of the instructions for the Tarot class was to bring our favorite Tarot deck. Out of eight students, there were no duplicate decks. As we moved from card to card, Timothy would have us pull that card out of our decks, placing them in the center of the study circle where everyone could see them.

At some point during the class, I came to the realization that most differences in opinion about the possible meanings of a Tarot card were based on the differences between the pictures used to illustrate the cards and the parts that readers chose to focus on. (Years later, another teacher, Pat Zalewski, would point out that the pictures used in the Tarot were the most important part--otherwise we could get away with using a deck with just the astrological and kabbalist correspondences on them.)

As a result of the insights I gained during the class, I used the same teaching method ("put all the different versions on the table and study them as a set") when I took on students on my own.

I also developed the habit of not neccessarily seeing the card from the deck that I am using. Occasionally when reading the Tarot, in my mind's eye, I will see a version of the card from a different deck. It makes for an interesting time as a Tarot reader.

A small bunch of magician cards--just a small sample of my Tarot collection. 

For instance, let's say that we were studying the Magician card. In this photo, we have Magician cards from several different decks (representing about half to a third of my personal collection of Tarot decks). They vary from the historical stage performer (sleight of hand artist) to the ceremonial magician practicing real magic (magick if you are a Thelemic). One can pull the standard meanings of skill and deception and self-mastery from the cards as one will.

But there is a version that is slightly different (the censored one), where the magician is working on an erotic monster. (The monster has private parts...something that I decided to conceal...because polite people never talk about sex.) And it is from this version (and not the three versions from the Crowley deck) that I am reminded that magicians are sometimes guilty of creating their own sexual nightmares (haven't we all had that sexual partner that turned into a stalker?!) and warped realities.

Is that last possible reading true for the archetype of the magician? I will leave it to your judgment on whether or not, it fits in with the other possible meanings of the magician card. All I know is that if I am reading the Tarot and that version of the card appears in my mind's eye, I am leaning towards a nightmarish reading of the card.

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Mabon 2014 Tarot Blog Hop Masterlist

The theme of the September (Mabon) Tarot Blog Hop is:

In the life of everyone who deals with Tarot, there comes those moments where your understanding of the Tarot undergoes a radical change, or when one's skill with the Tarot takes a giant leap forward. Sometimes this is the result of learning a new technique, or acquiring a special deck, or because of an event in one's life; other times, it is the result of nothing that you can pinpoint. Whatever the cause, the end result is that you approach the Tarot in different manner than you did before.

The topic of the Mabon Blog Hop is to talk about a time when your understanding of the Tarot undergone such a quantum leap, talking about what brought about the change in your understanding of the Tarot (if you have been able to figure it out) and how you approach the Tarot differently than you did before the change.

(I tend to refer to this topic as "the things that I wished I knew about Tarot sooner than I learned them.")

And here is the Master List for the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop (just in case, there are broken links in the circle):

1. Morgan Drake Eckstein http://gleamingsfromthedawn.blogspot.com/2014/09/all-on-table.html  

2. Arwen Lynch http://tarotbyarwen.com/?p=18126

3. Karen Sealey http://pureblessedtarot.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/dont-follow-me/

4. Joanne Sprott http://cosmicwhisperstarot.com/2014/09/23/a-cosmic-shift-mabon-tarot-blog-hop/

5. RoseRed  http://roseredtarot.com/?p=698

6. Louise Underhill http://www.priestesstarot.co.uk/2014/09/tarot-blog-hop-quantum-leap

7. Robin Bondurant Wood http://thequartzcafe.blogspot.com/

8. Stella T'arot http://www.usgamesinc.com/tarotblog/tarotbloghop-profound-moments/

9. Anna Johansson http://magickaltarotmom.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/how-to-choose-your-first-tarot-deck-redux/

10. María Luisa Salazar http://misteriostarot.blogspot.com/2014/09/mis-lecturas-de-tarot-dieron-un-gran.html

11. Tierney Sadler http://www.tierneysadler.com/2014/09/92314honing-your-intuition.html

*12*

13. Bridgett Trejo http://blessedpagan.blogspot.com/2014/09/blessed-mabon-2014.html

14. Carla Tate http://www.blackbirdsandrowanberries.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/ten-things-i-used-to-believe-about.html

15. Chloë http://innerwhisperscouk.blogspot.com/2014/09/memory-lane.html

16. Chloe for TABI http://tabitarot.blogspot.com/2014/09/hop-skip-and-jump.html

17. Chloe for Celtic Lenormand http://www.celticlenormand.com/2014/09/lenormand-leaps.html

18. Joanna Ash http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com/2014/09/a-quantum-leap-in-my-understanding-of-tarot.html

19. Christiana Gaudet http://tarottrends.com/content/cards-never-shut

*20*

21. Leeza Robertson  http://tarotscapes.com/2014mabonbloghop

22. Olivia Destrades http://firstearthtarot.blogspot.com/2014/09/mabon-blog-hop-trusting-intuition.html

23. Deirdre Doran   http://thewillowpathtarot.com/2014/09/23/mabon-2014-tarot-blog-hop/

24. Joy Vernon http://joyvernon.com/Blog/quantum-leap/

25. Hilary Parry http://tarotbyhilary.com/?p=1925

26: Vivianne Kacal  http://kismetscompanion.blogspot.com/2014/09/tarot-blog-hop-mabon-2014.html

27: Ania Marczyk http://aniam.co.uk/blog/epiphanies-and-elephants

28. Alison Cross http://tarot-thrones.blogspot.com/2014/09/autumn-equinox-blog-hop-ancestors.html

Please enjoy the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop. Happy Equinox!