Fascinating Weirdness in the Mystical tarot

As promised, here are a few more interesting things I've found in the Mystical Tarot. 

These are not the only things...there are so many. But they are the ones that struck my fancy today, so they are what you get to read about. 

I'm sure you know, that if you use the links on this blog, I get a small amount. It helps support the blog and is much appreciated. 

In some decks, the court cards are the least evocative. Not so in the Mystical. There is some crazy stuff going on and some incredible thrones. This one in the Queen of Pentacles is one of my favorites. 

One of the things I love about the pentacle is that it represents (at least to me...and to Harry Dresden*) the elemental energies of the world in service to Spirit. 

I think that the white sculpture with a cross for a face is Spirit. The queen is held in the arms of Spirit. Her actions employ the resources of this world and are part of the co-creation of the world with Spirit.  It is just such a lovely image. 

I do not know, however, and cannot guess why her nipples are yellow. Your thoughts?

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* who is Harry Dresden? He is a character created by Jim Butcher and the main character in the Dresden Files series. He is a magician for hire in modern day Chicago. The series is addictive (and if you like audio books, this series is wonderfully narrated by James Marsters). The magic feels "real." The other beings and other characters are so interesting. If you are looking for a new series to sink your teeth into, I highly recommend this one. 

This LINK will take you to a page with all the books in the series.

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Oh my goodness, it looks like the King of Swords has laid an egg. Whatever can it mean?

Maybe that raven in the background dropped it off as an offering. It matches his throne, which also looks like one of those strange egg-shaped chairs. 

Birds are often associated with the suit of Swords and Air. The King is often seen as the final card in the suit, like another level of the 10s. The 10s are endings but also beginnings. They carry the seed of the next Ace. It makes sense, then, that the King has a bird flying away (an ending or departing) and an egg, which is a new beginning. 

I did not see any other eggs in the deck but the figure in the 2 of Swords is sitting in an egg chair. 

In tarot we sometimes talk about the cosmic egg, the container that held all that became the world after it hatched. ​It seems more intuitive to associate an egg with a Queen rather than a King, or at least with a passive suit rather than Swords. 

When I see things like this that confuse me, I don't assume the creator is wrong or made a mistake. I try to push myself to figure out what this image is saying. When I think of the cosmic egg, creation, Swords, and Kings, the phrase "thoughts become things, so pick good ones" comes to mind. Swords are about thought and that phrase reminds us of the power and importance of the thoughts we entertain. Kings have authority but they also have responsibility. It is important for them to decide wisely for the good their people. 

Maybe this is why the 2 of Swords woman is sitting in an egg chair. She has to make a decision and that decision is going to have ramifications. It will, in essence, create a world.