Shape Shifter Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 17 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

mercenary30	17 Mar 2004
I just picked up this deck yesterday. I really love this deck is seems to just speak to me. I had a reading done for me using that deck, and then I had to reference it for my "Moon in a moonless dream" post in the Redwood Circle (shameless plug). I just had to get it. My favorite cards in the deck are Sacred Flame - Will now forever remind me of our very own Firemaiden. The shapeshifter - I really like the artwork on this one. 5 of Wands Struggle - I feel this card represents me. The lone wolf that I have been most of my life. For any of you that have this deck, what are your favorite cards?

Alissa	17 Mar 2004
The Hierophant. To me, I see a reference to the Hindu Lord Ganesha, elephant-headed God of Karma, and Knowledge. He is often seen as the patron of books, and the book in the card reflects that to me. This helped me to break away from the Pope like images of the RWS. 12 of Wands - Warrior of Air. I just love this card. It's my Guide for this deck. 4 of Wands - Harmony. I see a strong 2 of Cups here in this depiction. It makes me smile when it appears.

dolphinprincess	17 Mar 2004
I think the artwork in this deck is amazing. I think the fact that it has so many animals is what drew me to it, initially... My favorite cards are Balance, The Well, and Love..... (hmmm, can you tell why?) :D

Centaur	17 Mar 2004
I will be Mr Grumble, and state that I just cannot get to grips with the imagery in these cards. I'm not sure exactly what it is... colour, shade, technique. I dunno. It just doesn't do it for me. C

Thea Lynx	17 Mar 2004
I have just started working with my Shapeshifter this week - it may well take over as my power deck, but I can't really imagine any deck pushing my buddy Thoth aside! In the five days I have worked with the deck (I pull a four card spread every day) The Dreamer (23) has come up 3 times - my cards yesterday had only one change from the day before - and they all play into each other so beautifully it's incredible. Funny thing is, after I bought the deck and looked it over, I put it aside as I did not think I was knowledgeable enough yet to be able to work with it - especially since wands is air and swords is fire which is the oppposite of what I am used to - and the three additional majors [funny how its one of those additional ones that keeps coming up for me - and really "funny" that this all comes at a time when i am doing serious work on bringing a very special dream into reality] were a bit daunting to me. I also wasn't sure it was the kind of deck I really wanted to be involved with. But this week I felt the time was right to work with it and can only inadequately express how it has spoken to me. I am actually at a loss of how to describe the way this deck and I interact - but then, anyone with a close relationship with a deck or decks will know exactly what I mean Thea Lynx

Shade	18 Mar 2004
The wands=air swords=fire is what caused ssues for me, as it does with the celtic dragon and the witches tarot. I know that certain magcial groups make this association and I'm sure they're happy to havea deck that reflectes their system but I just have trouble. Has anyone found a way to get around this, I was thinking about starting a thread based on this question.

Alissa	18 Mar 2004
I'm part of the freaky deaky camp that uses wands as air, and swords as fire (which i dont know why ANYONE cant see is CORRECT... just kidding). So for me it is a helpful thing, definitely not a stumbling block. However, I can understand how someone who strongly associates those elements to other suits might find the SS deck a problem. Or challenge, I guess, is a better word.

dolphinprincess	18 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Shade The wands=air swords=fire is what caused ssues for me, as it does with the celtic dragon and the witches tarot. I know that certain magcial groups make this association and I'm sure they're happy to havea deck that reflectes their system but I just have trouble. Has anyone found a way to get around this, I was thinking about starting a thread based on this question. There are a few threads on this topic if you use the Search feature... I have a lot of difficulty with this switch, too.. As much as I like the art of the Shapeshifter and Celtic Dragon.. The Wands/Air, Swords/Fire switch really throws me off...! I don't like it.. and I can't read the decks nearly as well bc of it...

Shade	18 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa I'm part of the freaky deaky camp that uses wands as air, and swords as fire Hey I support the freaky deakiness of anyone... and I thikn that your camp defnt'ly deserves decks to work with. How did you deal with the air/swords, fire/wands decks? Or didn't you. Thanks for the reminder about searching previous threads.

CreativeFire	19 Mar 2004
I bought this deck quite a few years ago as I loved the amazing artwork, animals and imagination in the images. My favourite cards (I have a few in this deck) are as follows: 11 - Nature - I like the Otters (one of my favourite animals) 3 - The Mother - the beautiful lady and the white winged horse 2 - Sorceress - like lots of different details in this one 4 - Harmony - the black and white swans together gliding down the river of life (reminds me of my husband and I) 14 - Goddess of Air (Wands) - has the little black cat :) I also struggled for a long time with the Wands / Air - Swords / Fire connection in this deck and consequently have never really used this one as a reading deck - but love to just pull it out and look at the pictures :) or use the cards to think upon or gain further insight when I line them up with another deck. CreativeFire

lunalafey	19 Mar 2004
This is a deck that took some getting used to- not because of the element switch between swords and wands- it was the imagery, some cards I understood. I love the art- but I could not grasp the images with the meanings I was used to with my other decks {had only a very few. multi-deck ownership was new to me}. The little titles helped. But what really helped was to do old readings over with this deck. The deck tells the same message, just in different 'words'. As for the cards I like the best- The Star- it has dragons, what else would you expect??? I also like the fact the dragons are the four colors - red gold green & black, Reggae colors (now how does that song go?) This is one of the cards that was very much like my very first deck's star. Both used the spider and her web as the stars symbol. Have you ever seen the web in the sky? 4-Fire/merging This is just a great card- I like this character the best I think, there are a few others I admire, but this woodsy female I really relate to....and there are dragon-flies the next two cards are very simular in thier imagery- so they are sort of tied- 2 earth/change and 9 air/strength I like all the faces of nature, and again, dragonflies in the 9.

Phoenyx*	20 Mar 2004
I've been looking at this deck for awhile now. I might just get it when money comes in and all the bills have been paid. ;)

Alissa	20 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Shade How did you deal with the air/swords, fire/wands decks? Or didn't you. When I'm reading with my Universal Waite deck, it doesn't bother me. As I see it, ANYONE knows that wands are made to be swung throgh the air, and that swords cut, like fire, through the flesh. ;) Mostly, I don't work with decks that make the elementals a big issue. So I probably do avoid dealing with it, simply by the decks I'm drawn to. Like... Shapeshifters!

CreativeFire	20 Mar 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa When I'm reading with my Universal Waite deck, it doesn't bother me. As I see it, ANYONE knows that wands are made to be swung throgh the air, and that swords cut, like fire, through the flesh. ;) LOL, Alissa, yes it does make sense when you put it that way! And I always thought it was Swords were made to swing through the air and cut through thoughts, whereas Wands have the fire of creativity and courage ;) No wonder I was a bit confused using the Shapeshifter :D CreativeFire

Amcrazy4	11 Apr 2004
For me, the Shapeshifter was the first deck that I started reading from. I loved the imagery at first site and that it what drew me in ;) I guess it depends on what you start associating the different elements/names for them with. I have also worked with Tarot de Paris - another deck with wondeful imagery- and if I remember correctly that also switches. It can get confusing when you switch decks- I tend to keep the book Tarot Plain and Simple with me as a reference to how these deck relate to the "traditional" decks. I also sadly(?) carry the explanitory book for the deck I am currently working with where ever I go. It helps if you find yourself getting confused to look back and see what the creator of the deck said about it Also, I find that it is very useful to keep a record of my readings in a little notebook. I find that slowing down and writting about how I feel about the cards at the time the reading occurs helps me relate to the cards more. Of course I write down the deck name too. As for the imagery- I can't say I have a favorite. I have a card that I dislike immensely - Desolution. It's kind of funny because I just recently bought this deck a second time- somehow in my original copy that card disappeared. I couldn't see doing a reading without all the cards no matter my personal feeling about the card. Andrea ( a lurker no more :eek: )

Phoenyx*	11 Apr 2004
I got this deck and oh my gosh, I love it!

paradoxx	11 Apr 2004
commenting on the elemntal switch: What i can gather is that some of the meanigns stay the same with the element, others stay with the suit. 8 swords (fire) for example keyworded with "Stasis" reminds me of the traditional RW style of 8 swords. The same is true with teh 8 wands keyworded with "Swirftness." However, with the 4 of wands (harmony) and the 4 of swords (merging) the interpretations are not becoming of hte traditional systems of either element and/or suit.

lunalafey	12 Apr 2004
I can flip- lalala- the elements- lalala- depending on the deck- lalala. OK- for those who are stuck with the whole Fire- swords? Air? Fire- Wands? WHAT?.... the shapeshifter is what I would sub-classify as a Nature deck. FORGET THE SWORDS, the cups, the coins, and the WANDS. These items have no place in this deck. They are not anywhere in the imagery- {challenge- find the 'suits' in a card(s)} So I have a complaint about this deck I adore- Putting the suit association on the cards only takes away from the natural flow of the decks theme. FORGET THE 'SUITS' think elements Fire- mental burning, hot, destruction, can be used, controlled, and can run wild. Passion, anger, aggression etc. Water- emotional healing, flowing, life-giving, nurishing, compassion, etc. Earth- material grounding, possessions, work, skills, tangability, solidity, etc. Air- spiritual words, communication, creativity, imagination, etc.

lunalafey	12 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by paradoxx commenting on the elemntal switch: However, with the 4 of wands (harmony) and the 4 of swords (merging) the interpretations are not becoming of the traditional systems of either element and/or suit. this is not really a traditional deck- though simular my explination for the 4's connected to thier element. for the 4-Fire-Merging. I think of obsession, fire is the element of thinking, connect 'thought' and 'merging' and you have someone who dives right into what ever is the object of thier desire, be it a person, knowledge, skill. An action takes place, and a very powerful one at that. Obsession is usually a negitive term, the brighter side of it would be 'focused'. edited from here down- did I confuse anyone? I was.....and I was exhausted as well- so my sight and thinking was not totally straight. I had associated the Harmony card with water. I had all '4' element cards from the S/S in study when this post was submited. SO- in correction of myself- Harmony- Air, harmony is when things are in compatable balance. Balance here is not of equality, but of mutuality. Two of equal quality are brought together to create a bond that is spiritual in nature. The spiritual side is represented by the Air suit. This spiritualness is not obvious to some, but the effects are. For example, Harmony, like in music, creates a beautiful tone, the notes are both 'musical' /equal, yet are individual, the blending of these two individual notes creates another sound that just chimes with beauty. There is not wy to reproduce this sound any other way. The sounds that come from music can move a person internally. Music can bring about spiritual revelations, and awareness of these revelations are the steps of harmony.

Namaste	14 Apr 2004
n always wanted to know who my animal helpers are, since I am really interested in Shamanism. When a kind member of our community offered to do a reading on this topic for me and used this deck to determine my primary and secondary helpers, I decided to go and look at the Shapeshifter deck for myself. I fell in love with it. The reading I do to ask the deck about the kind of relationship we will have produced the Goddess of Air, the Sorceress (2) and Rebirth (13). I was overjoyed, since the Owl is my protector. I never thought I could come to like the "death" card in any deck, but now I like two: Rebirth from this deck and Death from the Golden Tarot. If I may (since I am so new to this deck)..., I would like to agree with Lunalafey. I haven't attempted to draw parallels or make associations with other tarot systems, and have taken the elements for what they are, much as I do for the suit divisions in the Osho Zen deck. I have a lot of exploring to do with Shapeshifter. I confess I haven't looked to see if there is a study group for this deck, but if there is a place where you discuss individual cards, etc., I would be happy to head over there. :)

Jewel	14 Apr 2004
The biggest issue I have had with this deck is the number of majors. I love the deck, I will never part with it, but I have a hard time thinking of it as a tarot deck because of the extra cards. I often times think it would have been best to just call it some other kind of deck (oracle perhaps), take the suits off and focus on the nature aspects as someone else in this thread has mentioned. Well that's my two pearl's worth on the subject.

mysticalowl	14 Apr 2004
I suppose the same can be said for a number of the speciality decks out there. I do agree it causes some issues, but I haven't found it to interfere with readings at all.

The Shape Shifter Tarot thread was originally posted on 17 Mar 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.