Book of Shadows "As Above" Study Group

[Eeviee]

Originally Posted by Eyebright

OK, if you are happy with this Eevie, I will start with the World card from the major arcana. Moore groups the Majors in the companion book in a different way to the traditional Fool's journey. Instead she groups them according a pagan theme, so although the cards have the traditional numbers on them it is not the order she lists them in the book!

I will open a general thread on the major arcana first to discuss how she orders them, and will then progress to creating a thread for the World, the card she lists first. Hope that is OK with you, and anyways if you don't want to work in that order you can just start some threads yourself too!

I don't have the companion book, yet. Just the deck. x/
Want me to start From the Fool/Summerlands? 'Cause that's how I started with my card by card analysis. x]

[Eyebright]

We can go in any old order we like I reckon! I can see how The Summerlands would be a good place to start, as it's a card of being reborn into the world, so it's a nice beginning!

I'm just happy to have someone to study with, it's so much nicer to see the cards from another perspective and have someone to bounce ideas off!

[Disa]

Ok, Mine's here! I looked through the cards and briefly scanned the book. I have to say the deck really does exceed my expectations. From the simple fact that the box is pretty sturdy, has a magnetic flap, and has an actual place to fit both decks inside to the gorgeous artwork on the cards. I can honestly say I did not see one single card I hated! I'm looking forward to participating in the study group as time allows. It's definitely a deck that will need some study, as I can't immediately see the all of the connections I'm used to seeing. It seems this deck has lit a spark in me reinforcing how much I love Tarot and how much I like studying the pagan path. This may be the motivation I need to get on with some things I've been dragging my feet on with my spiritual journey.

I'm going to read through the other threads you guys have already started and see where I go from there.

Yippeeeee!

[Eeviee]

Originally Posted by Disa

It's definitely a deck that will need some study, as I can't immediately see the all of the connections I'm used to seeing. It seems this deck has lit a spark in me reinforcing how much I love Tarot and how much I like studying the pagan path. This may be the motivation I need to get on with some things I've been dragging my feet on with my spiritual journey.

This is *EXACTLY* how this deck makes me feel!!!

[Eeviee]

I only *JUST* realized (11 hours later) that I completely skipped II - The High Priestess - Wisdom and went directly to III - The Empress - The Goddess!
*face-desk*

Well, perhaps this was due to my initial confusion on The Goddess Card and something was telling me I needed to work that out first and foremost. lol.

Sorry guys!

[Disa]

Originally Posted by Eeviee

This is *EXACTLY* how this deck makes me feel!!!

Cool!

[Eyebright]

I haven't posted much yet though I have done a some studying of the deck at home! Work has been killer recently and I've no time to myself it seems. Though I'm in no rush, the deck is going no-where...

Glad you could join us Disa, I echo your sentiments regarding the deck. It has indeed relit my spiritual fire to pursue my pagan path

[Disa]

Ok I spent most of the morning reading through the book and I have to say," I LOVE IT". How rare to find a book AND a deck that I LOVE. I don't think I've been this excited and felt a deck resonated with me so much since I found my first love, the DRUIDCRAFT.

[Eeviee]

What is interesting, is that without the companion book, I'd gushed about how the Book of Shadows As Above Tarot would be an excellent Pagan/Wiccan teaching tool. I had not read anything about this being Barbara's intentions with the deck, prior to reading the companion book itself where Barbara states:

The first deck, As Above, is a tarot deck designed to hold and express modern Pagan spiritual teachings. Pagan beliefs are broad and hardly unified but we will discuss that momentarily. The Major Arcana cards represent some of the basic tenets while the Minor Arcana thoroughly explores elemental energies while providing foundations for further studies in the areas of astrology, the faces of the Goddess, the magic of the physical realm, and various forms of divination. Because each card is a portal into vast realms of knowledge and experience and because space in this book is limited, each section includes a reading list of excellent texts for further studies.

p. 9

-It seems that Ms Moore had this in mind the whole time while creating the deck!
I LOVE the fact that she has included "reading lists" for various aspects of the deck! I cannot say I have seen any companion book do the same. I've seen some workbook style Tarot books that have had recommended reading lists, but never a deck itself! The bibliophile in me is delighted!

[Eeviee]

While reading the Book of Shadows companion book, I noticed that two of the cards are titled "Omens" in the As Above deck; XVI (Traditionally The Tower) and the 4 of Air is also given the title of Omens in both the LWB (p. 9) and the companion book (p. 76).

While I was a little disappointed upon this discovery, due to its redundancy, I was more interested in something I found in the companion book regarding this: on page 37 in the companion book, the card is shown (as in the deck) with the Title of "Omens" but the passage on Trump "XVI, The Tower" is titled reading "Warnings". True to the card, the title in the LWB reads "Omens" as well (p. 7). The 4 of Air goes much further into the aspect of Omens than the XVI Major does, and the passage for this trump uses BOTH words "warning" and "omen" in it's description:

As mentioned early [earlier, typo?], there is really no bad energy, only inappropriate energy. And in the same way, there are no bad omens or experiences, but ones that we might consider inconvenient or undesirable, as least in the short term. How can a majestic tree being destroyed by lightning be a positive thing, we wonder. All is one. The tree, the lightning, and the fire are all part of the Divine, The moon, a shadowy light that conceals more that it reveals, reminds us that we do not always understand the reasons for everything that happens around us.

These things, these traumas, these disasters - for us, they are those things - do happen. We may not understand why, but we are sometimes given a portent, a warning so that we may be prepared.

*[Brackets] and Emphasis are mine.

I'm wondering if the card was supposed to be titled "Warnings" in stead of Omens...
-Could they have switched it to be more "magickal" for the Majors, or is it just a typo?
-Did they forget that the 4 of Air was also to be titled "Omens"?