Le Carte Delle Streghe/Les Cartes des Sorciers/Las Cartas de las Brujas Study Group

Myrrha

Hello
I am fascinated with this deck although I don't actually have it yet. I translated some of the cards for seeker*13* and though I would post them for others who love this deck to enjoy.

My French is rusty so if you notice that I mistranslate anything please point it out! Words I didn't understand I put in brackets[].

I'm pretty sure the plant in the first card is Prunella Vulgaris or Heal-all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunella_vulgaris
The name in French was hard to look up but in the Spanish deck it is called hierba mora which had lots of online information.

Does anyone know if "les nuits de lune montane" means the waxing moon or the rising moon?


Card 1 Heal-all
Popular belief is that the Heal-all, or herb of love, has to be gathered on Saint John’s Eve. It possesses sedative and analgesic [pain relieving] powers. Witches mix it with other herbs to make the ointment necessary to fly to the sabbat and to relieve the skin conditions that were common in the middle ages due to dubious hygienic and food conditions.

A simple working to see if a person you love is attracted to you is to think about them intensely while holding a leaf of herb of love in your mouth. Then, stick the leaf onto your arm. If a spot appears love is assured but if a fold appears [? Si un pli se forme] it is necessary to start again.

In all the daily magical practices of the witch they use heal-all in rites of love and affectionate bonds, and to see if destiny will cause a loved one to return [not sure about this -- et des sorts desines a faire revenir la personne aimee.] By special prayers and paying attention to favorable and deceptive circumstances the witch [“re-comforted”] dissatisfied lovers who she wished would once again love her passionately. Then, assisted by her faithful black cat, she consecrated herself to the rites of love during the nights of the waxing moon. [les nuits de lune montane, perhaps rising moon?]

Description:
In an ambience full of the smoke of purifying incense, the witch , wearing white with a red belt around her waist and her hair loose, holds in her hand a branch of healall flowers. Under her left arm is a small red cushion, shaped like a heart on which she has written the name of the person concerned. [Once pricked with needles?] this cushion will be ready to touch and make the heart of her lover throb. The witch has a red ribbon used to tie together two objects belonging to the two people involved in the divination or spell.

Meaning:
Upright: Love. Happiness.
All the actions of the moment are supported by luck. Manifestation of contracts and agreements, marriages, new social circles. Harmony in the family, between friends and between collegues. Romantic relationships and a soul connection could [nitre?] new knowledge.

Reversed: Obstacles, Insatisfactions
It is necessary to sacrifice and pay attention before satisfying certain aspirations and ambitions The fruit of constancy and loyalty in love and friendship is in the professional and economic realm. Love stories are fleeting and illusory. [having a hard time making sense of this. I think it means that your loyalty and friendship are better invested in the realms of work and profession at this time as love will prove fleeting and illusory.]
 

Myrrha

Card 2 Madrake

Mandrake root was one of the indispensable ingredients of the ointment used to fly to the Sabbat. Its form resembles a human silhouette, it has been considered a powerful aphrodisiac since antiquity. In certain cases it was only necessary to touch it to render an man or woman fertile. It gave virility and revived the passions. But that was not the only virtue of the mandrake, it also rendered those who carried it invisible, presaged riches, honors and fertile harvests. It also allowed one to discover hidden treasures.

However one could die from touching it while it was still buried in the earth. Therefore there was a particular rite to dig it up. Flavus Joseph, a historian-priest of Jerusalem who lived in Rome in the 1st century describes it in his book The Ludaicum Bellum (The War Judaic). Dig all around the root until it is almost dug up an then attach a dog which, in attempting to follow his master, will pull on the rope with force and extract the mandrake, dying on the ground in the place of he who desired the root.

Description:
An autumnal ambience surrounds the features of an elegant witch dressed in red and wearing a green turban. She holds in her hand a large mandrake flower. At her side you can see a male and a female mandrake flower, as well as a black dog attached by a rope to a mandrake root coming out of the earth.

Meaning:
Upright: Passions, Bonds, Affections
Love affairs [amours], and passionate relationships. Seeking thrilling strong emotions rather than the ordinary kind. The spirit of adventure in new enterprises and experiences. Affirmations in the arts, trades and creative activities. Emotional bonds that are disquieting and [intigats-- persistent? ] [Des liens affectifs annuitants et intignants]. Love of beauty.

Reversed: Incomprehension. Disordered emotions
Stormy, troubled and contradictory personal and professional relations. Discord in the family, with parents friends and hierarchical superiors. Discord between the generations [chocs des generations -- generation gap]. Risk of separation or interruption or relations. Nervousness and fatigue. Spite.
 

Myrrha

Card 3 Obsidian

Obsidian, a grey anthracite stone from volcanoes, is employed by witches in nocturnal rites of high magic, against malefic things and [eloigner] nefarious entities, spirits and demons. Witches make little mirrors that they use for divination. In rites of protection they used small doses of powdered obsidian. This was sprinkled on victims of accident, attacks, epidemic sickness and curses. This was accompanied with gestures that reinforced the effectiveness.

When the witch carries obsidian its enchanting magnetism is reinforced, as is its power against demonic forces [not sure if it is the obisidian’s power that is reinforced or the witch’s. The grammar made me think it was the stone’s power that is magnified by the witch but wouldn‘t it make more sense the other way?] Witches mixed obsidian powder with oil to put on the feet of those suffering from gout or muscular diseases, which brought immediate relief.

Symbolically associated with the planet Saturn, obsidian allows one to discover that which is hidden. For example thieves, betrayals, dishonesty and wrong-doing in trade and business.

Description:
In a nocturnal ambiance the witch is dressed in sky blue, the color of serenity. She holds in her right hand a disc representing the zodiac symbols. She carries on her head an obsidian mirror and a gold medalion around her neck. At her feet are found her two nocturnal companions: barn owl-- faithful observer, and the raven-- loyal advisor. In the forground a large obsidian [takes care over, watches over] the night of the witch.

Significance:
Upright: Magnetism, Charisma
Magnetism and personal charm. Adds extraordinary powers of persuasion to your personal talent. Prestigious positions. Brilliant career. Occult powers used for good. Works and activities for the well-being of the community. Protection of the weak.

Reversed: Distances [Eloignements?] Vices.
Social and personal relationships that are uncertain and ambiguous. Disordered, eccentric and megalomaniac way of life. Wasting money and mental and physical energy. Black magic, alcohol abuse, drug abuse. Gambling. Vices. Debts.