two suits down, two to go!
Well, I just finished working with my cards...doing a backlog of journaling (5 days worth!). I will try to restart my mind/body/spirit draws tomorrow.
I just finished the Santeria [Pentacles] suit, and am starting the Rada [Swords] suit. Two suits down, two to go...then the majors!
I had to do more research on Santeria, as it is similar in some aspects to voudoun but is more earth-based and based on the Cuban and Nigerian cultures (santeria evolved from the Ifa religion, which is/was practiced by the Lukumi and Yoruba peoples in Nigeria. Over time, due to the slave trade, it became mixed in with certain aspects of Cuban culture (when slaves were brought there to work the sugar plantations), which is how it evolved into today's version (and nomer) of santeria (due to the association of Catholic saints with santeria
orisha, or spirits/gods).
This research was very beneficial for me, as it gave me a richer knowledge of santeria, the deck, and my interpretations of this suit. Also, my astrological sun sign is Taurus, which is an earth sign. I like the outdoors, gardening, and all that, so this suit was a good one for me to work with.
I even had another a-ha moment with regard to two of the courts: Santeria -- Yaguo [Page of Pentacles] and Santeria -- Oriate [Knight of Pentacles]. These two cards are among the
six extra cards I received when I first purchased the deck back in 1998/99, and I always figured that these six extra cards were a special message for me. I got part of that message today
.
BTW: an
oriate is a Santeria priest (santero) or priestess (santera) who is a diviner of the orisha! A book has this definition:
"Master of dilogun, deemed worthy of highest respect, an individual to whom the hierarchs of santeria submit themselves, particularly in any matter related to the deciphering of some mystery or sortilege. An oba oriate is a santero with expertise in divination." --
Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Voudou and Santeria
How cool is THAT?!
This passage just resonated with me.
Guess I have a calling upon me and am actually worth the free air I suck up (I interpret this card to indicate one who is worthy or proven their worthiness, as the card alludes to the legend of King Arthur and how he had to pull the sword out of the stone to prove he was worthy to be king).
I even changed my avatar to this particular card, in homage.
Sorry for the long-winded post.
thorhammer, thank you for re-starting these IDS/one-deck wonder studies. I'm getting a lot out of it.
T.