The Source

Not all decks use the same hierarchy in their tarot courts; from what I have noticed in my time with the tarot, the most distinct is between the Rider Waite and Thoth traditions; this deck, the Cosmic Tribe, follows the latter, with it's queen presiding over the people, rather than a king. I used to get myself in a flap, trying to work out their ordering, wondering which character would realistically stand at the same point in the line as another from a different system, but now, I just take them as they are. The young Prince of Swords seems to sit where the page might in RWS tradition, but does it really matter, when I draw the card by itself like this? I don't think so. In fact, I think it gets in the way of letting him speak for himself. And that is something which this prince enjoys to do.

Physically, this prince reminds me a little of my boyfriend; or at least, a younger version of him. They have similar faces. The nudity in the Cosmic Tribe seems to bother a lot of people. This probably has a lot to do with it being a photographic deck, since most don't seem to take issue with unclothed figures when they are painted or drawn. It is kind of a shame that this specific feature is what people focus on when it's name comes up, because given half a chance, it is a very beautiful and thought-provoking set. There is nothing sexually provocative about it's characters. Like the deck itself, they aren't inhibited by the conforms of society and have nothing to be ashamed of. I was a little concerned about showing the images here on Blogger, since I didn't know how the cards would fit with the guidelines, which is why I have covered the prince's modesty with the cosmic eye. I have absolutely no problem with it myself, but know how some people can react to these things and don't wish to have my blog closed down over a royal appendage. There are a lot of cards in the 78 that show genitalia and I will cover where I feel needs must. On the whole, I think this is a very beautiful, light and airy card. I notice that the prince has the wings of a Kestral. Also known as the Sparrow Hawk, the Kestrel takes its name from Latin and has a habit of hovering in the air with its head to the wind as this guy does here. The Kestrel, as a symbol, suggests that the bearer recognizes life's opportunities and acts upon them at the most precise and correct moment (like the Kestrel does in hunting its prey).

The Prince of Swords resides in the clouds. This is where he cuts through doubt and confusion and links to inspiration and creativity. You can see him connecting if you look close enough; there is a thin ray shining from the source, which penetrates his mind's eye. I can often be lazy and it will take me ages to get down to doing things some times, so my time up in the clouds, cutting through the confusion, is minimal; but when I do receive that zap of creative energy, I buzz into action down here on earth, which is what I did this afternoon. Still not entirely sure if I will submit my application to the referral unit tomorrow, I decided to have a go at decorating some kid's shoes as an example of the kind of stuff I want them to do. I didn't really plan what I did, but instead, started sketching onto the plain white pumps with a pencil and then began colouring the design with fabric pens. Even though not perfect, I am pretty happy with the results. The word 'rebel', which is the subtitle for today's card in the Cosmic Tribe handbook, is written on the back of the shoe in a red Old English styled font.

As much as today's figure reminds me of my boyfriend, his youthful and abrupt nature also reminds me of the eldest of Oddbod's vile children. They have been out in the garden on and off today, making a hell of a racket. They just never seem to mature and I had to close the window and put some music on while I worked, so that the noise didn't tighten me up. Thankfully, the summer holidays will be over soon. As well as this meaning they'll be back to school, I am hoping that some more creative teaching work will become available as my money is dwindling fast.




Illustration from The Cosmic Tribe Tarot by Stevie Postman