RITUAL TAROT.

Many people use the Tarot to reflect the comings and goings as the year transposes leaving behind one year and entering into a new one. This could entail a ritual period after Summer Solstice / Christmas to the  New Years Day. The type of readings we would use here are ones that mark endings and beginnings. These could be done as two seperate readings; one that features the endings and once  the issues that need to be dealt with in endings are done then perhaps a new reading for beginnings.   

  Personally I would design the reading myself, which can be done very simple. For example what do I need to clear from my life ending 2017 and maybe select three cards.What is the energy that surrounds me commencing 2018, probably three cards or even one for each month for the coming year.

 My favourite spread for highlighting the energy of a coming year is The Season of the Witches from The Witches Tarot, but I like to do it at the  Spring Equinox. This reading places a card on each of the eight sabbats of the year giving marker cards at each of the sacred dates. I prefer to use it in Spring as it is a renewal time as things shoot after the sleep of winter. This is a beautiful reading which walks in time with the seasonal year. However there are no reasons why it can't be done at the beginning of the year. 

MY RITUAL DECK .

Daughters of the Moon
@Ffiona Morgan

The deck I use for rituals is Daughters of the Moon. Another round deck, that  accentuates the feminine due to its shape and its imagery is a celebration of feminine spirituality. It was created by Ffiona Morgan originally as a black and white deck. I was lucky enough to be given two of them so I have coloured in one and have an original black and white. The deck is now available as a coloured deck. This deck works in either black and white or it is beautiful as the coloured version. Personally I studied and worked with each card and when I believed I understood the messages in them then I coloured them. I was glad I had two decks as I kept one as the deck to study and colour and one to use in ritual. It took me quite a few years to colour the whole deck. Even still there are a couple to be completed. Its always interesting to see which cards are still to be embodied.
See http://www.daughtersofthemoon.com
The Major Arcana of this deck is a treat. There are so many unforgettable images in these Majors. They are powerful and imprint very profoundly on the psyche. Take for example the coloured image of the Empress or Mawu as she's called. I used this image to prepare for my births, I had it on the wall in front of me and meditated on it daily. Using the strength of the elephant and the safety of being held by the solidity of this creature.  Mawu is a creation goddess from the Republic of Benin.

Daughters of the Moon
@Ffiona Morgan

 The image of the Sun is a Japanese Sun Goddess, Amaterasu from the Shinto religion  and the Tower is none other than Kali the Awakener from Hindu religion. We traverse the globe with the goddesses of this deck taking us into myths and the sacred stories of women since time immemorial .  I studied the myths along side learning the deck; this is a profound study of women in mythology
The Major Arcana consists of ;

Dreamer, Witch, Isis, Mawu, Aphrodite, Amazon, StrengthWise One, Spiderwoman, Maat, Reversal, Phoenix, Temperance,Oppression, Pan, Coyotewoman, Kali, Star, Yemeya,

Amaterasu, Celebration, Shakti.

Daughters of the Moon
 @Ffiona Morgan

This Major Arcana wanders far from the traditional Tarot; there are two cards for the Lovers or Aphrodite. and the lovers are both female. The Major Arcana can be equated to some of our traditional characters. For example The Dreamer /Fool and so on. The only male of the Majors is Pan, a lively positive symbol of the masculine.

Daughters of the Moon
@Ffiona Morgan 

In the Court of the deck are three females of each suit. They are the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone; representing the three phases of the feminine. The Crone of Cups, a Scorpio card of Hecate is my favourite image of all decks. Hecate is a goddess I use regularly in ritual. This image from DOM as this deck is known is a great companion for me.  Equally as crazy and shape shifting is Cerridwen as the Crone of Flames/Wands, equated to Sagittarius. These are crones of great wisdom, Ixchel -Eaglewoman, an Aquarian, Crone of Blades/swords and Crone of Pentacles is Pasowee -Buffalo Women and is Capricorn. These are great powers to evoke for ritual. To just put these cards in front of you and call in the goddesses is awesome.  The mothers are hard working and have been associated with the astrology signs of Taurus, Cancer, Leo and Libra whilst the maidens are youthful and free and associate with Virgo, Pisces, Aries and Gemini. The Court represents all of the zodiac signs.

Daughters of the Moon
@Ffiona Morgan

MINOR ARCANA.

There is nothing light weight about this deck, it means to enlighten and expects its reader to be scrupulously honest. It doesn't hesitate to point out the shadow emotions such as the 

7 of cups =jealously

8 of flames = burn out

6 of blades=manipulation

9 of blades =criticism. 

This is a deck that helps the reader work on the shadows. The Minors are a big stray away from tradition however the images leave no doubt as to the interpretation and often a key word is on the base of  the card. If not a keyword then a Goddess to look up:

 9 pentacles = Malama. 

I would have to say this is my personal soul deck. Even though I use others, my heart returns to this one. It has glorious depth and knowledge of the feminine and leads off into many directions in the study of ritual and mythology. It is deeply confronting but also totally joyful and celebratory. I believe the time its had taken to find my colours for each card has allowed this deck to become apart of my personage.

OF INTEREST.

I have used this deck since 1988, it was released in its black and white version 1984.
The images have been created by many illustrators under the guidance of Ffiona Morgan.

Colour version released in 1991.

This is not a deck I read for others, it has always been my deck for ritual.

Throughout the accompanying book there are many poems written to illustrate the energy of the cards.  I will leave you with a sample from the Star by Shekhinah
                                   
                                      Gently truth will touch you when she comes.
                                      No loud fanfare blares her forth
                                      But in the deepest space of silence
                                      Angels silver calls embrace the earth.

                                      Now I lie beneath her loving gaze
                                      And I the open lake receive her cup
                                      Now I float within her gentle heart
                                      And I the open earth are filled with hope.