Reading Shallah’s thread on healing the inner child inspired me to share

[Mist]

this unusual Tarot deck with visitors to this forum.

Called, appropriately, “Inner Child Cards,” they can be quite helpful to those working on early life/inner child issues. A hardcover book is included with the deck.

Some of the Major Arcana cards:

The Fairy Godmother is used for the Priestess:




Mother Goose is used for the Empress:




This is a nice version of the Strength card:




A few other Major Arcana cards:



Sometimes the meaning of the card is changed from what we’re used to. In the Inner Child deck, the Emperor has been changed from a father-figure/male power figure, to a figure that becomes out of touch due to greed and fantasies:



A few reviews of the deck from the Tarot site Aeclectic Tarot:
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/inner-child/review.shtml


The deck and card set is available at Amazon, which also includes reviews (by customers).

I bought this deck mainly because I collect decks for their beauty or unusual presentation. I have,however, read with this deck when a question seemed to link directly to childhood issues, and have found it a good tool for that application. It's also appropriate as a meditation tool re: childhood/inner child issues. I have no first-hand experience with reading directly for children, but some of the reviews indicated that kids find this deck quite appeaing.

[Kind of Blue]

1. What a wonderful fit: fairy tales and Tarot. Beautiful, enchanting,

and so full of the magic of childhood. Thanks for the link, the artwork there is fantastic.

[FirstLight]

2. Ooooh! those are So pretty!

My little girl would love to play with those, and my daughter too! lol

That would be a cool thing to ask for as a bday present, hmmmm

Can you give me some stuff from the book on sleeping beauty? That one realy spoke to me , I wonder what the description says.


Thanks for sharing! :)

[Mist]

7. Sorry to take a while to respond--the Inner Child Deck book has this

to say about the Sleeping Beauty card:
<snip>

The story of Sleeping Beauty suggests the process of maturation...In the sleeping part of the tale, there is an emphasis on receptivity, the quiet interlude of several years when nothing momentous seems to occur externally for a young person but deep changes happen internally to the child in the forms of sexual and emotional transformation.

<snip>

This "change of life" or transfiguration for a child is a process of death and rebirth.

<snip>

The process of metamorphosis is dangerous, but every child must go through this incubation period before becoming an adult.

<snip>

When this card appears in your reading, a long period of contemplation may be needed. Do not be afraid of the quiet growth occuring within. Enter the world of dreams, archetypes, and symbols with courage and emotional calm. Learn while you are in a receptive state. Doing something externally is not always an answer.

<snip>

This card also suggests the healing power of sleep...During sleep, the soul loosens its grip on the physical body and roams
the spiritual universe...Enjoy this nightly excursion into another realm of existence and bring back the fruits of those experiences in the forms of amazing dreams, visions, and plans for the future.

<snip>

[FirstLight]

11. Wow..

very profound with the issues I have been dredging up lately...

Responsibility of being an adult vs freedom of being a child...

have I ever been "free" from my own expectations?

time to receive, sounds about right. Let Great Spirit do the guiding...that faith thing comes in handy too.

thanks for the info

[davsand]

3. I had to put in a request to DH as soon as I saw these!

Wow. VERY nice. I especially like the idea of taking the journey of the Fool and actually weaving it into a story shown in the Major.

I think the different names for the court cards would confuse a new reader an awful lot, and I have no doubt that the use of familiar story images would probably drift pretty far off the traditional images used in most other decks. This particular deck may end up like the Motherpeace--with a huge following of folks devoted to the use of that one deck.

I would probably be reluctant to hand this deck to my 11 year old as a learning deck (she is starting to ask for one, btw) but as an older reader I sure would not be reluctant to pick this deck up myself.

I am thinking seriously about gifting Material Girl with a deck this year. I'm toying with a Palladini or maybe a basic Rider Waite. I personally love the art in the Palladini, but I worry that it is maybe too "soft" in images for a starter deck.

Any suggestions?



Laura

[Shallah Kali]

4. How about the Radiant Rider-Waite?

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/radiant-rider-waite

I got this as my study deck to start with the classic deck but a more colorful, and to me more attractive, version.

I don't know if this would suit your young one but if you love Goddess mythology check out The Universal Goddess Tarot http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/universal-goddess/index.shtml

LOTS more images
http://draktarotlibrary.multiply.com/photos/album/146/Universal_Goddess_Tarot

This is my favorite deck. I love love love it's rich imagery and colors. It deviates from the standard deck but still love it :)

[davsand]

5. I agree--that Radiant Rider deck is a LOT better looking.

I had not seen that deck before and I agree with you completely--that deck is much improved over the original Rider art. Wow.

I would not have any problem handing that off to a beginning reader.

That Goddess deck is also very nice. I like the different traditions I see represented in it. Funny thing about this shopping for decks, I am a lot like a little kid or even a cat--I want them ALL! I try and fight the greed, but man, this is such temptation!

I finally got to the point where I had decks sitting around that I do not work with--they were acquired purely for the art. It made me feel sad to realize how greedy I am, so I made it a personal policy that I do not buy decks for myself any more. I "request" them as gifts. Maybe one day I will learn restraint, but for now I have to exercise self control as best I can.

:hi:


I have been slow to offer tarot and most other forms of divination to my daughter. I have waited for her to indicate her interest and desires with this stuff and as a result she is picking it up at about the same time I did on my own. The big difference is that my family was not part of this part of my life. I was completely on my own and felt a sort of isolation as I explored.

Last year I gave her a small intro to palmistry and I have seen her pick it up and work with it this last year. It hasn't totally clicked for her, I can tell. It never did for me either--but I figured it was a good place for her to start out because you can ALWAYS take a quick look at somebody's palm--ya know?

She has shown some potential but the big question is will she choose to follow up on that and at what point in her life will that happen. I just do not want her to feel as isolated as I did. I also do not want her to feel divination to be illicit somehow, and that was most certainly present for me in my early years.

This IS very much a gift and I want to be sure and instill THAT value.


Laura

[Shallah Kali]

6. Scans of all the Radiant Rider-Waite

http://draktarotlibrary.multiply.com/photos/album/159/Radiant_Rider_Waite

I really enjoy the vividness of the colors in the deck. Although I have yet to seriously buckle down and study this art the way it deserves I am still glad I have this deck to do my dabbling with :) The Universal Goddess I tend to use more as a personal oracle and even read cards against the way they were intended as I have more positive views of the 'Dark' goddesses than most do.

[Mist]

8. In response to davsand's Post 3--I think you're right about the different

meanings in some of the Inner Child cards being confusing for a new reader. I would NOT suggest doing regular readings with this deck. It seems to work best when inner child issues/old childhood-family issues are being worked on. I wouldn't try to read too many peoples' fortunes with this deck! It seems so specific to healing the wounded inner child, or working on issues that may not involve wounding, or trauma, but go to the child part of us. The Inner Child deck can speak to our own inner child, or to a part of us that should have matured but hasn't. I've seen people experience genuine healing using this deck.

I've only met one person (she introduced me to the deck, in fact) who did her daily readings with it. She had a lot of trauma/dysfunctional family history to work with, and the Inner Child deck kept her focused on that stuff in a way that was comfortable for her.

The meanings of some cards have changed so much from the more standard interpretations that it would be confusing to me, at least, to do regular readings with it, for myself or others.

I would probably not introduce this deck to a new reader right away. I think it helps enormously to have some more standard Tarot knowledge and experience before using the Inner Child deck. I don't mean to be condescending--I just think it's easier to learn and work with the more standard stuff first.

[Mist]

9. Again for davsand: How about the Robin Wood deck? It's based on the

Rider-Waite, but with a Pagan/Wiccan influence. It's my "standard reading deck."

The Radiant Rider-Waite deck is incredibly better than the usual one. Like just about everybody, I bought the standard Rider-Waite deck when I first started reading the Tarot. The colors were so harsh (all that bright yellow!) and the resolution wasn't good for seeing the details in the cards.

I soon bought the Aquarian Tarot, and read with that for quite a while (is that the same as the Palladini deck?)

[davsand]

12. My favorite deck to read with is the Aquarian.

It is the one I reach for first. I love that art deco feel to the art and I am comfortable with the colors used.

The New Palladini is a re-worked version of the Aquarian, but I honestly like the art an awful lot in spite of my love for the original Aquarian deck. One of the things i enjoy about both those decks is the art in the Major Arcana. Usually it is just lovely and almost always it evokes a strong feeling for me (which is important to me when I read.)

Here are a few images from the New Palladini:

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/new-palladini/index.shtml

I am not familiar with the Robin Wood deck. I will look for it. I have a Goddess Tarot Deck that I like, but I am always open to new decks with new twists.

I dunno about it for my daughter. I'm not sure what her path will be in life. She may well end up comfortable with the "Pagan thang" like I did, but then again--she could end up taking a completely different look at it all. For sure, she is already spiritual, but I don't think she has felt any true calling. I keep offering her information and am just sitting back to let her arrive someplace on her own. She'll get there--we ALL do sooner or later...

:)


Laura

[Cerridwen]

10. A "whimsical" tarot (based on Rider/Waite/Smith) just for the fun of it.

The (Robin) Ator Tarot

http://www.glowinthedarkpictures.com/atortarot/

They're kind of goofy and silly and I like the looks of them since I am sometimes goofy and silly.



:silly:

[Mist]

13. My "goofy" indulgence might be the International Icon Tarot--I think I'll

get it for myself for Yule.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/international-icon/

Sometimes I just want a quick read without all the extra symbolism.

[Cerridwen]

15. I thought that one was cute, too.

Sometimes I just want to have fun and leave the "heavy" stuff for another time. :D

[OneGrassRoot]

14. They remind me of Isha Lerner's Inner Child cards......

the only online deck I go to periodically....for a little nudge from Spirit. :)

She has Triple Goddess cards there which are lovely as well.

Wishing everyone a Blessed Holiday Season, to you and yours!


:)