Ace of Coins β€” Dragon Tarot

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

Peter PracownikArtist: Peter Pracownik
Designer: Terry Donaldson

 

β€œTell me something about work,” I said, and drew the Ace of Coins.

 

“Work,” replied the Ace, “will entail many things you have never done before. Do not limit yourself to the work of mothering, although that is important. Be sure to notice opportunities that come along. Do not be too content and too lazy to take them. Although it may be frightening and difficult to get over the initial inertia, the work of putting yourself out there will be much more rewarding than the comfort of remaining safe.”

 

Positive Meanings:

 

The Ace of Coins is a positive, prosperous-feeling card that heralds a feeling of being blessed with abundance in all areas of life, in both giving and receiving. On one hand, it may point toward a new business venture or investment; on the other, it could point toward a more holistic, earthy sort of wealth.

 

The Ace of Coins is representative of new beginnings, fresh energy, and inspiration. If one realizes available opportunities, the Ace of Coins is the beginning of a plan that leads to the manifestation of goals which may eventually generate income.

 

Negative Meanings:

 

The Ace of Coins reversed is not a good financial opportunity. There is a significant risk of failure due to lack of planning and foresight. One must be very careful about what can and cannot be afforded. Numerous impediments delay the achievement of (possibly unrealistic) goals. Do not rush into business blindly.

 

Ace of Coins reversed may point toward corruption, greed and theft. Others may be exploited in a blind quest for personal betterment. Financial accumulation and wealth becomes obsessive at the expense of other areas of life.

The World β€” Dragon Tarot

Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Artist: Peter Pracownik

Designer: Terry Donaldson

 

Here I am back at the Dragon Tarot, where a slender dragon wraps it wings protectively around the world. The dragons in this deck seem to have all hatched from the same clutch of eggs. If I was going to draw a dragon tarotβ€” which I won’t but if I didβ€” one of my main goals would be to give the dragons all their own personality and unique features. After all, dragons are people, too. But I digress.

 

My mother is here visiting. We do typical mother-daughter activities such as walking the frozen wetlands of the nearby nature preserve and constructing built-in shelving so baby-to-be has some place to store its (her?) dozens of onesies. I know the shelving project will not be completed before she leaves: I will need to finish the drywall and painting. I have other unfinished drywall projects around the house. My best excuse for not finishing the other projects is that it is impossible to carry home an intact 8×4-foot sheet of drywall on top of a Toyota Corolla. Afraid of impending lethargy, I say to the deckβ€” Tell me to finish the drywall! β€”Motivation comes easier with a foreman.

 

The deck hands me the World: a card of integration, completion, accomplishment, and travelβ€” quite a powerful card for a seemingly simple request. Nonetheless. To integrate is defined as to combine one thing with anotherβ€” such as to combine drywall with mud and tapeβ€” so that they become seamlessly whole. To complete is to finish a project. To accomplish something is to stand back and look at it with pride and say, β€œWell! That’s done.” To travel is to move on to the next thing. Despite how annoying I find the task of spackling, I don’t think my request was deserving of the World, which indicates there will be praise and celebration for my successful achievements. I won’t complain. I just have to do what the World has obligingly ordered me to doβ€” ASAP.

 

Eight of Swords β€” Dragon Tarot

Saturday, December 17th, 2011
Artist: Peter Pracownik

Designer: Terry Donaldson

 

Interpretation: Little White Book missing

 

This is a deck my Mom picked up for me at a garage sale, hence the missing LWB. It is proof that I am willing to accept any deck into my collection, just to show the variety of tarot art out there. I am not a fan of dragons or fantasy, per se. In particular, I am not a fan of other peoples’ fantasy. I admit, it happens that my seven of cups has a couple of dragons drinking tea on it: that’s because the seven of cups is about fantasy.

 

The eight of swords is about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is about the feeling of being stuck without the complete actuality of being stuck. Sometimes there seem to be no optionβ€” or so many options it is impossible to chose. Some say it is best not to make any crucial decisions at this point. I say, there is one crucial decision that must be made at this point: how to get unstuck. Sometimes this means letting the mind go, accepting stuckness and going from there: “I am stuck, but what can I do?”Β  The dragon on this card looks slightly menacing. If I was to feel stuck and it was to say “BOO!” I would quickly feel unstuckβ€” unless there was another, equally menacing dragon in the opposite direction.

 

Yesterday I wrote: “Stopping is getting stuck. The longer I stop for, the more thoroughly I will be stuck. I do not want to get stuck.” Today I am back in Vermont. Thus, aside from a few bad habits, (excessive chocolate, lack of exercise) and unfortunate situations (unemployment), I no longer feel stuck. Not here. My imagination is too great for that: I am more likely to have too many options than too few. This merely leaves me feeling inept at making a decision, not stuck.

 

I LIE! I am stuck: I have yet to illustrate the kings. Instead, I spend inordinate hours browsing the internet, looking for independently published small-run 78-card tarot decks (contact me if you have one) and sometimes (too often? not often enough? too often for an unemployed pregnant person but not often enough for my liking?) purchasing them. I need to get unstuck. Bring me to your leaderβ€” MANIFEST YOUR KING!