tarot card notes -- Artist Trading Cards

August 13, 2009 regarding images found HERE.

Dear Swap-Bot Partner,

Here are your three tarot card ATCS for the swapbot swap: High Priestess, Empress and Magician. I am not familiar with the tarot and found it very interesting to try to make ATCs that would fit the description. It was helpful to know that each card has symbols and that all cards share other symbols, like earth, air, fire & water.

Empress: I chose this little girl as the main design element because she looks full of promise. I decorated her with stars and hearts, which are supposed to be Empress symbols, and added a guard dog as her shield. I chose two words for her, PROMISE and ABUNDANCE, because these words are important in my life. The blue background is her water, the strips of birchbark are her earth (and also more shields in my imagiantion) the baker's string in a star shape is her air, and fire is represented by the subtle radiance around her head as well as the red of the stars and hearts.

High Priestess: I chose a Mom and her child for this one because I am a new mom and I find that parenting is the most private, fulfilled and influential I have ever felt. I chose INFLUENTIAL as one of her words, as well as SECRETIVE, because the communication between my son and me is mysterious. The mom and child are decorated with scrolls, and the sling she has around the child is also a sort of scroll. A moon (conveniently decorated with a charming witch) rests on her hat, and the Statue of Liberty represents a pillar of strength, as does the birch bark strip alongside. The statue and bark are rooted in the earth, the witch flies in the sky, the moon reflects the orange fiery light of the sun, and the child is wearing a watery blue wrap. I imagine that their tears and kisses are also water for this card. Once again I used baker's string to add depth and tie the three cards together.

Magician: This is my favorite image and started the whole idea for me. This woman stands with her herder's staff in a verdant green place—earth, air and water are plentiful. I felt she was a magician because much of Africa, where she is from, is so parched and wrecked, yet this photo shows a lush land. I imagine that is it her desire that placed her in surroundings not desert but verdant green. A number “8” sticker on its side conveniently makes the infinity symbol for this magician, which is echoed in the baker's string once again. She has sparkly roses to aid her magic, and a piece of birch bark with the orange tissue border represents her fire. Her words are RESOURCEFULNESS and POWER, words that echo in my own life out here in the country.

Since you like to make ATCs I enclose two ATC “blanks” prepared with my favorite free local medium: birch bark. I'd enjoy seeing whatever you decide to make with them. I hope you enjoy this swap packet. It was very enjoyable to think about and make. Below are some websites I referred to.

Best regards,

Martha Spear aka NorthernBorder at swapbot

tarothermit.com
lelandra.com/comptarot/womanstarottimeline.htm
feministreview.blogspot search for Rachel Pollack
tarotteachings.com
and images of the “Daughters of the Moon” tarot series viewed online