Strength, to go on...?

I don't know why but all of a sudden my passion for my project left me. I will keep going off course and I expect to rekindle the spark I had when I started out, but the last few cards somehow from one moment to the other seemed like something I would have done as a kid. I missed that something extra I found starting out, they seemed like pictures in a kids coloring book to me now. The negative feeling has ebbed away for the most part now but a lingering resistance still nags me.

Anyway, here is strength. The lion is a dragon now and even more than the traditional cards depicts it's not brute force that subdued the beast. Strong wits, subtle manipulation and charm has transformed the mighty monster into a pet. The sword echoes the traditional tarot symbol for intellect and a "sharp" mind.

Strength

The Lovers, why a tree... not sure about this card

Okay so here's the Lovers card. I am not sure if this is the final product, though I will mostly likely stick to this concept. The lovers is a difficult card to deal with because of it's strong traditional imagery and it's double meaning. Both romance an synergy are important to the lovers. Not just love and passion but also opposites complementing each other are what the lovers stand for. I hope to have achieved this in my design. I added the tree because traditionally there is usually a third presence (Angel) in the image and I felt I really missed something. I didn't want to take anything away from the strength of the union depicted so I came up with the tree. Echoing  the world tree (Yggdrasil) which is also featured in several other places in the deck (or will be) it ads a hint of the divine, but also is a strong symbol of connecting earth and heaven, perhaps the greatest opposites after light and dark.

I am however not sure if this is the exact piece as it will be featured in the deck, some slight flaws bug me and I really want the contrast to be bigger. Maybe the border which will eventually be added to all cards will make the image stronger. However, right now, this is what we're going with if only to keep the thing going and keep me from standing still for too long.

I am already dreading the touch-up face of this process.

The Lovers

The Hierophant, a good day to pick up that one.

The Hierophant is a spiritual leader. The card is often even called 'the pope' so since pope Benedictus resigned today I thought this would be a good day to design this card. I really like this one a lot because I was able to break with some traditions but still very much kept the soul of the concept. The straight lines, like the way his robe hangs from his shoulder are also a strong sign of the feeling the card should give. There is a lot to tell about this card and it begs for it's own chapter but that's a challenge I will pick up when all the designs are finished. I also love how the Hierophant slightly resembles Aleister Crowley since he in many ways is the embodiment of the card.

the Hierophant

new major arcana cards added, how dark will I make it?

Okay so here are two new designs. I am still not entirely sure what 'tone' I want to use. I want the deck to be slightly confronting, a bit dark, but not mean or evil. I am not for the unicorn and carebear type of deck, but I want people to be able to use it without their spreads feeling exceptionally dark. A thing to work on... here's the magician and the chariot.

the Magician

the Chariot

My project: Tarot of the beckoning night

So here's this thing I am working on, a Tarot deck. I have been planning on doing something like this for a long time and have even started on it a few times. Now I am actually going through with it. At the moment I have seven cards ready and my head is spilling with ideas for the rest of them. There are however a lot of choices yet to be made.

Am I going to do color, I think so but I am not yet sure how. I am planning to make specific drawings for all 78 cards, not just the greater arcana, but that is a massive amount of work, am I up for that? I am also trying to figure out how much of my own ideas I can put in, Tarot comes from a centuries old tradition, which symbols, which specific meanings am I going to out in, will it be accessible for all readers, beginners and veterans alike. And then there is the fact that some imagery might even be age restricted like the Devil.
Whatever outcome these questions may have there is also the actual getting the whole thing printed and if possible distributed. Right now I am thinking of pushing the black and white greater arcana forward and do a few cheap ass printouts and see if I can get a few people to review them in use and spread the word.

I will be using this page and my facebook artist page to promote the thing and get feedback, so keep an eye out for that. www.facebook.com/MayTheMoonLightYourPath

Now to find time between work, diabetus induced couchcoma and xbox to keep up my two-designs-a-day commitment.

Death

the Tower

the Hanged Man

the High Priestess

the Devil

the Hermit

the Fool

Sorry....

Shit, I need money. Not just because of the whole shitload of xbox games coming this way, but also because we have to eat, pay the vet and pay the bills. This year has cost us, insulin pens en extra medication (not completely covered by insurance), severe dental care (broken front tooth, not completely covered by insurance), 2 bicycles (and then some repairs, wheels, tires etc.), new refrigerator, up to 500 euro’s veterinary costs and if that was it, we would have managed, but it isn’t. More and more surprises came our way, none actually ended up as financially favorable and off course my wife lost her job because some idiots think it’s okay that you’re too old and too expensive at 31.

So funds are … lacking … at best.

for sale...

So being in a shitty mood as of late I have decided to change some things one of which will be felt throughout my circle of acquaintances. First, as you may have noticed I decided trying to make money on my artwork (deviant art, spreadshirt). And as much as I love you guys, really I do and I feel honored to have been asked for various projects the past few years. But today I have taken up my last free-of-charge gig. From now on all new projects regarding writing, blogging, designing tattoos and doing Tarot readings (though all made promises will of course be kept) will have to be paid for. I am in no sense greedy, but I am spending a lot of hours on good will and charity and I can’t keep it up anymore. Also, how can I expect to make money on artwork I am handing out for free elsewhere?

Because of my health I have little time besides my day job and what time I spend awake I am going to invest smart by either doing what’s good for me or doing what’s good for paying the bills, which is also good for me. Maybe when things start looking up again I can start picking up favors and freebies again, but for now I am sticking to commitments already made or paid jobs.

I am truly sorry, but I feel that over the past years I have built some skills, which have cost me time and money and even bits of my physical and mental health (headed towards a burnout on more than one occasion) and like any job which costs you time and requires some skill I feel a compensation is not unreasonable… and to be frank, I really need the cash too. It's messed up feeling like shit asking for money for time and effort you invest, but I do and I AM sorry.

So there it is, me being a whiney biatch again… 

Tarot of Death, Free online reading

Once again I am using this channel for shameless promotion. I want my designs out there people! And I want to make shitloads of money in the process, but I am willing to work for it.

So here’s two things you might consider.

1. Uniquely designed t-shirt. Through the service of spreadshirt I can make any design I do into t-shirts, I-phone cases, baseball caps, thongs, you name it. Of course anyone can do so on spreadshirt, but only I can do it with designs I make… according to your wishes. So if you want that one and only (design will not be used again) item, let me know and we will work something out.
2. Up till the end of the year I will do a free online tarot reading with purchase of any of my “Tarot of Death” items.

Free online Tarot reading with purchase of any “Tarot of Death” item.

Mail me the payment confirmation together with the specific question you want me to answer with tarot and preferred tarot deck you want me to use* and you will receive your reading back by mail. This will be a high quality picture (with a print out of your mail so you can see it all uniquely yours) of the cards with expansive explanation.

Mail to Nocturnal Lure

This promotion runs until the end of December 2012
*Rider Waite, Crowley Toth, ShadowScapes, Giger, Alchemy, Liber T, Goddes, Dark Angels, Da Vinci, Dali (more options available at request)

It's magic I tell you

How I look when reading tarot... realy!

Now I’ve never claimed to be a psychic, I’ve never said I am channeling spirits. If anything I usually claim the opposite. In my blogpost last week on the workings of tarot, I’ve even played it all down quite a bit. Calling tarot pieces of cardboard with paint on it however somehow seems to damage the typical image of the tarot as a mystical tool given by gods, angels or at least ancient mystics. Even historically the tarot started out as just a game, we actually know it didn’t come to us from ancient Egypt. It’s a sad thing really to find this piece of ancient magic, hidden mystical power and have it reduced to “just” a card game by cold hard skepticism. It is however also a matter of personal experience.

In all honesty I must admit that it hurts me to put it all on the table (no pun intended) like that as if coincidence, pseudo psychology and mathematics can explain the complete workings of tarot. I was attracted by the mystical aura of the tarot when I started out with the cards and I can easily claim many readings that were interesting, weird or even bizar in a way where extreme coincidence just doesn’t cut it and I still love the mystical aura it has. The thought of wielding a divination tool and the ancient knowledge backing it up is too hard to let go completely and other than having experienced my share of weird occurrences, I truly believe that the mystical or even magical aspect of tarot adds to the mix a pinch of the divine that makes the tarot the strong system it is.

You may not have to believe in it for it to work, but it does make it more exciting.

Tarot, this sh*t Works!

One of the most asked questions about tarot, at least with me is “does it work?”. And though I believe yes is the simple answer there’s actually more to it (it’d be a pretty short blog post otherwise).

Hmmmm.....

 

Imagine writing the word “home” on a piece of paper. Put that paper on the table and sit down. Ask yourself a question, any question, for example “what can I do to simulate my career”. Now look at the word on the paper and let every association you have with this word go through your mind. All kinds of ideas will pop into mind. Perhaps you should focus on home life, perhaps you have to speed up your career to be able to start a family or maybe you need to fuel your ambition to be able to support your home. Take one of the ideas that speaks to you and dive deeper.

Without it being of any importance how the piece of paper got there, angels could have written it or maybe ghosts, in this case you did it yourself, the word triggered something. It’s also of little importance how the specific thoughts came to mind, triggered memories or perhaps telepathic suggestions by aliens it doesn’t matter, you made a step forward across a barricade. You have grown, you answered your question. Now do the same thing with 78 cards in a certain formation and the subjects that come up are limitless as well as the paths that may come that appeal to you.

Whether it’s angels, ghosts, aliens or just cardboard and paint is not important, the point is, it works, whatever you believe to be the driving force behind it. So it doesn’t matter if you’re the cold clinical science geek believing things only when there’s a scientific explanation to it even if that explanation is “coincidence” or if you’re a wiccan priestess believing it’s the will of God and Goddess that those cards are presented to you at that specific moment in time to guide you and help you further the mother spirit, it works anyway or either way.

Halloween at Auryn, telling your fortune and doing your make-up

9^th of October, your friendly neighborhood tarot reader will be attending the Auryn/ Enchantra Halloween party. The Auryn showroom is the place to be when it comes down to acquiring all of your makeup and cosmetic needs and every once in a while they organize an event where you can shop, chat and be made over while usually being fed and entertained.

It is at one such event I will be doing readings in October. There will also be other cool makeup related stuff going on, like a live onsite dare, most of which will be especially interesting for those of you with the double X-chromosome and less so for the "masculinely handicaped". So if you have the chance and want to restock on makeup and get a tarot reading by moi, make it a daytrip and go to Zeeland to the Auryn Halloween party. If you buy for over a hundred euro’s I’ll even make your future 15% better (yes that is a joke). 

For more information, check the facebook event. 

So that was Sunday… I am in need of man stuff….

Another weekend has passed so it’s once again the start of the five day struggle. I did however have a strangely awesome weekend. Strange because I had fun at something I would have said little fun could be had.

I went to this opening type thingy of Auryn ( www.enchantra.nl ) , in short… lots of make-up, lot’s of women buying and talking about make-up, the occasional stylist giving advice… and me. And I had a blast. Looking back I can’t say what it was that made the day so much fun except for the people there. However… traveling to and especially back from Zeeland, where this happening took place was bad, real bad. With just about 7 hours of travel time in total of which at least 1,5 hour on the trip home spend standing packed like sardines by train, it was extraordinary coming home with the feeling of having had a great day… I mean I didn’t even buy anything? I guess it was a combination of interesting people and good hosts.

I did have time to do some drawing (see pic), feeling like an island of zen in a sea of make-up raiding estrogen. Other then that I actually did some palm reading (to prove that it’s a gimmick) and some interesting tarot readings.

On other news today… be cool, join my forum, besides the fact that I love the attention, I know some pretty awesome people are out there who should spend time talking to each other online… yes you are one of them… go join http://nltarot.forum2go.nl/ .