Happy Tuesday, friends and welcome back to Tarot & Tea! For today’s exploration, we are using the strange & magical Deviant Moon Tarot. Created by artist Patrick Valenza to “explore the dark side of the subconscious with haunting surreal imagery…inspired by childhood dreams”. Valenza is also a tarot student and has been working on this deck nearly his whole life before its publication in 2008 or so. It is quite an achievement! In its own unique way, the art of this deck reminds me of the movie Mirrormask which has that dark, surreal, dreamy and symbolic feel with its imagery. I highly recommend it both the deck and this movie if that appeals to you!
Anyway, as often seems to happen with this deck, two cards decided to make an appearance in our drawing today. Our first card is the 6 of Pentacles. Here we see a man of wealth and age (noted by the waning crescent moons) in an act of giving a luminous coin to an unfortunate soul positioned below him. This card asks us to share our wealth with those in need. This can definitely be material goods but it can also be time, energy & spirit. Perhaps the questioner is, in fact, the soul in need and in this case 6 of Pentacles asks us to receive with gratitude and as we become more stable or self-sufficient (as this card fully encourages us to do) to pay forward or possibly repay what has been given. This card represents Mars in Taurus.
Behind that comes the Page of Swords. We see a young (waxing moon on this card), richly-dressed fellow whose eye is laser-focused on what is ahead of him. Traditionally, this card is full of energy & enthusiasm, a fresh way of thinking & communicating perhaps, but here we focus on vision. Our page’s keen eyes see through deception and delve into hidden meanings. In the Deviant Moon deck, this is a card of insight and perception but the perceiver may not be taken seriously due to age or inexperience. This card is Earth in Air and/or Aquarius.
Instead of a tea blend, a single herb called to me today. Vervain (Verbena spp.) is an herb of both Taurus & Aquarius. Medicinally, it is used as a nervine and bitter tonic useful in soothing nervousness, clearing liver congestion, expelling mucus, and easing irregular and painful periods. Energetically, it also clears stagnant energy, cleansing & consecrating, opens psychic channels & protects against malevolent energies one may find.
What's your read on this pairing? Is there something we missed?