All Hallows’ Eve Tarot Card Intro:

I’m in the process of writing up the accompanying PDF that goes along with the deck. This time around I thought I’d do something different and blog it as I go.

I think it will keep me focused on getting it done, but also act as a way of filling out the blog a little more. Normally I’m busy illustrating, to where it is hard to find the time to actually write anything. This way I can update the blog while getting the PDF finally done!

Strength : A woman stands alongside a lion with wings. It bears a slight resemblance to the ancient Sumerian mythological creature the Lamassu, which has held my interest for a long time, (Ever since reading Myths from Mesopotamia by Stephanie Dalley) though it might possibly be argued to be more a griffin in appearance overall.

The card reminds us that it is possible to tame one's inner animal, except this animal is even more hard to tame because at a moments notice it can slip away, evading our grasp. So I see this as an even more concentrated effort than what would normally be depicted.

The Hermit : A skeleton holds aloft a bright lantern. He is naturally alone, and in fact by the looks of it has spent either his entire life in isolation, or the latter part of it. He has remained in isolation until the point of death.

I decided to have a skeleton in our Hermit card for All Hallows' Eve Tarot. I wanted it in some melancholy way to reflect the very real situation of being obsessed with study to the point of being detrimental to one's life.

The Hermit represents being alone, yes, but it also leans into the idea that he or she is not simply alone solely because they can't stand society, or they are too shy, or have been outcasted.

It's often a voluntary isolation and quite often for the desire of study, and maybe even the study of more complex topics and therefore there's much more of a demand on one's time and energy.

He or she carries the light of illumination in the darkness, allowing him to peer into what would normally be hidden.

The Tower: A woman runs from a haunted house which is struck by the natural elements. Was she prompted to run from the house by the ghost before the house burst into flames, thereby the ghost becoming a blessing in disguise and potentially saving her life? Regardless, her life and her home has literally been demolished right in front of her eyes. She flees down the path to a new life. It will be hard for her, with some aspect of her life now closed off to her.

Perhaps the ghosts she thought she had buried in her past have come back to haunt her.

The visuals in this card is not of total destruction as she is still able to run away from the calamity. In traditional Rider Waite Smith imagery, two figures fall from the building head first, symbolic I would think, of a more complete destruction. Falling on one’s head, after all, is going to hurt (in a symbolic sense of course).

So the woman runs from a house which has been struck by lighting, burning in flames and haunted by ghosts. Rest assured that chapter of her life is closed, but another will begin.

2 of Swords: Have you ever had the feeling of really wanting to say something to someone, knowing full well that it’s going to result in chaos, hurt feelings, maybe even loss of friends and family. Perhaps it isn’t even that controversial; it’s just that you know ahead of time it’s going to cause trouble. So you decide to keep quiet. This represents the 2 of Swords perfectly. Holding it all in!

In the card the figure is usually depicted with a blindfold, with two swords crossing her. My co-creator Christine likens this card to the saying “what are you pretending not to know about this matter?”. You’re trying not to stir waves during an argument; often heated or politically charged arguments at that. The blindfold would represent the figure sort’ve turning a blind eye in order to keep the peace. In our Twisted Tarot Tales I think we depicted that one pretty good. It featured a sword swallower in a circus, with the sword of course representing her opinions.

In our All Hallows’ Eve Tarot she is depicted as a gypsy. This is also called the card of “peace restored”, meaning that it can represent someone trying to find their inner peace, especially in chaotic times. The choppy waves in the traditional RWS deck are replaced by barking dogs and tamborine playing in the background. This figure is finding her inner peace while surrounded by distractions etc.

3 of Swords: The three is traditionally understood to be a card of heartbreak, but if we understand swords to be the suit of communication, and these swords pierce the heart, it might be understood to mean that harsh words have wounded the heart implying verbal conflict. This is how we generally view this card, and I tend to think it has a link between the 2 of Swords and 4 of Swords. These three seem to tell a story in sequential order. After keeping your opinions to yourself for fear of reprisal, it has had a detrimental affect on you, and the natural order of things meant that in the end an argument was inevitably going to ensue. You can only keep quiet for so long! This is how we view the 3 of Swords; words pierce the heart.

In our All Hallows' Eve Tarot deck, I've placed a cauldron beneath the heart, representing that even from such arguments another door may open for you. The pain is transformed into something else, perhaps for the worse, yes, but oftentimes for the better. It puts a positive spin on what would normally be a very dire card.

The link to the 4 is that after this chaotic, heart wrenching ordeal or confrontation, the figure must “lick her wounds” so to speak, and lie low for awhile.

4 of Swords : A vampire sleeps in a coffin in an old church. While the coffin would normally be a symbol of the presence of death, he is very much alive. He is resting after the day’s trials have come to an end, a reminder that the night can offer respite from one's worries until tomorrow, if one is able to settle one's mind, anxiety or restlessness.

Three bats can be seen in the window. Bats are symbols of the night, but they are also symbols of overcoming one's fears with a little faith. With startling ease, bats can drift and weave throughout the night sky and are thought to be completely blind. How can such maneuverability exist without sight? Instead it's thought that they send out their own voice and listen closely as it bounces off surrounding objects. Perhaps take note; Listen to your voice of reason. Meditate on what you already know is true about your situation. Even if you cannot see a way out, listen to your higher self.

5 of Swords : A Halloween party has brought some tough competition to a couple of would be Draculas. It's a silly argument, with one dracula in the distance already having given up, and his companion will be following close behind. It's suggested with this card that the main figure in the foreground has won a victory, but it's a hollow victory. It could be an argument which one wins, but at the expense of hurt feelings, or even outright unfairness. I humorously imagine an adult winning a child at a game of cards, football etc. The normal reaction would be for the adult to let the child win to boost his or her confidence, but if the adult were to win the child every time, other adults would quite naturally take a dim view of such a character.

So it’s really seen as an unfair victory card, or a “hollow victory” so to speak.

The All Hallows’ Eve Tarot differs from our first Halloween themed Waite deck, where the Halloween Waite featured fancy dress figures dressed as zombies.

5 of Cups. With the evenings closing in a little more, and the chill starting to be felt, two hot beverages can be seen close to a mournful figure. She is mourning of what is lost, and paying no mind to what still remains. Maybe it is a romantic breakup, or some other matter, but it is easy to long for the things that have drifted away from us, whether that be more recent, or a hurt from the past.

It's important to emphasize that there is always something still remaining for you or a client in this situation. All is not lost. Maybe the standing cups represent friends, family, or even something as drastic as escaping from an awful situation with your dignity still intact.

While not directly related this also reminds me a little on that strange focus we put upon negative comments directed towards us. We spend so much time wondering what can be done to win certain people over, when really there are others who have given genuine support, genuine compliments, and are still “standing” up for us; they’re in our corner.

So in a way I liken it as a little call to count our blessings, and appreciate those that are our core circle of support.

Thanks for reading and please check out our PDF page periodically as eventually we will put the entire card write up on there soon.