Ah yes, a nice, gentle, positive pair of cards for a change. I’m happy to see these two turn up.
Since I’ve received a few comments regarding the symbolism in this deck, I thought I’d give you a quick tour today.
When I began work on this deck, I decided I needed to deconstruct Tarot in order to create a deck with no Christian symbolism in it. After all, the Minoans lived during the Bronze Age, two to three millennia before Christianity first existed.
I wanted a deck with purely Minoan symbolism, using only the images and colors the Minoans used in their art and religion.
Although the system of four elements - Air, Fire, Water, Earth - dates to the classical era, a number of centuries after Minoan civilization ceased to exist, it’s intrinsic to the Minor Arcana, so I held onto that aspect.
The four suits are color-coded to the elements. Fire is red, Water is blue, Air is yellow, and Earth is green. Here are four face cards, one of each suit:
It took me some time to come up with the symbols for the four suits. Rhytons (ritual libation pitchers) and the sacred horns were pretty easy. But the Fire and Air suits eluded me until I did some directed dreaming. I woke up one morning with the dagger and labrys pair clear in my mind.
Here are the aces of the four suits with their suit symbols atop Minoan-style incurved altars:
Daggers as the fire suit symbol can be confusing to people who haven’t seen the whole deck and are used to Swords as the Air suit. So I color-coded the Minors. Every single card in the Minors has a color-coded border and overall color scheme, so it’s easy to see which element it’s connected with.
So today’s cards are two Fire suit ones, both with a little cheerful news for what I hope is a great week for everyone!
Three of Daggers: Time for a little something new! Whether you recently started it or haven't taken the first steps yet, you can be confident you will do well. Expect a few small victories right away - a good start! Enjoy and appreciate your good fortune.
Four of Daggers: Keep on keepin' on! You're going in the right direction. Don't let others confuse or misdirect you. Their anxieties aren't your problem. You know where you're headed. So stick with it and you'll get to where you want to be. Allow yourself to be confident on your path.
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About Laura Perry
I'm an author, artist, and creator who works magic with words, paint, ink, music, textiles, and herbs. I'm the founder and Temple Mom of Ariadne's Tribe, a worldwide inclusive Minoan spiritual tradition. My spiritual practice also includes spirit work and herbalism through the lens of lifelong animism. I write Pagan / polytheist non-fiction and fiction across several different subjects and genres. I'm currently working on an illustrated book of modern Minoan myths and a Minoan entry in the Moon Books Pantheons series. I’m also an avid gardener and living history demonstrator.
I love that you’ve used Daggers for Fire - in many ways it makes much more sense! I’vem still getting used to using your deck - it has a very different feel to more traditional ones. Controversially I still love the Crowley-Harris deck, but then I use so many different decks depending on the situation and the client.
Oh that is all interesting, Laura. Thank you. And the cards gave me hope.