In the cards this week: passion and change
They make a good pair
This week, we have a fiery face card and the return of Stalker Card. It’s been a while since the Two of Horns has shown up - three months, in fact - so maybe this heralds the beginning of some new shifts and changes.
The thing I like about this pair of cards is that together, they are both the notification that stuff is being stirred up and the tool for how to deal with that stirring-up.
The Two of Horns signals change that’s for the better, even if it’s unsettling at the moment. Not major-life-upheaval kind of change, just stuff shifting around in everyday life to make room for something new and better. And the Priest of Daggers points to the need to acknowledge the passions that drive us, the subjects and activities that fire us up. These are the facets of ourselves that will lead us to the best way to deal with whatever life is throwing at us right now.
You may have noticed that the face cards in this deck all show full-body images and the numbered Minor Arcana have various kinds of pictures.
Each of the face cards is inspired by a specific Minoan work of art. The Priest of Daggers is my version of the seated male figure in the Palanquin fresco from Knossos. I was really excited to find this fresco when I was searching for inspiration for these cards. It’s one of the few instances where the person in the Minoan work of art actually has the suit symbol on them; the dagger on his belt is present in the original fresco. So I just had to use that fresco as the inspiration for this card!
I’m not terribly fond of decks where the Minors are just pips (I like visual memory cues), so I decided to make illustrative images for the numbered Minors in my deck. In the case of the Two of Horns, two pairs of Minoan sacred horns are tumbling off a shrine. This isn’t a major disaster. If they break, they can be easily replaced, and you can decide whether to replace them with identical versions or something different. If they don’t break, you can choose to arrange them differently when you put them back on the shrine.
Life offers us repeated opportunities to make changes large and small. What we make of them is up to us.
What changes have you made recently, and how do you feel about those choices?
Priest of Daggers: The active face of Fire in your life. How do you act out your passions, your energy and drive? Where do you direct your Fire? You're mature and steady, with enough self-control that unleashing your passions won't wreck your life. Where are you inspired to point the flame of your being this week?
Two of Horns: Ch-ch-ch-changes! Stuff is moving in your life, nothing earth-shattering, but enough change to make room for something new. Allow yourself to be flexible as the shifts happen, and think about what new things you want to put in place of the old.
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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.
Love this ❤️ thank you, Laura!