by Corrine Kenner | Mar 24, 2015 | Wizards Magazine
There has to be more than this. They think that by locking me into these stone walls I’m no longer able to dream…but that can not be farther from the truth. I can see the beautiful blue shimmer of the sky. I have my window and, therefore, I have my dream. Most people think that I have everything I could have ever wanted. I have riches, a family in power, and these breathtaking jewels. But what does any of that mean when I don’t have freedom? The freedom to do what I want. The freedom to explore! I want to feel the desert sand between my toes. I want to learn and read about those things I shall not know. I want so much more than anything that can be made my man here on earth! But I can never let my father, the King, know. My parents would shame me. They would lose their respect for me. They would take away the things I do have…and those are the things that are the most valuable of my possessions.
All I have is my dreams if I can’t have the knowledge and the adventure I truly seek.
That’s why I need to keep my most prized possessions safe. I will guard them with my life until the day I die. As I have been sitting on the ledge by the night sky and breathing in the cool air of the river, I have been living out my dreams in my own way. I have been mapping out the stars I see each night with my compass. It’s the part of the day I look forward to most. They create such wonderful patterns every night. New characters come to life before me. They speak to me in such a unique way. It’s as if each night provides new memories. New stories I will hold on to forever and revisit as often as I may. What I love about the stars is the way they seem to change over time. They never seem to be sitting in the same place the way that I am forced to. They seem to move about and head on to other things. They move around our world and see all of the wonders I so wish I could see with my own eyes. Yet, they are never gone for good. They always return as the seasons of the year turn. While I can’t join them myself, the stars have never forgotten me and my dreams. They always return like an old friend…Peering through my window waiting for me to welcome them with a warm embrace. They tell me of the wonders they have seen without me. They connect me to the things that, no matter how hard he tries, my father will never provide for me.
But, oh! How I love the breeze of the river! It’s the clarification of the hug I’ve been longing for from the stars. They understand me. It may sound crazy, but… By learning to understand them they help me understand myself. The stars are my freedom. When I’m with them, and don’t have to worry about anything else, I am being myself in my truest form. I am becoming one with the stars themselves when I spend time with them. I am as much a part of the night sky I’m looking at as the stars are. That’s my true family. And it forever will be. Even after I am asked to take over my father’s throne. For I will always maintain my foyer by the window, my map of the stars, and my compass guiding my explorations of the night sky. If I didn’t keep this… I would lose myself. I would have nothing.
by Corrine Kenner | Mar 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
There are hundreds of great tarot decks on the market, but no deck will ever be as meaningful as the one you make yourself. You can create a personalized deck in less time than you think. Just follow my 10-step system.
How to Create a Collage Tarot
Art is good for the soul. It’s an easy way to express your understanding of the cards, learn the symbolism of the tarot, and create a deeply meaningful tarot deck. It’s inexpensive, and it’s practically free. Best of all, you can complete a Majors-only deck that’s ready to read in a single day — and a full deck of all 78 cards won’t take much longer.
- First, gather some basic art supplies, such as markers, glitter pens, blank index cards, scissors, and glue. Glue sticks and rubber cement work better than liquid glue, which wrinkles paper.[1]
- Collect a big stack of old magazines — preferably ones printed on heavy, coated stock. Fashion magazines and catalogs have the best pictures of people, and travel magazines have the best scenery. National Geographic magazines have both, and most used bookstores sell them for just pennies. If you want to include pictures of family, friends, and pets, find snapshots or make scans and prints that you can cut apart.
- If you’re new to the art of collage — or even if you simply haven’t done collage for a while — search Google Images, Flickr, or Pinterest to get ideas and inspiration from other artists’ work. You probably won’t believe how many clever ways there are to combine images in a collage.
- Now go through your magazines, looking for images that appeal to you and reflect your understanding of the tarot. In the next few pages, you’ll find a list of symbols that are associated with each card. Use it as a starting point for your search — but be flexible and remain open to the art you have on hand.[2] In fact, you’ll have the best results if you adapt the traditional card images to the imagery that you like and understand. You can even retitle the cards to better suit your needs.
At this point, don’t worry too much about the components of any one card. You’re still just gathering resources.
- Tear the magazine pages out and sort them in five piles:
- Scenery. Find full-page images that you can use as backdrops, like beautiful landscapes, decorator rooms, classic paintings, crowd scenes, and cityscapes. Images of open sky — particularly starry night skies — are especially useful for many tarot card backgrounds.If you can’t find enough big photos in magazines, you can also create cohesive-looking backgrounds out of wrapping paper, scrapbooking paper, old greeting cards or postcards, sheet music, maps, newspaper pages, or pages torn from dictionaries or old cookbooks.
- People. Keep your eyes open for images of people who are upside-down. Those are surprisingly rare, and you’ll need one for your Hanged Man.
- Animals. You can use them as pets for the people in your cards, or have them stand in for the people themselves. Animals that correspond to the creatures of the zodiac are always a good find. Also look for animals that symbolize the elements, such as birds for air, cows for earth, and so on.
- Objects. Find stand-alone images that you can use for props and symbolic touches. You might be lucky enough to find wands, cups, swords, and pentacles, either to add to your Major Arcana cards or to complete the whole deck. You can use common images to work repeated motifs into your cards. Instead of pentacles, for example, you could use watches, because time is money, or you could substitute photos of lipstick for wands.
- Words and phrases. Clip and save any headlines, words, or phrases that seem to echo a tarot theme.
- Use file folders to collect and categorize images for each card.
- As you create your deck, focus on one card at a time. Concentrate on its meaning as you rifle through your images. You’ll probably be surprised at how quickly you’ll find the appropriate elements for your collage. Let the work flow naturally. Work with the art you have on hand, and don’t try to force your cards into being.
- Cut corners — literally. When you’re cutting out the components of each card, it’s okay to leave a little border around each piece. That way you don’t need to worry about the fine details — or be concerned about accidentally chopping off a finger or a nose. If you do want to be precise, which is time-consuming, you’ll need a cutting mat and an X-ACTO knife.
- You can embellish your cards with paint, markers, bits of ribbon, fabric, or lace … or anything you like.
- When you finish creating your cards, you can label them, laminate them, or cover them with clear, self-adhesive plastic. Many of your materials probably won’t be archival quality, though, so if you want them to last forever you should scan and print them, or send them to a photo processor. You can also scan them and add creative flourishes with photo-editing software.
Ready to begin? Review this checklist of traditional tarot imagery.
[1] If you plan to scan your cards and have them processed as photos, be sure to size them appropriately. 4×6 is usually a good size for photo prints.
[2] If you want to create a full deck of 78 cards, you can find a full list of standard symbols and images in my book, Simple Fortunetelling with Tarot Cards: Corrine Kenner’s Complete Guide.
by Corrine Kenner | Mar 22, 2015 | Uncategorized
Traditional Tarot Imagery
0. The Fool
A card of new beginnings
- A court jester
- A dog or other animal companion
- A cliff
- A snow-covered mountain
- A bag or a knapsack
- Astrological correspondence: Uranus, the planet of rebellion
- Element: air
1. The Magician
A card of self-mastery
- A showman
- A robed figure
- A headpiece or a figure 8
- Points up with one hand, down with the other, to indicate “As above, so below.”
- A table
- Tools that symbolize the power of the four suits: cups, wands, swords, and coins
- Astrological correspondence: Mercury, the messenger planet of speed and communication
- Element: air
2. The High Priestess
A card of intuitive wisdom
- A wise, quiet-looking woman
- A full moon
- A book or a scroll
- Pillars or columns
- Astrological correspondence: The Moon, the silver luminary of emotion and intuition
- Element: water
3. The Empress
A card of fertility and creativity
- A woman who looks like “Mother Nature,” or a pregnant woman
- A crown made up of 12 stars of the zodiac
- A lush field or a meadow
- Astrological correspondence: Venus, planet of love and beauty, comfort and refinement
- Element: earth
4. The Emperor
A counterpart to the Empress; a card of order and control; a civilizing force
- A man of power and authority; a soldier, king, or business man
- A massive throne
- An arid landscape
- Astrological correspondence: Aries, the ram, a sign of conquer and adventure
- Element: fire
5. The Hierophant
A card of structure and guidance from traditional teachings
- A traditional authority figure, like a priest or a professor
- Students
- A church or university setting
- Astrological correspondence: Taurus, the bull, a sign of stability and love of beauty
- Element: earth
6. The Lovers
A card of love, romance, attraction, and communication
- A couple in love
- An angel or an older woman
- Two fruit trees
- Astrological correspondence: Gemini, the twins, a sign of curiosity and communication
- Element: air
7. The Chariot
A card of travel, forward motion, and change
- A vehicle
- A driver
- A contrasting pair of animals, such as horses or sphinxes
- Astrological correspondence: Cancer, the crab, a sign of nurturing and easy homemaking
- Element: water
8. Strength
A card of courage and self-control
- A woman
- A lion
- A figure 8
- Astrological correspondence: Leo, the lion, a sign of courage and heart
- Element: fire
9. The Hermit
A card of solitude, reflection, and wisdom
- An old man like “Father Time”
- A hill or mountain top
- A lamp or hourglass
- Astrological correspondence: Virgo, the virgin, a sign of health, cleanliness, and attention to detail
- Element: earth
10. The Wheel of Fortune
A card of passing time, the cycles of life, and a reminder that what goes up must come down
- A roulette-style wheel or an old-fashioned spinning wheel
- Animal representations of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water
- Astrological correspondence: Jupiter, planet of luck and expansion
- Element: fire
11. Justice
A card of fairness and balance
- A blindfolded woman, like the courthouse archetype
- A scale
- A courtyard or marble hallway
- Astrological correspondence: Libra, the scales, a sign of balance, harmony, and partnership
- Element: air
12. The Hanged Man
A card of reflection and alternate perspectives
- A man hanging by one leg, his expression peaceful
- A tree
- A halo
- Astrological correspondence: Neptune, planet of illusion
- Element: water
13. Death
A card of endings and new beginnings
- A skeleton or a grim reaper
- A horse
- A harvest sickle
- A garden or a field
- Bodies strewn about
- Astrological correspondence: Scorpio, the scorpion, a sign of mysteries and secrets
- Element: water
14. Temperance
A card of moderation, artistry, and balance
- A beautiful woman with angel wings
- Two goblets, pitchers, or other water vessels
- A watery shoreline
- A rainbow
- Astrological correspondence: Sagittarius, the archer, a sign of higher education and foreign places and people
- Element: earth
15. The Devil
A card of temptation, tragic flaws, and imprisoning factors of one’s own making
- A devil or a man with horns
- A pedestal
- A couple in chains
- An array of material treasures
- A fiery background
- Astrological correspondence: Capricorn, the goat, sign of business and social status
- Element: earth
16. The Tower
A card of sudden, unexpected change
- A tall building
- Lightning in a stormy sky
- A rocky shoreline with crashing waves
- Bodies falling
- Astrological correspondence: Mars, planet of energy, aggression, and sexuality
- Element: fire
17. The Star
A card of guidance and hope
- An angelic figure
- One bright star
- Seven smaller stars
- Astrological correspondence: Aquarius, the water bearer, sign of individuality and change
- Element: air
18. The Moon
A card of intuition, emotion, and the possibility of deception
- The moon in the night sky
- A reflective body of water
- A dog
- A wolf
- A crustacean
- Two pillars
- A winding road
- Astrological correspondence: Pisces, the fish, a sign of intuition and emotion
- Element: water
19. The Sun
A card of celebration and annual events
- A sun
- A child or two
- A white horse
- A field of flowers
- Astrological correspondence: The Sun, the center, the ego, the self
- Element: fire
20. Judgment
A card of accountability and change
- An angel
- A trumpet
- A naked man, woman, and child
- A graveyard
- Sometimes a phoenix rising from its own ashes
- Astrological correspondence: Pluto, the planet of endings and transitions
- Element: water
21. The World
A card of harmonious conclusions and events coming full circle
- A naked, dancing woman
- A wreath
- Four emblems of the four elements
- Astrological correspondence: Saturn, ringed planet of boundaries and limitation
- Element: earth
by Corrine Kenner | Jan 30, 2015 | Creative Guidance
magic
i am magic
there’s nothing up my sleeve
pay no attention to that man
watch me
— corrine kenner
This is an American Cinquain, styled after Japanese haiku, with lines of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 2 syllables.
The image is a mashup of the Magician and the Ace of Wands.
by Corrine Kenner | Jan 23, 2015 | Creative Guidance
Strangely bright against the tombstone
Lightning strikes on high
A tower falls a trumpet sounds
But your empty veins are dry
To sleep! The night is born
Awake! The twilight dies
Be still! The monster hears you
But your empty veins are dry
Strangely bright against the tombstone
Dead fingers start to pry
Don’t look! Their lust is growing
But your empty veins are dry
The bear the dog the hunter
Creep slowly through the sky
Shadows reach to kiss the moonlight
But your empty veins are dry
Strangely bright against the tombstone
Lonely spirits moan and sigh
They long to touch and hold you
But your empty veins are dry
The vampire can see you
There’s one thing left to try
Angels flee as wounds reopen
But your empty veins are dry
Strangely bright against the tombstone
His crumpled form now lies
No one warned him of the danger
But your empty veins are dry
— Corrine Kenner
Illustrated with the Judgment card from the Waite-Smith tarot
