Welcome to the Mid-Winter/Yule Tarot Blog Hop. The theme for this Hop, set by yours truly, is entitled “Wishing on a Star” and inspired by a previous Yule Hop post. I’ve asked our bloggers to reflect on what they have to celebrate from the past year and wish for the year to come. Before putting some meat on those bones, here are the navigation links for the Hop, though I hope you’ll stick it out to the end of this post and use the ones there.
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I usually use the Tarot Blog Hop as an opportunity, or creative spur, to unveil a new card in this deck. Sadly, I have had rather a busy year and it has been something of a struggle to make any significant progress in this regard. I can, at least, celebrate finally completing the Major Arcana this year. There is still much to do though, not only in terms of the Minor Arcana cards, but also whipping the website into shape. Currently, clicking on the gallery thumbnails will show a larger version of the card but won’t link to the main project page, where I’m working on putting more information about the cards*.
*this can be accessed through the drop-down menu at the top of the main page
So while I do have things to celebrate with respect to this project, I’m also acutely aware of how much further I still have to go and how much time and energy I will need to find to complete it. Since I do still have so far to go with the deck itself, choosing a card from a little over half a deck doesn’t seem quite right. Thus, I have chosen a cards from my trusty RWS and if I have completed the card for this deck, I will show it alongside.
The cards I picked (absolutely genuinely at random) were…
Things to be celebrated: 5 of Swords. Well, I do have that one, so here are both versions…
Thus it would seem that I should celebrate having won through…or perhaps having successfully avoided engagement whilst gazing in a different direction…or maybe even that the rout (failure to produce much) will spur me on to greater efforts next year. I’ll drink to that! 😀
And what does 2018 hold for me? What do I wish for? The Page of Pentacles…
I genuinely forgot for a moment that I had completed this card – just as well I checked LOL As you can see, I have renamed the suit to “Coins”, so perhaps this accounts for it. For me, in RWS this card symbolises knuckling down – shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone…I’ll probably end up crippled, but you get the idea. In my deck, the Page is represented by a young Princess Elizabeth (Tudor). She became one of our most successful monarchs, despite all the odds being stacked against her. If you think women’s equality is an issue now, boy, you don’t know how good you have it by comparison! In short, I think I think this card is basically telling me to pull my finger out and stop making excuses. Yes, Miss! *shuffles feet in faint embarrassment*
At this point, you may be wondering what the post title has to do with any of this, or indeed the Blog Hop theme. Trust me, we’ll get there in a moment 😀
I did come up with the title long before I had any idea of what I was going to write and between the seasonal connection (We three kings of orient are, one in a taxi, one in a car..etc) and my intention to complete my remaining three Kings next, (in truth that was the plan for this year), it seemed a good starting point. Interestingly, the one King that I have completed is the King of Coins, represented by Henry VIII, Princess Elizabeth’s father. Quite a neat connection. I have had the King of Swords image in my head for quite some time now, but just haven’t had a chance to set the shot up…but I will. Young Bess has given me what for and I have been told. Watch this space!
Meanwhile, I have a rather nice image of the Holly King that I’d very much like to use as one of my Kings. The trouble is I can’t quite decide which one. Coins is already taken and I have a plan for Swords, as previously mentioned. He doesn’t fit with Cups, though I’m drawn to Wands – he is holding a Holly staff – but I’m just not sure it fits with my mental image of the King of Wands (Brian Blessed usually). That said, the Holly King is the forerunner for Santa and dear Brian is also a portly, jolly and loud gentleman.
Ho! Ho! Ho! What do you think?
Below are the links for the other posts in this Yule Blog Hop. I’d love to read your comments before you move on, so please leave a comment 🙂
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What a lovely entry for Yule, thank you for sharing.
I would absolutely use the Holly King for the King of Wands! When I’m doing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, we are supposed to visualize Archangel Michael in the south for fire, dressed in red with the flashing complement green and holding a staff. For a while every time I tried to visualize this I ended up with Santa Claus holding a Christmas Tree! Luckily I finally got that out of my head, but I do think it works imagistically and symbolically in a fun way. Happy solstice!
Hmmm, he’s not very fiery for me. But he makes an excellent hermit. 😀
I’m undecided about the K of W… I like the concept and can feel how that would work but the image feels too green to carry it off… I think if the wand was more prominent then he’d carry it off so to speak.
I vote for him as KoW. Though it is often associated with Fire there is a very ‘earthy’ quality to it…wooden staves with leaves and all. Everyone sorta battling it and holly is a very sharp and protective type of plant. Also gonna check out the rest of your deck! The things I learn in this hop…
Agreeing with Karen here. The Holly King needs to be in the Santa Claus red for Wands Association. I like the staff, and the whole concept got me to thinking which Tarot king santa clause himself would be (the holly king not being the same as the very commercial Santa).
I love these cards and the associations you’ve put with them. I could see the Holly King as the king of wands and that is an absolutely beautiful image.
Thank you 🙂
I think he could make a nice King of Wands! The bird and all the foliage give me a IX of Pentacles vibe… but not sure how that figures in with the Holly King.