Comparative Tarot

In place of the traditional tarot suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, which are considered "man made" items, Shining Tribe chooses to change the names to aspects found in nature - trees, rivers, birds and stones.

So in Shining Tribe, the 7 of Wands is the 7 of Trees - In Country Dreaming.

From the Shining Tribe book:

"Shine with the morning!
Sing louder than light!
Open your heart to the Sun."

"With this image we go inward to find the Tree of Life in our own bodies."

Description: Ok, this is not as creepy as it sounds. Rachel's art is very primal and very colorful. The 7 of Trees card shows six branches with green leaves, three on each side growing out of a spinal column, similar imagery to that of the body's nervous system. Around the sides of the card, there are symbols of the sacred found in nature and art. In the upper left, is a gold temple that looks very similar to a human body. Below on the left, we find in blue/red the left and right hemispheres of the brain represented in slightly separated concentric arcs. On the right a triangle, which Rachel says symbolizes the origins of life. And on the bottom right, there is a snail on water reminding us that our strongest symbols come from nature.

The spine and the nervous system allows us to exist and to move. The spine also contains hidden truths. In yoga, we believe that sacred energy is held at the base of the spine. In yoga, students learn to raise the kundalini energy from the base of the spine to the heart and then let it sink down again so that the person can reach the spiritual level necessary to allow the heart chakra to open and the kundalini to rise to the higher chakras.

"To truly open the heart we release all guilt and fear, all secrets and selfishness."

Divinatory meanings: Inner truth, personal power, self-discovery. Love, revelation.

Reversed: Expressing inner truth to others. Taking action from a basis of personal power. Emotional openness. A sign that the person is free of guilt.

Comments: I took out the Illuminated Tarot (Carol Herzer), to compare. The traditional meaning for the RWS 7 of Wands is taking a stand, facing up to a situation, defending yourself or your beliefs. Whether you use the RWS or the 7 of Trees, this card is all about personal power, which comes from within.

Brigit