Voyager Tarot (1986)

A friend of mine wanted a tarot card reading. He wrote me a long and beautiful synopsis of 20 years of his life to prepare for this reading. He ended it with, "If I was sitting on the right hand of God as in a William Blake print, I might say, 'Is THIS my path? I believe You have pointed me in the right direction; what more do I need to do to fulfill this vision?' Can we explore this?"

I chose the Voyager Tarot for several reasons. One, the imagery of the cards is done with photo collage, and my friend is an artist and photographer, so I thought he would resonate with the deck. And two, because he has been on a long voyage, and wants to know if he's still on the right path to get where he wants to go. What better deck than a Voyager deck to understand the needs of a Voyager?

This deck was published in 1986, and is the collaborative effort of a tarot teacher, an artist, and a graphical designer. (The graphical designer was only involved with the image on the backs of the cards, the image on the box, and the image on the book.) The cards are enormous (3.75"x5.5"), which is wonderful for displaying the art, but difficult for shuffling! A nearby scan shows the box (upper right), the image on the back of the cards (upper left), and a few of the cards in the deck.

The author suggests using this deck daily by drawing one card and observing how that card-symbol manifests itself. Since I didn't have the luxury of being able to do that in this case, I decided to draw five cards for him. (I like an odd number.) The first card would represent today. The second card would represent a week. The third card would represent a month. The fourth card would represent a year. And the fifth card would represent the full path. The goal was for him to see a progression of how to get from today to his end goal, in more discreet chunks of time.

This is what I wrote to him about his cards (we were doing a distance reading via email):

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The first card, your Today card, was Four of Wands - Aspiration. Great images on this card. There is a spire, an upstretched hand, the Statue of Liberty, another tall monument I don't recognize, sun breaking through clouds. The spire, the hands, the monuments reaching up from the earth, all symbolizing a strong spirit that cannot be stifled.

Aspiration represents the Emperor's spirit. Like the Emperor, aspire to fulfill all the potentials of your being. Aspire to the heights! Free yourself from whatever is keeping you back from being all you can be. Reach out for help from the great spirit as you strive to help yourself. Empower yourself to become the master of your own destiny. With this aspiration you can achieve victory!

For aspiration to become attainment, it must be accompanied by willpower and concentrated focus on your goal. You must be couragous and emotionally and physically aroused. You must stand up for your rights and act on your ideals. To realize your potentials, you must be a spiritual warrior. Ready to do battle for your highest good, you will break through the forces of entropy and oppression. Onward and upward!

The second card, for your Week's goal, was III - Empress. Images on this card include Priestess Selkut, protector of King Tut's spirit; dove; flowering meadows; Earth globe; waterfall; moon. These images speak to fertility, unconditional love, being connected with spirit, nurturance, and being emotionally attached.

The Empress, symbolizing the law of preservation, is the guardian of life. The Empress honors and respects all of life for its inherent richness and beauty. No fruit is too small, no being is too weak, no idea is too foolish, and no emotion is too immature. In the image of the Earth Mother, conserve life by giving birth to its seed, which you carry within. The Empress gives birth to new ideas, which flower into fields of fruitfulness. Like the Empress, nurse and nurture your life creations into full flower with a protective, healing, and compassionate hand. Upon the physical death of your "life creations," the Empress assists the journey of the spirit into rebirth. Recreate new life by honoring what needs to die.

The third card, for your Month's goal, was XIII - Death. Images on this card include a snake shedding old skin, autumn leaves, a river, a death mask, a cloaked figure. These images suggest releasing, letting go, accepting that life is impermanent and living fully in the moment.

Death is the dissolution of obstruction, a freeing up, the breakup of blockage and constriction. Free yourself from what is holding you back and hanging you up. Death is a renewal, a rebirth on all levels of being. Cut away excesses, simplify, get to the core essence.

The fourth card, for your Year's goal, was I - Magician. Images on this card include an Earth globe in the eye of a mask; a rainbow pouring from the palm of a hand, a flying man, fireworks, flowers in full bloom; a butterfly. These images suggest being imaginative; making dreams reality; being swift and in motion; follow your own time and knowing the right moment to act.

The Magician has all the tools of transformation and materialization. The mind is brilliant, sharp and creative. The emotional nature is healing and beautifying. Health, wealth, and success are in your hands. You illuminate and energize. The essence of the Magician's power is the ability to make things happen - the ability to create by transforming and materializing.

The fifth card, for the Life goal, was XIV - Art. Images on this card include Athena, the Greek goddess of art; lightning bolts; open palms containing liquid mercury pouring between the fingers; a woven basket; volcano lava; a spider's web; a butterfly; a rainbow arching over green land. These images suggest imagination, communication, becoming whole by the creative process, creation by expansion.

Art symbolizes the law of creativity - being a creative artist in all aspect of being and in all endeavors of worldly life. Consider yourself an artist in all phases of life. Creativity is an alchemical art that first requires the dissolution or death of old forms. The separated new elements can then recombine into a higher synthesis. Art is transformative; by being creative, you are re-created in the process. To be creative requires using all your inner resources. In that act, all the elements of your inner self are woven together. Create and become naturally whole and healed.

In conclusion, from the bit that I know about you and from the suggestions of these cards, I'd say you are well on your way along the path to your ultimate goal. In the short term, dream big dreams and do what you can to nurture them. A little farther down the path, you'll have to do some weeding, so that you can nurture the things that show the most promise. But in the next year, and beyond that, you'll be manifesting what you want artistically, and becoming the person you most want to be.

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I asked him for feedback afterward, and he said he found it very helpful. He even posted it on his personal blog!