Erisa Byrd
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Daily Draw for Monday November 26, 2018

Happy Monday everyone! For some of you on the other side of the world your day is almost over, but for me, it's just beginning.

Today I'm using probably my most favorite go-to deck called The Everyday Witch Tarot illustrated by Elisabeth Alba and book by Deborah Blake. I found this deck a year ago on Aeclectic.net when I was on the lookout for a deck that I could use during the Halloween season. Aeclectic is a fantastic resource when you want to do a little Tarot window shopping. So much about Tarot is about the art and Aeclectic posts extremely informative reviews of decks from all over the web. Google image search is also a great way to, "try before you buy". When I saw Elisabeth Alba's art on Aeclectic I knew I needed to work with it. Every image we find a Sir or Lady Witch and their familiar in the card and in the moment. These aren't snapshots. These are candids taken of these people in these situations. Sometimes you'll see a character come up again later to see how their journey has progressed and every character wears the colors of their suit which makes it easy to follow along. I've said it before, I LOVE this sort of storytelling in Tarot. Despite some of the whimsical costuming, some of the scenes have also been modernized which makes the deck extremely easy to use. The Chariot is a motorcycle, for example. I've spent many, many hours pouring over this deck and often times if a Tarot card pops into my head, it's from this one. When you purchase the set you also get the book. Deborah Blake has an easy-going writing style that is relatable for beginners and interesting to professionals. I can't recommend this deck enough, so imagine how excited I was to see that Deborah and Elisabeth are now creating an Oracle deck based in the same world. YAY!

On to the card of the day: Page of Swords with the Lenormand Scythe. Well, I can tell you how this manifests in my life. In previous posts, I mentioned how the court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King) usually represent people in my life. Sometimes, they don't represent people as the idea behind the card is more relevant, but today this card is definitely a person. The Page of Swords doesn't have a true astrological ruler. I have seen some describe the Pages as being ruled by the seasons but this never sat well with me. I would compare the Page to the Fool for new fresh starts, but I would give it the 1 in numerology because to me The King is like the Emporer with a 4, the Queen like the Empress with a number 3, so then the Knight and Page would 2 and 1 respectfully. I've never seen anyone else do this, so it may not be exactly correct but it makes sense to me.

What also makes sense to me is Melissa Cynova's "Kitchen Table Tarot" description of the Court Cards. Melissa says that each has an elemental ruler, just like the suits. Page equals Earth, Knight equals Fire, Queen equals Water, and King equals Air. Therefore, the Page of Swords would be the "earth of air" or "builder of the intellect". The keyword I tend to use most for Pages is "Scholar", so then this page would be "the scholar of learning". This young scholar is young, all Pages are. They're green and eager to get out there and learn about life. When a Page comes up for me it usually represents one of my children and that is exactly who this page is today. Like I said yesterday, when I draw for these blog posts I always ask which card will be the most helpful to everyone, but my oldest son was just leaving for school when this Page showed up. He, like lots of kids in America, have just had a huge 5 day holiday. He seemed excited and nervous to get back to it this morning. He woke me up at 4:00am, a good hour and a half before he needs to get up for school. There are lots of little guys and gals out there that will be affected today. Some kids will be like my oldest and be super excited about getting back, some will be like my youngest who is still currently sleeping after asking for "5 more minutes".

Overall, I love it when the Pages come up. Even if they don't represent people in your life, pulling a Page means that something new is on the horizon and you are going to feel like a kid again. Many parents have said that they had a new lease on life when they've had their children. You have an opportunity to do it all again: get on the ground and see ants in a line, look at the sky and make shapes out of clouds, go to school for the first time, have a first love...it's beautiful to experience life through the eyes of a child.

It must be said that the Scythe is the Lenormand charm pulled today. The Scythe is fast and cutting. Often times is represents needing to cut something out of your life, but it also can mean that something is coming up quickly. I think that's what this is about today. Whether it's our children or the child in all of us, today we will have the opportunity to learn something new. I mean look at this Page. Armed with his school books and a sword that cuts through ideas (could it be the scythe?) he defiantly stands ready to show you what he's made of. Be the page! Get out there, cut through the BS, and learn as much as you can! Carpe Diem folks.