I like to use a card each day for a mindfulness prompt and general direction for my thoughts.

Lately it's been, "what direction?" type things.

I pulled the Ace of Swords - which is pretty awesome... strong conquests, evaluation and choices of the direction you want to go and to channel your energies that way.

I asked for some clarification - as to WHAT I should be concentrating on... I have all these ideas but need to narrow my major, so to speak...

​I pulled :

7 of cups.

Yowza and a great answer!

A nice active card, in hope, energy and new creative/artistic projects. Persevere, think things through and then go.

​

I LOVED this spread.  It was perfect for giving me focus and helping me aim towards my goals. None of it was a surprise and all of it made total sense for what is going on in my life right now.

The spread: (Taken from the major arcana only)
A - Past, beginning of a situation needing clarifying or what may be blocking the situation
B - Present, development of conditions needing clarifying or how to observe current movement
C - Future, conclusion of entire situation or the balance that will be achieved 
D - What is to our advantage, strong points, that which aids us, active influences
E - What is to our disadvantage, weak points we need to be careful of or remove ourselves from

F - taken from Chalice cards - represents state of our emotional center, feelings and influence of our memories

G - taken from Pentacle cards - represents state of our material center, how much is influencing economic situation at the moment and our health

H - taken from Sword cards - represents our mental center, thoughts, intellectual activity and ideas. How we manage to communicate with external world

I - taken from Wand cards - represents the state of our creative center. desires, sexual satisfaction and how we express and release creativity

The spread: (Taken from the major arcana only)

A - Past, beginning of a situation needing clarifying or what may be blocking the situation
Santa Muerte - What was relevant to me was accepting changes without fear - of the profound transformation and renewal was going on. Remember that I am connected to all that came before and after.

B - Present, development of conditions needing clarifying or how to observe current movement
The Devil - High  point of creativity and being pushed to liberate my true nature 

C - Future, conclusion of entire situation or the balance that will be achieved 
Justice - if I find balance and stability by being methodical and being organized without getting off track, I can find the measured balance I need

D - What is to our advantage, strong points, that which aids us, active influences
The Empress - creativity, intuition, progress - I need to be careful not to be too impulsive (huge me thing) because I want lasting results. I need a rational plan to get desired results

E - What is to our disadvantage, weak points we need to be careful of or remove ourselves from
The High Priestess - wisdom, isolation, waiting, thinking. I really need to watch my habit of becoming passive and closing myself off.

Now the Minor arcana suits: 
​F - taken from Chalice cards - represents state of our emotional center, feelings and influence of our memories
2 of cups - passion, strong connection, gaining well being and preparing for the next steps - gestation after accumulation (WHICH IS HUGE as I tend to stockpile ideas in my head until they are ready to go)

G - taken from Pentacle cards - represents state of our material center, how much is influencing economic situation at the moment and our health
6 of pentacles - proceed without haste,  work hard, focus on present but remember the present is precarious and can swing from side to side - both ways.

H - taken from Sword cards - represents our mental center, thoughts, intellectual activity and ideas. How we manage to communicate with external world
ace sword - dynamic, high ideals, becare and choose/evaluate carefully with intent to channel my intellect and subconscious energies. 

I - taken from Wand cards - represents the state of our creative center. desires, sexual satisfaction and how we express and release creativity
8 wands - energy, transformations, hopes/changes projected towards the future. proceed quickly and make it happen

once finished - you go back to the Present card and read the advice for a nice summation of where you can focus yourself now.
That was the Devil card and the advice: Free yourself from what you THINK you are tied to and become who you REALLY are. Follow your instinct and inner fire without giving in to flattery and properly evaluate the dangers that threaten to surround you.

​Spot on and giving me much to think about.

The Santa Muerte Tarot....Fabio Listrani

I like it.  I usually use my Halloween Oracle cards for that festive Fall season I love so much, but I remembered this deck was in my wish list and has been for awhile.  I wanted to get it early, so I could work with it properly before using for readings. I had read mixed reviews about the deck and decided as usual to ignore them because I make my own mind up thank you.

And I am glad I ignored the negatives because this deck is just lovely.  It isn't over the top skeletons and wonky halloween type imagery. It is very well done and often the cards show a lot of humor too. The Hierophant is reading a Ouija board, which made me giggle.

The card stock is nice, glossy but shuffles well.  The imagery is gorgeous and very layered. Sometimes that can be a detractor but in this case, I think it works well. Some of the meanings vary from the usual RWS meanings but not too much and it is explained in the book and matches the imagery in the card so it is, for me, intuitive. 

One thing I wasn't sure I liked at first was that all the minor arcana 10's are butterflies. Then I realized that butterfly = transformation and decided it was well done after all!

The cards and images celebrate all who have gone before us. It is in their memory and our collective unconsciousness that we will continue to nourish and which we can tap into with Tarot. Death represents transformation and rebirth in the present. We all face death and in death we are all equals. (from the book)

The cards are almost borderless which really makes them pop. I could add this to my list of decks that I use daily, they are that well done. I love a good intuitive deck and this one is very intuitive. Very much worth the $25.