First; an introduction

Sometimes people give you a wonderful gift, even though they may not realise it. I have been fortunate to find many people like that throughout my life - some of them have been complete strangers. Sooo..., if you do read this Moonchild (http://www.moonchild.ch), you are one of those special people and this new blog is dedicated to you.

I was given my first tarot set in 2000. It was the Arthurian deck by Caitlin and John Matthews (www.hallowquest.org.uk). I was already using runes, which I was very comfortable with and the I-ching, with which I was less so. I was eager and hungry for a different kind of knowledge and, my lover / now husband, was open to that kind of thing also and knew I was ready for tarot. I've always been impressed that the lady in the shop divined the Arthurian deck for me. Simon initially had chosen the Osho Zen but the shopkeeper was switched on enough to realise that Osho was actually his choice for himself. She asked him to describe me (wish I'd been a fly on the wall ;-] ) and possibly, because I am a died-in-the-wool Celtic, Cornish woman, she selected this deck.

I loved it from the start but wow, was it difficult to get going. I'd struggled to learn 25 runes - how was I every going to understand 78 cards? Then a few months later I was in a new age shop buying some crystals and the Hallowquest, Arthurian Tarot Course ( ISBN 0-7225-3448-5)jumped off the shelf into my hands. This is a very precious book to me and, along with my journals, would be the one I would rush to save from a fire. It's a complete study programme, designed to be followed throughout a calendar year. The fact that 7 years on I am still working through it is no embarrassment to me. The course of study is a big undertaking. It asks some very deep and searching questions and I am not the kind of person that can take this on in one go. Nevertheless, I have never given up on it. Instead, I go with my own rhythmic flow and dip into the study as and when it calls to me.

At the end of last year, something wonderful happened and the tarot suddenly came alive to me. The characters started leaping from the cards and engaging with me directly. I no longer needed the cards in my hands or the book open to gain new insights into this wonderful life tool. I was ready for my second deck - another gift from my husband - The Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr (http://www.artandwords.com/goddesses/index.html) and in India we finally purchased the Osho Zen (www.osho.com) for joint use.

Inspired and energised by the entry into summer and the land of the Spears, I am now ready to put my experiences with it into the public domain. Make of it what you will.