The Great Tarot Giveaway

Sometimes, Magic happens when least expected. Sometimes, the Goddess has a giggle and something unpredicted turns up. In the world of Pagan Practice, many activities can become ritual and ceremony. Giving away Tarot cards was one such experience for me.

I approach a stranger, and hand them a card. Or, place a card under a windshield wiper on a random car. Or, offer one to the check-out staff at the grocery store. Audacious? Risky? Leap of Faith?

Like the Fool in the Tarot deck, I step out into thin air, trusting Spirit that all will be well when I reach the ground. Trusting in the magic of everyday interactions is an act of Faith that can create a bond from person to person, and even change a life.

Several years ago, I realized I had an old (really old) set of Tarot cards of the Ryder-Waite persuasion. They were worn and even torn, and mingled with another incomplete similar deck. Currently, I have various other Oracle and Tarot decks, and not only had I not used these old ones for a long while, but one deck actually had some negativity associated with it, such that I did not feel it would be beneficial to use for divination.

But, what can be done with an old Tarot deck? Because of their significance and the magic associated with the cards, a respectful dismissal should be created. What if I distributed them, randomly, to various people? Perhaps the magic of the cards themselves could pass along a blessing to those who received them.

So, a few years ago, that’s what I decided to do. After performing a cleansing to rid the deck(s) of the past negativity that had been linked with them, I asked the other Crow Women to choose a few cards and distribute them. Then, I carried the remainder around with me for several months, and at various times I would offer a choice of them to a person I ran into. A clerk at the grocery store. A person I stopped to say HI to on the street. Someone in a meeting. And often, I would just place a card under the windshield wiper on a car parked at the gym.

I also left them in various public places- while cross-country skiing, I left a card on a gate. While in Home Depot, I placed a card in the display of rugs and carpets. I sneaked a card into a medical office waiting room.

What was so wonderful was that, when I offered one to a person directly, and they didn’t have any experience with the Tarot, I was able to tell them in a gentle way that the cards might express a direction, indication or pathway for that person to consider. In every case, the person who drew the card would exclaim that the message on the card was a precise and appropriate message for their life! One man drew a card indicating health improvement, and said that his health had recently been of concern to him. He felt optimistic after receiving his card. A woman drew a card that indicated financial changes would be coming, and was delighted, since she was considering new job opportunities.

You might remember the previous blog on this website that Rebekah KroheWomyn wrote, describing her journey of making individual divination cards, and their meaning for her- and how each of us Crow Women has our personal deck, made over the years by each of us. Her blog can be accessed at https://pagansong.com/tarot-a-turn-of-the-cards/

The Tarot images are so evocative, so archetypal, that I began thinking about music that could associate with various cards. Over these many years, the Crowwomen have written so many songs! Surely some of them might call up or reflect Tarot magic. For example, Goddess Moon (by Deb) https://pagansong.com/crow-magic/goddess-moon/ and Mooncycle (by Alane) https://pagansong.com/crow-magic/mooncycle/ are surely associated with the Moon card. Similarly, Alane’s song Suncycle is a partner to the Sun card, https://pagansong.com/crow-magic/suncycle/ .

My own song, Gods and Lovers (which will be released on Album 4) celebrates passion and love, and can be associated with various cards, for instance, The Lovers. And Alane’s haunting song, She Calls, https://pagansong.com/crow-magic/she-calls/ gives us a gentle interpretation of the Death card. These are but a few Crow songs which can be Tarot-linked.

I also found that other, non-Pagan folk have selected various popular songs which, to them, reflect images of the Tarot. Check out this website https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SErVtE6qNBKCxAx3WqEW5 and see if you agree with their choices!

Here are some interesting associations by people (not necessarily Pagan) on a chat site- there are several good pairings:

Snarkefeller (found on Twitter)

9 of Cups – “Any Way You Want It” by Journey
3 of Wands – “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas
10 of Swords – “The End” by the Doors
6 of Cups – “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams
And the Tower is just the whole Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album.

Iamthisillusion https://www.reddit.com/user/iamthisillusion

The Hierophant – “Guru” by Alanis Morrisette
Death – “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult
Temperance – “Life is Beautiful” by Sixx AM
The Devil – “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones
The Star – “Under The Milkyway” by The Church
The Moon – “Crescent Moon” by Cowboy Junkies

Tarotform https://tarotform.com

Right? Obviously the Fool on the Hill for the Fool.
Could “Nowhere Man” be for the Fool too…or the Hermit?
(You Say you Want a ) Revolution for the Tower. Strawberry Fields Forever = 7 of Cups
Day Tripper = knight of swords (obviously ignoring gender).
While my guitar gently weeps makes me think 8 of Cups.
Here comes the Sun for the Sun (too obvious lol)

Because my Tarot card “giveaway” was not a “reading”, and the one card was not part of a detailed spread, I did not want anyone to draw a card that might make them feel anxious or worried. Therefore, I selected out those cards that might be construed as “negative” or alarming, when not in context. As practitioners of Divination, we know that even the Death card, the Tower, or the Devil can be important and informative as part of an overall reading. But by itself, the message could cause distress.

Those cards I pulled aside were given a respectful ritual of burning with heartfelt blessings. The cards that were distributed were positive or thoughtful, and carried a message that might enrich or inform the recipient.

I feel that the energy of Divination often provides the message that a person “needs” to receive, at the time that they need to receive it. It was my hope that the people who chose a card, or found one of these cards in a public place found a message that resonated with them and informed their thoughts, if not their actions. I also felt that I was the conduit of the message from the Goddess, the Universe, the Force… that Spirit was moving through me.

For more information about the Crow Women pagan choir, and access to all the blog posts by Marilyn and the other 9 crowsingers who have written for Pagan Song, you can visit the Crow Women author page here on Pagan Song.

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