Tarot Of The Old Path Book Pdf
Magdalen Dano
My tarot / I Ching readings offer insights into the present path and how to best navigate life from the highest self. My style comes with warm humor, considerate sensitivity, and a direction toward positive potentials.
In the whirlwind of summer, scheduling in long hours for true rest is often lower in priorities. When this happens, I take a page out of his book and find those moments when I can decompress even a little.
The Ancestral Path Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts threads together the diverse beliefs of various cultures in order to find commonalities of experience between them. It examines the traditions of our ancestors through mythology to reclaim a personal spirituality that enables us to perceive the divine in ourselves and others. The Ancestral Path Tarot emphasizes the living tradition of all human cultures for us to factor into our world view. The deck portrays paths created by ancestors of different times and cultures for our consideration.
The first time I saw this set of cards I was blown away by the beautiful imagery and even though I have collected many different decks now I still consider this one to be my favorite for reading for myself and others. The picture scenes are loosely based on the Rider Waite deck but some of them are specific to the deck, however you will have no problems in knowing which cards represent which. The four suits are based on four ancient cultures recognized for their cultures. The cups being depicted by Arthurian England with characters from the time of King Arthur. The colors are beautiful and vibrant with glorious skies and sunsets in the background. The Wands depict scenes from Egyptian and African cultures. The Swords have (and I prefer these ones the best) absolutely stunning scenes based on ancient Japan whilst the pentacles or discs called 'sacred circles' in this pack depicts scenes from snow covered red Indian lifestyles.
As a person who would like to see all cultures live harmoniously together whilst keeping their own identities and histories alive then I find this pack really speaks to me. All the cards are beautiful whilst some also hold surprises such as 'the Fool' which actually depicts Tracey Hoover reading the tarot. This is the person that devised the tarot and wrote the book, which accompanies the deck. Some of the other cards feature people close to the author as well.
Ancestral Path Tarot is suitable for the experienced tarot reader and the novice alike. Standard meanings can be applied to the cards which also have an excellent little white book in the pack which gives a lot more insight than normal and is as almost so good that you do not need the book which you can order to accompany the deck. I would say that the book does give a little more insight into the history of the cultures and why they are depicted on the cards in the way they are.
Ancestral Path is the most used deck in my collection and I find myself always returning to it. Julia Cuccia Watts has succeeded brilliantly in creating imagery that speaks to the Oversoul and of the many pasts we, as the human body of the world, have shared. The paintings are exquisite and simultaneously express many levels of meaning. The individual cards often follow traditional symbolism, although there are also quite a few original visual interpretations.
The 4 suits of the Minor Arcana are represented by four different cultures each in a different period of time; Cups - Arthurian England; Swords - Japanese Samurai cult; Sacred Circles - Native American 1700's; Staves - Egyptian 19th Dynasty of Ramses II. The Minor Arcana cards are just as detailed and lovely as the majors in this deck and truly come alive in the process of reading with them. I've also found that people I've read for are very drawn to the imagery and seem to connect with the cards in very meaningful ways. This is a deck that could evoke the intuitive aspect in everyone.
One of my favorite cards in this deck is key 18, The Moon, showing a huge glowing moon shining over a night-time landscape with a large body of water running north to south. Out of this water rises a grey haired grandmother who is weaving patterns of fabric on a loom. This imagery really spoke to me about the emotional habit patterns we weave and have woven in the past and how in becoming more conscious and aware of them and in connecting with the Source, we could choose to weave the fabric of our lives more purposefully. I've enjoyed using this deck so much! Ancestral Path is a tried and true treasure.
This is a multi-cultural deck by Julie Cuccia-Watts which explores four specific cultures. The Major Arcana cards are rich with life and meaning, and the Minor Arcana cards are equally as vivid and meaningful. I always appreciate a Tarot deck that presents the Minor Arcana cards with the same care that is given to the Majors, and this is certainly one of them.
This deck is one of the more interesting in my collection. It combines the traditional Tarot with the myths and legends of four races. Swords are based on an Ainu epic song and depict the Japanese during their feudal era. Staves (Wands) are based on the Osirian myth and are representative of the Egyptians during the reign of Ramses II. Cups are based on the Arthurian/Grail legends. Sacred Circles (Pentacles/Disks) describe a Menominee creation legend and are described by Native Americans. Cuccia-Watts mixes traditional imagery with her own vision of the cards. Anyone familiar with the traditional Major Arcana imagery will be able to identify most of her cards, even without titles. The court consists of King, Queen, Prince and Princess. As previously stated, each suit represents a culture from one of four races. Aces are the elemental energy of each suit. The two through ten of each suit tell a story. Some of the cards are similar to those found in the Waite deck.
The little booklet that comes with this deck provides some background information on the deck and on Tarot in general. Upright meanings are provided for each card. The Celtic Cross spread is described. I recommend this deck for those looking for a multi-cultural deck or for a deck that is different from the traditional. While many of the meanings are traditional, others are specific to this deck. Those familiar with the Waite deck will have a learning curve, but not a huge one. It may also prompt one to delve more deeply into the background myths and legends for each suit.
This is a very lovely deck and has great depth. The pictures elicit an emotional response as well as a more intellectual one, making it easy to read with intuitively. This is helped by the amount of detail in the images.
As a woman in my fifties, what I have most appreciated about this deck is the way it depicts older people. The Queen of Sacred Circles, for example, shows a grandmotherly woman with white hair and wrinkled face yet she is still beautiful. This is typical of the images of older people in the deck and is not something I have seen elsewhere. The sheer beauty of the pictures draws me back to it time and again. It is not a deck I shall part with any time soon.
The Ancestral Path Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts first came out in 1996, published by U.S. Games. At the time it was a bordered deck and had a different card back design. This year the deck has been re-released, now borderless and with a beautiful new card back.
25 Sept 2019 Edit: Oopsie! Pictured on The Fool card is Tracey Hoover, the author of the companion guidebook, not the artist. Hoover introduced the deck to U.S. Games when Cuccia-Watts was just 28 years old.
The narrative illustrated across the Staves suit is that of the Osirian myth, the cycle of death and resurrection, with the deck creator taking cues here from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Here, as noted in the little white book, the 7 of Staves is about solving the riddle of the sphinx. The 6 of Staves expresses the pitfalls of patriotism and hero worship
The 5 of Staves, which in the RWS shows the five individuals with staves fighting each other, and in the Thoth is titled Strife, here in Ancestral Path shows a much more serene and peaceful scene. Here, the 5 of Staves is about negotiation, cooperative efforts within a diverse group of people, and pooling talents to create something great. Many of the cards in this deck have been reworked, and so when reading with Ancestral Path, trust what you see depicted on the card more than you do memorized textbook card meanings.
Cuccia-Watts and the author of the guidebook, Tracey Hoover, have brought out original expressions of the classic tarot architecture. In the 6 of Cups, while they stay true to textbook essential meanings, we also learn that this card can denote avoidance of negative childhood issues.
The suit of Pentacles (Coins/Disks) has been renamed to Sacred Circles. In the Sacred Circles, the King and Queen are Grandfather Thunder and Grandmother Moon, and for the Prince and Princess, Father Sun and Mother Earth. This suit tells a Menominee legend of bear and thunder spirit ancestors, narrating a vision quest.
The Aces in this deck symbolize raw mythical power. The Ace of Sacred Circles depicts a drum, which per Native American lore, measures the heartbeat of the earth and carries in its rhythms divine messages between the worlds of the living and the dead.
The Princess of Cups, depicting Morgana, can reveal a magical being, a healer, and someone knowledgeable in herbs and the mysteries of the earth. The guidebook ends with a classic nod to the Celtic Cross spread, which again, to me feels very 90s. I think every LWB from the 90s featured either the Celtic Cross or the Horseshoe.
We walk many paths, ever-diverging and ever-dividing, which become our life's unique journey. The Unfolding Path Tarot introduces us to characters from a beautiful world very like our own, with an extra sprinkle of magic, to guide our way. The kaleidoscope of vibrant artwork by artist and creator Athene Noctua depicts unique and meaningful interpretations of the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck.
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