Tarot of Prague

i recently acquired a new tarot deck - the Tarot of Prague, a modern deck created by Karen Mahoney and Alex Ukolov, who run baba studio in Prague. The card images are photographic collages of the city's artwork - painting, sculpture, mural, mosaic and architecture - spanning seven centuries. It is the most visually stunning deck i've worked with in the 10 years or so i've been reading tarot. Each picture appears lit from within. There's an element of fantasy, but because the figures and backgrounds are actual photographs, it is so obviously grounded in reality, too - making the images seem not so much fantastical as archetypal.

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Personally, i do not use tarot for divination. Rather, i see it as a meditation tool, a means of focusing attention. Each morning, i draw a card for the day - trying to be open to whatever insight it may offer. Because the tarot is very much about archetypes and psycho-spiritual development, there is always something! Today i drew the Queen of Cups (pictured at left - sorry for the blurry photo!). She is the embodiment of sense and sensibility - the balance between intellect and emotion. She feels her own emotions and allows others to feel theirs; she is skilled at intuitive understanding and deepening interpersonal relationships. Traditionally, when one does a larger spread - a tarot reading - the seeker chooses a card to represent him- or herself - usually one of the court cards. i identify strongly with the Queen of Cups and always choose her to represent me. So having her show up as the card of the day is both reassuring and challenging. i'm facing some difficult situations at work right now, revolving around two of my co-workers leaving. There is so much potential for hard feelings and abandonment issues, particularly as, in a small office, any change in personnel means more work - even temporarily - for those who stay. i seem to be the one lately that everyone wants to talk to about the situation. This card is reminding me that i need to pay attention to my own feelings and how they might affect others - and pay attention to how others' feelings are affecting me. Each one of us truly has the capacity to offer blessing or curse to each other; i want my actions and interactions to be helpful - part of the solution, not part of the problem.