"The imagination itself to create new better forms comes with sudden movement with extraordinary effort. The spirit of thunder stimulates visions, a test of one's faith in oneself. The individual is challenged to improve upon and develop his or her project in the face of an envious and competitive world and needs to learn to value ambition and competitive instinct. Rebellion and sudden freedom needs no compromises, it needs valor, bravery and departure from normal behavior in order to carry out the deed, the outrageously new."

from the Coleman Smith Tarot overview

Card taken from the Aquatic Tarot. Author/Artist: ©Andreas Schröter 1995-2002

I BELIEVE that I was around ten years old when I received my first pack of Tarot cards. I was easily drawn in by the way they expressed occult knowledge through such beautiful pictures, and I often gazed at the flowing landscapes depicted on them and imagined myself walking between the two towers of the Moon or hanging upside down alongside the Hanged Man. Verily, I have chosen such cards to reflect my own repository of knowledge, such as it is, and have named my humble blog after one particular card that spoke to me. The Seven of Wands is about standing your ground and making it count, and this is a lesson I feel that I need to learn more about in my life - assertiveness. This card is attributed to the 3rd decan of Leo: signifying Mars in Leo between the dates of August 12th and August 22nd. I was born on August 19th! Thus, perhaps there is a special life lesson for me to be learned in this domain. This card is also known as the Lord of Valour, and, as Virgil taught us, "fortune favors the bold..."