Tarot Blog Hop Imbolc 2015: Oracular Anomalies

 PREVIOUS BLOG |MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

Welcome to this year's Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop, whether you have hopped forward from Giuliana's blog, or back from Morgan's.

And you, my poor darlings who are used to reading for my crafting content, are also more than welcome - in fact, you get a chocolate cookie for getting this far without your eyes glazing over.

This Hop's organizer, Karen, chose the topic of Oracular Anomalies: ''I say Oracular anomalies though obviously I mean that in an all cards etc inclusive kind of way. I use the phrase because I like the tongue twister effect and I'd like you to tell a tale of any experience that you've had where a card has prompted a brain twister effect on you...

 I'm interested in hearing about encounters with cards that for some reason or another stuck out like a sore thumb, deviated from expectations or challenged your usual way of thinking. Cards that have twisted your brain in a similar way to the phrase 'Oracular anomalies' twists the tongue. ''

For me, the card I think of first in answer to this prompt is not any of the big or scary cards, but the relatively ordinary-looking the 7 of Wands from the classic RWS deck.

 Something from this card that is not copied or repeated in most of the RWS clones is this beleaguered man's footwear: look carefully and you can see that he wears odd shoes. This anomaly shows us that he is not prepared for the battle he is engaged in, he has been caught on the hop. You may feel that this is reinforced by his beltless tunic. This leads us to advise our querents that they ought to pay attention, to inform themselves and be prepared for some kind of attack, or at least to defend something they are doing.

In spite of his  unpreparedness, the man seems successful - he holds the high ground, he is unwounded, he appears to have plenty of energy, all things that will help him against those below who assail him and attempt to drive him from his position. This is shown in the enterprising and thought-provoking deck, Tarot of the New Vision, which shows scenes from the cards as if viewed after a 180 degree turn:

Or do they ?

Once a student of mine described this card as a man trying to hammer in sticks to make a defensive fence.

I particularly love to find these eye-opening ideas as they make me sit up and think - I have learned so much from my students over the years, for which I am very grateful.

So sometimes the anomaly is not presented by the card, but by the interpretation.

You can read stories of other people's oracular anomalies by clicking on the links below:


                                        PREVIOUS BLOG | MASTER LIST | NEXT BLOG

FO Fri ....No, Wednesday ,,,,,

So while I sit here anticipating the builder's visit, I thought I'd share a couple of FOs with you; yes, I know it's not Friday yet (I already have something in mind to blog about for then) but it is Imbolc/Candlemas, for the traditionalists amongst us, and it shows my intent to continue finishing and completing things.


First is the little sweater for my youngest nephew's 2nd birthday later this month (I blogged about it a while back, here). This has been my second go at intarsia - and I don't think there will be a third; for me, the results don't warrant the hassles. I had ripped it back once, as I wasn't happy with it: whatever I did, the stitches where the color changed just didn't seem to 'sit' right.

The yarn (James C.Brett Kool Kotton) itself was fine to knit with; perhaps a little lacking in elasticity considering it is 50% cotton, 50% acrylic - but I wouldn't shy from using it again in a project; and it is very good value with a decent color range.



And secondly I whizzed through a Lady Bertram Shawlette (also blogged about, here) for my friend Haylie's fundraiser; I say whizzed - I actually recorded how long it took to make, and it turns out it was about 19 hours (I am not a fast knitter, but also I am not slow). I did knit 2 extra chart repeats as I had plenty of yarn left and wanted a bigger shawl. At minimum wage, this would cost £115 (approx. $181) plus £7.25 ($11.43) for the yarn ...


Look at my mad blocking skillz; it is not straight on purpose, I tell you ....


The yarn (Jawoll Magic in the colorway 'Butterfly'') was fabulous: easy to knit with, soft, beautiful graduated color changes, and a lovely halo effect.


and now in the sunshine .....the Omen-esque shadows are also artfully on purpose ...