Sunday, December 31, 2017

Hermit

This particular card is interesting to have appear in a reading as in its upright position it tells of the need for discretion and thinking things through. Withdrawal may be needed in such a time.
In reverse the card tells that wisdom will go unheeded and warns of immaturity and impulsiveness.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Strength

Strenth in tarot is a rather easy to understand card alike to the Lovers card. The upright position in a reading is simple in its meaning, speaking of that virtue triumphing and to be steadfast.
In reverse the card is rather negative, telling of loss of opportunities and a lack of courage..

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Chariot

The Chariot is a card you want to see in the upright form, being strong in with its meaning telling of greatness from hard work and a goal is in sight. Hard work is going to be a needed thing.
In reverse the card warns of illness, restlessness and particularly of halted progress.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Lovers

This card is one that I argue is probably the easiest to remember the meaning of with it upright telling of a time for romance but also temptation and the need to choose with care. The temptation and the need to choose with care can however be unrelated to love.
In reverse this care warns that poor decisions shall be punished and it is a time for separations.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Chinese Fairy Tales And Fantasies by Moss Roberts

This is one of those books that is just a collection of some stories from other books. Useful if you're new to the folklore of China, but if you're in the same boat as me a lot of the stories are the ones already read before, perhaps even several times already. This can make the book redundant to buy if you're well read in Chinese classics, but otherwise the book makes for a good read.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Hierophant

This is a card that whenever it appears acts as bit of a warning regardless of its positioning.
When it appears upright it warns to use your head about things and be careful about your approach. It is a time to act wisely and that kindness can be a useful tool right now.
In reverse it warns of being vulnerable and to be weary of poor advise. This would be a time of unconventional methods.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Emperor

This card tells of a rather obvious message in the upright position; it's a time of leadership and strength, to assert your own willpower. Logic and self-control will need to be asserted also.

In reverse the card points out ineffectiveness and immaturity, of unrealistic behaviour. Loss of control is also of this time.

Sunday, November 19, 2017

The Empress

This particular card is not a card I have much history with, with the starkest piece of history for me with this card being from my playthrough of the game Persona 4: Golden.
However, the meaning of the upright position of the card I say suits well with the character the card is associated with in that particular game. It tells of growth, a fruitful period that is filled with stability and security.

In reverse the card unfortunately tells of a time of anxiety that forces a facing of reality. A loss of resources is frequently associated with this card in reverse and as such this card in reverse can act as a good warning for what is to come.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Gods And Goddesses: Cho Wang

There is a book by a man known as Derek Walters titled "An Encyclopedia Of Myth And Legend Chinese Mythology" and it has an interesting line.

Sodomy, God of see Cho Wang.

When you went to check Cho Wang within the book there is nothing. That is all the information within this book about this particular god.
Thankfully the site Godchecker brought some more light on this and apparently this god was King Zhou, the last emperor of the Shang dynasty, who because deified as the god of sodomy after death. This man is also notable for being one of the main figures in one of the most notable books from Chinese history and on Chinese mythology, Creation of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin.

The book notes that this man becomes the god of marriage, making him also the god of sodomy interesting in its own right.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

The High Priestess

The High Priestess is an interesting card, in part due to how difficult it can be to properly understand the card. This card makes 'practice makes perfect' a phrase best suited to describe the learning process with tarot.

In an upright position the card tells of hidden factors being in play and mystery. It is a time where using your intuition is best.
In reverse the card warns to not fall for deceit and be weary of that as it is a time of superficiality. While this card in reverse warns of such things, it also tells of a time of sensuality.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

The Magician

The magician is not a card I find too interesting on a personal level but seeing it upright can be a rather positive thing to see.
Upright, the card tells of mastery, the time is a period of creativity and to follow through with confidence with decisions.

In reverse, the card warns of indecisiveness and ones willpower should be used.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Chinese Folktales: An Anthology by Yin-lien C. Chin, Yetta S. Center and Mildred Ross

As far as books on folklore go, this is one that is easy to pick up and to take your time to read. Objectively a short book, the compilation of stories allows to read a story one by one if you lack the time to sit down for an extended period of time.
The only downside about the book is that if you're familiar with the stories it contains it may feel a bit lacking to read them, the story within the book I know the best is that of Sun Wukong and the retelling of his story just abruptly ends.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Gods And Goddesses: Hua Xian

Hua Xian is the goddess of flowers who is depicted with servants who carry baskets of water.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Fool

The Fool is the first of the major arcana in tarot and personally one of the more interesting cards of the deck.

When The Fool appears upright in a reading it indicates a favourable time and the potential for new beginnings. It tells of a major decision.
In reverse the card warns to watch out and points towards thoughtless action. It is a warning of folly.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Immortal Sisters: Secret Teachings of the Taoist Women (Translated by Thomas Cleary)

Aside from the best known Daoist texts, the lesser known texts that are translated into English are typically directed towards men. Directed towards women, this makes the book interesting to look into  regardless of your gender and the notes within it can make the texts within its pages easier to understand.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

The Forest In Folklore And Mythology by Alexander Porteous

As far as books go, the stories within its pages are plentiful but are so plentiful it'll be necessary to read through the book several times to help remember everything brought up in the book. Regardless of that this book makes for a great read due to its content, is right to the point to stating what the title says it's about and can make for a great book for someone who loves reading on folklore.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

The Flood Myths of Early China by Mark Edward Lewis

As far as books go the author has done fantastically to make this one as academic as possible and the approach is well appreciated. The book is relatively short and a huge chunk of it is end notes which I imagine may annoy some people, but all the references to Chinese books within the book itself makes this book alone a great place to begin if you wish to know which ancient Chinese books to go to to read. 

On the subject matter itself the book proves to be a good starting point to learn some Chinese mythology, even if this is an obvious case of only being a small portion of the whole. Mixed in with the previously mentioned short length, this book makes for a great way to be showered with information and further personal interest in Chinese mythology and religion with the references books within its pages.

Saturday, September 16, 2017

The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casing Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition by Benebell Wen

With all the Daoist texts translated into English and what is written about the religion there is a certain lack of books in English about the talismans done within the religious tradition. This book fixes that and with great detail, making it hard not to recommend.

Lengthy, lovingly filled with information and useful to those beginning in talismans this very book is one that should be read by those even just interested in Daoism as a religion.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Alchemists, Mediums And Magicians: Stories of Taoist Mystics (Translated And Edited By Thomas Cleary)

Categorised by time periods the people lived in, the book is filled with supposed immortals through China's history and makes for a worthwhile read on those who are knowledgable on the Taoist classics. The book makes note of the many stories of supposed immortals over the years.

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Clarity And Tranquility: A Glide fo Daoist Meditation by Stuart Alve Olson

If you're into meditation, pick up this book. It is detailed on how to the Daoist styled mediation, but that is at the end of the book. Before that there is plenty of writing that is best understood if you already have knowledge on Daoist terms and will likely be most interesting to those who are more serious practitioners of the Dao.
 Reading the whole book can be worthwhile to the more casual reader trying to learn the meditation style presented but just sticking on the guide on how to do the meditative practices may be best to certain peoples.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Folk Legends From Tono by Yanagita Kunio and Sasaki Kizen (Translation by Ronald A. Morse)

If you're into folklore this is going to be a go to book to read and is currently the book most often brought up in regards to Japanese folklore and for good reason. The many short stories make the book easy to pick up and read, they're fascinating and give detail into the stories shared in a small part of Japan.