Deck Interview: Muse Tarot
The stunning Muse Tarot by Chris-Anne will soon be available for purchase through mass-market vendors, but I snagged one of the last indie versions, which features the lovely pink edging. Everything about the deck is lovely, but she's not "soft," for all its tenderness. I think she's a bit like Venus in that way: tenderness, love, and beauty but with some bite behind her. I actually put it on my list because of the stunning depiction of the 8 of Voices (Swords), not because of the lighter visions of loveliness.
I've conducted the interview with my (relatively) new deck interview spread. You'll see that the suits are a little different (listed inline). And not that it matters here, there are "Muses" of suits instead of "Kings," and there is an extra major arcanum (The Muse of I Am). But that's mostly extraneous info. There’s a digital guidebook that I need to find and download, but I think the cards speak quite clearly for themselves with a bit of Rider-Waite-Smith guidance in the background. (It will be interesting to read how Chris-Anne reinterprets the new suits though!)
INTERVIEWING THE MUSE TAROT
What major lesson are you here to help me learn? Knight of Emotions (Cups)
Through which divine energy can we best communicate? 2 of Voices (Swords)
In what area can you aid me to help others? Ace of Voices + The Fool
In what area could your guidance be easily misunderstood? 3 of Voices
What can I do to keep our communication clear? 7 of Materials (Pentacles)
How can I use your guidance for the highest good? 2 of Voices
How will I know when we’re ready for a new lesson? 8 of Emotions
With all these minor arcana, this is definitely a "do the work" deck. It's still dreaming big, but it's reminding me that I don't necessarily need the majors or the Muses or any of the cards of Inspiration (Wands) to help me out on that front. That's all in place already, as seen by the Empress looking over it all, the extra card that came to me outside of the actual packed deck. (I assume there was a printing snafu and not a unique-to-me gift since the Empress inside the deck is labeled "2" like the Priestess—I'm swapping her out since I like the art of the 3 version better—but I like her guiding message anyway).
Where this deck shines and will help me and others who work with me to shine is in activating the ideation and working to realize one's dreams. It's not meant for sorting through emotional hiccoughs and the depths of shadow work (not yet at least), just as it isn't about driving spark of inspiration. Instead it's about uniting the rational and irrational aspects of the mind in order to engage and activate what's already swimming in the mind, the beliefs already held even if newly expressed, and that requires coming to the deck in a state of peace. With that focus on new expressions of existing ideas and on active connections with the emotional or even psychically attuned subconscious, we can create something really special together.
This is a shorter deck interview than others, but I think it’s because it’s just so blindingly clear to me, and that’s really exciting. Ultimately, the Muse helps us create things. For some she inspires; for me, she (via the deck) seems to be about culmination and moving from beginning stages of processing (after the initial spark) and getting clarity on the magical undercurrents of what can be made together in order to "make it work." Once that has been done, she and I can shift into a new gear where the cards will help with the sort of shadow work and emotional processing often needed or as part of that fire-starting of inspiration. But first things first, I have to do that creative work that’s been backed up for so long.
As much as I would love for this deck to be about those darker things now since that's where I tend to focus, I'm glad that she's offering me something different. It will help clear up my heart and mind and help me make great strides toward some newness that isn’t so much new as it’s refreshing the forgotten. I'm excited for the creative explorations we will have together as I get out of my head and actually put pen to paper!
The cards pictured here are from the Muse Tarot, created by Chris-Anne © 2019. My deck is one of the last indie edition decks, but the mass-market edition will be available through Hay House in 2020.