The editors of Cast the Cards have been on a blog-tour all month, telling people about this sumptuous Tarot-themed erotic romance anthology. I was asked, along with the other authors, to say which Tarot card I feel represents me, and all six responses are now over at Naughty in the Backseat.I'm not a believer in the Tarot, btw. But I told them:
The tarot card I feel represents me is Strength. In some modern decks it’s known as Lust, and that’s particularly relevant to me.
There are many different artistic interpretations available for this card, but they almost all show a woman and a lion. She may be holding its mouth closed (or opening it to peer inside), riding it or simply relaxing with it. I particularly like it that the imagery is so female-positive. It reminds me of mythological depictions of the great goddesses like Kubaba, Cybele, and Durga, enthroned or accompanied by lions.This is a woman completely at ease with the deep animal instincts of the psyche. She’s not frightened of it in any way, despite its ferocity and power: she is the one in control. She trusts herself. Representing the higher soul directing and controlling the sexual impulse, in conservative societies this card is often read as emphasizing self-denial. As an erotica writer, I see it as using the sexual instincts and imagination to fuel my creativity. I write stories – powerful, strong, scary, challenging, filthy stories (I hope!) which harness the vitality of my inner lion.
And here are some artistic interpretations of the Strength/Lust card to show you what I mean:
An old version: Fortitude
This (above) is the influential Thoth deck (Crowley's version)
This version is by Luis Royo, one of my fave fantasy artists.
And this one has a greyhound in it! :-)
Cast the Cards can be bought from Storm Moon Press as an e-book or paperback
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8 comments:
So, let's see... she can't leave the greyhound and the cat alone while she leads the lion across the bridge... but she can't leave the cat and the lion alone, either. But of course the bridge won't hold the weight of all of them at once. I'll be puzzling this out all day!
But anyway, here's to your inner lion! (And your inner greyhound! And your outer ones, too.)
Inner greyhound :)
Great images... and yes, that's exactly wqhat sort of stories you write.
ha..thats was very interesting!!
and so cool you found a card with a greyhound on it...
what would my card be??? uhm..possibly one with a martiniglass....:-)
Janine, I LOVE your mythopoetic insights! I resonate with your "shrewdly spirited," "rationally passionate," "unbiasedly enthusiastic" approach to the symbolism of the cards.
And Jeremy's witty puzzling over the Robert Place imagery had me in stitches! If the lady has a mouse in her pocket, she could send the mouse over the bridge, and the cat would chase the mouse, and the dog would chase the cat (before it scurries up a tree), and the lady could lead the lion safely across the bridge. Granted, my inclusion of the mouse could mean I'm reading too much into the card!
That's beautiful—and what a neat idea for a blog tour. I love what you said about yourself and the Strength card and its symbolism. Thanks for posting it here! :)
(And lol @ Jeremy!)
Oh Jeremy! :-D
Bearded Confidant, I love "rationally passionate" - what a great description of the way I try to write!
Although I admit I am close to irrational in my passion for greyhounds...
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