"Every person, all the events of your life, are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you."

~ Richard Bach, Reminders for the Advanced Soul

Recently, I was having trouble making a decision about buying a new tarot deck. One particular deck attracted my attention in an immediate and curious way from the first time I saw its intriguing images used in a blog post six months earlier. I added the deck to my "Wish List" on Amazon.com but was still hesitant to place my order. I wondered why I was so obsessed with this tarot deck. What else did I need to know about getting it?

I believe in the messages found in the randomness of tarot cards, so I went to my cards for direction. I spread out my Universal Waite deck, fan style, and pulled two cards.

First Card: The Devil
Second Card: Eight of Swords.

How’s that for randomness! There’s nothing like a couple of tarot cards to get right to the point.

Immediately I interpreted the cards as saying: Stop debating, its one mouse click! Make a choice and stick with it; quit agonizing, you are not powerless to make this decision. We all know people who struggle with even the simplest of decisions, right? They have a choice to make, but get so stuck they can't make a single decision; they talk about their dilemma ad nauseam but do nothing. I don't want to be one of those people.

The Devil in this reinforcing card pair warns of making choices based on desires and wants that at times may not be good for us, especially when we know better. It's as if we keep going for that thing we shouldn't like an addiction. (Albeit, many would argue the urge to buy the latest tarot decks is a minor addiction in the archetypal interpretation of this card. My husband may not agree, though!) Looked at another way, though, The Devil can also represent a more awakened meaning by asking us to trust our imagination and act consciously when trying something new.

As I gazed at the artwork on this card I began to ask a series of questions: How might I be impeding my own growth as a tarot card reader? Am I ready to get serious about learning a new deck? Is this deck different enough from my other decks that I will learn something new? What else do I need to know before I buy this deck? What will I gain (or my clients gain) from new deck interpretations?

The Eight of Swords appears when we are getting tangled and confused in our thoughts and can't seem to find our way out; we are blind to our choices because sometimes we fear an outcome that we have imagined to be far worse than what will actually happen.

The Eight of Swords, with its blindfolded woman surrounded by stuck in the muck swords begged the question, "In what ways am I being blind to new possibilities?" I began to recognize that it was time to make a choice and step out of my thoughts and into action.

I learned from this pair that, for me, a new tarot deck is a commitment to action: to learning, to continued practice, to sharing and to honing my intuitive abilities. My over-analyzing was restricting my ability to take a step toward my goals. Thinking about it another way, the cards directed me to look inside and to listen to my inner voice. How can I use my imagination and logic for creative expression while reading with this tarot deck?

After answering the questions prompted by this randomly chosen pair, I made the choice to buy the Archeon Tarot deck because I want to change by improving my tarot reading skills and by exploring the tarot card meanings more intuitively with this mystical and symbolic deck.

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Devil / Eight of Swords pair, and the Archeon Tarot deck.

*Visit Linda’s tarot website and blog at http://treasuresoftarot.com/
*Linda & Chris have been traveling and living in the Caribbean on their sailboat, Troubadour. Read about their journey at http://sailingtroubadour.blogspot.com