#The Stone Visconti Tarot | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hxneyandespressx · 4 years

Text

if i were a man (i’d be the man)

summary: jj holds a press conference while on a high-profile case. she has to deal with the stupid male reporters. after the conference is done, jj goes to the nearest bathroom, away from the crowd, and screams and swears to her heart’s content

word count: 6.2k

content warnings: mentions of emotional and verbal abuse, guns, violence, blood, suicide

a/n: inspiration for this fic is from criminal minds season 4 episode 16 “pleasure is my business”

☆。*。☆。

It was a rough start to a Wednesday morning for a particular FBI agent. She almost twisted her ankle on her early morning jog, got stuck in traffic, and had to wait in a long line for her co-workers’ coffee orders. Soon enough, she started to wish that she took the metro instead. Media communications liaison Jennifer “JJ” Jareau woke up today and chose violence. She huffed in frustration at how her morning went.

Walking toward the bullpen with the coffee orders in her hands, JJ was greeted with “hellos” and “good mornings”. Not wanting to have her co-workers profile her, JJ bottled up her frustration and grumpiness and put a smile on her face. It was a rule amongst the group to never profile each other. With learning an assortment of profiling tactics, JJ knew how to form a realistic smile without genuine happiness. Creases around the eyes, smile lines contoured the mouth, sparkles in her baby blue eyes. The short blonde perfected the fake smile that could fool anyone, even expert profilers.

“Good morning, guys.” JJ said with a bright smile on her face. She held two cardboard trays filled with various coffee orders. She placed one of the trays on Emily’s desk, so she can pass out the orders to her co-workers. She called out the order name as she passed the cup to the person.

“One French vanilla latte for Ms. Garcia. Two black coffees for Emily and Derek. And finally, a coffee with extra cream and sugar for Spence.” Everyone said their thank you’s to the blonde. Then, there was one coffee cup left. A cappuccino.

“Happy Wednesday, my nerds.” Rossi said as he approached the group of tired agents. JJ smiled and handed the cappuccino to the elderly man.

“Grazie.” He thanked the media liaison for her efforts to bring his favorite morning beverage. The group spent some time chatting nonsense before the case briefing. Thirty minutes went by and all of them disbursed into their desks to finish up the paperwork. JJ headed down to her office to work on choosing the next case after the one that was currently ongoing.

After settling in her office chair, JJ took a look around her office. Messy stacks of pending files scattered her desk. Empty coffee cups and water bottles lined the file cabinet. JJ checked the time on her watch. 8:12 AM. About two hours to kill. The blonde put her hair up into a ponytail and took in a deep breath. She dove into the nearest pile of manila files, looking through all the documents and photographs to determine which case for the BAU team to take on after the current case.

As the clock ticked closer to 10 AM, JJ picked up today’s case files and head out of her office. Strutting through the bullpen, JJ entered the briefing room slightly out of breath.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone,” JJ said while passing the manila folders out to her co-workers. After handing out the necessary materials, she grabbed the remote from the center of the wooden table.

“Sam Winchester was found in Fulton Park, in the Stuyvesant Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Eighteen stab wounds to his chest and neck,” JJ explained as she clicked on the remote to switch between the crime scene photos. “He is one of the victims dumped at various locations of Brooklyn that was found last night.”

“Hold up. One of the victims?” Derek asked.

“Yeah. So far this killer built up a rep sheet of five kills.” JJ stated. Hotch raised one of his eyebrows at the new information.

“Seven? Why haven’t the NYPD notified us immediately after the first three kills?” Hotch asked the media liaison.

“Probably the department thought they could handle the crimes,” JJ explained. “That was the case until they realized that they needed help.”

The young blonde switched to the next slide, showing one of the other victims dumped in North Williamsburg.

“What’s interesting about the locations is that the first victim was drowned in the Hudson River. And as more victims appear, the disposal methods get more dramatic. Maybe it plays some role in the unsub’s pathology.” Spencer said as he looked at the screen, observing for any patterns.

“Like with one of the recent victims, the disposal site is in Cobble Hill. It’s typically occupied by those who are relatively wealthy.” Rossi said to continue Spencer’s thoughts. “This unsub is getting bolder with his disposal sites. I’m concerned with there being an end game to this.” Emily stated. Everyone at the round table shifted through the various crime scene photos and documents. Rossi took hold of one of the crime scene photographs: a reversed ten of cups tarot card. “It is also apparent that the unsub is leaving tarot cards at the scene of the crime.”

“Tarot cards? What’s the significance?” Derek asked.

“Maybe to tell of the inevitable fortune the victims faced?” Emily said.

“Well, each card has a different meaning when it is upright and reversed. And usually, when doing a reading, three to five cards are pulled to tell a fortune.” Penelope explained as she typed away on her work laptop. It had not surprised anyone that the technical analyst had an interest in tarot readings and astrology.

“You know, the first documented tarot packs were recorded between 1440 and 1450 AD in Milan, Ferrara, Florence, and Bologna when additional trump cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack. These new decks were called carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and the additional cards are known simply as trionfi, which became "trumps" in English. The oldest surviving tarot cards are the 15 Visconti-Sforza tarot decks painted in the mid-15th century for the rulers of the Duchy of Milan. The Duke of Milan described a 60-card deck with 16 cards having images of the Roman gods and suits depicting four kinds of birds.” Spencer talked about the history of tarot cards, with hand gestures to accompany his little ramble. When he finished, everyone at the table stared at him. The young FBI agents sheepishly smiled as Emily poked his left cheek.

“Since when did you learn about tarot cards?” Emily asked.

“I learned about it when I took a college course on the Italian Renaissance.” Spencer sheepishly smiled.

“Well, whatever it is, it seems like there is a story to be told––or rather to be heard.” JJ said as she stared at the crime scene photos, her eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment.

“That’s what we need to find out. Wheels up in 20.” Hotch called out.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The BAU members sat comfortably on the jet, each in their little world. That was until the unit chief called on everyone for a case discussion.

“Let’s go over victimology.” Hotch said to call on the group. Everyone moved closer to the unit chief to better discuss the case. Derek sat in an armchair, with Emily next to him. Across from them were Spencer and JJ. Hotch leaned against one of the seats, practically sitting on the adjustable arm of the plane seat. Rossi sat on the tan velvet couch, adjacent to JJ.

“Reid.” Hotch called on the genius of the group.

“White. Male. Between the ages of 45-55. Jobs ranging from a stockbroker to assets protection manager. All of them have cheated on their wives multiple times and some even had sexual harassment accusations.” The young curly-haired man said to start the discussion.

“Even if these men cheated on their wives and got those accusations, they still didn’t deserve the multiple stab wounds to meet their end.” Emily said.

JJ looked through the case file to see the reports on all five victims.

“The victims’ names are Igor Andreevich, Lucas Duncan, Hunter Mcevoy, Sam Winchester, Jared Kalinski.” JJ called the names out like it was a roll call.

“These are the five victims that this unsub killed so far?” Hotch asked. The blonde nodded her head and said “yes, sir” in response.

“As the victim count increased, the more stab wounds appeared on the body.” Rossi said to point out an observation.

“But the M.E. said that most of these stab wounds were created post mortem. Meaning that the initial stab was to get the job done efficiently and he went back in to fuel his rage and/or sexual needs.” Spencer

“Are we assuming his sexual orientation? Because there aren’t many homosexual serial killers, kid” Rossi said.

“It could be a possibility. We have to consider our options.” Hotch said.

Just then, the laptop turned on and showed the beautiful Penelope Garcia.

“How’s it going, my crime-fighting musketeers?” Penelope asked. Everyone, even Hotch, smiled at her cheery greeting.

“Garcia, start compiling files on each of our victims,” Hotch told the technical analyst. “Everything financial and personal. Bank statements, credit card bills, investments, wills, trust funds. Anything that will tell us more about the victim’s lives.”

“Faster than a Hotch rocket.” After that was said into the air, Penelope felt embarrassed while Hotch looked at her with his usual stone-cold face. Derek sighed and shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee to hide his second-hand embarrassment for his babygirl.

To break the silence, Rossi grunted and coughed into his fist.

“Based on the jobs these men had, we could safely assume that they were killed in the financial district of New York. Then, the unsub transported the bodies to a dumpsite.” Emily said as she read off from the case file in her hands.

“But why from Manhattan to Brooklyn? That is a lot of weight to carry.” Derek asked.

“Maybe Brooklyn holds a lot of significance to him. Something from his childhood and he can’t let go.” JJ said. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement as they all closed their files.

“Once we land, do you want me to get in contact with the media to inform the public?” The media liaison asked the unit chief.

“No. We need to hold back on it. Giving him the media’s attention is exactly what he wants. He wants his story to be heard and we will not give him that.” Hotch explained. JJ nodded in response and wrote down media concerns in her small blue notepad.

“Dave, You and Prentiss go to the crime scene,” Hotch instructed the group. “The rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct.” Everyone nodded in agreement with the unit chief.

After discussing the victimology and the nature of the case, everyone separated and occupied their own space on the jet. Derek on the couch, listening to music. Spencer by the window, reading the Hound of the Baskervilles. Rossi and Hotch in the back, conversing whatever two elderly men talk about.

The blonde media liaison stared out of the window until she felt a presence next to her. She looked away to find Emily standing in the aisle with a cup of coffee and a bag of Cheetos in her hands.

“Want some company?” Emily asked as she took the empty seat.

“I don’t mind at all.” JJ smiled at the brunette. The shorter woman felt special that Emily did this for her. She took the Cheetos and the coffee mug from her co-worker. As she grabbed them, their fingers brushed against each other. A little pink blush formed on JJ’s cheeks. Not wanting Emily to know about the silly crush the blonde had on her, JJ covered half her face with her beloved blue blanket. Emily chuckled at JJ’s actions and placed her hand on the blonde’s right shoulder, closing her eyes for a quick nap.

JJ carefully took some of her dark blue blanket and wrapped it around Emily’s right shoulder. She looked at the brunette who was sleeping on her shoulder and softly smiled.

The blonde took sips of the coffee as she stared out of the window. The sunlight bounced off the water particles in the clouds, creating a mini rainbow over the tops of the white clouds. The media liaison took in the silence as a treat, before landing into the chaos of New York.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A government-mandated black SUV arrived at the 25th precinct. Everyone––sans Emily and Rossi––got out of the car and was greeted by a lively short woman.

“Detective Miller? We spoke on the phone.” JJ shook hands with the short woman.

“Please, call me Kennedy. Thanks for coming in.”

“No problem. These are agents Hotchner, Morgan, and Doctor Reid.” JJ introduced them while gesturing at the person, in respective order.

“Hey, why don't you go on inside and make yourself comfortable.” Kennedy said. The remaining BAU members nodded their heads and made their way inside the busy precinct. Police officers swarmed everywhere as the federal agents weaved their way to an empty conference room.

Everyone worked at a swift pace to get everything set up. JJ and Derek went with a police officer to get boxes filled with case files and other materials. Hotch talked with Detective Miller to get information on how her officers dealt with the unsub so far. While all this is happening, Spencer worked on the geographical profile, so the agents know where to look for the unsub.

“What do these tarot cards mean?” Hotch asked the group. Everyone shook their head “no”, signifying that they had no clue what each card meant.

“I’ll call Penelope and ask her about the meanings of the cards.” Derek said as he took out his flip phone to dial Penelope’s number.

“Live from Quantico, Virginia, it is the Divine Miss Penelope.” Penelope greeted the group.

“Hey, sugar mama. I need something from you.” Derek said.

“Talk to me.”

“I need you to interpret the meanings of the tarot cards that were left at the different crime scenes.”

“Ah- I’ll be your little witch today. Hit me with have you have.”

“Alright, I’m putting you on speaker.” Derek puts down the phone on the wooden table, so everyone could hear what the technical analyst has to say.

“Ten of Cups, Garcia.” Hotch said.

“When upright, the Ten of Cups embody happiness, joy, contentment, and emotional satisfaction in your family, relationship, or companion. It represents an idyllic state of comfort, harmony, peace, and love which makes you feel like you are in paradise. When reversed, it could mean shattered dreams, disharmony, or a broken family.” Penelope explained.

“Reversed Wheel of Fortune card.” Spencer called out.

“When the wheel is reversed, it means that luck has not been on your side and misfortunes have been following you. When it's associated with this card, you must understand that these are due to external influences that you cannot control.” Penelope said.

“Reversed Justice card.” Derek said next.

“A reversed Justice tarot card could indicate various things. One Justice reversal meaning is to show you are living in denial. You are not willing to accept the consequences of your actions or others. You are running from your guilt. You must, however, be aware that these are actions that are in the past. Other Justice reversal meanings could be injustice, retribution, dishonesty, corruption, dishonesty, unfairness, and avoiding accountability.” The technical analyst interpreted.

“Lastly, the reversed Emperor.” JJ said the final card they had.

“The Emperor reversed is a sign of abused authoritative power. In your social life, it can manifest in the overreach of power from a father figure or a possessive partner.” Penelope described the final tarot card.

With all the information in their heads, the BAU members felt puzzled about how to move forward.

“How are these cards related to the crime scenes?” Derek asked.

“It’s like a performance,” Penelope chimed in. Everyone turned their heads to listen to the cheery woman on the phone. “Like there is a story behind these killings. The cards are telling how the unsub is feeling. She wants us to know her story.” Everyone stood in shock when Penelope made a breakthrough in the case.

“Wait, Garcia. You said ‘she’. Why do you think it is a woman?” Hotch asked.

“Well, sir. The first victim was drowned, with no signs of sexual assault on his body. Doesn’t that usually indicate that the unsub is a woman?”

“Not necessarily but it is a quiet and efficient way of murdering someone.” Hotch explained.

“Female serial killers are a fascinating field. We don’t have much information on them. But what we do know involves throwing the riles completely out of the window,” Spencer started going on one of his rambles. “For example, female serial killers typically don’t leave a signature.”

“But this one leaves tarot cards at the scene.” Derek pointed out.

“Maybe it was what Garcia said: she’s telling us her story.” JJ said. “Alright. Let’s start from the beginning. What could be inferenced from her childhood?” Hotch asked.

“She could have had a domineering father who worked on Wall Street. And with that dynamic, he could have sexually and emotionally abused her, making her feeling like damaged goods.” Spencer explained the backstory of the unsub. “Also because the victims cheated on their wives, we could also conclude that the father also cheated on the mother, who always forgave her husband and tried to rationalize to stay for her daughter. And that made the unsub feel rage and being inferior. That she didn’t do anything to help her mother and herself.”

“But there is no indication of sexual gratification.” Hotch interjected.

“However, there’s a reason why there are so many lacerations on the later victims. It could be the rage from her abusive father that this unsub is using against the victims, who acted like surrogates.” Derek said.

“The stressor?” Hotch asked.

“To follow her father’s footsteps, she may have also worked in the financial field. As a stockbroker, a financial analyst, or even as a secretary for a company,” Spencer said. “And as she continued at her job, she had a bunch of little comments and slights against her”

“As for the trigger, maybe she got passed up for a promotion by a male co-worker who was less qualified than she was.” JJ explained.

“Any sane person would get miffed about it, but she’s built differently,” Derek said.

“So much so, she killed five men so far.” Hotch said.

“And she did it in an efficient manner where no one had any idea until now,” Derek said right after the unit chief. “But how did one woman kill five men in one borough and disposed of them in another?”

“She must know the area like the back of her hand. Brooklyn is what? Around 72 square miles?” JJ said in response to Derek.

“Uh, 69.5.” Spencer corrected JJ. The blonde sighed, not surprised that the boy genius would know the exact measurement.

“And the fact that no one has seen her either abduct or dispose of says she knows the city and its patterns well.” Derek said to continue what JJ had said before she was cut off by the boy genius. Just then, both Rossi and Emily had returned from the latest crime scene. In Emily’s hands were coffee cups on cardboard trays while Rossi had Chinese takeout. Everyone shared the food as they continued to work on the case. Being the little tease he was, Derek flung a wonton piece at Spencer, who was struggling to eat with the wooden chopsticks. The wonton piece gently hit Spencer’s forehead and the boy genius pouted, hiding his frustration at both the chopsticks and Derek.

“The M.E. said that the cuts were clean, no serrated edges. It would have to be a very sharp knife to be able to cut through human skin like nothing.” Emily said, to drive the discussion about the M.O.

“A knife like that could get the job done efficiently. Could be the work of a throwing knife. Take out the victim with a single throw to have them die quickly, then she stabs them to feel something.” Derek said.

“Throwing knives? What is she? A secret agent of the Dai Li?” Rossi joked sarcastically.

“From Avatar the Last Airbender?” Hotch retorted, remembering that his son Jack watches that show on Saturday mornings.

“What’s Avatar the Last Airbender?” Spencer asked. Nobody bothered to answer the young man’s question.

“But this one is different. It’s like the more she kills, the more anger builds up inside and it gets released on the victim when she goes back in.” JJ stated.

It became silent in the conference room, quite the opposite to the noise of the New York precinct in the evening rush hour. Tired from both traveling and working, Hotch could see that the rest of his team was also exhausted from the day. The unit chief called everyone to head to the hotel and rest, as they can always come back to the precinct tomorrow morning.

Slowly one by one, each of the agents packed their things and get out of the New York precinct, and hopped into the cars, praying the soft hotel beds would lull them into a deep slumber.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Day Three at the New York precinct. All the BAU members were getting irritated that they hadn’t proceeded much on the case. Derek tossed a small basketball up and down to pass the time. Spencer twirled a pen as he stared at the geographical profile, the gears turning in his mind. Both Hotch and Rossi were discussing the case quietly while JJ and Emily doodled on each others’ arms. The blonde was innocently drawing hearts and flowers until Emily came up with an idea. Feeling a tad mischievous, Emily took her sharpie marker and started to outline something on the media liaison’s left forearm. JJ raised an eyebrow, questioning what her co-worker was doing. As the image came together, JJ gasped softly, however, not surprised that Emily drew a vagina.

Emily quietly laughed as JJ, annoyed by the brunette’s actions, took her sharpie marker and tried her best to transform the vagina drawing into a flower. Taking her time, and with only a sharpie, JJ showed off her artistic talent by creating a masterpiece: a carnation blooming out of a vagina.

Emily rolled her eyes when JJ stuck out her tongue at the brunette. Taking Emily’s right arm, the media liaison started to outline a grid for a game of tic tac toe. The brunette started the game by marking an “x” in a spot and JJ took her turn. The two women continued their game of tic tac toe and

Everyone was silent in their own world until Hotch’s phone rang. The unit chief picked it up and it was a number he couldn’t recognize. Hotch silently motioned Derek to call Penelope to start triangulating the call’s location.

“Hotchner.”

“Hello, Aaron.” A sultry voice talked. On the other side of the call was the unsub, Taylor Evans.

“Seems you know my name.” Hotch asked.

“I researched you in preparation for this phone call,” Evans said. Through the phone receiver, Hotch could hear the soft whooshes of pages turning.

“You reading a book? What’s the title?”

“Le monde comme il va by Voltaire,” Taylor closed her book. “Have you read his work?”

“No, I haven’t. You seem highly educated.” Hotch stated.

“You seem to know a lot about me.” Taylor retorted.

“But I don’t know you that well since the start of this phone call.” Hotch responded.

“What would you like to know?” Taylor asked.

“May I know your name, for starters?” Hotch asked. A cold laugh could be heard through the landline speaker.

“Evans. Taylor Evans.” the unsub replied.

“Nice name,” Hotch complimented her to bring her guard down.

“Now that we are acquainted, you can ask me questions.” the unsub’s content sigh could be heard on the landline.

“Has life been hard on you?” Taylor asked, wanting to jump the gun.

“I try my best.”

“Try my best,” Taylor said mockingly. “Is that the best you can do for your family?” A sarcastic tone filled Taylor’s voice, not liking what the unit chief said in response to her question.

“With what I’ve got.” Hotch said.

“You got any children?” Taylor said to divert the conversation.

“I have a son.”

“How often do you see him?”

“I try to see him every week.”

“Do you see him every week?” Taylor tried to put Hotch under pressure, to get him to crack.

“No, I don't get there as often as I want.” A pitiful sigh was heard on the phone.

“I believe you, but don’t compare yourself to the men I see and work with. You are nothing like them. You’re just another whore.” Taylor said with such disgust in her tone.

“How am I a whore?” Hotch asked.

“You come when called on short notice. Begging to be put to work. Saving your reputation. However, even though you’re a workaholic, you make the time to see your son. You care for your son. You want the best for him.” Taylor explained.

“You’re right. I do want the best for him” Hotch said. The unsub sighed, wishing that she had a good man, like Hotch, for a father.

“Enough about you. What do you have to say about me?” Taylor asked the unit chief.

“You've been betrayed so many times, You don't know who to trust, And that's why that first murder felt so good. But each one since has been less and less satisfying.” Hotch explained.

“Good deductive reasoning,” Taylor said. “But how do you know if what I find provides me less satisfaction each time?”

“It’s a part of your nature. Until you hit a psychotic break and start devolving.” Hotch said.

“Hm. Want to find out, Agent Hotchner?” She hung up on him after that last sentence. Everyone in the conference room stayed silent in awe. The unsub injecting herself into the investigation surprised all the agents in the room.

“She contacted us,” Spencer said in astonishment, breaking the silence.

“She’s getting impatient. Have Garcia look up everything on Taylor Evans. We need to find if she lines up with the preliminary profile.” Hotch instructed Derek. The olive brown-skinned man did exactly what the unit chief said: call Penelope and extract as much information as possible on the potential unsub.

“Her use of the word whore is interesting,” Spencer quipped. “It suggests she's trying to disassociate herself from her actions.”

“But she's become more personal with the murders,” Emily said. “This doesn’t make sense. She is contradicting herself.”

After gathering the information, and debilitating on the facts, everyone came to the same conclusion: Taylor Evans was their unsub.

“Reid, tell Detective Miller that it’s time to deliver the profile.” Rossi said.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Every law enforcement officer occupied the main space of the precinct. All of the BAU members stood at one side, making it like a stage. JJ stood beside Emily, thinking to herself that she could have been this girl in a way. Both her and the unsub look eerily similar, maybe even mistaken for each other.

“We wanted to give out the profile as soon as possible. We’re looking for a white female, between the ages of 20 and 25,” Hotch said to start the profile. “Her name is Taylor Evans. Dirty blonde hair with grey eyes. She’s organized, methodical, and knows how to blend in with the crowd.”

“When this unsub kills, she does so mercilessly and without an ounce of pity. She also wants her victims to know they are going to die by her hand.” Rossi said.

“That’s why her preferred weapon of choice is throwing knives. They provide a clean cut. No mess required.” Emily said, slowly rocking on her heels.

“With her choice of weapon, she can be quick and efficient with her kills, as murder is her only goal,” Spencer paused to catch a breath. “But all the bottled-up rage gets released when she goes in for a second time, post mortem, and stabs the body multiple times.”

“It is a way for her to get sexual gratification. And revenge, from her years of being emotionally and sexually abused by her father,” Rossi said. “The victims fit the description of her father and they are surrogates for him.”

“She is also a textbook psychopath, exhibiting all of the classic traits: incapability of feeling any empathy towards others, neither guilt nor remorse, and claiming no responsibility for her actions. Like others of her type, she is highly intelligent, manipulative, and narcissistic.” Spencer explained the unsub’s pathology.

“Evans had received higher education. She graduated with a business degree, most likely a subconscious influence from her father. With the business acumen and the social skillset, this unsub can easily blend in with all the other business people and manipulate them.” Hotch explained, walked slowly around the large room.

“Based on her background, she came from a wealthy family. However, the family wasn’t perfect. Her father constantly cheated on his wife. The mother always forgave him. As a young girl, Evans most likely has experienced emotional and sexual abuse from her father. It was a way for him to control his daughter, and she had resented that for years.” Emily said about the unsub’s childhood.

“She mostly has experienced misogyny in her professional life. Had little comments and slights against her. Perhaps a less qualified male co-worker took a promotion that she deemed herself to be of a better fit,” Derek explained about the stressor. “Something in her work life triggered her to start killing the men who represented her father.”

“With this profile, we should search for Taylor Evans’ location and any potential victims. We suggest going public with the information as soon as possible… Thank you very much.” Hotch ended the profile with his parting words. Everyone at the precinct was disbursed from the room to get back to their work. The agents huddled together to prep themselves in case something big were to happen.

“JJ, I would like for you to conduct a press conference,” Hotch said.

“Why is that, sir?” The media liaison asked.

“I would like to draw her out. Have it known that we are after her.” The media liaison nodded her head in agreement and left the main room to work on getting a press conference together.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Before entering the press room, JJ took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself down. Thoughts were rushing in her mind. Don’t let them get to you, JJ. She neatly fixed her hair to seem presentable. Taking her golden heart necklace, the media liaison kissed it for good luck.

The media liaison walked into the conference room with great confidence and stood behind the mahogany podium. Standing tall, JJ was not willing to lose a fight with the media, especially with a high-profile case.

“Ok, can I have everyone's attention,” JJ said to gather the media’s attention to her. “Please, if you could just take your seats…”

“There have been a series of murders that appeared in random locations around Brooklyn. There is sufficient evidence that the victims were murdered on Wall Street then transported to their disposal sites.”

“We believe she may have experienced a psychotic break recently, causing the unsub to escalate to murder to regain a sense of control. You should increase your patrols in and around Wall Street… “

“Why would you focus your profile on the finance guys when the unsub has also contacted members of the FBI?” A male reporter interrupted the media liaison.

JJ stood at the podium in shock. How could he know about that? We kept that under wraps.

“I- How did you obtain that information?” JJ asked.

“I overheard one of the cops saying it.” The journalist said casually. The blonde’s right eyebrow lightly twitched in anger. What couldn’t those cops just shut their mouths, JJ thought.

“What you heard from these officers isn’t true,” JJ lied to keep confidential information private. “Now, do you have any questions about the case?” A new wave of hands came up. JJ took a few more questions to answer. After a while, it was time to end the press conference.

“If anyone works in or around Wall Street, and sees anything unusual, please do not hesitate to call the number on your screen. Thank you.” JJ said her final statement, ending the press conference. As she walked down the steps down the small stage, a reporter called out her name.

“Agent Jareau! I have something that may be of interest for you!” A different male reporter called out. JJ turned to face him, excepting the same male reporter from earlier. Trying to keep her anger inside, she greeted the news reporter with dignity.

The male reporter handed the media liaison a letter. JJ took a look at it and was surprised at what she saw: the signature of their unsub.

“How did you get this?” JJ asked the man.

“It was sent to me yesterday, directly to the New York Herald.” The man said. JJ called for one of the officers by the wall to collect the letter for evidence.

“We are going to take this in for evidence processing. One of the officers here will take you in for some questioning.” The man nodded as another officer whisked him away for interrogation.

JJ sighed and went to search for the officer that unknowingly leaked information. She saw him with another cop, talking, against the wall outside of the press conference room.

“That information was not for the public!” JJ said, angrily at an NYPD officer.

“Listen, lady. I don’t know how and where he got the information from,” The beat cop explained himself. “He could have been creeping around the crime scenes or the precinct.

“Keep your mouth shut, pal, as this case is private and under federal jurisdiction.” JJ huffed as Derek grabbed her shoulders and slowly tried to drag her away. The blonde complied with her co-worker, not throwing a fight as this was not her battle to fight in.

Once Derek loosened his grips, the media liaison dashed out of the conference room to find her own space to calm down.

JJ speed-walked once she was out of the hallway’s vicinity. She rushed into the nearest bathroom. Breathing heavily, the media liaison slowly walked into one of the stalls and locked the door. Taking a deep breath, JJ prepared herself for the biggest scream she would take in her life.

“Fuck. These little shits. Those bastards. Assholes. Son of a bitch. Fucking shit. Why can’t they keep their mouths fucking shut! Those cocksucking motherfucking god damned jackasses!” JJ yelled at the top of her lungs. Her chest fell hard as the blonde was taking deep breaths. She felt better after taking out her anger by screaming. Feeling a little tired, JJ sat on the closed toilet and placed her head between her knees to calm herself down. A few minutes went by, and someone knocked on the bathroom door.

“JJ… Are you okay?” Emily’s voice could be heard on the other side. JJ sighed while getting up. She opened the stall door and tried to make herself more presentable. Unlocking the silver lock, she opened the door slowly to reveal a relieved Emily Prentiss.

“Ah–,” Emily gently grabbed JJ and brought her in a warm embrace. They stood together in that position for a few minutes before heading back to the conference room, where the others were, preparing themselves to capture the unsub tonight.

Later that evening, the BAU team, along with SWAT, raided a luxury apartment building in Downtown Brooklyn. Upon entering the only penthouse, Derek broke the door with his strength. The group of agents entered the area and in the middle of the living room, was Taylor Evans. Black mascara ran down her cheeks as she held a gun in her left hand and the final tarot card in the other.

“Just in time for the show, agents.” Evans croaked. Her sad grey eyes filled with tears, her cheeks flushed from her mental breakdown.

“Taylor… Listen. You’re young. You don’t have to do this. If you come with us, you can get a lighter sentence and live your life.” Emily said to calm down the broken girl.

More time passed by as Emily and Spencer tried their best to negotiate with the unsub, but the end was already written. Taylor Evans planned to do an end game, one where she put herself out of misery.

“I’m sorry….” the blonde girl whispered. In a swift motion, Taylor pulled the trigger onto herself and shot herself underneath the jaw. Her body dropped quickly but Derek ran up to the body to catch it.

“Damn it,” Derek said. “She was young. Broken. Felt like she had to prove herself that she was something.”

“There was nothing we could have done to help, Morgan. She already had planned her end. She was long gone before anyone else could have noticed.” Hotch responded to Derek’s little monologue.

Right next to her body was the Emperor card. A beautiful deep purple with gold lining depicting an emperor. The gold detailing reflected against the tall mirrors in the room. The card was reversed, like if she purposefully did that to tell the end to her story.

taglist: @homosexualyearning / @ssajelle / @iconicc / @sunlightgalaxy / @jemilyology / @pumpkin-stars / @lgbtbau / @drinkingcroissants / @abbyprentiss / @pen3mily / @morcias / @hotchsbabygirl / @gravelyhumerus / @notsosmexy / @rxcklessly-bratty / @hqtchner / @girlbossjareau / @pagetsimp

75 notes · View notes

mysticalspellsister · 3 years

Text

History of Tarot Cards

Some misconceptions about the beginning of the Tarot place the first deck in quite a while of a wide range of individuals since the beginning. The theories about the makers of Tarot cards incorporate the Sufis, the Cathars, the Egyptians, Kabbalists, and the sky is the limit from there. Notwithstanding, the entirety of the real verifiable proof focuses on northern Italy at some point in the early piece of the 1400s. Despite what many have guaranteed, there is no verification of the Tarot having begun in some other time or spot. Years and years before the Tarot was conceived, customary playing a card game came to Europe via Arabs, showing up in various urban communities somewhere in the range of 1375 and 1378. These cards were a transformation of the Islamic Mamluk cards. They had suits of cups, blades, coins, and polo sticks, the last of which were seen by Europeans as fights. Like normal playing a game of cards, the Tarot has four suits, which fluctuate by the district. Over the long run, this would incorporate French suits in Northern Europe, Latin suits in Southern Europe, and German suits in Central Europe. The decks likewise included courts comprising of a ruler and two subordinates. Afterward, the bonehead, the trumps, and a bunch of sovereigns were added to the framework.

At some point before 1480, the French presented cards with the now-recognizable suits of hearts, clubs, spades, and precious stones. It wasn't until after a lot of this had happened that, at some point in the primary portion of the fifteenth century, somebody made the first deck of Tarot cards. A deck was appointed by Duke Filippo Maria around 1420. The painter Michelino da Besozzo was given something to do making a 60-card deck with 16 cards having pictures of the Roman divine beings and suits portraying four sorts of birds. The 16 cards were wins viewed as "bests". The duke had created a novum quoddam et exquisite triumph forum, or "another and stunning sort of wins". These were for no reason in particular not for fortunetelling.

Presently, the Visconti-Sforza Tarot is utilized altogether to allude to inadequate arrangements of roughly 15 decks from around 1460, presently situated in different historical centers, libraries, and private assortments throughout the planet. These Italian cards were at first used to play another kind of game. This was like the game scaffold, notwithstanding, there were 21 unique cards that filled in as perpetual trumps. These could be played paying little heed to the suit that was driven, and they outclassed every one of the conventional cards. This was known as the "Round of Triumphs" and it turned out to be uncommonly famous, especially among the upper decision class. Then, at that point, as the game spread all through northern Italy and eastern France, changes were frequently made to the photos and the positioning of the trumps. Nonetheless, they for the most part bore no numbers on the actual cards.

Around 1530, "tarocchi" first showed up. The justification for such a name change is obviously in light of the fact that somebody made the advancement that the round of wins could be played with normal cards by basically proclaiming a specific suit to be the trumps toward the start of each hand. Thus, "wins" turned into an equivocal term, and another word was expected to allude to the conventional round of wins. In this manner, the word tarocchi came into utilization, although its historical background stays a subject of guess. The word Tarot isn't Egyptian, Hebrew, or Latin. It's anything but a re-arranged word, and it doesn't hold the way into the secret of the cards. The soonest names for the Tarot are on the whole Italian. The cards appear to have at first been known as the "carte da trionfi", or "cards of wins". Then, at that point, the word tarocchi started to be utilized in Italy, while the Germans utilized "tarock", and the French enrolled "tarot", or all the more appropriately "Tarot".

What's more, mid sixteenth century artists utilized the secret weapons to make stanzas called "tarocchi suitable", which portrayed renowned personage and women of the court. It turned out to be increasingly more mainstream to utilize the trumps to create sonnets depicting character attributes in a manner that was definitely more complimenting than that of contemporary mental profiling. It wasn't until a lot later that the cards turned into a well known method for anticipating what's to come. Concerning this, a Tarot perusing is actually a custom regardless of whether formal attire and gear are not utilized. By the common arrangement of their meeting up for the express reason, a kind of agreement is shaped between a querent and the mediator of the prophet. The soonest printed composition on Tarot cards utilized in this sort of way appears to have showed up in Italy around 1540 in the work Le Sorti by Marolino. Be that as it may, the main unambiguous proof of Tarot divination, as it is usually perceived, can be found in Bologna at some point in the mid 1700s. Obviously, it is realized that customary playing a card game were associated with divination as right on time as 1487, so it is sensible to guess that the Tarot may have been too.

There is no proof that the early Tarot had Kabbalistic or Hermetic qualities, and it should be perceived that the cards are a result of the early Italian Renaissance. During this time a variety of ways of thinking flourished. These went from soothsaying and Pythagorean numerology to Hermetic and Christian philosophies. Any, or all, of these topics, might have engraved themselves into the later plans. Clearly a significant part of the symbolism is drawn from the Christian culture of Medieval and Renaissance Europe. In any case, it should be perceived that the Tarot has as of late become a mainstay of the secret practice, acquiring impact from different exclusive ways of thinking. Along these lines, it wasn't until hundreds of years after the Tarot sprung up that enthusiasts of the mysterious in France and England experienced the cards and saw exclusive implications in the cryptic imagery of the cards.

In specific conditions, it was unavoidable that elective religions or otherworldly thoughts would need to shroud themselves in secret codes, painstakingly protected and spread the word about just to the started. Along these lines, the Tarot fills in as a fundamental abstract of reasoning and folklore that presents the cyclic idea of life and passing in an image framework that can be perceived by youngsters, uneducated people, and researchers the same. A Tarot deck fills in as a huge mother lode of mysterious legend. It is a bunch of exclusive cheat sheets intended to enlighten even the most scholarly understudy of the esoteric secrets. From various perspectives, the Tarot is a middle age comparable to contemporary devices of brain research, for example, the Rorschach or TAT test. The cards can be a guide to mental mindfulness and otherworldly turn of events, hence going about as an aide along your way throughout everyday life.

This interest with the cards prompted the current standing Tarot has as a mysterious relic and apparatus of divination. The principal such recondite reference to the Tarot showed up in "The Fame and Confession of the Rosicrucians," distributed in 1612. In this assemblage of composing, the Tarot was given the name ROTA. It was portrayed as a gadget that will be counseled for data concerning the past, present, and future. Then, at that point, the Comte de Mellet, whose short article on the Tarot was distributed in Court de Gebelin's Le Monde Primitif, in 1781, was quick to compose of a Kabbalistic association between the Hebrew letters in order and the Tarot. In that very year, Antoine Court de Gebelin made his own Tarot deck and asserted that the Major Arcana was an old Egyptian book containing secret insight. Afterward, Alliette took up Gebelin's thoughts, under the turned around name Etteilla, and he considered the Tarot the "Book of Thoth."

Etteilla asserted that his Tarot deck reestablished the first Egyptian plan. Etteilla additionally designed present day cartomancy utilizing spreads. He would even spread out a whole deck of cards in certain readings. Also, his card implications were the supporting of contemporary Anglo-American Tarot. The representations of French-fit trumps withdraw significantly from the more seasoned Italian-fit plan, leaving a considerable lot of the Renaissance figurative themes. The original of French-fit Tarot decks showed up around 1740 and portrayed scenes of creatures on the trumps. Be that as it may, around 1800, a more prominent assortment of decks were created, for the most part with veduta or class workmanship. In any case, Etteilla's interest with the connections between the Tarot and the Kabbalah prompted revelations made by Eliphas Levi, who promoted the associations between the Kabbalah and the Tarot in his 1856 work, The Dogma and Ritual of High Magic. This was the set up design that Samuel Liddel MacGregor Mathers would later expand on to frame the Golden Dawn Tarot deck.

Mathers, the top of the Golden Dawn, would ultimately record these obscure traits of the Tarot in a great original copy entitled Book T, written in 1887. Their work zeroed in a ton on the Major Arcana ("Greater Secrets"). This normally comprises of a progression of cards now and then start with the Fool as number 0 or finishing with it as number 22, contingent upon the deck. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn caused the Tarot to relate with the Kabbalah all the more intently by putting the Fool card before the Magician, rather than before the Universe. They additionally traded Justice with Strength. All the more significantly, they arranged the implications of the Minor Arcana comprising of 56 cards, partitioned into four suits of 14 cards each. Then, at that point, a significant occasion in the change of the Tarot happened in 1910 with the distribution of A. E. Waite's Key to the Tarot which was given with an entire 78-card deck of elusively planned magnum opuses. These incorporated the development of scene plans for the pip cards, which were painted by Pamela Coleman Smith who was an individual from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, alongside Arthur Edward Waite. Rider was only the distributer.

The Rider-Waite deck has since become the most well known form of the Tarot among the majority. In any case, in 1944 another individual from the Golden Dawn composed a stunningly better book entitled The Book of Thoth. This powerful original copy was carefully assembled by in all honesty the well known and notorious Aleister Crowley himself. Then, at that point, he dispatched Lady Frieda Harris to paint what might turn into the Thoth Tarot in 1969. The outlines of the deck highlight imagery dependent on Crowley's fuse of symbolism from numerous different disciplines, including science and reasoning and different mysterious frameworks, as portrayed exhaustively in The Book of Thoth. Crowley initially planned the Thoth Tarot to be a six-month project pointed toward refreshing the conventional pictorial imagery of the standard deck. In any case, because of expanded extension, the undertaking at last traversed five years, somewhere in the range of 1938 and 1943 and the two craftsmen passed on before distribution in 1969 by the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), which they were the two individuals from. All things considered, the Thoth Tarot has gotten a standout amongst other selling and most well known decks on the planet.

Like the Sistine Chapel, the Tarot is an ideal combination of craftsmanship and otherworldliness. This has assisted with making the Tarot a foundation of present day mystery and an inconceivably helpful apparatus for specialists the world over. I have actually utilized the Thoth Tarot for over 25 years now and albeit numerous different decks have come out since the 1960s, I trust Crowley's deck to be the genuine finish of the cards. While every one of the prior endeavors outlined their point in a straightforward type of a pictorial story, Crowley effectively disconnected the themes by communicating the significance of the cards in a mind boggling imagery. This does, notwithstanding, make it hard for a layman to utilize the deck. Notwithstanding, the fact is that all that has paved the way to this second has assisted with guaranteeing that the Tarot will fill in as the essential system whereupon resulting Western mystery will be established.

From various perspectives, the cards recount the most established story of humankind finishing the Fool a "saint's excursion", as depicted by Joseph Campbell. This additionally harmonizes with the early stage symbolism of the mind, which Carl Jung called paradigms. In the most specialized sense, accomplishing the Philosopher's Stone and climbing the Tree of Life is equivalent to the Fool's Journey through the Major Arcana. They are altogether steps to Enlightenment. All in all, the Tarot talks the normal tongue of the human spirit. Thusly, it tends to be viewed as the reason for the current images and codes of esoterica, following right back to the Italian Renaissance. In this way, the cartomancers of the world have the keys to everything in it. Eventually, the Tarot is an authentic pictorial authoritative handbook for the mysterious lessons of the ages. Accordingly, it has been with us for quite a long time and it will stay with us for centuries…

#tarot tarotcards tarotreading tarotreadersofinstagram tarotreader tarotcommunity tarotcard tarotreadings tarotdeck tarotcardoftheday tarotar

3 notes · View notes

carelessgraces · 4 years

Text

@arzhur

The cards sing in her hand, and if she listens closely, she can hear them whispering, urging her to listen, listen, there is something we must tell you, there are things that you must know.

A reproduction of one of the lost Visconti-Sforza tarot decks — almost complete, absolutely perfect, over two hundred years old, preserved by magic and care in equal measure. They hum with power in her hands and Astoria can feel something responding inside of her, something that drives her forward, something that makes her move.

Two million pounds she spend on this. The auction had pulled her out of a job in Dresden — one that would have turned a handsome profit, no less. But the deck had been owned by an ancestor on her father’s side: a many-times great grandfather, an academic, an historian, a gift from his wife. When she closes her eyes she can smell the grass in the family’s vineyards in Friuli and she can taste the burst of grapes on her tongue and she can hear the rustle of wind in the vines and she knows it was two million pounds well spent, she knows that the magic answers the singing in her blood.

It’s a bright day, crisp and clear and surprisingly dry for London. The cards tug in her hands and she follows them; she has a half-charged phone and a bag slung over her shoulder and a jacket folded over her arm and nothing else, not even an idea of where she’s going. But she follows the cards, trust where they guide her. The card at the top of the deck sings the loudest, but it tells her, not yet, not yet, just wait.

Paddington. She steps up to the ticket window and clears her throat, and she speaks before she knows what she’s going to say.

“One way to Oxford.”

She had dreamed of Oxford when she was a girl. She had dreamed of the cobbled stone of Logic Lane and the cathedral at Christ Church and the grass under her feet, and she wonders more than she cares to admit if she might have pursued an education there, had things worked out differently, had she not been drawn into the Carrows’ schemes and suffered for it.

Outside the window, the English countryside flies past her, and she keeps the deck in her hands, still refusing to turn the card over. The cards are practically trembling with excitement the closer she comes to the city, and she tells herself to trust in the magic and where it brings her.

She wonders sometimes if she would be the same person without that history, that anger, that grief. If she would be softer or kinder, had she been shown gentleness when she was young, or if she would simply be weak.

This early in the morning, the train only takes an hour to reach its destination. She steps into the sun, watches for a moment as the world moves around her, everyone in sync with the breath and pulse of the city. She loves cities: they all have an identity. New York wants to devour her, to see if it can stomach her; London wants to leave her be; Dublin and Boston both welcome her with a chaotic and desperate love. Oxford opens its arms to her and waits.

The cards tug at her again. She steps off the platform, into Oxford’s waiting embrace.

Down one street, then another, past the cobbled stone of Logic Lane. Astoria follows where the cards lead, follows when they urge her to sneak into one building, to walk past a single office, and to walk back out.

Dr. James Pendragon. Curious name. She keeps the cards in one hand and pulls out her phone with the other; the picture on his faculty page won’t load, but a list of publications does. Focus in history and literature — perhaps a member of a center for medieval studies. Does Oxford have a focus in that field? She can’t recall. Emphasis in Arthuriana, and she almost laughs. Did he change his name to fit his field, or did the name prompt the interest in the first place?

Her phone dims to save battery and she puts it back in her jacket pocket, the messenger bag holding her books and a bottle of water banging against her hip as the cards tug her out of the building and toward another.

Through a door. Past a bored-looking administrative assistant who only glances Astoria’s way, takes in the leather jacket and the low heel of her boots and the close fit of her jeans and assumes student and waves her along; past a small gaggle of actual students, huddled together to study for a test about to begin in another room. Up one flight of stairs, then another, then another, and she pulls her scarf off and shoves it into her bag. The cards start to feel warm in her grasp, and if she looks closely, there’s a faint glow to her palm.

Fascinating, she thinks, and then she approaches a closed door and the cards fly out of her hand like they’re exploding, smack against the door hard enough to shake it. There’s no one around to see it, and so Astoria simply stands and stares for a moment before crouching down to gather everything back. One card lands face-down, and the glow emanating from it is powerful enough that it almost hurts her eyes.

She counts them to be sure she has them all, and when she’s certain, she opens the door as quietly as she can, slips into the nearest empty seat. The lecture hall is full and the man at the center has a book open in his hand as he reads aloud.

Another time she would notice the brightness of his eyes and the clever curve of his mouth but now all she notices is his voice, the sheer sorrow in each word as he reads. She recognizes the work as Chrétien de Troyes — Lancelot, le Chevalier de la Charette. The students look enraptured, despite the language barrier; she doubts many of them can translate Old French off the cuff, or that they know the texts well enough to be able to catch up to where he is.

It’s the only part of Chrétien’s work she knows. The professor looks up from his reading and his eyes meet hers and he smiles. The sorrow vanishes from his expression if only for a moment, and, clearly recognizing that she is an interloper, he asks, “What does Chrétien mean here? Miss — ?”

She doesn’t provide her name just yet. Names have power. But she speaks all the same, voice soft even though it carries; the gentle lilt of her Dublin accent sounds almost musical in these halls. “Lancelot can fulfill his task despite the difficulty.”

“And why is that?”

“The knight has only one heart,” she translates, grinning in spite of herself at the expression of pleased surprise on his face, “and this one is no longer his.”

Another student raises her hand and the professor looks away from her to answer it. Carefully, so as to avoid drawing attention to herself, Astoria leans forward and sets the deck on the desk in front of her. The glow has settled into something faint and warm, and she takes in a slow breath before she carefully turns the top card from the deck.

Death. The pale rider on his pale horse, scythe hanging down at his side. It’s the same model as in the Cary-Yale collection — is Death as a knight a common motif? She doubts it. She covers the card quickly again, closes her eyes for only a moment, and she sees a flash of a landscape she doesn’t recognize, hears the sound of unfamiliar laughter, very nearly chokes on the overwhelming taste of blood in her mouth.

She opens her eyes, slips the deck safely into her bag, sits back in her seat and waits. He looks back at her and he smiles again. The taste of blood doesn’t fade.

#(chretien de troyes translation from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/831/831-h/831-h.htmlink2H_4_0006)#(i fuckin WISH i could remember & translate old french off the cuff but)#(anyway if you want me to change anything lmk !!!)#(friend this is LONG!)#(under the cut strictly for length & so that if you reblog this one you don't have to scroll for fifty years)#arzhur #thread: arzhur002 #v. it hurt for the first few times but at last i've learned to love a little blood in my wine. ( main timeline: modern witch | collector )

1 note · View note

two-old-guys-emporium · 6 years

Text

Different Types Of Tarot Card Decks

Used In Psychic Reading

The Tarot is a deck of cards that has been used as a form of divination for over 500 years. The Tarot was used as a type of game in Italy. The deck was quickly adapted for use as a way to tell the future. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was one of the first occult groups to make the Tarot popular. The Tarot is the most popular divination tool in the West.

Some of the Tarot decks used today are:

The Ator Tarot- This is a whimsical take on the Rider Waite Tarot. It depicts adorable characters that make this deck a good choice for those looking for a new and refreshing look at divination.

The Benedetti Tarot- Is a deck that is painted on gold leaf. The Visconti Tarot inspired this deck. This deck is the choice of psychic readers who want to bring a bit of elegance to the reading.

The Cat People Tarot- Gives a glimpse of lands that are far away. It features mystics and their cat companions. This is the best deck for those who are into divining human imagination.

The Colman Smith Tarot- Is a more modern version of the Rider Waite Tarot deck. The original drawings and psychedelic colors are a new approach to psychic readings.

The Curious Tarot- This is the most unusual of the modern Tarot decks. The characters are eerie with the way they capture the workings of an atomic age. There are only 100 of these decks in circulation.

The Golden Tarot- This modern deck is more a medieval rendition. This deck is the choice of those who are great thinkers.

The Haindl Tarot- Is a wonderful rendition of the traditions of many forms of divination in one deck.

The International Icon Tarot- Is a Swiss rendition of traditional Tarot symbolism. This is a more humorous approach to psychic reading. This is one of the most popular decks.

The Lovecraft Tarot- Is a tribute to H. P. Lovecraft and his writings. This is a great choice for those who are fascinated by the macabre.

The Marseilles Tarot- Originates from the 18th century and is 200 years older than the Rider Waite deck. Many use this deck and feel it is best for the divination of common people.

The Minciate Tarot- this deck is made of over 97 cards, 19 more than most Tarot decks. This rendition of a surviving 18th century deck is considered the most powerful of all divination tools. It provides deep insight to any questions asked.

The Palladini Tarot- A Tarot deck created to merge the ancient with the future. The renditions use elements of ancient Egypt and modern art. This deck is a favorite with new Tarot students.

The Phoenix Tarot- Is one of the most beautiful of the decks created in the 20th century. This deck and it’s vibrant colors bring new life to the Tarot.

There are more Tarot decks available but space does not permit the entire list to be given.

Try a Psychic Reading Phone or Email. As a thank you for having a reading we would like send to you Crystal power. Make sure we have your correct address.

Beautiful tumbled Stone is Randomly picked by the Psychic.

We have Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Quartz Crystal, Tiger Eye, Citrine, Hematite one of

These tumbled stones is ONE is randomly pick for you with the Psychic

https://two-old-guys-emporium.co.place/wp/

Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn

Tumblr Pinterest

from Metaphysical Emporium https://two-old-guys-emporium.co.place/wp/2019/02/15/different-types-of-tarot-card-decks/

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

Text

THINKS: Max Guy

For this week’s THINKS to Think I present to you an artist who shares an interest with myself, one which is becoming more and more popular in a time of alternative facts and disturbing realities, it seems. Here is Max Guy, on tarot:

Dear Keeley,

I’ve been having difficulty thinking of what I might contribute in regards to tarot and tarot reading, which is a relatively new practice for me.

Does tarot itself need an introduction? Tarot are playing cards, typically in a deck of 78 with five suits that include the twenty-two major arcana and 56 minor arcana divided into suits (originally the suits were: cups, coins, wands and swords). Each card is ascribed an archetype or quality that serves as the basis for cartomancy; a typical read involves a questioner shuffling a deck with a question in mind, pulling one or more cards from it and interpreting them. An individual can read the cards for themselves or for another person. The most common spreads (a combination of cards laid out to interpret) are probably the ‘Celtic-Cross,’ which uses 10 cards to devise a narrative, or a three-card draw, in which cards correspond to past, present, and future events respectively.

For this Celtic Cross spread, some time in 2017, I asked no question.

My introduction to tarot was pretty unremarkable. Perhaps like many other good things one finds affinity towards, I did not expect that reading the cards would become such an important daily ritual. I started reading tarot a little under a year ago in October of 2016, after returning to Chicago from a three-month stay in New York City. One night at my friend Laura’s house, rather than going out for a drink, we decided to stay in and read the cards for one another. She had recently moved into her own apartment and also accepted a full-time position; I was looking forward to a fresh start in Chicago with a part-time job. I tend to keep a photographic record of all of my readings but these first readings – hers and mine – have disappeared. My question though, regarded finding secondary work and was, in hindsight, a trivial one; the answer was rightfully confusing.

Since that first reading I have purchased three decks: the classic Rider-Waite deck designed by Pamela Coleman Smith, Rachel Pollack’s Shining Tribe Tarot, and Susanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 deck. Some of the books I’ve picked up along the way to learn more about the tarot are Tarot for One by Courtney Weber, The Way of the Tarot by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marianne Costa, Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism translated by Robert Powell and the Shining Tribe Tarot by Rachel Pollack. Lastly, Italo Calvino’s book The Castle of Crossed Destinies has been incredibly influential in my understanding of the types of narratives that can be constructed and the freedom and malleability of interpretation of the cards.

Comparing the Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, and Two of Wands in Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 Deck (left) and Rachel Pollack’s Shining Tribe Tarot (right).

Tarot has also proved cathartic within the present political climate in which the truth is obscured by alternative facts and fake news. Tarot turns such things into a game; by shuffling the cards and meditating on past, present and future events we are prepare ourselves for the unknown. We celebrate the presence of chance.

I don’t have a real investment in the mystical, psychoanalytic or occult studies that typically enlist the tarot as a supplement. For example, some people use the cards in order to elaborate on astrological readings. Because of this I often have difficulty describing my own interest in tarot. It probably appeals to my interests in symbolism, sequential art, collecting, but more than anything, tarot is social. I frequently post readings and spreads on Instagram (@m_xg_y).

Following, is a list of notes on the cards that will likely appear as vague to many readers, but have certainly helped me flesh out my own approach and investment:

1. Tarot is a game.

2. That tarot is a game should not discount its graveness. That we come to tarot with questions already says quite a bit.

3. Tarot is a system of divination like palm reading, geomancy, astrology, necromancy etc. it is a way of speaking and listening to chance.

4. Tarot circumscribes the unknowable, the unspeakable?

5. To read for another person implies some mutual agreement between questioner and reader. This agreement is not necessarily on the meaning of the cards, but on how the cards are to be used. A reader and questioner may have just met, and the encounter demands mutual respect.

6. Tarot cards present narrative archetypes and memes. They are problematic in the way they inspire hyperbole and superstition.

7. Tarot will never grant ethical superiority to a reader or questioner.

8. Consider the nature of the question when you ask it. More often than not, we ask ourselves questions that we already know the answer to. Other times, a question can reveal a present mindset or concern at the root of a problem. Why are you asking in the first place?

9. Sometimes, a question can be distracting us from the topic at hand; anxiety forestalls action.

10. Some say that tarot works best when a question is “open,” more general. Hypothetical questions work well.

11. A good exercise is to read without questions, shuffling and drawing a card on which to meditate. Even this has its trappings, such as when an interpretation becomes prescriptive.

12. It is important to contextualize the read, considering the present moment, the limits of retrospection and foresight. How far into the future or past are you looking, are you reflecting on a present state of mind?

13. The Rider-Waite deck, in contrast to the images on earlier decks such as the Marseilles or the Visconti pack, presents almost entirely figurative imagery. In some ways, decks that use figuration challenge the reader to be less hyperbolic, and reflect on our implicit biases. Decks such as the Marseilles or the Visconti make use of numerology.

A card I pulled after the second date with my girlfriend, in June of 2017.

14. Even cards like the Devil and Death can be interpreted with optimism.

15. Of the 78 cards in a typical deck, none of the cards are really opposite of another, although in combination they can present ironies and contradictions.

16. When a card is drawn upside-down, it is in reverse, but this reversal is not the opposite of the card in upright position. For example: the reversal of the Death card does not imply life or resurrection, but instead symbolizes stagnancy. There is a card for love, but the reversal does not imply hate. A reversal can even be affirmative.

17. Bad omens are scary, good omens are encouraging! Do not be afraid to express yourself when reading. Be mindful of your reactions. Tenderness is a virtue.

18. To read tarot well is to read or interpret aspects of oneself rather than attribute foresight to the image before us. In thinking through the nature of a question we are thinking through how to proceed in life and otherwise.

19. If there is such a thing as mastery of the tarot, the master will have found a powerful vehicle for skepticism. People talk about a “gift” in tarot, and I believe it is a combination of skepticism, self-awareness and tenderness.

20. Maybe mastery of tarot will allow the cards to be replaced by sticks and stones, or investing.

Peace!

Max

Max Guy is an artist. You can find information about him here.

Episode 214: Constellations: Paintings from the MCA Collection

Episode 32: Lane Relyea

Are immigrants better at putting deconstruction to work?

Episode 492: Tucker Nichols

THINKS: Max Guy published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

1 note · View note

nofomoartworld · 7 years

Text

THINKS: Max Guy

Dear Keeley,

I’ve been having difficulty thinking of what I might contribute in regards to tarot and tarot reading, which is a relatively new practice for me.

For this Celtic Cross spread, some time in 2017, I asked no question.

Comparing the Wheel of Fortune, Four of Pentacles, and Two of Wands in Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 Deck (left) and Rachel Pollack’s Shining Tribe Tarot (right).

Following, is a list of notes on the cards that will likely appear as vague to many readers, but have certainly helped me flesh out my own approach and investment:

1. Tarot is a game.

2. That tarot is a game should not discount its graveness. That we come to tarot with questions already says quite a bit.

3. Tarot is a system of divination like palm reading, geomancy, astrology, necromancy etc. it is a way of speaking and listening to chance.

4. Tarot circumscribes the unknowable, the unspeakable?

6. Tarot cards present narrative archetypes and memes. They are problematic in the way they inspire hyperbole and superstition.

7. Tarot will never grant ethical superiority to a reader or questioner.

9. Sometimes, a question can be distracting us from the topic at hand; anxiety forestalls action.

10. Some say that tarot works best when a question is “open,” more general. Hypothetical questions work well.

11. A good exercise is to read without questions, shuffling and drawing a card on which to meditate. Even this has its trappings, such as when an interpretation becomes prescriptive.

A card I pulled after the second date with my girlfriend, in June of 2016.

14. Even cards like the Devil and Death can be interpreted with optimism.

15. Of the 78 cards in a typical deck, none of the cards are really opposite of another, although in combination they can present ironies and contradictions.

17. Bad omens are scary, good omens are encouraging! Do not be afraid to express yourself when reading. Be mindful of your reactions. Tenderness is a virtue.

20. Maybe mastery of tarot will allow the cards to be replaced by sticks and stones, or investing.

Peace!

Max

Max Guy is an artist. You can find information about him here.

Falling with Lora Fosberg

Sunday, September 22nd Edition of The EXPO Register

Communicating with the city itself: Minimaforms brings “Memory Cloud” to Detroit

TOP V. WEEKEND PICKS (8/25-8/31)

Expectations of Dogness: An Interview with Dillon de Give

from Bad at Sports http://ift.tt/2wbw3EP via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Bad at Sports