Fly Me to the Moon

When I buy a new tarot pack, the 8 of Cups is one I always look for before purchasing. I have a lot of history with this card, so in my own tarot set, I needed to get it right, visually.

When I woke up this morning, I was a little concerned that my deck was looking like a pack of 78 portraits, but on reflection, I feel a little less bothered. Thinking about it some more, I thought back to the very early Marseille cards from centuries ago. The beauty of those cards was in their simplicity, and despite the elaborate and scenic modern packs available, the Marseille and Visconti cards are still a favoured option for many readers today. My second thought was of my first intention. Even though it is wonderful to have had so much interest and support in this project, my initial brief was to do something which I liked and can use. Whether my cards are user-friendly on a wider scale or not, I would say that I am still addressing that initial desire in what I am creating.

The 8 of Cups is a card of moving on. In my own previous experience, it has predicted a friend's untimely end of work within a specific job, and my own mother's retirement. When the 8 of Cups arrives in a daily draw or reading, it suggests a need to leave something behind. Quite often, a person is dissatisfied and something is missing. The card advises them to make a drastic move in search of whatever this is.

I don't usually go on to MSN these days, but this morning I logged in. While there, I saw that my friend Pete was online, so I gave him a wave. We havn't spoken in a while, so it was nice to catch up. Since meeting online some years ago, Pete has considering relocating. For one reason or another, this desire was stunted a couple of times, but today, he announced that he will be moving to Brisbane in March. Knowing how much this means to him, I was really pleased to hear his news. It also got me to think about my deck, and in particular, the 8 of Cups, as a card of packing up and moving on.

Most versions of the 8 of Cups are pretty bleak. A solitary traveller throws one last glace at some kind of recognisable structure as he leaves it behind and makes his way towards an unknown future. Even though Pete will be leaving friends and family behind, I wonder if a card such as this needs to appear quite so negatively. There is warmth in deciding to seek out something we desire, which is why I have added bursts of citrus oranges and yellows to my own version.

In my illustration, Pete is smiling. I had a few different resource photographs for my drawing and in some he was a little more serious looking, but because I am so pleased that he had made a decision to move, I chose the happier of the bunch. Behind him flies a hot-air balloon. It is this balloon which will take him to his new destination. Brightly coloured and surrounded by magical stars, this vehicle will help Pete find what it is that is missing in his life, once and for all.