Don't forget the book for this tarot deck:
Crow's Magick (book), by Londa Marks, US Games, (elementary) $10.00
Measurements: 2.8 x 4.75 inches, or 70 x 120 mm.
Back of card: A white border, identical to the one on the front. A solid black field. A thin red frame. Two red crows in flight, one upright, one inverted. These cards can be inverted.
Booklet included: Yes, 31 pages, 2.45 x 4 inches, or 63 x 101 mm. Text by the author, Londa Marks. Aside from the introductory page about crows, the remainder is typical of booklets this size.
Publisher: US Games. Cards printed in Belgium.
Comments: Not all cards have crows on them. A lot of the crows look like eagles to me. Notice Londa's initial, L, on the Ace of Cups. The Lovers card has, overtly at least, degenerated into a "twin soul" (as printed on the card). It depicts a naked female & male back to back but there is still a coiled snake at the bottom of the card to remind us of Adam & Eve & the decision in the Garden of Eden to choose conscious knowledge over mindless pleasures. Decision is the keynote of the card, not love or sex.
The hanged man is not hung, but crucified upside down (a la St. Peter), another Christian reference that peeks out of the cards. What can we make of this? When he was to be crucified, Peter, in memory of Christ's crucifixion, asked to be crucified upside down so as not to dishonor the memory of his great teacher. So if I were to see this card in a reading I might think, here is a man who is fated for a transformation beyond his wishes or control, but who has chosen his final position for private reasons. This is far from the "standard" readings of the hanged man & again points up the importance of what is actually shown on the card, and, what the reader brings to it.
Londa points out, correctly, that crows are highly intelligent animals, capable of a variety of intelligent forms of behavior. It would be more correct to say that birds in general are highly intelligent creatures (with the exception of turkeys & chickens bred for food - they're sadly beyond stupid). A friend of mine house-trained Japanese bantam roosters as a girl. One lived to the age of 18 or 19, a mere three times the accepted life expectancy for the breed. He enjoyed watching TV.
In addition to crows, various large cats (lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc) and various other birds are shown on the cards, along with lizards, people & a few assorted other creatures. All cards have black backgrounds. A stark contrast to her first deck.
The Astrology Center of America
207 Victory Lane, Bel Air, MD 21014 Tel: 410-638-7761; Toll-free (orders only): 800-475-2272
