Slay me at this beach. I shall take my own head and not watch! But lovely memories of a kind child overwhelm me with tears. Let me follow the sticks and my destiny. Now is not my time.
Nightmare strikes the west. All certainties are turned upside down. History has begun again. So bring the farce. Bring the infinite binary. Then let me die on my sword. What three are against me?
I liked them to face each other since they were drawn as a pair.
The Star
Rider Waite plus milk emerging from the nipples.
The reading
A fight! How can one take a coin to a sword fight? He will be killed surely. He holds up the coin and as the swordsman approaches merely says ‘buy me this life’. He is cut down viciously. The dead body looks up at the sky as it takes a last breath. A single star burns into his eye.
Guilt reeks. Lying in bed after a night of debauchery. The sun shines through the window. Checking my wallet I find just seven coins. I had two hundred last night.
A man labours over the coins. Each coin represents one coin time.
2. The Ace of Swords
The Sword decapitates the king and takes his crown.
3. The World.
When we look upon the world rationally it looks rationally back.
The reading
A man is hard at work making horseshoes. There are eight. Can we assume they are for two horses? A masked assassin bursts in and cuts off his head. His cloth cap falls to the floor and reveals a golden coin. The assassin takes the coin but doesn’t realise that it will bring him great misery.
He has gold but lives in a world of golden senses.
2. The Six of Pentacles
Bill Gates.
3. The Four of Pentacles
Jeff Bezos.
The reading
The poor wise hermit searching with his lamp. Searching for an honest man in daylight like Diogenes before him. He is not looking for an honest man but a rich man. The excel spreadsheet and the shopping basket full and resplendent with wealth and beauty. I won’t be so trite as to say these are worth nothing. The masters of capital have made fountains of gold.
I knew I would do something pornographic but decided to keep it relatively traditional with a ‘reverse cowgirl’ position taken from a French erotic illustrator.
The Emperor
Lacan’s graph of desire overlaid on US president Donald Trump.
The reading
An overflowing of emotion wells within me. Where is my lover? What cruelty that we are separated. And in this lustful anxiety a dark master has taken the reigns and put them upon us.
Money is the order of the day. A fortnight of deals!
The Queen of Pentacles
I had wanted to include Queen Elizabeth II and pentacles seemed a good choice as I wanted to put her on a fifty p coin. Unfortunately i drew her too big so that idea went down the drain.
The Ace of Pentacles
The Rider Waite has a hand so I drew my own hand with a coin in it.
The Ten of Pentacles
Elon Miusk occurred to me and only later did I realise it was probably because the roman numeral X looks like logo for X.
The reading.
Coin rules us all. Queens and thieves both. Take this coin and do what thou wilt!
Another beautiful boy! Strong but nimble. Running! Jumping! Loving!
The Four of Cups
Meditating on the three a fourth appears!
The reading
In the ideal life we begin with balance. A leaving ceremony. The boy sets off sword in hand. Finally he finds no adventure so sits under a tree and ponders his past, his present, and his future. In pondering these three a fourth is suggested. A fourth tense?
Thee times four. These three are ruled by the master of hell! They must serve him.
The Page of Wands
A mere boy full of hope. Simply drawn with a magic hat.
The Six of Swords
Taking a boat across a sea to three volcanoes. This boat is not built for seafaring. Will the swords make it.
The Devil
The biggest card!? I decided to free draw without reference and use the classic design of a naked man and woman chained to him. I think this is an interesting opposite to love as the divine. Do we taste both heaven and hell in sex?
The reading
Hail a beautiful boy has been born. AS he grows he takes his stick with pride and ventures to the woods. Discovering a stream? A pond! A lake! A sea! An ocean! Out of his depth and now a man he spies a beautiful woman. Love blossoms but a great danger is afoot in in this ecstasy.
The twin towers. Not the end of history but the beginning!
Justice
I had long ago decided to use the Metallica And Justice for All cover for this.
The Magician
The Magician is a great and major arcana. My first thought was a popular magician but I couldn’t think of any apart from Paul Daniels who doesn’t interest me. I decided to just free draw and for some reason Pamela Anderson came to mind. I original drew her with a large erect penis but it looked a little odd so I painted over it in gold.
The Nine of Pentacles
The Rider Waite is a pretty woman in a gown. Diana’s wedding came to mind so I used her and put the pentacles in her train.
The reading
Guilt rules your dreams. The sword of justice comes for you. But you are saved by wakefulness. The magician offers you a deal. Your wedding day and nine million dollars. But you must also be made immortal. Why tricks are hidden in this offer?
Ten fingers of course! Two hands with which to commit acts glorious or evil!
1. The Two of Cups
All minor arcana today. The two of cups users the motif of lovers and I have been itching for a pornographic card so here we are. Lesbian lovers perhaps.
2 The Seven of Wands
A male fighter. I may simply use a boxer here against all seven wands.
3 The Five of swords
Majestic sky. Warrior with three swords and two enemies vanquished.
The reading
Lovers at night. Drinking from the cups of life. The cups of love and hate. But there is a masculine violence repressed. The lover failed. Take these seven sticks! Render them in steel. There are five now. I have three so take them off me. But how I wish I could return to that eden of pure loveliness. The vision of two woman that set me on my path.
I may be being overly literal and have great appreciation of the wisdom of a pretty young man but Jim Carrey was the first comedian who came to mind when thinking of a mainstream fool.
2. The Ten of Cups
Nothing really jumped out to me but I like the traditional use of a rainbow particularly with black and gold. I considered a pride theme from the rainbow but quite liked the simple happy scene of the Rider Waite deck.
3. The Queen of Swords
The reading
Laughter. Half demonic half divine. Wakes the soul to a beauty and an ugliness. What black rainbow is this. Laced with gold. A dark rainbow but sheer delight. Then the murderous queen. In eastern lands what evil has resulted from such an innocent joke?
A dandy. A pretty young man. I could have thought of something better than the Rider Waite deck that I lazily copied in hindsight. Like my copy the very thing was decadent and unimaginative.
2. The Three of Pentacles
Again a straight copy but I enjoy the intrigue of the three figures in a religious building. A fool. A monk. A spy.
3. The Ten of Swords
Again a straight copy but the body with ten swords is a great card.
The reading
The decadent youth spends hi father’s money on fine clothes and ridiculous cocktails. After getting drunk on a fish blood mix he gambles away the last of his inheritance. Forced to a criminal investment he makes enemies with the wrong people. Three thieves meet to plot his murder. When they find him drunk they pin him to the ground with ten swords. One fore every thousand he owes. They stab him with four and three and three. The body is left outside the town for weeks before being found.
Five coins in a stained glass window. Warm yellow light spills out into the snow and onto beggar in the street. Those warm inside know nothing of the scene.
2. The Ten of Wands
Ten fingers. Wooden fingers. Not the bundle but ten fingers pointing upward. Counting and numbers. Digits and hands.
3. The Queen of Wands
Queen Elizabeth the first. Not the second who can go on a pentacle!
The reading
Cold. Winter. Snow falls on my broken leg. Plans are brewing. Take the hands and gather wood. Without a fire we are ruined. The ten fingers are burnt and a lady arrives. She rides a grand horse through the snow. She sees the fire of fingers and is struck by the terrible scene.