Developing Your Intuition with Magic Mirrors
by Uma Reed, illustrated by Richard Stodart
This is a powerful and dynamic little set that I think many people will simply love. It is so unique I can't comfortably compare it to tarot at all, even though it is a card system, and it is certainly a way to communicate with the Divine within.
Uma Reed created her first set of Magic Mirror cards for her young son's school carnival. She and a friend set up a fortune-telling tent that they thought would be fun for children, and their parents as well. Little did she expect to create something so beautiful and significant! Her original idea was to create cards that would speak to children, through simple, sincere symbols; that would not frighten or confuse, or be too heavy. She drew her own cards, and to them she assigned some basic meanings. She did not label or number the cards. This was a process of heart, and intuition. The cards were a hit with everyone she read for, people of all ages. After the carnival she began doing readings for others regularly, and eventually worked with a talented painter to create a set she could publish.
Reed's work with her own Magic Mirror cards grew steadily and she has been able to present to us a full system of use for the cards. She introduces her ideas clearly, sharing with us the importance of developing our intuition so that we can make better decisions, grow spiritually, and continue on our own life path. This set gives us a great opportunity to do this. The Magic Mirror cards are twelve cards that depict powerful single images. Like Reed's original cards, these are unnumbered and unlabeled. That is work for us to do . The first exercise in the book is getting to know the cards, and setting the stage for getting to know ourselves. We examine each card, and through our intuition, create our own "lexicon" of meanings. So, for the card that shows a lightning bolt, I have written in my notebook, "Something moving through life that causes disturbance. A charge, or abrupt energy. Things coming apart. Fear, insecurity, hiding - sometimes unfounded. Going through the difficult. Surviving the storm. Things clearing. Eventual peace." As we work with the cards, we can add to our lexicon. This exercise itself gets us in touch with our intuition because it causes us to listen, and to trust. We hear an inner message, whispered spontaneously, and we trust it. This is a crucial part of developing our intuition, and being able to understand the inner messages we receive.
The book offers a variety of spreads that reveal challenges in our lives, future influences, attitudes that must change, qualities we should hold onto, and things to remember about our life paths. The spreads are for the most part intended for self-development, transformation, and understanding, but will work equally well for mundane issues and simple divination.
The writing in the book is very warm and accessible. It is a written by a woman you can picture sitting in your living room, or chatting with over tea or coffee in your kitchen. It is a truly comfortable book, meant for everyone.
I was surprised by the power in this set. That is not to say it is mysterious - it isn't. Well, not really. There are no elemental or astrological correspondences, or Hebrew letters. There is nothing to remember, and there are no complicated interpretations to refer to. The symbols chosen should speak to everyone on some level. They are simple and direct. Some of them have obvious meanings - for example, the Yin Yang and the lotus will immediately be recognizable to many. But it is surprising to see how many meanings will arise from within, through intuition, to these simple images. And then to see them played out in a reading, illustrates how effective the set can really be. So the mystery then might be within us, within our ability to intuit what is not seen, to communicate in some way with the Divine, to go deep within and understand ourselves better, to find awareness through a dozen colorful cards.
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All writing © N.Levine - Illumination Tarot, unless otherwise noted.
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