My name is Laura [they/she] -- welcome to my channel, Aquamarine18 (named for my birthstone, aquamarine, and the major arcana card associated with my sun sign, Pisces, which is XVIII: The Moon). Here you'll find predominantly divination-related content, including book and deck reviews, walk-throughs, spread designs, tags, and discussions of related topics. I also love to read and share mini-reviews of all the books I've read at the end of each month (a mix of fiction - mostly SFF - and non-fiction). As a practicing Druid I also like to share components of my practice and study.
Loved your discussion here! Great Justice cards! I need to steal your explanation of how intersectionality isn't meant to primarily be about identity, but about interlocking systems and operations of power...
Hey Laura!! I have pulled Justice a couple times in my daily draw and couple significant manifestations (very on earth). 1. I got out of coverage assignments for coworker who was in a six months leave. 2. My promotion was announced to me. These were both justice as a small sign of “fairness”.
💜 These are great Justice moments! Justice was what I drew in our last tarot class activity so I'm going to be thinking on it. Congratulations on your promotion!!
Hi! Lovely to hear your thoughts on this deck, it's been one of my favourites for a while. Thanks for the link to the interview with the creator too. I'd missed that, so will be watching it next. This deck was not on my radar at all, until it popped up on a local trading site and I was intrigued.. boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I love the thoughtfulness that went in to the deck and the materials used to create it and the card stock is now my favourite, it feels exquisite and I love handling it.
This deck is so pretty and I love so many cards. I just haven’t gotten it yet because some cards (like the 5 and 7 of swords) are just so specific… But oh man, those cups courts were lovely.
💜 They are! There are definitely a few that feel a bit constraining on interpretation for sure. I find most RWS system decks have this for me, to varying extents.
This was so so wonderful! I loved every single one of your choices and your thought proving and impassioned discussion of Justice 💕💕💕 These are the conversations I want us to be having here: for me, you are a star of the TarotTube world! 💕🤩💕
Absolutely love hearing you speak and i absolutely agree with the way you see the justice card. Justivr from Aunty K is 🔥 always love the Next World and Numinous as well 💓
Hello! Nice to meet you. I found your from Letsbetarotfriends tag. This Tarot deck is just beautiful. Thank you for sharing! Nice to meet you. New subscriber.
Yes Laura listening and seeing all the lushness has relaxed me from the inside out into a trance of blissful delight. Thank you for your lovely knowledge 💚💞💜
I enjoyed this catchup. Was going to comment on how much I like your green glasses, and then I realized your pen match! Getting caught up after being away from TarotTube for a while. I liked your Marseilles May and glad you're enjoying BenDov - his history is faulty but his reading approach is cool and I've used some of his tips in my own readings.
💜 OMG the pen and glasses match was totally unintended - I just have a lot of green stuff - but now I'm all about it. Yes the tarot history... not so much, but I've liked a lot of BenDov. I do find myself inspired to perhaps make a video about the extent that artist/author intention impacts card meaning (or doesn't) -- he describes the meaning he finds in so many tiny lines and shapes in the tarot while also having nothing of the creator's intention to work with - just going on what he sees - which I find very interesting especially with the deck like the one he's using.
Can't believe I'm only now seeing this awesome video!!! Love that excerpt on the inherent nature of queerness challenging the cis hetero patriarchy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as well as these super lovely decks!!!
💚 It is excellent - spans a *lot* of philosophy -- centuries, and many different angles. I am excited to dive back into it now that I've read the rest of my Apprentice curriculum books and come up with something for a final essay topic.
@@aquamarine18 I have a copy, but I need to finish my end of term marking before I start reading it. Final essay topic? What does the essay have to be about? What's the next level in your Druidry organization? (sorry, I'm full of questions)
💚 I do worry about the potential for the books to (negatively) impact my love of the deck BUT... they're on the e-reader. I suspect I will read at least one at some point.
Yes! You popped up on my feed, and I had to watch. I usually wait until I have done my video. I agree, I am really enjoying the process and the good hard look at what my process is for choosing a favorite card. I am already thinking about what I like to see and why. The challenge both separates us as individual readers and gathers us together as students. 🫠 I was really happy to see North Atlantic. I remember you doing a walkthrough of that deck eons ago! 💙🩵💚
💚 North Atlantic is the single most impulsively bought deck in my collection - I saw it on a friend's channel, went searching, found it as print on demand, and bought it - and I continue to use and enjoy it.
I’m always so amazed and impressed by your reading accomplishments! Mine pale in comparison! I’m planning on continuing to read the Mary Russel/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R. King with The Lantern’s Dance, and continue reading T Susan Chang’s 36 Secrets, and Maria Minnis’ ’ Tarot for the Hard Work. Happy reading, my friend.
💚 Happy Reading! I will be keen to hear what you think about 36 Secrets. I can see doing the decan walk perhaps at some point but I'd want to start at "the beginning" so it won't be for a while. I think Tarot for the Hard Work may be my next tarot read - it's on my shelf with a bookmark in it ready to go!
Aww, what an adorable Hermit is that first cat! I really like the concept for the Hermit Card from the Tarot Serene,- being a hermit-y cancerian, that one is very appropriate. I love that you have put all your amazing and insightful Top Tarot Trumps videos into one playlist, Laura! I'm so happy you are here!⏳💙🕯
💚 I am having a lot of fun with this series! It is getting me to look at decks I haven't used for a while, and also has me appreciating the very wide range of representations and styles in my collection and in tarot in general.
Very excited to see some more VRs from you! Thanks for sharing this one; that fave movie/movie genre is definitely a lethal prompt. I couldn't imagine narrowing it down sp easy. 😅
💚 Right?! I have seen and liked too many. I have a hard enough time choosing what to watch on a given night -- we sit here, a Pisces and a Libra, spending an hour discussing the streaming service's offering then watching nothing.
Hahaha I feel that comment about the pages of half finished planning in my soul 😂 I always say I don’t like sci-fi but I’m always watching it. I just watched the new sci fi on Netflix today 🤫 Tarot of the Magical Forest is so stinking cute. Especially w/o the borders. I don’t know why I don’t have it. Maybe I’m waiting on the borderless printing that may never come lol.
Three Body Problem? 💚 If so, what did you think of it? I read the first book in that trilogy -- I would like to check out the show, but then I have to give up ever finishing the books because apparently the first season really makes a lot of changes, including the setting (which in the book is China) and mixing content from all three books together in a different order.
This tag has been on my video to do list for a while too! I like it as you get to know a little more about the tarottuber. I liked your answers and I dont think I have a favourite film either. 😊
Lauraaaaaa! 17 million years later my AuDHD brain decides it can process information haha but this was super fun getting to see a bit of your space. PS love the tshirt 😀 To the rotation question, yeah, I think it really depends on your space and how accessible your shelves are, in addition to the thing where some people focus on specific decks for a time period. I think what I'm realizing is whenever I try to focus on decks I... don't 😂 though that's honestly more that I don't read much than anything, haha. I thought if I had decks out on the coffee table it would inspire me to read more but tbh step one would be GET OFF YOUR DAMN COMPUTER Avory. LOL babysteps. Having my shelves right by my computer means they're not really accessible for a random grab when I'm in an ideal, sitting at my table, doing a big spread zen space, but given my reality, I think it's helpful that I can just grab a random-ass deck and pull a single card, which happens more often anyway! I started doing a practice with clients at the start of a session where we each just pull a card to see where our energies are and how they're in relation to each other, and most months aside from weekly and monthly pulls these are the only cards I actually pull! I also now keep a Holly Simple oracle right next to my monitor, and that's good when I think of it to just pull a very simple, single keyword card for the day that I can prop on my monitor stand. It's all about having the practice meet you where you are, I guess 🙂 Actually kind of glad it took me so long to watch these because it ended up being a good time for me to reflect on my practice and how I'm reading, and particularly going through some health stuff for my mom, I'm getting some inspiration around tarot and travel and what a practice might look like when I'm less stable. ❤
I've worked with this oracle and quite enjoy it. You're right the the author's comments are insightful. Not sure why I stopped using it but you've inspired me to use it again. I like your idea of combining it with the Tarot of other oracles. One thing I did was go through the book and draw the different dice combinations for the 'hexagons' so they are an easy reference when I leaf through the book.
I'm thoroughly enjoying watching everyone's VR's to this tag. I loved the variety of your choices and especially how the architect tarot related to casting a circle. What was the name of the 5th deck you chose?
That third question….. I’m quite happy with my tarot practice atm, it does wax and wane though! I’m currently at a high point. Loving tarot so much and reading for myself daily: I’ve also done a fair amount of reading for friends lately and I’m going to start reading at a metaphysical shop. RS and being with tarot people really invigorated and enlivened my love of tarot. Being around so many other “tarot people” was just such a rush and so fun! Ideally, I would like to have more tarot people locally and not just online. I’d love to have a monthly tarot study group or something of that nature. All in all feeling really happy and satisfied with my tarot practice!
So appreciate your ramble. I too would like to commit more time and energy in general to my tarot practice. And right now my priority is two small children. The nuances you teased out were helpful for me.
💚 I'm glad! I feel really cognizant of wanting "more time" lately - I think it's partly that with the springtime, all I want to do is be outside and doing Druidry related things (rather than say... be at the office Monday to Friday!).
Love that you highlighted the view on the Chariot as movement not necessarily in terms of physical movement from location a to b but in terms of development, progress or innovation. I think often times that aspect tends to be overlooked especially when it comes to how creators depict it.
💚 I agree with that. I like a Chariot in physical motion but I do think sometimes that can end up being so much the focal point that it constrains interpretation a bit.
My dear Laura, spending time with you in tarotland was beyond amazing….. and fun….. and such an expansive learning experience and has reinvigorated my tarot practice incredibly!!!! Here’s to next year…. May we meet again at RS25!
Can you go over whats included in the guidebook that comes with the deck please? Ive been looking for an oracle deck about trees! So im very happy to have found this. However the compendium is not in the budget for me at this time.
There is no other guidebook that comes with the deck. The deck comes on its own, the box holds cards only. There are some sample chapters of the Compendium, and I imagine lots of tree content, on Dana's blog. 🌲
Red tarot sounds fantastic- love to see some deeper works and intersections.moon of the crusted snow and series sound fascinating-added to list. Working my way through beyond survival as well. Other thought provoking RU-vid channels?
💚 I'm sad that I missed Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of the Crusted Snow author, coming to the town I live in to speak; I know it was totally sold out but I SO would've loved to go. Ooh there are so many good channels! Lennan Smith has some great philosophical chats, Marlene Theresa comes to mind, ScholarBot Tarot, Aunty K's Tarot, so many!
How about book tubers? There are so many talking about fantasy romance, I’m having trouble finding channels that highlight indigenous or social themes. I love your sci fi pics and don’t mind fiction (vs nonfiction) but would love some more diverse authors. (Not saying I don’t love fantasy and sci fi but wanting to round out the exposure).
I am not as booktube present as I could be. If you don't already follow Bookish Realm that's where I'd start - she's a librarian and discusses a lot of social/justice issues in publishing and in legislation related to books/libraries/schools in ways I appreciate very much. Lots of content on things like award nominees, top books lists, banned books, etc.
