Review by Sandra A. Thomson
I first met Leah Samul at one of Mary K. Greer's summer workshops. Leah
had just finished her manuscript to accompany the Hudes deck, and those of
us in the workshop were privileged to hear parts of it and to work with Leah
and the Hudes deck. Now U. S. Games has published a shorter version of the
manuscript, which can be purchased separately (for those who already own a
Hudes deck) or as a mini book-deck set.
As you may know, Susan Hudes combined water color drawings with backgrounds
of antique maps, constellation charts, and marbled paper to create a vividly
beautiful deck of collage paintings. In glancing at a card, it is easy to
think of these backgrounds as being pretty or interesting but having little
consequence. This is, however, one of the areas where Samul's book shines.
She points you toward considering the symbolism of the backgrounds. For
instance, she reminds us that the blueprint in the background of The
Magician card shows that he has an interest in learning and that he is a
problem solver and an inventor. The gown of The High Priestess is made up
of pages from manuscripts, and Samul tells us that the script in her dress
"symbolizes the wisdom of inner knowing, contained in her heart."
Throughout her book, Samul points out little things in the cards that,
while we might not have missed them, we also might not have given them
enough credence, i.e., the charioteer's cape flows off to his right in this
deck, "suggesting that he's come around a bend, which is an indication of a
recent change of course."
We are also privileged to share the personal insights Samul has gained in
her 20 some years of working with the Tarot, which apply to all decks, not
just the Hudes. She tells us that the reason The Lovers card takes place
outside is that "love is too large to be contained by man-made structures or
by national borders." Or that lightning in The Tower card serves to
illuminate the situation and give us a true picture. We know by her
comments throughout the book that this is a woman who has spent plenty of
time working on her own inner development and using the Tarot as one of her
instruments.
One of my favorite scenes from the Hudes deck shows the Temperance angel
looking at her reflection (or is it her unconscious self?) in a fountain
into which she pours a chalice of water. To me it raises the question of
how we view and fulfill ourselves. Samul suggests that the angel is
examining her reflection to ascertain what part of her needs restoration.
Samul wrote her manuscript as part of her healing process in recovering
from ovarian and uterine cancer, and she includes prayers and affirmations
for each card, some developed during her own healing. They give you a way
to work more in depth with a personal problem card, or if you draw a daily
card to keep its message alive during the day-whether or not you are using
the Hudes deck for your readings. Samul, who defines the suit of Wands as
dealing with communication, business, and entrepreneurial activity,
interprets the Nine of Wands, for instance, as calling upon us to consider
how guarded we are in our own communication of ideas, and what we are
holding back (the wands behind the figure). The accompanying affirmation
says, "I use discretion when I speak. I know the value of caution in
communication."
I drew a card from the Hudes deck to tell me what more I needed to know
about the functional use of Samul's book. The card I drew was the Knight of
Pentacles. And this is the message I received from the deck and from Leah:
The Knight of Pentacles is a card of transformation; he brings explosive
energy that will have a deeply layered effect. I take this to mean that I
have much much more to learn from working with the Hudes deck and with
Leah's book and it will be learning that will influence my life in complex
ways. Thank you, Leah, for your insights.
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