of Floriography Tarot
My late grandfather, Humberto Busto, on the far right.
This aDORKable little fella grew up to be my abuelo! (grandfather) Cuba, 1933
Happy Summer! I hope you all are keeping cool and applying sunscreen. I have loved these long days, but I am just as grateful for the night. Without the darkness, we would not see the beauty of the light. It would just be...regular. Let's talk about that period of darkness and confusion that exists before the sun comes up with a deeper look into the Moon card.
There's been a lot going on with the moon these days! On July 16, we experienced a full moon, nicknamed the Thunder Moon, that also coincided TO THE DAY with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission 🚀 SO COOL!
The Moon card is represented by the dahlia flower in Floriography Tarot. Cross-culturally, the dahlia has been used to represent intangible concepts such as abstract religious and spiritual philosophies.
Dahlias grow in shady valleys—the name dahlia itself comes from the Swedish word dal, which means “valley.” Though lush and fertile, valleys are surrounded by mountains that obscure the view and may induce a constant, unending shade, which the Dahlia does not mind one bit.
There is not a lot of clarity in the moonlight, giving your intuition a chance to flex its muscles. The environment now is dim and obscured, which allows you little time to plan, prepare or prepare past the next few steps.
When it is dark, our minds may interpret shadows as frightening forms or menacing faces.
Pareidolia is this natural human tendency for the eyes and mind to recognize figures, specifically faces, in random arrangements of shapes or items. This may be a frightening effect, but the sun will illuminate the scene and reveal a clearer and less intimidating reality.
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Judgment from Floriography Tarot
The 9 of Wands from Floriography Tarot
My great-grandfather Ricardo Linares, 1906
Today's 3-card reading revealed the 10 of Wands, Justice, and the Knight of Swords.
The 10 of Wands card represents hard labor, taking on extra hours, and working overtime. All the work is being placed on your shoulders at this time and everything seems to be a priority. You have taken on the largest share of the work and you may feel exhausted and overworked.
The Justice card is reminiscent of the laws of karma and the cycle of all actions having consequences. Justice is represented by the bamboo plant in Floriography Tarot because it is strong but also flexible. With these two cards, I am seeing a situation where someone working so hard that they are reaching their physical or emotional limit. The Justice card feels like a breath of fresh air after this—as if it is gently comforting us and letting us know that the scales will balance soon.
The Knight of Swords is a loud and outspoken soldier who is certain of his actions and commands authority effortlessly. When it comes to achieving goals, no one can get in this soldier’s way as he drives forward through obstacle after obstacle, channeling all his inner strength and determination for the sake of his cause. As the third card in this series, the Knight of Swords seems to represent a grand recovery and a demonstration of the human capacity to endure suffering.
If any of these cards represent your situation, especially the first one, know that there is so much more good coming on its way. It might be a 10 of Swords time, but Justice will swoop in and make you into the Knight of Swords you were always meant to be!
My dad taught me how to play and sing old Cuban songs, told me numerous stories and jokes from the old homeland, and showed me all the photos our family was able to sneak out of Cuba. There are not very many. These photos inspired my body of art work, among them, the 78 collages in the tarot cards of the Floriography Tarot Deck. Scroll down for a special glance into the Floriography Tarot process, these magnificently nostalgic photos from my family history, and the cards they inspired!
Today’s mini tarot reading revealed a very woodsy looking spread. We have the King of Wands, the 10 of Swords, and the 4 of Wands.
The King of Wands is surrounded with lush branches, which symbolize new ideas and endeavors. The 10 of Swords card presents a defeated woman laying on a bed of snow, resting after the intense feelings of powerlessness and defeat. Better things are coming because there is nowhere to go but up, but at the moment you feel stuck and stagnant. The 4 of Wands represents celebration and festivities! This refers to birthdays, anniversaries, religious rites or ceremonies, milestones, and other reasons to throw a party. If you have recently reached a goal, revel in the joyous sense of accomplishment.
What a whirlwind of emotions!! I’m seeing a narrative here, when read from left to right—a person is starting something new, failing and wanting to give up, and then finally reaching that goal after such a taxing process. These are the achievements we are most proud of, in my experience. Once we surprise ourselves at our own strength, even after we deemed the situation impossible, we feel this renewed sense of empowerment. It’s also interesting to note that the King of Wands figure is my grandfather and the following 2 figures on the 10 of Swords and 4 of Wands are 2 of his children (the last photo is of my dad blowing out his birthday candles as a baby kiddo in Cuba). The family’s story went similarly to the narrative depicted in this spread. They left their home and country for the unknown, suffered through family separation and poverty as new refugees, and then succeeding in building successful lives for themselves and their children. I try to channel this strength if I ever doubt myself or my capacity to handle tough situations, because that same resilience lives in all of us descendants now too.
The 7 of Wands from Floriography Tarot
The 7 of Swords from Floriography Tarot
The 10 of Pentacles from Floriography Tarot
The Page of Pentacles from Floriography Tarot
My grandfather (same person as the drummer boy photo above) sitting next to my grandmother. Cuba, 1945
my pops, Ricardo, in 1986
DADS
My great-GREAT grandfather Jacinto Jorganes, 1906
Flor Jorganes Family Portrait, 1923. The man in the center is another one of my great-grandfathers and the tiny baby in the photo is my grandmother. Many of the boys in this photo grew up to be excellent fathers in their lifetimes as well.
​​Today's 3-card reading revealed the Queen of Wands, the 4 of Swords, and the 5 of Swords. The Queen of Wands is the spirit of the perseverance, self-confidence, and determination needed to achieve tangible results. Contrarily, the 4 of Swords card serves as a call to inaction (confusing??). The final card that I happened to pull immediately follows this last card in the tarot sequence—the 5 of Swords, a very suspicious and glaring card. This card may indicate a betrayal by someone you trusted which can reshape how you trust people altogether. I'm just feeling a ton of conflicting energies, opposing forces, and a lack of trust.
The Emperor from Floriography Tarot