A Tarot Deck of Eilat

After years of study, dreaming, and designing—much of it in the hills and along the shores of Eilat, I’ve finally begun to shape my tarot deck into something real. I call it Candles of the Goddess, and it brings together decades of reading, years of writing, and a deep desire to integrate Jewish mysticism with the intuitive world of tarot.

The desert landscape shaped how I approached the cards in ways I still can’t fully explain. The red hills of Edom at sunrise, the silence of the southern mountains, and the turquoise glow of the Gulf of Aqaba left an imprint on my imagination. They became part of how I now think about the elements, the sefirot, and the soul’s journey.

Many people helped guide me along the way. I spent my first seven years reading tarot with David Palladini's Aquarian Tarot and no reference books—just perseverance and a small spark of intuition. Eventually, my determination led me to guides I remain deeply grateful to:

• Norma Cowie, whose Exploring the Patterns of the Tarot became my foundational text and still lives in a binder packed with notes and annotations. (1987)
• Robin Wood, whose warm and accessible deck supported me through my early years of reading. (1992)
• Isabel Radow Kliegman, whose Tarot and the Tree of Life first gave me the idea to pair the pip cards with the sefirot, and whose Four Worlds framework for the court cards resonated deeply. (1997)
• Donald Tyson, whose Portable Magic: Tarot Is the Only Tool You Need persuaded me to adopt the Golden Dawn structure—with thoughtful revisions. His reordered planetary assignments gave the Major Arcana a more elegant internal logic. (2016)
• Aryeh Kaplan, whose translation of the Sefer Yetzirah gave me the symbolic vocabulary that now forms the backbone of the Majors, including elemental, planetary, and zodiacal attributions, as well as potent one-word letter meditations like Light, Speech, and Peace. (2018)

A Glimpse Into the Structure of My Deck

Major Arcana: Each card follows the Golden Dawn’s path system on the Tree of Life. Instead of using traditional letter-name meanings (e.g., “ox,” “camel”), I chose the symbolic functions drawn from the Sefer Yetzirah. These attributes, such as Light, Sleep, and Dominance, give each card a conceptual focus. The Letter for each path appears in Hebrew, Paleo-Hebrew, and Ugaritic script, offering both mystical resonance and historical texture.

Sefirot: To clarify meaning and avoid repetition, I’ve retitled the sefirot. Keter becomes Divine Will, Chesed becomes Mercy, Tiferet becomes Beauty, Hod becomes Gratitude, and Malchut becomes Dwelling—a nod to the Shekhinah. Each name is chosen to reflect both spiritual and emotional resonance.

Court Cards: These are people, not abstractions. While I preserved Golden Dawn elemental pairings (e.g., Water of Fire), I chose evocative archetypal titles such as Watcher of the Grove, Rider of the Wind, Keeper of the Field, and Master of Compassion. Following Kliegman’s model, I assigned the Four Worlds of Kabbalah as follows: Pages receive the potential of Atzilut (Emanation), Knights advance the generative force of Beriah (Creation), Queens shape and cultivate in the matrix of Yetzirah (Formation), and Kings bring intentions into concrete expression in Asiyah (Action)

Letters of God’s Name: To reflect the divine presence while honoring sacred boundaries, I include the letters of the Tetragrammaton in Paleo-Hebrew on the court cards to suggest their spiritual depth without reproducing God's name in standard Hebrew script.

Minor Arcana: The pip cards are assigned to the sefirot 1 through 10, with each card bearing a Hebrew subtitle derived from the Sefer Yetzirah. Card titles emerge from a synthesis of Pamela Colman Smith’s imagery, elemental correspondence, and number symbolism drawn from Kabbalah, Pythagorean thought, and the Marseilles tradition.

Decans and the Hebrew Calendar: The decan system helped me assign Hebrew months to the pip cards, aligning each group of three cards with one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. While drawn from astrological tradition, these correspondences also allowed me to pair the Minor Arcana with Jewish holidays, seasonal rhythms, and historical memory.

There’s much more to do—titles to refine, meditations to write, and a guidebook to shape—but the bones of the deck are here. The work I began in Eilat, the spiritual clarity I glimpsed there, and the texts, teachers, and friends that guided me all live on in this evolving creation.

Stay tuned. More to come!

Reading at Daybreak: A Grounded Path Forward

I seldom use The Forty Servants deck for readings, but this morning I did, while enjoying the morning sun and pleasant air outside my new home. The reading was surprisingly rich and spoke directly to my current transition of settling into life in a new location.

West / Earth “How can I establish a meaningful livelihood?” 
THE IDEA
I already have the seed of my future; my main idea for employment is viable and must be pursued urgently.
Earth is about tangible action and results. The Idea is a call to implementation. This matches my question about work. This card encourages me to trust my idea and take practical steps to achieve it.
I have to start calling the right businesses and ask my friend for her contacts in that industry.

North / Fire “How can I kindle inspiration and passion?” 
THE MESSENGER
There are messages that I am failing to see or hear. Fire brings enthusiasm and divine spark. This card suggests that sources of inspiration aren’t lacking; I just need to pay attention. Something wants to ignite my passion and connect me to others.(In one of the vivid dreams I've had recently, a very dark-skinned black woman in a yellow sun dress came to our door and said to me saucily, “We need to get you a bed-- and a job!!”) 

East / Air “How can I cultivate communication, relationships, and growth?”
THE LOVERS
Relationships are at the heart of a person's intellectual and emotional life. This card tells me to make meaningful choices. It encourages me to choose connection, not isolation. The Lovers also suggests I maintain integrity in how I speak and whom I partner with.

South / Water “How can I nourish my emotional and spiritual life?”
THE FATHER
Seek someone who can provide good counsel, wisdom, and insight--someone who can prepare me to deal appropriately with hardship. Water purifies and clarifies. The Father brings boundaries, strength, experience, and wise guidance.

Center “What hidden needs or overlooked aspects require attention?”
THE DEPLETED 
I am still carrying weight from the past that drains my energy. This card means rest, release, and renewal. While the other four cards point toward growth and forward motion, this one cautions that I must first make space for that growth. The Idea can’t bloom and The Lovers can’t unite if I am exhausted or mentally scattered.

Summary and Reflection: It will be possible to step into the kind of life I came here to create, if I stay grounded and attend to reality diligently. The Idea and The Lovers speak of a bold beginning and aligned relationships. The Messenger and The Father suggest that help is available if I listen closely and accept it. The Depleted card serves as a gentle warning that I can’t build a new life with old habits. I must rest and release.