New Orleans Voodoo Tarot, The Sixes

Grip Dellabonte

To the elusive Little Baron (and all the watchers)...yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Working! Work is so annoying..it always cuts into playtime.
I am going to start my ramble of the sixes by way of a longwinded story this time, just because it seems a bit...oh, the word has just flown out of my head! Starts with a p, I think...
Anyway, an event took place last night that has sent me down a pensive road, so thought it appropriate to tell the story today. Legba being a storyteller probably has something to do with it!
New Orleans has always been a big thing to me. I don't know why. Ever since I was little that city and San Franscisco were THE places I would have to get to at least once in my life. San Franscisco was easy because I grew up fairly close to there and it remains one of my favorite places on earth. When I finally got to New Orleans I almost cried. I don't know why. But I have been back several times, and I just feel this familiarity and bond that is very warm and comforting. It also will always be one of my favorite places.
When hurricane Katrina hit, its effects rippled throughout the U.S. My kids knew students at their high school, and from high schools in other cities, who dropped out for 2-3 weeks just to go help clean the city up. I am sure people from all over did the same. It is just a place that has that affect on people. I think it probably is one of our geographic Crown Jewels. I don't say that to take away from other towns. I hope I am not insulting people in any way. I personally love the little town I was raised in and will always consider it a part of me, but it is not a Crown Jewel. It's just special to me.
Certain places, if they are hurt in any way, hundreds of people not directly connected to it hurt for it as well.

I think one of the reasons I was drawn to this deck is just because I love the city so much. Even if I never opened the deck I would have something I love (tarot) named after some place I love.
Well, it just so happened I took the plunge and opened the deck and now I love it, too.

Last night my sister went to see Harry Connick, Jr. here in concert. I could not bring myself to go. I wanted to, but still opted to stay home.

This morning she told about her evening. His backdrop was designed to look like a street in New Orleans complete with gaslamps and filigreed wrought iron. It was beautiful, she said.

I had to laugh and I said, "Don't leave home without it" ( making a play on the Visa commercial) - but then I jokingly added the words - "home, that is". Then I said, "he takes New Orleans with him wherever he goes". Well, I had said that in a fond way, but she got a tad emotional when I said it.

She said at the end of the concert he stood up and he separated the audience - 1/3 to one side and 2/3 to the other side. He said, "back home this third still have your homes and such. But it's changed. This two thirds have hardly anything. Still. But we're getting better. And we're still here. Please come see us." She said, "it was just the way he said it..."

To me, that's all he needed to say. Not a big pitch, just come.

I just wanted to add to that. If you haven't gone and you get a chance to go, go. It's a grand old place.

End of my story - Legba's turn!

But I have to run an errand. Then I'll come back and talk about the Sixes....
 

Grip Dellabonte

The Sixes....I wish you were doing this part in the beginning, LB! You're so much better at it than I am!
Well, here goes. The Sixes relate to Tiphereth on the Tree of Life and their watchwords are Balance, and Good Counsel.

The Crossroads is a big term in this tarot system and in the voodoo religion as well. The Sixes are actually the crossroads - the junction where all the other routes on the Tree of Life meet. Every path comes and goes through or to the sixes. That's all a little redundant but I'm trying to get in my head how the Sixes might influence a path one is on just by whether or not they've passed through the crossroads.

At any rate, the book says that this is the place of balance, and that it is the point where the ascended masters have reached a higher state of enlightenment (I hope I read that correctly).

On to the cards:

Legba la Flambeau (Petro/Fire): In the picture there is a red ball of what looks like energy - lots of charged red currents coming from it.
In the foreground of the red ball is an older, hunched, and grizzled man.
He appears to be leering or winking. In his hands he is holding anything from a sparkling gem, a light source, an item through which he's channeled some of the energy behind him, or is just capturing and holding some of the charged energy in his hands.
He seems pleased with himself. Maybe that's what he's doing - he's showing that he is able to capture and control a portion of that energy that's radiating all around him. But...he has that look on his face of a person that has just made a snowball and is about to launch it at you!

After writing the above passage I see that the book says this is the card of victory. The person has learned how to do some new thing and is proud.
There is a danger, though, in that sometimes all he thinks about is showing off his new thing and deriving a sense of power from his achievement. He doesn't think about the consequences of his actions - that he could lose control of his newfound accomplishment and there could be repercussions.

Shi-Li-Bo Nouvavou/Dan-I (Congo/Water): I can't tell if this woman is playing in the water or is actually part of the waves. It is also difficult to tell if she is part of the fire, or part of air, or part of matter for all that!
Her legs disappear into the water.
Her body is solid (matter).
Her hair and hands end in flames that produce steam (fire & air).
So she is made of all four elements.
Her eyes are closed and it looks as if she is doing some kind of slow dance, or she's maybe trance-like.
I really like this card. Everything is so fluidic and rythmic.
Unlike the first card, this is not a new trick that she has just learned and maybe needs to show off a little. This is an old ritual. She is in control, yet lost in it. If others were watching, she is possibly oblivious to that.

So I take this as something someone does faifhfully that they find enjoyable.

Legba (Rada/Air): This man is a storyteller. He is an elder and he is passing the important stories down to his descendants. They are rapt with attention possibly for two reasons: he is well respected, and he's a good storyteller.
(I see the traditional "give-and-take" message of the sixes in this card - he gives them stories, they learn vital things about their history. They listen to him - he receives love, attention, and respect from them. Plus, he has the knowledge that the tales will live on through them).
The big ball behind him is black and red streaks shoot out from behind him. But these streaks are not angular and jagged like the ones that shoot out from the red ball in the Legba la Flambeau card. These are softer lines. It makes the black ball look more like a giant black sunflower and the red ball look like the old radion station ball on the top of the RKO tower in the old movies.
I think this may be that the man's victories have been tempered over time and he is confident in them without having to overplay them.
His face is benevolent. He probably is mischievous still with the children from time to time, but it probably would have a purpose, and it probably would be of a gentler nature.

Eleggua (Santeria/ Earth): This one looks like she did something naughty, and is hiding halfway behind the door...but only half hiding.
Whatever she did, it may or may not have been accidental. However, she is receptive...her eyes are wide open and she is smiling. She does not appear to be malicious. She looks to be a child.
I think this card is reminding us to be lighthearted once in a while. Things may happen, but we need to be able to laugh it off.

Okay. That's it. I may not reply right away - knee surgery tomorrow morning! Early - yuck...
 

Little Baron

Hi Grip.

Haha. I like it when you start off as well. Well, let's say that I will do the '7's'.

When I first saw Legba La Flambeau, I found him a little scary. I felt he was going to do harm. I think it is all that red. And his smile is a tad creepy.

But I love the interpretation. As much as I like the fact that the deck is original, there are many tie in's with conventional tarot. And this is one of them. When I first bought this deck and read the reviews of other members, I was disheartened. I was informed it was more of an oracle. And I believed this. But studying the cards in sequence, like this, shows me that that is not so. It has the beauty and lack of constriction that an oracle has. But many of the cards ARE tarot. This is very similar to the '6 of Wands' in the RWS. Both represent victory and accomplishment. The rider in the RWS is also pretty showy in his mannerisms. Similarly, I can see the emotional sharing in our '2 of Congo' [Gran Ibo] that exists in the RWS '2 of Cups'.

But I now feel differently about our 'Legba la Flambeau'. I love that cheeky 'look what I made for you' smile. And like all things, victory can be taken advantage of. People do become egotistical and flamboyant with their accomplishments. We need, here, to find ways of not throwing our gains and victories in other people's faces. Balance, as you said.

What I like about this deck is that it gives the core-feel, once again. Almost like how Legba la Flambeau holds the light. We have it in our laps and we have to decide what to do with it. Tipareth is a nice place to be on the tree of life. And I think it might be a nice place to stay. But we MUST move on. This card might remind us not to dwell on past victories and successes, but to move forward and aim for more and further enlightenment, as we make our way up the tree of life.

I must say thagt Shi-lo-bo Nouvavou/Dan-I totally confuses me. This one came up in a reading recently and I was totally stumped. Even after I had read the book. This is one of those cards when I want to scream 'But what the bloody hell does it mean?????'.

So, we are looking at knowledge and confidence, right. And this has been learnt and strengthened with time. We are also, with Dan-I being included, looking at light coming from a dark sky.
So, all in all, we have a card with a comfortable feel? Warmth, understanding, confidence and strength. I can see why she is in the throws of ecstacy.

As with the last card, there is a small tie in with conventional tarot. The card [and Dan-I in particular] is associated with the ancestors. The beauty of tipareth is in memory, as we sit half-way up the tree. As said, the crossroads.

How would you read this one, Grip? I can see how I would read 'Legba la Flambeau'. But with this one, I find it all a little vague. I don't think that it helps that we are given two loas to deal with. Dan-I is the woman. So where is Shi-lo-bo Nouvavou? Is she just the beautiful day? A difficult one for me to get a hold on. Would appreciate any views on this.

Legba is a funny one. Because he would have made a very good Hierophant. He reminds me of the one in the Victorian Romantic - a rabi who teaches a class to two young boys, who listen attentively.

So I get the idea that this is the power of word - given and received - balance. A sharing. In this, the card departs from RWS meanings and takes on more understandable numerology. In this, I think of the Marseille. After a '5' [a time of trouble, here, in a RWS and in some interpretations of the Marseille], we have a calmer and more settled set of cards. It allows these kids to listen, in the same way as Dan-I can bask in the sun and Legba has shed and overcome all obstacles to receive his victory. There is a quietness to the sixes. A calmness. We all make use of what we have here. And we share in a different way than we exchange in the 'twos', maybe.

Whereas I see the 'Two of Rada' [Nan Nan Bouclou] as an exchange of thought and idea, here, I see this to be a sharing of wisdom after some kind of trial or triumph. A learned transaction, based on wisdom and choice [6, the Lovers].

And then Eleggua came along. I am not sure I would want to see her standing at my door, to be honest.

So, she watches. And she is a bit of a trickster. She will let you in the door. But she might not let you out. Eeek!

But as a child, I guess that this is not as worrying as it seems. She is a pathway. She opens a door. And do we ever really return to how we once was? No. This card, for me, is playfulness. I think we are relatively secure in the sixes, so Eleggua does not bother me as much as she once did. We are told that her pathway leads to success, if we choose to take it.

We are told that her influence is childlike. We are told that the essence of this card's meaning is a favourable outcome. Like the other 'sixes' the contentment also needs to be weighed down with a little care and responsibility. Will the children with Legba heed his advice? Will Eleggua pass on our message and let us through to the other side? Will Legba la Flambeau use his victory well and not falunt it in the faces of those with less fortune? Will Dan-I move forward from the beautiful light that bathes her?

All questions of choice. All need balance. All are receiving and giving. And all four are at home within their elements, I feel. In a bit of a different way, I think that the Santeria card does require the querant to look at grounding the child within a bit more.

And good luck with that knee. I shall send a little of Ogoun Bhalin'Dio's influence your way!

LB
 

Hemera

pics please??

any chance of getting pictures of these cards? i´ve been wanting to have this deck for ages but i don´t have it yet..it would be great to see some pics.
(i guess following this thread may eventually crack me and i´ll order this deck,too..sigh..)
 

Little Baron

LB literally has to pick himself up off the floor from fainting. He can't believe that someone else has joined us in these threads. It has been a quiet journey.
Now, Grip ... don't scare them off!!!!
:D

But seriously, Hemera, it is lovely to have your voice in the thread. This deck is a 'love it or hate it' one and many seem to just plain hate it - hence hearing pins drop all over the place in here [and they are not from our dolls, lol].

Please, please ask any questions about the deck you wish to know, and hopefully Grip or I can answer them. There are many threads started up about it if you do a search, also.

But for now, here is the entire deck -
http://taroteca.multiply.com/photos/album/165

LB
 

Hemera

lol. I´ve been lurking here for awhile already.. And don´t you worry..you can´t scare an old witch away very easily´:D
I will add my pins to your soup...err..sorry,dolls, if you wish!

I once got as far as to actually order this deck from amazon. Then I waited and waited. And waited. No deck. They always just said that it will take some more weeks.. So I figured I was not meant to order it and I cancelled my order.

But, we´ll see what will happen next..

*running off to see the link you gave*
 

Grip Dellabonte

LB, I have asked Bingo to keep a low profile, and just let me do the talking...maybe that was the trick!
And your dedication to the cards....I don't know if I would have jumped in as soon as I did if I hadn't sensed a kind of affection you exhibited for them. That gave me the incentive to try again with them.
Now look where we are!
I have to go back and read again your comments on the sixes and respond to them. But the knee, while mending, is pretty painful and Ogoun Bhalin'Dio's meds are making me fairly goofy.
 

Grip Dellabonte

hemera said:
lol. I´ve been lurking here for awhile already.. And don´t you worry..you can´t scare an old witch away very easily´:D
I will add my pins to your soup...err..sorry,dolls, if you wish!

I once got as far as to actually order this deck from amazon. Then I waited and waited. And waited. No deck. They always just said that it will take some more weeks.. So I figured I was not meant to order it and I cancelled my order.

But, we´ll see what will happen next..

*running off to see the link you gave*


hemera - Hi! I hope you do get the cards and do weigh in on these discussions. I am truly having a great time with Little Baron....I have learned so much from him already. But I don't mind sharing, and any input would be greatly appreciated. I didn't have any confidence at first in my responses to the cards when writing in this thread, but since we have been doing this study my confidence has improved.
The cards used to seem heavy and unattractive to me. But they called to me because of their connection to New Orleans. Now I like them just for them. Many of the cards are now even some of my favorite tarot cards in general.
My sister was hesitant to have me read for her with this deck but once I did she also developed a fondness for certain loa - especially Obatala. In fact she "took" him and Damballah la Flambeau to the Harry Connick concert with her!
P.S. Little Baron neglected to inform me about the dolls...maybe he didn't think I was ready for them yet! ;)
 

Grip Dellabonte

Little Baron said:
Hi Grip.

Haha. I like it when you start off as well. Well, let's say that I will do the '7's'.

When I first saw Legba La Flambeau, I found him a little scary. I felt he was going to do harm. I think it is all that red. And his smile is a tad creepy.

But I love the interpretation. As much as I like the fact that the deck is original, there are many tie in's with conventional tarot. And this is one of them. When I first bought this deck and read the reviews of other members, I was disheartened. I was informed it was more of an oracle. And I believed this. But studying the cards in sequence, like this, shows me that that is not so. It has the beauty and lack of constriction that an oracle has. But many of the cards ARE tarot. This is very similar to the '6 of Wands' in the RWS. Both represent victory and accomplishment. The rider in the RWS is also pretty showy in his mannerisms. Similarly, I can see the emotional sharing in our '2 of Congo' [Gran Ibo] that exists in the RWS '2 of Cups'.

But I now feel differently about our 'Legba la Flambeau'. I love that cheeky 'look what I made for you' smile. And like all things, victory can be taken advantage of. People do become egotistical and flamboyant with their accomplishments. We need, here, to find ways of not throwing our gains and victories in other people's faces. Balance, as you said.

What I like about this deck is that it gives the core-feel, once again. Almost like how Legba la Flambeau holds the light. We have it in our laps and we have to decide what to do with it. Tipareth is a nice place to be on the tree of life. And I think it might be a nice place to stay. But we MUST move on. This card might remind us not to dwell on past victories and successes, but to move forward and aim for more and further enlightenment, as we make our way up the tree of life.

I must say thagt Shi-lo-bo Nouvavou/Dan-I totally confuses me. This one came up in a reading recently and I was totally stumped. Even after I had read the book. This is one of those cards when I want to scream 'But what the bloody hell does it mean?????'.

So, we are looking at knowledge and confidence, right. And this has been learnt and strengthened with time. We are also, with Dan-I being included, looking at light coming from a dark sky.
So, all in all, we have a card with a comfortable feel? Warmth, understanding, confidence and strength. I can see why she is in the throws of ecstacy.

As with the last card, there is a small tie in with conventional tarot. The card [and Dan-I in particular] is associated with the ancestors. The beauty of tipareth is in memory, as we sit half-way up the tree. As said, the crossroads.

How would you read this one, Grip? I can see how I would read 'Legba la Flambeau'. But with this one, I find it all a little vague. I don't think that it helps that we are given two loas to deal with. Dan-I is the woman. So where is Shi-lo-bo Nouvavou? Is she just the beautiful day? A difficult one for me to get a hold on. Would appreciate any views on this.

Legba is a funny one. Because he would have made a very good Hierophant. He reminds me of the one in the Victorian Romantic - a rabi who teaches a class to two young boys, who listen attentively.

So I get the idea that this is the power of word - given and received - balance. A sharing. In this, the card departs from RWS meanings and takes on more understandable numerology. In this, I think of the Marseille. After a '5' [a time of trouble, here, in a RWS and in some interpretations of the Marseille], we have a calmer and more settled set of cards. It allows these kids to listen, in the same way as Dan-I can bask in the sun and Legba has shed and overcome all obstacles to receive his victory. There is a quietness to the sixes. A calmness. We all make use of what we have here. And we share in a different way than we exchange in the 'twos', maybe.

Whereas I see the 'Two of Rada' [Nan Nan Bouclou] as an exchange of thought and idea, here, I see this to be a sharing of wisdom after some kind of trial or triumph. A learned transaction, based on wisdom and choice [6, the Lovers].

And then Eleggua came along. I am not sure I would want to see her standing at my door, to be honest.

So, she watches. And she is a bit of a trickster. She will let you in the door. But she might not let you out. Eeek!

But as a child, I guess that this is not as worrying as it seems. She is a pathway. She opens a door. And do we ever really return to how we once was? No. This card, for me, is playfulness. I think we are relatively secure in the sixes, so Eleggua does not bother me as much as she once did. We are told that her pathway leads to success, if we choose to take it.

We are told that her influence is childlike. We are told that the essence of this card's meaning is a favourable outcome. Like the other 'sixes' the contentment also needs to be weighed down with a little care and responsibility. Will the children with Legba heed his advice? Will Eleggua pass on our message and let us through to the other side? Will Legba la Flambeau use his victory well and not falunt it in the faces of those with less fortune? Will Dan-I move forward from the beautiful light that bathes her?

All questions of choice. All need balance. All are receiving and giving. And all four are at home within their elements, I feel. In a bit of a different way, I think that the Santeria card does require the querant to look at grounding the child within a bit more.

And good luck with that knee. I shall send a little of Ogoun Bhalin'Dio's influence your way!

LB

Well, you just gave me a massive confidence boost! You like it when I do the opening description of a group. Then I shall do the 8's and I will try not to be nervous about it! In fact, LB...if it will make it easier with your work schedule for me to do the openings...I think I'm up to that now. But I don't want to take that away from you since you're the one who spearheaded this whole thing (and I really do learn a lot when you do them). You just let me know. I tease, but I know work does limit one's time on this site.
I have to say, though, while I am finally seeing how most of the loa can work into the tarot system (albeit some are a bit of a stretch...), I still am finding it difficult relating them to the Kaballah. But then, I am really not that sure if I understand the Kaballah/tarot connection as it is. Do you have that problem? (Or anybody else who might be observing?).

In reading you experience with Legba la Flambeau it occurred to me that it also is easier to almost put a real body on these loa. Like...for instance...you were talking about the RWS person in the Six of Wands also being a bit show-offy. Yet, when I read with that deck the Sx of Wands is just one of 78 cards that I semi know the meaning of. But it's just a card. Yet with Legba la Flambeau I can actually "see" that particular man showing off with his new trick. I don't know if I'm explaining that right, but if I am do you get that feeling, too?

Now you added some new information on Shi-li-bo Nouvavou/Dan-I that I didn't know.

"I must say thagt Shi-lo-bo Nouvavou/Dan-I totally confuses me. This one came up in a reading recently and I was totally stumped. Even after I had read the book. This is one of those cards when I want to scream 'But what the bloody hell does it mean?????'.

So, we are looking at knowledge and confidence, right. And this has been learnt and strengthened with time. We are also, with Dan-I being included, looking at light coming from a dark sky.
So, all in all, we have a card with a comfortable feel? Warmth, understanding, confidence and strength. I can see why she is in the throws of ecstacy.

As with the last card, there is a small tie in with conventional tarot. The card [and Dan-I in particular] is associated with the ancestors. The beauty of tipareth is in memory, as we sit half-way up the tree. As said, the crossroads."

I really like how you worded this. If they said this in the book, then I missed it. I think these are your words, and it does help clarify things for me. You said Dan-I is associated with the ancestors - and that the beauty of tiphereth is in memory. Well, the traditional Six of Cups (RWS) is two little kids with a cup that has a flower in it. It is the nostalgia card - but also memories and remembrance of good times. So it does seem to fit with this card in that she is doing something she has a good time doing, and she must have learned how to do it in her past. So...when the card comes up, like the Six of Cups, it is telling you that you will be experiencing something that you've always found enjoyable, and for you to get lost in it when it happens....sort of. Basically, it's a happy card relating to memories and good times....I think.
I have found with many of my decks that their creator's explanations in the book really confuse me! I do better if they just let me read the card on my own. This is one of those cards.

Legba WOULD have made a good hierophant! I like how you described this card. He's like Obatala for me - very calming.

Eleggua....not a pretty little child. But I agree with everything you said about her. In fact now I see why she was the last card of the deck to get to me...she's a trickster! HA!
 

Little Baron

Grip Dellabonte said:
Now look where we are!

This is SUCH an important sentence.

We really have gotten somewhere here, Grip.

When I bought this deck, I was totally overwhelmed. I tried to read through the book and I got nowhere fast. I tried spreads and they were difficult. But I persisted. There is a thread on here where I literally asked others how to read with the deck, because deep down, I was concerned that I never would be able to because it was so far removed from anything I knew already.

But I continued to try, pulling it out a few more times through the months. And it was the time that you and I started conversing here, Grip, that they really began to click. I couldn't really interpret one of the cards properly for a long time. Now, we have gotten through six sets of numbers. Ok, I would still say that I don't have the greatest handle on the 'threes', but the other numbers do make sense and I really like some of the characters that we have met together.

I think that both yours and my confidence have improved as we get further into the deck. And I think that it is great to have these threads here for all to read. Because I have read so many incorrect views expressed about this deck and it's readability - often, from those that have never approached it in person. It IS tarot. It may have a likeness to an oracle, but it IS tarot. And it CAN be read in the same way you read any other deck. People say that it walks too far away from traditional imagery. Well, if we look at the historic templates of the Marseille and Visconti, how much further from their pattern of the 'Four of Cups' is a vulnerable whale than a man asleep under a tree? They are two modern different interpretations. One is just more recognisable and well known than the other.

Hemera, one thing I would say is that I have noted that this decks hasn't been on the shelves of as many shops as it once was. It doesn't seem to be re-stocked. I could be wrong but if there is any chance that it may not continue to be printed, it may be worth snapping it up sooner than waiting until later and not being able to get hold of a copy. I may actually try and get myself a second one soon, just in case anything happens to the one I own.

This deck was once a mystery to me. It also scared me too. But now, as I grow with this new found understanding, it is becoming one of my most valued, personally. The walls are being broken down and the images are revealing themselves to me in many ways. I really can not recommend this pack highly enough.

LB