Simultaneously, after nearly four years apart (for graduate school and work), my partner got a job and moved back here. The week before Thanksgiving, we began the daunting task of combining two households. On his end in California, Phil began to seriously evaluate his stuff to see what could be let go of. And he suggested I do the same! The idea of trimming my collection (we had a party when I hit 500!) was not what I wanted to hear. But after some earnest thought, I realized he was right. It was time to let things move on…and I had begun to lose the urge to collect just for the sake of collecting. I had not bought a deck in several months, so it seemed a perfect time to go through my collection.

I sat on the floor and began to pull decks of the shelf that I knew I would never miss — that was the easy part! Next came the decks that I absolutely could not live without, and into a pile they went. Finally, I was left with several shelves of decks that required careful consideration about whether to keep them or let them go. After several days, the process was over, or so I thought…

Not wanting the hassle of advertising them for sale, boxing them up and going to the post office, I had an idea. I called several friends and told them to come armed with boxes and bags. They arrived and took what they wanted, and the pile began to diminish (and their collections grew exponentially!) I also filled up three boxes of decks (and books) to donate to a beloved Tarot organization. The rest of the piles were given to a friend to sell on eBay to help her raise money to begin the adoption process.

I had done it! From a collection of 650 or so decks, I kept around 200-250 or so ( I have yet to do a final tally). I now have a collection of decks that I actually want, instead of having them for the purpose of collecting. It was an amazing feeling! The new collection is very eclectic, with a mixture of historic, themed, well-known, virtually unheard of, and collector’s item decks. They are now housed in the living room in a colorful set of fabric drawers in a wooden display (with a bit of overflow onto a small bookshelf).  Here is their new home:

My partner and I have moved into a beautiful three-bedroom home, and are working to make it our own. We are combining things and still downsizing. Clothes, books, kitchen items, knick-knacks, furniture and other things are being donated to local charities. Instead of just having stuff, we have only what we enjoy having around us. Phil took fantastic pictures of many of the items I let go of, and the photos take up virtually no space at all. We are so happy with our new home, and look forward to living with much less clutter around us. It is a good beginning to 2012!

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2012 bring you peace and joy and love.

Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, co-directors of  Tarot Professionals, have just published a new book of great historical significance.

Abiding in the Sanctuary: The Waite-Trinick Tarot, A Christian Mystical Tarot (1917-1923) is the result of several years of research into the second deck created by Arthur Edward Waite. Not a divinatory deck, these images were designed as meditations on the 22 paths of the Tree of Life.  Their placement on the Tree is quite different from that of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Waite was a member of the Golden Dawn, but after the schism that led to the order’s eventual dissolution, Waite founded his own mystical order.

Waite wanted to emphasize mystical Christianity in his work and rituals, and did so through his Fellowship of the Rosy Cross.  He worked with artists John Trinick and Wilfrid Pippet in the creation of the images, which illustrate what he called “The Great Symbols of the Paths”. These images were used in the FRC rituals as meditations on the paths of the Tree of Life.

These images were never seen by the public until a few of them were illustrated in Decker and Dummett’s A History of the Occult Tarot (1870 -1970), published in 2002. Through a amazing series of synchronicities, Marcus and Tali were able to locate, photograph and secure publication rights to document these images in this beautiful book.

Published in hardcover, with both color and black and white photographs and illustrations, this book is a limited edition of 250 copies. With a preface by Mary K. Greer, the book includes biographical accounts of Trinick and Pippet (as well as other examples of their artwork), additional material about A. E. Waite, and the glorious images themselves. A two-page spread illustrates the placement of the images on the paths and two methods of contemplation using the images are also detailed.

Expected to sell out, this limited edition is available here.

This year’s lineup of presenters included Mary K. Greer, Rachel Pollack, James Wanless, Joanna Powell Colbert, Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, Corrine Kenner, Barbara Moore, James Ricklef, Kooch Daniels, and many more. In addition, there was the Tarot Bazaar, where one could purchase decks, books, jewelry, leather Tarot pouches, DVDs, and artwork. Many of the presenters were also available for readings (at last year’s BATS, I had an amazing reading with Rachel Pollack).

One amazing event that I was involved in was a Tarot “throw-down”. A friend from California and I both brought our Pam-B decks to BATS. After the cocktail party on Saturday evening, we both sat down and went through our decks card by card. We compared card stock, size, color, and condition (these decks are at least 80 years old!). We had quite a group observing, too. Mary Greer and Rachel Pollack attended! Mary read selections from Waite’s Key to the Tarot and Rachel offered gens of wisdom from her many years’ experience of working with the cards. Next year, we hope to repeat the process with a Pam-A, Pam-B and Pam-C. It should be very exciting, especially to see examples of these vintage decks together in one place.

Here are four new books that I acquired at BATS this year, hot off the press, for your perusal and enjoyment.

Mary Greer needs no introduction. She has been teaching and writing about Tarot for many years. Her newest book, Who Are You in the Tarot? is a brand new, revised and expanded version of her classic book Tarot Constellations. In the book, Mary uses the principles of numerology to help us determine our birth cards, soul card, personality card, and hidden factor or shadow card. Both Major and Minor Arcana cards are used to create a personal constellation of cards for self-exploration. Mary gave a presentation at BATS based on the book that was well attended and very well received.

Another well-known Tarot author is Corrine Kenner. Her newest book Tarot and Astrology is a very well written book combining the art of tarot and the science of astrology. Using the Golden Dawn system of correspondences, Corrine weaves the two disciplines together clearly and elegantly. Both beginners and advanced Tarot practitioners will find practical knowledge in this book that will enhance their work. The book includes, diagrams, tables, spreads and is illustrated with Corrine’s own deck, the Wizards Tarot.

Another new book that I am enjoying is Bonnie Cehovet’s Tarot, Birth Cards, and You. Using the Tarot School’s method of calculating birth cards (a bit different from Mary Greer’s method), Bonnie helps us reveal our pair of birth cards. Once our cards are determined, we can read about the archetypal themes of the cards, learn the astrological associations, create affirmations, and learn to work with the gifts, abilities and challenges of our birth cards. She also includes detailed guided meditations or journeys into the cards as well as questions to ask along our journey. This is a new and unique way of working with our birth cards.

The fourth book I got was one I had not heard of until now. Written by Claudine Aegerter and Berenice Benjelloun, The Spirit of the Tarot: Numbers as Initiators of the Major Arcana is quite a tome. The book’s 523 pages cover the Major Arcana and the esoteric numerology contained therein. The authors teach at the Connaissance School of Numerology and the book is a compilation of lectures given at the school. The book is illustrated with the Oswald Wirth Tarot. This is not going to be a casual read, but an intensive study, which I enjoy.

Consider attending BATS next year, when the Symposium turns 21, and “is old enough to drink!” (Ruth Ann Amberstone). It promises to be an exciting celebration of learning and socializing and fun!

From the official site (click on the WTD banner on the right) is a brief description of the evolution of the day itself: “World Tarot Day (founded by Den Elder in 2003) celebrates the Tarot as an authentic spiritual tool of self-discovery and divination for modern life. It is a tool for our times which has seen a phenomenal upsurge of interest during recent economic, political and spiritual uncertainty.”

We celebrated WTD at both of the Tarot Meetup groups that I co-facilitate. I gave a presentation on the functions and intelligences assigned to the Major Arcana by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn when they overlaid the cards onto the 22 paths of the Tree of Life. There are some amazing concepts there that deserve to be dusted off and incorporated into our readings. My co-facilitator described WTD and its connection to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. She also introduced the 42-card spread designed for the day, also in honor of Adams’ work.

What is a holiday without gifts? I brought a selection of Tarot books and allowed each participant to select one to take home for his/her library.

We also read with a spread I created for the day, which you are encouraged to use on World Tarot day. Here it is:

1. What role has Tarot played in my life over the past year?

2. What role will Tarot play in my life during the coming year?

3. How can I enhance or support my life with my use of Tarot?

4. What is the spirit of Tarot for the coming year?

Happy World Tarot Day to all!

Card 1 — What do I leave behind in the old year?   The Tree

Also known as the Hanged Man in other decks, the Tree tells me this is the year to leave behind confusion, sacrifice, and feeling that everything is upside down in my life. And that is exactly how the final quarter of the old year ended. Some health issues arose, throwing me off balance,  out of focus, and wallowing in a “Why me?” attitude.  Spending many hours in doctors’ offices was not an enjoyable use of my time, although important diagnoses were made and a plan for surgery in the spring was put into place. So I can walk into 2011 with a clear path of what lies ahead for me. I will have great support from my partner and friends, and have a list of who is willing to help out during my recovery. And since 2011 is an Emperor year, I will be in charge of my health and recovery, and will find balance and stability as the year goes by.

Card 2 — What do I open up to in the new year? 2 of Water

In the companion book, Joanna says of this card: “You have a caring, compassionate connection to another. You choose…to continue a relationship based on a deep heart connection, as you recognize and honor the Divine in each other. This connection brings you healing and joy” (p.97). My partner and I have been apart while he attended graduate school and works on a 3rd year fellowship, which will earn him national licensure.  He is greatly enjoying his time in California, and has been reluctant to move back home, while I have been unwilling to move to California. Since my health issues have arisen, plans have changed. He will be at my side during my surgery and recovery, and will move back here this year as we make sure I am healthy again. After a couple of years, we can begin to find a place we would both be happy to relocate to. His decision has helped me a great deal in looking forward to the surgery and recovery, as well as making up for the time we have been apart. He is an amazing man, and I am so very lucky to have him in my life! He is a huge part of the balance, stability and clarity I have at the start of this year year.

Card 3 — Key opportunity of the new year: Temperance

Joanna tells us that Temperance “offers the serenity of the middle way between polarities. Embrace the different parts of your personality and life’s experiences, both light and shadow, joyful and painful. They all combine together, resulting in your unique individuality. [Temperance] also indicates someone who may be in need of healing…and [she] will facilitate that” (p. 57). What an perfect message to hear! During the last months of 2010, everything seemed very black and white, very either/or. So Temperance helps me envision a more holistic life and to accept the ups and downs that it may bring, and to grow from the lessons it teaches.

Card 4 — Key challenge of the new year: Magician

The Magician plays his drum, caught up in the rhythms he creates. He creates his magic with his hands, and my livelihood is made by using my hands as well. There are also handprints on the cave walls, and Joanna says that “The hand creates magic…[and] hands bring the Unseen into the Seen” (p.12).  This a a magnificent challenge for me in 2011. I have lost my spark, my rhythm, my desire  to be an active participant in my own life. This year is a time to embrace my creativity and inspiration and to enjoy my life, my family and friends who bring me such joy and happiness. As Dolly Levi says in the musical Hello, Dolly!, “It’s time for me to rejoin the human race”, and that’s what I am going to do in this new year!

Card 5 — Hidden concern: Death

Death is also one of my birth cards (1+3 = 4) and reflects the shadow side of the Emperor. There are times when I cannot be in full control of everything in my life, and must be willing to relinquish that control to others. A huge challenge for an Emperor, and for me as well! I like to be in command and make my own decisions, but when my surgery comes, that control must be delegated to my doctor and his team, to my partner and friends, as I let go of the issues that have compromised my health. Death is also a sign to begin the process of downsizing in my life, as my partner and I look forward to the joining of our lives together in a new home. He has reduced the amount of stuff in his life, and I am beginning to see what I can let go of, also a big challenge for me. I like being surrounded by the things I have collected over the years. But I realize it is time to let go of much that has been cluttering up my life, making it hard to move forward. It will not be an easy process, but will be very beneficial in the long run.

Card 6 — Deep widsom/advice from Gaia :  9 of Earth

In the Gaian Tarot, nines “depict the qualities of solitude, experience and wisdom. We have reached a level of self-mastery, peace and wisdom that has been hard-won. [Nines] represent the ability to live in the present moment” (p.130). This card is a culmination of all that I have accomplished in my life to this point. Joanna words really resonate for me: “You’re at the peak of your creative powers, and are well paid for your work. You are connected to your family and community, yet have time alone for creativity and spiritual pursuits. It is a time of peace and plenty, both internal and external” (p.134). This is such sage advice — to focus on the present moment and to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I have  accomplished a great deal over the years, and have wonderful memories of many people, places, and events. Instead of rushing to do more, now is the time to sit back, reflect upon, and enjoy what I have done, and how it has made me who I am today.

Card 7 — Key theme of the new year:   4 of Water

How fitting, that for my key theme for the new year, that I pull a 4!  (Remember, that 2011 = 4, as well as the Death card) Fours signify balance, stability, boundaries, structures, and (in the Gaian Tarot) sacred space. The girl gazes contemplatively into the waters of Chalice Well, a sacred site in Glastonbury, England (a place that I would love to visit one day). This card shows me that keeping my emotional reserves fully replenished will be crucial this year. It may be time to visit a scared space, especially one that has a body of water (a challenge when you live in a desert climate!).  2011 is not a time to allow my emotions to overflow, or stress me out; instead, it will be wise to go with the flow (recognizing that Temperance is my key opportunity for the year). It will be a good time to sit and reflect and see what lurks beneath the surface of my emotions. I can examine what is there and not let it overwhelm me.

This was an amazing reading! Nothing new, but certainly a strong reminder of what is important to focus on in the coming months. 2011 seems to be a year of growth, healing and balance, all of which I need in my life at this time. Heartfelt thanks to Joanna Powell Colbert for creating the stunning Gaian tarot deck and book….it’s truly an inspiring part of my deck collection!

Images from the Gaian Tarot © 2010 by Joanna Powell Colbert

Friday night’s presenters were two local artists/deck creators, Melissa Weiss Steele and Jordan Hoggard. Melissa described the creation of her just published Oracle of Initiation, and we got to play with the deck and do readings. Playing with this deck (and my subsequent reading) convinced me to buy my own copy!  Jordan is the creator of the deck and book set, Tarot in the Land of Mysterium (forthcoming from Schiffer). He used the Mysterium Death card as a springboard for his talk.

Friday concluded with a Tarot Slam reading, where participants got readings in 60 seconds or less! Great practice for the readers who had virtually no time to think, just to respond to the card images.

After an opening chant/ceremony on Saturday, our featured speaker Mary K. Greer presented an amazing slide show entitled “Cartomancers in Western Art from the 16th to Early 20th Centuries”. Some of Mary’s work in this area can be found on her blog.

Our lunch workshop was perhaps the world’s first pairing of Tarot and chocolate, presented by Carrie Paris. We read cards and sampled 6 kinds of chocolate, both solid and elixir, from cultures such as Mayan, Aztec and Indo-European. An amazing delight for all the senses!

After lunch, we were treated to the presentation “Oracles, Sibyls and Tricks of the Trade”, live via streaming video from New Zealand, by Fern Mercier. Her slide show and lecture was a wonderful complement to Mary’s talk of the morning.

The day concluded with a living Tarot reading and ceremony at our Day of the Dead altar.

On Sunday morning, Mary gave a workshop on the Death, Emperor & Fool constellation, based on her book Tarot Constellations (the revised version, Who Are You in the Tarot? is due out next year). We had a table full of Death, Emperor & Fools! A great interactive experience.

Carrie Paris led lunch participants in building their own Tarot mandalas using a variety of craft materials, including stones, feathers, sand and candles. One artist even used honey in her mandala!

My presentation, “The Birthday of Eternity: A Reading on Death” followed. We looked at symbolism from a variety of Death cards, and did a reading from my new book, The Major Arcana: Spreads for Enlightenment.

Next, Margaret Letzkus spoke to us on Sacred Space in the Tarot, via a gorgeous slide show. She talked about how we create sacred space by shuffling & cutting the cards, reading them, and seeing some of the world’s sacred places reflected in the cards.

Dai Leon, author of the book The Origins of the Tarot, gave our final presentation, “Death and Immortality”. His talk included early history, the importance of the Trumps’ hierarchy, placement of Death & Justice, Neoplatonic philosophy, and how immortality is represented in the Tarot.

LETS was such a successful and amazing weekend! All the participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and the presenters were well prepared and entertaining. We all came away learning some amazing things. And we had over 40 wonderful donations for our raffles, from artists, publishers, and supporters. Winners went home with some serious loot!

Look for information about next year’s LETS events! We’ll be back!

Marcia carefully went through hundreds of picture postcards to select those that conveyed the Tarot archetypes. Her scrutiny has paid off beautifully. Here are real people in real situations in a workable, readable deck. I love photographic decks and quickly ordered it. And, as luck would have it, Marcia and I both attended the 2010 Bay Area Tarot Symposium, where we sat down and walked through the entire deck. She explained many of the backstories of the people depicted in the cards, and how she came to select them (For those of you who don’t like celebrities, be warned that there are some well-known figures in the deck).

The deck is small, at 2.5 by 3.5 inches, printed on flexible, matte card stock which shuffles very nicely. The deck includes both closeups and images with full figures in scenes. Most of the images use the original colors of the postcards; in a few cases, Marcia enhanced some of the color to emphasize certain details. The backs (see image below) use the actual back of an old postcard — a brilliant design choice! The cards arrived with square corners to resemble the postcards they were created from, but I used my handy corner rounder on them (after a couple of sharp pokes). They are perfect now!

The deck comes in a two piece, lift off box that resembles an old steamer trunk. The title card is on the lid, and there are travel stamps on the sides, as if the package had traveled halfway around the world. Also included is a 22 page LWB (actually sepia) with a sentence or two about each card. The deck itself is a signed and numbered, self-published limited edition of 50, which quickly sold out.

My favorite card is the 9 of Cups, simply because, in some old box of photos somewhere, is a picture of me in a tub like this, at my grandmother’s house.

Marcia is at work on two other decks, the Art Postcard Tarot (a companion to the Picture Postcard deck) and the Victorian Trade Card Tarot. These are available for pre-order now. Contact Marcia here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Carrie Paris – Co-founder
carrieparis1@mac.com

Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium

Santa Fe, New Mexico – The Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium (LETS) will be held October 29, 30, 31, 2010 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It is the first tarot conference in the southwest and promises to be exciting, with Mary Greer as the featured speaker.  Mary is a world renowned authority on the tarot and the author of numerous tarot books. Other speakers will be announced soon.

LETS was co-founded by Carrie Paris, Margaret Letzkus and Robert Hahn as a tool for tarot aficionados, from beginners to advanced, to further their knowledge of the tarot as well as gain spiritual insight through innovative presentations.

This event will be the first of its kind to be simultaneously streamed live through a video webcast platform, allowing people the choice of attending in person or watching and participating in the Symposium from their own computer.  The LETS website will also offer continuing live stream video classes with exciting instructors from across the globe throughout the year.

Additional activities will include the celebration of Día de los Muertos with the tarot, the assemblage of an altar, and a traditional ceremony that honors the departed.  For the chocolate lovers, the cards will be matched with one-of-a-kind chocolate elixirs.

As Santa Fe is know for its art, our Caliente Bazaar will be filled with beautiful tarot related objects.  Raffles will be held for both those present as well as online attendees.

For Additional Information – http://www.meetup.com/LETSGOTAROT/

And in three short weeks, I will be heading back to California, to San Francisco this time, to attend the Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS)!  This will be my 4^th time attending, and it’s really going to be a stellar weekend. Organized by the Queen of Bats herself, Thalassa, BATS is a 2 day extravaganza of Tarot workshops, shopping, schmoozing, and fun!

Scheduled to appear at this year’s Symposium are Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, Marcus Katz from Tarosophy, Emily Carding (Transparent Tarot & Transparent Oracle), James Wanless (Voyager Tarot), Diane Wilkes (Jane Austen Tarot, webmistress of Tarot Passages), Pamela Eakins (Tarot of the Spirit), Joseph Martin (Quest Tarot), Leisa Refalo (Tarot Connection), Teressena & Martien Bakens (Fifth Tarot), Ellen Lorenzi-Prince (Tarot of the Crone), Jaymi “innowen” Elford (author), Katrina Wynne (Transformative Tarot Counseling), Arisa Victor (caretaker of Jason Lotterhand’s material), Bill Haigwood (Counterculture Tarot), Carole Pierce, Thena MacArthur (Shamanka Card Oracle), and RWS expert Holly Voley. Whew! What a lineup!

It’s going to be a great weekend. Check out the Daughters of Divination website for registration and hotel information.

And now, a year later, the Transparent Oracle has finally been released by Schiffer Books. And it is beautiful!  The box is a vast improvement over that of the Transparent Tarot. The Oracle’s box is a narrow box with magnetic closure & a ribbon loop to pull it open. It has ribbon hinges on the inside. The box is 11.75 x 6 x 1.5 inches. The cards sit in a well on the right side of the box; on the left is the book with the white spread cloth packed underneath.

The cards have a plastic band holding them together, and they fit very well in the box, with no slipping or sliding.  The cards are large, 5 inches in diameter, and there are 70 of them, so it’s quite a handful. Like the Transparent Tarot, the Oracle cards are made of  clear plastic, allowing for them to be read singly or in layers. My cards did not stick together at all as I quickly counted them to make sure none were missing. There was also none of the filmy residue on them like the TT had last year (although the companion book mentions there might be some).

Emily has grouped the cards around the seven directions: East, South, West, North, Above, Below, and Within (10 cards for each direction). Each group of the N, S, E & W cards includes a card representing a gateway, weather, element, time of day, landscape, 4 animal guides, and an elemental. The group representing Above includes a gateway, guide, a card for each of the 7 classical planets, and a polarity. Below includes a gateway, 4 guide cards, the Grail hallows and a polarity card. (The polarity cards are different colored dragons). The Within cards include a gateway, dream, touch/taste, hearing, voice, telepathy, empathy, vision, DNA/labyrinth and the web.

The book (nearly 5.75 inches square) is 128 pages in length. There are four chapters: What is the Transparent Oracle?, Card Meanings, Using the Cards, and Spreads (authored by David Rankine). It is illustrated with b&w images of all the cards, and each card has some keywords and a full page description of the card’s meaning, as well as some card combinations. The spreads are Here and Now, Axis Mundi, and a Chakras spread.

Schiffer has done an outstanding job with the production of this set. The quality is excellent, and they are to be congratulated. They have represented Emily’s hard work and vision beautifully.

I did a reading with the Oracle, asking what I can learn from the deck. I randomly chose three cards and layered them, forming a type of mandala. The cards I chose were (from the East) Guide: Eagle, (from Above) Guide: Angel, and (from the South) Landscape: Desert.

The Desert card represents the landscape where I live as well as Desert Oracle (always nice when the cards are so literal). In the guide book, Emily says “When the Desert combines with cards from the East, it may indicate a fresh wave of inspiration…if cards from Above appear, it may be that Desert indicates a test of faith or spiritual struggle” (page 39). This makes sense as I am working on a project, readying it for publication, which has been a struggle for me to stay on task and keep my initial inspiration.

Guide: Angel, for me, suggests that I have support from Above. Emily says “there may be a higher purpose and significance…Angel can also provide powerful protection from negative influences or give answers to the mysteries of life” (page 83). This is a message to pay attention to signs, omens and messages that Spirit is trying to show me.

This is reinforced with the Guide: Eagle card. Eagles are majestic birds, known for their keen sense of sight. According to Emily, “Eagle can help us gain the courage and vision needed to achieve our goals” (page 26).

It seems that the Transparent Oracle is telling me to hold onto my inspiration and when my trust falters, to seek guidance from Above. Angel can help me stay positive and motivated, and Eagle can help me see the bigger picture and keep my goals clearly in mind. A powerful message for me!

I enjoy using oracles from time to time, and with such an uplifting message as this one, the Transparent Oracle will be a deck I will reach for often. I may also see what happens if I use it along with the Transparent Tarot, which Emily herself suggests in the book. And since the deck is made of plastic, they can even be used in the bathtub (she has done it!)…what other deck can say the same?

Images from the Transparent Oracle © 2010 Schiffer Books