The Tarot Channel

Famous Faces in the Tarot

Do you have any famous faces in your Tarot decks?

That is, have you come across a figure in a a card and gasped, "Oh my goodness! That looks just like _____!" Well, I've had a few and I thought I'd share them with you: 

John Travolta in the 9 of Cups especially circa Vinnie Barbarino (from the Universal Waite Tarot)

 

Madonna (especially in Evita) in The Emperor (from the Vanessa Tarot)

 

Ken Wilber (deep thinker extraordinaire) in the Five of Coins (from the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot)

 

George W. Bush in The Fool (from the Gilded Tarot)

 

Alan Cumming in The Fool (from The Sorcerers Tarot)

 

Lara Flynn Boyle (of Twin Peaks fame) in The Fool (from the Vanessa Tarot)

What famous people do you see in the Tarot?

-- Janet Boyer, Author of The Back in Time Tarot Book - Editor at The Tarot Channel

Tarot Reflections June 2009

Have you heard about the ATA's free monthly e-Zine Tarot Reflections? If not, you don't know what you're missing!

The June 2009 Tarot Reflections is now up for your enjoyment. In this issue, Editor Shari Harshberger raves about my book Back in Time Tarot (woohoo!), and the Pamela Colman Commemorative Set and the Undersea Tarot get star treatment, too.

Melanie Harris interviews beloved Tarot artist and author Robert Place in the June 2009 issue (click here for the interview), and--in case you've been living under a rock--his brand new box set Vampire Tarot comes out next month from St. Martin's Press (can I get a hallelujah?!).

There's TarotScopes, Soothsayer's Corner, an article on the Court Cards and more in this month's issue. And the June Giveaway Contest? A signed copy of The Back in Time Tarot Book and a copy of Robert Place's Vampire Tarot! Click here for more information.

Enjoy!

-- Janet Boyer

Janet Boyer on the Maria Shaw Show 6/10/09

Marie Shaw and Joe Lawson interviewed me on the Maria Shaw Show earlier today. I did Tarot readings for both Maria and Joe, as well as several callers. We also talked about my book, Back in Time Tarot!

You can listen to the interview at Empower Radio. Look for the June 10th show on the On-Demand Audio drop down menu. (Click here for the link) I'm on about halfway through.

What a blast we had!

-- Janet Boyer

Rumi Tarot - Nigel Jackson

“The prophetic light blazes timelessly at the heart of Sufi way, for Sufism transcends all the outward forms of religion—it pervades them as their eternal essence and yet preexisted them all. Sufism is the subtlest and deepest core of universal truth, the purity of the all-pervading and traceless gnosis.” – From the Rumi Tarot companion book

I pre-ordered the Rumi Tarot from Amazon.com with great anticipation, especially since I’ve used Rumi’s poetry for contemplation for several years. As I began to read the well-researched and detailed 294-page companion book, my heart sank. The first 31 pages are a dry, meticulous discourse on Sufi theology—including the liberal use of dozens of unfamiliar Arabic names and terms. In fact, I think Sufi Tarot would be a better name for this box set. (Incidentally, Sufism is the mystical arm of Islam).

After slogging through, I concluded that those 31 pages were, in my opinion, unnecessary. I became encouraged when I got to the section on the seven chakras, but the information was unorganized, out of vertical order (either up or down, 1-7 or 7-1, would have been fine), and, in two cases, the chakra title/number wasn’t even mentioned. Despite being quite familiar with chakra teachings and theory, I couldn’t make heads or tails of two of the chakras, even after considerable re-reading and examination!

And to give you an idea of how the first 31 pages read, here’s an example of a chakra description. (Incidentally, I can’t figure out which chakra it’s referring to since the Third Eye and Crown Chakras were discussed elsewhere):

“The Alam-i-Mithal or Alam-I-Khayal is the world of images, or imaginal world, the mystical ‘isthmus of similtudes’ that exists between the sensorial and unseen realms is also known as Hurqalya, the ‘earth of the emerald cities’ Jabalqa and Jabarsa, the ‘cities at the end of the earth’, the ‘earth of visions’ or ‘intermediate Orient’. This is the sphere of imagination wherein, according to the seventeenth-century Islamic mystic Muhsin Fayz Kashani, ‘spirits are embodied and bodies are spiritualized’…”

That said, the explanations and insights for the individual cards of the Rumi Tarot are more accessible, appealing, and spiritually illuminating—as are the upright and reversed meanings provided by Mr. Jackson.

Uncharacteristic of Llewellyn decks, the card stock is incredibly flimsy and low quality. After only taking out the Rumi Tarot cards a few times to scrutinize and scan, the corners began wrinkle, flake, and—in some cases—actually bend upward, exposing white card stock beneath.

Had I saw card samples online beforehand, I would have definitely reconsidered buying it, especially since the ornate borders, background, and quotes from Rumi’s Mathnavi hog most of the card, especially the Minor Arcana. In fact, the central imagery of the Minor Arcana measures (approximately) a mere 1 ½ x 1 inch!

It’s obvious that Mr. Jackson has taken great care with his intricate paintings, and the Majors and court cards are lovely. However, as I said, the double borders, moss green background, and quote banner overshadow the painstaking artwork, especially with the Minors.

Featuring a simple, delicate, reversible symbol on the backing, the cards of the Rumi Tarot measure 4 ½ x 2 ¾ inches with a matte finish. The box set comes with the companion book, white cardboard box for storage and a black organdy pouch.

Personally, I don’t feel that the Rumi Tarot makes for a good divination deck (and certainly not as a beginner’s deck!), but it would make a wonderful contemplation tool for those inspired and nurtured by Sufi mysticism. Mr. Jackson brings an innovative perspective on the cards, as well as an exhaustive treatise of Sufi theology.

To see 13 additional images from this deck, including a zoom of the chipped card border, click here.

-- Janet Boyer, Editor at TheTarotChannel.com - Author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

Mythical Goddess Tarot

“Our planet and all her species are at a delicate crossroads. The key to the survival of life on Earth in these days is the integration and expression of the Sacred Feminine in all of us, women and men. At this crucial time on the planet, humankind is being forced out of denial of its own divinity. Specifically, this is the spirit of the Goddess on Earth, not necessarily in worship, but in honoring, in each of us, our feminine core of being. She has always existed in all of her forms, no matter how buried, and is now returning in full expression for the healing of humankind.” – From the Mythical Goddess Tarot companion book - Sage Holloway (Author) and Katherine Skaggs (Artist)

From Mother Mary to Lakshmi, White Buffalo Calf Woman to Brigid, the Major Arcana of the Mythical Goddess Tarot glows with diverse faces of the Divine Feminine. Bordered in purple with some Trumps renamed, the Majors speak to the deep inner desire for healing, creation, acceptance, initiation and union.

Although woman-centric in imagery, the messages of Mythical Goddess Tarot speak across gender lines and racial divisions, spiritual paths and personal needs. Richly illustrated in vibrant hues by Katherine Skaggs, this deck is compassionately honest, surprisingly blunt, incisively accurate, and ultimately hopeful.

The Minor Arcana suits are Seas, Fire, Earth and Wind, with the Court Cards following Child, Maiden, Mother and Crone designation. Each has a relevant keyword adding to possible intuitive insights, with several cards offering delightful, clever expansion on traditional meanings.

Several of my favorite cards (a few because of the utter originality) from the vivid, lavishly illustrated Mythical Goddess Tarot include:

• 8 of Earth (Nurturance) – A full-figured woman surrounded by vegetation waters a mound of daisies, healing and love emanating from her other hand.

• 10 of Wind (Illusion) – On a sunny day, a person garbed in full yellow raingear stands under a red umbrella while a tiny rain cloud hovers above.

• Crone of Fire (Transmutation) – A smiling phoenix raises triumphantly from the ashes.

• 7 of Earth (Failure) – A leafless gnarled tree fails to thrive amidst city skyscrapers and gray skies.

• Child of Seas (Innocence) – A child lies asleep in a giant conch shell, protected from a heaving wave.

• 9 of Wind (Criticism) – Lightning bolts emanate from a figure’s head and mouth with a hand points in seeming accusation, powerfully capturing the damage inflicted by harsh judgment.

The 127-page companion booklet to the Mythical Goddess Tarot is one of the most finely crafted I’ve seen, with each card reproduced in full-color miniature. Sage Holloway provides the astrological correlation for each card (unobtrusively painted on each card), as well as detailed explanations and encouraging advice. The shiny box it comes in is very sturdy and easy to open (thankfully!)

The glossy cards measure approximately 4 ½ x 3 ¼ inches with an intricate reversible pattern on back. Each of the Minor Arcana cards has an arresting border reflecting their elemental association: Wind cards are bordered with cloud-strewn skies, Seas have steel gray waves, Earth depicts leafy trees, while Fire cards have orange flame borders.

I’ve been using the Mythical Goddess Tarot for several months now and it’s one of a few “go to” decks that I use for personal readings and spiritual contemplation. I’ve found it especially helpful for ascertaining values, aligning with soul purpose, gaining insight into familial relationships, deriving comfort in stressful times, and sorting out emotional signals.

This deck is truly one of the finest I’ve come across in recent years and has become one of my favorites. It’s warm, user-friendly, diverse (in imagery and message), and clear. Although it’s self-published, it rivals any deck produced by known publishers in both quality and presentation. (It’s available from Amazon.com at this link.)

Thank you, Sage Holloway and Katherine Skaggs, for being a wide-open conduit for such an energizing and empowering Tarot deck!

To see 13 additional images from this deck, click here.

-- Janet Boyer, Editor at TheTarotChannel.com - Author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

Legacy of the Divine Tarot (Special Edition)

“The Emperor’s edict was unquestioned. The Kings of the Four Elements offered opinions but were ultimately subordinate to his authority. Within the context of this new imminent reality, their territories and dominions were now redundant—differences and conflicts of the past, now irrelevant. Instead, each was now commanded to adhere to a plan of action that would supersede all else. From this day forth, all activity would be directed to the common goal of survival, albeit for a few, whomever destiny might choose to favor.” – From the illustrated story book

Creator of the well-received Gilded Tarot (Llewellyn) and the Tarot of Dreams (self-published), award-winning digital artist Ciro Marchetti unveils his latest and, supposedly his last, Tarot deck: the Legacy of the Divine Tarot.

Arguably his most aesthetically pleasing and stylistically uniform deck to date, the Legacy of the Divine Tarot begins with a back-story crafted by Ciro in the form of a 42-page self-published book. Although Ciro tells me he’s “not a writer”, one thing I’m certain about after reading the intriguing fictional history of this deck is that he is, indeed, an engaging storyteller!

This version of the Legacy of the Divine Tarot is self-published, with the mass-market edition available fall 2009 from Llewellyn Worldwide. The illustrated storybook detailing the legacy of a civilization decimated by a foreseen cataclysm will not be reproduced in the mass-market edition; instead, Ciro invited four individuals to offer their personal take on the cards for its companion book.

I’ve been using this deck for several months now, and I’m so impressed with its imaginative artwork, lavish hues, approachable imagery, and unexpected details. For example, I once did a reading for myself and The Magician and The Chariot were among the cards.

They came up before, so it’s not as if I was unfamiliar with the imagery. But during that particular insightful and reassuring reading, a contemplative stillness descended upon me. I felt to “come closer” to the cards—to gaze at them with new eyes.

Upon closer inspection, I realized that The Magician had not five fingers, but six! I then noticed that one of the chains on the white horse of The Chariot had snapped and was flying loose. These unfolding details added intuitive information to the reading, not to mention that I was delighted to discover previously overlooked touches!

There are so many neat elements and cards, that it’s difficult to just pick a few to talk about—but here are some of my favorites from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot:

• The Empress – A pregnant young woman is surrounded by vibrant tokens of fertility, proliferation, ripeness and protectiveness—eggs in a nest, luscious fruits, scattering dandelion seeds, luxuriant vegetation, a rabbit, a whale and its baby, and so on.

• Faith (Traditionally named The Hierophant) – Like the Tarot of Dreams, this card is not only renamed, but its imagery reflects four different religious traditions

• 10 of Cups – A sleeping dog and cat lie together before a cozy fireplace, ten glass goblets upon the mantle and side shelves

• 3 of Swords – This image shows a close-up of a girl in braids, a tear streaming down her cheek that’s adorned with a heart tattoo (it reminds me of the Rohrig Tarot’s stunning version of this card)

• The Knights, rather than riding a horse or other beast, are represented by elaborate helmets among representations of the four elements

• 8 of Swords – The woman is not only swathed in loose cloth bindings, but she’s suspended in a gossamer web (oh the webs we weave?)

• 6 of Cups – A girl lays in the flower dappled field, daydreaming of a time when she was flying a kite with another child (shown in silhouette)

Astrological correspondences are artfully positioned within the cards (e.g. the symbols Sun in Capricorn for the 4 of Coins, Mars and Pisces for the 10 of Cups, etc.), but admittedly, there are some I simply cannot find! I’m not sure if this is because Ciro left some imagery without the astrological symbols or that he’s hidden them so cleverly that I just can’t decipher them even after close scrutiny.

The Legacy of the Divine Tarot cards are rather large, measuring 5 ½ x 3 ¼ inches with an attractive matte finish. The reversible card backing features an intricate mechanistic device, with both front and back borders framed in black, fading into the central image (a beautiful effect resembling looking through time’s window). The cards are quite sturdy, and seem to be holding up well under frequent use.

For variety’s sake, Ciro has created three different versions of several cards. After getting the cards back from the printer, he laid them out and then mixed them up, so mathematical uniqueness of each Legacy of the Divine Tarot (special self-published edition) is virtually guaranteed.

For example, the Magician’s garb may be crimson, blue or green. The woman’s dress in the 9 of Coins my be aqua, blue or shimmering turquoise.

This special self-published deck also comes with a black velvet drawstring bag with the words Legacy of the Divine Tarot embossed in gold. The price for the deck and bag is $175 plus shipping and handling. The full-color storybook—akin to a lavish children’s book—is $70 plus shipping and handling. Ciro has also created a 2’ x 2’ reading canvas depicting

There are only two minor issues I feel to mention: the storybook has some a few grammatical errors and typos (but that adds to the charm for me, personally). The second was the lamentable decision on Ciro’s part to allow someone from the internet to use the Queen of Wands face on her website and as an avatar. I thought, initially, that he created it for her as a commission piece.

So for me, it was regrettable to realize that, no, this pervasive image was indeed the Queen of Wands from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot. Pity, because every time I see the image (which happens to be the most attractive and photorealistic human depiction in the entire deck), it comes with an imposed association by default.

Barring those two “issues” (the storybook mistakes being truly minor and not detracting from the readability or its charm in the least), the Legacy of the Divine Tarot self-published edition (while perhaps pricey for a casual collector), is Ciro’s tour de force, in my opinion. It is stunning on so many levels—a truly remarkable deck for readings, contemplation, journaling, and sheer artistic admiration.

Although the cards of the self-published edition are durable, I look forward to the mass-market edition from Llewellyn for more rigorous and portable use.

Hearty congratulations to Ciro Marchetti for such a lovely multi-faceted creation!

To see 15 additional images from this deck, click here.

-- Janet Boyer, Editor at TheTarotChannel.com - Author of The Back in Time Tarot Book

 

The Tarot Reader From Devil's Lake

From the "Hey, I know her!" department: that's cutie and Tarot reader/writer extraordinaire Corrine Kenner peering out at us from the pages of the Devil's Lake Journal!

“This tarot card thing is similar to the newspaper business because it helps you get people to open up about their stories,’’ Corrine said in a telephone conversation. “It was worked well for me because you can make things up with the cards and use it as a good writing tool.’’

You go, Corrine, you go! 

Meanwhile: why couldn't my own hometown have had a cool name like "Devil's Lake?" A Tarot person from Devil's Lake sounds a lot cooler than a Tarot person from "Anniston, Alabama."

1973 Album "Tarot" Still Weaves its Spell

"Tarot and music are as connected as a musician with deep knowledge of the cards wants them to be," says Jessica Lanyadoo, a Tarot-based intuitive counselor and author of the Guardian's Psychic Dream astrology column. "Matter is vibration solidified, and spiritual content can be translated into sounds or music as much as words or even things. Style and execution are in the hands of the artist, of course, but there is tempo in each and every of the Tarot cards, as well as pitch. The disks/pentacles are deep and rich sounds while the swords are more reedy/tinny. The wands/staves move fast, while the cups flow."

via sfbg.com

Haven't heard this yet. Pity the re-released Tarot ditches the Tarot artwork Wegmuller created for the 1973 double-LP.

Posted via web from Tarot

Band "Celebration" Ditches Record Company, Releases Tarot-Themed Album

via thephoenix.com

"We had 22 new songs, which is just a magical number in itself. It started to dawn on me that there are 22 major arcana. We had a song that fit exactly with the Magician card, and there were all these other little corollaries throughout the songs." Hence, a new official Celebration song gets released in conjunction with every full moon at celebrationelectrictarot.com, along with new-moon releases of homemade "soundscapes" to fill out the rest of the deck.

Posted via web from Mark's posterous

Tarot Dreams

via flickr.com

Note to self: when giving street readings ... keep some coffee on hand!

The poor dear. My heart goes out to her, really, because I know from experience that street reading is brutal work.

(Photo by flickr.com user affaire de couronne de Thomas)

Posted via web from Mark's posterous