The Tarot Channel

Tarot in Disney Movie Princess and the Frog

My family and I saw The Princess and the Frog over the weekend and were utterly delighted with the stunning animation, vibrant colors, hilarious dialogue, memorable characters and toe-tappin' jazz music.

Arguably the coolest thing was the mention and use of Tarot! Admittedly, it was the villain--the Shadowman--who used Tarot cards for nefarious ends, but it was neat to not only see actual cards used, but used correctly!

Disney must have done their homework.

One of the cards in the reading showed an X at the top (Roman numeral 10) with a man carrying a burdensome load of sticks (obvious reference to the 10 of Wands, although no suit name was used). Disney brought the the 3-card Past-Present-Future reading to life by "animating" each card. For example, for the 10 of Wands, the man carrying the load comes to life and becomes henpecked by a woman and further burdened by future challenges.

Yes, I realize it's not great that Tarot has once again been relegated to use by charlatans like the Shadowman, BUT Mama Odie, the affable, slightly-crazy voodoo lady in the bayou, helps show that magic and intention can also be wielded by noble people with good intentions to serve others.

Also, it was great to see a heroine of color, as well as a strong, talented, confident female who works hard for her dreams and doesn't need someone else to save her. If I could sum up The Princess and the Frog, it would be that hard work + dreaming + flexibility + remembering what's important often = what you need, as opposed to what you want, and also can help redefine what it means to be "successful".

Click here to see the trailer for The Princess and the Frog.

P.S. If you'd like your own 3-card Past/Present/Future Reading as seen in the movie, I'd be thrilled to do one for you! Just visit my Readings page at this link. Would you like to learn Tarot for yourself or to do readings for others? Join me in my Tarot Classroom for the New Year! Click here for more information.

-- Janet Boyer, Editor at TheTarotChannel.com and author of Back in Time Tarot

Something for the Aleister Crowley fans...

Chemical Wedding is a DVD set to be released in the U.K. on Sep 8, 2008.  Basically it's about a guy who get's possessed by the late Aleister Crowley.  The occultist known in Tarot circles as the creator of the Thoth Tarot Deck.  Hmmm...the review on Ironmaiden.com hails it as a "Satanic Da Vinci Code", so whether it's a movie for your taste or not, it might be a good excuse to invite over some friends, blow the dust off your Thoth Deck and gear up for the Halloween Season!

Tarot-Themed Short Gets Recognition

Congratulations go out today to John Condon, whose short film, Tarot (previously featured here), is a finalist in the National Film Board of Canada's Online Short Film Competition! Hooray!

The Reading

The Reading is a short film in which ten animated Tarot cards crawl across the table and arrange themselves into a Celtic Cross spread. Once the cards are in place, we're treated to stylistic close-ups, zooms, and audio effects intended to bring each card to life.

I'm intrigued with how selective focus (zooming in to isolate certain elements in a card illustration) and motion can cause me to see very familiar cards in very different ways. In fact, this movie gave me an idea: what if, instead of offering standard online readings via email or video clip, you could order a reading that would present nothing but the card images in a unique and intriguing short video?

In other words: instead of someone delivering an vocal interpretation, you'd receive something more like The Reading: visuals and sounds designed to enhance your understanding and experience of the cards.

There aren't many online readings worth paying for ... but, as they say, "I'd buy that for a dollar." Would you?

Tea is for Tarot

We've watched Tea is for Tarot more than a dozen times, and, apart from languid establishing shots and soulful glances between the actors, we're still not sure what it's supposed to be about.

Whatever the subject: as long as it takes this guy to get the reading going, we hope he's charging by the hour. Heh.

Looong List of Tarot in Books and Movies

Hannah G. Hunter's passion for Tarot is matched only by her passion for books. And that's good news for us, because her twin passions have prompted her to create a looong list books in which Tarot plays a role.

In addition to the alphabetical list of literary references to Tarot, she's posted a color-coded key: from red for "I've read it, and Tarot is significantly involved" to yellow for "a fleeting reference." There's even a secondary list of books with "Tarot-like cards or other divination tools."

If you know of a book she's missing, drop her a line -- she's been been updating the list with help from readers since 1991.

Tarot, Clairvoyance, and How to Know God

Last week I had the chance to watch the DVD How to Know God which is based on the book of the same name by Deepak Chopra. A breezy but insightful introduction to quantum physics, Chopra discussed  the mirage of time and movement as well as more mystical topics like miracles, synchronicity, and clairvoyance.

When discussing clairvoyance, Chopra enters what looks to be a fortuneteller's parlor (of course!), and she begins laying out Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot cards. (In case you're curious, they were The Empress, Hanged Man, Hermit, Death, Strength, Sun and Lovers.)

Chopra had this to say about clairvoyance:

"The clairvoyant is attuned to a reality not yet manifested. What is it that allows the internal firing of neurons to match external events that have not yet come to pass? There are no definite occurrences in time. What exists are infinite choices within every event and we determine which select few are going to manifest. In the clairvoyant's vision, the future has two locations--here and later."

While watching this segment, I had the thought that Tarot reading is accessing sychronicity proactively (as opposed to waiting for it to "happen" to you). What do YOU think? And, for fun, how would you read the group of cards the clairvoyant dealt on the table?

-- Janet Boyer

This Reading's Dead On

Tarot, a movie from OTTFilms, is a twenty-three second cinematic joke with one heck of a punchline.

Tarot in the Movies

I love it when I spot Tarot card references in movies! Some references are overt--such as the Woody Allen movie Scoop starring Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman. If you look closely, you can see Jackman's character holding the Death card from the Thoth Tarot Deck. This movie follows the hijinks of a college journalism student, the ghost of a dead investigative reporter, and a bumbling magician as they try to uncover the identity of the Tarot Card Serial Killer.

Sometimes, the Tarot pops up in movies and has no obvious connection to the plot. I remember the movie Hostage, starring Bruce Willis and his daughter, Rumer, showing Tarot card images. There's a shot of Rumer's character's bedroom, which is decorated like a fortuneteller's parlor. Large RWS images--I believe from the Giant Rider Waite Deck--are on the walls and one of the doors. (I think I remember seeing The Magician card?)

Can you think of any other movies that mention the Tarot or feature Tarot imagery?

-- Janet Boyer

Chicha tu Madre

Here's an intriguing movie to add to your "Must See" list (or, if you live in the middle of a cultural desert like me, your "Must Rent on DVD list!):

Chicha tu Madre, Gianfranco Quattrini's picturesque comedy, actually uses tarot cards to narrate its tale of fate, free will and chance. As Cesar, a taxi driver and amateur tarot card reader, races around Lima trying to take advantage of opportunity that comes his way, the Peruvian city's bright colors and unique spirit inspire him to push on.

Want more? Check out the movie's really cool website for a bizarre multimedia experience. (Oh, and don't go around shouting this movie's title in your local Mexican grocery; as slang goes, it's about as vulgar as you can get!)

Source: The Desert Sun