Fool Stop Tarot Blog

Introducing the Art of Life #Tarot Deck

We here at US Games Systems Inc are excited about a new Tarot deck called Art of Life Tarot which will be releasing very soon. This unique deck combines masterpieces of art with masterpieces of words. Reviews are already rolling in.

Charlene says, "...by drawing inspiration from my background in art history and my lifelong passion for quotations, I could capture the essence of the meanings behind each card while simultaneously encouraging the reader to interpret its personal meaning."

 One thing we love is the box design. It is a heavy-duty weight with a stand-up lid that serves as an easel. You can slide in your card of the day to use it for your daily focus.

Donnaleigh de la Rose was moved to tears. She says, ""I sank into the cards, their quotes, and marveled at how closely I felt they interacted with my life." You can see her full review here.

Don't miss the review from Christiana Gaudet who had this to say. "Art of Life Tarot from U.S. Games is a truly unique and valuable deck. It easily teaches two important concepts with which tarot students often struggle." You can enjoy her review here.

Janet Boyer says, "I marveled at the Art of Life Tarot." Read the full review here.

Zanna Star remarked, "I am truly impressed and delighted with the choices of art and quotations chosen by Charlene Livingstone for the cards in Art of Life Tarot." You can read the full review here.

See how Tarot blogger, Koneta Bailey, uses the Art of Life tarot in her daily draw here. She comments, "The quote on the card pretty much sums it up… Don’t you think?"

Have you reviewed a U.S. Games Tarot product? Let us know! Send Lynn your link so we can highlight it here and on Facebook and Twitter.

Want this deck? Ask your retailer to order it for you from U.S. Games today. It will be in your hands as soon as we have it.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Winner of the Lisa Hunt Interview contes

The Wheel of Fortune has been spun.

Out of the many comments on the three part Lisa Hunt interview, we have drawn a winner at random.

Congratulations to Raquel!

You win your choice of the upcoming Ghosts and Spirits Tarot by Lisa or her already available Fantastical Creatures Tarot.

Email Stella to let me know which deck you want!

 

Italian Vacation Anyone?

Arnell Ando has created a marvelous slideshow of their grand tour of Italy. She shares this in the hopes that you can see a "bit of the magic & wonder so atmospheric in bella Itali."

Come take a mini vacation with Arnell and friends.

Tarot Art & History Tour ~Italy 2011

Want to go yourself? Check out the upcoming 2012 Italy tour: http://www.arnellart.com/tarot-italy-tour2012.htm

Five New Decks

U.S. Games is happy to announce the release of three new Tarot decks plus two new oracle decks for your holiday happiness. 

The Cat's Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin, DVM, is an unusual deck in that the author and artist is also a feline-focused veterinarian. The card meanings and numbering follow Rider-Waite interpretations, with reptiles, fish, birds, and mice replacing the usual suit symbols. Even the newcomer to tarot will be able to relate to these delightful images of cats and learn valuable lessons from them.

Then we have Jennifer Galasso's Crystal Visions Tarot. It combines her love of crystal balls with a nod to a famous rock-and-roll singer. The luscious card imagery also illustrates the elemental aspects of each suit in order to aid the novice in forming associations with the cards.

Joie de Vivre Tarot is the latest from Paulina Cassidy. It features her trademark fantastical creatures and eye for detail. Those who take a journey through this wondrous realm will rediscover their own child-like spirit.

And don't miss our latest oracle card decks!

The Woodland Wisdom Oracle deck by Rev. Frances Munro features artwork by the talented Fantasy artist Peter Pracownik. Elves and fairies share their Woodland Wisdom to help you move your life forward in positive ways.

Last but certainly not least is the Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Fortune Cards. Rae Hepburn, an accomplished tea leaf reader, teaches you to unlock the ancient secrets of reading tea leaves. Follow a few simple guidelines, and you can immediately read your fortune.

Here are some recent reviews and interviews. If you have reviewed any of these, please send that link to Stella at US Games. We would love to feature that here and on our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.

• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Cat's Eye Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Cat's Eye Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Crystal Visions Tarot
• Janet Boyer Interviews Crystal Visions' Jennifer Galasso (Jan. 2011)
• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Crystal Visions Tarot
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Joie de Vivre Tarot
• Christiana Gaudet Reviews the Joie De Vivre Tarot
• Zanna Star Interviews the Artist of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Zanna Star Intervies the Author of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Lizzie Reviews the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards
• Bonnie Cehovet Reviews the Woodland Wisdom Oracle Cards
• Tarot By Arwen Reviews the Woodland Wisdom Oracle Cards

So which ones do you want? Leave a comment. We want to hear from  you.

Haindl #Tarot Winners Announced

Last week we ran three videos about Hermann Haindl. Every comment was put into a hat. Those of you who follow us on Twitter got a chance for another entry just by retweeting.

Well, we had a great turn out for this prize so we drew two names instead of one. Every one who commented or retweeted the link on Twitter were in the drawing.

 

I'm pleased to announce that Linda in Holland (Subrosa on Twitter) and Carolyn Cushing are our winners!

Ladies, we will be emailing you for your mailing information. Congratulations!

We love doing contests. Subscribe to this blog to stay informed of other chances to win some really fun Tarot prizes.

 

 

12 Day Tarot Art and History Tour of Northern Italy, Autumn 2011

I appreciate the wonderful Tarot decks U.S. Games is donating to the Tarot Museum in Italy, as well as this opportunity to share about how it came to be that I find myself bringing a suitcase laden with decks and a merry band of Tarot travelers to bella Italia this fall…

BRINGING TAROT TO THE TABLE: World Tarot Day 2011

On World Tarot Day (May 25th) You Will See one of the Rarest Tarot Images -- Ever.

Before I talk in this guest blog post about World Tarot Day on May 25th, imagine the scene, if you will -- it is a foggy evening in England, November 1921 ... so foggy that travel is being disrupted across the country. Elsewhere in the world, the Japanese Prime Minister is assassinated, and Hitler and Mussolini are as we speak establishing groups which will soon plunge the world into yet another war. However, a spiritual seed is also being sown -- by

ANNOUNCEMENT: Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl Deck

There are Tarot decks. There are Oracle decks. Then there are the Lenormand cards. Although you can find many versions of this cartomancy system, the one touted as the top seller is the Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl. It was published in the 1920's.

An interesting fact about the Lenormand cards is that the first deck was actually published after Mademoiselle Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (Alençon, 27 May 1772 – Paris, 25 June 1843), aka Mlle Lenormand, died. It is said that she read for more than 40 years. By her own accounting, she read for Robespierre, the Empress Josephine and even Czar Alexander among others. She lived through the French revolution. She did see some prison time but only short terms.

Though this is a French deck, the country where it is the most popular is Germany. Mlle Lenormand claimed that she got her first deck of cards from Gypsies when she was a young girl. She designed her own 36 card deck and those images still grace many of the Lenormand decks.

This Blue Owl version is one you want to own if you are a Lenormand aficionado. And even if you aren't, try your hand at this intriguing system. The meanings of each card change by where they are in relationship to the person card that is being read for. Many Tarot enthusiasts study this system as a companion to Tarot.

Mary K. Greer shares a bit about Madame le Normand and the cards here. Liz Hazel did an astrological chart for Mlle Lenormand that is fascinating. You can see that in the comments on MKG's blog. We here at U.S. Games Systems, Inc. are delighted to announce that you can now get this famous little deck.

Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl deck is the English language version of the famous fortune-telling deck used by Mlle Lenormand.

The 36-card deck is packaged in the traditional tuck box with its original Blue Owl design. The pack includes a small instruction booklet with a brief explanation of each key card and sample readings.

In a reading, meanings are determined by the relationships between cards in a spread, as well as by individual cards.

Mlle Lenormand rose from humble beginnings in 19th century France to become the most prominent fortune teller in Europe. Her clients included Napoleon, about whom she made bold and astonishingly accurate predictions.

Her card-reading methods are still popular today.

Are you a Mlle. Lenormand fan? Want to become one? Check out the Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl deck at your local retailer. If they don't have it, send them to U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Here are a few images.

 

If you like online oracles, check this Lenormand one out.

© April 2011 U.S. Games Systems Inc.

About.com Readers' CHOICE Awards 2011 Finalist!

We are delighted to be nominated in the About.com Readers' CHOICE Awards 2011.

http://healing.about.com/od/tarotcardsdecks/ss/best-tarot-cards-2011.htm is the page to vote on. Voting will take place from Feb. 11 through March 8. Winner will be announced on March 15th.

There's some stiff competition with some classic decks and one new one as well, but we think the RWS is the best. Do drop by and vote!

777 CONTEST

We have been having a lot of fun on Facebook with daily questions. If you are a regular there, you know we post all sorts of questions from the silly "deserted island" type to those that make you dig like "what cards would you take antique shopping."

Right now we have 679 folks who've "liked" our Facebook page. Of course we want to share the love with more. We are driving towards 777 as a magic number. Yes, there's a pun in there. Ask your friends to "like" our Facebook fan page. They can go here or they can like us by clicking on the Facebook link to the right on this blog. When we hit that magic number, everyone's name goes in a hat. We will pull a winner who will get their choice of the following decks:

• Brotherhood of Light Egyptian Tarot
• Morgan's Tarot
• King Solomon Oracle Cards
• Karma Tarot
• Sun and Moon Tarot
• Ask the Queens
• Imperial Dragon Oracle

We are 98 people away from that magic number as of 2/7/2011.

You are automatically in the contest just for liking the USGS Facebook page.

Help us get the word out. You can do that by going to the Facebook page and clicking on "Suggest To Friends." Tell them about the contest because they will be eligible as well once they like that page.

Ready?

Set?

GO!

Interview with Crystal Visions Tarot Creator

01/26/2011

Crystal Visions Tarot - Interview with Jennifer Galasso

Janet: Hello Jen! Thank you for taking time out to share the good news with the Tarot Gals readers and answer a few questions about your deck! 

Jennifer: Hello Janet! Thank you for taking the time to interview me about the deck!  

Janet: First, let's begin with your big announcement: you've signed a contract with U.S. Games Systems, Inc. to publish your Crystal Visions Tarot. How wonderful! So how do you feel?! Are you heading to Disneyworld? ;o) What is the timeline--any ideas when we'll be able to get our hands on your deck? 

Halloween Birthdays

Our Senior Art Director, Jody has her birthday right on Halloween.

Any other Halloween birthdays out there?

Let us know and you could receive  a special Tarot birthday card signed by Stuart Kaplan and friends at USGS.

 

 

 

Sneak Preview of Deviant Moon Book

Fans of Deviant Moon Tarot have asked for a companion book, and we have heard you!

Patrick Valenza is busily writing detailed descriptions of the cards with expanded meanings. He is also sharing insights into his own creative process, with personal anecdotes on what inspired his beloved Deviant Moon characters and their settings.

Here's a sample page (FIRST DRAFT) for the Magician Card.

ENJOY & PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

 

 



 

I . The Magician

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The novice magician performs on stage to the shadows of an imagined audience. Though he has not yet achieved mastery of skill, he envisions a time when he will be competent in his craft. This innate confidence lays for him a mental blueprint on how he can one day reach his goals. There is great effort and concentration expressed on his face as he wields the four symbols of the minor arcana. With time, practice, and patience, he will become fluent in them all.  In spite of inheriting the gift of four hands, he must still labor diligently to reach such a high level of craftsmanship. He dips his forefinger into a cup of blood, demonstrating that his art does not come without pain or sacrifice. The box at his knees is a material manifestation of the cosmos, symbolizing  that mortals, as well as gods, can revel in the rewards of the universe through hard work, will, and perseverance.

 

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Upright meanings:    

The magician shows that you are more than able to master any desired skill through practice, sacrifice, and a determined focus on your outcome. He encourages you to cultivate your potential abilities and to be willing to invest the time required to do so. Occasionally, you may feel overwhelmed or frustrated, however persistence to the task at hand will pay off. Stay confident in your craft, and believe that your creative power will manifest into tangible results. Be resourceful in your approach to all situations, remembering that you already have everything you need inside yourself to accomplish your dreams.

 

Reversed meanings: 

The magician reversed warns of the waste or misuse of your unique talents.  There may be setbacks in undertakings due to uncoordinated efforts, and you might find yourself unable to grasp new concepts as confusion sets in. This could also signify the lack of confidence in your emerging abilities. 

 

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"The magician is based on another Venetian character created for a story I was writing in 1982. In it, a mechanical fish made of gold arises from the canal and takes a few citizens on a ride beneath the city. At the time, I was progressing in my work as a colored pencil artist, yet I was getting tired of drawing figures in a traditional manner. I felt the need to grow beyond what I was comfortable creating. When designing the magician's body, I used stylized shapes more and more, as abstraction began to influence my drawings. Multiple arms just came naturally for this figure, as it was a necessity for him to be performing with all four suit symbols. Reality started to bend with the needs of each card. It was a precursor to other odd body parts to come throughout the deck!"

 

 

 

 

USGS Celebrates Halloween!

Leaves falling, wind howling, spiders crawling and monsters roaming…

Yes, intrepid readers, we’re celebrating the thinning of the veil—a time of ghouls, flying brooms and haunted houses…

Halloween!

This month, look for spooktacular posts that will enchant, inform, intrigue and entertain you.

From a virtual costume party to ghastly giveaways, terroriffic spreads to “dark” deck profiles, the Fool Stop Tarot Blog is THE place to be during October!

So bolster your courage, don a mask and grab your trick or treat bag, because fiendish frights and frolicking fun are heading your way this Halloween!

-- Janet, Social Media Maven for U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Image from the Halloween Tarot ISBN 0-88079-965-X

Calling All Reviewers!

U.S. Games Systems, Inc. greatly appreciates all those reviewers out there who take the time to review our decks and books.

If you're a reviewer who has reviewed a U.S. Games Systems deck, book or deck/book set, please email me at JanetUSGS@atlanticbb.net to let me know. Please be sure to include the URL for each review!

I'll be making Reviews Round-ups posts highlighting and linking to YOUR reviews, so even if your reviews are older, feel free to send them along, too.

-- Janet