Fool Stop Tarot Blog

Interview with Kim Dreyer by Tarot Dactyl

Enjoy this interview with Kim Dreyer, creator of the Conscious Spirit Oracle with interview questions by Mary McIntyre Brown (aka Tarot Dactyl).

To be entered in a contest to win your own copy of this lovely oracle, leave a comment. Share it on Facebook and/or Tweet it for an extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this blog with the link to your share to be counted. Winners announced July 15, 2013.

 

MB: This is your first oracle deck, what inspired you to create it?

KD: Yes, this is my first deck.  For many years friends and family suggested I do a deck, but the time didn't feel right and I wasn't sure of a theme for it.  As my own personal inner journey to self unfolded, the contents of a deck became more and more clear.  My own journey was inspiration - I felt I could help guide others to find their own paths, their own inner light. Show them it was possible.  For months it sat evolving, germinating in my mind and heart, then one day I simply woke up and knew the time had come for me to physically start working on it. …. and so it grew from there.

 

MB: What did you learn from creating this deck?

KD: That it's one hell of a lot of work!!  And that one has to trust one's instincts, trust your guides and the Universe.  When you are working from a place of love, your bliss state, everything flows and falls into place.  You simply have to show up and allow. 

 

MB: What challenges did you encounter in the process and how did you overcome them?

KD: Time was one of my biggest challenges.  I had set a rather hectic pace for myself, especially towards the end.  And though physically, I seemed to find an almost inhuman energy and perseverance, when the last brush stroke was done; the final word typed and the whole package sent off to U.S. Games…. I crashed.  Physically and mentally I was exhausted.  It took me a whole month before I could get back to any normal creative routine.  My job was done, it was time to rest.

My second biggest challenge was my ego, second-guessing me.  'Was I qualified enough to take on this challenge; Was my art good enough? (The normal things that an artist is always asking herself) But I kept ignoring it and finally it went away.  And I was left in peace to continue creating.

 

MB: You wrote and illustrated the deck. Creating 44 beautiful images seems like a huge task in itself, what about finding the right words to illuminate the meaning of the cards? Did that come easily to you, anything surprise you during the process?

KD: Yes, it is a huge task to do both.  But since a young child I have always been happier when I am able to loose myself 110% in a large, challenging, creative project.  I find it stimulating and motivating.  As for finding the right words - they flowed fairly easily as I have always found the wee hours of the morning the time when spirit talks to me.  Many, many weeks and months of quietly getting out of bed to go sit in a quiet spot in the house to write down words which seemed to flow of their own accord onto the page, was how the insights came to me.  Surprising, not really.

Each insight almost seemed to be a lesson or a confirmation of a lesson learned.  And even though the work is complete I still find new insights coming through when I look at the artwork. And this is how I hope others will connect with the deck.  Find their own insights through the images.  For my insights are only guides and each of their journeys is unique.

 

MB: The deck includes Angels, Spirit Guides and Chakras, things and ideas that aren't always seen in everyday life, what did you draw upon in order to create them?

KD: I grew up in a home where the supernatural, esoteric and unexplained were part of our everyday life.  As I got older I was drawn to certain aspects of this more than others.  I also used to own and run an esoteric gift shop for many years and have always been interested and passionate about these subjects.  My own experiences I've had through life with Angels, Guides and Chakras helped give me a better understanding in creating the artworks.

Whenever I create an artwork, I go into a very deep meditative state where I can feel the energy and presence of the subject I am painting.  It's as if I am physically present painting, but mentally and spiritually somewhere else.

 

MB: Nature is also one of the themes of your deck, in what ways did the natural landscape of where you live in South Africa influence the Conscious Spirit Oracle?

KD: I have always loved every aspect of Nature and felt connected to it - I am an Earth sign of course.  The small village where I live is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has an energy that touches everyone who lives here or visits.  I tap into that energy daily for my inspiration from Gaia and the Elementals.

 

MB: How do you feel the deck can be best utilized?

KD: I feel that the best way (as with any deck) is to trust one's intuition when using it and allow spirit to talk to you through the images.  My hope is that the guidance and wisdom I gained through my own personal soul journey of finding the authentic me, will flow through the cards and illuminate their own paths to finding their true selves.

 

MB: You've said the purpose of these cards is also to awaken others to their own beauty and uniqueness and to remind them that they have valuable gifts and lessons to share -- why is that important to you?

KD: I strongly believe that one can only find personal peace if one can see these things within oneself.  And if one has inner peace, that is what will be reflected in their outside world.  Imagine a world where we are all at peace with ourselves and others?  THAT will be heaven on earth.  I am blessed to be able to wake up every day and do what I love.  I want that for all of humanity!

 

MB: What's next for you? Any more decks on the horizon?

KD: ssshh, secret………. yes.  I am currently working on two decks.  Another Oracle deck (but I am keeping its theme a secret for now) and for a much longer term project - a Tarot deck has been in the process of evolving since October last year.

 See more images from Kim's lovely oracle here.

What Inspired Me to Learn Tarot by Elizabeth Hazel

Elizabeth Hazel wears many hats including astrologer, author, deck creator and columnist. She is the editor of the American Tarot Association's members-only Quarterly. Her book, Tarot Decoded (Weiser Books, 2004) is the first handbook of tarot dignities, and gives a wide range of techniques for expanding tarot readings using numbers and astrology. She is available for consultations. You can reach her at http://www.kozmic-kitchen.com.

When Lynn of U.S. Games asked who or what inspired them to study Tarot, Elizabeth responded with such an intriguing answer, that we asked her to expand upon it.  Enjoy her very interesting response.

Elizabeth's Answer:

My hometown library was split into two sections. The kids’ books were shelved on one side of the central walkway, and the adult books were on the other side. By the time I was nine I'd read all the books in the kids’ section. The librarians wouldn't let me read the books in the adult section. All that was left was the encyclopedias. These were shelved along the central walkway for easy access.

So I read the encyclopedias. In order. When I got to "C" in the Encyclopedia Britannica, there was an article on "Cards." Most of it was about playing cards, but at the end there were some pictures of tarot cards. They seemed awfully familiar. I had to have them!

A ten-year-old kid is pretty much at the mercy of parents when it comes to shopping. Whenever we went to a store or to the new mall, I searched and searched for a deck of tarot cards. Finally I came across a magic shop. I was thrilled when I discovered tarot decks in the big glass case under the cash register. I had saved up the allowance I got for doing chores, so I could afford them. I bought the Aquarian Tarot because the drawings and bright colors reminded me of Peter Max. Yes, I was an art snob at ten.

There was a LWB included with the deck, but it was very basic. I went back to the magic shop a month later and looked at the other tarot decks. The one that really attracted me was the Thoth Tarot. The shopkeeper didn't want to sell it to me, and tried to discourage me. I haggled with him until he sold it to me. I was about eleven years old at the time. I still have both of those decks...and hundreds more.

Looking back, both the Aquarian and Thoth tarots were very recent releases in the early 1970s. Without knowing it, I got them hot off the press. I used these decks for years while learning. The Aquarian Tarot spoke to me in a more personal and mundane way. The LWB included in the Thoth Tarot was invaluable from the standpoint of learning how to actually use the tarot and the deeper meanings and attributions behind the card images. The Thoth Tarot did a better job at helping me develop a “magical mind,” delving into esoteric mysteries, dreams, and omens. It took both decks to learn different lessons.

There weren’t any tarot books available in the Midwest at that time. I had to learn through trial and error and be my own guinea pig. I kept a tarot journal before anyone had ever written about keeping one – or before I ever read a recommendation to keep one. It seemed sensible. I learned to read the future by looking backwards at spreads to see what happened to me. I created a loose-leaf notebook with pages for every card, and wrote down things I discovered about what the cards could mean, which was a lot more than either LWB suggested.

A few friends found out I could read tarot cards when I was about sixteen or seventeen. I did a few readings for them, but it was all pretty hush-hush and reluctant. I did a ton of readings in college, and there were more resources and books available there. I read Crowley’s Book of Thoth when I was around eighteen. It fueled my tank to keep going, to keep studying the tarot. I found an astrology teacher when I got out of college, and was able to fuse tarot and astrology with ease. There was no one around to suggest doing otherwise. I thought they belonged together – it seemed such a natural combination.

I had no clue that fusing tarot and astrology was unusual until I attended the first International Tarot Conference in Chicago. Janet Berres told me it was rare for people to use them together! It was baffling.

People now have nearly universal access to hundreds of tarot decks and books, websites with information, internet tarot groups and organizations. None of that was around when I got started, or at least I didn’t have any access to it. None of the scholarly books were even a twinkling in the writers’ eyes yet. I had to learn and develop tarot-reading skills in secret, because the tarot was considered a shady, black magic thing. It got a lot of disapproval. It was taboo. It wasn’t something a nice girl did (although it wasn’t as bad as having sex, it was right up there). There wasn’t any positive encouragement for studying the tarot – quite the reverse. There were penalties and warnings. Maybe this wasn’t the case in more sophisticated cities on the east or west coasts, but it certainly was in the white, uptight Midwest.

So at least for me, my early years of learning tarot weren’t just about learning card meanings and spreads. It was about weighing and balancing social approval or disapproval, of knuckling under to adult and parental disapproval, or of taking the risk of violating that particular taboo. I had to decide what was more important on my own terms. Did I have to believe everything adults told me, or should I push the limits and face censure because I disagreed with them? That’s a hard question for a teenager to answer. The pressure wasn’t coming from my peers – it was coming from adults. Did I love the tarot enough to take risks? I did, but I was canny enough to keep it very quiet, very secret. It took many years before I was able to do tarot readings openly for friends or clients.

It was a Hanged Man situation. What was I willing to sacrifice? It was more than just the time and effort to learn – it was a potential sacrifice of social approval, of being marginalized, excluded, and even banned from the company of others. It was a big struggle to keep studying, even in secret, without a teacher or any source of guidance or direction. There was no external sources of approval – only my private delight in making new discoveries. My desire to master the tarot was stronger and more powerful than the fear of sacrifice or censure.

How many people who want to learn tarot have to face that risk? Maybe some, maybe none. I don’t know. The forbidden nature that the tarot had in the 1970s has faded a lot and they’re more or less mainstream now. But there are still some places and people who disapprove, or feel that they’re evil in some way.

Perhaps the more a person is willing to sacrifice for tarot wisdom, the more wisdom can be gained along the path. No pain, no gain.

EMH
February 2013

Images used: Aquarian Tarot Fool, Thoth Tarot Fool, Aquarian Tarot Three of Rods

Guess The Deck: Answer Revealed

All week we've been guessing what deck I am. Were you successful? Did you know right away? What clue gave it away for you? Are you still scratching your head?

I'm the Vanessa Tarot published in 2006.  Here's what US Games says about me.

Taking their inspiration from pop culture, the sassy but sage characters of Vanessa Tarot playfully reinterpret traditional female roles. With humor, glamour, and an attitude of adventure, the daring darlings of Vanessa Tarot share all their arcane secrets. This charming deck invites readers to join in the joy ride exploring life through the fanciful imagery of tarot. Presented in a keepsake tin, Vanessa Tarot includes 78 cards with 30-page instruction booklet.

"Vanessa Tarot has taken its inspiration from several areas of contemporary pop culture including female role models from the small and large screens of television and cinema, life-like fashion dolls, and heroines from comic books. In the same way that dolls encourage imaginative role-playing, Vanessa Tarot provides scenarios for examining our fantasies, fears, decisions, desires, and choices. The sassy but sage characters of Vanessa Tarot playfully reinterpret female roles, occupations, and social stereotypes from the housewife to the witch, and the princess to the scientist."

-- Lynyrd Narciso, Introduction to Vanessa Tarot

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See what Dan Pelletier has to say about this deck.

The Vanessa Tarot does for illustrated pip Waite-Colman-Smith based decks, what Major Tom's Tarot de Marseille did for the Marseille version Tarots, and dragged it (the Tarot) into the 21st Century.

The Vanessa Tarot will perhaps be the most overlooked Tarot of 2007. 'Serious' Tarot folks will eschew it, many will never get past the Magician -- and will poo-poo it as a silly novelty. But the Vanessa deserves a closer look. It's nothing short of brilliant!

Let me start with the LWB -- it deserves framing. This should me the new standard for LWB's. It is well written, concise, and is arraigned by numerical value as opposed to suits. And what is said about each card -- makes sense. Some folks enjoy saying 'Tarot is a language', perhaps because such a statement eludes cogent response, However the Vanessa Tarot IS a language. Gone is the weighty esoteric symbology, leaving behind clean image concepts -- that translate smoothly into nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and articles. Many cards easily fill encompass several of those labels.

Yes, it's a feminine deck albeit not feminist. Marketing may well relegate it to the early teen female market segment of the populations, and that’s a shame. The deck is also multicultural.

Some examples: The 10 of Wands eschews the burdening issues and displays an attitude of study -- or 'workload'. The Knight of Wands wears a parachute and stands in the doorway of an aircraft in flight. In the Four of Cups, she sits in front of the Tarot Café, while a hand enters the picture from the left offering a cup. It's tres mondo coolaroonie!

The cards measure 9.5cm x 6cm, perfect for your hands, and get this ... they come in a metal case.

This deck, and the LWB rock ...

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Here are a few images from this great deck.

You can have your own copy if you like. Just go here.

Remember we are drawing a name from all comments left this week including on this post. You could win your choice of our Tarot magnet sets. Would you pick the Fool set?

Announcing: The Chrysalis Tarot

Originally posted on Toney Brooks blog August 25, 2012. 

Destiny's Child

As Holly Sierra and I near the completion of Chrysalis Tarot, a project we've been hard at work on for more than 2-years, we will utilize this blog from time to time to feature glimpses into the deck and the Chrysalis philosophy.

Originally posted on Toney Brooks blog August 25, 2012. 

Destiny's Child

As Holly Sierra and I near the completion of Chrysalis Tarot, a project we've been hard at work on for more than 2-years, we will utilize this blog from time to time to feature glimpses into the deck and the Chrysalis philosophy.

Holly's art on the left is titled, Divine Child (click image for greater detail). He or she (the child is androgynous) symbolizes the rich yet unfulfilled potential of Self, i.e. a person's destiny. Psychologist C.G. Jung termed the fulfillment process individuation. He taught that every individual soul is, at birth, analogous to a pencil sketch on a painter's canvass.  

The journey of transformation from birth to destiny, and to destiny's full-color, wall-sized portrait, is the storied Hero's Journey of mythology. Examples of the Hero's Journey are the Quest for the Holy Grail, The Odyssey and, as I was delighted to discover online this morning, Shrek.  The journey itself supplies the artistry needed to fulfill the canvass' potential.

All tarot decks, in one form or fashion, portray the Hero's Journey and are tools for the artistry of self-discovery.

Our Divine Child, then, is a symbol of the transformational process of Self becoming fully individuated Hero.  This process progresses from black and white to brilliant color as we ascend to higher consciousness and greater spiritual awareness.  During the black and white, pre-destiny, fumbling around state of ego-dominated being, a person will project an incomplete, imperfect image of Self onto gods and saviors, or others they deem worthy of hero worship.

Chrysalis Tarot, which we call "transformational technology for everyone," is designed to increase awareness of the adventurous Hero's Journey and make it compelling.  Many stuck in the black and white stage think they've already arrived when, in fact, they've never left the station.  And that's okay.  Religion, it's said, is often the entropy of spirituality.

Other souls are restless, questioning, and intuitively sense a higher calling and purpose in life.  Even so, destiny presents a zigzagging, co-creative, moving target, never a fixed absolute.

This is where the journey gets intriguing.  "Co-creative with whom," you might ask?  Well, first let's dismiss saccharine platitudes like, "The Lord has a plan," or even worse, "If it's God's will."  A grief-stricken mother, for example, striving to prevent her starving infant from dying in her arms has little need for such sanctimonious eloquence.

Glib sayings like those presuppose a fatalistic universe, a universe in which people are mere puppets dependent upon an officious puppetmaster in the sky pulling billions of strings simultaneously.

Or even more unlikely, the random universe of a detached cosmic clockmaker who wound up creation 14-billion years ago and then scurried off to attend to other cosmic duties, thus dooming the world to the mechanistic fortunes and misfortunes of ticking gears and classical physics.

In the middle ground, we find reason, free will, moral responsibility, personal accountability, quantum physics and a cerebrum under the hood we're expected to use. Still, we realize we do not travel alone; that there's a guiding light we perceive to be both transcendent (exterior) and immanent (interior).  And then we move beyond the fantasy of dualism and realize we are One with the guiding light and that everything is connected.

A person's soul sketch is inherited from the collective unconscious of all humanity, thought Jung.  He defined the collective unconscious as a memory bank serving the human species: "a collective, universal and impersonal nature that is identical in all human beings."  Our conscious mind isn't aware of Jung's collective unconscious, but our unconscious mind decidedly is not only aware of it, but in continuous interplay with it -- if consciousness is a flower, the collective unconscious are the roots.

Since the discovery of quantum physics, there are other hypotheses, in addition to inheritance, providing plausible explanations for interconnectedness with the collective unconscious.  One is termed quantum entanglement.  Another is Gaia Theory.

Chrysalis Tarot is a tool, like many other tools used for personal growth, whose primary goal is to integrate the personal, conscious mind with the unconscious mind, thereby lifting it into consciousness.

Chrysalis accomplishes this through the inspiration of art and archetypes (psychological instincts) to help our users explore the depths of the collective unconscious. This leads to a fuller understanding of our own Self and more useful discernment of the myriad choices and crossroads leading to personal destiny.

Discernment is aided by synchronicity, the topic of our next blog featuring The Pilgrim (pictured left).

Follow Holly on Facebook.

Deviant Moon Tarot Companion Book: Sample Page King of Coins

Here is the King of Pentacles sample page from the Deviant Moon Tarot companion book.

 

King of Pentacles

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The stout King of Pentacles proudly displays the silvery emblem of his industrial dynasty. He is a powerful individual, who has worked diligently through the years to attain his status. Unlike other kings, he does not rest on his riches. He involves himself in every aspect of his kingdom, from major to menial tasks. Being a perfectionist, he often toils inside the factories alongside common laborers, making sure each product meets his strict specifications.

The king's impressive crown of smokestacks shows that business is always foremost on his mind. Unfortunately, this preoccupation leaves little room for spirituality. The pressure gauge fixed in the crown’s center signifies mental stress, which is inherent to his position as an executive. When the meter gets too high, the king releases steam and converts his tension into useful energy.

The king’s mighty suit of armor conveys his steely determination to succeed. He has fought hard to build his empire, and he will do anything necessary to maintain it. However, underneath that worn exterior, there may be a woman dying to break free! Such femininities include a studded kilt, high-heeled shoes, earrings, polished fingernails, and the dainty way in which his pinky sticks up. These attributes subtly express his soft caring nature, which he often has to hide when dealing with ruthless business competitors. One might also interpret the king as a female who has assumed masculine qualities in order to compete in a male dominated world.

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Upright meanings:

 

The King of Pentacles signifies an enterprising figure that will likely become wealthy through his business ventures. This captain of industry is not only a strong administrator, but he is also an authority in his field. He is a wise investor and is proficient in all types of financial matters. Learn all you can from this shrewd character! Always look for ways to capitalize on unique opportunities. Be sure to set high standards and demand nothing short of excellence from yourself and others. By practicing self-discipline and control, you will be successful in everything you do.

The card may also represent an organization that prospers because of skilled management. In a well-ordered establishment such as this, supervisors lead with integrity and strive to bring out the best in their workers.

 

 

Reversed meanings:

When reversed, the King of Pentacles often represents a materialistic person fueled by greed. Beware! This crook may try to swindle you out of your hard-earned money. He might disguise himself as an honest financial consultant or a sincere investor. In this position, the card could also signify a supervisor who exploits his underlings for profit.

Perhaps you are the corrupt one! If so, you must realize that you are only cheating yourself! It is time to turn your dishonest values around, for your lust for gain will only cause you to lose your soul in the end!

In this position, the king might also symbolize business mismanagement. A once promising venture will fail because of inefficiency, fraud, or unethical practices.

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I originally intended to use coins for this suit rather than pentacles. The borders of the cards were to be royal purple, and the images would have pictured wealthy citizens dressed in 18th century fashions. However, by the time I began working on them, I realized that the opulent theme I had planned, as well as the color palette, would have been similar to what I already created in the Suit of Cups. At that point, a dark, gritty, industrialized premise seized my imagination. Decaying factories replaced Arabic style palaces, and a blackened color theme absorbed the jeweled colors in darkness.

Deviant Moon #Tarot Companion Book: Sample Page 3 of Wands

We are pleased to share with you some sample pages from Patrick Valenza's upcoming Deviant Moon Tarot companion book. A long awaited treat, this book expands upon Valenza's vision of his celebrated deck. We know you will enjoy seeing some of the early sketches of this terrific deck.

Three of Wands

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Upon a grassy hill, an expectant mother anxiously awaits the blooming of three wands. A chunk of orange amber glows hot on her belt, signaling that birth is eminent. Having committed massive energy into the growth of this new life, she reflects on the journey that has brought her to this moment. Although she is hopeful for success, the number three represents unpredictability and the chance that things may not develop as imagined.

A vine-like umbilical cord connects the young mother’s swollen belly to the wands. Her warm blood streams through this vital link, which nourishes the blooms and keeps them alive. Her exposed breast shows her readiness to foster the plants after they flower; however, she keeps her other breast tucked under her arm in a guarded fashion. This might imply that she has mixed feelings about the perpetual responsibilities that lie ahead.

In the days before raising these wands from seed, the young mother was immature and wild. Nurturing something greater than herself taught her to focus on creation instead of destruction. She has flipped her fierce warrior mask around to the back like a cloak, revealing the caring side of her personality.

From afar, the deviant moon imparts its spirit upon the buds with its silver breath. The young mother has done her part, and now the universe will complete this unique creation.

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Upright meanings:

 

The Three of Wands represents the circulation of creativity from one form to another. Like a mother with child, your life force flows into your creations and sustains them until they can survive on their own. You have given so much to bring your ideas into existence, and they are flourishing brilliantly. Although this should be an exciting time for you, vicious thoughts of self-doubt run in the back of your mind. As you contemplate your efforts, you may be wondering if you planned well enough to ensure favorable results. Stop worrying and let your remarkable conceptions unfold naturally.

 

Reversed meanings:

Upside down, the Three of Wands says that a creative endeavor will go wrong despite your best attempts. While you meant well and tried to think of everything, the little mistakes you made along the way will compound into a tremendous failure. Regardless of any setback, you must remember that you did not waste your time. Learn from your errors, conceive a better plan, and try again!

Perhaps the negative aspects of your character are getting the best of you, making it hard to concentrate on projects or see them to fruition. Realize that neglect or a lack of dedication may also lead to your creations demise.

Unfortunately, this reversed card might predict a miscarriage or premature birth.

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 ”Three of Wands” -Rough Sketch-2007

In this early variation, three impaled skulls mark the boundary between a pristine environment and a polluted industrial zone. Deadly toxins leached from the factories contaminate the water and encroach upon the countryside.

 

 

Interview: Lisa Hunt and the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot part 3

USGames: What surprised you the most about creating your deck?

Lisa: This project was 50% preplanning, 50% spontaneous improvisation. I pulled the plug on premeditation even while researching the ghosts. I chose those ghosts and spirits that called out: "We need to be in your deck!". I had little trouble matching ghosts/spirits with card meanings as if their inclusion in the deck was preordained. I was also surprised by

Interview: Lisa Hunt and the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot part 2

Lisa Hunt joins us to continue discussing her soon-to-be-released Ghosts and Spirits tarot.

USGS: What card was the most challenge to paint?

Interview: Lisa Hunt and the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

Lisa Hunt, artist and author of the soon-to-be-released Ghosts and Spirits Tarot, took some time out of her busy schedule to indulge us in an interview. Lisa is an internationally known tarot artist whose work includes many bestselling decks including Fantastical Creatures Tarot (US Games 2007) She was nominated for a 2008 Chesley Award and voted a top-10 tarot deck for 2007 by Aeclectic Tarot as well as a 2006 COVR Visionary Award. You can follow her blog here.

USGAMES: Who or what first interested you in the Tarot or in Oracle cards?

Lisa: I feel as though I've always known about

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards: Focus On The Cards part 3 of 3

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, there are a total of  cards with 182 of those being the symbols that you might see if you sat down with your own cup of tea leaves. Rae went through the exhaustive process of culling over 500 images down to 182 to make this deck manageable.

For the past two days, you have seen the back of the Tea Leaf cards as well as the bowl, the butterfly, the wheel, the ladder, the needle and thread. Now here are the last three that we are highlighting.

 

How do you compare these cards and their meanings with Tarot cards? What card or cards would the Goldfish make you think of? What about the Horseshoe? And the Feather?

Remember that all comments on this week's Tea Lead Fortune series will be in the running for a reading by Stella T'arot using this deck.  Don't miss the previous posts that include the Astral cards, the Month cards and a video showing Rae Hepburn herself reading with this unique deck. Your comment on every post will count as a separate entry.

The winner will be drawn Monday and announced Tuesday on this blog, Twitter and Facebook.

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards: Focus On The Cards part 2 of 3

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, there are a total of  cards with 182 of those being the symbols that you might see if you sat down with your own cup of tea leaves. Rae went through the exhaustive process of culling over 500 images down to 182 to make this deck manageable.

Yesterday we showed off the bowl and the wheel as well as the back of these cards. Here are three more.

How do you compare these cards and their meanings with Tarot cards? What card in the Tarot would you associate with the Ladder? What about the Needle and Thread or Butterfly?

Visit with Lizzie as she reviews this intriguing deck.

Remember that all comments on this week's Tea Lead Fortune series will be in the running for a reading by Stella T'arot using this deck.  Don't miss the previous posts that include the Astral cards, the Month cards and a video showing Rae Hepburn herself reading with this unique deck.

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards - Months

In Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Oracle, one of the three groups are the twelve months. This is to help you determine timing for some of the layouts. You can lay out the months and then the cards to see what will occur in a given month.

Do you use any specific sequence to determine the timing of your readings? What do you think of this oracle's use of timing in this way?

If you love the artwork, you can read an interview with Shawna Alexander here.

Remember that everyone who comments on this Tea Leaf Oracle series (which started on Monday of this week) will be put in a drawing. One winner will get a Tea Leaf Oracle reading done by Stella.

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards' creator Rae Hepburn

U.S. Games Systems, Inc author, Rae Hepburn is interviewed and shown doing her pyramid reading with her Tea Leaf Fortune cards.

Excerpted from Clay McGlaughlin's article printed in The Times-Standard.

In a traditional tea leaf reading, the subject prepares and drinks a cup of loose-leaf tea while reflecting on their questions or problems. Through this process their energy is thought to influence the swirling leaves, and when the liquid is gone the tasseographer interprets images left in the dregs of the cup to search for clues about the future. While the act of brewing, preparing and drinking tea can be pleasant in and of itself, Eureka-based author and tasseographer Rae Hepburn has developed a quicker, easier method for those who lack the time, patience or facilities for a proper brew-up.

Born in the north of England, Hepburn is the creator of “Tea Leaf Fortune Cards,” an illustrated set of circular cards representing nearly 200 symbols that combine elements from the 600-plus symbols that tasseographers regularly use. Hepburn combined symbols with similar meanings to bring the number to a reasonable figure for a portable set.

See the whole article here.

Have you ever tried tasseomancy? This cards make readily available to all.

To everyone who comments on this week's Tea Leaf Oracle series , Stella will draw a winner and do a reading for them with the Tea Leaf Oracle here on this blog. Have you ever had your tea leaves read?

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.

An Interview with Rae Hepburn (by Zanna)

This is An Interview with Rae Hepburn (by Zanna) which was originally posted at Tarot Notes - Major and Minor. I was first introduced to Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Fortune Cards in 2000, when I purchased the set published by Journey Editions, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. In the very first reading I did with the cards, my husband (who is totally not into this sort of thing) pointed to one of the cards I had drawn and said, "That's talking about me, right there." Needless to say, I was impressed!

In May 2010, I wrote a post about this deck here at Tarot Notes. I did a sample reading in that post and noted that the deck was out of print. While looking for additional information on the deck and its creators, I came upon a customer discussion at Amazon.com. There, I learned from Rae Hepburn that a new edition of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards would be published by U.S. Games this fall. To read my review of this new set, click HERE.

I am thrilled that the cards can now find a whole new audience, and delighted that Rae Hepburn agreed to be interviewed for Tarot Notes: Major and Minor. Tarot Notes

(TN): Hello, Rae, and welcome to Tarot Notes: Major and Minor! I'm sure our readers would love to know a little bit about you. Could you tell us where you're from and how you became interested in divination?

Rae Hepburn (RH): I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England, just below Scotland. Newcastle is one of the oldest cities in England and is built on the site of an old Roman fort that was built to keep the Scots from invading Britain.

It's difficult to say when I first became interested in divination as it is something I have done all my life. Everyone in my family could read tea leaves, although some read them a lot better than others. One aunt was an absolute whiz at reading symbols and everyone used to love having their fortunes told by her. She helped me a great deal in recognizing symbols and how they connected. In our family it was common to turn over the dregs of your morning cup of tea into your saucer, spin the cup three times and then read what kind of a day you were going to have. This can be emulated very easily by picking out a single Tea Leaf Fortune Card each day to use as a guide.

TN: Do you currently read tea leaves for yourself or others?

RH: Absolutely. Although I have to admit that I use the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards much more than I use tea leaves. They are just so much easier to use. Reading actual tea leaves can be a bit messy at times.

TN: What prompted you to create a set of cards related to reading tea leaves?

RH: All of my friends loved having their tea leaves read and wanted to be able to read for themselves, but none of them ever had enough time to master the art of reading tea leaves. It can be quite difficult. They would recognize a few symbols but not enough to give an accurate reading. Also, tea leaf reading is very subjective. If someone has no knowledge of the symbols, then an unscrupulous seer can basically tell them whatever he or she wants. I wanted to create a set of cards using tea leaf symbols and their meanings that would make it easy for everyone to accurately read his or her fortune without the need of an expensive seer.

TN: Do these cards represent every symbol used in tea leaf readings? If not, how did you choose which symbols to depict on the cards?

RH: No. There are over five hundred symbols and that's not counting letters of the alphabet and numerical symbols. To make a deck of that many cards would be unwieldy and unfeasible. Many tea leaf symbols have the same meaning e.g. "buffalo," "bison" and "lbul" all mean "Do not back down from opposition. Show strength and fortitude." The only difference between the three is the size and strength of the opposition. In this case, I chose "bull" to represent all three symbols as it is the more common animal. I did this will all symbols that had similar meanings. I also chose the symbols that most frequently occurred in my tea leaf readings. Some symbols are so obscure, I felt it unnecessary to include them. I omitted all numerical symbols as well as letters of the alphabet which often depict a name or place connected with the reading. I did include the letter "V" because it also means "Victory in some endeavor." By culling and doing test after test readings with the cards, I was finally able to arrive at the 182 symbol cards which I feel give the most accurate readings.

TN: What do the Astral House cards represent in this set? How does one use them in connection with the Tea Leaf cards?

RH: At the beginning of a tea leaf reading, the querist can ask a question of the cup. This is called the Astral question as the answer is thought to be in the Astral. The seer will then read the symbols as answering the question the querist asked. It would be impossible to make up cards for all the questions that could be asked. Instead, I used the six subjects people want to know about most when they are having a reading; love, marriage, success, wealth, happiness and career. It is very easy, though, to duplicate the Astral question. Just search through the cards until you find the one that most resembles your question, then place it at the top of the Astral House Pyramid.

TN: Do you have a favorite memory or story about a specific reading that you did using the Tea Leaf Cards?

RH: There are a few that stand out in my mind, but I will tell you about the one where I felt the most helpful and the one where I felt absolutely dreadful. Let me set the scene. This was when I was living in Los Angeles and I used to tell fortunes once a month from 7:00-9:00 pm at Brentanos Book Store in the Beverly Shopping Center to promote the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards. Each querist had the choice of an Astral House or a Coming Week reading (the Coming Year took up too much time) and I used to figure 10 minutes for each reading. (You would be amazed at how slowly some people can pick cards.) I would arrive at the store and see the line of people waiting and ask the manager to tell anyone past the twelfth person that I probably wouldn't be able to read for them as I would only have time to read for twelve. Once in line, people don't like to leave and I always felt dreadful about asking them to leave.

The most helpful reading: It was a young man in his twenties and he was having an Astral House reading on his career. His central card was "DOOR - opportunities are waiting for you." I told him that this meant there were opportunities waiting for him but that they wouldn't present themselves without him taking the first step. I could see I wasn't getting through to him, so I tried again. "Think of it as a computer," I said, "if you don't access a program, you will never know what it can do." His face absolutely lit up. "Computer programming. That's what my mom wants me to do and, now, here it is in my fortune." His "DOOR" card was next to the "OWL - good advice from a wise person." I pointed to the "OWL" card and said, "That's your mother, she's giving you good advice." He came back to see me a few months later and told me he was taking computer programming and thanked me for setting him on the right path. I told him it wasn't me, I just read the cards he picked, but it was very gratifying all the same.

The worst reading: Again it was an Astral House reading, this time on Success. A Korean couple in their late forties were sitting opposite me and the man had chosen the cards. As each card was turned over, it was worse than the one before. It was one of the worst fortunes I have ever seen. The meaning are written on the cards so there was very little I could do to put a positive spin on it other than saying that this represented short term energy and things could be very different in four months. Suddenly, the wife let out a shriek and started cursing out her husband in a mixture of Korean and English in front of all the people still waiting to have their fortunes told and all the shoppers in the store. It seemed that the husband had made an investment against his wife's advice and it was turning out to be a dreadful mistake. The store manager had to come over and ask them to leave.

TN: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

RH: Yes. May all their fortunes be good. TN: Thank you so much, Rae!

(NOTE: Images added by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.)

Liz's Review of Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

Oct 17, 2011

Deck Review- Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

The art of Tea Leaf Reading is referred to as Tasseomancy. Tea has been around for some 5,000 years so it may be that people were reading tea leaves as far back as that. The reader picks up the cup and reads the patterns formed by the tea leaves. Usually the best tea leaf reading will come from readers who also have natural artistic skills but since most of us are not trained as such, there is a wonderful new deck that takes the guess work out of  tea leaf reading.


I'd like to introduce The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards by Rae Hepburn and published By US Games. Rae Hepburn has studied tea leaf reading for more than thirty years and with these fabulous cards we can reap the benefits of readings without all the hassle of learning volumes of information.


The Tea Leaf Fortune Cards are 200 lovely round cards  (12 Month of the year cards, 6 Astral House cards and 186 Tea Leaf cards) with amazingly appealing artwork that makes reading with them loads of fun, I love the round shape and I've found that shuffling them is actually quite easy. There are a couple different ways that they can be shuffled, by placing them all on a flat surface and mixing them up with your hands or, as I have found, stacking the wonderful little spheres in several small stacks and shuffling as you might do with a regular card deck, making sure to shuffle all the stacks evenly.


This deck and book set also comes with a gorgeous golden bag that you can use to store your cards in and even shake them as a method of shuffling as well. The accompanying 94 page instruction book is a wonderful resource with the history of Tasseomancy, the development of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards, traditional reading methods, several spreads that you can use with these cards and an alphabetical listing of all 200 cards with an interpretation of each.


I had a really great time shuffling and reading with these cards and I'm simply amazed at just how accurately they read! This is a great deck for anyone who wishes to dip their toes into tea leaf reading and this form of geomancy. This is one deck that would be a wonderful addition to anyone's collection!

 

Integrating Card Meanings in a Tarot Reading (via Mary K. Greer)

I asked a group of tarot readers on Facebook to give their top advice for how to combine and integrate card meanings in a spread. It’s one of the things that beginners find most bewildering, but we can all learn more about. Forty-nine people responded (see list of contributors at the end). I combined, edited and grouped the advice to form sets of approaches, moving roughly from the most intuitive to the most analytical. Share this material freely but please include the list of contributors and a link back to this post.

There are no rules to interpretation.

A film about Hermann Haindl - #Tarot part 3

Have you enjoyed the first two videos? Here is the third. I liked seeing how he sat back from the images then took photos of various parts. Imagine you were going to create a deck. What colors would you use? What would your suits be? Would you go for the traditional or delve into something else? Leave a comment about your thoughts.

Want to win a Haindl Tarot deck? Leave a comment here to be in the drawing. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for other ways to win.

The winner will be announced next week!

A film about Hermann Haindl - #Tarot part 1

Here is the first of three videos about Hermann Haindl. It is in German so if you speak the language and could translate, we non-German speakers would appreciate it.

The Haindl Tarot was published by U.S. Games in 1990.

I'll post the next two this week. Part 2 will be here on Wednesday and part 3 will appear on Friday.

Do you use the Haindl Tarot? What is your favorite part of this video?

 

Want to win a Haindl Tarot deck? Leave a comment here to be in the drawing. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for other ways to win.

60+ #Tarot Readers Speak To New Readers

On our Facebook page, we do a Question of the Day. One series we've been doing is to take one card and list three good things and three bad things about the card. This has sparked an interesting side discussion about the subject of good and bad.

Several have weighed in on how they felt about the word "bad" when applied to the Tarot. Then I saw the following on Mary K. Greer's blog. The title says it all--"What Every Newbie Tarot Reader Should Know".  I think it applies to the discussion of "good" or "bad" cards.

Without further ado, here is that article in its entirety.

Over 60 experienced tarot readers offer their best advice for what every Newbie Tarot Reader should know. Not everyone will agree with everything. Add ideas you think belong, in the Comments. Feel free to post this anywhere, so long as you include the source and contributors (listed at the end).

It's a #Tarot Mystery

Some say that I intentionally left out two cards for either religious or political reasons.

Others say that I didn't create all the cards I am said to have created.

I was best knows as a miniaturist with a love for Neoplatism.

I painted many of the wealthy families of my time.

Who am I?

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…

Poetry in Tarot

Poetry is a very subjective subject, isn't it? Some like rhyme. Some prefer metered verse. Still others would rather just not read or write poetry at all. In many of the certification programs, there is a step that asks the student to interact with the cards in a different way.

If you Google "tarot poetry", you will come up with a lot of hits. About 4,700,000 even with the search restricted to avoid "THOSE" sites. Let's examine some of what's out there. The majority that I found was on the Major Arcana.

Thoughts On Being A Tarot Mentor

In my twenty plus year career as a professional tarot reader, I've often taught and mentored other aspiring tarotists. I like to say that this is something I kind of “fell into” as I never planned on doing it. But requests came and they came often. So I taught.