Fool Stop Tarot Blog

#TAROT CIRCLE GAMES

CONNECTING WITH WISDOM AND WITH EACH OTHER

by James Wells © 2011

For several months, I've been designing a series of tarot circle games and playing them with friends and my significant other. These games are designed to invite authentic engagement between people. They're non-competitive; no one wins at the expense of another. Tarot circle games foster rich conversation and a sense of connection with one another. They surprise us with insights into ourselves and they sometimes spur us to constructive action.

TAROT GAMES: Word Search

Enjoy this word search puzzle. Time yourself! How fast did you find all thirty words? Let us know in the comments.

 

Tarot Word Search  

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AIR	ARCANA	BATONS
CHALICES	COINS	CUPS
DECK	DISKS	EARTH
EMPEROR	FIRE	HIEROPHANT
KNIVES	MAJOR	MINOR
PAMELA	PENTACLES	READING
RIDER	RODS	SCEPTRES
SHUFFLE	STAR	SUN
SWORDS	TAROT	VESSELS
WAITE	WANDS	WATER

Created by Puzzlemaker at DiscoveryEducation.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tarot Impossible: What Movie Is This?

Lynn Merritt gave us this puzzle.

Agent Reader, you've done very well so far with the Tarot Impossible game. Agent Tarot has come to us again with another query. She did a reading for a character who gave this clue, "It's 2011 now, but in 2010 I did an impossible mission. What will my life be like now I am a free agent?" She did the reading but forgot to ask what the movie was. She wanted to see it if she could.

Here are the cards for this reading.

5/11 Mystery Card Revealed

How did you do? Were you right in your guesses? How did you figure it out if you were right?

The mystery card from May 11, 2011 is

Tarot Mystery: What Card Is This?

Well I got a little scissor-happy and one of my cards ended up in pieces on the floor. Can you help me identify the card and the deck so I can tape it back together?

 

........................................................................................

Mystery Deck: What deck am I?

Time for a round of "guess that deck" .

Here are the images. Let's hear your guesses!

 

 

If you use an image locater (you know who you are! lol), please don't post your answer for at least 8 hours to give others a chance to guess. :)

© March 2011 U.S. Games Systems Inc.

Answer For Tarot Impossible Wednesday

The answer to "Tarot Impossible: What Movie is This" is "Despicable Me". Congratulations to Lynn Merrit for her correct guess. Here is a brief synopsis of the plot and how those cards were chosen.

The movie begins with the Devil who would be the main character,Gru (Devil). He goes to the Bank of Evil but is denied (King of Coins Rx).

He decides to fake adopt three little girls (Three of Cups) who show him how to do foolish things and have fun (The Fool).

His mother (Empress Rx) shows up in flash backs and he realizes that he is being deceived by someone (Moon).

He has to fight off the other evil villain (Knight of Swords Rx). He learns from children how to live happily ever-after (6 of Cups).

Try this as a Tarot exercise. Pick a book or movie that you know very well -- Wizard of Oz for instance. Now assign cards (no more than eight) to tell the story as you know it. If you have a Tarot study group, you might try this as a discussion.

I'm interested in what you come up with so please share.

Whimsical Tarot Fool

© January 2011 U.S. Games Systems Inc.

What Card Is This?

Today's card is a fun one. Can you guess the deck and card from these two small peeks?

  There's at least one flower on this card.

 

Does this give you any hints?  

Tune in on Friday for the reveal.

Tarot Impossible: What Movie Is This?

Hello again, Agent Reader. Agent Tarot is asking for help again. She was approached by a fictional young man who wanted a reading done. She chose to do a spread that lays out two cards for each stage of life plus a final outcome card. The young man was amazed. According to him, the cards matched his life perfectly.

During the consultation, he mentioned that a movie had been made in the last ten years about his life. Even though he told Agent Tarot that the movie had been an unexpectedly huge hit, she forgot to ask him the title. So now she's turning to us for help.

Based on the reading, can you name that movie?

Early Childhood was the 5 of Pentacles and the 7 of Swords

 

Teen years was the 8 of Wands and the Lovers Rx

Early Adulthood was the Wheel of Fortune and the 10 of Swords

Final outcome was The World

Who is our fictional hero and what is the name of his movie?

Images are from the Tell-Me Tarot. You can click on them to open them in a larger viewing format.

© December 2010 U.S. Games Systems Inc.

It's A Mystery!

Today we are trying to identify a deck for Mr. LostTheBook. He's got a Tarot deck with an unusual back. Can you help him out?

So let's get started. What do you think this deck might be? How do you research this type of question? Looking foward to hearing from you.

© December 2010 U.S. Games Systems Inc

Wednesday's Mystery Card Revealed

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So did you guess correctly that Wednesday's mystery card was Temperance from the Rider-Waite Tarot? what do you know about this card? When you get it in a reading, how do you generally interpret it?

Did you know that the Visconti-Sforza Temperance did not have wings? I think that her hair gives the idea of wings. Do you agree? Did you notice that she doesn't have anything flowing from her jugs? You are just left to imagine that she is transferring something. The colors are reflected in the Rider-Waite. Her red arms become the angel's red wings.  Her blonde hair is the same only shorter. Her feet don't touch water and earth like the Rider-Waite Temperance, but both have mountains in the background.

Another bit of trivia about this card is that  it is thought that this card was done by someone other than the artist who did the majority of this deck. Why it is a different artist seems to remain a mystery though.

 

Patrick Valenza takes a unique look at Temperance in his Deviant Moon Tarot pictured above. His moon-faced winged woman is a far cry from what I imagine Plato thought of when he offered up his virtues. Did you know that some people refer to Temperance as Restraint? How does that change your own opinion of this card? Do you already read that as part of the card's meanings?

The curious face of this Temperance draws me in. Is the hidden face of the moon peeking out the one we need to focus on? When you compare it to the sweet and simple angel of the Tell-Me Tarot, do you get different meanings or not? Something else to review is which hand is up and which is down?  Below are the Temperance card from the Tell-Me Tarot and from the Archeon Tarot. What are some things that you see in all of these cards? What is missing from the original Rider-Waite in these others (or re-interpreted) that you notice?



 

What is a Temperance card that you love? Is it one of these or does another one catch your fancy? Think about the colors as well as the vessels in use. What are they pouring? Is it tangible or not tangible? What does that mean to you?

 Looking forward to talking about Temperance...in moderation of course.

 

 

And, just for fun, here's Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He's Temperance in that unpublished Tarot deck from Rachel Pollack and Paul Lee.

 

What Card Is This?

Riddle me this.

 

What card is this from?  

What card has the meaning of :

• Feeling Secure
• Cardinal Virtue
• Jungian unconscious
• Unification
• Compromise

Here's another clue for you. 

Feel free to leave your guesses in the comments. We will reveal this mystery card in Friday's post.

 © November 2010 U.S. Games Systems Inc.

Tarot Impossible: What Was The Question?

Hello Agent Reader.  We've experienced some difficulty with Agent Tarot. She was in the middle of a Tarot reading when some nefarious mad scientist abducted her. We've dispatched Agents Collier and Carter to rescue her. Your job, should you choose to accept, is to determine what the question might have been.

Here is what we know. She was using the African Tarot deck. This colorful, simply drawn deck is often overlooked but has a lot to offer someone looking for a bright and amusing Tarot deck. We know that Agent Tarot was reading for Miss Lulu Lovelorn. Miss Lovelorn is also missing.

The cards are the Queen of Pentacles, the Ace of Swords and the Page of Wands. Can you apply your skills at backward Tarot reading to deduce what the question might have been? Once we know that, we can determine why these two were abducted and for what nefarious evil plot.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 
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This blog post will not self-destruct in thirty seconds. Do post your thoughts. The world is depending on you, Agent Reader.

 © November 2010 U.S. Games Systems Inc. 

Scavenger Hunt Winner

We have a winner from the Scavenger Hunt.

 

Congratulations to Zanna Star for answering all ten questions correctly and being drawn at random. You will be receiving an email from our office so that we know where to send you your Doomed Queens: Royal Playing Cards deck by Kris Waldherr. Enjoy.

 

CONTEST: Calling All Would-Be Sleuths!

Calling All Would-Be Sleuths!

We like games here at US Games Systems, Inc. So let's play one. It's a scavenger hunt! What will you win? Your very own copy of the Doomed Queens: Royal Playing Cards deck, that's what. You can play Rummy with your friends and wow them with the Doomed Queens of Kris Waldherr. 

So what you have to do to enter is answer the following ten questions. All answers can be found on the U.S. Games Systems, Inc site and on this blog but you will have to hunt for them. So grab your pipe and magnifying glass, all you would-be Sherlock Holmes types. Let the search begin!

 

1. U.S.  Games Systems, Inc. publishes award-winning card games. Name one.

2. If you want to be informed of the specials for registered customers only, what should you do?

3. Why was Waite's choice of Pamela Colman Smith such a good thing?

4. What was the first product giveaway on the U.S. Games Systems blog?

5. What are three types of Rider-Waite Tarot that we publish?

6. Find at least 2 products with the word "dog" in the title.

7. What year was US Games started?

8. Name three titles in the Natural World Playing Card series.

9. What is the tiniest deck published by U.S. Games?

10. How many pages are there in Volume II of the Encyclopedia of Tarot?

Don't put your answer in the comments! You don't want to make it easy for your competition. Email your answers to our Watson ([email protected]) by Sunday November 21, 2010. The winner will be drawn from all the correct answers. Look for that name to be announced on this blog on Monday November 22.

So what you have to do to enter is answer those ten questions. The game is afoot!

© U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Tarot Crossword Puzzle

Woohoo! I made another Tarot puzzle for you all--this time, a crossword puzzle! Let me know if you'd like to see more of these types of puzzles, dear readers.

Enjoy!

Tarot Crossword Puzzle

Across
2. High Priestess
3. Court de Gebelin
6. Arthur Waite's Middle Name
8. Traitor
10. Levi
11. Sola
12. Fortitude
13. Batons
15. Thoth Judgment
16. Pictorial
Down
1. Pamela Colman Smith's Nickname
2. Hierophant
4. La Maison Dieu
5. Lady Frieda
7. Juggler
9. Crowley
14. Pentacles

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

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

Tarot Word Search

I love games.

What's that you say?

You do, too? Great!

Because I just made a Tarot word search for our wonderful Fool Stop Tarot Blog readers.

Enjoy!

S L I S A H U N T S Q D E R W 
U T S R O J A M I O M E C E N 
E O U D S I S R S O Y V N V N 
X T E A C A R S R X P I A E O 
A C I I R A C G E E N A R R I 
K N G A H T A R N R I N E S T 
A A A Y W N K T E Q P T P A S 
M C D C G R A A S D P M M L E 
B A E R R C E Q P R R O E S U 
L Z E S L A G D U L O O T I Q 
F E N E S T R A I E A N S N E 
R A S G N I D A E R R N I E I 
E C A E P R E H T O M E Z M X 
Q D Q Y H I E R O P H A N T I 
T O W E R R R E H D L A W T P 

ACES
ARCANA
DECK
DEVIANTMOON
EMPRESS
FENESTRA
HIEROPHANT
LADYHARRIS
LISAHUNT
MAGICIAN
MAJORS
MINORS
MORGANGREER
MOTHERPEACE
PENTACLES
PIXIE
QUERENT
QUESTION
READINGS
REVERSALS
RIDERWAITE
SACREDROSE
STUARTKAPLAN
TEMPERANCE
TOWER
WALDHERR

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

What Card? Twitter Game

I've created a new fun Twitter game called What Card?

I'll post a Tarot card meaning/description and you guess the card. Just use the #WhatCard hashtag when posting your answer!

First one is now up; just go to http://twitter.com/usgstarot and follow U.S. Games Systems and post your answer when you see a What Card? post.

Feel free to post your own What Card? challenge! Don't forget to use #WhatCard when you make your post.

Have fun!

-- Janet

Tarot CSI Case #2

OK, gumshoes, it's time for another case--this one, definitely a crime.

Grab your Calabash pipe (bubbles only, we want you alive) and lantern...and for goodness sakes, don't forget your sidekick!

Consider the two Tarot cards images below.

Together, what crime to do they imply?

Time to post your guess!

The above images are from the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot deck. The ISBN for this deck 1-57281-413-6 and is available at your favorite local or online bookseller. If you don't see it in stock, you may ask for it by name and ISBN number and they will gladly order it for you.

-- Janet

Tarot CSI Case #1

Here's the scoop, Tarot sleuths: I post a string of Tarot cards and you guess the crime that's been committed.

Well, it won't always be a crime...but I'll let you know if that's the case.

Speaking of cases, I'm calling these exercises Tarot CSI. For Tarot CSI Case #1, I'm going to share what I think is a rather easy crime to decipher.

Let's see how you fare, gumshoe:

 

 

Tarot CSI Case #1

Put on your deerstalker, come close with that magnifying glass...and guess the crime.

The above images are from the Smith-Waite Centennial Edition Tarot deck, which is part of the Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set. The ISBN for this box set treasury is 978-1-57281-639-8, and is available at your favorite local or online bookseller. If you don't see it in stock, you may ask for it by name and ISBN number and they will gladly order it for you.

-- Janet