Illumination Tarot Blog

My friend Suess brought this to my attention, snail-mailing me the pages from her recent copy of Nature Conservancy Magazine…

Silvia Ziller is an ecologist who is leading the way in creating awareness about invasive species in South America. In this brief interview she is caught somewhat off-guard when asked about her interest in tarot and astrology, but answers very nicely with,

“We’re brought up in a world that relies too much on science, too much on whatever is rational. There are things that provide charm and enchantment and joy, and they are not rational. I like these things because they bring a certain magic to daily life.”

Well said!

Btw, the Ace of Swords shows Thor’s goats… “Thor’s chariot was pulled by two magickal, giant goats, named Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder, who helped to protect Thor.” The card represents powerful beginnings or breakthroughs, influential decisions, and “triumph over difficulties.”

Cirque du Soleil has just announced a new show for its Tokyo theatre, that was “inspired by the world of tarot.” I’m not exactly a fan of Cirque du Soleil, but I recognize their talent, creativity, and beauty, and find the concept of this new show, named ZED, somewhat exciting…

“ZED is a living poem, a timeless evocation that draws on the Tarot and its arcana… The central larger-than-life character Zed represents all of humanity in all its guises, from wisdom to folly, from discovery to adventure. Zed grows as he discovers the world on his journey of initiation… The world of the arcana, in which ZED finds its inspiration, teems with life and vibrant characters, including the Great Goddess, The Fool, The Sphinxes and the Satyrs – all engaged in a lyrical odyssey to the heart of the human experience.”

Learn more at the official site.

The first time I saw Buffy the Vampire Slayer was during a very cold week in early winter, and my daughter and I just wanted to hang out on the couch and watch TV. We surfed to Buffy, watched a few minutes, and broke out laughing. We’re big fans of sci-fi and fantasy, but the show initially seemed incredibly fluffy to us. I think we had come in halfway through an episode featuring Drusilla… Well, we ended up coming back to Buffy each day, and by the end of the week, were hooked. I guess we’ve seen every episode at least two or three times now. We became even bigger fans of Whedon’s Firefly.

Dark Horse Comics has announced the upcoming release of the official Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Deck, scheduled for September ‘08. Although I kind of wish this deck had come out several years ago, I am really looking forward to checking it out. The press release features the images of five cards from the deck, in which we see the original Slayer, an unmistakeable Willow as the High Priestess, and Buffy probably at the end of season five, throwing herself off of a tower. The artwork by Paul Lee looks compelling, a little bold and heavy, with rich, satisfying colors. The background story, design of the deck, and the accompanying book were handled by Rachel Pollack. I think we can expect this one to be very good!

For a great article, more images, and interviews with Pollack and Lee, see The Slayer’s Tarot: Pollack and Lee talk the Buffy tarot deck at Comic Book Resources.

No, not me. I’m not drawing cards to try and determine who our next president will be, or even who the Democratic nominee will be. But, I did happen to catch a segment by Jeanne Moos on CNN on May 19th, in which she shared some predictions made by others, including participants at the United Astrology Conference, a self-professed prophet, Sylvia Browne, and one young tarot reader who drew three cards - the Six of Pentacles for Obama, Three of Swords for Hillary, and the King of Swords for McCain. You can see the video here: Astrological Politics with Jeanne Moos

I’ve posted a review of the wildly creative and gorgeous Universal Fantasy Tarot.

Well, we didn’t go to “Gratitude Day,” even though we did decide to go to Burlington, despite the drive (almost an hour) and the price of gas (too high). We only went to Quarterstaff, where my daughter bought a used book and a gorgeous d20. I spent the time flipping through a variety of books and checking out a great new magazine called Kobold Quarterly (the article, “Ecology of the Lich” caught my eye). I also came across Paizo’s Curse of the Crimson Throne books… I had just downloaded a free copy of the player’s guide, but hadn’t yet read it, and didn’t realize that the adventure path uses a companion tarot deck. I learned that while perusing the books at the store.

Of course, I was pretty excited when I saw that. I haven’t ever incorporated a tarot deck into a D&D game; it’s a surprisingly new concept to me. The 54-card Harrow Deck is used by players to divine their futures in-game, but also offers bonuses if you take the new feat, Harrowed. The deck can also be used in a standalone card game. From what I saw, the artwork is impressive, and it looks like a really fun deck to use. And if the GameMastery Item Cards are any indication, high quality can be expected. I’m currently DMing Crown of the Kobold King, and suddenly want to hurry through this adventure in order to start Crimson Throne - just kidding … I am in a hurry to get my hands on Harrow though.

In the news… The Santa Barbara Independent ran a nice story on a group of pagans who meet for pizza at a local restaurant once a month. The article’s intent seems to be to dispel common fears and clear up misconceptions, that most people apparently still have. Cards from the Aquarian Tarot are shown in a photo.

I’ve added a new link at Illumination Tarot: The Tarot Chest, based in the UK, featuring all sorts of tarot goodies for sale.

I was going to mention that the weather seems to be heading toward Spring … it was sunny and warmer than expected on Saturday … but, it is snowing again!

It’s not unusual that it is snowing in late March… we have often gotten snow well into April, and have even had snowfalls in May some years. But, the temps are unusually cold for this time of year - there would normally be at least a hint of Spring in the air. The only sign so far is a few lone bird songs. They seem to be calling from the past though, more as a memory, not hinting at the future (of sun and warmth and green things). We are still keeping the house chilly… All this weather makes me want to do is hunker down, and I think I am even looking forward to mud season!

Tomorrow a local metaphysical shop that I haven’t been to in ages is having its “Gratitude Day,” on which they offer all kinds of free services. It was at the same event years ago that I first experienced Reiki - which ultimately led to me getting my Reiki I attunement. I don’t know all the specifics of what they will offer tomorrow, but tarot readings are listed - as are aura and chakra imaging, and a “light labyrinth experience.” I’m considering going, and then heading into our favorite (of all time) gaming store. I do still have a few Starbucks gift cards I received for my birthday and Christmas, which could help with warming up!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, whether it is wintry or warm

Here we go again… Last year’s Miss Canada Plus, Stephanie Conover, was booted from being a judge at the 2008 pageant, for her interest in tarot reading. The pageant issued the following statement, “Our board of directors has eliminated her as a judge as tarot card reading and reiki are the occult and is not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by witches, spiritists and mediums to consult the dark world.” They also urged Conover to “turn from these belief systems” and “repent from her practice of them.”

Grrrrr…