TABI NEWS. Welcome from the TABI Team

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1 TABI NEWS Welcome from the TABI Team Issue #5, October Welcome to the delayed Mabon and now Hallowe en double edition of the TABI newsletter and apologies for the delay, which has been largely due to an increase of commitments in the life of the Editor! This will in fact be my last appearance as Editor of TABI News; more about that in a moment. Firstly, thanks go to Heather for the improved and updated TABI Logo! Plus we have a special event announcement to make: Stop press.stop press Stop press Stop press.stop press Stop press Stop press.stop press Stop press TABI will be involved in Witchfest! Although the fabulous Witchfest event on November 9 th in Croydon is sold out for this year, the organisers, Children of Artemis (who put out the excellent publication Witchcraft & Wicca), are taking requests for tickets to next year s event. TABI has managed to gain two last minute reading tables at this year s fayre and we are looking forward to seeing those of you who have tickets. We hope to have a larger presence in 2003, with ideas for workshops and stalls already being discussed. Watch this space! Thanks to Amanda for the latest update on Witchfest! Picking up on developments with TABI News, the editorial mantle is now being handed over to Shelley King, whom regular readers will know from her editing of the Midsummer edition. In recent months we have been building a news team, who will be assisting Shelley in

2 her task and it is gives me great pleasure, later in this issue, to be able to enclose an introduction to everyone involved. Due to time constraints I regret that I have not been able to personally contribute as many items as intended to the current issue, however I do intend to continue to provide reviews and article to TABI News in the future. I will of course also be continuing with other roles within the organisation as a whole. But keeping to TABI News for now, if you are an interested writer, supplier or colleague, please do be in touch over the coming weeks if you are hoping to see articles, reviews etc in the next issue. To those who have already been kind enough to contribute in some way, please look out for contributions in future issues. If you have a question about items previously sent or any other query for Diana, please contact her at TABINewsMail@aol.com or admin.diana@tabi.org.uk. New article submissions should be sent to Shelley at: admin.shelley@tabi.org.uk In the meantime we hope you enjoy this edition! In it we are able to bring you our interview with renowned tarotist Nina Lee Braden, along with a review of her recently published book. We are also featuring: A Method for learning new decks Festival review Court Card Families And much, much more With best wishes, Diana McMahon-Collis Editor

3 CONTENTS WELCOME FROM THE TABI TEAM... 1 WHAT S NEW AT TABI... 5 TABI NEWS TEAM... 6 TALK TO TABI... 7 AN INTRODUCTION TO ASTROLOGY FOR TAROT READERS... 8 THE BATTLE OF THE GOLIATHS: NEWBIE PAYMENT FOR SERVICES RENDERED COURT CARD FAMILIES AN INTERVIEW WITH NINA LEE BRADEN BOOK REVIEWS: TAROT OF SELF DISCOVERY DECK REVIEW: GENDRON TAROT THE BIG GREEN GATHERING RUSSIAN ORACLE CARDS PLACES TO GO THINGS TO DO What is TABI? TABI stands for the Tarot Association of the British Isles, which is an independent not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to supporting the positive use and development of Tarot in the United Kingdom. TABI is run by volunteers with a passion for tarot and the esoteric. Please visit our website at How to get the most from the newsletter Clicking on the page numbers in the contents table will take you directly to the page you want to view. If you want to make the text on a page look larger, please use the magnifier, or go to View and set the option to Fit Visible or the similar command that appears on your version. Availability, Notification of Accuracy of TABI News We do our best to keep the information in TABI News up to date and accurate. If anything needs updating or correcting for future reference, please let us know. TABI News currently appears as a PDF file on the TABI web-site and on the databases of TABI s discussion lists. We send out notification of new issues of TABI News to reach a wide and interested audience and for each issue we endeavour to ensure that all contributors are kept informed of the release date. If you should wish to be removed from our mailing list, however, please us: New Editor: Shelley King; mailto:admin.shelley@tabi.org.uk

4 We wish to thank all of our writers and volunteers for their input and all of our members for their interest in TABI. Please note that article copyrights remain with the authors. All information given is as accurate as possible when going to press. The articles, reviews and information are offered for interest purposes and are not necessarily reflective of the views of or indicative of an endorsement by the Tarot Association of the British Isles.

5 What s new at TABI Shelley keeps us up to date with events at TABI TABI Training The first course of our relaunched training programme, based on the Joan Bunning online course Learning the Tarot, is just coming to a very successful conclusion. The group environment has brought an atmosphere of fun, encouragement and enthusiasm to the course, with feedback and support provided every step of the way by our dedicated Mentors, Ribbitcat and Troi. Our students have produced some exceptional work - both insightful and humorous and we hope to bring you some examples in future issues of TABI News. Upon completion of their final exercises, students are offered the chance to take a short test and apply to join TABI as Apprentice Members, upon which they are presented with our very own Certificate of Achievement. They are also encouraged to join our team of Free Readers, which is a superb way to both serve the tarot community and gain valuable reading experience. If you would like to apply for a place on our next course, please send an to TrainingAdmin@tabi.org.uk In-Depth Readings As our 1-3 card Free Reading service has proved so popular, we have decided to expand into offering longer, in-depth readings. This will give our querents the opportunity to examine issues in greater detail, and our readers the chance to work with more complex spreads. In-depth readings will be available in return for a donation to TABI - which, as a non-profit organisation, will use these funds to cover the running costs of our site and to develop further services such as workshops and fayres. Details of how to request an in-depth reading will be available on the site shortly watch this space. UKTarotTalk hosted discussions We are pleased to announce that our general tarot chat list, UKTarotTalk, now has Hosts, who will be posting regular exercises, games and discussions for all comers novice to advanced, all are welcome! Gav, aka all78degrees, has started the ball rolling and will assisted later in the year by Mitch, so there will be plenty to keep everyone talking. If you would like to subscribe, please go to If you have any questions about TABI, please contact Shelley at admin.shelley@tabi.org.uk

6 TABI News Team With Diana handing over the role of editor to Shelley from the next issue onwards and with a whole technical team now in place, we hope you will enjoy Amanda s reading introductory profiles to learn a bit more about everyone thank you Amanda! New Editor: Shelley King Shelly works as a part-time claims handler. Her spiritual leaning is Wiccan with an interest in all things pagan, including witchcraft and magic. Shelley is working on her first novel, and edits her company s sports and social club magazine. Her favourite Tarot deck is the Spiral Tarot, though she admits this is likely to change at any time! Shelley has three years experience with reading Tarot. Dee Fifield (aka Fifie Fluke) Dee is a research secretary and copy-proof-reader/sub-editor of academic research documents published by universities. Spiritually, Dee leans toward the earthy. An avid reader, she also enjoys stained glass art and taking care of her six cats. A relative newcomer to Tarot, Dee started reading in March of this year, and has recently passed the TABI Training course. Her favourite Tarot decks include World Spirit, RWS, and Brian Williams Ship of Fools. Dee attended Middlesex University where she earned her BA Hons degree in writing. Amanda Westall Amanda is a housewife and mother. Her spiritual leaning is Wiccan, and interests include the Runes, Tarot, Gardening, Hiking, Reading and European History. Amanda has been studying the Tarot for three years, and favourite decks include, Robin Wood, Witches, and Tarot of the Old Path. Amanda attended Kingston University where she studied Geology. Amanda has ten years experience in the print industry in roles varying from production to sales. Ian Stevens Ian works as a self employed Jack of all trades, though he is building a business as a Reiki master with Indian Head massage. His spiritual leaning is Deep Ecology, permaculture, paganism, Wiccanish things and a belief in a Universal energy or life force; he describes this as Green Cornish Magic. Ian has a deep and abiding interest in ecology. He is an astrologer and has been reading Tarot for two years. Ian spent many years as a manager, writing reports, presentations and promoting the business of an IT provider. Heather Ward (aka Heathwitch) Heather owns an internet services company and an online occult store. A Reiki master, she runs courses in Reiki, psychic development, healing and witchcraft. Heather is a Witch with a wide range of interests including reading, writing, crystal healing, meditation-techniques and learning the latest in technical wizardry (web design and programming). Another relative newcomer to Tarot Heather has recently completed the TABI Training course, and has been reading for a year. Her favourite deck is the Miracle Tarot. She has a BA Hons in English and is currently working towards an MA in Creative Writing. Heather has published novels and poetry for small presses and e-zines and in 1995 was the Royal Mail Letter Writer of the Year.

7 TALK TO TABI TABI would love to hear any ideas that would help us to do things better. Feel free to get in touch with information you think may interest us, as well as any questions you have concerning what we are doing. Or maybe you have questions or thoughts on the subject of Tarot in general. If you want to talk to us please contact one of the people below. For anything to do with our Newsletter, general Tarot questions or new ideas:- Shelley on Diana on for newsletter content and general queries about TABI. for information about local Tarot study courses. For anything to do with TABI training:- Viv on for information on course availability, structure and enrolment. Troi for information on course content and what is expected of participants. For anything to do with festivals, fairs, events or links to other web sites or resources:- Amanda on for anything to do with fairs and events. Ian on for anything to do with web links and resources. For anything to do with the web site:- Mark on

8 An Introduction To Astrology For Tarot Readers by Mick Franckel Does this sound like you at all? You're a Tarot reader. You have a lot of experience with the Tarot and you've heard other people talking about connections between Tarot and astrology. You re interested in learning more but astrology has always been a bit of a blind spot for you. If that strikes a chord for you, then hopefully this article will be helpful and practical. I ll assume that you know nothing about astrology and try to give you a basic introduction referring back to Tarot as much as possible. Tarot and astrology go very well together and there's a wealth of material to draw on. You might have seen complicated discussions about things like the Order of the Golden Dawn and Chaldean planetary attributes of the decans. All that stuff can come later. This article is about the basics of astrology and how astrology can help to deepen your knowledge and use of Tarot. What Is The Zodiac? When astrologers talk about the planets, they include the sun and the moon with the 8 other planets. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Each planet has their own meaning in astrology. We ll look at their meanings later in this article. From our perspective on earth, the planets all follow a similar path across the sky. The path that they follow is an imaginary line called the ecliptic. For example, in the night sky, the moon is never near the Big Dipper (the Plough as it s known in the UK) which is in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear). But, at times in the year, the moon is sometimes near the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, or near the group of stars known as the Seven Sisters in Taurus. This is because Ursa Major isn t on the ecliptic whereas the constellations of Taurus and Gemini are. The ecliptic traces a line all around the Earth and it passes through 12 constellations. These 12 constellations are called the zodiac. In astrology, each of these 12 constellations is a sign of the zodiac. The planets are in constant motion and at any moment, the planets will all be placed somewhere on the ecliptic. Astrologers can calculate exactly where the planets are in the zodiac at any moment, past, present or future. The positions of the planets will also depend on where you are on earth. For example, your sun sign is the sign of the zodiac that the sun was in at the time of your birth, as seen from the place where you were born. So when someone says, I m a Sagittarius, they mean that the sun was in the sign of Sagittarius at the time of their birth, as seen from the place where they were born. Since the ecliptic goes right around the earth, it s represented in an astrological chart as a complete circle (360 o ). The circle is divided up into 12 equal sections (30

9 o ) each one being a sign of the zodiac. Because the astrological chart shows the earth at the centre with all the planets round the outside, it s said to be geocentric. The Signs of the Zodiac Each sign has a different meaning and the combination of planets in signs is very important in astrology. The 4 suits in Tarot are often linked to the 4 elements like this: Wands = Fire Pentacles = Earth Swords = Air Cups = Water Similarly, some tarot readers take the pages to represent earth, the knights to represent air, the queens to represent water and the kings to represent fire. So the queen of swords is said to be the watery part of air Each of the 12 signs of zodiac also has its own element. There are 4 fire signs, 4 earth signs, 4 air signs and 4 water signs. Here s a list of the signs of the zodiac with their elements. We re used to seeing their Latin names and I ve added their English names to help you visualise an image. Have a read through the list and see if any of the images make you think of the images on any of the Tarot trumps? Aries The Ram Fire Taurus The Bull Earth Gemini The Twins Air Cancer The Crab Water Leo The Lion Fire Virgo The Maiden Earth Libra The Scales Air Scorpio The Scorpion Water Sagittarius The Archer Fire Capricorn The Goat Earth Aquarius The Water Bearer Air Pisces The Fishes Water Any thoughts? Please bear in mind that there are lots of possible Tarot/astrology associations. I m only giving an introduction to some of the most commonly used. The Strength card normally features a lion and the figure of Justice holds scales in her hand. So it s possible to associate Strength with Leo and Justice with Libra. The figure of a water bearer would fit with the Star and the goat-legged Devil could be taken to correspond to the sign of Capricorn. The twin figures on the Lovers card are often associated with the sign of Gemini. Not all the signs correspond so visually with Tarot trumps and we'll look at the rest of the signs later on.

10 The Planets I mentioned earlier that each planet has their own meaning in astrology. Some of the qualities of the planets come from mythology and have become embedded in the English language. Here s a list of the planets with some phrases that are linked with them. As you read the list, think about the Tarot trumps and see if you can see any associations. Sun Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn A sunny disposition Mooning around, lunatic behaviour Messenger of the gods, mercurial wit. Goddess of beauty and love God of war, martial arts The ruler of the gods, jovial attitude Saturnine face The 3 planets beyond Saturn are recent discoveries, so they aren t present in English phrases in the same way. Uranus Neptune Pluto The father of the Titans, a chaotic time before the gods The god of the sea and underwater worlds The god of the underworld Any Tarot connections there for you? The sun in a natal chart is similar to the Sun card in a reading. It dominates but also has to interact with the energy of the other cards in the reading. The influence of Venus is very much like the Empress card. Venus represents pleasure, comfort and the need for beauty and harmony. So, in a way, an astrological chart is like a very complicated Tarot spread. For example, if a birth chart shows the sun in Leo, this could be seen as being a bit like having the Sun card and the Strength card together in a reading to represent the querent. If the same chart has Venus in Gemini, then perhaps this is similar to having the Empress card and the Lovers card together to represent the client s love-life. Then there s the added complication of where the Sun and Venus lie in relation to one another in the chart. We re just scratching the surface here but I hope you re beginning to get a taste of what astrology is about. An Example of Tarot/Astrological Associations Here s a list of the most commonly used associations between the astrological planets and Tarot cards. Other associations are possible: Sun Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn The Sun The High Priestess The Magician The Empress The Tower Wheel of Fortune The World

11 Uranus Neptune Pluto The Fool The Hanged Man Judgement And here are some possible links for the signs of the zodiac: Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces The Emperor The Hierophant The Lovers The Chariot Strength The Hermit Justice Death Temperance The Devil The Star The Moon It s fascinating to look at the order of the Tarot cards in these zodiac associations. Also, notice that every Tarot trump is mentioned in the list. What s next then? If you d like to learn more about astrology, I d recommend Molly s Tutorial here at North-Node Take your time and go step by step. Molly has also designed a set of Astrology study cards which are really useful. If you ve any questions, please post them on our Node-o-Rama message board. The next article on Tarot and astrology will look at some tarot spreads that are based on astrology. The table of Tarot/Astrology correspondences comes from the excellent website Mick can be contacted at: mailto: Mick@north-node.com

12 The Battle of the Goliaths: A comparative method for learning new decks by understanding the influence of Waite-Smith and Thoth by Yvonne Rathbone 2002 Introduction The Waite-Smith and Thoth decks are the two most influential esoteric decks available today. The Waite-Smith deck was the first deck to put divinatory pictures on the minors and was the first widely published esoteric deck for public consumption. The Thoth deck was Crowley's rebuttal of Waite and his own vision of an esoteric tarot for public use. While not everybody uses one of these decks, an understanding of them is essential for going beyond the basics. Indeed, knowledge of them can make picking up new decks much easier. When I'm learning a new deck, I'll spend some time thinking about how the new deck is like one and then the other or different from both. I'll try to get a feel for whether those differences make the new deck a "Thoth-style" deck or a "Waite-Smith-style" deck or something else entirely. This kind of study is very fruitful in a swordsy kind of way for getting the feel of a new deck. A complete index of differences and similarities between these two decks is monumental. Here, I'll just point out some of the differences I believe are key in determining the amount of influence each deck had on a new deck I'm looking at. The following key differences are ones I use as benchmarks. Once I've outlined those, I'll give an example of how I use these differences in determining the influences on a modern deck. Differences in the Major Arcana Fool: The biggest difference, and I believe the most fundamental difference, is in the Fool Card. The Fool is a representation of the path walker. He is the being who walks the path laid out in the other cards. How a deck represents the Fool gives an indication of how the deck represents the individual. In the Waite-Smith deck, the Sun of Kether is shown above and behind the Fool. In Thoth, the Sun is shown at the Fools genitals. This difference in the location of the divine source indicates the Waite Smith deck as being based on a Christian theology whereby God exists above and outside of the journeyer. Thoth expresses a Pagan view of God being the creative force that exists inherently within us all.

13 The 8/11 Split: The next big difference is in the numbering of the Major Arcana, specifically the cards called Strength and Justice. Which card comes after the Wheel shows how the deck represents Karma. In Thoth, Justice is the eighth card, Strength is eleven. In WS this is reversed. This difference can be seen as one of how the Universe and Karma (as shown in the Wheel) interact with the individual. When Justice follows the Wheel, it shows a view of Karma that is retributive or restitutive. In this model, Karma is paid for through Justice, whether it's punishment or the legitimate taking on of responsibility. In the second model, Karma is followed by Strength and shows a different result of the effect of Karma. In this model, Karma is the vehicle for the integration of the physical, animal nature with the "higher" levels of being. Name Changes: Thoth changes some names of the Majors. When people who are influenced by Thoth create decks they sometimes keep these names or the relevant symbolic changes associated with the name change. Strength becomes Lust, Temperance becomes Art, Justice becomes Adjustment, Judgment becomes Aeon. So for instance, Voyager uses "Art" for Temperance and "Balance" for Justice. This indicates a tip o' the hat to Thoth, but not a full scale embrace. Other Changes: After these big differences, there are many differences in detail that while small point to larger theological differences. Among these differences, I've listed below some of the main ones I use as indicators of influence. Arcana Name Thoth Waite-Smith Fool High Priestess Emperor Hierophant Chariot accompanied by a butterfly, a dove and an alligator while being harassed by a tiger arms raised, bow and arrow on lap, "veil" in front, fruits & flowers at feet sits with his head turned in profile and his legs crossed holds the key in his right hand while making a divine gesture with his left hand pointing down charioteer sits lotus style in seat, face covered, chariot drawn by four mythical creatures accompanied by white dog sits between pillars, hands in lap, scroll in lap, veil behind, crescent moon at feet legs are not crossed and the Emperor faces the reader holds the key in his left hand while his right hand makes the same gesture pointing up, accompanied by acolytes Charioteer stands in chariot, face bare, chariot pulled by two sphinxes Strength/Lust woman rides lion woman stands next to lion holding mouth Justice/Adjustment standing sword pointed down seated sword pointed up Temperance/Art blends fire and water into vessel pours water from one vessel to another Judgment/Aeon Egyptian mythological figures angel resurrecting the dead Sun twins dancing in a garden single child riding a horse

14 Differences in the Courts Waite-Smith and Thoth have different court card configurations and how a new deck structures their courts can tell you something about influence. Waite-Smith has the order King/Queen/Knight/Page. Thoth has the order Knight/Queen/Prince/Princess. I'm more persuaded by the presence of Thoth style Knight/Prince male configuration replacing Waite's King/Knight than I am the presence of Princesses. In "Pictorial Key To The Tarot," Waite states that the courts serve as a bridge between the Lesser and Greater Arcana, but that the lack of distinction between them and the Majors is shown by their "conventional character". (pg. 165) He doesn't think they have enough symbols to qualify as anything but for mere divination and fortune telling. He indicates that the arrangement of King/Queen/Knight/Page is derived from standard playing cards. This could be a blind. Crowley, in contrast, states very clearly in "The Book Of Thoth" the important role the courts play in his deck. They are the embodiment of the Tetragrammaton (the most holy name of God.) He uses Knights instead of Kings to denote the active quality of the first letter of the Tetragrammaton. Queens are the fixing nature of the second. Princes are more literally the sons of Queens than Knights are. Finally, the Princesses represent the "re-absorption of the Energy" and "the silence into which all things return." (pg ) Many decks use princesses instead of pages and do not in the least reflect the complex symbolism Crowley reserved for the courts. Often they do it simply to infuse the deck with more female characters and give a balance of male and female energy. Trust me. Crowley didn't give a damn about doing this. The presence of the princess is not indicative of Thoth influence by itself, but there are other imagistic indicators that we can look for. In Thoth, the King/Knights are active and they are all shown on horseback. The knights in Waite-Smith are shown on horseback as well, but in that system they are third down on the totem pole. So when the top ranking male court card is the one on horseback, I see Thoth. The queens in Thoth are seated with different totems; Wands: leopard, Cups: stork, Swords: severed head (ew) and Disks: goat. In contrast, Waite-Smith usually shows images on the queen's thrones; Wands: lions, Cups: cupid & fish, Swords: butterfly, Pentacles: goat. Only the goat is the same. Waite-Smith also adds two other animals to the queens, one of which is commonly copied. That is the black cat in the Queen of wands. The rabbit in the Queen of Pentacles goes largely unnoticed. Differences in the Minors The main difference between Waite inspired minors and Thoth inspired minors lays in one of the largest difference between the two decks. Waite put pictures on his minors. Thoth uses stylized pips (arrangements of the suit symbols as in playing cards.) Because of this, I look for Waite influence in the minors differently than I do Thoth influence.

15 It's pretty easy to spot the most apparent influence of Waite in the choice of imagery for the pips. A boat ride on the Six of Cups, a patient gardner on the Seven of Pentacles, a person with swords in his back on the Ten of swords. The use of these images such as these indicates a Waite basis. The influence of Thoth in the minors is harder to see. It's not enough that a deck just use pips. This could refer back to the Tarot de Marseilles. Instead, in the Thoth minors we must look for specific instances where the given meanings differ radically from Waite. And one of the surprises I found as I was researching the differences between these decks is that there aren't that many radical differences between the meanings of the minors. The most extreme I found are: Card Thoth Waite-Smith 4 of Cups Luxury, Change=Stability Weariness, disgust, aversion 8 of Cups Indolence, stagnation Leaving something behind 2 of Swords Peace, balance Indecision, denial 6 of Swords Science Moving away from difficulty 7 of Disks Failure, blight Patience Conclusion and Example These are some of the differences that I use to determine major influence and better understand a new deck. But decks are rarely one or the other. Often a deck will mix elements from both original decks, but will end up closer to one than the other. And for the best decks, while they may be more obviously influenced by one particular deck, they still transcend both. Light & Shadow is a modern deck created by Michael Goepferd. It makes many changes to traditional symbolism and its art style is distinctive. Each image is a black and white woodcut. Goepferd's images can have a childlike innocence and at the same time, a deeply profound sensuality. Over and over again, the characters show a joy of living that is contagious to the reader. It's a truly amazing deck. The imagery of the majors owes some to Thoth (Alligator on Fool, Bull on Hierophant, Chariot driver sitting in Lotus position) and some to Waite (dead bodies on Judgment, pillars on High Priestess, angel and mountain on Temperance). The names of the cards haven't been changed so we have Temperance, Strength, Justice, but it observes the 8=Justice arrangement. The court cards show a mix of both Waite and Thoth with a configuration of: Princess/Prince/Queen/King. Normally I'd think this rates as more Waite than Thoth for the reasons I stated in the Courts section, but Light & Shadow's court imagery owes more to Thoth. The kings are all shown on horses indicating they have more in common with the Knights of Thoth versus the seated Kings of Waite-Smith. The minors, almost without exception, derive their imagery from Waite. But their rendition recalls the geometric stylization of Harris' Thoth imagery. In the final analysis, I think of Light and Shadow first as it's own deck, but secondly as a Thoth derived deck. And I do so mainly for the symbolism of the Fool that started this essay and because of the popularity of Waite-Smith. Waite-Smith imagery and influence is so much more common that using it seems a default while using Thoth seems more of a conscious choice. So the inclusion of so many Thoth elements weights the analysis in favor of that deck.

16 From this example, I hope that readers will come to understand the importance of knowing both the Waite-Smith deck and the Thoth deck. Being able to recognize their influence can help us understand the deck creator's intentions. It can also highlight which elements of a new deck are unique for that deck. In the end, knowing a deck's roots and understanding the roots of modern esoteric Tarot, help us to be better tarotists. References: Crowley, Aleister. "The Book Of Thoth." New York: U.S. Games Systems, Inc Geopferd, Michael and Brian Williams. "The Light & Shadow Tarot." Rochester, VT: Destiny Books Waite, Arthur Edward. "The Pictoral Key To The Tarot." Stanford: U.S. Games Systems, Inc. 19 Yvonne Rathbone has been studying the Tarot since She has taught classes in reading, divination, and archetype exploration. A series of articles based on her "Tarot For Everyday" course has been published in Tapestry Magazine. She strives to empower people to develop their own relationships to the Tarot while respecting its traditions. You can read more about her take on Tarot at her website: Illustrations from the Universal Waite Tarot deck reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT USA. Copyright 1990 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Universal Waite Tarot Deck is a registered trademark of U.S.Games Systems, Inc. Visit the world's best source for tarot decks at We would also like to acknowledge the support kindly given to TABI by Swiss tarot card company AG Muller For information regarding the AG Muller Thoth deck, please visit the AGM web-site at

17 NEWBIE by Fifie Fluke Fifie relates what it was like for her in coming to tarot as a newbie. It began with books, as most things do for me. Books and stories have been my lifelong passion, the passion which finally led me to University and got me through a BA (Writing). I had no idea that in learning to read the Tarot, everything I ve ever learned would come into play. The Tarot has been called the mirror of the soul and so it is; but to me, the Tarot is also a book of the soul. A book with no binding, an endless story with no beginning, a story boundless as the Universe. I ve always been too pragmatic to be mystical I d been mildly curious about the Tarot in the past, but only as a sort of parlour game. I thought the cards looked pretty (I never said I wasn t shallow!) and I occasionally used to think it d be fun to learn. A childhood neighbour, an old lady who ran a hat shop, used to read playing cards for me. She would predict the meet-a-dark stranger type of fortune, always good, never taken seriously. I thought it was a rather charming social nicety; an ice-breaker, no more than that. Last year, a friend lent me Philip Pullman s Dark Materials trilogy. I didn t expect to like it, I ve never been one for science fiction, but I thought, give it a go, and soon I was enthralled. The protagonist learns a system of divination using an alethiometer, a fictional tool which resembles a compass; or rather to begin with, she does not learn but is blessed with the knowledge of how to read it. Later on in the trilogy, the I Ching is mentioned as a similar means of divination. I have owned a copy of the Book of Changes since I was fourteen and in all my subsequent house moves have never parted with it but the I Ching has never called to me, I don t know why. The Pullman book described the metaphorical climbing around different layers, or levels, of meaning, which immediately struck at my heart. Hadn t I, too, struggled with layers of meaning, striven to understand the way things mean (as opposed to what they mean) at University, as I tackled the new challenge of semiotic analysis? Something clicked; I wanted divination, and my divination of choice was the Tarot. Why the Tarot? The cards looked nice. I also liked the idea that it was a new pastime which would not take up much space. I am typing this article in a room which has had a whole alcove full of shelves put up especially to house Tarot and Tarot-related books, decks, paraphernalia and so on. Having heard all the nonsense about having to be gifted your cards (not even realising one might own more than one set of cards) I asked my oldest friend to buy me a deck for my birthday, which she did. Thoughtfully, she also bought me a book; the cards in the book, good old RWS, didn t match the deck my friend gave me. The LWB which came with the deck confused and upset me, many things went awry in the early days; but I m getting ahead of the story. The next thing to happen, as my cards were on their way, was synchronicity. Before I d so much as put my hand on a card. Two days before my birthday present arrived (by post), a neighbour announced he was clearing out all his old books and said, would I like to go in his house to choose anything I liked (or take everything, if I liked) from a pile of boxes? I went in, couldn t

18 really get at the boxes which were heavy and piled higher than my head; I reached into the uppermost box, grasped a corner of what I thought was a book and dragged it out. It was a boxed Tarot deck and book set, the Enchanted Tarot. Cards still in their cellophane. I rang my friend, just to make sure he didn t want it; No! he said, If I d known you were interested I d have dug it out for you ages ago! So much for psychic empathy between friends. Delighted with my new gift, I unwrapped the deck; with my first book and the deck s companion book by my side, I asked a one-card question. Would I be able to develop a relationship with the Tarot which would prove harmonious and fruitful (or something like that)? As I shuffled, before I was ready to draw a card, one flew out of the deck and landed upright in my lap the Ace of Wands. Which, upon reading my textbook and the companion book, I interpreted as answering Yes, and the relationship has already begun. The companion book s keyword for the Ace of Wands was Initiation; I felt this was auspicious. I felt the whole thing had been unusual and slightly spooky that s how much of a newbie I was. Since then, of course, I ve learnt that everyone has their own synchronicity and spookiness experiences on the way to learning the Tarot and that mine was not particularly unusual. Unique to me, perhaps; unusual, no. There followed a month or so of groping in the dark. I spoke to friends who read the Tarot, found that many people I knew read the Tarot but had never mentioned it, many more had once read the Tarot and stopped for one reason or another, even more were clutching at the impalpable, just as I was. Very few people in my social circle had had little or no experience of the Tarot. I bought a book or two from a local shop but otherwise had no idea how to proceed. I asked Jeeves and was astonished to find website after website; I had no idea how much was out there! I had never joined a Yahoo group, was only vaguely aware of their existence. All I really knew about, (and this not first-hand), was chat rooms, which seemed to be a rather ghastly form of virtual pick-up joint. I had heard of people who had met on the Internet, but assumed such activities were strictly for nerds with no lives and I had a life. Desultorily, I surfed; printed off some information which I felt might be helpful, saw much which appeared to be geared up to parting me from my money. Eventually, of course, I hit upon the site; technological ineptitude prevented me from downloading the course, but ardent enthusiasm had me printing the whole thing out. Thrilled, I went through all the lessons and I joined the Barnes and Noble course. I was astonished to find how readily the students shared their innermost feelings on the course not being much of a feeling-sharer myself, I presumed this must be because they were American. The B&N course ended, and although I d been invited to join a U.S. e-community, I wanted something nearer home. Somewhere my comrades inhabit the same time zone. I ed Joan Bunning, who told me about TABI. You know the rest of that part of the story; it was you who welcomed me, chatted with me, some of you joined the TABITraining course when I did and are currently studying the lessons side-by-side with me. As I applied myself to Tarot study, I was constantly reminded how all that I d been and all I d done before I came to Tarot was informing my learning. Semiotics and, up to a point, semantics was so valuable; everyone, I think, deconstructs the advertisements on TV and in magazines semiotically, often only being half-conscious that one is so doing. Anything one looks at from a detached point of view is open to analysis, but when learning the individual cards, the training I d done at University leapt into life; differentiating signs from symbols, decoding symbols, understanding how symbols mean, as opposed to what they mean second nature, to me. Colour symbolism and numerical symbolism, I understood, differed significantly

19 between cultures, even between individuals; certain symbols had meanings which had been mutable through aeons, cultures, continents. I understood the mutability of most symbols and the temporary fixity of some. Eventually I began to understand how Tarot symbolism, despite having a basis, must in the end be unique to the individual. Even the things we don t understand are important in that they are there, and represent non-meaning. In other words, these things mean differently but the fact that we do not understand them, or the fact that we perceive each meaning differently to the way the next person perceives it, does not make that meaning invalid. Conversely, it personalises it. All this came naturally to me and although I know I have far to go, I can envisage a time in the future when I will feel confident with Tarot meanings and their mutability - in the way one learns to drive confidently. To begin with, the whole concept of driving is about physically operating the car; in the end, we operate the car automatically and our attention is focused on other traffic, where we are going and so on. The same happens when we learn to read; we begin by learning our alphabet, reading words which to begin with we have to spell out, then we must link the words into sentences; over time and with painstaking practice, we learn to read. Once we can read, we are no longer conscious of spelling out the letters; we see written text and understand its meaning immediately without being conscious of the process by which we arrive at that understanding. This, I trust, happens eventually with the Tarot. The other side of the coin, the trusting intuition side, is for me the big stumbling block. It counts for nothing that I have always regretted not acting on gut feeling, that intuition has always proved right. This side of the Tarot is the one I have yet to explore; I have no idea how it will come to me, but suspect that it may prove a bit like reading, or driving. If I continue to plumb the depths, breadths and heights of given knowledge, I hope and trust that the intuition aspect will follow naturally, as does learning to read, learning to drive; learning, indeed, any of the things we strive so hard to achieve. So soon after we assimilate the ability to do the myriad things we do daily, we forget what life was like before we took them all for granted. I hope that one day I will have absorbed the Tarot so completely that the reading of any spread comes as easily to me as does the understanding of layers of meaning in a written text. The fact that all the stories ever told, all those that were ever lived, all those which may be lived in the future, are contained in this unbound book, a thing I can carry in my pocket, never fails to astonish me. Truly, the Tarot is a thing of wonder.

20 Payment for services rendered by Jacky Newcomb aka The Angel Lady In contrast to our Newbie article in this issue, we feature the views of an established reader/writer on dealing with the financial question, regarding reading for others. We are especially grateful to Jacky for taking time out from her busy work schedule to contribute to TABI News. A new lipstick, lunch in a nice restaurant, a trip to the hairdressers and a reading from a professional card reader all treats for the soul? Is it ok to pay for a manicure from a nail technician but not to pay for a tarot reading from a psychic? Where did the idea come from that it is somehow wrong to pay for the services of an alternative healer? Why is it ok to call in a plumber at 45 an hour, but not ok to charge more than a fiver for a reading with a clairvoyant? Is there something wrong here? Too right there is! Its wrong, said a medium friend of mine, she charges 15 for three quarters of an hour and I had three sisters here this week complaining about her! She charges too much. No, I said, you charge too little. I m happy with what I charge. I feel awful because I recommend her, and they said she was rubbish! This medium, and I ll call her Paula, was fussing over another mutual friend Sharon. Is Sharon a poor medium? No, in fact she s is equally as good. But Paula is jealous. Paula lives in near poverty. She is also very ill, but does not earn enough money to pay for decent treatment. She lives under the illusion that her God given talent was given free, so she has to charge low rates for her services and live with ill health. It eats away at her, and she doesn t even know it. It makes her bitter. Sharon on the other hand charges a sensible hourly rate for her psychic talents. She has a lovely home, nice holidays and is fit and well. Coincidence? Maybe. We all have God-given talents. A friend of my sister tastes crisps for a living yes really. She was picked out of 80 people because her taste buds are particularly sensitive. It s a natural talent for her, and it s how she earns her living. She s not a millionaire but she earns a decent living wage. I have another friend who is a Reiki Master. She is a great healer and attunes new students at her home for free. She thinks it s wrong to charge for her services. She thinks it s wrong to charge for any spiritual service but reckons its ok to accept gifts which she does readily. She calls it an exchange of energy. I call it a cop out what s the difference? Years ago if you wanted some wool you went to the farmer to see if you could do a swap for a product of your own. You make great jam but the farmer doesn t like jam. Your neighbour

21 keeps chickens and the farmer needs one but she also loves jam. Complicated isn t it? The system of fair exchange (barter) worked well for many years, but it was limiting which is why we invented MONEY! A fair price for a fair job? It s important that you set your fees properly at the beginning. Think carefully about doing freebie sessions for friends and family as you are devaluing your worth, and their respect of your skill. Now I m not saying that if the local school asks you to take a stall on behalf of school funds you don t say yes. If you charge properly for your skill then an occasional charity gift of your time is easy to do. You have the freedom to make that decision. If you find it hard to charge for your gift, then charge for your time. Did you work hard to learn your skill? Have you attended seminars and bought books to get a little better? What are you worth? Basically, you re worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for your services! Do you want to earn big money? Publishing a book, having your name on TV or reading for a celebrity all increase your value to customers. Are you a better psychic because of it? Probably not, but that just goes to show how fickle we are over the money-charging thing. Would a top celebrity feel happier having a reading with another name? Don t be afraid to advertise your fee. Print out your charges on large, laminated signs. People will know in advance what you charge. They have the opportunity to decide beforehand if they are prepared to buy your services. I hate those shops where they hide the prices. People feel safer that way and it s less embarrassing. Oh and one last thing. How do you know if your price is right? Well people come back for more don t they! Jacky Newcomb writes regularly for a variety of women s magazine, including CHAT, it s fate and Prediction. She runs a column in its fate magazine (Dear Angel Lady), and runs angel workshops. To contact Jacky or for more information about her visit her website:

22 Court Card Families by TABI Training Students We hope you will enjoy this light-hearted view of the tarot Court Cards, which developed from discussions by students on the training course, including Troi, Ania, Ian, Fifie and Dark Flower. Each contributor has come up with some wonderful ideas for the activities of a court card family! Ania s Families The Wands Rufus Wand Boudicca Wand Eric Wand Minx Wand Rufus is definitely head of the family. His flaming red hair matches his temper (and occasionally his eyes), but his family adore him - he doesn't care much what anyone else thinks. Life is never dull around Rufus. No one is entirely sure what he does for a living, but he seems to be very good at it. Boudicca takes everything in her stride. She organises coffee mornings with frighteningly energetic vigour; her charity chariot drives are legendary, (particularly among the local hedgehog population). Rufus dotes on her; she calms him down. Her long red hair is the envy of the local women; most of the local men would give their eye teeth to find out if it's natural. Eric is something of a wheeler-dealer. He's moved on from used car sales to being Something in the City. At weekends he goes sailing with his friends - after all, there's nothing like a bit of raping and pillaging to unwind after a hard week. His parents accept his steady flow of (frequently simultaneous) girlfriends calmly, although they often argue hot-temperedly with Rufus. Minx is the baby of the family and something of a wild child. She is Steiner educated and believes in expressing herself as she sees fit, much to Eric's annoyance when he found his longboat painted fluorescent pink. In contrast with the rest of the family, she has green hair and a ring through her nose. She is the undisputed leader of a gang of local urchins, who are the terror of the local Trappist monastery. Everyone expects her to be an artist when she grows up. The Hearts Derek (RunningWolf) Heart Helen (MorningStar) Heart River Heart Karma Heart

23 The Hearts are a key part of the Happy Hippy Pagan Commune and have lived there for over 15 years, since the country house was donated to the commune by a stoned rock star. They are all fair-haired, blue-eyed and tanned from living outdoors most of the time. Derek, or RunningWolf as he is known these days, is the community's healer and adviser. He dropped out of medical school to travel the world, and met Helen in Goa, (or was it Nepal? That period is all a bit of a blur). He is conversant with several forms of alternative therapy and everyone agrees that without him, the commune would have dissolved long ago. Helen is known as MorningStar. She is the emotional mother of the community and has several lovers, who Derek tolerates, mostly because she's too kind-hearted to refuse them. Besides, technically she and Derek aren't married, they re handfasted, which is sort of the same thing to witches. She spends most of her time sky-clad, unless it's too cold, when she wears colourful tiedyed frocks; she brews the dyes for these herself. She grows herbs and makes potions for the community, reads their cards or casts their Runes. She is the High Priestess of the coven, which is now attracting members from the local village. River, who was born in the middle of a river during a Sabbat ceremony, is rapidly becoming the commune poet. He is considering trying to get some of his work published, for the benefit of the commune, of course, and also as a way out of his designated role as pig-keeper, which he detests. Most of the time, he leaves them to it and goes to daydream and write poetry up at the copse. This is also where he meets his girlfriend, who no one is certain isn't his half-sister. Karma is a darling child and everyone mothers her, because she is so delightful. She is quite happy to belong to everyone and demonstrates equal affection for all. She never cried as a baby, and from an early age has shown her father's healing abilities with a variety of animals, large and small. Animals will follow her without being called and birds will come and sit on her shoulder without fear. Everyone is very proud of her. The Swords Sherlock Sword Modesty Sword Richard Sword April Sword Sherlock is faintly embarrassed by his name and the usual quips about his profession and address, when he is introduced to people. However, secretly, he aspires to emulate the great character and delights in reading detective fiction in order to imagine himself as the fictional detective. He lectures in law at the local university and teaches the occasional course in criminal psychology at the Police College. He has been invited to stand as local councillor by more than one party, but feels unsure of their motives. He drives a German car because they are the most reliable according to all the evidence. Modesty regards her name as something of an irony, since she is nothing of the sort. She organises everything at home and holds down a demanding job as a manager for a large company. She commutes mostly by train, although she does drive a company Mercedes. At

24 weekends, she goes hang-gliding. Sharp-witted, sometimes sharp-tongued, she is nobody's fool and she never admits room for doubt where one stands with her. Richard is a research assistant in Physics. He can be a crashing bore at parties when he feels compelled to argue about minutiae - something he thoroughly enjoys. He has a tendency to crash conversations and then dominate them, which does not make him tremendously popular. He has a small circle of friends who find him pleasant company and enjoy the same kind of intellectual games. He is on the verge of completing a second doctorate and has an article awaiting publication in the next edition of Nature. April, who was born in April, is a promising law student, already working part-time (voluntarily) for the local Citizen's Advice Bureau. She is deeply intense and committed to ensuring that justice be done. She could do with loosening up and letting her hair down a little. The Pents Cyril Pent Marjorie Pent Jeremy Pent Fliss Pent The Pent family are extremely well-to-do and live in a quiet corner of Hertfordshire, in a sizeable country house. Cyril is a self-made man. He is chief exec of a large corporation which continues to astonish the City with its continued success in light of the recent market downturn. The shareholders have faith in the company with Cyril at the helm; even the anti-capitalists admit that the charitable works funded by the company exempt it from censure. Most days, Cyril is content to be chauffeured into town in his Bentley, where he can work undisturbed; occasionally, when time is of the essence, he'll take the helicopter. Marjorie comes from old money. She was expected to marry minor royalty as a deb, but the house, which she inherited young, costs a fortune to run. Cyril's income (in conjunction with her own) has allowed her to invest in the estate, which now runs at a profit. Usually, she will ride around the park and farms to visit the tenants, see they are happy and, of course, exercise the horses. She is generally accompanied by the assorted pet hounds who share the mansion with the family. She supervises the design and planting of the gardens herself and has an annual open weekend, which is always well attended. Jeremy is affectionately known as "Two Sheds" from the days when his custom car engineering business was fledgling. Now he has sizeable business premises on a nearby trading estate, but he still occupies part of the stable block that has been converted into offices, which he shares with the estate manager, an chum from Harrow. His staff are always pleased when he works from home, as he can be a bit too "hands on" at times and insists on supervising every detail. He generally zooms around in the little two-seater sporty number he built himself, as his first project.

25 Fliss, or Phyllis as she was christened with much pomp and ceremony, refused to go to finishing school and marry well; instead she opted for a Business Studies degree at one of the better redbrick universities. She would secretly have loved to become a ballet dancer, but could never view it as a secure occupation. She's very practical and sometimes helps the estate manager (on whom she has always had a crush) with the accounts and paperwork. Ian s Families The Wands family inhabit a converted Monastery in Tuscany. They also have a penthouse flat in Docklands and spend part of the year on their yacht in the Caribbean. Mr Wands owns a promotions company which specialises in managing show business stars and sporting heroes; he is noted for his great parties and generosity. Mrs Wands used to be a model and is rumoured to have been involved in pornography in the early days. More recently she has built up her own thriving model agency, which is highly respectable and very classy. Knight Wands squanders his/her parents money enthusiastically, mainly on expensive clothes and travel. She/he is quite a talented photographer, however. She/he is becoming successful in her/his own right and therefore more independent. Page Wands made it into the tabloids recently when he/she was sent down from his/her expensive boarding school for smoking dope. The Cups family live in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in Wales. Mr Cups was the principal of a well-known University, until his book 'Everything that is wrong with Society, Religion and the Universe' became a best seller and was serialized on radio 4. Now he spends all his time on the lecture circuit and late night chat shows. Mrs Cups spends all her time at home; single-handedly running the family s 5-acre organic smallholding and managing a small business making traditional Celtic jewellery. Knight Cups is a well-known clairvoyant and astrologer, writing several columns in national newspapers. She/he has recently published a book of poems dedicated to the Spirit of the Greenwood. Page Cups dropped out of university and has been involved in a series of environmental protests, having been arrested several times. The Swords family live on the edge of Epping Forest, in a house they had built to their own specifications. Made entirely of the latest polycarbonate and stainless steel, it is designed to be the house of the future, using the latest in micro-technology. Every function is performed automatically, from getting the breakfast to putting out the cat.

26 Mr Swords joined the Rather Small Computer Company as a trainee in By 1995 he was on the board of directors, by 1998 he was CEO. One of his first acts was to change the name to Bloody Great Computer Company. He recently steered the BGCC through its hostile takeover of the Microsoft Corporation. Mrs Swords abandoned a career as one of the leading barristers in the country to become CEO of a leading management consultancy. During the recent accounting scandals, she saved the reputation of her company by dealing ruthlessly with offending officers, right up to board level. Knight Swords is in prison. After several rash, hasty and ultimately disastrous forays into the stock market s/he became involved in a shady deal, involving insider trading. His/her parents refused to bail him/her out, feeling that it would do him/her good to be made responsible for his/her own actions. Page Swords has just left university with first class honours. S/He is postponing entry into the business world, preferring to help in running a number of charities. S/He is already on the board of one of them. The Pent family live in a mock gothic castle on the Yorkshire moors. Mr Pent joined his father s firm straight from school at the age of 14. Since then he has seen it grow until the annual turnover has more zeros than the Japanese airforce. In spite of his enormous wealth he still works a seven-day week; two years ago he installed an en suite next to his spartan office. Mrs Pent hasn't seen her husband since he left for work two years ago, although they talk daily on the phone. She is chair of the local district council, several women s organisations and a benefactor of two hospices and the cottage hospital. She throws the best coffee mornings in the county. Knight Pent is chief executive of an international NGO. He/she receives no payment for this, being supported by his/her father. Last year she/he received the OBE for service to the community and mankind. Page Pent is leaving school to go to college and take business studies. In her/his spare time he/she is the driving force behind the formation of a credit union for the workers in her/his father s factory. Fifie s Families THE WANDSES. The Wandses live in a big house in one of the most affluent parts of Muswell Hill, London, overlooking Alexandra Palace. They're all rather nice-looking and they have a way of making people instantly feel welcome and 'included' in whatever they're doing; ergo, they're very popular. In addition to the individual sports they enjoy, they take family winter holidays skiing, and kite surfing in summer. Their home is comfortable and inviting, with colour schemes tending

27 toward the burnt umber, terracotta and red end of the spectrum, with some neutral and areas on the walls for relief. The Wandses are big on Kelim rugs and dark wood, Moroccan-style furniture. Mr. Wands is a senior executive in a large and successful advertising firm; for relaxation he enjoys playing squash. Mrs. Wands is an actress; she has had a fairly successful stage career, but since having her children has been best known to the public as 'Mum' in a 'family' series of advertisements for a well-known Breakfast Cereal. She has two black cats, Oriental Shorthairs, called Nimrod (The Mighty Hunter) and Bastet, of whom she is very, very fond. Knight Wands is a rally driver; he/she is now forging a career as an automotive journalist and TV presenter. Knight Wands' car is a copper-gold E-type convertible. Page Wands is doing very well at his/her 'A' levels and wants to be an architect. THE CUPSES The Cupses live in an ancient cathedral village in the Cotswolds, not far from Swindon but as unlike Swindon as you could wish it to be. All the houses are ancient, built from golden Cotswold stone, with stone roofs; the Cupses live in half an old 'hall house', converted into a beautiful family home with great views of the countryside. Some of the original stone of the interior walls has been left exposed; early Georgian panelling (from an earlier conversion) remains in many of the rooms. The Cupses go for Osborne and Little Stars and Planets wallpaper and upholstery material, in the blue shades; soft furnishings such as scatter cushions are silky, midnight blue or purple. Mr. Cups owns a successful Art and Antiques Emporium in Oxford. Mrs. Cups is psychic; she works three days per week at an Oxford 'New Age' shop, which is in turn owned by an old friend of Mr. Cups. Knight Cups is studying psychology, and wants to become a therapist; Knight drives a very old, silver-blue Karmann Ghia. Page Wands is studying Art at 'A' level and is headed for St. Martin's School of Art or possibly the R.A.; Page wants to be an interior/exterior stylist, has a particular fondness for Feng Shui, and has already designed some very beautiful water features for the Cups' family home. THE SWORDSES The Swordses live in Central London, near Great Titchfield Street, in a large apartment. The decor is neutral, although the neutrality is relieved here and there with yellow or gold accessories. The style of the Swords' home is minimal, functional and practical - but it is still comfortable and homelike - just very, very tidy.

28 Mr. Swords is a successful publisher. Mrs. Swords is a lawyer, in the publishing field; effectively, they run the firm together, along with a trusted board of directors. Knight Swords is a stand-up comedian, rising fast in the comedy circuit and set to make a career of it. In the meantime, his/her day job is Clerk to the Justices. Knight Swords' car is a yellow Renault Megane convertible. Page Swords wants to study Economics and eventually go into politics. THE PENTACLESES The Pentacleses live in a large manor house in North Yorkshire, right at the edge of a huge tract of Forestry Commission Land. Their house is old, and grand; inside, it has the rarefied air of old money; most of the furniture is good, but it's very worn indeed - and rather 'doggy'. They're fond of William Morris prints - green being the predominant colour scheme, with some brown. Mr. Pentacles is titled; he is in fact Lord Pentacles; he is a Big Wheel in the Forestry Commission and cares deeply about the future of the planet - as do all the Pentacleses. Mr. Pentacles sponsors research into eco-friendly enterprises and is a guest lecturer for several universities, for which he waives the fee. Mrs. Pentacles is a Media Gardener; she is to be heard on Gardeners' Question Time on Radio 4 and is a judge at the Chelsea Flower Show. She is known to be on very good terms with Monty Don; but there is no hint of 'affaire' in the air around loyal Mrs. Pentacles. Knight Pentacles has a degree in eco-science. On the q.t., he/she's an eco-warrior but keeps his/her identity firmly under wraps as he/she does not wish to compromise his/her father professionally. A fact known only to the Pentacleses (and a very few close friends) is that Knight Pentacles is matey with Daniel Hooper, aka Swampy. Despite the possible bad press this could generate for Lord P., they are all very fond of Mr. Hooper and he is - when he can get there secretly - always welcomed in their home. Knight Pentacles has use of the family all-terrain vehicle, an occasional necessity which they all use as sparingly as possible. He/she takes the train when travelling and around the family estate, usually rides his/her horse. (He/she is nothing if not a traditional Knight!) Page Pentacles has a big crush on Daniel Hooper! This is probably a good way of using up surplus hormones; Mr. Hooper is not receptive to Page's charms, and a realisable relationship is probably off the cards for Page for a few years, anyway. Studious Page is going to read Ecology at Oxbridge and applies him/herself to study with zealous vigour.

29 Dark Flower s Families The Wands [Film stars]: Cary Wand [King] Judy Wand [Queen] Betty Wand [Knight] Jimmy Wand [Page] Occupation: Actors The Wands are impossibly good looking, charming, creative natural blondes. Their lovely home perfectly mirrors the reds and oranges of the New Mexican dessert where they have a large, sprawling, 5-bedroom house. The kitchen is filled with delicacies from all over the world and their bookshelves with DVDs of all kinds of cinematic styles; and sound tracks from their favourite movies. Old and new alike, ranging from thrillers to romances to horror, they like to give anything a try. Cary and Judy Wand, stars of the silver screen, are two of the most popular actors today. Their most acclaimed performances as a couple were on stage in the plays Othello and Macbeth, playing the leads naturally. Their children, teenager Betty and toddler Jimmy are keen to follow in their footsteps, but what does this family do away from a film set? I asked Betty what it was like to have such famous, flamboyant parents. I have a real passion for acting, it s my life, and I fully expect to surpass my parents achievements. Her indulgent father laughed at this statement nodding, If anyone can do it, Betty can. If you ll excuse me, I ll go and see what s delaying my wife. As the lithe, muscled figure of Cary Wand left the room I felt a distracting tug on my skirt. I looked down to find the smallest Wand, Jimmy, gazing up at me with chocolate brown eyes. Daddy just wants to kiss Mummy again, they re always doing that. Here; I drew you a picture. He gave me a piece of paper from a script covered in glowing sunflowers and lions. It was better than I could have done. I felt someone looking over my shoulder and glanced down; there were strands of sun-kissed blonde hair bright and vibrant against my t-shirt. How lovely, darling, I was wondering where my script had gotten to. I have to watch him like a hawk, he gets into everything. He s so like Cary it s amazing. Do you know, last year when we went to the Grand Canyon he wanted to bungee jump off one of the cliffs! Who, Jimmy?

30 Both of them, darling! Betty was more interested in her white water rafting coach, but her father soon put a stop to that! Mother! How could you bring that up in front of a journalist?! Betty flounced out of the room, clearly annoyed by her mother s indiscretion. Well, er, Ms Wand, you have a lovely home. The 4 poster beds are amazing! And I love what you ve done with the living room. Thank you. I designed it all myself. It was great fun playing decorator, especially watching Cary with his shirt off, moving furniture around. She laughed; the sound attracted the attention of her husband. Judy! There you are, I ve being looking all over for you. Cary Wand grabbed his wife, swinging her around before kissing her soundly on the lips. I haven t seen you for, at least twenty minutes. Where have you being hiding? Never mind, there s something I want to show you in the bedroom. Hey, what about me? I nearly shouted as they headed out the door. Darling, I m all for broadening my horizons, but really, three s a crowd, four poster or not! You ve gone really red! Want to see my bug box? I ve got stick insects and everything. The Cups [Pride and Prejudice]: Fitzwilliam Cup [King] Elizabeth Cup [Queen] Charles Cup [Knight] Jane Cup [Page] Occupation: Charity Workers and Activists The Cups are kind, caring, dark blondes, with striking violet eyes. They live in a small manor house that has been Elizabeth s family home for over a century. Recently married and independently wealthy, this young couple have dedicated their lives to helping those less fortunate than themselves. They support many charities and are ardent campaigners for children s and women s rights. Elizabeth is particularly successful in coaxing charitable contributions from crusty old peers. In marrying Fitzwilliam Cup, Elizabeth has taken on the role of mother to his younger siblings, 15 year old Charles and 8 year-old Jane, whose parents died of Smallpox, not long after the latter was born. Charles is a budding poet, both topical and romantic, and has already had a successful collection of work published by his doting parents. Jane is a pretty, intelligent child who has a talent for public speaking and often recites her brother s work at family gatherings and events.

31 Journal of Fitzwilliam Cup I do wish my dearest Elizabeth would stop giving away my best suits. It s really too bad that I have to meet the President of Lloyds in my old tweeds, but it is amusing to see his face when I turn up at Claridges looking like farmer Giles. I managed to squeeze another ten thousand out of the old miser for our campaigns to ban climbing boys and child prostitution; though I think it has more to do with my beautiful wife than my powers of persuasion! Journal of Elizabeth Cup Fitzwilliam has done it again; my wonderful husband is a marvel. How he persuades those stodgy bankers to part with their money, I will never know; but he manages every time - and so quickly. We will be able to tell everyone at the rally tomorrow. His aunt has come to stay with us for a while, she really is the most awful old lady. She insists we send Charles and Jane away to school, but we really couldn t bear to be parted from them and Charles is so sensitive, it would be terrible for him. I will have to find a way to get her involved in our campaigning so she doesn t have time to interfere so much. Journal of Charles Cup That dashed awful great aunt of mine is here again, talking of shipping Jane and me off to school. It would serve her right if I ran away and joined the Navy. Do they have poets in the navy? I bet I could write some ripping sea yarns, Ode to the Sea of Grace and all that. It s Elizabeth s rally today; I d better go down and join the fray, can t let her and Fitzwilliam down. I ve got a new poem about the Suffragettes for Jane to read, she is always good at that sort of thing. Journal of Jane Cup I ve being drawing and painting butterflies, blue (my favourite), yellow and white; and horses. I ve made a frame for my picture and am going to give it to Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam for their bedroom. Charles has written two new poems and wants me to illustrate them for his next collection. I want to be a poet like Charles, but I m no good at it. He says I read his beautifully and I m clever like Elizabeth; that s much better than writing poems. Our great aunt is here; she keeps talking about us going away to school. I think she s lonely because the school she suggested is near where she lives. I ll go and give her a great big hug and ask her to stay an extra week. Fitzwilliam won t mind and Elizabeth will have more time to persuade her to help with the women s rights campaign. The Swords [titles]: Lord Sword [King] Lady Sword [Queen] Veronica Sword [Knight] Phillip Sword [Page]

32 Occupation: Politicians and lawyers Entry in Who s Who The Sword Family date back to 16 th Century England. They are a striking family, tending toward dark hair and blue eyes. This eminent dynasty boasts many notable writers, lawyers and politicians through the ages. The most recent of which is Lord John Everett Sword, a top ranking Labour politician aged 45. He graduated with honours from Eton, and while there was head of the debate team for four years in a row and was known for his analytical decimation of his opponents. Lord Sword speaks three languages and was a top barrister before choosing to pursue a political career. He married Clementine Boline, an Oxford graduate and first female Cox to take part in the Oxford v Cambridge boat races. Lady Sword is a lawyer of note and has won 97% of her court cases. She is likely to be the next high court judge when a position becomes vacant. She speaks Japanese and spent a year in Japan, teaching English and learning Japanese Corporate law before returning to England and taking jobs as an interpreter and legal aid lawyer. Lord and Lady Sword live in a comfortable 4 bedroomed detached house with 60 acres of land, (which includes their Arabian stud farm) near Hemel Hempstead. They have a town house in the heart of London and enjoy the theatre, fine wines, good conversation and a broad range of books. Two children complete the family. 14-year-old Veronica Sword, who recently won the junior national debating contest and who aims to become a civil rights lawyer. Phillip Sword, who survived being born 12 weeks prematurely, is now a thriving 3 year old, interested in learning about other countries, especially Japan. He has an ear for languages and his mother is teaching him Japanese. The Pentacles [monetary denominations]: Drachma Pentacle [King] Florentine Pentacle [Queen] Franc Pentacle [Knight] Lira Pentacle [Page] Occupation: Builders/Landscape Gardeners/Sex Therapists Preface of Florentine Pentacle s book, The Naked Garden While writing this book my husband Drachma has supported me emotionally and financially. In the meantime, he has still managed to build up and promote his contracting business, Pentacles Properties.

33 My son Franc has blossomed into a tall, handsome young man who has inherited my love of gardening. He is currently training to be a landscape gardener, and plans to have his own business by the age of 30, be married at 34 and have 2.4 children by 45. Lira, my youngest child, is on the brink of womanhood. She intends to become a master craftsman, working with wood, clay, stone and precious metals; she already sells exclusive pottery on our farm. The whole family has worked night and day to make the farm a going concern, able to support an extensive animal sanctuary, a thriving organic fruit business and my couples retreat. The latter is my baby, and the reason I ve written this book. Being known as the English Dr Ruth has its advantages. It allows people to put a comfortable label on me and feel less embarrassed about my work. I am a sex therapist; I work with couples who have sexual problems. There, it s said, was that so bad? I don t sleep with my clients, I don t watch them make love. I listen, I provide a safe environment for my couples to talk and learn to love again, and to be more comfortable with their bodies, as well as various techniques to enhance the pleasures of sex. My retreat is aimed at couples who have lost touch with each other; either through the pressures of the rat race, the stresses of infertility treatments, infidelity or through other pressures of modern day living. It is time to get back to our roots, enjoy earthly pleasures without guilt and get back to love. I hope this book will give you some ideas on how to do just that, or just encourage you to have fun with your partner. All the exercises and ideas presented for your pleasure have being tried out by me ask my husband! So why not come live, laugh and love with us at Pentacle Home Farm? Editor s note:...and there concludes the current collection of court card families!

34 An Interview with Nina Lee Braden author of Tarot for Self Discovery by Shelley King We are delighted to be able to feature Nina Lee Braden in this issue. Read on to also see reviews of her recently released book, Tarot for Self Discovery! Nina, How did you first get interested in Tarot? I was taking a graduate course in contemporary American poetry. In doing some research for my class, I ran across a reference to Tarot cards. I was vaguely intrigued. A few days later, I stopped in a major chain bookstore where there was a large display of Tarot cards at the cash register. Impulsively I bought two decks. I began playing with the decks and was immediately hooked. What was your first deck? My first decks were Tarot Classic and Hanson-Roberts Tarot. I mainly worked with the Hanson-Roberts Tarot. How long have you been studying Tarot? Since August, What is your favorite deck/book? It s too hard to choose so these are the top three My current three favorite decks are the Robin Wood, the Osho Zen, and Animal-Wise Tarot. These are subject to change at any time. My favorite Tarot book is Tarot for Your Self by Mary Greer. What is your favorite how Tarot works theory? I believe that Tarot works between the conscious and subconscious minds. What made you decide to set up your website? The very same month that I discovered Tarot, I also bought a modem for my computer. I became active in two online services, Prodigy and GEnie. At this time there was no real Internet. I was very active in the online Tarot communities and eventually became the head of GEnie s New Age Roundtable and later the New Age Forum for AT&T s Interchange. Studying Tarot and writing about my studies online became an ever growing connection. When AT&T closed down Interchange, I decided to start a personal webpage. I never planned anything ambitious or large. It was just a little site that grew.

35 How long has it taken you to build up? Most of the work was done over a three year period, some drawing on materials that I already written. At times I would become rather obsessive in my webpage work putting in long hours creating and revising it. What is your favorite part of it? The part that is not up yet, my favorite part is always the part I m working on. Right now I m planning some major changes to my website and my favorite part only exists in my mind. I am excited about these changes. The new focus will be on self discovery. I ve even changed the name of my website from Moonstruck to Journeys to Self Discovery. There will be sections on Self Discovery Through Tarot, Self Discovery Through Astrology, Other Tools for Self Discovery, and Personal Discoveries. What kind of feedback do you get from visitors? Mostly I get really positive feedback. In particular, people tend to respond to the sections on conquering discouragement and learning Tarot. They say I never dreamed that someone else had the same kind of trouble with the cards that I did. That someone else had to struggle so much. It was really encouraging to find someone else who had to work hard to gain some mastery of the Tarot. Much of what is on my site is highly personal, almost confessional in nature. A lot of people respond to that. A few (very few) people respond negatively. They believe I should be more objective. I can and do write objectively at times, but it seems that personal, confessional writing is my true strength. It is also the type of writing that I prefer, and so I have concentrated most of my online writing in this direction. My book, Tarot for Self Discovery, is largely written in this tone as well. What are your plans for it in the future? Much of my Tarot content will be moving to Tarot Passages at Diane Wilkes is the webmaster there, and she has agreed to take most of my older Tarot content. I ve been feeling frustrated and burdened by my site for some time. It has stopped being fun. I don t make money from my site, and I had begun it for the sheer joy of doing it. When it stopped being fun, I stopped all work. There have only been very minor revisions in the past year. However, the idea of starting over with a clean slate was very appealing. My site was originally a reflection of my personal spiritual path. The new site will be the same. There will be no agenda, no attempt to be comprehensive or all encompassing. Instead, the site will, I hope, be fresh and personal and vital and joyful. Much of it will deal with Tarot. Some of the old material will stay, some will disappear. A great deal of the older Tarot material will go to Diane s site so it will still be available to people. I am finished with that material, but I realize that others may still want to read it, and it was with that in mind I

36 approached Diane. In this way my site can once again be a reflection of my current spiritual direction but the older material will still be available. I have a great many articles already written that I have not coded. Some of these, the ones that fit in with my new focus on self discovery, will go up on my new site. Others, I will send to Diane to see if she is interested. How did the idea of Tarot for Self Discovery come about? I ve always called my approach to Tarot, Tarot For Self Discovery. So, to me, Tarot for Self Discovery has two meanings. First it signifies my overall approach to Tarot, and second, it is the specific use of Tarot exercises for self discovery which is what my new book is about. The overall concept for Tarot for Self Discovery is not new. Many authors and teachers use this same approach. I have been inspired in part by the work of Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, Amber Jayanti, Angeles Arrien, James Wanless, Gail Fairfield, Geraldine Amaral, and others. I ve also been influenced by many computer friends over the years, some of whom I ve only known by address or screen name. The exercises themselves were developed by accident. Over the years I had lost touch of many of my online Tarot friends. I decided to form an group and invite as many of them as I could find to join me in Tarot discussions. My original idea was that we would each take turns hosting an exercise, an idea, a topic, or concept that was related in some way to Tarot, and we would discuss each idea for a week. The group will be truly interactive and it would have a strong group dynamic. This group didn t turn out the way I planned. In my various efforts, however, to stimulate group participation, I started writing original exercises. The exercises seemed to develop a life, a power, and identity of their own. I was truly taken by surprise. Where do you get the inspiration for the exercises? I get the inspiration from personal problems, problems that friends are going through, and songs I hear on the radio. What is your personal favorite exercise? Usually the one I ve just written. My current favorite is the Emperor exercise, but it s not in the book as I wrote it after the book was finished. I recently posted it to several of my Tarot lists, and you can find it on my website. My favorite exercises in the book change as my own personal needs change. One of the simplest, but one that I find that I use often, is the Love Break exercise. I am also quite partial to Goin Home. Which one is the most popular? Sliding is one of the most popular, and the Abundance and Prosperity exercise is also very popular.

37 What is the main thing that people gain from the exercises? The comment that I hear over and over about the exercises is that people are surprised at them. They are surprised at how the exercises are so simple and yet are so powerful, and they are surprised (and delighted) at how much fun they are. One person even said Face it, if these exercises weren't fun to do as well as being helpful, not many of us would be so enthusiastic about doing them! How did the idea of the book come about? As I mentioned in another answer, first I started up an group where I ended up writing exercises, then I put the exercises up on a webpage. Later, I went to a Tarot conference and met some editors from Llewellyn. I began corresponding with one, Barbara Moore. She let me know that Llewellyn was putting together a new series of Tarot books, Special Topics in Tarot. For years, friends had been after me, Write a book! I resisted; I didn t feel like I had anything new to contribute. However, the timing was just right. At the very time that I had developed the Tarot for Self Discovery exercises, there was an opportunity to become involved in this new series. How long did it take you to put together? I wrote the exercises over a period of about two years. When I began the book itself, about two thirds of the book was already written, and it only took me a few weeks to finish it. Was it easier or harder than you expected? Both! Easier as far as the actual writing went. Harder as far as getting past my procrastination. I had major problems with procrastination. I even wrote an exercise about it that s in my book, Maybe Later. When and where is your book published? July 2002 by Llewellyn Worldwide. Do you have plans for more books or other projects? Several. I have lots of ideas. There are several Tarot books that I d like to write, but I d also like to write a soulmates book and an astrology book. Eventually, I hope to be able to take summers off from teaching and write a book a year. Have you ever thought about creating a deck? At one time, I was very enthusiastically working on ideas for a deck, tentatively called the American Family Tarot. It was to be multi-ethnic, multicultural. I wanted it to show typical American families at work and at play: Asian Americans, Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and, of course, Americans of European ancestry. I am of European ancestry (primarily British), but I read for a very diverse clientele, and I teach an

38 ethnically diverse body of students. I wanted a deck which would reflect my diverse world and the world of my clients and students. Who in Tarot history do you most admire? Pamela Colman Smith, artist for the Rider Waite Smith deck. Who in the present Tarot community do you most admire? Mary Greer and Rachel Pollack. I cannot say how much I have been blessed by these two women: their knowledge, their warmth, their kindness and wisdom. They are incredible. What would be your advice to someone who would like to make a career in Tarot? I don t have any advice because I don t have a successful Tarot career. I still earn my living in the mundane world. (I teach composition at a local community college.) Finally, where do you see/would like to see the future of Tarot going? I like a lot of what s going on with Tarot now. There is a branch of Tarot studies focussing on history and influences. I think that this is wonderful. There is also a branch of Tarot studies which focuses on new and innovative ways to use Tarot in your daily life. My book is a part of that branch, but other books have gone before me, and there is room for more books in this area. Readings with Tarot cards will always be popular, but I like the increasing diversity that I m finding in the Tarot community. Tarot is extremely flexible, and I m looking forward to seeing the bold new directions that others will take Tarot into. Thank you very much for your time!

39 Book Reviews: Tarot of Self Discovery author: Nina Lee Braden publisher: Llewellyn World-wide date: July 2002 ISBN: X Price: $12.95 (Amazon.co.uk quotes 7.52 see below for details) News of the publication of Nina Lee Braden s new book spread fast over here in the UK! Your editor was fortunate to receive a review copy and having written a brief overview, then received an excellent, in-depth review from another TABI member. We felt that both have validity, so they have each been included together here! Review of Tarot for Self Discovery by Diana McMahon-Collis Author Nina Lee Braden is a gifted writer, teacher and tarot reader. In this book, which has been included in Llewellyn s Special Topics in Tarot series her personal style has a chance to really shine and reach a very wide audience. If you are not yet familiar with Nina Lee Braden s work, you will be in for a wonderful surprise. She writes in an extremely honest, open and refreshing way. There is no posturing or attempting to be erudite or intellectual. Yet it is obvious this is an extremely intelligent and experienced writer. The net result is a book that is very easy to read and a series of exercises that are very easy to work through because instructions and purpose are very clear. The exercises are designed, as the title suggests, for the reader to use Tarot as a tool for self discovery. The book grew out of the work that Nina Lee created and supervised via her own web-site and lists ( and tarot journeys). It consists of easy and intermediate exercises and for those who cannot find an exercise to match their situation there is even guidance on how to make up your own exercises! Perhaps this is one of the greatest charms about Nina Lee Braden s work; she is deeply interested in empowering others. She holds very little back in the interests of fulfilling this goal. To give you a little taste of what to expect from the intermediate level of exercises, there is one entitled Let My Sun Shine. Nina Lee demonstrates her grasp of both astrology and tarot (she is one of the rare readers that is conversant with and can interweave both successfully). Not only are you inspired to reflect on your Sun sign in relation to the tarot card that correlates with your zodiac Sun sign, but to do so whilst referring to more than one tarot deck. Therefore you may learn something different from one deck than you do from another. Tarot for Self Discovery also has some wonderful appendices, including a crash course in astrology and an introduction to chakras. For those trying to get to grips with the multi layers of tarot along the journey of self discovery this is a very helpful book! Available internationally from In the UK you may prefer to order locally from Amazon.co.uk; if you would like your tarot association to benefit from a small commision please use the Amazon link at the bottom of TABI s home page

40 Review: Tarot for Self Discovery By Nina Lee Braden Reviewed by Clare McHale While the Tarot is commonly used to predict the probable course of future events, it is an ideal tool for self-discovery. Foreword Mary K Greer [Tarot for Yourself] Cover art by Brian Williams [Renaissance Tarot creator, I think] Cover design by Kevin R. Brown 168pp Authors website: This is one of the first books in a series - Llewellyn s Special Topics in Tarot series was created in response to an increasing demand for more Tarot books on advanced and specialized topics. Contents Acknowledgements ix Foreword xi One - What Is Tarot for Self-Discovery? 1 What Is Self-Discovery? 2 The Exercises 5 Working the Exercises 9 A Note on Study 13 Two - Easy Tarot for Self-Discovery Exercises 15 Who Am I? 15 Tell Me a Story 16 Picture This 17 Whose Life Is It Anyway? 18 Happy Feet 20 Gotta Dance 21 Love Break 2 Stages of Life 24 I Started a Joke 25 My Tarot Neighborhood 27 Synchronicity 29 Three - Intermediate Tarot for Self-Discovery Exercises 33 I m the Top 33 Jump-Start 36 Sliding 38 Watching Over me 40

41 Tarot Pentacles Mandala 42 Little Me 44 Chakra Dance 45 My Champion 46 Miracle 48 Nightmare 49 Life purpose 50 I Gotta Be Me 54 For this review I m going to start at the very beginning and by that I mean with the cover. Llewellyn have chosen a great style for their series of Special Topics in Tarot, of which this book is one of the first. The book s a nice size too, six inches by nine. Brian William s representation of the Hermit, the traditional older man with lamp, (dressed this season in pastel pinks, blues and yellows), looks good against a lovely deep blue background with elegant, and decorative light blue corners, which nicely contain the title and author s name in white. This tableau is framed top and bottom with sepia, (a sort of light stone brown), that holds a small picture of a Jester and the words, Special Topics in Tarot at the top of the book and at the bottom, advertises the foreword written by Mary K. Greer, a well known and respected tarot author. Can you tell I like the cover yet? The back matches, naturally, and the category in the top left hand corner puts the book in Tarot/Personal Growth, and this sums it up perfectly as does the title. Using tarot for self-discovery is what Braden s work is about and it s an attitude I can really get into and identify with. It s how I feel about tarot, and why I really looked forward to getting this book. As soon as you open it there is a message from the author asking, What Can the Tarot Teach Us? On its own, Tarot is neutral, except perhaps in one regard. There seems to be an inherent message of balance in the cards themselves. Everywhere you look there s a great quote to be had; Like a mirror, the Tarot reflects the pleasure and pain of the human experience. blurb on the back of the book. I like to think of Tarot cards as a bridge connecting the conscious mind to the subconscious mind. page 1. And it all makes sense, what better; gentler and more imaginative way could there be to ease the road to self-discovery and honesty than using Tarot? Nina Lee Braden makes it interesting too, the Forty-seven exercises are divided into categories, and there s even a section on how to write your own, a generous move by the author as she could be doing herself out of a sequel!

42 The categories are, Easy Tarot for Self-Discovery Exercises, Intermediate, Exercises for Special Occasions and Situations and there s also a section of examples as Sometimes it s helpful to see how others have worked the exercises. Mary K. Greer s foreword is flattering and interesting; As Nina Lee makes so clear, selfdiscovery is about seeing our faults and flaws; balancing denial and self-blame; and discerning blessings, gifts, and strengths. And even has a Star Trek reference at the end about this series of books, they are designed to take our knowledge and uses of the cards where no one has gone before. That s a good thing in case you were wondering. The bases are all covered, as long as you remember that this is the kind of book where you get out of it what you put in; Self-discovery is difficult. It often takes great works, great effort. It takes time. It takes energy. It often takes brutal honest, if you re willing to do the work you ll reap the benefits. There s no specific order to the exercises, so you can jump in with any exercises that jump out at you when looking through the book and it provides you with all the guidance you need to set up a journal to document your work and get started straight away. It s fun, it s interesting, and there are no right or wrong answers. Anyone with a Tarot deck can play and learn. Near the beginning there s an exercise where you get to cut off people s heads, just thought I d mention it. And what s more there s an, Introduction to Chakras, a Crash Course in Astrology complete with a list of correspondences, and a couple of pages about the Order of the Golden Dawn; an esoteric group that combined various occult sciences into one system of study. It s this system of correspondences that the author uses in her work. There is also a three-page bibliography for anyone interested in investigation the author s influences further. This book is a must for anyone interested in Tarot, learning more about themselves and gaining an insight into the human soul, but only if you dare to look beyond the veil sorry, got carried away there! Buy the book, for the Hermit in you, just itching to shine a light in all those dark recesses you ve never dared explore before, or you could just frame it. I do like that cover!

43 Deck Review: Gendron Tarot By Melanie Gendron Reviewed by Clare McHale The Gendron Tarot is a collage deck and I received my copy as a gift. It was on my wish list, but I was dithering about buying it as it uses photographs on many of the cards, and I'm more a fan of drawn art for tarot decks, but the more I tried to ignore it, the more it kept drawing me back in, until I felt like Michael Corleone in the Godfather movies! The creator Melanie Gendron has been referred to as a visionary surrealist ; this is a quote of a quote from the Little White Book [LWB], in the About Melanie Gendron section. And while I can t claim to know anything about art, I can say with confidence that the artist has created a lovely and interesting deck. The colours are rich, the imagery interesting and imaginative and overall the Major Arcana are the superior section in the deck. I read a few reviews on this deck before it was given to me, and in almost everyone the reviewer mentions the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana. They say that they look as if they are from separate decks and they do. Perhaps the artist left it for a while, or maybe Gendron deliberately made the Majors and Minors distinctive styles, so people who wished to use only one or the other for some readings would feel as if they are working with a full deck, I don t know and it doesn t matter the deck does work as a whole and most of the cards are well done. One of the reasons I was drawn to this deck is its use of animals, most cards have some sort of creature on them or some flora and fauna, and all the Major Arcana and suits have animal totems associated with them. For Swords the animal totems are: butterfly: transformation; dolphin: cosmic breath, manna; golden eagle: illumination; heron: self-determination, selfreliance. Some of my least favourite cards do have photographs in them; I m not keen on the babies in the Aces of Swords and Cups. But the Ace of Pentacles, which looks like a renaissance painting, almost makes up for them. The Ace of Wands isn t too shabby either. On saying that, the Princess of Swords is mostly photographs and works beautifully. A striking young woman gazes off into the distance, somewhere outside the card as an eagle flies overhead amongst the clouds of the sunset. (It could be a sunrise, but I prefer my impression. - smile - ) The Two of Pentacles is my least favourite, but it does have two interesting gold masks on it and a nice green landscape behind the woman featured on the card. The Star card is intriguing, not your usual naked woman by waterfall. It shows a smiling robed person (I wanted to say man, but thought I d keep it unisex) who has a glowing symbol in the middle of their chest, while floating in space, above the world. Also included on this card are planets, birds, butterflies and a black star border.

44 The Wheel of Fortune is rainbows and spiders very nice; Strength, which is numbered 8 in this deck, focuses on the animals rather than the person; The High Priestess is a strange woman s head on a rectangular crystal with wings I like it! And the Moon has dolphins made of water creating a heart around a woman s head. Below them the ocean is full of colourful fish, coral and shells, and above the waterline crystal obelisk mountains with geese flying in formation. Above five moons, to represent the phases, arc over the crystal landscape. Most of the cards deserve a mention, but I will end with the Deceiver (Devil). This Major Arcana card shows a vicious looking beast s head with an inverted pentagram on its forehead and two faces of one woman at the base of the card. One of her faces has a pentagram earring; in her reflection the pentagram is inverted. Above the head of the wolf fly a bat and a raven. There is a lot more, but I think you should discover it for yourself. I would recommend this deck to anyone interested in animals, god/esses, or striking artwork. The backs of the cards are reversible. For further information on suit associations for the Gendron Tarot, the LWB, and more, and a spread to try with any new decks, read on The Box Front cover The Magus Back cover Princess of Swords Side The 78 card Gendron Tarot is inspired by The Sacred Feminine. The Great God/ess and Her animal companions provide guidance for self-knowledge. The Deck Two extra cards with the deck, one title card and one with a poem. Here's an excerpt: "I am that which emanates beauty and all manner of life, moon, dancing stars, abundant earth, ocean s depth to match my heart." Most of the cards are the basic Rider-Waite listings with the exception of: I The Magus instead of the Magician, this card is used on the front of the deck and shows a woman and several animals including a black cat. XII The Hanged One rather than the Hanged Man. XIII Transition [instead of Death] Easy to remember and less threatening to some people. XV The Deceiver, whose tag line in the LWB is You tricked me; now I know a good alternative to the traditionally named Devil. XXI The Universe sometimes named the World.

45 The Little White Book The deck has one of the best Little White Books I ve come across for extra information, and though you may not need, or use most of the associations, it s nice to have the choice. It has 59 pages that consist of: Major Arcana, pages Minor Arcana, pages Introduction, pages 8-10 About Melanie Gendron, pages 4-7 Reading the Cards, pages List of books For Further Reading, pages Two Spreads Four Directions Card Spread & Celtic Cross pages Blank pages for notes, pages At the start of the Major Arcana section, p11 is the list of directions and their general meanings, "Influenced by the Native American Medicine Wheel or Life Wheel, South represents childhood and innocence; West, adolescence and the subconscious; North, adulthood and wisdom; and East, elder age and illumination." The descriptions of the cards are full of interesting information such as, direction (South, West, etc.), Hebrew Letter, Planet, Animals, Astrology association for the Major Arcana and suits, Symbolism and upright and reversed meanings along with tag lines for the Major Arcana cards, such as: II The High Priestess Your eyes are the depths of forever. V The Hierophant She who knows The Path guides The Way. XIV Temperance Established in the Source of All, I am centred in Self. The basic suit associations are: Swords Air - East Wands Fire South Cups Water West Pentacles Earth - North

46 Just for fun here is a 3-card spread to do with any new tarot deck. Mix your deck up how you please and draw 3 cards in a row. The positions and questions are: 1. What will you teach me? 2. What do you need from me? 3. What will our relationship be? I gave it a go with the Gendron deck and drew: 1. What will you teach me? IV [4] of Cups 2. What do you need from me? VI [6] of Pentacles 3. What will our relationship be? XV [15] The Deceiver [Devil] IV [4] of Cups Boredom. Ignoring opportunity. Dissatisfaction. Need to re-evaluate VI [6] of Pentacles Generosity. Gifts. Gratification. Material gain. Patronage. Philanthropy XV [15] The Deceiver [Devil] Material attachment. Bondage of spirit does not satisfy the soul. Release from selfdeception, addictive behaviour and indulgence of lowly desires to achieve liberation. The reading: What will you teach me? To seize opportunities and delve deeper into the meaning of things. What do you need from me? That you take the time to study and learn, and a box/bag to go in! What will our relationship be? A learning experience! I hope you enjoy your new deck. Dark Flower Editor s Note This kindly shared review along with others - can also be viewed at Dark Flower s web-site, tainted TaRoT, at

47 The Big Green Gathering A visit to a popular festival, reviewed by TABI s very own Ian! Nighttime was suffused with a carnival atmosphere.. If you have never heard of it - and a suprising number of people haven t - the Big Green Gathering is an annual five day event that has been taking place in the South West since The Big Green Gathering is a kind of non-commercial, more grass-roots version of Glastonbury, smaller than Glastonbury but bigger than most festivals, without the emphasis on music and mud-free (believe me - it is always warm and sunny). Perhaps the latter owes something to the power of positive thought. This year, the B.G.G. moved from its original site on Salisbury plain to a farm outside Cheddar, within view of Glastonbury Tor. The Gathering takes the Green part seriously. You are charged extra if you bring your car; once you are on site you can t use it again unless you are leaving for good. You can hail a horse and cart or a rickshaw to take your gear to and from the camping area, carry firewood or just hitch a ride. This year there were horse-drawn taxis available to the nearest village and two old London buses ran a shuttle service to Wells and Weston-Super-Mare. Fuel generators are banned on site; wherever possible, all power derives from wind and solar sources. The festival caters for a whole range of green and esoteric interests, the site being split up into various areas:- Campaigns Area:- Pressure groups and eco warriors. Green Living:- Healing Area:- some you haven t. If it s sustainable and low impact this is where you ll find it. Every alternative/ Complementary therapy you ve ever heard of and Earth Energies and Divinatory Arts:- That s us! Spirit Zone:- Why a zone and not an area and why separate from the Earth Energies I don t know; most of what was on offer was the same. There was also a craft market, a green market, a vast children s area, restaurants, saunas and a whole jumble of stalls spread all round the site. What really makes the BGG worth visiting is the number and quality of the workshops. They are all free, all informal, and because so many go on in parallel they are intimate and interactive. You could have a two-hour introduction to Shiatsu; from there you could go to an Astrology workshop with Jonathan Cainer of the Daily Mirror, then you could chill out with a Shamanic Journey. There were workshops and performances covering all kinds of esoteric dance, storytelling and theatre, plus Pagan Moots, crystal skulls

48 (several beautiful examples on display), crop circles and every kind of healing, Earth Magic and celebration. All this was in the Earth Energies, Healing and Spirit areas. If you wanted to learn how to frustrate the ambitions of multinational corporations or build a low impact house, then there were workshops and demonstrations going on all day and late into the night in those areas as well. Night-time was suffused with a carnival atmosphere, with all kinds of music, side-shows and circus acts. This culminated on the Saturday evening with a fire-juggling show and a giant flaming phoenix which - either by design or good fortune - was mirrored perfectly in the lake at the centre of the site. Magical. What about Tarot, then? There were no Tarot-related workshops but there were a number of readers plying their trade and several stalls had a few decks and books for sale. One stall, Psychic Piglet from Glastonbury was more specialised and had an impressive display of decks, books and tarot bags. The whole festival has an air of stepping out of time and being enclosed in a cosmic bubble, away from mainstream existence. The term alternative is hackneyed these days, but it does sum up the feeling of the event. It demonstrated in microcosm what life could be like if everybody cared more for each other and for the world around them. There were over ten thousand people present, just two coppers in a caravan, no heavy security guards and virtually no litter. What might you find to dislike? If the idea of relying on Portaloos and solar powered portable showers for five days is anathema, you could have a problem; but if you really miss proper loos you can always catch the bus into town. You can also buy day tickets, so it should be possible to stay in B&B accommodation, and commute in daily, even though that isn t quite in keeping with the spirit of the B.G.G. The relaxed attitude pervades throughout the gathering, including tolerance of such activities as recreational drug use and nudity but no more so, and less overtly than most festivals. So there it is, five days of unlimited free workshops and entertainment, the chance to meet and get to know like-minded people from all round the country and perhaps to discover something that you never realised you were interested in. All for around a tenner a day, the Big Green Gathering: You ll either love it or hate it.

49 Russian Oracle Cards And now for something completely different! Thanks go to our Palmistry colleague, Frank Clifford, for sending in a copy of some of the images from a rare Russian Oracle deck. Very little is known about these cards. Does anyone recognise them? We thought it would be nice to share some examples with you and are also curious to hear from anybody who knows some history or context about them. Do let us know if they are familiar to you! Contact Diana via: admin.diana@tabi.org.uk