So much has been happening in my life in the last few months, it’s sent everything into a tailspin. But I think I’m beginning to feel the urge to get back into my groove. Back in Sept, my husband’s brother passed away, and just today we went through his household items that we’ve had stored in our garage. And on October 17, 2009, my best friend passed away from lung cancer. Only two and a half months passed from the time she found out and the time she passed, certainly not enough time to get my mind around the fact that I’m never going to talk to her again. It’s been very difficult for me.
I met Robyn on the first online tarot group that I ever joined, MSN’s JB’s Tarot for Beginners. It was created from the first online Barnes & Noble University class and she and I were some of the first members, dating back to 2002. We spent many years talking about our favorite decks, what we loved about them, what we didn’t like about other decks; she was my Tarot Touchstone. And since she’s passed, Tarot just hasn’t held the magic that it once did. She was an incredibly special person in my life, and she’ll be greatly missed!
But in the last couple of days I have felt the stirrings of interest in Tarot again, and I’m hoping that I can rekindle my original love, despite her absence.
Robyn Steffens, aka starladyxvii, May the Goddess Protect and Keep You
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Facebook? Really?
Well, I finally did it. I joined Facebook. I’ve been saying all along that I just don’t want to be “out there” for everyone to see, and I did mean it. Honest.
But, well, my sister-in-law kept sending me invitations, so I finally gave in. I mean, what will it hurt? I don’t have to have a lot of information there, just a place to keep in touch with family, right? Right.
So I signed up and put just the basics, then “friended” my family members. Then I looked up my college friend who e-mailed me months ago looking for me, thankful that I still had the same e-mail address, since I wasn’t on FB. Ok, that’s fine. No big deal.
Then it just so happened that in that same week, my husband’s co-worker “forced” him to sign up for FB and helped him set everything up (since hubby is no whiz with the computer). So now we’re both on, and I can’t have him accumulating more friends than I! lol Actually, I was enjoying watching him complain about having to spend so much time on the computer, keeping up with all these people he hasn’t spoken with in years. Then we linked up as married, and that was fun, sending messages back and forth.
So since I was spending more time on FB because of that, every now and then I would think of an old schoolmate and look them up. Oh, look! There they are! Let me just send a Friend request and see if they remember me. And that’s the way it starts.
Now the first place I go when I log on to my computer is Facebook. I ended up working late into the night last night, just to make up the time I spent trying to get my privacy settings just right during the day. Egads. Addicted to something new! Already? I’m still trying to really get going on this sweater I’m trying to knit myself, not to mention finishing the afghan that is nearly done, that is for a friend whose birthday was 3 weeks ago. (sigh)
But, well, my sister-in-law kept sending me invitations, so I finally gave in. I mean, what will it hurt? I don’t have to have a lot of information there, just a place to keep in touch with family, right? Right.
So I signed up and put just the basics, then “friended” my family members. Then I looked up my college friend who e-mailed me months ago looking for me, thankful that I still had the same e-mail address, since I wasn’t on FB. Ok, that’s fine. No big deal.
Then it just so happened that in that same week, my husband’s co-worker “forced” him to sign up for FB and helped him set everything up (since hubby is no whiz with the computer). So now we’re both on, and I can’t have him accumulating more friends than I! lol Actually, I was enjoying watching him complain about having to spend so much time on the computer, keeping up with all these people he hasn’t spoken with in years. Then we linked up as married, and that was fun, sending messages back and forth.
So since I was spending more time on FB because of that, every now and then I would think of an old schoolmate and look them up. Oh, look! There they are! Let me just send a Friend request and see if they remember me. And that’s the way it starts.
Now the first place I go when I log on to my computer is Facebook. I ended up working late into the night last night, just to make up the time I spent trying to get my privacy settings just right during the day. Egads. Addicted to something new! Already? I’m still trying to really get going on this sweater I’m trying to knit myself, not to mention finishing the afghan that is nearly done, that is for a friend whose birthday was 3 weeks ago. (sigh)
Crocheted Tarot Bag with Flap and Catch
Originally Posted August 3, 2009:
I totally improvised on this project, and I ripped it out plenty of times to get it the way I envisioned it. I used cotton yarn because I wanted all natural material, but I found it a bit tough to work with; it doesn’t give very much. I also like bags that are very snug around the cards, so I kept my tension rather tight to produce a more dense weave to lend more support to the deck. (I don’t use the box when I have a bag.)
I like bags with a flap rather than a drawstring style, but I didn’t want to use velcro. So I fashioned a catch for the flap that comes down over the front of the bag.
This pattern is continuous with no weave-in’s except at the end. You could basically split it up into 4 parts: the base, the tube of the body, the catch for the flap (on the body), the flap. (I’ll try to write down the pattern the best I can, but there are parts that are hard to describe because I was improvising.) If you can’t figure out what I was trying to say, please let me know so that I can try improve my wording.
== PATTERN ==
Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows per 4 sq inch
The base and the body are completed in the round with the right side facing you.
BASE: (I used slip stitch in the round for a squared base.)
Ch 11 (vary to fit your deck). Sl st into the top loop of 1st ch from hook and in remaining 10 chains. Sl st 2 more times into that first ch st. Then sl st into the back loops of the original ch. Now sl st into the back loop of each stitch, moving around in a circular pattern, adding extra chains at the corners to give it more of a square shape.
(For a standard-size deck, going around 5 times is a good base size.)
BODY - Part 1:
Row 1: When you have achieved a base about the size of the bottom of your deck, begin sc into blo [back loop only] of the outside layer of the base. (You can choose which side of the base you would like to show on the outside bottom of the bag.) At each corner, dec across 2 st. (This helps bring the sides up more vertically.)
When you come all the way around, you will continue sc without ending that first row, but sc into both top loops from here on out, continuing up in a spiral. In this way, you’ll keep a uniform width throughout the tube.
Row 2: Sc around, dec over 2 st on each long side. This will help bring the sides in to hug your deck.
Row 3-16: Sc around in a spiral.
CATCH:
At row 16 (approx - you can adj to where you want the catch), as you’re coming around the back side of the bag toward the front (about midway between the front and back), stop sc and ch 16 (approx), going in the direction you would have been going if you had continued sc. When you have reached the other side of the bag, sl st into one of the stitches on the body of the bag. Make sure the stitch you choose to anchor the chain is far enough to the side (but still in the middle of the body) to be fitted to the body of the bag. You don’t want the catch too tight, but you want it to hold the flap securely. Turn and dc into the chains going back to the other side of the bag, to the side where you began your chain. When you’ve reached the other side, pick up sc into the body where you left off.
Sc two more rows around the body (rows 17-19). When you come to the side where you started the catch, right at the side where the catch starts, bring your yarn under the catch (you’ll probably want to anchor somewhere into the body to add a little stability.) Then sl st into the bottom st of each dc.
When you’ve reached the other side, sl st into somewhere in the body to hold the catch flat (this part of the pattern is very hard to describe because I basically did what I had to make the catch lie flat against the body of the bag.)
When you have the catch anchored where you want it, begin sl st into the top st of each dc, going back to where you began.
When you get to the side where you started, anchor the catch somewhere in the body, then continue sc into the body where you left off.
BODY - Part 2:
Rows 20-24: Continue sc in a spiral.
FLAP:
When you’ve reached the point of the body where your deck will be completely covered, stop at the row that comes from around the back of the deck. Sl st into body around the sides and front of the bag. When you get to the other side, you should have 12 st that have not been sl st. (Make sure these 12 st are centered in the back of the bag.)
Row 25: Sc 12, ch 1, turn.
Row 26: Sc into 2nd st from hook, and across (end up with 12 sc). Ch 1, turn.
Rows 27-40: Repeat row 26.
Row 41: Sc into 2nd st from hook, and across (12 sc). Turn. (Do not ch 1.)
Row 42: Sl st into each sc. (12 sl st).
Bind off and weave in end.
I totally improvised on this project, and I ripped it out plenty of times to get it the way I envisioned it. I used cotton yarn because I wanted all natural material, but I found it a bit tough to work with; it doesn’t give very much. I also like bags that are very snug around the cards, so I kept my tension rather tight to produce a more dense weave to lend more support to the deck. (I don’t use the box when I have a bag.)I like bags with a flap rather than a drawstring style, but I didn’t want to use velcro. So I fashioned a catch for the flap that comes down over the front of the bag.
This pattern is continuous with no weave-in’s except at the end. You could basically split it up into 4 parts: the base, the tube of the body, the catch for the flap (on the body), the flap. (I’ll try to write down the pattern the best I can, but there are parts that are hard to describe because I was improvising.) If you can’t figure out what I was trying to say, please let me know so that I can try improve my wording.
== PATTERN ==
Gauge: 16 sc and 18 rows per 4 sq inch
The base and the body are completed in the round with the right side facing you.
BASE: (I used slip stitch in the round for a squared base.)
Ch 11 (vary to fit your deck). Sl st into the top loop of 1st ch from hook and in remaining 10 chains. Sl st 2 more times into that first ch st. Then sl st into the back loops of the original ch. Now sl st into the back loop of each stitch, moving around in a circular pattern, adding extra chains at the corners to give it more of a square shape.
(For a standard-size deck, going around 5 times is a good base size.)
BODY - Part 1:
Row 1: When you have achieved a base about the size of the bottom of your deck, begin sc into blo [back loop only] of the outside layer of the base. (You can choose which side of the base you would like to show on the outside bottom of the bag.) At each corner, dec across 2 st. (This helps bring the sides up more vertically.)
When you come all the way around, you will continue sc without ending that first row, but sc into both top loops from here on out, continuing up in a spiral. In this way, you’ll keep a uniform width throughout the tube.
Row 2: Sc around, dec over 2 st on each long side. This will help bring the sides in to hug your deck.
Row 3-16: Sc around in a spiral.
CATCH:
At row 16 (approx - you can adj to where you want the catch), as you’re coming around the back side of the bag toward the front (about midway between the front and back), stop sc and ch 16 (approx), going in the direction you would have been going if you had continued sc. When you have reached the other side of the bag, sl st into one of the stitches on the body of the bag. Make sure the stitch you choose to anchor the chain is far enough to the side (but still in the middle of the body) to be fitted to the body of the bag. You don’t want the catch too tight, but you want it to hold the flap securely. Turn and dc into the chains going back to the other side of the bag, to the side where you began your chain. When you’ve reached the other side, pick up sc into the body where you left off.
Sc two more rows around the body (rows 17-19). When you come to the side where you started the catch, right at the side where the catch starts, bring your yarn under the catch (you’ll probably want to anchor somewhere into the body to add a little stability.) Then sl st into the bottom st of each dc.
When you’ve reached the other side, sl st into somewhere in the body to hold the catch flat (this part of the pattern is very hard to describe because I basically did what I had to make the catch lie flat against the body of the bag.)
When you have the catch anchored where you want it, begin sl st into the top st of each dc, going back to where you began.
When you get to the side where you started, anchor the catch somewhere in the body, then continue sc into the body where you left off.
BODY - Part 2:
Rows 20-24: Continue sc in a spiral.
FLAP:
When you’ve reached the point of the body where your deck will be completely covered, stop at the row that comes from around the back of the deck. Sl st into body around the sides and front of the bag. When you get to the other side, you should have 12 st that have not been sl st. (Make sure these 12 st are centered in the back of the bag.)
Row 25: Sc 12, ch 1, turn.
Row 26: Sc into 2nd st from hook, and across (end up with 12 sc). Ch 1, turn.
Rows 27-40: Repeat row 26.
Row 41: Sc into 2nd st from hook, and across (12 sc). Turn. (Do not ch 1.)
Row 42: Sl st into each sc. (12 sl st).
Bind off and weave in end.
A New Obsession
Originally Published August 2, 2009:
I confess that I haven’t been doing much tarot lately, and that’s a shame, really. I haven’t even been buying decks, can you believe it? (Amazing, I know.)
No… I’ve been buying yarn… and crochet pattern books… and How-To knitting books. And did I mention yarn? Most of the time when I see yarn on sale (and it has to be a good sale), I’ll pick up a few skeins, because yarn can be expensive if you want to make anything more than a scarf. But several times now I’ve purchased yarn with a project in mind.
So, since I have all this yarn, I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting. And just recently I took a knitting class to learn how to make garments. I love to crochet because it was the craft my grandmother taught me, but afghans take so long to make. (Yes, I know there’s plenty more to crochet than just afghans, but I seem to gravitate toward these. Maybe that’s because that’s all that Grandma made. We do have many old afghans around the house.) And I want to make tops to actually wear, but knitted garments drape much better on the body than crochet does. Thus, the knitting class.
I took the class with just one other person and the instructor, which actually worked out very well. Talk about personal attention! It was great because I had already learned the basics through books and YouTube, but I never had anyone to tell me if I doing something wrong, or to help me when I had problems. So this class turned out to be just what I needed. From here on out, I feel I can do most things learning through books and practicing a LOT. That’s one thing I learned in that class; the only way to improve your skill is to knit, knit, and knit some more.
Anyway, let me get back on a tarot topic… with my crochet I wanted to make more than just the afghans I’ve been gifting, something smaller so that I could see my results fairly quickly. So, I designed my own tarot bag! :) Yay! This is the way to go! I know what I like, and this way I can make it the way I want it.
I’ll try to post a picture if I can figure out how, but you can also see it if you belong to Ravelry.com, the most awesome knitting/crocheting website I’ve found yet. It’s listed on Wikipedia as a social networking site, and it is, but I use it mostly for the database feature. You can keep track of your projects, yarn stashes, projects you want to do, needles and hooks, and your library, as well as all the other networking things, like friends, groups, discussion lists and the like. But you can also search patterns from books, magazines, designers, and anybody who has something to add.
Which is basically why I began this post. I want to post my tarot bag pattern, but it seems that I have to have it “published” somewhere, so what better place than here? So, I’ll stop here and create another post just for the pattern.
I confess that I haven’t been doing much tarot lately, and that’s a shame, really. I haven’t even been buying decks, can you believe it? (Amazing, I know.)
No… I’ve been buying yarn… and crochet pattern books… and How-To knitting books. And did I mention yarn? Most of the time when I see yarn on sale (and it has to be a good sale), I’ll pick up a few skeins, because yarn can be expensive if you want to make anything more than a scarf. But several times now I’ve purchased yarn with a project in mind.
So, since I have all this yarn, I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting. And just recently I took a knitting class to learn how to make garments. I love to crochet because it was the craft my grandmother taught me, but afghans take so long to make. (Yes, I know there’s plenty more to crochet than just afghans, but I seem to gravitate toward these. Maybe that’s because that’s all that Grandma made. We do have many old afghans around the house.) And I want to make tops to actually wear, but knitted garments drape much better on the body than crochet does. Thus, the knitting class.
I took the class with just one other person and the instructor, which actually worked out very well. Talk about personal attention! It was great because I had already learned the basics through books and YouTube, but I never had anyone to tell me if I doing something wrong, or to help me when I had problems. So this class turned out to be just what I needed. From here on out, I feel I can do most things learning through books and practicing a LOT. That’s one thing I learned in that class; the only way to improve your skill is to knit, knit, and knit some more.
Anyway, let me get back on a tarot topic… with my crochet I wanted to make more than just the afghans I’ve been gifting, something smaller so that I could see my results fairly quickly. So, I designed my own tarot bag! :) Yay! This is the way to go! I know what I like, and this way I can make it the way I want it.
I’ll try to post a picture if I can figure out how, but you can also see it if you belong to Ravelry.com, the most awesome knitting/crocheting website I’ve found yet. It’s listed on Wikipedia as a social networking site, and it is, but I use it mostly for the database feature. You can keep track of your projects, yarn stashes, projects you want to do, needles and hooks, and your library, as well as all the other networking things, like friends, groups, discussion lists and the like. But you can also search patterns from books, magazines, designers, and anybody who has something to add.
Which is basically why I began this post. I want to post my tarot bag pattern, but it seems that I have to have it “published” somewhere, so what better place than here? So, I’ll stop here and create another post just for the pattern.
Paulina Tarot Arrived!
Originally Posted February 17, 2009:
Today is a bit of a mixed day for me. I was soooo excited to see the Paulina Tarot at my door when I got home from work today! I haven’t looked forward to a deck like this for quite a while….. since the Deviant Moon, as a matter of fact, which was about 8 months ago. I just opened the plastic wrap, so I’m not going to comment on it yet (maybe later tonight), but I’ve been looking forward to this deck since I saw Paulina’s art on her website.
Unfortunately there was also a sad part of my day. I’ve made the decision that I just cannot attend the Tarot School’s Reader Studio this year, even though I’ve already signed up for it. (According to the website, I can cancel and forfeit just $50.) There is just too much happening right now that affects the whole financial-aspect of the trip (remember my Five of Pentacles January?) I’ve been giving it a LOT of thought these last couple of months, and I just don’t think I can swing it.
Well, I think I’ll cheer myself up a little with my new Paulina Tarot! Yippee! (I’m just going to put in a little plug about how wonderful the Chase Amazon Visa card is! For every dollar you spend on Amazon, you get 3 points. For every dollar you spend elsewhere, you get 1 point. After 2,500 points, you get an Amazon gift certificate for $25. Woohoo! I make my husband use his card for everything, and he’s only complained once that I’m always the one that takes advantage of the gift certificate. heehee)
Today is a bit of a mixed day for me. I was soooo excited to see the Paulina Tarot at my door when I got home from work today! I haven’t looked forward to a deck like this for quite a while….. since the Deviant Moon, as a matter of fact, which was about 8 months ago. I just opened the plastic wrap, so I’m not going to comment on it yet (maybe later tonight), but I’ve been looking forward to this deck since I saw Paulina’s art on her website.
Unfortunately there was also a sad part of my day. I’ve made the decision that I just cannot attend the Tarot School’s Reader Studio this year, even though I’ve already signed up for it. (According to the website, I can cancel and forfeit just $50.) There is just too much happening right now that affects the whole financial-aspect of the trip (remember my Five of Pentacles January?) I’ve been giving it a LOT of thought these last couple of months, and I just don’t think I can swing it.
Well, I think I’ll cheer myself up a little with my new Paulina Tarot! Yippee! (I’m just going to put in a little plug about how wonderful the Chase Amazon Visa card is! For every dollar you spend on Amazon, you get 3 points. For every dollar you spend elsewhere, you get 1 point. After 2,500 points, you get an Amazon gift certificate for $25. Woohoo! I make my husband use his card for everything, and he’s only complained once that I’m always the one that takes advantage of the gift certificate. heehee)
Divine Intervention?
Originally Posted January 29, 2009:
Sometimes I just love the way the Universe works! When I did my annual reading for 2009, I tried a new method using three different decks: one for the General Energy of each month, one for the monthly Blessing, and one for the Challenge. It was interesting to see which cards repeated themselves between the different decks and the different patterns that revealed themselves when I looked at the reading as a whole. [And I’m not going to concentrate on the fact that my year does NOT look like it’s going to be smooth sailing. Nope. Not gonna do that… ]
Anyway, back to this Divine Intervention. My Blessing card for the month of January is the Five of Pentacles. Lovely. But because it’s in the Blessing position, I’m able to remove myself a little and see a bigger picture for this month. (And I know exactly what this card means for me, so that helps.) Despite that, my initial reaction is always one of “good grief!” whenever it shows itself.
Enter Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone with the Tarot School. Just so happens that this month they’ve had a series of teleclasses for an in depth look at the Five of Pentacles. Now, I’m always interested to hear what they have to say, because each time I’ve ever listened or participated in one of their classes, I’ve been greatly enlightened, without exception. It turns out that I had expressed an interest in attending these calls on their Ning group, but didn’t realize how my response would be interpreted from their side.
So I got home from work tonight and there was a message on my answering machine from Wald asking if I was still interested in attending. (I had already missed the first of three calls, but I could still attend and reap the benefits of the other two.) Of course! I had to juggle a few things around to get the “quiet time” I needed around the house, but I just made the 9:00 call-in time. Yay! Would I have participated if Wald had not called me? Definitely not, and not just because I plum forgot about it, but because I admit that I’m one of those people that needs a swift kick in the rear to get moving sometimes.
This class comes just in time to help me appreciate and integrate my Five of Pentacles card of the month, and the theme that seems to be emerging for me. [Although this is only a Minor Arcana card, I’m not naïve enough to think that the energies are not going to follow me around a bit longer than January. Some things just don’t get cleared up that quickly or easily. Yes… I know I’m being a bit vague here, but that’s ok. You don’t need to know everything. ] Next week we’ll be discussing how the aspects of this card that we’ve discussed thus far integrate themselves into our personal experiences. Gotta say, I’m really looking forward to it!
Bright Blessings!
Sometimes I just love the way the Universe works! When I did my annual reading for 2009, I tried a new method using three different decks: one for the General Energy of each month, one for the monthly Blessing, and one for the Challenge. It was interesting to see which cards repeated themselves between the different decks and the different patterns that revealed themselves when I looked at the reading as a whole. [And I’m not going to concentrate on the fact that my year does NOT look like it’s going to be smooth sailing. Nope. Not gonna do that… ]
Anyway, back to this Divine Intervention. My Blessing card for the month of January is the Five of Pentacles. Lovely. But because it’s in the Blessing position, I’m able to remove myself a little and see a bigger picture for this month. (And I know exactly what this card means for me, so that helps.) Despite that, my initial reaction is always one of “good grief!” whenever it shows itself.
Enter Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone with the Tarot School. Just so happens that this month they’ve had a series of teleclasses for an in depth look at the Five of Pentacles. Now, I’m always interested to hear what they have to say, because each time I’ve ever listened or participated in one of their classes, I’ve been greatly enlightened, without exception. It turns out that I had expressed an interest in attending these calls on their Ning group, but didn’t realize how my response would be interpreted from their side.
So I got home from work tonight and there was a message on my answering machine from Wald asking if I was still interested in attending. (I had already missed the first of three calls, but I could still attend and reap the benefits of the other two.) Of course! I had to juggle a few things around to get the “quiet time” I needed around the house, but I just made the 9:00 call-in time. Yay! Would I have participated if Wald had not called me? Definitely not, and not just because I plum forgot about it, but because I admit that I’m one of those people that needs a swift kick in the rear to get moving sometimes.
This class comes just in time to help me appreciate and integrate my Five of Pentacles card of the month, and the theme that seems to be emerging for me. [Although this is only a Minor Arcana card, I’m not naïve enough to think that the energies are not going to follow me around a bit longer than January. Some things just don’t get cleared up that quickly or easily. Yes… I know I’m being a bit vague here, but that’s ok. You don’t need to know everything. ] Next week we’ll be discussing how the aspects of this card that we’ve discussed thus far integrate themselves into our personal experiences. Gotta say, I’m really looking forward to it!
Bright Blessings!
A Little More Personal History...
Originally Posted January 28, 2009:
Good grief! Has it really been over a year since I posted last?? Ugh… Well, before I flog myself some more for being so bad at keeping up my blog and website, I’ll continue with my little personal history.
June 2001 I was reintroduced to Tarot through a friend, and in my obsessive way tried to find a great deck… without much luck. Then in August I found out that Barnes and Noble had an online university that offered free classes, and one of them just happened to be on Tarot. I signed up for the class along with a beginning Astrology class. If I had guessed, I would have thought that I’d gravitate to the Astrology class, that is a little more technical than Tarot, with charts to create and such. But I surprised myself when I ended up enjoying the Tarot class so much more.
I ended up purchasing the Universal Waite Tarot and Joan Bunning’s Learning the Tarot book that was recommended for the class. While visiting the message boards there, I found out about an MSN community group that was founded by some students from the class, and I joined up to find out what all of this online-stuff was all about. And the rest is history, really.
I “met” so many wonderful people in this group, people I’m still friends with today. Another big effect this group had on me was to trigger that Obsessive/Compulsive gene that causes me to buy every deck in sight, because I just “have to have it!”
Speaking of….. have you seen some of the decks coming out this year? I’m really excited about a few of them! The first several years of my Tarot fascination I must have gathered up almost any deck I could afford (and then some), as you can see from my list on my website. Then last year I became far more choosy. There were actually decks published that I didn’t purchase!I don’t know… maybe the stars’ alignment has something to do with it, thank goodness! I’ve just about run out of money.
Let’s see… last year I acquired: from Lo Scarabeo - Circle of Life Tarot, Mona Lisa Tarot, Universal Wirth Tarot, Tarot of the Angels, Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn, and the Dark Grimoire Tarot. I also finally got my hands on the Modern Medieval Tarot by AGM and mooned over the images of the Mystic Dreamer Tarot, published by Llewellyn.
There were a few more, but some that deserve their own paragraph is Kat Black’s Touchstone Tarot, her special edition published by Leisa ReFalo. Thank you, Leisa! What a wonderful deck! I use it a lot for relationship spreads of all kinds. With the focus on the person rather than the scene, this deck works well for that. I just checked, and the Tarot Connection doesn’t have any in stock, so I guess she sold out of her special edition. But never fear, because Kunati is publishing this deck later this year! http://www.kunati.com/touchstone-tarot/
Another honorable mention is US Games’ Deviant Moon Tarot. What an incredible deck! I can almost guarantee you that you’ve never seen anything like this one! It’s fresh and maybe a little disturbing in some ways…. I need to get my review up on my site soon!
But the pièce de résistance this year is Emily Carding’s Transparent Tarot, published by Schiffer. You can see images and reviews of this deck here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/transparent/ This is Tarot taken to the next level, a totally innovative way to use the cards. I was not disappointed with this deck!
Now, for this year, my 2009 wish list is rather small (of course that doesn’t mean that I won’t buy more), but the decks that are coming out, I’ve literally been waiting for for years!
Paulina Tarot, published by US Games Systems
Shadowscapes Tarot, to be published by Llewellyn
Legacy of the Divine Tarot, by Ciro Marchetti, to be published by Llewellyn
Tarot of Sweet Twilight, to be published by Lo Scarabeo
I’m literally chomping at the bit for these babies! Got my credit card all ready for their release… just gotta hold on a little… longer….
Well, I could go on and on, but my lunch break is almost up, so I’ll say good-bye for now!
Happy Tarot-ing!
Good grief! Has it really been over a year since I posted last?? Ugh… Well, before I flog myself some more for being so bad at keeping up my blog and website, I’ll continue with my little personal history.
June 2001 I was reintroduced to Tarot through a friend, and in my obsessive way tried to find a great deck… without much luck. Then in August I found out that Barnes and Noble had an online university that offered free classes, and one of them just happened to be on Tarot. I signed up for the class along with a beginning Astrology class. If I had guessed, I would have thought that I’d gravitate to the Astrology class, that is a little more technical than Tarot, with charts to create and such. But I surprised myself when I ended up enjoying the Tarot class so much more.
I ended up purchasing the Universal Waite Tarot and Joan Bunning’s Learning the Tarot book that was recommended for the class. While visiting the message boards there, I found out about an MSN community group that was founded by some students from the class, and I joined up to find out what all of this online-stuff was all about. And the rest is history, really.
I “met” so many wonderful people in this group, people I’m still friends with today. Another big effect this group had on me was to trigger that Obsessive/Compulsive gene that causes me to buy every deck in sight, because I just “have to have it!”
Speaking of….. have you seen some of the decks coming out this year? I’m really excited about a few of them! The first several years of my Tarot fascination I must have gathered up almost any deck I could afford (and then some), as you can see from my list on my website. Then last year I became far more choosy. There were actually decks published that I didn’t purchase!
Let’s see… last year I acquired: from Lo Scarabeo - Circle of Life Tarot, Mona Lisa Tarot, Universal Wirth Tarot, Tarot of the Angels, Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn, and the Dark Grimoire Tarot. I also finally got my hands on the Modern Medieval Tarot by AGM and mooned over the images of the Mystic Dreamer Tarot, published by Llewellyn.
There were a few more, but some that deserve their own paragraph is Kat Black’s Touchstone Tarot, her special edition published by Leisa ReFalo. Thank you, Leisa! What a wonderful deck! I use it a lot for relationship spreads of all kinds. With the focus on the person rather than the scene, this deck works well for that. I just checked, and the Tarot Connection doesn’t have any in stock, so I guess she sold out of her special edition. But never fear, because Kunati is publishing this deck later this year!
Another honorable mention is US Games’ Deviant Moon Tarot. What an incredible deck! I can almost guarantee you that you’ve never seen anything like this one! It’s fresh and maybe a little disturbing in some ways…. I need to get my review up on my site soon!
But the pièce de résistance this year is Emily Carding’s Transparent Tarot, published by Schiffer. You can see images and reviews of this deck here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/transparent/ This is Tarot taken to the next level, a totally innovative way to use the cards. I was not disappointed with this deck!
Now, for this year, my 2009 wish list is rather small (of course that doesn’t mean that I won’t buy more), but the decks that are coming out, I’ve literally been waiting for for years!
Paulina Tarot, published by US Games Systems
Shadowscapes Tarot, to be published by Llewellyn
Legacy of the Divine Tarot, by Ciro Marchetti, to be published by Llewellyn
Tarot of Sweet Twilight, to be published by Lo Scarabeo
I’m literally chomping at the bit for these babies! Got my credit card all ready for their release… just gotta hold on a little… longer….
Well, I could go on and on, but my lunch break is almost up, so I’ll say good-bye for now!
Happy Tarot-ing!
A Little Personal History, Part I
Originally Posted on December 13, 2007:
I’ve been writing down ideas for things to post here on my new blog (I’m a total list person… just don’t ask me to finish anything!), and I have quite a few ideas. But where to start? Best to start at the beginning, I suppose. My original intent was to make this blog more of my own personal journey into the Tarot. There are so many wonderful blogs out there with tons of terrific information, but if I did something like that, it would end up being updated as much as my website… which is hardly ever. I am more interested in posting my own personal journey because it is unique, as each person’s is unique to themselves. So, I guess a short personal history is in order! (Although I’m sure you’re going to find out, if you haven’t already, that nothing is “short” with me. That is, except my height at only 5′2″! )
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in anything paranormal, especially ghost stories and stories of ESP and clairvoyance. And I LOVE cemeteries… I’m not sure why… I just do. But my first exposure to tarot was when I was in college back in the late 80’s. I was majoring in Accounting at FSU in Florida and academic fun was hard to come by, you know. (Accounting can be a real snooze-fest.) A friend knew of a local tarot reader, so we went together and each had our cards read. Of course, back then, I had a common misconception that all tarot readers are psychic and should be able to tell you things that only you know. They should also know the winning lotto numbers and exactly what’s going to happen to you ten years into the future, right? So, I sat there with my arms crossed, not saying a word. I was every tarot reader’s worst nightmare! No wonder I wasn’t impressed with my reading.
But I was fascinated with the cards themselves. So I decided to buy my own deck. I mean, I could do that reading thing-y just as good as anyone else, I was sure…. (I can hear you laughing now.) I went to the nearest bookseller that I could get to without a car (and I don’t remember any Barnes & Nobles back in them olden days!). They had a big catalogue I looked through; I had no idea there were so many choices! I ended up with US Games Medieval Scapini Tarot because the artist was Italian and so was I. Not a very good reason, I know. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a marvelous deck, but not a good choice for a beginner like me who didn’t know how to do anything without a complete list of instructions. (Accounting, remember?) I did try reading with them. I laid out the Celtic Cross like the little white book (LWB) showed me, and I looked up each card’s meaning in Nancy Garen’s Tarot Made Easy, but when I was going to be able to read without a book? How did I know which meaning fit my card? And what did that meaning have to do with the picture I was looking at? So continued frustration and upcoming finals sent my deck to the back of my closet, not to be seen again until 2001!
To Be Continued…
I’ve been writing down ideas for things to post here on my new blog (I’m a total list person… just don’t ask me to finish anything!), and I have quite a few ideas. But where to start? Best to start at the beginning, I suppose. My original intent was to make this blog more of my own personal journey into the Tarot. There are so many wonderful blogs out there with tons of terrific information, but if I did something like that, it would end up being updated as much as my website… which is hardly ever. I am more interested in posting my own personal journey because it is unique, as each person’s is unique to themselves. So, I guess a short personal history is in order! (Although I’m sure you’re going to find out, if you haven’t already, that nothing is “short” with me. That is, except my height at only 5′2″! )
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in anything paranormal, especially ghost stories and stories of ESP and clairvoyance. And I LOVE cemeteries… I’m not sure why… I just do. But my first exposure to tarot was when I was in college back in the late 80’s. I was majoring in Accounting at FSU in Florida and academic fun was hard to come by, you know. (Accounting can be a real snooze-fest.) A friend knew of a local tarot reader, so we went together and each had our cards read. Of course, back then, I had a common misconception that all tarot readers are psychic and should be able to tell you things that only you know. They should also know the winning lotto numbers and exactly what’s going to happen to you ten years into the future, right? So, I sat there with my arms crossed, not saying a word. I was every tarot reader’s worst nightmare! No wonder I wasn’t impressed with my reading.
But I was fascinated with the cards themselves. So I decided to buy my own deck. I mean, I could do that reading thing-y just as good as anyone else, I was sure…. (I can hear you laughing now.) I went to the nearest bookseller that I could get to without a car (and I don’t remember any Barnes & Nobles back in them olden days!). They had a big catalogue I looked through; I had no idea there were so many choices! I ended up with US Games Medieval Scapini Tarot because the artist was Italian and so was I. Not a very good reason, I know. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a marvelous deck, but not a good choice for a beginner like me who didn’t know how to do anything without a complete list of instructions. (Accounting, remember?) I did try reading with them. I laid out the Celtic Cross like the little white book (LWB) showed me, and I looked up each card’s meaning in Nancy Garen’s Tarot Made Easy, but when I was going to be able to read without a book? How did I know which meaning fit my card? And what did that meaning have to do with the picture I was looking at? So continued frustration and upcoming finals sent my deck to the back of my closet, not to be seen again until 2001!
To Be Continued…
My First Blog Post... Ever! :-)
Originally Posted on November 4, 2007:
Yay! I finally figured out what I'm doing here (for the most part), and have set up my first blog! Yippee! :)
Ever since I discovered Mary White's blog for her Mary-el Tarot (before I even knew what a blog was), I loved the way she journaled her thoughts right there for everyone to see. It gave me a better sense of her paintings and what she was thinking when she was creating the image in her head.
Well, I'm not a painter or an artist, but I have lots of thoughts, about Tarot among other things, that flow through my mind constantly. And some of them might even be worth posting here. ;)
Blessings,
Karen
a.k.a. EarthAngel2911
Yay! I finally figured out what I'm doing here (for the most part), and have set up my first blog! Yippee! :)
Ever since I discovered Mary White's blog for her Mary-el Tarot (before I even knew what a blog was), I loved the way she journaled her thoughts right there for everyone to see. It gave me a better sense of her paintings and what she was thinking when she was creating the image in her head.
Well, I'm not a painter or an artist, but I have lots of thoughts, about Tarot among other things, that flow through my mind constantly. And some of them might even be worth posting here. ;)
Blessings,
Karen
a.k.a. EarthAngel2911
My New Blogspot Blog
Several years ago I created my own website, For the Love of Tarot, because I had a new obsession, and I had a lot to say about it. Well, I've never been very good at keeping it updated, but I try. :)
Then blogs became popular and my website host made it available. I guess I'm a little better at keeping my blog updated, but not much. Now that blogs are everywhere, there are a lot more choices in providers, so I'm trying out several. And that way, if I ever choose to close down my website, I'll still have my blog. :-)
Anyway, the next several posts are copied from my original blog, and from then on I'll update all of my blogs together. And I suppose that eventually I'll keep the one I like working with the best. :-)
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