Did you miss out on the limited run of the eerily beautiful Bohemian Gothic Tarot from Magical Realist Press? Have you spent the years since wandering the halls of your castle, late at night, weeping and wailing at the cruelty of Fate?

Weep and wander no more, dear friend! Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov have teamed with Oceanhouse Media and released the Bohemian Gothic Tarot app for iOS and Android!

The app resides on my iPhone 4G and on my iPad 2. (Yes, I really need to replace my phone, but September is sooo close – I just need my phone to stay working a little while longer!)

Back to the app. It is stunningly gorgeous, as one expects from everything done by Magical Realist. The frames and settings for the cards fit the mood and theme of the deck perfectly, and are amazing art all by themselves.

The app itself is easy to use, with clear menu choices and uncluttered navigation. Card selection is done by scrolling through a carousel of the cards and tapping the center card. The spread itself is shown with grey boxes at the bottom of the screen. Each box turns white when you read the corresponding card.

You can use the spread diagram to navigate the carousel of selected cards, but you have to tap on the card in the carousel to view the card; tapping the corresponding box in the layout doesn’t pull up the card, which took several readings before it became a natural gesture.

Spreads can be saved and/or emailed to share or create an archive.

There are six pre-set spreads, and no free-form spread option. You can, of course, use the pre-set spread and assign your own meanings to the positions. The app does not do reversals, which is covered with great eloquence in the section titled “The Structure of This App” and provides an excellent overview of working with dark decks.

The app contains an incredible amount of background information on the deck, Tarot history, and working with the cards. A sharply clever summary from Dan Pelletier rounds out the “Information” section; read that, if nothing else, before working with the app.

The app has a whooshing audio effect that plays when a card is turned over. This effect can be turned off. Note that if you work with this sound effect on, the app will disable any other audio you have going in the background when you turn the first card.

As well as including material from the book for the card meanings, the creators have added a section called “Some further ways to consider this card” which are a helpful way to move beyond the key words and basic narrative of the card. As the text explains: “These cards invite us to step beyond the meanings and associations that we usually apply and delve deeper to, perhaps, uncover events and emotions that we find harder to confront.”

I’ve tried a lot of Tarot apps, and deleted most of them. This beauty, however, has a permanent home on my iPad.

To get you in the mood for the app, check out this beautiful video from Magical Realist, which shows off the deck – and Prague – at its intriguing and seductive best.

My not-so-secret project for the last two years is now complete! My newest book is Painting the Soul: The Tarot Art of David Palladini, featuring all 78 cards form his Aquarian Tarot and New Palladini Tarot, both published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. In this book, David reveals his ideas and inspirations for the cards, sharing his love of art and Tarot. I delve into the card meanings, providing insight into the colors, symbols, and messages in Palladini’s beautiful images.

We have been graced with positive words from Mary K. Greer and Lon Milo DuQuette!

“I have been enamored with David Palladini’s art since I first saw his paper company promo cards (I worked in a print shop) and later his first deck (an enlargement of his Justice card still graces my walls). To now read the stories of the Aquarian and New Palladini Tarot decks has been an utter delight. This is an essential work for adding depth to your readings and for appreciating the huge effect the Aquarian Tarot had on Tarot in the later 20th century. Furthermore, you will get a rare look into the growth and development of a masterful artist.”

~ Mary K. Greer, author of Who Are You in the Tarot?; 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card; and Tarot for Yourself

“Painting the Soul: The Tarot Art of David Palladini is profound and breathtaking peek into mind and soul of a true spiritual artist… a work of art in-and-of itself.”

~Lon Milo DuQuette, Author of The Tarot of Ceremonial Magick; Enochian Vision Magick; and The Book Of Ordinary Oracles

The book is available to order on the Tarot Media Company website!

Champagne all around!

For the Tarot Journeys in 2014, we’ll be taking a numerological tour of the Tarot. On March 8, we’ll look at all of the cards that are Threes – Empress, Hanged Man, and the World, as well as the Minor Arcana Threes. What does their numerological link say to us in a reading? What other connections do these cards have? How can we work with the energy of the Threes to deepen our readings?

Bring your cards, notebook and pen, and your ideas on trinity!

The workshop features discussions, practical exercises, and direct, personal exploration of the cards.

Each class runs from 1:00 — 4:30 pm, held at the Mission Alchemy Event Space.

Due to space considerations, we request that you preregister for the class on the Tarot Media Company site.

See you in March!

The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle from Caitlin Matthews and Virginia Lee is the most recent new deck to cross my desk through the good graces of the publisher, Watkins Publishing, this beautifully produced set lives up to the promise of both its name and its presentation–it is truly enchanting

The lush colors of the card illustrations–both the front images and the well-designed back image–create the visual magic which bring Matthews’ ideas to life.

The cards are printed on substantial cardstock with a gloss finish, making them easy to handle.

The images are a mix of historical and fantastical elements. The images are seen as they would appear when viewed through a crystal ball. This unusual visual perspective allows the reader to focus closely on the image, which gives a more focused reading.

The corresponding playing card appears in miniature at the top of each card, making it easier to work with those associations. Even if you have them memorized, it’s still helpful to have the visual cue.

The back design of the cards shows the four aces of their suits, along with their symbols, wrapped in scrolling branches, further creating a sense of magic.

The deck comes with two versions each of the Man and Woman cards, a welcome acknowledgement of the multiplicity of relationship possibilities between romantic partners. These are also useful if a client’s question concerns a non-romantic relationship, such as a female client asking about a difficult situation at work with a female supervisor.

The Whip card has been transformed to the Broom. While still carrying an implication of force, Matthews sees the broom as a neutral influence whose effects can be positive or challenging, depending on the client’s response to the energy of the situation.

Matthews also changes card 36, The Cross, to Crossing, out of respect for readers whose spiritual beliefs do not encompass The Cross. I appreciate this change not only for that reason, but also for the idea of transition involved with Crossing, rather than the feeling of stasis and inescapability that often comes with The Cross.

A new, 37th card comes at the end of the deck, The Diviner. Representing Mademoiselle Lenormand herself, Matthews notes that this card is “the deck’s own internal oracle and teacher” and offer several suggestions for working with this card in readings. The Diviner card re-establishes the focus on the client, and emphasizes the client’s possibilities and responsibilities. This is particularly helpful for reading for one’s self, as I find it often serves as a reality check on the reading, removing ambiguities and eliminating the ability to attempt to spin the reading with a more desirable, but less honest, message.

The set also includes a layout sheet for the Big Picture spread (what Matthews calls the Grand Tableau), making it easier for new readers to learn this layout.

The companion book provides a look at the history of the Lenormand deck, and a thorough grounding in reading techniques for both beginning and advanced readers. A number of example readings provide excellent guidance on interpreting the cards individually and as groups within the reading.

The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle is beautiful, magical, and useful. It honors tradition while incorporating needed adaptations for the twenty-first century, and I am pleased it has found a home in my library.

This Saturday, join me for November’s Tarot Journey on working with spreads and layouts in readings.

Tarot Spreads and Layouts: What is the purpose of a spread? Why do we use them? A useful spread gives shape, flow, and direction to the reading. While some people are happy to randomly scatter cards on the table and see what happens, it is easier for the client to follow some kind of structured layout. We’ll look at different types of layouts, read with several of them, talk about different ways to create spreads, and make one of our own!

I’ll be Misha‘s guest on “It’s in the Cards” this Wednesday, July 24, at 9:00 Eastern time / 6:00 pm Pacific. We’ll be talking about Tarot (of course), publishing (surprise!), and other fun topics.

Head over to the show site and join the conversation! We’ll be taking questions and dispensing wisdom!

In this month’s Tarot Journey, we will turn our thoughts to spring and happy things, and look at the Tarot and Joy. We usually turn to Tarot for answers when we’re stressed, depressed, or facing some kind of crisis on our lives. Let’s step back and look at our relationship with Tarot, and bring some joy to the conversation. We’ll discuss how we create joy in our lives, ways to spread that joy, and ways to work with the Tarot to tap into our innate joy. Just like any good friend who always listens when you’re blue, Tarot deserves to share the good times, too!

Bring your cards (two decks, please), notebook, and potential for joy!

The workshop features discussions, practical exercises, and direct, personal exploration of the cards. Additionally, Tarot Media Company donates a prize each month – a deck, a book, or some other wonderful item from our shop!

I’ll be the guest of the charming Kooch Daniels on Kosmic Koffee with Kooch on March 27, 2013 at 1:00 pm! You can go listen via the NuLife Radio page on Blog Talk Radio, or dial in at +1.347.637.3372. We’ll talk about Tarot (of course!), answer questions, and who knows what else!

Talk to you Wednesday!

You are cordially invited to our very first WooFest! on Thursday, March 28, 2013, from 5:00 – 8:00 pm at Mission Alchemy Event Space.

This is a casual, fun event, to celebrate Tarot, oracles, divination, and the great people in our community with whom we share these interests! There’s no cover charge – we want everyone to feel welcome!

Readings will be available from the fabulous Thalassa and Artemis J.

Tarot Media Company will be there, tempting you with all kinds of books, decks, oracles, DVDs, and other divinatory goodies.

We’ll have some treats to share, and space for you to hang out and play with your new toys and spend time with old friends – and make new ones!

Mission Alchemy is at 2601 Mission Street, corner of 22nd Street, in the USBank building. It’s two blocks from 24th Street Mission BART in San Francisco, one block from the Bartlett Garage (there’s also street parking!), and across the street from a couple of Muni lines. Really, it just couldn’t be easier to get here!

See you Thursday!

“Whenever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it, although you may not see it at the time.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

With all due respect, Mr. Tolle – bullshit.

Sometimes, negative things happen, and there is no lesson. Things happen beyond our control, out of the blue, beyond our wildest imagination – and it’s just the universal forces in motion. There is no lesson, no higher message – things happen, and sometimes what happens really sucks.

One of my HR colleagues had a sign in her office that read, “What’s great about this?” Whenever an employee came to her with a problem, she’d point to the sign and require them to give an answer before she’d continue the discussion.  If she’d done that to me (I was not an employee there, thank the gods), my response would have been, “What’s great about this is that I realize what an utterly useless way of managing internal issues this is, and I quit so I can work somewhere that isn’t run by idiots.”

Sometimes, there is a lesson.  You drink too much alcohol one night, make an idiot of yourself, get sick, anger your friends, and lose two days to a miserable hangover. The lesson is pretty clear – don’t drink to excess.

Sometimes, there is no lesson.  My mother died in an accident during my last week of classes in my final semester of college.  I took four “Incompletes”, and it took me three months to finish my course week and my honors thesis, in between settling her estate, dealing with the lawsuit against the other driver who caused the accident, and moving myself to California.  What was the lesson there? Be sure to ask your parents to schedule their untimely deaths around your academic obligations and moving schedule?

Apophenia (as defined on Wikipedia: “the experience of seeing meaningful patterns or connections in random or meaningless data”) can a real problem. How do we know when something is a real pattern, or when we are imposing meaning that isn’t there? (I encourage you to read the entire article – the origin of the term “apophany” in psychiatric research dealing with schizophrenia will keep you up for a night or two.)

The counterpoint experience is “epiphany”, which our friends at Dictionary.com define as “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something” – seeing based on patterns that are actually present. Yes, we all see things differently, and what is “real” for one person might not be “real” for another. But at the point we wish so hard for something to be “real” – despite our own knowledge that it is not – we have crossed from epiphany to apophany.

As Tarot readers, we look for patterns in the cards. How many Major Arcana cards are in the spread? Court cards? How many of each minor suit? Are there repeating numbers? Repeating symbols?

Someone who has a large number of Major Arcana cards in the spread is probably in or heading for one or more life transitions. Someone with lots of Pentacle cards may be dealing with work or housing issues. Someone with lots of Cups cards probably has relationship work to do, in one form or another. The pattern can help the client focus on the issues and devise creative approaches to managing them.

But sometimes, there is no pattern. The cards are randomly and evenly distributed among the suits. There are no number patterns. There are no repeating symbols. There’s no big epiphany, no flashing neon message – just disparate pieces of information for the client to apply to their life as they are able.

When bad things happen (we lose a job, a valued possession breaks, or someone close to us dies), we feel an emotional void, and we want to ascribe meaning to the event as a way to manage our emotions.  This is a classic left brain coping mechanism – “if I can understand it, I can manage it”.

Sometimes, there is no meaning – our employer decides to cut costs, and we’re laid off; the tectonic plates shift, and a treasured piece of porcelain falls to the floor and smashes; we’re all human, and we will all shuffle off this mortal coil at some point.

Sometimes, it’s just random, and stuff just happens. Sometimes, there is no meaning, no understanding – sometimes, there is only acceptance.