A few months back, Donnaleigh de LaRose recommended I read Yoav Ben-Dov’s Tarot: The Open Reading. I’m really glad she did, I like it. It talks about the Tarot Marseille, and as might be expected by the title, Yoav Ben-Dov’s ‘Open Reading’ style of using it.
Especially for those readers who might be intimidated by the Marseille deck, I recommend this book. But I think all readers are likely to find it interesting, whether they use the Tarot Marseille or not. With it’s no-rote style of teaching the cards, Ben-Dov’s method can reinvigorate how you look at any deck.
In addition to writing the book, Yoav Ben-Dov has also done his own restoration of the Marseille deck called the CBD Tarot de Marseille. I don’t have a copy of it yet myself, but I definitely want one, and watching Donnaleigh’s video review of it (below) makes me want it even more.
After 24 years on Harbord Street, Wonderworks, a fabulous Toronto metaphysical market-place, art gallery and workshop space, is moving East … only a few blocks really, over to Baldwin Street, but it’s still a big deal.
Take a look at the video below of owner Rochelle Holt talking about Wonderworks, past and present, and get a peek inside the new space.
Gail Fairfield is one of Tarot’s modern pioneers. She’s been reading cards since the early 70s and her book Choice Centered Tarot was (and still is) truly influential in breaking down the old ‘fortune-telling’ style of reading.
Her focus on the essence of each card, and the system of Tarot itself, helps make reading with any deck relatively straightforward. It certainly helped me when I first started reading.
I’m writing about Gail Fairfield now because I just listened to a fabulous podcast where Andrew McGregor of The Hermit’s Lamp interviews her about gender, Tarot, and how she came to develop her own ideas about the cards.
It’s a really interesting discussion for Tarot newbies and experienced readers alike. Take a listen by downloading it for free at the Hermit’s Lamp, or at iTunes.
Symbology is what Davies describes as a ‘largeish minicomic’, a 32 page black and white book gathering together esoteric symbols based on each letter of the alphabet.
I love the idea, and the artwork. And the video below where Davies displays the various rewards you can get for donating is fabulous. Take a look!
Mysteries of the Arcana is an LGBT-friendly action comic book series based on Tarot’s Major and Minor Arcana, and it looks great.
Four issues have already been published, and you can see them all for free on-line at the Mysteries of the Arcana website. Take a look.
But to learn more about Chapter 5, the Kickstarter campaign supporting it, and the rewards you can get for donating, watch the video below and/or visit the project page.
In his description of the famed composer, Gardiner reminds us that one need not be an angel to channel the divine.
As I was listening, it made me think of one of my own favourite rebels – Aleister Crowley.
Though I don’t believe he was as wicked as he liked his reputation to be, there were definitely elements of his personality that would have been very difficult to deal with.
Despite that, the Thoth Tarot he created with artist Lady Frieda Harris is still my very favourite Tarot deck ever. It’s simply brilliant.
I think Crowley did somehow manage to channel something divine, though like Bach, there’s no doubt he himself was a bit of a devil.
In his new book, due out in January, Horowitz explores the history of the positive thinking movement in America, and its one simple, yet incredibly powerful idea that ‘thoughts are causative’.
With its roots in America’s mystical and occult sub-cultures of the mid-19th Century, this idea, and the movement it spawned, have influenced American life and culture far more than most people might realize.
Take a look at the video below to hear Horowitz talk about his book, and the importance of that one simple idea.
If you’re new to Tarot and looking for an excellent – and free – book on how to read the cards, Andrew McGregor and the Hermit’s Lamp have just the thing for you.
McGregor has written an e-book called Simply Learn Tarot and is offering it for free download from his Hermit’s Lamp website.
What a treat! It’s an excellent introduction to the cards – entertaining, encouraging, and straight to the point.
McGregor thinks reading Tarot should be fun and simple and he’s doing his best to spread the word.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favourite magic shops in Toronto is the Hermit’s Lamp, up on Vaughn Road, above St. Clair.
They host art shows and meet-ups, sell magic supplies, offer Tarot and psychic readings, teach workshops, and of course, sell Tarot books and decks.
Typically they’ve got a good assortment of decks and books to choose from, but this coming Saturday, November 10th, the choice is going to be even better.
Apparently, a friend of shop owner Andrew McGregor has decided to sell their personal Tarot collection, and has chosen to do so through the Hermit’s Lamp.
There will be about 120 new, or almost new decks available, and over 200 books.
Some of the decks are quite rare – Tarot of Prague, Shinning Woman Tarot, Giger Tarot, Via Tarot, Alchemical Tarot, Brotherhood Tarot, and many more.
I hope to get over there myself – I’ve always wanted a copy of the Shining Woman Tarot!
All items are first come, first serve, so if you’re interested, get there early. The store will be open from 10:00 am through 6:00 pm.
