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.
We might know Theresa Reed as The Tarot Lady, which she most certainly is, but she’s also a lady of yoga, and her new ebook Light On Tarot proves she’s a good one.
Reed has combined the wisdom of both Tarot and yoga to create a fantastic guide to learning the Tarot while working out your body and soul.
She’s associated each of Tarot’s Major Arcana cards with a particular yogic routine, giving readers the opportunity to experience the cards physically, mentally, and of course spiritually.
Each chapter includes card descriptions, journaling suggestions, affirmations, and exercises that stretch out not just your limbs, but your perceptions of the world as well.
It’s a great book for Tarot and yoga enthusiasts alike – practical, intelligent, and a lot of fun to work through.
If you’re an esoteric book aficionado and happen to be in the Seattle area September 15th and 16th, you should definitely check out the 4th Annual Esoteric Book Conference.
It’s a multi-disciplinary conference featuring presentations by contemporary authors and scholars on all things esoteric – Western Esotericism, Gnosticism, Theosophy, Mythology, Shamanism, Rosicrucianism, Sacred Sciences, Occulture and World Religions to name a few.
There will also be a book fair (of course) and an art show, musical performances, and a chance to mix and mingle with the who’s who of esoteric publishing.
Visit the conference website for all the details. It looks like it’s going to be fabulous.
“an attribution of mental properties to non-mental phenomena, or vice versa.”
What he means by this is a world view that sees natural events or objects as having within them some element of mind or consciousness.
In addition it could mean having the perception that one’s own mental processes can physically influence the world directly.
Rather then simply poo poo these ideas, Hutson tries to look at why they’re so prevalent across time and cultures, and how they affect our species for good and for ill.
In the interview below, Hutson makes the case that humans are hard-wired to see the world somewhat magically. And though he recommends the practice of active scepticism, he sees the value in keeping a little magic alive.
As a proud Tarot reading skeptical mystic and frequent magical thinker, I’m very interested in all discussions surrounding this topic. I’m going to have to get his book.
A few years back I wrote about a website called Forgotten Books. Someone from the site recently wrote me to say that they’ve been updating so I thought I’d write about it again.
It’s pretty fabulous – over 1,000,000 books available for download. And despite the name of the site, the books might be old, but not all of them have been forgotten.
Though there’s nothing new at Forgotten Books, what’s great is that all the books are free … or at least the first 50 downloads per computer, kindle, or other reading device are.
That’s a lot of reading material. If you want even more though, membership rates or one-time download packages are quite reasonable.
For Tarot people in particular, there’s a huge esoteric section. And there are a number of titles specifically about Tarot.
