Most recently, he and Rachel Pollack worked together on the absolutely stunning Burning Serpent Oracle. Now, he’s ready to print two more Lenormand decks, both based on a deck from 1884 called The Mystic Cards of Fortune.
Place has recreated the original deck in two versions, one using Lenormand images combined with regular playing card symbols, and a second combining the Lenormand images with Tarot symbols. Together he’s calling them The New York Lenormand Oracle Cards.
To learn more about them, and/or to order copies of these unique decks for yourself, visit Places’ Indiegogo project page. I’ve already ordered mine!
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.
This is the third incarnation of his Shuffle Up & Deal series of playing card decks, and as with the other two, Lacharite has gathered 53 different Canadian artists to design one card each.
What’s a little different about this project though, is the audio aspect. Not only will a visual artist be connected to a particular card, but one of 53 Canadian bands will as well.
Jeremy Blattner, with artist Simon Haiduk is putting together a beautiful full-colour oracle deck meant to raise your vibrations and help you embrace your inner power.
Their IndieGoGo project page describes the cards in more detail and tells you how you can get a deck of your own. Check it out if you’d like to learn more.
You might also like to take a look at the Quantum Cards – Digital Painting Timelapse below to see Haiduk actually create one of the cards.
This IndieGoGo project isn’t really about Tarot, but it does involve the production of a deck of cards meant to be used for empowerment, specifically, the empowerment of actors.
Acting Gemz is an instructional/oracular 33-card deck, designed by Powell Lawrence and illustrated by Devin E. Haqq.
It’s instructional in the sense that each card describes a technique actors can use to release their creative potential.
One card might advise on an attitude to take towards an audition. Another might be an exercise in keeping ‘secrets’. Yet another might say ‘don’t stop living just because you’re acting.’
The oracular part of course is that it’s meant to be used as most oracle or Tarot decks are used.
You randomly pull a card and expect synchronicity to provide you with the perfect message for your needs.
The idea sounds like fun. I wonder what actors think of it.
Lawrence is trying to raise money to print the deck and as with all IndieGoGo projects, he’s offering some perks to people who help make the project happen.
Take a look at his page to see what they are, and to see pictures of some of the cards.
The video below is a trailer for the documentary Kypris: The Aphrodite of Cyprus Revealed.
The whole film hasn’t actually been completed yet, but filmmaker Stavros Papageorghiou is hoping his IndieGoGo campaign will help get it done. And I hope so too, it looks really interesting.
The film is an exploration of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility, who according to some legends, was born in Cyprus, where she’s still worshipped today.
Papageorghiou wants to shine light on the mythology, history, and archeological discoveries surrounding this beautiful ancient goddess, not to mention, take a look at her modern day worshippers.
The Empress
In Tarot, the spirit of Aphrodite can be found in all of the female Major Arcana, but I think she’s most evident in the Empress, the Grand Mother of the deck.
The Empress represents love, abundance, and fertile creativity. She is beauty and compassion, nurturance, and celebration.
And not surprisingly, Venus is the planet astrologically aligned with the Empress, a planet named for the Roman incarnation of Aphrodite.
Take a look at Papageorghiou’s video and see what you think, or visit his page to learn more.
Harper/Collins in London published the original version of this deck in 1995, and Place himself republished it in 2007. Both editions have sold out.
Fortunately for me, I got myself one of the originals back in 2003. But if I’d known it was going to be worth as much as $2,000 just a few years later, I might have treated it more gently, or at least kept the box.
It’s a gorgeous deck, filled with magic. The images are beautiful, but even more importantly the messages are brilliant. It’s alchemy expressed through the lens of the Tarot, and is unlike any other.
The second edition of the deck, called The Alchemical Tarot: Renewed, updated the first version. And the third edition has even more changes, including a second Lovers card.
Apparently, Harper/Collins thought Place’s original depiction of the Lovers was too risqué. Now we can decide for ourselves. I can’t wait to see it.
Also updated in this third printing, are the card backs and the little-white-book, which has become a little bigger.
Place is ready to go to print, and he’s going to do it no matter what. But he’s got an IndieGoGo page and is offering some wonderful gifts for those who’d like to help him raise the cost of printing.
Take a look at his page and consider helping an inspired deck be reborn.
