The Tarot Room – Georgianna

Torquay Harbour

I just posted about the UK Tarot Conference in London coming up in a couple of weeks. Here’s another UK conference you might want to check out, this time in the south of England.

The very fist Riviera Tarot Conference will be held in Torquay, on Saturday, October 29th. Appropriately, it’s dedicated to the first card in the Tarot – the Fool.

The one-day conference is going to be busy, starting early with astrologer and author of over 120 books, Sasha Fenton talking Tarot and astrology.

The second keynote address will be with Sara Delphi, astrologer, author, and BBC radio host exploring psychic ability and the Tarot.

After a lunch serenaded by Luc Walpot and his harp, there’ll be a number of workshops to choose from led by Louise Page, Alison Theaker, and Sara Delphi.

In addition to the seminars, delegates can get readings, shop for cards and books, and take part in the Charity Auction.

It sounds like a great day. And the area in and around Torquay, birthplace of Agatha Christie, looks amazing.

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#1 The Magician

Thursday, October 6, 2011
#1 – The Magician

Were you thinking of starting something new? This is the time to do it. The energy of The Magician encourages you to start fresh.

Look around – I bet you have all the tools you need for this new enterprise. It’s only up to you to start making things happen.

Name your goal and start listing the steps you need to get there. Especially important is that first step. It can be big or small – just take it! You’re at the very beginning right now, don’t let the long journey ahead dissuade you from going forward.

You can’t go back, so what the heck? Focus on what it is you want to achieve and you can make anything happen.

Beware though, don’t try fooling yourself or others, there’s no need for deception. It will only lead you down the wrong road right from the start. Stay true to your plan and keep yourself focused.

You can do what you need to without resorting to trickery or lies. It’ll work out much better in the long run if you stick to the truth.

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Flag of Virginia

This week, the Virginia Federal District Court rejected a constitutional challenge to Chesterfield County’s fortune-telling regulations.

Patricia Moore-King, working under the name of Psychic Sophie, is a psychic practitioner, spiritual counselor, Tarot writer and teacher.  She challenged the law after being denied a business license back in 2009.

The county deemed her a ‘fortune-teller’, and rejected her application. In Chesterfield, a fortune-teller is defined as,

Any person or establishment engaged in the occupation of occult science including a fortune-teller, palmist, astrologist, numerologist, clairvoyant, craniologist, phrenologist, card reader, spiritual reader, tea leaf reader, prophet, psychic or advisor or who in any other manner claims or pretends to tell fortunes or claims or pretends to disclose mental faculties of individuals for any form of compensation. 

Chesterfield County, Virginia

Though fortune-telling, or psychic reading isn’t technically illegal in Chesterfield County, the rules are so tight it might as well be.

To open a psychic business, the operator must start by paying a $300 tax in order to obtain a business license. It’s worth noting that most businesses in the county that earn less than $10,000 a year don’t have to pay such a tax. Nightclubs and adult businesses only have to pay $100.

In addition to the tax, a ‘fortune-teller’ has to submit five personal references from residents of the county confirming their ‘good character and honest demeanor,’ and that they’re ‘bona fide county residents’.

The references are sent to the Chief of Police who can then choose to do a criminal background check on the applicant and make further inquires about their moral character. A Police Permit must be granted in order for a license to be approved, and the Chief of Police has final discretion.

Performing fortune-telling services without a license can lead to fines of up to $500 for each offense.

If a license is approved, the psychic business can only be established in the General Business District. Other businesses zoned to this district include adult businesses, pawnbrokers, auction houses, material reclamation yards, and vehicle impoundment lots.

Even within the general business zone, and while holding a license, there’s no guarantee a psychic reader can set up shop. They must first obtain a Conditional Use Permit, which may or may not be granted. Both the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors must review the application. Either can reject it, or prescribe additional conditions to the rules already in place.

In her complaint, King argued that her work constitutes free speech according to the US Constitution, and that the zoning laws and onerous license procedures inhibit her freedom of expression and discriminate against her based on her beliefs, viewpoint, and content of expression.

She also maintained that the regulations violated her freedom of religion. She felt that by defining her work as ‘fortune-telling’ and ‘occult’, and restricting that activity, she and her beliefs were being discriminated against without any compelling governmental interest for doing so.

The Virginia Federal District Court disagreed. They decided that her predictions and counseling services were ‘inherently deceptive commercial speech, and that the regulation of them is reasonably drawn.’

They rejected the argument that King’s rights were violated under the First or Fourteenth Amendments, or the Religious Land Use claims she brought forward.

It’s a disappointing decision. I hope it gets appealed and eventually overturned.

If you’re interested in reading more about it. Jason Pitzi-Waters has been covering the case for a while and has an excellent post about it up on his blog. There’s a fantastic quote from Mary Greer at the bottom of the article.

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High Priestess in Star's Clothing

The Moon moves into Aquarius today and stays there until Saturday.

Described in Tarot cards, this transit would be like the High Priestess is dressed as the Star. In other words, her robes are gone and she’s naked as the bird in the tree behind her.

The Moon in Aquarius, or High Priestess in the Star’s clothing, can sometimes be emotionally stressful. Hope may be in the air, but it’s a cautious hope.

Emotionally you feel like sharing, bubbling over with dreams for the future. But your mind keeps getting in the way, reminding you that dreams can sometimes be nightmares.

Try not to spend what could be a nice time double guessing yourself or listing off all the reasons things could go wrong. They might. But they probably won’t.

Be real, but not a wet blanket. Rather than smothering your dreams, direct them with intelligence.

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Page of Swords

Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Page of Swords

It’s a day to dissolve the fog and start looking at things with fresh and honest eyes.  With a commitment to clarity, new ideas and a new sense of authority will be close on the horizon.

Take things in hand and energetically start slicing through any fuzziness you’ve not wanted to look past till now.  Are you happy with what you’re seeing?  If yes – go forward with strength.  If not, figure out what you actually want, re-direct yourself towards it and go forward with strength.

In either case, you need to see things for what they really are before you can intelligently decide what your next step might be.   This is no time to fool yourself.   It’s a time to take charge, be realistic and be strong.

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Dali Museum

In the off chance that you happen to be in St. Petersburg, Florida tonight and were looking for a Tarot oriented activity to attend, it’s your lucky day.

My Unspeakable Confessions: Gala Dali Declines to Explain Herself will be performed tonight at 8:00 pm at the Salvador Dali Museum.

Heather L. Jones wrote the one act play, and Roxanne Fay plays Gala Dali.

It tells the story of the wife and muse of Salvador Dali through her own remarkable voice, and her relationship with the Tarot.

It’s sounds fascinating. I wish it were running longer.

Even if you miss it though, visiting the museum sounds like a good idea. It has one of the largest Dali collections in the world.

I bet they have some of his Tarot cards.

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3 of Disks

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
3 of Disks

You’ve been working hard and the people that matter are starting to take notice.  Take pride in doing a good job. 

You’re becoming a master at your trade, and mastery requires not only technical skill, but also an appreciation for the art in what you do.

When you care about your job or the tasks you’ve taken on, the work involved is rarely a chore.  Look at your tasks as the creative processes they are. 

Whatever you’re doing, you’re creating something, bringing something new into the world.  Consider your role as creator with the seriousness it deserves.

You’re becoming very good at what you’ve been working hard on.  Congratulations, keep it up.

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This Kickstarter project is meant to support a band. But it’s not their music I’m most interested in. It’s the fact that this band wants to publish a Tarot deck.

Cash Pony, a San Francisco area rock-fusion band is trying to raise money to professionally record their first full-length LP, Carpel Tunnel Vision Quest.

But not only are they trying to raise money for recording, mixing, and mastering, they need the funds to print album artwork, and a small deck of Tarot cards.

The deck is being drawn by artist Chris Russell, and is inspired by the songs on the album and the spirit of the Tarot majors.

Songs like Omphalos, Native DNA, and Seek Truth seem to describe energies similar to the Emperor, The Empress and Judgment.

And there’s one called Price of Eggs picturing a giant glowing egg hovering above a land mass of sorts.

I can only imagine what the song’s about, but the card brings to mind the Fool ready to burst out of nothing and into the world.

This deck reminds me a little of Morgan’s Tarot, an oracle deck from 1970 that I especially like. It doesn’t follow the rules, but it makes a lot of sense.

To hear Cash Pony you can go to their website or watch the video below. And if you’re thinking of donating, visit their Kickstarter page.

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High Priestess as the Devil

The Moon moves into Capricorn today and will stay there until Wednesday.

If you were to describe this transit using the Tarot, you might say that the High Priestess is wearing the Devil’s clothing. The virginal goddess has gotten downright beastly.

The Moon in Capricorn, or High Priestess in the Devil’s clothing, is a period of potential internal conflict. The physical world might seem to draw you away from what you typically believe to be right.

You might feel driven or compelled by behaviours and attitudes that go against the grain of your morality. It could be liberating or disturbing, depending on your secrets.

Whatever’s going on though, don’t be too hard on yourself. Get obsessions out of your system, and learn what you can about yourself while you do so.

You should be ready to move on soon. There’s nothing wrong with a little focused physicality. Just don’t get stuck.

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#14 Temperance

Monday, October 3, 2011
#14 – Temperance

This is a great day to even things out. Balance and temperance are the energies surrounding you now. Can you bring your physical world into harmony with your emotional state?

Temperance is about that perfect mix, neither too much nor too little. It’s about becoming conscious of what you want to be both inside and out, and courageous enough to try.

You are responsible for any healing you might need. The first step is to acknowledge what might be out of balance and then start readjusting.

Sometimes it’s about finding a new way to meld your internal opposites; sometimes it’s about casting out what no longer works. In all cases though, it’s about being true to your self and connecting to the grander universe.

Try asking an angel for some help today. You might be surprised at the result.

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