Who got you Started?

  When I was no more than a boy, we used to go to visit my Grandmother Rosalita in New York City. Being from Puerto Rico, Rosalita was a fine upstanding Spanish Catholic woman, who of course spent some of her spare time hanging out with the female readers down on Coney Island. They were all her friends and she, for the most part, could get a reading when she wished without having to cross anyone's palm with silver! It was here that I was first introduced to divination by way of what I have lovingly come to call the "American Gypsies". The ladies are all long gone now, but I can still vividly recall their sweet perfume mixing with the scent of cotton candy and popcorn!

  These wonderful old women, with their colorful flowing dress and heavy makeup, looked to be exactly what you would expect to find inside of the traditional gypsy wagon in the movies. Yet, they were kind and compasionate, and totally serious about the gift they possessed. They would welcome you into there little tents or wooden attraction shacks, and spin such marvelous tales as they told you all that would come to pass in the future. My Grandmother and I spent many a summer afternoon in their company, and the spark of my intuition that was fostered in that atmosphere has grown steadily throughout my life.

  So who got you started down the path? Did you simply know at some point that you had the gift, was there an ah-ha moment that came to you like a flash? Or maybe, like me, you had a grand and romantic encounter that started you along?

Review - The Victorian Romantic Tarot

  Several days ago I received my copy of the Victorian Romantic Tarot deck, and I must say that this piece is very well done. As most of you know, I probably have a hundred or more tarot decks in my collection. Out of all of those, there are only three or four that I actually read with, but this one is likely to be one of the few that make it onto my table. This deck was originally issued around 2006 and quickly sold out. The current offering is an updated version that is likely to sell out as well.

  Here is the brief from the website of the creators:

The Victorian Romantic Tarot is based on gorgeous original 19th century engravings from European and American artists many of which are now rare. The result is a most extraordinary range of images from artists both famous and forgotten. Following the familiar Rider Waite Smith tarot structure this is a wonderfully usable visual feast of a deck that will appeal to collectors, lovers of Victoriana and tarot enthusiasts alike.

  First, the deck feels good. The card stock is just right for my taste and handles well. It did not take me long to 'break it in' to a useable point. The symbology, as stated above, fairly follows the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, so you will feel right at home almost instantly. Yet there is a depth to the illustrations that is just gorgeous. Take a look at "The Devil" to get an idea of what I mean:

    The rest of the deck is likewise beautiful and thought provoking. The Minor Arcana is also fully illustrated, and you will spend a lot of time finding all the little jewels contained in the images on these cards. The deck I received came with two versions of "The Lovers", you will enjoy the differences between the two and find this a pleasant surprise. Also, the edges are gilded which is a very nice touch. I highly recommend grabbing a set of these cards while they are still available. Whether you use them for readings or just add them to your collection, this deck is one great find. If you happen to get these, please let me know what you think!
 

Don't Fear the Reaper!

The Death card is always a constant point of discussion when the topic of Tarot comes up at the Parlor. And whenever I look at a Tarot deck that I've never seen before, the first thing I always do is find the Death card to see how it is presented. This card alone can give you great insight into the mindset of the author/illustrator of the deck.


What type of image do you prefer for the Death card? The Rider-Waite-Smith image of an armored Death on a horse? The Marseilles version of the skeleton and scythe?

 Perhaps you have a favorite image from a different deck that you own. One of my favorites is from an ancient deck that portrays Death as a little girl carrying a worn rag doll. Somehow it seems appropriate.


Then there are the various meanings and interpretations attached to this image to deal with, as well as understanding how you will deal with this card when it appears in a reading. We've all had sitters that gasp when you turn this card (mostly because they have seen too many movies with gypsies in wagons). "No, no," you hasten to explain, "This is all about rebirth!" But is it really? Rebirth? Change? The starting of a new cycle? Very few other cards in our illustrious Book of Tarot carry such a stigma as this piece of pasteboard.

So what does it mean to YOU? We invite you to drop a comment, or come by one of the Meet-Ups at the Parlor and join in the discussion!

Arcanus Fair Schedule 2nd Half of 2013

Greetings,

Since some of you have asked recently, here is a quick list of the major fairs that the Arcanus readers will be appearing at in the second half of 2013:

8/10 - "Left Handers Day" - Niwot, CO
Saturday 11am - 9pm

9/6 thru 9/8 - "Celebrations Metaphysical Fair" - Denver Merchandise Mart, Denver CO
Friday 1pm -9pm, Saturday 10am -7pm, Sunday 11am -6pm

9/14 - "Community Day" - Mead, CO
Saturday 9am to 5pm

9/21 & 9/22 - "Belu Olisa Fall Holistic Fair" - The Ranch, Larimer Co. Fairgrounds, Loveland CO
Saturday & Sunday 10am - 5pm

10/12 & 10/13 - "Body Mind Spirit 2013" - Little America Resort, Cheyenne WY
Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

11/10 - "Athena Festival" - Ramada Inn Plaza, I-25 at 120th, Northglenn CO
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Rider-Waite-SMITH!

  Everyone who is even peripherally aware of the Tarot is likely familiar with the Rider-Waite deck, but a lot of folks don't know that this is properly called the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Why is that, and who is this Smith person?

  The deck, which was originally published in 1909, was designed by A.E.Waite, who also wrote the book that goes with the deck. It was the first deck to give fully illustrated symbology to the entire Minor Arcana, and also the first deck to have a book dedicated specifically to it rather than using books about the Tarot in general. The deck was subsequently published by the Rider Publishing Company, hence the well known name "The Rider-Waite Tarot".

   But the illustrations for the deck, all of the beautiful images for both the Major and Minor Arcana, were drawn by a woman named Pamela Coleman Smith. It was her artistic vision that brought A.E. Waite's ideas to fantastic life, and her images have become the de facto standard for most all 'traditional' Tarot decks that followed.

  For such an important role in history, Pamela was left out of the original naming and crediting for the deck simply because it was not popular at the time to credit a woman for such work. Nowadays people are coming to understand the depth of her contribution to our art and giving her the rightful credit she deserves. So please, when you speak of this most marvelous of decks, remember to credit Pamela Smith. Our craft is better for her work!

Break In at Arcanus!

We hadn't reported this earlier, but the Arcanus Tarot Parlor was broken into about a week ago! The thieves knocked out a panel in the wooden door to the parlor and let themselves in. The thing is though, that once they were inside, they didn't take anything! There was evidence that they spent some time and looked around the place, but we believe that the Spirits of Arcanus were watching over the place and spooked them out! Thank you to our guardian angels!

This Just In! From the SBWIRE . . .

Psychics Pardon Pope

No hard feelings toward the Vatican.

Longmont, CO -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/06/2013 -- Preaching at morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in Rome in April, Pope Francis said: “In order to solve their problems many people resort to fortune tellers and tarot cards.” He went on to warn the faithful about the dangers of such practices and their sure downfall should they continue.

Dennis Perez, along with David MacKenzie, operates the Arcanus Tarot Parlor in Longmont, Colorado. “While we certainly respect the Pope’s right to an opinion,” says Dennis, “we don’t necessarily agree with him.” The folks at Arcanus believe that there are many different paths to the truth, and that the Pope’s way is but one. “We never dissuade people from their religious views,” Dennis continues, “and we believe that religion and magik can coexist peacefully in this world. As a matter of fact, the world needs more magik these days. For this reason, we pardon the Pope for not understanding.”

Dennis and David sent a letter to the Pope in late April offering their pardon and inviting a conversation around their difference of opinion. The Pope has not yet responded.

The Spirits Return!

Last night we held another seance at the Arcanus Tarot Parlor in Longmont, and the spirits once again made a strong appearance! The people in attendance were a terrific group of  people with varied levels of previous psychic experience, and none had ever attended a seance before.

We eased into the evening with some experiments to test the level of psychic development of the attendees, with great results! After that we went on a grand ghost hunt around the old office building that houses Arcanus. This building has quite a history dating back some fifty years or more and we almost always detect levels of ghostly activity using an EMF meter and other scientific techniques.

After that we were back in the parlor to try to make serious contact. With the use of an old fashion talking board (pre-Ouija), the group made contact with a male spirit who tried to identify himself by name, but the letters that came through were a mystery. as we began the actual seance circle almost everyone in the room experienced a physical touch by the spirits!

Acting as our medium, David McKenzie was able to channel the spirit that was in the room with us.It was indeed a male, and indicated that he had been attached to the building for many many years. There was a good Q&A session with the spirit, but just as things were getting underway something spooked him and he fled the room, knocking over a heavy urn as he sped away.

All in all it was a successful, and safe, evening of contact, and everyone involved was treated to something truly special. If you have never experienced a seance, please come join us for one of our future sessions! You can always catch the details at www.arcanusmagickus.com!