Beltane was spectacular this year. Overall it had a mellow energy, tinged with spurts of silly. Which was perfect for me and Kender. Our spot overlooked the Santiam River, the maypole dance (in the pouring rain) was hecka fun and I loved being able to connect to my community, fellow pagans and freaks. All hail Queen Jen and her King, Ogg. ‘Tis the year of Bellydancing and Booze!
Corrine Kenner, of Tarot for Writers fame, emailed me today saying that she enjoyed my review of her book. She liked it so much that her publicist pulled a quote from it and put it on the book’s Amazon.com page. Locate my quote under the Editorial Reviews section as D*I*Y Planner. I feel honored. She also emailed me a sneak peek of the Tarot for Writers Workbook, a companion guide.
Tarot and writing go hand in hand for me. I entertain thoughts about writing a book on tarot one day and had hoped to include in-depth material on using the cards with a creative writing practice. Corrine Kenner beat me to that, with her Tarot for Writers. Now if I ever write that book, I’ll just be adding to the discussion she started.
I loved Tarot for Writers. Go read my review and find out why.
Artwork and Book Written by Timothy Lantz
Published by US Games Systems, Inc.
ISBN 1-57281-488-8
The Archeon is a very personal deck. It contains the personal mythology and beliefs of visionary artist Timothy Lantz. The Archeon Tarot defines and explores Lantz’s symbolism and mythology in a very contemporary and graphic fashion. The card’s imagery is absolutely stunning. Lantz uses a digital canvas to create the cards and explore the very depths of his soul. Long before this tarot deck was even published, I had seen images of the cards on his website. And I was impressed with what I saw. The cards are a wonderful blend of dark, gothic, carnivale mixed with elements of the mystical and fantastic. But don’t let the darkness of the deck’s imagery fool you because within each card there is a strong sense of light and beauty. Each card’s image contains dazzling backgrounds and characters expressing realistic emotions; each layer thick with symbolism. Even the cards’ back include snippets of Lantz’s personal mythology and symbolism.
Written by Riccardo Minetti, Artwork by Mara Aghem
Published by Lo Scarabeo and distributed by Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 0-7387-0280-3
The Fey Tarot distills the best of both worlds in tarot and the art of Japanese anime and recombines them into something new and exciting. Written by Riccardo Minetti, featuring the artwork of Mara Aghem, this deck is wonderful for both the young at heart and in age. The tarot presented here is lighthearted and kind, “bringing no shadows.” However, this lightness does not eliminate the darkness of traditional tarot decks; instead, The Fey Tarot subdues and twists the negative card meanings inwards. In doing so, this set becomes easily accessible and understood by children.
Published by Lo Scarabeo, distributed by Llewellyn, $19.95 USD
I love the Dante Tarot for it’s bright vivid colors and how they contrast to the dark symbolism many of the cards represent. I have always been a fan of Dante and the Inferno; when this deck got published, I immediately ordered a copy. The imagery does not disappoint me at all. This deck offers a rather interesting and unique perspection into tarot and it’s meanings. However, the design of the deck being radically nontraditional in suite and meanings, does tend to make me think that this tarot deck is better for collectors than readings. It’s not a deck for the faint at heart.
By Ellen Dugan
Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 0-7367-0318-4
Garden Witchery brings fun back into the garden chores. Ellen Dugan, Master Gardener and witch has written a manual to delight anyone. Dugan writes as if she were speaking to you while wandering though her own garden. This book is extremely practical and fun to read. The stories and wisdom on her own gardening experiences sprinkled throughout the book help to illustrate and remind the reader that gardening is a process and mistakes happen. There aren’t many pictures in the book but it does contain some decorative illustrations and charts. As a new homeowner with a yard waiting to be sculpted, Garden Witchery got me excited about planting and making my gardens magickal.
By Scott Cunningham
Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 0-87542-126-1
This book is THE definitive guide to working magic with crystals and gemstones. Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic presents a whole curriculum of working with stones and their meanings in this all-in-one reference “field guide”. The first few chapters cover the basics of stones and metals and gives a bit of magical background. He also shares how he collected some of his information and provides some tips for becoming a seasoned rock collector.
Cunningham then dives headfirst into the practical uses for stones and metals. First he explains how to buy stones and how to get the best deals, from haggling in swap meets to store purchases. An appendix in the back of the book lists a few select places to purchase stones. He also suggests ways to interact with stones by in how one selects, attunes and cleanses them. There is even a chapter devoted to divination and another on spells. The exercises are fun to do and do not require lots of pagan wisdom or background training. One could base an entire magical practice just on this book alone.
The rest of the book explores the different crystals, gems and metals. Cunningham divides these sections into two chapters. One contains crystals and gemstones, and the other has the metals. The sections are alphabetized by the rock’s and metal’s common names. For example, to find information on Bloodstones, you’d look the stone up with that familiar name. Cunningham also references the folk names of each item.
Each entry contains a list of stones and their associations to planets, colors, days, etc. followed by a quick summary of power associations. All this information is used to match the best stone or metal with what you intend to use it for. After these quick summaries, Cunningham goes into great detail and depth with his explanations on the magic and background lore of each. The center of the book contains a colorful guide displaying “best” examples of some of the stones. I found this color-inset useful as I was reading through the text and trying to grasp a mental image of what each and every stone looked like. A quick Reference Table follows these chapters summarizing all the book’s information.
Not all stones are covered in this book. Not all stones have the same information either. However, Cunningham does try to thoroughly cover each stone he does list with as much information about it as he can. Some stone lore includes ideas for healing with the stones; some include simple spells one can do with the stone. The book focuses solely on naturally occurring stones and metals; it does not cover man-made or dyed stones (like the Goldstone). I believe that this book should be included in the library of anyone who is interested in the spiritual aspects of stones and metals’ as the information contained is some of the best and most practical information on using stones and metals in magic on the market. I also believe that the lore and stories Cunningham provides for the stones also makes this book fun to read by anyone, not just pagans or witches.
By Sandra Kynes
Llewellyn Worldwide
ISBN 0-7387-0219-6
Gemstones and feng shui; the marriage between the two isn’t as apparent as it should be. However, stones and their energies are a perfect companion to the ancient Chinese practice. Sandra Kynes’s book, Gemstone Feng Shui, explores this complex and interesting relationship. I imagined a whole system of feng shui that used gemstones to counter and support the natural energies of feng shui. While the book has a wealth of information on how to use crystals in conjunction with traditional feng shui practices it fell short of that first impression. Instead the book attempts to describe how to use the stones with current good feng shui practices.
