The Book of Shadows Tarot is a unique project, many years in the making. It is an ambitious project based on a two-deck system. Each deck is designed to work independently but also to work together. The decks are based on the concept of As Above, So Below. The first deck, As Above, is a non-traditional (that is, not based on the Rider Waite Smith images) exploration of Wiccan/Pagan theories. So Below is a traditional deck that shows how magic is manifest in everyday life. The kit comes with the book and the As Above deck. The box includes a space for the second deck, So Below, available in February 2013. Below is a video created by Lo Scarabeo. Take a peek into the creation of

I live in Southern California, about 30–45 minutes from the City of Pomona. Pomona was founded in 1888 on a trade route used by indigenous Americans. In the 1700s it was known as the Rancho San Jose. Later, it became known as the Mission San Gabriel Grazing Lands. It was later "given" (albeit not by the rightful inhabitants or owners) to two Spanish soldiers. By the 1800s it became known for its rich citrus crops, and when train transportation arrived in the 1870s, its future was set. Today, Pomona is highly urbanized. Its big money maker is the Los Angeles Fairgrounds, known as the "Fairplex," which includes a horse racing track. My wife Holly and I are planning on going to the Los

When I was very young I was fascinated by my grandfather's books. Some were incredibly old and smelled funny. Years later I learned that the acrid smell was a type of mold often found on old books. Many used book stores reek of it. Initially, I wasn't allowed to touch "Grampa Bill's" books. After I learned to read when I was four, I was permitted to look through them only if supervised. When it was seen that I took care of the books, I could look at them on my own. Most of the books were fairly standard. There was a collection of Shakespeare that was very old and rare. They are now in my library and, regrettably, they're in very fragile condition. One book that intrigued me, and that

The other day I was on a radio show (click HERE to listen to archive) and a listener reminded me of an exercise I wrote about, so I thought I'd share it with you. Learning the meanings of the cards is the first step in learning to read the cards. The next step is developing the skill to form cards into coherent stories that convey a useful message about the question. There are lots of ways to practice this skill. A common one is to shuffle and lay out 3 - 5 cards and simply tell a story, starting with the first card and ending with the last. One thing readers learn is that certain card combinations will come up for similar situations or answers. This exercise will help with the