Complete Book of Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot by Sasha Graham Recently we posted about Stuart Kaplan’s generous foreword to this remarkable work. Keeping with the theme of beginnings, let’s look at how Sasha’s investigations into the creators of this deck shaped her ideas about the Fool. This book isn’t just a triple biography (Waite, Smith, and Kaplan) but also a close examination of the creation and meaning of the deck itself and an in-depth study of the symbols in each card. The Fool "Stories can be sung, some painted, some written in poetry or prose. But all stories can be told, and told so that every human being can understand them." ~ PCS The Evening

The beginning of a new year always makes me think about, well, new beginnings. And what says “beginning” more than the Fool? So, what we’re going to do is start this fresh, shiny new year by looking at the Fool. Then we’ll look at the other Majors in order, along with their corresponding Minors. That is, we’ll look at the Magician, then all the Aces; the High Priestess followed by the 2s, etc. If something else catches our attention along the way, well, we’ll just follow our fancy and trust the Universe. Much like our friend, the Fool. Currently, we see the Fool as something of a hero. Indeed, we often look at the Major Arcana as a journey that the Fool takes, likening him

This will be my last post from Minnesota until August. The Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI) honored me by inviting me to be their keynote speaker at their conference this weekend. They have asked me to present two workshops and I have had a lot of fun preparing for them. The first one is called How the Fool’s Journey Becomes Your Journey. And is based on an article written by Rachel Pollack in the 2001 Llewellyn Tarot Calendar. I’ve played with this spread for almost ten years and love it. In this workshop, I present how the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana illustrate the quintessential Fool’s Journey. Following the Fool’s travels through the cards is a great

In my last post, I mentioned some questions that I've been considering lately. Based on the lack of response, save from my friend Mark, I wonder if these questions do not interest you as much. But they keep coming up for me in different conversations with various colleagues. I've been wondering a lot about the future of tarot but having no ideas what that future may hold. Rachel Pollack's comment about tarot being an art form in and of itself  has triggered some inkling of a possibility of maybe an idea or two. I asked "are all decks meant to be read with?" Not long ago I would have answered with a resounded and confident "yes!" What good is a deck that isn't designed for ease of use?