When the troubles of the world overwhelm, read some Dumas — and the troubles of the past are there to distract you! All the terrible things that happened in the past are there to amuse and/or horrify you as entertainment. Perspective, I guess? I recently learned that Etteilla turns up as a character in Alexandre…
Tag: Etteilla
Tarot Cultures
Let me first say that Tarot Cultures was fantastic. Jess, Helen, James, and Vana not only had the daunting task of wrangling an international conference of folks coming from all over the globe, but due to a strike action and a refusal to cross the picket line (solidarity!) they had to move the entire thing…
TABI Midwinter Conference
I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be talking about my translation The Art of Drawing Cards and The Tarot at the TABI Midwinter Conference 24-5 January. I’m just one of a dozen speakers that weekend so what a great opportunity for TABI members. What’s TABI? The Tarot Association of British and International members. While it…
Out Now: The Art of Drawing Cards and The Tarot
The Art of Drawing Cards and The Tarot Aldegonde Perenna, The Polish Sibyl There’s nothing quite like this tarot book. The editors of this curious 1826 volume threw in every method they could find for reading and playing cards. Cartomancy in nineteenth century France was not a world without rules, but one with too many!…
Irreverent Tarot 11: Etteilla’s Creation
ETTEILLA & CREATION The Grand #Etteilla, featuring his thematic desire to encode the creation story into the opening sequence of cards — and why his Fool and Magician are in such unexpected locations. Also a bit about the astrological associations he gives the cards. If you’re unfamiliar with the first professional cartomancer from the 18th…
Irreverent #Tarot 8: The Fool
Episode 8: Mostly the Fool card. Some quick thoughts with a few different examples and why it seems to permeate life at present. The Fool steps into the abyss: foolish or hopeful? Is the Fool deranged or just using that as a disguise? The Jester v The Vagabond–or are they all just disguises? Almost everybody…