Blog
Interview with Ciro Marchetti
Over ten years ago, when Llewellyn Publications asked Ciro Marchetti to do the artwork for a new deck (The Gilded Tarot) he didn’t know anything about Tarot, but he’s come a long way since then. I had the pleasure of meeting Ciro at the UK Tarot Conference in 2013....
The Hierophant
Depending on your background, your response to the Hierophant card will be different from another Tarot reader. Some will see it as an oppressive view of religion, others will see it as a card of spiritual guidance. In the days of old, Hierophants were the high...
The Empress of Today
In today's world, The Empress of Suburbia is a caring woman who mothers her children (and anyone else's children who happen to wander by) with kindness and sensitivity. In the Rider-Waite deck, The Empress is the embodiment of womanhood. She is an expression of Mother...
Pamela Colman Smith – Tarot Artist
Outside of the Tarot community, no-one knows her name…but to those with a leaning to Tarot, we are indebted to the visual interpretations of Pamela Colman Smith: the artist of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Pamela Colman Smith (known to her friends as ‘Pixie’) was born...
The Kings and Queens of the Tarot
If you were asked to look at the Kings and Queens of each suit, one of the first things that you would notice is the crown. What does it symbolise? I imagine that most of you will say, ‘authority’. That’s correct, but that is just an intellectual response to the...
Can You Do Readings For Yourself?
Back in 1997 I went to an International Tarot Conference run by the Tarot Guild of Australia. At that event a presenter asked the group if anyone read Tarot cards for themselves. I put up my hand. “I do. What’s the good of being able to read Tarot if you don’t use...
A ‘Tower’ Experience
I recently ran a Tarot Skills class. To start the session we drew three cards from the Major Arcana. The first card was to show my role as a teacher. I shuffled the cards and withdrew the image called Temperance. As I looked at this card I noticed the flow of energy...
Meditation with Tarot Cards
There are two ways to get to know the meanings of the Tarot cards…the hard way and the easy way. The hard way is to try and learn all of the interpretations. The easy way is to discover the meanings for yourself. You can spend years studying Tarot books and learning...
Tarot Spread for the Year
At the beginning of a new year, it's always interesting to do a Tarot reading to give insight about the months ahead. I've created a new spread that shows what you can expect, and more importantly, what you can gain from the experiences of each month. Shuffle your...
The Gods & Goddesses of Tarot
The main characters in Tarot cards are drawn from stories of myth and magic — and understanding the energy of these archetypal figures in the cards can give your readings deeper meaning. For example, while looking at The Magician, consider the tales of the Greek God...
Verification Cards
Back in 1997 I went to my first International Tarot Conference and I met someone who had a profound impact on my understanding of Tarot. His name was James Wanless, the creator of Voyager Tarot. He was one of the guest speakers at the conference and his approach to...
International Tarot Conference 2013
What do you get if you take some of the world’s top Tarot authors and mix them with 100 enthusiastic, professional Tarot readers? You get a stimulating and inspirational weekend conference. It’s an event to reawaken your passion for Tarot. At the venue there was a...
Soul Readings with Tarot
If you want to know the current stage of your spiritual growth, separate the Major Arcana from your Tarot deck, and hold those cards face down in front of you. Fan them out and tell yourself you are going to choose three cards to reflect the past, present, and future...
Book Review – ‘Tarot Masters’
Book Review - 'Tarot Masters' by Kim Arnold: In her book Tarot Masters, Kim Arnold, founder of the UK Tarot Conference, has created a delightful collection of Tarot wisdom. It features articles from the biggest names in the Tarot world: Alfred Douglas, Caitlin...
The Marseille Tarot Deck
While visiting Paris I was given a Rider-Waite deck with French titles on the cards. And from a Tarot point of view, this was fascinating because the manufacturers had used the images from the modern Rider-Waite deck, but they combined them with the titles from the...