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A New Direction for Tarot Update
by Mark McElroy
Remember the good old days when ice cream came in two flavors? When televisions received just three networks? When Henry Ford offered customers any color car they wanted ... as long as they wanted black?
Back then, even buying a Tarot deck was simple. At our local bookstore, Tarot decks came in just one flavor: Rider-Waite. The deck came in just one size: big. And I could have any color box I wanted, as long as it was hot, bright yellow. Today, we live in a world of options. Ice cream parlors offer a minimum of thirty-one flavors. My DirecTV receives more than two hundred channels in both standard and high definition. When shopping for cars, I can buy from dozens of manufacturers - from Acura to Volvo - in any of several hundred colors. And yes, these days, even oracles come with options. As anyone even remotely interested in Tarot knows, the lonesome Rider-Waite now has ample company. Tiny bookstores in small towns frequently carry half a dozen decks. My local metaphysical shop stocks more than a dozen. Even here in the buckle of the Bible belt, I have on-demand access to more than fifty unique decks through Borders, Books-a-Million, and Barnes & Noble. With this variety, though, comes confusion. As Tarot becomes increasingly mainstream, the question I hear most is no longer "Aren't Tarot cards demonic?" Instead, the number one question—the favorite of bewildered first-time buyers and curious students alike—is, "What deck should I buy?" To read more of this article, check out the Llewellyn Journal article The Deck Is Out There by Mark McElroy. New from Mark McElroy: The Da Vinci Tarot Kit |
In April, I attended the 
The Quest Tarot author: Joseph Martin Holistic Living Expo Free Lecture May 21, 2006 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Wyndham Hotel San Jose, CA For more info call: 1-800-722-7330 Tarot Journaling author Corrine Kenner Tarot MeetUp May 21, 2006 3 - 4:30 p.m. Betsy's Back Porch Cafe Minneapolis, MN 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card author Mary K. Greer will hold several events in the upcoming months: Booksigning May 23, 2006 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The Bookseller Grass Valley, CA For more info call: 530-272-2131 Tarot Workshops for the Living Tarot Meetup May 26 - 28, 2006 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Dallas, TX For more info inquire by email here Tarot Play with The Shining Tribe Tarot author June 11 - 16, 2006 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The Omega Institute Rhinebeck, NY Booksigning and Talk June 30, 2006 7 - 9 p.m. East West Books Sacramento, CA The Complete Tarot Reader author Teresa Michelsen teaches online classes Starting soon: Elemental Influences in Tarot and Life Click here for more info, and to sign up! Tarot Tips authors Ruth Ann Amberstone and Wald Amberstone teach ongoing classes on Monday evenings 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. SLC Conference Center 352 Seventh Avenue 16th Floor New York City For more info call: 800-804-2184 Give me more! If you enjoy receiving the Tarot Update check out our other Bi-monthly eNewsletters. Llewellyn's Astrology- and Pagan-themed eNewsletters include articles from the experts and also feature exclusive sale notifications. Click to sign up. For more Tarot and book-related events, check our Events Schedule. |
