Category Archives: The Magician

Happy Solstice!

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June 21st marks a turning point in the year.

It’s when the Earth takes a pause in its tilt towards or away from the Sun. It appears to take stock of its progress, before moving in a new direction.

We can do the same!

If it’s the Winter Solstice where you are, it’s a good time to do this…

Two of Pentacles: Weigh up what you care about most

Then you can…

The Magician: Set goals for the year ahead

The Winter Solstice is Nature’s New Year!

If it’s the Summer Solstice where you are, stop and do this…

Seven of Pentacles: Reflect on your progress

The Summer Solstice is a good time to celebrate your achievements, and fine-tune your goals for the second half of the year.

But what does the word solstice mean?

Page of Swords: Learning about words

The word solstice comes from Latin. Sol meaning Sun and sistere meaning to stand still. Originally, we thought the Sun leaned towards us, instead of us towards it.

In celebration of the solstice, I’ve just submitted the latest chapter of The Tarot Teaclub to Amazon for publication. I’ll let you know when it’s available to read.

Happy Solstice everyone!

The Tarot Teaclub Series: The Magician

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As some of you know, I’ve spent many years working on a Tarot book series called The Tarot Teaclub.

Each chapter focusses on one card, and follows the adventures of 12 people (and one cat) as they journey through the Major Arcana.

It’s a chance for you to see the cards in action. Actually live the Tarot!

The second book in the series, The Magician, is available now on Amazon Kindle.

It will be free to download for the next couple of days (4/14/21-4/15/21) and on the 21st of each month. As will the first book in this series, The Fool.

Let me know what you think! I’m new to this writing biz and am always up for feedback 😃

The Tarot of Good Friday

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On Good Friday, we remember the story of Jesus’ death. He was crucified on a cross. Nailed by his hands and feet to the wood. Struggled to draw breath for hours on end. Until eventually he passed away.

It is said that he suffered on that cross so all of us may live. That God loved us so much, he sent his only son to suffer public humiliation and death. This belief is at the very heart of Christianity.

Which seems like a strange notion, when you think about it! Why did Jesus have to die to heal our broken relationship with the divine? Wouldn’t a lifetime of preaching and miracles have been equally as affective?

Traditionally, Good Friday is celebrated by Christians as this…

Five of Cups: A day of mourning

The death on the cross always reminds me of this Tarot card…

The Hanged Man: Waiting for something to shift

Which doesn’t seem a really good fit for the story of Good Friday on the surface. Although it does proceed this card…

Death: Major change

And Jesus’ death did precipitate a major change in world history: It spawned a whole new religion!

But for me, this event feels more like this card…

Judgement: Being called to serve others

The Son of Man himself did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

Sacrifice was an important notion in the ancient world. A central creed. By the prehistorical era, it had been twisted into acts of animal, and even, human sacrifice. Jesus’ death was the ultimate example of this. But before we lost our memory of the origins of human civilisation, back when we lived in the forest and worshipped in the cave, it wasn’t an obligation imposed by our gods. It was an act of appreciation. A nod of recognition to the plants and animals that gave their lives in our food, so that we may live.

This was the original meaning of reconciliation.

Our ancestors wrestled with the knowledge that our lives came at the cost of others. To resolve that conflict they maintained an attitude of gratitude towards every creature that provided support and nourishment for humanity. Created customs to formalise that acknowledgement. Life is a great gift. And when we lived in nature, we were much more cognisant of that fact.

Which puts me in mind of this card…

The Magician: Having attitude

When we appreciate the magic of our very existence in this universe, when we treat every being on this planet, beit animal, plant or mineral, with respect, we will find ourselves on a richer and more fulfilling path.

That’s what Tarot teaches us!

The Tarot of Bridgerton

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Like many others, I spent the Christmas-New Year period glued to Bridgerton on Netflix. An 8 part series produced by the wonderful Shonda Rhimes. Based on a series of Regency romances written by Julia Quinn in the noughties.

Let’s investigate the Tarot of Bridgerton, shall we?

Obviously, it falls under this category…

The Lovers: Romance

As is typical of this literary genre, the female protagonist Daphne is…

The Fool: A naive ingenue

And the male protagonist, the Duke of Hastings, is…

Knight of Wands + The Devil: Dashing and damaged

They both come from…

Ten of Wands: Wealthy families

The plot is centred around Daphne’s attempt to…

Four of Cups: Get married to another member of the ton – a word used to reflect a member of English high society during this period of history

In order to improve her chances of appearing desirable, and, so he can avoid appearing available, she and the Duke make a pact to…

The Lovers Reversed: Pretend to fall in love

And we all know what happens when characters pretend to be in love…

The Magician: They create that reality!

But before there is any chance of a happily ever after…

Seven of Wands: They must battle many obstacles…

Not least of which is…

The Moon: Their own personal faults

One of the things I love about this series is the rich array of supporting characters, whose own stories are explored in some depth.

There’s the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony, head of Daphne’s family…

The Emperor Reversed: A dysfunctional autocrat

Daphne’s mother, who sometimes provides…

The High Priestess Reversed: Terrible counsel

My personal favourite is Eloise, Daphne’s slightly younger sister…

Seven of Wands + The Empress: A raging feminist

Also notable is Eloise’s best friend, Penelope Featherington…

Three of Cups Reversed: The wallflower at every ball

There’s also the mysterious Lady Whistledown, who provides biting commentary on the London season, without ever revealing her true identity…

Knight of Swords Reversed + Seven of Swords: A sneaky barbed wit

Bridgerton has been brilliantly created by Shonda’s protege, Chris Van Duesen, who is an absolute…

King of Wands: Master of his craft

The tone is…

Six of Cups: Hyper-reality

The books and the era have been…

Wheel of Fortune: Given a modern spin.

This allows the series to have interesting conversations about…

The Empress + The World: The role of women in society

There is even more to Bridgerton that that.

Watch it for yourself and see!!!

Swedish Soccer Jerseys

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The national female soccer team in Sweden has included inspirational quotes on their team jerseys, rather than the players’ names. The aim of these phrases is to inspire and motivate women to show anything is possible.

The Swedish Football Association asked each of the players to pick tweets from prominent Swedish women to appear on the back of their jerseys. Selected phrases included ‘Women want different things’ and ‘Never look down on someone unless it is to help her up’.

Other jersey tops include the phrases… Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday: Tarot’s Holy Book Part 1

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I’ve written before about how Tarot contains a holy book that charts the journey of a human soul through all the stages and experiences of life. I call these cards Life Lessons Tarot. But they’re better known as the Major Arcana.

These lessons are divided into three parts.

The first volume covers childhood. As follows… Continue reading →

The Tarot of Westworld

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I finally got around to watching Westworld. Despite many recommendations from friends, I didn’t like it’s misogynistic overtones. Of course, once I started, I couldn’t stop. Which doesn’t mean it was perfect.

Here are my many thoughts on the Tarot of Westworld.

But beware, spoilers after the cut… Continue reading →

Tarot’s Lesson on Addiction

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I read an interesting article today that suggests the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It’s connection. Apparently there’s a lot of research to back up this statement. It also makes sense. Emotional trauma and loss are often at the core of addiction.

You can find the article here: http://upliftconnect.com/opposite-addiction-connection/.

Of course, all addictions are not created equal. You can addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. You can also be addicted to coffee, or in my case, milk for forty years. Some cause more damage than others. But they all cause damage. We all want solutions.

Tarot actually has a lesson to teach about addiction, which goes something like this…

Continue reading →

The Tarot Of Reading

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Recently I stayed up reading till 6am. I’m hopeless. Once I start a good book I find it hard to put it down. For that reason I limit myself to reading on the holidays. Otherwise I’d get nothing done, lol. Three recent favorites are above. Let’s explore the Tarot of Reading, shall we?

Continue reading →