Blogging at The Tarot Room

Hello Tarot Friends!

The Tarot Room has been changing things up! New blog updates can now be found at thetarotroom.com

Come join me there! - georgianna

Jimmy Carter Intrigued by Parapsychology

I haven't had the chance to read Jimmy Carter's newest book, White House Diary yet, but apparently, he has some good things to say about the CIA using parapsychology for intelligence gathering.

According to Politico.com, an entry from his diary on April 11, 1979 says “Both we and the Soviets use these parapsychologists on occasion to help us with sensitive intelligence matters, and the results are unbelievable.”

Later in the book while reflecting on this point, Carter comments, “The proven results of these exchanges between our intelligence services and parapsychologists raise some of the most intriguing and unanswerable questions of my presidency. They defy logic, but the facts are undeniable.”

Of course the CIA is adamant that they no longer engage in any sort of parapsychology research. But I wonder … did they tell us they were using it last time they did?

Anyway, good stuff Jimmy! I can’t wait to read the book.

Romanian Senate Won't Tax Fortune Tellers

Romanian witches and fortune tellers are not to be messed with.

The senate there recently rejected a move by Alin Popoviciu, of the ruling Democrat Liberal Party to tax witches and fortune tellers and to make them liable for flawed predictions.

According to Popovicu, the senate rejected the proposition because they were afraid angry seers might retaliate and curse the whole lot of them.

Click here for the full story.

Morgan's Tarot

I got a new deck the other day called Morgan’s Tarot. It’s not really a Tarot deck. There are 88 cards (not 78), no majors, no minors, no numbers at all. So I guess it’s an Oracle Deck that calls itself Tarot, but I don’t mind. And normally I would.

Typically I’m not drawn to Oracle decks. And certainly they shouldn’t be running around calling themselves Tarot if they’re not, but I’m crazy about this one and will let all such details slide.

It was created by Morgan Robbins and illustrated by Darshan Chorpash in the ‘60s and first published in 1970. The images are simple sketches in black and white, clearly inspired by the counterculture new age of its time.

I came across it quite accidentally while looking at decks on sale at a website I soon discovered did not deliver to Canada. But Amazon does and they had a few copies so I got one. I was drawn to the sketches and lack of colour. Don’t get me wrong – colour is great, but I was really attracted to the simplicity in these drawings.

Anyway …. the deck arrived and I love it. The first few readings I did with it where not only dead on, but very funny. It’s a deck with a serious sense of humour (or at least one that shares my humour). I’ll give you an example here ….

Having had the deck for only a few hours, I hadn’t really looked through all the images. I decided it would be more fun to get to know it slowly through reading with it rather than by studying it card by card.

So I asked it about my ‘psychic’ work, and whether or not I was on the right track (nothing like checking in now and again to make sure). I pulled three cards ….

The first one I drew showed a picture of a theatre with a full audience watching some performers on stage. Under the image it said, “Who is watching The Cosmic Drama”. My first thought of course was ‘Me!”. Then I turned over the next card.

There was a picture of a sun low on the horizon and a person standing on a beach watching it rise (or go down) while holding something in front of them (I thought it was a guitar for some reason). But it was what the words underneath said that floored me …. “Let George Do It”.

I’m George!!!! This deck has a card with my name on it! Really. I can still hardly believe it. And yes, I’m always busy watching the Cosmic Drama. That’s exactly how psychic work feels to me.

The final card I drew had a heart on it, one that seemed to be resting a little, comfortable and just there. Underneath the image it said “You Are Our God’. I don’t know who’s God I am, but if they’re connected with this deck, I like it. I’m guessing though it really meant that I’m my own God, or that God is within. In fact it said as much in the randomly unorganized Little White Book that accompanied the cards.

Quite a message, quite a deck. All in all, I have to say that Morgan’s Tarot is a joy to read. It’s crazy it’s taken me so long to find it, but now that I have I believe we’re going to be good friends. I recommend it to all lovers of divination and good solid advice be they Tarot readers or not. This deck likes to talk with everyone. And it’s well worth taking a listen.

How Do Tarot Cards Work - from the source ...

Though I’ve been using Tarot cards for a long time now – abut 17 years, I still can’t say that I know how they work. I know they do, but ‘how’ remains a mystery. I have lots of ideas, and have read and listened to many other people’s ideas, but so far, no answer has been completely satisfying.

So today I decided to go to the source itself. It seems sort of obvious – why haven’t I done this before!? What do my own Tarot Cards have to say about how they work?

Their answer - the Three of Cups. Three women dancing in a circle raising their golden chalices to the sky in praise of something they’re very pleased about. They wear dresses of pink, red and blue. Flowers bloom below them.



A beautiful card – ruled by the ‘grand-mother’ herself – the Empress. This card makes me think of the three dancing ladies in the 70's animated movie The Point . Little Oblio and his dog Arrow discover the ladies in a meadow by the Pointless Forest. When the ladies see them, they bring them into the fun, tossing them around from one happy belly to the next.

Is this card saying that Tarot works through an interchange between humans and dancing angels? If they catch you peeking they’ll play with you? Or could it be that the Tarot is for ‘entertainment’ purposes only – as must be specified by all readers in the UK?

There's lots of good feeling here, and a general sense of joyousness pervading the whole scene. Could it simply be that the cards work through joy? Through the abundant love of the goddesses? I think I need another card for clarification ….

And it’s the Knight of Pentacles. This knight sits on a brown horse, wearing his silver armour. In his hand he holds a golden disk. He looks over a fertile field.



The seeds have been planted, The Knight of Disks tends his fields, watches them grow and does the work necessary to change the potential of a seed into something tangible. This knight represents building and movement. But it's steady, practical, careful and well-planned. He’s not into rushing in with the fools. He wants things to be clear, rational and unemotional.

Quite frankly, I think the cards are skirting my question. It seems to me, that instead of telling me 'how Tarot Cards work', they’re telling me 'how to work with Tarot Cards'.

The Three of Cups points to the joyousness inherent in connecting with the divine – even if it’s just through some cardboard pictures. And it’s true, if you approach readings with joy and love and sharing, they pay you back in kind.

And the Knight of Pentacles – that’s how I think the Tarot, or any serious subject, should be approached. Steady, practically, carefully and with patient thought. It’s a topic to be learnt, not just felt. Time and effort must be expended as one develops as a reader.

Intuition is natural, but in order to use it on a regular and ‘on-call’ basis, one has to practice. If there was ever someone willing to put in the work of practice, it’s the Knight of Pentacles.

So …. I got an answer, maybe not the one I was looking for, but useful none the less. “How the Tarot works’ remains a mystery. And maybe it always will. ‘How to Work the Tarot’ however, at least from an attitudinal perspective, has been answered. And that’s probably all that matters.

For now anyway …. ☺

Staying Bright When It's Dark by 4:30

Staying bright in the winter is a challenge for me. When 3 degrees above freezing is considered balmy, and the sun starts setting just after 4:15, I can’t help but get a little gloomy. But, since this is going to be the situation for at least another four months, and I don’t want to be miserable that long, I thought I’d ask my cards for a little ‘how to get through the winter’ coping advice. Here’s what it said:

In the position describing the general energy surrounding my question, the Knight of Swords appeared. In the RWS version of the card, a young knight is travelling at top speed on an energetic white horse. His sword is in the air, his red cape and feather plume are flying behind him, the clouds are ominous in the sky. Is that me!? It’s certainly how it feels outside today.



This figure seems to be charging into the storm. He’s not afraid of the wind or the snow. He’s got things to do and he’s moving so quickly he’s probably not cold at all. ‘Don’t coddle yourself’ is what I’m hearing. 'Move fast and face the weather head on! '

The second card drawn represents the suggested attitude to take during this cold, dark season. The card in this position is the 2 of Wands. A man in a stately cape and tunic stands holding a wand in his left hand, a globe in his right. He looks out across a gorgeous landscape of lush trees and ocean. Another wand is securely fixed to the balcony wall beside him.



Whenever I see this image I think of California – the sky has a soft haze (smog maybe), the ocean, the mountains, a celebrity mansion. It could be many places, but my deck knows me well. It’s almost a cruel joke that it gave me this card. Is the recommended attitude to be as I am when I’m in one of my favourite places? Maybe.

I think the card is trying to say that whether you’re in the light or the dark, the cold or the warm, it’s up to you to decide what you want your world to feel like. The fire is inside, not out, as is your perception of the universe.

And another thing …. if you hate it so much in the cold, you can always go find a warmer place. But if you decide to stay where you are, that’s your choice too. It’s about actually making a choice, accepting that choice, and moving forward with positive action. One thing this card is definitely not saying is to wallow around and complain.

And in the final position, the Emperor card appeared. Its placement describes the physical behaviour recommended by the deck. My first thought when looking at the image is that this guy has on a really warm outfit, and he’s wearing amour under it. I also notice he’s got long hair and a beard to keep him toasty. And what’s with that orange glow on the mountains? Is it the sun or a giant fire he’s built for himself?



Like the 2 of Wands, this card is about taking command of yourself and your own physical environment. But it’s taking the message to an even higher level. This is the Emperor we’re dealing with here, a Major player. What he decides is what happens.

This card asks us to take our world in hand and make it what we will. The Emperor is all about practical physical action. If you want to stay warm, put on a good coat. And if it’s illumination you're looking for, light a fire or turn on a lamp. If the snow buries your car, dig it out. The message is straightforward – determine what you want and make it happen.

So that’s the answer. No sugar for me. There’s work to do, and no time to waste on whimpering. Step up and face the season. Make my own warmth and sunlight. And maybe a trip south sometime between February and April is in order as well. We’ll see.

Till then, I’ll enjoy the relative mild outside right now, and this weekend I'll get my winter wardrobe together. The snow will be here soon and I'm going to be ready.

Mean Jean's Found Deck

My friend Mean Jean Brophey collects playing cards. Not such an unusual hobby except that she does it one card at a time. Some years ago, she started noticing individual cards lying on the street. She’d see them here and there and wonder how they got separated from their decks. After a while, she decided to start picking them up (for some reason always hoping for a 9 of Spades).

Today she’s got over 90 cards and is just 10 shy of a complete deck of 54 (if we include the Jokers). Of course there are duplicates and triplicates. She’s got four 4 of Spades and 8 Jokers. And some cards aren’t even from regular decks. There’s a property card from a Chinese game of Monopoly and a somewhat creepy one labeled ‘blowjob’ discovered on the floor of a strip club in BC. But most are your everyday Bicycle brand red or blue with diamonds on the back.



Mean Jean’s method of deciding whether or not to pick up a card is quite specific. If she comes across an entire deck or extremely large cluster of cards somewhere on the ground, she ignores them all. It’s primarily the lone wolves she’s looking for. The single 4 of Hearts laying on a sewer grate or an 8 of Spades beside some paint buckets in the alley.

There have been the odd exception to the lone card rule. For instance, once she and a friend were walking along an empty beach and came across what looked to be an entire deck floating on the ocean. In that case they plucked just one from the water – a Jack of Hearts. It’s a particular treasure.

Word has spread about Mean Jean’s collection and other people have started keeping an eye out too. I’ve personally added a few cards to the deck. It’s rare that I see a single playing card lying around, but unless it’s covered in something too disgusting to be involved with, I pick it up and bring it to my friend.

Though it’s not a Tarot deck, Mean Jean’s Found Deck loves giving advice. Its cards come from all over North America, and it enjoys sharing its unique perspective with anyone who cares to ask. So … in anticipation of the coming holiday season, we decided to ask Mean Jean’s Found Deck what it advises to make the most of this (potentially) wonderful time of year.

Mean Jean herself drew the cards. She pulled one to describe the spirit we should bring with us to our holiday activities, one for an emotional attitude to take, one for a positive direction of thoughts and finally, one about how we might physically behave.

Remarkably, all the cards she pulled had red backs (her eyes were closed while she was drawing) and red fronts! They were diamonds and hearts. Red and white just like Santa!



The first card drawn, representing the spirit of the season, was the 5 of Hearts. My take on this card is to turn it into the 5 of Cups and say that the spirit of the season is to forget all the sadnesses, fights, disappointments and other displeasures we’ve had with our family, friends and strangers and look at the healthy love in all these relationships. If it’s hard to find – look that much closer. There’s gotta be something.



But since this isn’t a Tarot deck, and we’re actually reading playing cards – I thought I’d take a peek in a book dedicated to just that. It’s called It’s All In The Cards by Chita St. Lawrence. Chita says the 5 of Hearts means: “small token/gift/little attention/a pleasant telephone call/surprise.” Apparently this card is all good and suggests a short period of time when gifts, visits and surprises abound. Couldn’t be more perfect for the holidays!

The second card in the spread represents the emotional attitude recommended by Mean Jean’s Found Deck. The card she pulled was the 4 of Diamonds. As a Tarot reader I translate that into the 4 of Wands. The emotional attitude suggested by this card is enthusiasm and celebration! Laughing, dancing and enjoying everyone you meet. Sounds good.



But Chita’s message is a little more somber. “decision/four corners” is what she says. There’s a suggestion of being at a crossroads, about ready to make a choice. The choice has a lot to do with the surrounding cards, in this case two rather happy ones. Maybe the choice is to be happy or not. Enjoy this time with your family and friends or be cranky at having to spend so much time and money on people you usually avoid. It’s up to you how you want to look at it. Sounds a little like that 5 of Hearts in the Spirit position – at least as interpreted from a Tarot perspective.

In the position of mental attitude, the card that appeared was the 6 of Hearts. Could it be more sweet? The 6 of Hearts in Tarot would be the 6 of Cups – a card of unbounded loveliness. It’s all about gratitude and sharing, letting those you love know you love them and appreciate them for all they are and all they’ve shared with you. There could hardly be a more beautiful mental attitude to take with you to every holiday gathering you attend.



Chita agrees. The book says “very nice trip or path”. It goes on to describe a time of pleasant passage, well-being and very enjoyable ventures. Highlighted are family, friends, personal trips, dates, parties. Even excursions to the mall!! “Any steps taken are pleasant.” If we can pull off this mental attitude, the holidays will be fantastic!

And finally, in the physical position, Mean Jean pulled the 10 of Hearts (I’m starting to think she’s not so mean after all). The 10 of Hearts would be the 10 of Cups in Tarot, a card typically pictured with a happy family enjoying life under a rainbow. The suggested physical behaviour to engage in this season is loving and enjoying your family and friends. Could the message be hitting home any harder?



Apparently it can. According Chita, the 10 of Hearts means “great joy”. In playing card speak, this card is a straightforward positive representation of exceptional happiness and well-being.

That about does it then. “Joy, Happiness, Gratitude, Love and Good Will to All” is the message from Mean Jean’s Found Deck. Whether you read them as Tarot cards or playing cards, the message is the same. Love as much as you can!!

Start this Holiday Season right and listen to a deck that’s really been around. I think it knows its stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans!! And thanks Mean Jean for sharing your cards with us.