New Tarot Deck In Search of a Publisher!

Today on Tarot Notes, it is my pleasure to introduce and interview Kerri Shawn McIntire, creator of the currently-under-construction CemeTarot© (_Witch Hazel Press_).

This deck is a magical blend of graveyard imagery (featuring photographs taken by Kerri) and plant symbolism featuring pressed botanic material. Colors, graveyard images, and plants are carefully chosen to correspond to the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Court Cards of the Tarot.

Kerri is currently finishing up the CemeTarot© cards and writing a guidebook to accompany the deck. At this time, she is actively seeking a publisher.

The name of this deck is pronounced like “cemetery” (only it’s “CemeTarot”) – a clever way to refer to the central images on the cards, which are photographs of graveyard monuments and imagery.

Kerri writes on the _Witch Hazel Press_ web site: “My interest in cemeteries began when I was a young child. I grew up in rural southern Indiana and my mother, who was a bit of a local historian herself, would take me to graveyards to find the headstones of the people she was researching.”

I love the concept and execution of this deck, and I can readily identify with Kerri’s interest in graveyard monuments. While doing research on Chicago history for two books I wrote (_It Happened in Chicago and Chicago Curiosities_ by Scotti Cohn), I encountered many fascinating monuments. One of my favorites images is “Eternal Silence,” a sculpture by Lorado Taft that stands in _Graceland Cemetery_ on North Clark Street.

But enough about me! Let’s find out more about Kerri S. McIntire and The CemeTarot©!

Tarot Notes (TN): Welcome to Tarot Notes, Kerri! Can you tell us a little about your experience with the deck of 78 cards we call Tarot?

Kerri S. McIntire (KSM): I have been working with Tarot cards for more than 25 years now, and am most familiar with the imagery/meanings of the Rider-Waite-Smith and Crowley-Harris decks. I based most of my CemeTarot compositions on these classic Golden Dawn / Thoth Tarots.

TN: What made you decide to incorporate both plant symbolism and graveyard imagery in your deck?

KSM: The choice to surround the graveyard pictures with pressed botanics - insect wings, flowers, and leaves - was made both to enhance the meaning and the design of the cards.

TN: Can you give an example of how the plant symbolism and graveyard images work together to express the energy of a specific Tarot card or cards?

KSM: One of my favorite integrations of plant meaning with the cemetery image is from the LOVERS. Here, the pressed orchids and roses that wreath the image of two clasped hands not only mean "love", but the blend of white and red roses says "unity" in the language of flowers. I also used astrology to choose the right plants for the cards. The EMPEROR is bordered by holly and thistle, plants that are, like the Emperor himself, ruled by Mars and Fire.

TN: As you worked on the deck, did you find any particular card to be especially challenging or especially rewarding?

KSM: The thing I actually did find most challenging was attaining the materials I wanted. I had to knock on the doors of total strangers to ask if I could take flowers from their gardens. To get the hawthorn leaves for the STAR card, I had to ask a very nice lady I met on the internet to mail them to me. I also got moth wings through the mail from my mother. Although the photographs on the cards are all my own, the surrounding borders truly took a village!

The cards that I found most rewarding to create featured gravestone shots that echoed the traditional pictures in a unique way. A good example of this is the Eight of Wands. The RWS image depicts eight staves flying through the air. My corresponding card has the Jewish symbol of the Cohanim Hands, in which the eight fingers are extended straight out.

Another RWS example is the Nine of Swords, where a distraught figure sits up, head in hands. The statue in my card is an almost perfect reflection of that despair. You would think the challenge would be to find upbeat imagery in a cemetery, but I found rainbows, suns, flowers, and epitaphs that all conveyed very positive messages.

TN: When do you anticipate that the deck will be available for purchase? 

KSM: I'm not sure when the deck will be available for sale. I'm hoping interviews in such wonderful blogs as Tarot Notes will help me find a publisher : ) If any readers like what they see on my website, I hope they will pass along the link - you never know who might end up seeing it!

To see more pictures of these wonderful cards, 

visit the _Witch Hazel Press_ web site!

An Interview with Tarot Draconis

After I wrote my review of this deck (which can be read HERE), the dragons strongly suggested that I take a moment to interview the deck, and that I share that interview on this blog. I do not say “no” to dragons (or at least not often!)

I am using my THREE-CARD INTERVIEW.

1....................2.....................3

Tarot Draconis

by Davide Corsi

Llewellyn / Lo Scarabeo 

1. What would you like me to understand about you?
THE HANGED MAN

I would like you to understand that I believe in the value of sacrifice and dedication to an idea. Some would call me generous, and others would call me mad. I don’t care. I know that listening to me and heeding my messages will bring not death, but rebirth.

2. What would you like me to understand about myself?
NINE OF WANDS

Your sincerity allows you to rally others around a cause you champion. It is up to you to use that gift for destruction or for creation as you carry the torch lit by our Fire. [Note: The Golden Dawn links this card with the Moon in Sagittarius, my Sun Sign.)

3. What strengths and/or weaknesses do we have as a team?
TWO OF WANDS

In the Number Two, there is you and there is me. Together, our energy is that of Mars in Aries, and we can accomplish important things. No castle can resist our fire, no chain can subdue us. Our energies are in balance, reinforcing our strength as a team. Our weakness may be that we tend to push too hard, too fast, or too far. Sometimes strength is shown by holding back or being subtle, allowing Fire to warm and comfort without burning to a crisp!

Helen's Interview with the Vampyres

I am pleased to welcome Helen Howell and her new. . . um. . . "friends". . . to Tarot Notes.

Interview with the Vampyres
by Helen Howell
A new deck came to stay at my place this week: The Tarot of the Vampyres by Ian Daniel. I couldn’t wait to interview it and immediately sent an invitation up to its room. Would you believe it made me wait for a couple of days before saying it would grace me with its company tonight. Tonight! Oh my goodness that’s short notice. I sent a message back saying couldn’t they come tomorrow afternoon? I got a rather terse reply saying they never rose until the sun had gone down and it’s tonight or never. Pfft, who do they think they are— of course, silly me, it’s a Vampyre deck, when else would it come out except at night. (hurries away to get ready)

Okay the room’s tidied up and I got some blood oranges for the refreshment. Well it was short notice and the blood bank was closed. Besides, they always look so pale, a bit of vitamin C will do them good. I glance at the clock. It’s really late. I wonder when it will come down and who will be its spokesperson?

A gust of wind blows the door open and two bats flutter through and fly to the top of the window, where they settle. The air feels algid as a cloudy haze floats into the room. I hold my breath as I watch it take the form of the Empress. She’s beautiful. She glides across the floor; the rustle of her skirt is the only sound to be heard.

“Welcome. Come in. Sit down.”

She moves to the chair opposite me. I notice her eyes are dark, alluring.

She stares at me. Shall we get on with it? Ask your questions I will do my best to translate my brother and sister cards' replies.

“Yes, of course. But would you like a blood orange before we start?” I hold the plate out with the ruby segments.

She wrinkles her nose. Fruit, are you mad?

“But they’re blood ora........” I never finished my sentence before she holds up a hand adorned with pointed red nails.

Enough. Ask your questions.

I feel her eyes wash over my neck. My heart skips a beat as my hand touches my throat. “First question:

1: Use one word to describe yourself - The Star
 Liberation

“Ah, yes I understand why you would choose that. Perhaps you see yourself as a means to liberate the questioner from their situation?”

Is that the next question? She glances up to the top of the window. Come here darlings. The bats descend to rest one on each of her shoulders.

“Oh no, I was just thinking aloud.”

Question number 2:
2: What would you say makes you different from other decks? - The Priestess

Ah that’s the secret isn’t it, the difference I mean. I encourage you to create your own outcomes by helping you to accept the multitude of possibilities that exist. How do I do this? Rather than tell you what will be, I help you to unlock that inner knowledge that resides within you, so that you too may become the Magician in creating your own new beginnings. I do not just show you what alternative possibilities or potential exists, I show you that you are the writer of your own story.

“Wow. So you don’t just predict, you encourage us to make our own decisions about things. I like the idea of being the Magician.”

Aren’t we all magicians in our own way? She leans forwards and spears two segments of blood orange with her nails, and hands one each to the bats.

“Oh my god they’re fruit bats.” I watch the two small creatures nibble at the segments.

Why, were you expecting something different? Her lips curl into a smile and the tips of her fangs glow in the soft light. Nature is a wonderful thing is it not. Next question, and hurry up it’s past my supper time.

Question number 3:
3. Why should I work with you? - The Hierophant

Simply because I’m here to teach you some important lessons that need to be learnt and understood in order for you to grow. I will be the link between your earthly existence and your spiritual one. By working with me I will instill within you a greater amount of trust in yourself and open your eyes to the bigger picture. I will urge you to find your own truth rather than follow the truth of others. Work with me and you will learn that knowledge is what gives you freedom of choice.

“That seems an excellent reason to work with you. Emm, would your bats like another piece of orange?” I hold the plate out but she brushes it away with a flick of her hand.

Are there any more questions? Her nails rattle on the wooden arm of the chair as she drums her fingers.

(Maybe she’s more than a tad hungry - I should hurry up.)

Question number 4:
4. How do you see me? - Lord of Sceptres Reversed.

I see you as one who has creative ideas and the will to set goals but at the same time you can lack structure and that holds you back from meeting the challenge of completing those goals. I’m here to help you form those structures so that you may follow your vision and bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. 

“Well, I suppose I do think about things a lot longer than I should, and yes I’m not necessarily interested in leading others, but more happy just jogging along. I guess you’ll gee me up in this area. I have one more question for you.

Question number 5:
5. What is to be gained from working together? - Two of Grails

That’s very simple to answer. Together we will be able to reconcile any opposing forces that exist, so that instead of working against you they work for you. It will be a new and fresh relationship that over a time will grow into something deeper. A relationship that is built on trust and honesty. I will always be honest with you. By working together we will forge an understanding that has the potential for a lasting friendship. This will form a union between us based on a greater understanding of not just yourself, but also me as your deck of choice.

“I shall look forward to that. Thanks for taking the time to come down and speak with me. I guess you must fly now as it’s gone midnight.”

Before I go, do you think I could have a small drink?

“Of course. What can I get you?”

Your wrist would be perfect.

“Eeek!” (holds out wrist and closes eyes)

Phantasmagoria (Tarot of the Vampyres) by Ian Daniels
Published by Llewellyn

An Interview with Mickie Mueller

I first *met* Mickie Mueller about a year ago through Etsy and Facebook. Mickie is a fantasy artist, illustrator, writer, and lecturer whose art can be seen in divination decks (Voice of the Trees, The Well Worn Path, The Hidden Path); in various new age and occult publications such as Llewellyn's Magical Almanac, Witchcraft & Wicca Magazine, The Witches' Voice, and Magickal Light Magazine. In her Etsy store, Mickie offers handmade gifts and jewelry in addition to limited edition and open edition prints. She even has a special Voice of the Trees shop, where you can purchase Voice of the Trees mugs, jewelry, bags, and more.

You can learn a lot more about Mickie on her web site at  http://www.mickiemuellerart.com/ . The site even includes a fascinating series of pictures showing how Mickie creates her gorgeous works of art: http://www.mickiemuellerart.com/Art-Step-By-Step.html.

Welcome to Tarot Notes, Mickie!

Tarot Notes (TN): You grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with prominent artists as parents. How did your surroundings and family life influence you?

Mickie Mueller (MM): Albuquerque is such an inspiring place to live, they call it “The Land of Enchantment!”  My parents knew all the big artists in town, and those artists all treated me like just another person, not how many adults treat kids talking down to them, artists are very open minded folks.  So lots of these people loved to show me techniques or chat about inspiration, and I grew up going to gallery shows and even sat in on some of the watercolor classes my dad taught.  There was always something creative going on in my life when I was a kid.  Every kid in town went to the State Fair, but my parents usually had a booth selling my dad’s paintings or my mom’s puppets or other crafts. Creativity and thinking outside the box was always encouraged.

a sconce I recently purchased from Mickie

TN:  When did you first become interested in the fairies, nature spirits, and goddesses living in the trees and forests? Have you had any experiences with those folk that you would like to share?

MM: When I was a kid, I used to think that the textured window in our bathroom was a magical portal to a castle on a hill.  Looking back, it was probably the neighbor’s house through the tree tops, but I believed.  My sister Robin, and my childhood friend Lisa and I all believed in magic, we just knew it was real, and I guess I never lost that.  I used to drive my teachers nuts daydreaming out the window! 

Being from the Southwest, I was always fascinated by the Native American concept that everything has a spirit or life force, then when I discovered my Celtic roots later on in life I found those same concepts in their spirituality and never turned back.  I remember believing in spirits of nature/fairies, and feeling their presence in the mountains near my home in Albuquerque and in the gardens my mom tended.  The house I lived in later in life here in Missouri had lots of fairy activity.  There was an old community well on the property near a circle of trees.  I remember one evening in particular in that house while my husband Dan and I were drifting off the sleep, we actually heard tiny bells making their way across our bedroom floor, and our cat didn’t wear bells. 

TN: You and your husband, Dan, ran a new age/metaphysical shop for a time. What did you like most and least about that?

MM: We ran that shop for a couple of years, it’s an experience we’ll never forget.  Dan and I both agree, the best thing about running a shop like that is all the people we got to meet and help along the way, people tell you their personal stories and ask for advice.  It’s very fulfilling to get to contribute in some small way to a person’s spiritual journey.  The vibe in the shop was great, it was a very uplifting place to be.  The hardest part about it was the long hours and dedication, you really don’t get a day off, even when the shop is closed your whole life revolves around the shop.  We’re doing that now also but in a much different way.   We run our online stores and I’m working full time as an artist and writer, but doing it from home.  It’s a lot of work, and also positively magical!

TN: I love that you add magical herbs to your paint. Can you tell us a little more about that?

MM: I came up with the concept long ago that I wanted to add magic to my art so that each piece is more that what you just see, but also what you feel.  When you work with watercolor paints, you use water mixed in with the paint so I decided that instead of just water, it could be an herbal infusion of herbs that would lend the right vibrations to the art that I was looking for.  If I’m working on a specific fairy or Goddess, etc. I ask myself what herbs are associated with this entity or concept and that’s what I use.  When I created Voice of the Trees, each piece had a bit of that tree infused into the watercolor.  I gather up my magical materials into a teaball, pour in piping hot water and let it steep.  Once it cools, I strain it though a coffee filter and that’s my watercolor water.  I use it to mix with the paint and create magic on my illustration board.  Sometimes I think this process wakes up my muse, gets me going and opens the flow of creative energy between subject and artist in a way that is very magical.  I do all of this with the specific intention that the vibrations created in the piece of art will carry over into all of the prints, cards, or anything made with that art.  Whether you have a print, coffee mug, or deck, the magic that created the art is accessible to you the same as it would be in the original. 

TN: You wrote a wonderful companion book for Voice of the Trees. What other writing projects have you been working on?

MM: I’ve been writing for the Llewellyn periodicals every year since 2006, mostly for the Magical Almanac and Spell-A-Day Almanac. I also get to illustrate for the Magical Almanac, so it’s really great to be able to contribute to those great publications every year.  I’m also writing materials for the class I’m offering at Pathways in St. Louis on the Celtic Tree Calendar and for those who can’t make it to St. Louis every month; I’m offering the class in an online version at my Voice of the Trees website.  It’s a really cool class, we do a different Celtic tree every month and I include lots of material, full color pages, printable candle labels and extras, spells and rituals for working with the Celtic trees.  Because this is a cyclical calendar that turns along with the Wheel of the Year, there is no beginning and no end to the class. I've broken this class down so that no matter what month you begin with, you will build tree wisdom and magical tree techniques while you cycle through the Celtic Tree Months.  The years worth of lessons will include over 200 pages of tree wisdom, and over 60 spells and rituals, it makes a really nice book when you’re all done. 

TN: I understand that you and Dan have adopted a grove of trees in the Caledonian Forest in Scotland. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

While doing research for Voice of the Trees I discovered Trees for Life in the U.K. They have lots of great information about the Celtic Trees, and one of the reasons for that is that they’re actually planting and growing them. There are areas all over the world where forests are in trouble, the Caledonian Forest in Scotland is one of them. Trees for Life is an organization working to replant and renew these areas by planting groves.  They allow people to adopt their own grove there to celebrate a birth, a wedding or in remembrance of a loved one, this helps fund the good work they’re doing over there.  Realizing that it takes trees to create a deck and book, it occurred to us that it would be a great idea to offset our footprint on the earth from the creation of this deck by planting a grove dedicated to Voice of the Trees, and replant trees in the areas where some of this great tree lore was born.  We decided to open it up so that anyone who feels moved to can be a part of this very special and magical grove by donating a tree, and forever be a part of the magic there in the Scottish Highlands.  You can find the link on the Voice of the Trees website.

TN: What's next for Mickie Mueller?

MM: What isn’t next?!  Haha! Creating art and writing full time is keeping me very busy.  Sometimes I have more ideas than I have hours in the day; I have to schedule my time to stay on task.  My next big project is very exciting, I’m working on artwork for a new deck, a tarot deck this time called Mystical Cats Tarot with fellow cat lover and traveler to the magical place where cats go, Lunaea Weatherstone who is doing the concept and book for this one.   We haven’t shown any of the art yet, as this project is in its early stages, but I can’t wait until we begin to show some of the pieces publically.  I’m very excited about this project, it will be like no other cat deck you have seen, slated for release by Llewellyn in 2014.  I also have a couple of book ideas brewing so we’ll see what comes of that.

TN: Anything else you would like to share with us? Words of advice? Words of caution? A favorite recipe?

MM: It’s so much easier in life to do what you’re supposed to according to society.  Sometimes other people might not like it if you don’t do things the way they want you to, they might try to impose their ideas of what your life should be upon you, herd you into their way of thinking and living, sometimes it’s the people you least expect. It’s so much easier not to rock the boat.  But sometimes the easy path is not the right path, sometimes you have to dream and dream big.  The big truth I’ve found is that what you focus on in life is what you get.  Never ever give up!  If you spend all your time thinking about how unhappy you are with your current situation, you just get more of the same.  Focus on what you want your life to be, and that’s where life will steer you.   The most powerful magic in the world comes from right inside you!  Be true to yourself no matter what and you can make your dreams come true.

-----------------
To read my review of Voice of the Trees, click HERE.

An Interview with Ana Cortez

Ana Cortez

Ana Cortez, the author of The Playing Card Oracles (A Source Book for Divination), describes the book as "the result of a remarkable journey that began more than twenty years ago, a journey not of miles but personal discovery." I invited Ana to join us here at Tarot Notes to talk about her journey and how we all might benefit from what she has learned.

Hello, Ana, and welcome to Tarot Notes: Major and Minor!

Tarot Notes (TN): I love the part of your book where you describe the first time you saw your father's paintings of playing cards. Would you tell our blog readers a little bit about that experience?

Ana Cortez (AC): Certainly! As I remember it, I was in the ninth grade, visiting Dad from out of state, as my parents were not together at that time. Well, my dad’s whole house was kind of like a museum of things strange, to begin with. One day he took me down the narrow creeky staircase to the basement to see his current project. There were teeny tiny rooms - dirt floors - stuffed with stacks of large paintings, the image for the King of Hearts in progress on the easel. He was weird looking, no doubt. Sort of ghostly with  flouncy vermillion attire. My dad showed me how the names of my sister and myself had been worked into the folds of the fabric on this King. Really, to me at the time, it was just one more curious thing my dad was doing.

TN: In the book you mention learning about reading the cards from a woman named Lainy and another woman called Laddy LaDoux. How did those experiences propel you along your path?

AC: Well, Lainy in particular made a huge impression on me in terms of card reading. She was equally as strange as the weird things my dad was collecting in his house. He took her in from the street and taught her card reading. He pasted together a 52-card deck for her using photographs of his paintings from the basement. She had such a peculiar and child-like way of looking at things. She existed in her own magical world. To me (at about age 18), it was the first adult I had ever seen who lived like a child. This is so important in tapping in to messages from the Spirit world - to be like a child. She taught me this.

TN: How old were you when you decided to write a book about reading the cards? Were you inspired or prompted by anything in particular at the time?

AC: I guess I was about 30 or 31 years old, on the heels of a crushing Saturn return. Writing the book was my therapy. Meditating on the cards was a way to focus my energy. Also, along with this, I felt a very palpable calling, or responsibility to write the book. The information that was coming through about the 52-card deck was so profound, so detailed, and so unlike anything else that my dad and I realized we had to document everything.

TN: Would you explain to our readers how a deck of playing cards can be seen as a "time machine"?

AC: Well, it actually is a time machine put into card form. This allows you to shuffle and cycle through time. The numerology in the deck is so obviously derived from natural time keeping. I hear people pull numerological correspondences together as proof for this and that just seems like such a stretch. The 52-card deck is not that way. It is plain, simple, and obvious.

• 52 cards are the 52 weeks of the year and the 52 years of the Mayan cycle.
• The 4 suits are the 4 seasons of that year. 
• The 13 cards in each suit represent the 13 weeks in each season. Did you know there are exactly 13 weeks in each season? I did not know that until I studied the cards. 
• If you add every number in the suit, you get 91 - and there are exactly 91 days in each season.
• 364 numbers total in the deck, corresponds to 364 days in the lunar year. The deck is a lunar or natural calendar. So we must use it as such. There is no known game that uses a calendar, except of course, the game of prophecy.

TN: Do you have a favorite memory or story about a specific reading that you did using the methods you describe in The Playing Card Oracles?

AC: Oh there are so many. I have been reading this way for so long. If I have to choose, it is typically the most recent reading I have done, because they linger with me. To me, to be a good reader, you are always learning from your cards - always maintaining that child-like perspective. When anything feels stagnant it is time to re-evaluate how you are doing your readings. My expectation with each reading is to be the child walking out the door into my very first snowfall.

TN: In the book, you write that geomancy "makes use of the seven original planets of astrology plus the North and South Nodes of the moon." How would you describe the degree of difficulty involved in using geomantic calculations with a playing card deck?

AC: Oh, it is so easy.  I am surprised at how many people assign difficulty to this aspect of the system before they have given it a try. It is as easy as throwing an I-Ching figure. Odd and even. It is not hard. Learning the meanings of the 52 cards and how to lay them out should be more intimidating than learning the 16 figures of geomancy. Plus, always, you pull in the information that is useful in a reading. Not everything on the table is relevant. The amount of information possible in a spread would be overwhelming if you attempted to analyze every single detail. That is not necessary to give a good reading.

TN: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

AC: I so appreciate the opportunity to give this interview, Zanna! The 52-card deck has existed under a veil for so so long. It is time for the gifts encoded here to come out into the open. We have been in the dark ages for so long, on so many levels. It is no coincidence that the secrets embedded in the deck so many centuries ago are coming out now (like everything else!!), as we approach the galactic center.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

To find out more about Ana Cortez and the Playing Card Oracles or to request a reading from Ana Cortez, please visit www.anacortez.com. I highly recommend listening to the recordings of her interviews on Transitions Radio out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, posted on that site!

To read my review of her book The Playing Card Oracles, please click HERE.

To see a practice reading I did with the Playing Card Oracles Divination Deck (with comments by Ana Cortez), please click HERE.

Interview with the Artist of the Tea Leaf Fortune Deck - Shawna Alexander

(NOTE: This interview was originally posted by Helen Howell.)

The lovely Tea Leaf Fortune Deck is a deck I have always wanted and so was disappointed when it went out of print. However U.S. Games Systems.Inc re-released it this Autumn and I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this wonderful little deck from a very dear friend.  It will be a gift I always treasure.

Being a watercolor artist myself, I was attracted to the artwork of this deck, its simplicity of style and colours. Shawna Alexander is the talented artist who illustrated this deck and I am delighted that she agreed to be interviewed on Tarot Notes.

Tarot Notes (TN) Hullo Shawna and welcome to Tarot Notes.  I know that our readers would love to know how you got into art?

Shawna Alexander (SA) - I always have had an artistic nature that seemed to manifest in some form or another.  It's something you're born with, a creative nature, and you either enhance it by teaching and learning along the way, or just dabble in it.  I chose to make it my life's path.  My creativity enriches my life in many ways.

TN: When Rae Hepburn asked you to illustrate these cards, were the illustrations your own visualisation or was it more of a collaboration with Rae?

SA: Rae presented detailed descriptions for the images that she had envisioned for each symbol or card.  I just put down on paper what her mind saw, and tried to portray the images as best as possible.  They were mixed media drawings done with an extremely fine tip pen, then watercolors and colored pencils.  The style that Rae desired was reminiscent of old world Chinese paintings, so there was a lot of that influence in there too.

TN: The cards themselves - how did you decide on the colour palette and or the tone of the deck?

SA: The colour palette was just staying in the mood of each card's meaning.  If the card was a dark, ominous cloud, then the colours were dark and heavy.  If the card was a beautiful rose, then I chose to use brighter, lighter hues.  The overall 'tone' of the artwork was based on traditional Chinese art.  They were detailed in a style that was to encourage the 'reader' of the deck to embrace the history of tea leaf reading. 

TN: I read in the accompanying book to the deck that your interest lies in ceramics. How different did you find designing artwork for this oracle deck as opposed to designing for ceramics?

SA: Ceramics...mainly tile decoration, came to me by chance, and is now a full time career.  It is a completely different art form, however I use my love of drawing in my tile work.  I also use glazes like regular paint, but instead it's on bisque tiles.  So, I still incorporate drawing and painting on a daily basis.  The illustrations for Rae's cards were fun because we were collaborating on the artwork, yet she allowed me much freedom to bring my own personal style into them as well.

TN: Have you done any other deck illustrations or do you plan to do so in the future?

SA: I have kept mainly to ceramic design, trying to grow my talents as a tile artist.  Drawing and painting will always be my passion, so we'll see what comes in the future.  I've recently started designing jewelry as my newest artistic endeavor.  Its just another outlet for my creative mind....it keeps evolving and changing, bringing in something new, but always keeping the old techniques as the basis to it all.  Nothing is mightier then what you can create with basic tools, like a pen and a piece of paper.  Nothing can go wrong with them.  Nothing to fix, they don't break and they're always accessible.  Simple, yet wonderfully perfect, like Rae's Tarot deck...nothing hard to understand or realize, just pure.  They're based on history, enlightenment, culture, fun, knowledge, intrigue and spirit.  I'm pleased to have had the opportunity to illustrate for her!

TN: Thank you so much Shawna for taking part in this interview and giving us some insight into the artwork creation of this deck.

Tea leaf Fortune Cards by Rae Hepburn- Illustrated by Shawna Alexander

Published by U.S. Games Systems Inc.

An Interview with Rae Hepburn (by Zanna)

I was first introduced to Rae Hepburn's Tea Leaf Fortune Cards in 2000, when I purchased the set published by Journey Editions, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd. In the very first reading I did with the cards, my husband (who is totally not into this sort of thing) pointed to one of the cards I had drawn and said, "That's talking about me, right there." Needless to say, I was impressed!

In May 2010, I wrote a post about this deck here at Tarot Notes. I did a sample reading in that post and noted that the deck was out of print.

While looking for additional information on the deck and its creators, I came upon a customer discussion at Amazon.com. There, I learned from Rae Hepburn that a new edition of the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards would be published by U.S. Games this fall. To read my review of this new set, click HERE.

I am thrilled that the cards can now find a whole new audience, and delighted that Rae Hepburn agreed to be interviewed for Tarot Notes: Major and Minor.

Tarot Notes (TN):  Hello, Rae, and welcome to Tarot Notes: Major and Minor! I'm sure our readers would love to know a little bit about you.  Could you tell us where you're from and how you became interested in divination?

Rae Hepburn (RH): I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north of England, just below Scotland.  Newcastle is one of the oldest cities in England and is built on the site of an old Roman fort that was built to keep the Scots from invading Britain.

It's difficult to say when I first became interested in divination as it is something I have done all my life.  Everyone in my family could read tea leaves, although some read them a lot better than others.  One aunt was an absolute whiz at reading symbols and everyone used to love having their fortunes told by her.  She helped me a great deal in recognizing symbols and how they connected.  In our family it was common to turn over the dregs of your morning cup of tea into your saucer, spin the cup three times and then read what kind of a day you were going to have.  This can be emulated very easily by picking out a single Tea Leaf Fortune Card each day to use as a guide.     

TN: Do you currently read tea leaves for yourself or others?

RH: Absolutely.  Although I have to admit that I use the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards much more than I use tea leaves.  They are just so much easier to use.  Reading actual tea leaves can be a bit messy at times.

TN: What prompted you to create a set of cards related to reading tea leaves?

RH: All of my friends loved having their tea leaves read and wanted to be able to read for themselves, but none of them ever had enough time to master the art of reading tea leaves.  It can be quite difficult.  They would recognize a few symbols but not enough to give an accurate reading.  Also, tea leaf reading is very subjective.  If someone has no knowledge of the symbols, then an unscrupulous seer can basically tell them whatever he or she wants.  I wanted to create a set of cards using tea leaf symbols and their meanings that would make it easy for everyone to accurately read his or her fortune without the need of an expensive seer.   

TN: Do these cards represent every symbol used in tea leaf readings?  If not, how did you choose which symbols to depict on the cards?

RH: No.  There are over five hundred symbols and that's not counting letters of the alphabet and numerical symbols.  To make a deck of that many cards would be unwieldy and unfeasible.  Many tea leaf symbols have the same meaning e.g. "buffalo," "bison" and "bull" all mean "Do not back down from opposition.  Show strength and fortitude."  The only difference between the three is the size and strength of the opposition.  In this case, I chose "bull" to represent all three symbols as it is the more common animal.  I did this will all symbols that had similar meanings.  I also chose the symbols that most frequently occurred in my tea leaf readings.  Some symbols are so obscure, I felt it unnecessary to include them.  I omitted all numerical symbols as well as letters of the alphabet which often depict a name or place connected with the reading.  I did include the letter "V" because it also means "Victory in some endeavor."  By culling and doing test after test readings with the cards, I was finally able to arrive at the 182 symbol cards which I feel give the most accurate readings.

TN: What do the Astral House cards represent in this set?  How does one use them in connection with the Tea Leaf cards?

RH: At the beginning of a tea leaf reading, the querist can ask a question of the cup.  This is called the Astral question as the answer is thought to be in the Astral.  The seer will then read the symbols as answering the question the querist asked.  It would be impossible to make up cards for all the questions that could be asked.  Instead, I used the six subjects people want to know about most when they are having a reading; love, marriage, success, wealth, happiness and career.  It is very easy, though, to duplicate the Astral question.  Just search through the cards until you find the one that most resembles your question, then place it at the top of the Astral House Pyramid. 

TN: Do you have a favorite memory or story about a specific reading that you did using the Tea Leaf Cards?

There are a few that stand out in my mind, but I will tell you about the one where I felt the most helpful and the one where I felt absolutely dreadful.  Let me set the scene.  This was when I was living in Los Angeles and I used to tell fortunes once a month from 7:00-9:00 pm at Brentanos Book Store in the Beverly Shopping Center to promote the Tea Leaf Fortune Cards.  Each querist had the choice of an Astral House or a Coming Week reading (the Coming Year took up too much time) and I used to figure 10 minutes for each reading.  (You would be amazed at how slowly some people can pick cards.)  I would arrive at the store and see the line of people waiting and ask the manager to tell anyone past the twelfth person that I probably wouldn't be able to read for them as I would only have time to read for twelve.  Once in line, people don't like to leave and I always felt dreadful about asking them to leave.

The most helpful reading:  It was a young man in his twenties and he was having an Astral House reading on his career.  His central card was "DOOR - opportunities are waiting for you."  I told him that this meant there were opportunities waiting for him but that they wouldn't present themselves without him taking the first step.  I could see I wasn't getting through to him, so I tried again.  "Think of it as a computer," I said, "if you don't access a program, you will never know what it can do."  His face absolutely lit up.  "Computer programming.  That's what my mom wants me to do and, now, here it is in my fortune."  His "DOOR" card was next to the "OWL - good advice from a wise person."  I pointed to the "OWL" card and said, "That's your mother, she's giving you good advice."  He came back to see me a few months later and told me he was taking computer programming and thanked me for setting him on the right path.  I told him it wasn't me, I just read the cards he picked, but it was very gratifying all the same.

The worst reading:  Again it was an Astral House reading, this time on Success.  A Korean couple in their late forties were sitting opposite me and the man had chosen the cards.  As each card was turned over, it was worse than the one before.  It was one of the worst fortunes I have ever seen.  The meaning are written on the cards so there was very little I could do to put a positive spin on it other than saying that this represented short term energy and things could be very different in four months.  Suddenly, the wife let out a shriek and started cursing out her husband in a mixture of Korean and English in front of all the people still waiting to have their fortunes told and all the shoppers in the store.  It seemed that the husband had made an investment against his wife's advice and it was turning out to be a dreadful mistake.  The store manager had to come over and ask them to leave.         

TN: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

RH: Yes.  May all their fortunes be good.

TN: Thank you so much, Rae!