I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be teaching live “webinars” through Linda Marson’s Global Spiritual Studies program, beginning with a 2-part seminar on “Cartomancers in Western Art.” It features a power point presentation of the documentary evidence of 500 years of card fortune-telling—the best of my more than 300 picture collection on the subject. The talk will expand on the images with an analysis of  characteristics and themes and with accounts of the lives of professional readers. Our profession has a long history that has been hidden from view for too long. Participants can ask questions and make comments via text and possibly audio, and I can respond live in the seminar, so interaction is encouraged. This webinar format is designed to emphasize visual presentations, which is perfect for this particular talk. I look forward to learning what you see in these amazing images. This is an updated version of what has become one of my most popular presentations at conferences. I talk a little about my cartomancer’s research project in a video interview here.

  • Part one: Thursday, 31 March, 6pm-6.50pm, USA Pacific time

  • Part two: Thursday, 7 April, 6pm-6.50pm, USA Pacific time.

Other timezones:

  • USA East Coast: 9pm-9.50pm
  • Sydney Australia: 1pm-1.50pm, Friday 1 April  and 12 noon-12.50pm Friday 8 April
  • Perth Australia: 10am-10.50am, Friday 1 and 8 April
  • UK: 2am-2.50am, Friday 1 and 8 April.

Sign-up information is available here. Other tarot webinars are listed here.

Little is known about cartomancers before the 20th century: who were they, who were their clients, where did they practice, what decks were used? Written information is scarce beyond basic instruction books and accounts of Mlle. Lenormand, who was famous for doing predictive card readings for Napoleon and Josephine in the 17th century.

An historical record does exist in genre art that depicts ordinary people going about their everyday work and recreations. In this slide presentation and talk, Mary analyses the visual content of paintings, prints and postcards showing cartomancers from the 16th through early 20th century. She brings to light both the professional and recreational characteristics of those people who practised cartomancy and reveals their largely unseen and under-acknowledged role in everyday Western society.

It’s an empowering experience for card readers to see themselves as part of a long-lived profession that ultimately goes back to the oracles and diviners of ancient times.

Click here for a video clip which shows just a few of the many images I will be presenting and discussing.

All you need to participate in live webinars is a broadband connection. Only 23 places are available in the room, so sign up now to participate in the live sessions where you have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments through the room’s text chat function. Depending on the number of participants, audio interaction may be possible. If so, this requires you to have a headset and mic plugged in before you login into the room.