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The Two-Day BATStravaganza!
The San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium,
produced by Thalassa
in association with the Daughters of Divination
August 28-29, 2010
First Unitarian Universalist Centre
1187 Franklin (at Geary), San Francisco
Featuring a most EXTRA-ORDINARY line-up of deck creators, authors, vendors & aficionados:
Rachel Pollack, Emily Carding, Marcus Katz, Leisa ReFalo, James Wanless, Mary K. Greer, Diane Wilkes, Pamela Eakins, Joseph Martin, Teressena & Martien Bakens, Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, Jaymi Elford, Katrina Wynne, Arisa Victor, Bill Haigwood, Carole Pierce, Thena MacArthur, Holly Voley, Tarot Garden, Baba Studios.
This is a press release from the ACLU – I’ve marked a few especially important passages in bold:
BETHESDA June 10, 2010: The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland hailed a decision by the Maryland Court of Appeals that strongly defends fundamental free speech rights in a case involving fortunetelling in Montgomery County (Maryland).
In its decision, the state’s highest court, in keeping with rulings from the Supreme Court and courts around the country, ruled that a Montgomery County ordinance banning fortunetelling is an unconstitutional restriction on protected speech.
“This case has never been just about fortunetellers, but about the fundamental right to free speech,” said Ajmel Quereshi, an attorney with the ACLU of Maryland. “While individual fortunetellers can be punished if they fraudulently exploit their customers, banning all fortunetelling is overbroad and unconstitutional. It is not the role of government to decide that broad categories of speech can be banned merely because it finds them distasteful or disagreeable.”
The unconstitutional Montgomery County law provides that “every person who shall demand or accept any remuneration or gratuity for forecasting or foretelling or for pretending to forecast or foretell the future by card, [or] palm reading Š shall be subject to punishment.” The Court of Appeals found that fortunetelling for pay is due full First Amendment protection rejecting the County’s argument that such speech is “commercial speech”, like advertising. The court ruled the statute’s restriction on payment for fortunetelling is equivalent to a ban on protected speech. In addition, the court explicitly rejected the County’s arguments that fortunetelling is inherently fraudulent:
“Fortunetelling may be pure entertainment, it may give individuals some insight into the future, or it may be hokum. People who purchase fortunetelling services may or may not believe in its value. Fortunetellers may sometimes deceive their customers. We need not, however, pass judgment on the validity or value of the speech that fortunetelling entails. If Montgomery County is concerned that fortunetellers will engage in fraudulent conduct, the County can enforce fraud laws in the event that fraud occurs.
The County need not, and must not, enforce a law that unduly burdens protected speech to accomplish its goal. Such a law will curtail and have a chilling effect on constitutionally protected speech.”
The lawsuit was originally brought by Nick Nefredo in 2008, represented by attorney Edward Amourgis of Edwards Phillip Amourgis, PC, after he was denied a license to open a fortunetelling business in Montgomery County. A lower court acknowledged that fortunetelling is protected speech, but nevertheless upheld the law as constitutional. Due to the First Amendment issues at stake, the ACLU of Maryland became co-counsel for Nefedro on appeal, as the case was to be considered by the intermediate appeals court.
The state’s highest court took the case up on its own motion in July of 2009.
As the Court of Appeals found today, courts across the country have consistently held that fortunetelling is protected speech, and absolute bans on it, like the Montgomery County law, are therefore unconstitutional. In addition, the Supreme Court has held repeatedly that the mere fact that speech is for profit does not reduce the level of protection it is due.
Nefedro is represented by attorney Edward Amourgis of Edwards Phillip Amourgis, PC, and Ajmel Quereshi and Deborah Jeon from the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.
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This is only one example among many in which the ACLU has acted to protect the free speech of fortune tellers. So far they have won every case of this type. [Thank you, ACLU!] More information on the Montgomery case is available here and here.
St. Louis is reconsidering its law. A humorous article about it in the St. Louis Suburban Journals quotes a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to strike down a Lincoln, Nebraska fortune telling law, stating:
“If the citizens of Lincoln wish to have their fortunes told, or to believe in palm-reading or phrenology, they are free to do so under our system of government, and to patronize establishments or ‘professionals’ who purport to be versed in such arts. Government is not free to declare certain beliefs – for example, that someone can see into the future – forbidden. Citizens are at liberty to believe the earth is flat, that magic is real, and that some people are prophets.”
Meanwhile, in Warren, Michigan, laws restricting fortune telling are becoming stricter, while San Francisco has an outrageously convoluted licensing system for fortune tellers. Such laws have little to do with actually protecting people from fraud (anti-fraud laws do this adequately) and more to do with ameliorating complaints and protecting special interests (see quote below).
Many states and city or county ordinances require licensing for fortune-telling, and they are very inconsistent with the range of fields that require such licenses as summarized here. An article, Occupational Licensing: Ranking the States and Exploring Alternatives by Adam B. Summers (of the Reason Foundation) concluded:
Occupational licensing boards and laws should be continually evaluated for their relevance and perceived need. These reviews should, first and foremost, evaluate whether licensing laws pass the “laugh test” (fortune tellers and rainmakers?). They should also ensure that regulations are narrowly tailored, and that they are providing at least some measure of public benefit, not merely a gravy train for special interests and bureaucrats. Reviews should, furthermore, analyze licensing board performance by evaluating enforcement actions against licensees. Reviews could be conducted by a special commission or an existing agency such as an audit bureau or legislative analyst’s office. [parenthetical remark and question mark is Summers’, bold emphasis is mine, mkg]
Robert Lederman offers excellent advice for fortune tellers in NYC which may help others with similar regulations regarding fortune telling-as-entertainment-only. Check out the Law and Magic Blog for updates on fortune telling and other related issues.
As I’ve mentioned before, it is incumbent on all professional tarot readers to know your local laws and establish yourself as a bona fide, legal business in your area.
I advocate supporting the ACLU and being willing to act locally to challenge laws that limit our freedom of speech. I also think that this information should be better understood by anyone who is thinking about certification or licensing for tarot readers. It is a slippery slope to government control that probably poses more liabilities than it does benefits! Comments and polite debate are welcome.
So many people have lamented the fact that they didn’t go on the tarot tour to Italy with Brian Williams in 2000. Following in his footsteps is tarot deck creator Arnell Ando who went on that famous trip (as did I). Arnell has been back to Italy many times, creating deck creator Osvaldo Menegazzi’s website and being present at several Tarot Museum events near Bologna. Now she and her partner Michael McAteer will guide us through the most impressive array of major tarot-related sites I’ve ever seen. Plus, they’ve arranged visits with tarot experts throughout northern Italy. You don’t want to miss this tour! I guarantee you will be talking about it for the rest of your life and sharing your amazing photos of the original sources of the tarot imagery. Visiting these sites in Italy is the best way to get a solid understanding of how Pagan & Christian imagery intertwines and of how early decks emerged out of a very special period in art and history charting the course between the late medieval and Renaissance mindsets.
And, if that isn’t enough, you can choose to start your trip with attendance at the Association for Tarot Studies (ATS) Convention in Ste. Suzanne, France, the weekend of September 23-25 as I am sure many of us will be doing.
Having just returned from an incredible two weeks in Australia and New Zealand with Jean-Michel David at the Association for Tarot Studies Conference in Brisbane and with Fern Mercier and Lyn Olds of the Tarot Guild of Aotearoa, I want to affirm the power of spending so much time with people who know and love the tarot so deeply.
Tarot Art & History Tour, Italy 2011. When you sign up for the Tarot Tour please mention my name or blog—who knows what good karma will accrue! I think this tour will fill fast, so sign-up early!
Juliet Sharman-Burke will be teaching tarot at the Omega Institute Tarot Conference in June and in Melbourne and Sydney in August. The following is an interview conducted by Annie Dunlop, president of the Tarot Guild of Australia who interviewed her for “The Magician” journal (reprinted by permission).
Juliet has produced three tarot decks since 1986 – The Mythic Tarot with Liz Greene, the Sharman-Caselli deck, and an innovative “color it yourself” deck. She has also written eight tarot books.
Juliet, how would you describe yourself?
I am primarily a psychotherapist these days, with four days a week taken up with regular patients, but I do as many Tarot readings as I can fit in, and teach once a term for the Centre for Psychological Astrology. I love teaching and am looking forward to a conference in the Hudson Valley in June with Rachel Pollack and Mary Greer, and of course I am really looking forward to being in Australia and meeting the Tarot Guild members!
When did Tarot first come into your life?
I found my first Tarot deck and book by accident in a bookshop while on holiday with a friend. We were intrigued by the title, which was something like Tell Your Future with the Cards! As I was nineteen at the time, I was longing to know whether I would marry the current beau, and what my future would be, so we bought the book and cards between us, it was the Marseilles deck, and proceeded to try to tell our futures. We were not very good and my friend lost interest and let me keep the cards. I persevered on my own and found that while I was not terribly good at reading my own cards, I was having unexpected success with others. I started reading more, and learning astrology too, but in those days there were not many books or cards and many of the old books were very complicated. I collected notes from the books I could find and came across the RWS deck, which I found much easier to relate to than the Marseilles or the Visconti, which I owned. I decided to write a book for myself, using the notes I collected, and gradually started do more readings first for friends and then strangers. A client wrote a magazine article about me, and the readers’ response to the article, asking if I would do a correspondence course, inspired me to develop a course, which turned into my first book, The Complete Book of Tarot.
If you could take any Tarot deck to a deserted Island, would it be one of yours?
Yes, it would be the Mythic Tarot, because the mythic stories never fail to delight me.
You have such a deep knowledge and understanding of mythology; from where did this passion develop?
I have always responded to stories that describe or illustrate something that might otherwise be difficult to understand. Myths work on so many levels, and can be looked at from many different perspectives, so that something extremely deep and complex can be understood quite simply when told in story form. The archetypal nature of myth speaks to us all, which makes it accessible.
The utilisation of mythology in the Mythic tarot adds an extra layer of meaning to what is still primarily a deck of RWS tradition. Did you realise how successful and elucidating the connections with mythology were going to be when you first started this project?
I had no idea. I always loved fairy tales and myths from childhood and when I first heard Liz Greene talk about the horoscope and the planets from a mythological and psychological point of view I was enchanted. I felt that myths could imaginatively add another dimension to the divinatory meanings of each card so Liz and I decided to create a deck that would make it easier to follow. And because the Minor Arcana are often considered to be more difficult to learn than the Majors – even with the RWS deck where they are pictorial – I felt that having a story run through each suit from Ace to Ten would make it much easier to remember the meanings of each of the Minor. And the Court Cards, which again many people struggle with, seemed to make sense from an astrological view point, using the qualities and elements as well as taking a zodiacal perspective, as well as using a mythic figure to further elaborate the meaning of the card. I think perhaps that the Mythic Tarot has captured imaginations because people love myths (they are archetypal and thus speak to us all), yet myth is not always taught in school these days so many people have missed out on them and the cards provide an opportunity to engage with and sometimes learn about them for the first time.
What was the inspiration behind the beautiful Sharman-Caselli Tarot?
The story behind the Sharman-Caselli deck is quite funny really. I was asked to write a beginners book using the RWS deck as illustration, but in the end permission was refused to use the RWS, so the publishers suggested I design a new deck myself that was traditional, good for beginners and could stand alongside a popular deck like the RWS. It turned out to be great fun to design and Giovanni Caselli is certainly a wonderful artist and did a great job I think.
What do you love most about what you do?
I love the people I meet, both through therapy and Tarot reading, as well as through teaching. I am always interested in people and if I can make even a tiny difference in anyone’s life for the better, I am happy.
Juliet, you have been teaching Tarot in one form or another for the best part of 30 years. How has the content of the courses you offer changed over this time?
I think the content changes as my life experience changes and as I understand more about the complexity of life. I certainly started life, as most people do, as the Fool, but I am definitely more like the Hermit these days! Which I am happy about, as it seems appropriate. I love the Hermit card, and long to become as wise and patient as the image portrayed. I draw on my knowledge of psychology for the Tarot and the richness of the Tarot imagery inspires my work as a therapist.
You lead a very full life! As well as producing 3 tarot decks and 8 tarot books, you are involved in teaching and administration at the Centre for Psychological Astrology in London, and you run your own private psychotherapy practice. What does the future hold in store for you? Do you have a dream that you would like to share?
Yes, life is full, and I like it that way. I love doing everything I do, the only thing I would like to have time for is more travel. I would like to travel around India, South East Asia and Africa, as well as having time to revisit many European cities. I guess my dream is to have enough time and money to do this at leisure, and in a certain amount of comfort!
Do you have a favorite Major Arcana card?
I like all the cards, to be honest, but I guess my favorite is the Star – the card of hope!
The Omega Institute Catalog is now out and can be ordered from their website.
Sign-up information for the June 11-13 Omega Institute Tarot Conference: Tarot & Intuition is available here.
Sign-up information for the June 13-18 workshop—Tarot Magic: Using Images and Symbols to Create Change with Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack is here.
See more updates to the EVENTS page with conferences in San Francisco, Brisbane Australia, and London.
Everyone, I hope you can come to the Opening Reception of The Fool’s Journey Tarot Art Exhibit curated by Robert Place in Los Angeles.
Opening Reception
Saturday | January 23, 2010
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Admission: $10 Donation/ CAFAM Members Free RSVP to (323) 937-4230 x50 or rsvp@cafam.org
Curator’s Lecture for The Fool’s Journey with curator Robert M. Place
Learn more about the fascinating history of the Tarot and its roots in the Italian Renaissance with curator and scholar Robert M. Place.
Sunday | January 24, 3 pm
FREE with the cost of museum admission
Location: Craft and Folk Art Museum
Address: 5814 Wilshire Boulevard , Los Angeles, CA , 90036
Cross Streets: Wilshire / Curson
Region: Westside/Beverly Hills Area
Phone: (323) 937-4230
Food Services: Beverages (wine, beer) and appetizers
http://www.cafam.org/FoolsJourney.html
The Fool’s Journey: The History and Symbolism of the Tarot
January 24, 2010 – May 9, 2010
Curated by Robert M. Place
While known today primarily as a fortune telling or occult deck, the Tarot was born out of the intellectual and artistic developments of the Italian Renaissance. Links to the Tarot’s icons and symbology can be found in the popular arts and philosophy of this rich historic period. Influenced by alchemy, Hermetic mysticism and the concept of Anima Mundi (the fifth element of life), the Tarot became a conversation between mystics and artists that has lasted over five centuries. This exhibition will illuminate the 22 cards of the Tarot’s major arcana, from the Fool to the World, presenting historic examples from early decks and relating them to other works of art from that era. It will continue with historic examples of the French deck known as The Tarot of Marseilles and early occult decks that bloomed from this tradition. Popular twentieth century decks including the Waite-Smith Tarot, and works of art by modern Tarot artists will be featured to provide a deeper understanding of the Tarot’s artistic legacy and message of mystical transformation.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Robert M. Place is an internationally known visionary artist, author, illustrator, and Tarot Designer, whose award winning works, in painting, sculpture, and jewelry, have been displayed in galleries and museums in America, Europe, and Japan and graced the covers and pages of numerous books and publications. He has written several volumes on the art and philosophy of Tarot including The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, The Alchemical Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints and The Buddha Tarot. Robert is recognized throughout the world as an expert on and gifted teacher of the Western mystical tradition and the history and philosophy of the Tarot.
Come one, come all
11-13 June, 2010
The Omega Institute Tarot Conference: TAROT & INTUITION
in Rhinebeck NY.
We are delighted to announce the first Omega Tarot Conference featuring Juliet Sharman-Burke, Lon Milo DuQuette, Ruth Ann & Wald Amberstone, Mary K. Greer, and Rachel Pollack. Join us at this beautiful retreat in upstate New York for an incredible learning experience with some of the most exciting teachers in the field.
Intuition communicates primarily through symbols. Tarot is the Western World’s greatest symbol system for helping us find meaning in life events and for exploring future possibilities. In a Tarot reading we consider a person’s questions and then lay out the cards. Along with the cards’ meanings it is really our intuition that allows us to see the patterns and messages that emerge from the questions and the images.
The Omega Institute is honored to bring you five world-renowned Tarot teachers and authors, from New York, California, and England. Each an innovator and a scholar, they are also masters of the intuitive. Their hands-on workshops will help you discover your own ability to read the cards. While everyone is intuitive the conference faculty will give you specific tools to access your own intuition, refine it and trust it. Together we will experience the psychic, psychological, magical, symbolic and interactive aspects of today’s intuitive Tarot practices, making you a more well-rounded reader for yourself or others.
This conference is for all levels. Bring your favorite deck(s). Information available here.
Then stay for the five day Tarot Magic workshop with Rachel and Mary:
13-18 June, 2010 — TAROT MAGIC: Using the Power of Symbols and Images
at The Omega Institute, Rhinebeck NY, with Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack.
Stay after the conference or come separately to the famous five-day course with Rachel and Mary, which this year features a very special topic.
Through the Tarot we view what changes may happen in our lives. But we can use Tarot to create change as well as describe it. This is the magic of Tarot. The great poet, W. B. Yeats–a dedicated magician–called magic “Truth evoked through symbols.” In this workshop we will explore the Tarot’s symbolic truths–the meanings of the cards–and then discover how we can use those truths as keys to transformation. Like the Tarot card The Magician, we will access the powers of the Trumps and four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. And, lest we take ourselves too seriously, we will do this in the Fool’s spirit of adventure and play.
Join Rachel and Mary for five days of magical discovery. Go beyond what is in the books to access your own power and develop your Tarot reading skills. Take the limits off your idea of Tarot and through the Tarot take the limits off your beliefs about creating change.
Suitable for all levels of experience. Bring your Tarot deck(s). Information available here.
I will be one of the three featured speakers, along with Robert Place and Elinor Greenberg, at the 2010 Readers Studio in New York. The website is now updated with all the information about this fabulous event. Hosted by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone from The Tarot School, Readers Studio is a unique event, geared to those who want practical techniques that will improve their reading skills. As a result, the 200+ attendees experience a community of tarot enthusiasts who share ideas, resources and connections. For instance, just the “give-away” table alone has hundreds of gems to swap, to say nothing of the seemingly “never-ending” raffle. The vendors tables offer books and decks that would be hard to find elsewhere and give you the opportunity to meet a deck artist or book author in person. Publishers send representatives to scout new book and deck possibilities and to give away freebies. Besides the main speakers you can choose among a variety of shorter evening lectures, the breakfast roundtables or get a reading from one of the luminaries. Several of the online tarot forums have found it a great place to meet other members. Come one, come all to a great event.
On the August 17th episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg received a tarot reading from Sandy Anastasi. See my comments on the reading here.
Thanks to Steve Schreiber for pointing this out to me. Check out my TV & Movie Watch List.
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Announcing a website, now in English, for The Cultural Association “Le Tarot” whose president, Andrea Vitali, is one of the major researchers and writers of tarot history. Vitali has overseen many museum exhibitions of tarot and related artifacts – examples of which can now be viewed at this beautifully designed website. Vitali’s illustrated essays on the 22 Triumphs are essential for understanding the culture and ideas out of which the tarot arose (see Essays). This site, promoting tarot’s religious, philosophical, anthropological and artistic history, is filled with useful information including links to international websites—many of which you may not have heard.
To get the English translation click on the British flag on the top right.
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Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog 
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