Category Archive

Here’s an inspiring video of tarot reader “Ocean” reading cards at the Deaf Hope Gala & Benefit in San Francisco. The reading begins about 30 seconds into the video:

You can read the transcript here. Ocean is an experienced reader and all the proceeds went to the cause. I loved seeing a reading interpreted in ASL.

Here’s an interview with Cyndi Lauper on her experience playing a tarot reader on the TV show Bones (Season 5, Episode 1) and on her own method of reading the cards. The role was well-written and tarot was treated respectfully (if with humor and despite the ubiquitous Death card scene). I love it that the first card drawn was Temperance – the first name of the main character, Temperance Brennan. It’s just the kind of “amazing coincidence” that I find happens so frequently in readings.

The opening tarot reading scene is especially good because it takes place in liminal (between the worlds) time—the eerie music, the park framed by trees as if peering into a magical space, and the fact that Temperance Brennan is just off the train, sleep-deprived, having been away on an extended trip and not yet re-connected with her ordinary world. The reading then recounts the events of the previous season’s finale and leads us into the new season. It’s a touch of magic carried over from the carnival episode and the dream-world that Bones and Booth also inhabit. [The video clip of this scene has been removed from youtube as it breached copyright.]

Les Cartes Vivantes or Living Playing Cards (1904 and reshot in 1905) by Georges Méliès offers an different perspective on the idea of “stepping into the cards.”

Georges Méliès (1861-1938) was a stage magician turned French film maker who, because of his innovative work with film, became known as the “Cinemagician.” An “in-depth look at the cinema’s first creative genius” is available here and an appreciation of Méliès by Brian Selznick, author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret is here.

Thanks to Tero and his website Tarotpuu.

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The latest episode of “True Blood” on HBO has a tarot reading at Merlotte’s Bar by Lafayette (yes he’s gorgeous) for Tara. (Season 2, Episode 8: “Timebomb.”)

For those who are not fans – this is a vampire series based on the supernatural mystery novels (Southern Vampire series) of Charlaine Harris that I’ve been following since they began. It’s a great series for those who are into the genre. The TV production is shockingly full of sex and violence, easily glossed over when reading Harris’ humorous writing style, but the show and books are as addicting as vampire blood is rumored to be.

Check out the TV & Movie Watch List for more tarot appearances in the media.

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Updates: 2/8/11: Another law threatens that Romanian readers may be fined if their predictions don’t come true! See here. Even The New Republic featured a thoughtful article on the legislation issues—calling it Voodoo Economics.

1/11/11: The law taxing witches and tarot readers has been passed and the lawmakers are being cursed as promised, according to this BBC account and video report. Other Romanian witches see the tax as an official acknowledgement of their profession. [Thanks to Vicki.]

9/9/10: The law mentioned below did not pass as lawmakers feared getting cursed reports CBS News.

From the English language Al Jazeera TV comes this report on a controversy in Romania regarding gypsy fortune-tellers (who also call themselves white witches). Madame Radika reads the tarot in Part 1 and Part 2 for two young women. Can you name the deck? The program discusses the new laws against the advertising of fortune-telling as well as the typical escalation of costs for removing curses (that make the practitioners wealthy). Part 2 shows a second reading and a Midsummer Night Ritual intended to help the young women through love spells (warning – graphic chicken sacrifice included in Part 2). All-in-all it is a fairly unjudgmental reporting of practices that some may find disturbing and exploitive, nevertheless the practices are comparable with indigenous magico-spiritual and shamanic techniques in other parts of the world. Read the rest of this entry »