Not too long ago I received an email promoting several products, one of which immediately caught my eye. After visiting the company’s website I was convinced that this product’s creator was a freakin’ genius. Maybe not whoever first thought to put spiced rum in ginger beer level of genius, but still, pretty high up on the list.
I’m talking about FortuneKeeper. What is a FortuneKeeper you ask? Let me ask you this. How many of you have gone out to eat Chinese food, or had Chinese take-out or delivery, and after having your fortune cookie have found yourself with a fortune that you really liked and wanted to keep? And how many of you soon after, despite your best intentions, have lost those fortunes, or had them mangled in your pockets or purses? Yep, that would be me. Well FortuneKeepers are these fantastic looking necklaces, keychains, and zipper pulls designed to hold a fortune from a fortune cookie in a manner where it’s protected and you can read it! Genius!
Better still is the variety of designs. The looks range from feminine to masculine, elegant to casual, the kind of Asian designs you’d expect to street graffiti styles. Most of them cost $20 to $24. If anyone wanted to go shopping for me….
Blue Buddha KeychainEnjoying Life's Blossoms NecklaceGraffiti Heart Zipper Pull
To get an idea of how the fortune is kept and displayed, they have this handy “how to” video on their website.
I just thought these were totally clever and really beautiful and/or cute depending on design so I thought I’d take moment to mention them to you guys and see what you thought. To learn more about FortuneKeeper you can visit their website.
Yes, it is tarot time again folks! This time we’ve got the “Simply Deep Tarot” by Chanel Bayless and James Battersby from Schiffer Publishing.
First, since the deck is from Schiffer I’ve got to give it up again for their fantastic packaging. When you think about it, if I’m taking the time to gush about a publisher’s packaging methodology for their tarot decks, it’s got to be pretty freakin’ special. And it is. A very sturdy, rigid cardboard box that has a lift up top and features a magnetic closure. The magnet is so strong you can turn the box upside down with the deck inside and it doesn’t fall open. Add to that the book that comes with it fits in the box perfectly, is nearly a 100 pages, and has a full color cover, and well, you know why I tend to go on about Schiffer’s packaging when it comes to tarot decks. But enough about Schiffer, let’s talk about Bayless and Battersby’s work.
Chanel Bayless did the writing and created the deck and James Battersby did the artwork. Instead of viewing the tarot as a divinatory tool, Bayless prefers to consider it a tool for looking into your soul. To that end she created “Simply Deep Tarot” with the idea of “a tarot deck that would allow the reader to connect easily with the most simplistic meanings of each card, while paving a way to climb safely into the deeper meaning behind the card. In order to achieve this I started with a simplistic design, then I added little nuances to help the reader’s mind be open to exploration.”
Bayless doesn’t leave you alone on your journey of self discovery either, the book includes exercises for anchoring your energy and she even takes you through her journey of interpreting The Emperor card with regards to her love of the ocean.
“Simply Deep Tarot” is a 78 card deck utilizing Major and Minor Arcana and Battersby’s artwork for it is wonderful. I’m not sure how much of the art was directed by Bayless, but the results are outstanding.
Here is a delightful interpretation of The Fool:
The Fool
The real stand out for me for this deck was the Chariot card. Normally I’m pretty neutral on the artistic interpretation of Chariot, but I found this interpretation truly stellar.
Chariot
I don’t believe I’ve ever been excited about a Chariot card before now. This one really resonates with me and as far as I’m concerned leaves all other Chariots in the dust. See what I did there? They’re chariots, with wheels, that can kick up dust…..sometimes I’m just too darn clever.
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Guess what folks? You won’t believe the luck, but I just happen to have ended up with an extra copy of “Simply Deep Tarot” thanks to the kind folks at Schiffer Publishing. What to do, what to do. I thought we’d see about giving it away to one of The Magical Buffet’s loyal followers on Twitter. Why Twitter? Well, I’ve been under the weather as of late, so a contest in 140 characters or less seems just about the right speed for me.
So how do you enter? Just tweet me why you’d like the deck. Points will be given for creativity, amusement, and/or sincerity. Be sure to use @MagicalBuffet in your tweet so I see it! The contest will run from now until midnight eastern on Friday March 9, 2012. I’ll notify the winner via direct message on Saturday March 10, 2012 whenever I wake up, get my head on straight, and pick a winner.
Often times when people, sometimes including myself, talk about different tarot decks we can get tied up discussing detailed symbolism, the history and/or credentials of the designer, or the mechanics of the deck itself. What I’m saying is that although interesting, sometimes we suck the fun right out of a deck.
With the deck I have for you today, I don’t want to talk too much about it. I just want you to try and experience the joy and whimsy of it. In fact, it’s called the “Joie de Vivre Tarot” by Paulina Cassidy and joie de vivre is French for the joy of living!
I don’t think my scans really do them justice, but just look at Cassidy’s “High Priestess” and “The Fool”.
The High PriestessThe Fool
And folks, it’s been a long time since the Minor Arcana has thrilled me. When is the last time a “Seven of Cups” has delighted you this much?
Seven of Cups
The introduction to the book accompanying the deck says, “The Joie de Vivre tarot deck is designed to access the child-like energy in each one of us to help stimulate, enhance, and inspire joy in our own lives.”
Sometimes it takes a while for a review to get written for The Magical Buffet. It’s not because I disliked the product, or even because I find it particularly hard to figure out something to say. Just somehow, it happens. One of the big factors lately is just a lot of really top notch stuff keeps coming out and I find myself up to my armpits in awesome books and products (a fantastic problem to have, trust me!). Add my health issues that slow me down and the holiday season, and well, stuff takes time. It’s been forever that I’ve been meaning to share the beautiful “The Secret Language of Birds Tarot” by Adele Nozedar and Linda Sutton from Schiffer Publishing on the site, and the cold winter chills finally got me at the keyboard.
There’s a lot of stuff to talk about here, so let’s dive in and eventually I’ll hopefully remember to tell you how cold weather temperatures got me off my ass and writing this review of a truly unique deck. Let me start with, this is a deck from Schiffer Publishing, so I must again take a moment to gush about the quality. It comes in a sturdy oversized gift box that has the awesome magnetic closure that apparently all Schiffer tarot decks come with. The 78 card tarot deck features cards 5 1/2″ high and 4″ wide, which admittedly are a bit hard to handle, but frame the vivid artwork of Linda Sutton beautifully. The set comes with a slightly over 200 page trade paper back style book written by Adele Nozedar (author of “The Secret Language of Birds” and “The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols” amongst others) and features an introduction from Philip Carr-Gomm (Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids).
Much like when I reviewed “Cat’s Eye Tarot”, don’t think that some sort of cutesy bird “theme” is covering up for a lack of thought, intent, or depth on the part of the decks creators. You would be making a grave mistake.
“When the early priests and Shaman discovered what they believed to be a link between the random vagaries of the weather and the actions of the Gods, they naturally turned toward the skies for confirmation and justification of their actions.
Birds, with their flight patterns, naturally assumed the nature of messengers from the lofty realms of these multitudinous Gods, since of course birds, symbolically, come from the same place as both Gods and weather; the vast, impenetrable Above.” – Adele Nozedar
Nozedar expands from there showing how birds make compelling subjects for tarot exploration. Perhaps not as adorable as the “Hanged Kitty” from “Cat’s Eye Tarot”, (Curse you “Hanged Kitty”!) but multifaceted, sometimes cute, other times fearsome, mysterious, I think you get the idea here, right?
And just in case that wasn’t enough depth and texture for you, here’s some more for you!
“You will notice that the deck you are holding contains a lot of Italian terminology. This is not only because the artist Linda Sutton lives for much of the time in Italy, but is also in honor of the origin of the Tarot cards as we now know them.”
Nozedar goes on to say, “What we do know is that, as early as 1420, there are references to a certain ‘Game of Gods and Birds’ which was commissioned by Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan.” The deck wasn’t the tarot deck we know today, it is a branch in the weird and winding family tarot tree, and so “The Secret Language of Birds Tarot” opted to pay a little homage with a touch of Italian.
This brings us how the cold weather finally prompted me to write my review. One of my favorite cards from “The Secret Language of Birds Tarot” is “The Fool”. After a chilly day of errand running my mind wandered to the beautiful, breezy, beach scene depicted by “The Fool” in this deck. The scanned image doesn’t do the art justice, but it gives you a bit of an idea of how wonderful it is. And I love Nozedar’s introductory description in the book.
The Fool - Il Matto - The Cuckoo
“At the edge of a beach, pretty much where the sea meets the shore, we see a beguiling looking young woman wearing a strapless gold sundress and a gold bangle. She’s relaxed, looking over her shoulder in a come-hither manner, effectively flirting with the camera. This girl looks as though she’s more aware of her lipstick than her surroundings – but the lipstick is good, and, in some cases, lipstick can be important especially when there might not be much else to rely on.”
She goes on to discuss the significance of The Fool and the cuckoo. Also the crocodile our beguiling woman has no problem toying with. Remember, there is always a lot more going on with any of these cards than you might suspect at first glance.
“The Secret Language of Birds Tarot” is a bewitching deck that has certainly captured me in its spell.
It used to be all I ever saw were tarot decks; tarot decks that held pretty tight to the template set by the Universal Waite Tarot Deck. Then I noticed tarot decks that meandered off that path at times, and occasionally I saw sets of runes. Then it was oracle decks, that conformed in no way to the traditional tarot, and I saw I Ching sets. It seems for every person out there awaits a type of oracle just for them! And I’m here today to introduce you to another wonderful member of this expanding family, “Tokens of Light”.
“Tokens of Light” is subtitled “66 Paths for insights and prediction according to the Hebrew Alphabet” and it was created by Orna Ben-Shoshan. Astute readers will remember that name from back in April 2011 when I reviewed the “King Solomon Oracle Cards“. Orna was responsible for the beautiful artwork found in that deck, and I’m happy to say “Tokens of Light” is perhaps an even better space for her art.
The tokens are 66 sturdy coins (made of a slightly more sturdy stock than tarot cards). One side of the coin has its number, 1-66, (The total number of 66 was derived by using 3 different aspects of each one of the 22 Hebrew letters.) and underneath it a Hebrew letter with a serial code to which the answer relates. The other side has a beautiful Orna Ben-Shoshan illustration to help you make a visual connection with the coin. The coins come with a pretty drawstring bag to use for carrying, storage, or pulling the tokens from for readings.
You don’t need to be able to read Hebrew to use “Tokens of Light”. Thank goodness! The set comes with an interpretation booklet that gives you some ideas as to what drawing a particular coin might mean, and also some different suggested ways to use “Tokens of Light” for guidance. Despite its beautiful, mysterious, occult appearance, it’s pretty freakin’ simple to use. How about one more “Thank goodness!”?
Along with the tokens, you also get two amulet coins that are not to be included in your readings, but kept close to you. One coin contains the priestly blessing for protection and fulfillment of your wishes, and the other coin contains letter combinations taken from the “72 Names of God” that will bring balance and success to all areas of life.
“Tokens of Light” is a unique addition to the expanding landscape of oracle products. To learn more about it, visit their site.
I know it will sound like the start of some sort of silly advertisement, but when I first pulled my copy of “Meditation: The Complete Guide” out of the envelope from New World Library I found myself thinking, “Complete guide? We’ll see about that.” Well consider me soundly put in my place because Patricia Monaghan and Eleanor G. Viereck couldn’t have created a more complete resource without shipping actual living meditation instructors to your home. Honestly, the thoroughness of their book would border on ridiculous if it didn’t create such an amazing resource.
“Meditation: The Complete Guide” begins with an introductory section that discusses meditation in general, why people practice meditation, what kind of meditation practice might work best for you, and more. For those who may be curious, following the suggestions in this section of the book, my top types of meditation practice would be biofeedback and/or Qigong followed closely by Yoga and/or Tai Chi.
The rest is divided into 10 parts and you just won’t believe everything to be found: trance dancing, drumming, ritual body postures, Yoga Asanas, Yoga breathing, Yoga meditation, Mantra, Yantra, Vipassana, loving-kindness, Zazen, Zen in action, Haiku, brush painting, Tai Chi, Qigong, the Mussar Movement, Hitbodedut, contemplative prayer, Hesychasm, Taize singing, Quaker worship, Sufi breathing, Sufi dancing, candle meditation, inspirational reading, free-form meditation groups, labyrinth walking, prayer beads, biofeedback, sketching from nature, needle crafts, journaling, dialogues with self, visualization, sports as meditation, gardening, pilgrimage, and nature. Whew! My fingers are exhausted! And each of these things includes a checklist for practice and resources specific to the type of meditation being discussed.
I would imagine whether a beginner, or someone with an established practice they enjoy, anyone with an interest in meditation would find “Meditation: The Complete Guide” a valuable resource.
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and with that holiday starts for many people a very stressful time of year. For some, tomorrow’s holiday may be less relaxing day off, and more a tension filled exercise in restraint. You know, restraining yourself from telling Aunt Edna what you really think about her vintage coupon collection. As a bit of a preemptive salve to potentially frayed nerves I found something playful, whimsical, and all around anti-stress inducing, the “Cat’s Eye Tarot” by Debra M. Givin, DVM and published by U.S. Games Systems.
I’m not what you call a “cat person”, although Deborah Blake’s house of adorable cats is slowing chipping away at my hardened heart. Yet upon opening up “Cat’s Eye Tarot” the first words to come out of my cold, bitter, cat hair allergic mouth was, “Awwwwww…….how cute!” Yes Givin, a practicing veterinarian, has created an adorable deck of tarot cards. However before you write off “Cat’s Eye Tarot” as some sort of kitschy theme deck possessing no other value than cuddly cat art, let’s go to the accompanying book for some additional insights.
Givin admits that “the images in ‘Cat’s Eye Tarot’ are simple and uncluttered” and that there are “few, if any, esoteric symbols.” Her choice to work with cats was thoughtful and not just born out of affection for felines. She points out that, “cats are pleasing to the eye, complex in their behaviors, and mysterious in their motivation; an idea model for a visually evocative medium like the tarot.” Color in the deck is used to convey suit energies with “solid practical brown tabbies” for pentacles, “sweet black and white” for cups, “talkative Siamese” for swords, and “flashy red tabbies” for wands. Usual suit symbols are replaced with reptiles, fish, birds, and mice for wands, cups, swords, and pentacles respectively. All were chosen because they are natural prey for cats. See? There is a lot more going on here than just some cute cat artwork. But now let’s get to the de-stressing exercise of checking out some of that artwork…..
I was enchanted at the way The Fool and The Star not only mirrored the art of the traditional tarot, but managed to capture the feelings those two cards convey.
The FoolThe Star
And most readers know my personal favorite tarot card is The Hanged Man, so I couldn’t resist sharing the adorable The Hanged Kitty card.
The Hanged Kitty
Who’s the cutest little representation of sacrifice? You are kitty! That’s right, you are! Why yes, I did just do baby talk to a tarot card. Wanna’ make something of it? In the fullest of disclosures I must admit to one weird mental hiccup that this Hanged Kitty card triggers in my mind. For some reason every time I say “The Hanged Kitty”, in my horrible mind I think, “hung like a kitty”. Honestly, I’m not sure anyone would ever make the boast of being “hung like a kitty”, but alas it is forever entwined with the beautiful, innocent, and pure The Hanged Kitty card.
This review took an odd, and perhaps unfortunate turn…..
“The Woman Magician: Revisioning Western Metaphysics from a Woman’s Perspective and Experience” is a fascinating read. Author Brandy Williams takes the reader along with her on a personal journey accompanied by Lady Tradition, Lady History, Lady Philosophy, Lady Science, Lady Culture, Lady Theology, and Lady Magic. These ladies provide the reader with a comprehensive study of Western occult traditions; their histories, their workings, their philosophies, and how they relate to women, the feminist movement, gender studies, female based theologies and so much more.
It takes a bold woman to endeavor to chart a new path within communities that often pride themselves on their direct lines of tradition, but forge ahead she has. Williams provides the reader with all they need to know if they wish to become an initiate of the Sisters of Seshat. The rituals are beautiful to read and should be of interest not just to women, but anyone interested in the study of Western magical traditions.
Will Brandy Williams spark a revolution with “The Lady Magician”? With the author’s combination of intellect and heart, I certainly hope so. As Donald Michael Kraig, the author of “Modern Magick”, says in his blurb in the book, “The Woman Magician is coming, and we’ll all be better for it.”
Okay, so all the way back in May U.S. Games Systems sent me a fantastic widget to consider for review. Due to the nature of this widget, it took a while for me to get around to featuring it on the site. However, now it’s getting mentioned as we approach the holiday gift giving season, and since this would be an awesome gift for just about anyone, I’m kind of happy it took this long to get it up on the site.
I’m talking about the Mystic Pyramid! This gray pyramid helps those seeking answers with just a push down. Text doesn’t do the Mystic Pyramid justice. Sure, it may seem like just an electronic Magic 8 Ball. You ask a question, press the pyramid, and get an answer. But it’s so much better than a Magic 8 Ball! Even the most blasé of my friends couldn’t resist the charm of the Pyramid! And I suspect when you see this video, you’ll understand why…..
See what I mean? I couldn’t figure out a way to convey how absolutely fun the Mystic Pyramid is in simple text. It really needs to be seen and heard to get why it’s such a great time, and so it gets the distinction of being the item that finally forced us to do video for the site.
The suggested retail for the Mystic Pyramid is $24.95, putting it in a great holiday gift giving price range. Who wouldn’t enjoy having a Mystic Pyramid at home or the office? The day I put it out my friends could not stopping asking for its input, and these were people who scoffed at it when I first set it out to show them. Trust me, the Mystic Pyramid will be a fun gift appreciated by anyone on your holiday gift giving list.
Ellen Evert Hopman’s latest book is called “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore”. This title really doesn’t do the book justice, however I suspect Pendraig Publishing would have found the title “Absolutely Every Damn Thing EVER about Scotland” to be a hard title to live up to. Of course, they would be wrong. The book starts with “A Note to My Readers” that says, “This book contains folklore, magic, and traditional practices from all areas of Scotland; from the Highlands and Lowlands to the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.” This was my first clue that the always thorough Hopman was going to working overtime sharing everything Scottish.
Right now I sit at my keyboard overwhelmed by the breadth of information “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore” imparted. Where on earth to begin? I guess we should start at the beginning. To help give readers a sense of context Hopman starts with what she calls “A Thumbnail Ancient History”. In an easy to follow, compact form, she manages to share with readers the Picts, the Celts, Hadrian’s Wall, the influence of the Vikings, the arrival of Anglo culture, the Battle of Nechtansmere, and more. From there it flows smoothly into discussing the rest of traditional Scotland. I hate to do this, but it will really give you guys a great idea of how all encompassing “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore” truly is, here is the “Table of Contents”.
The Druids, The Old Gods, Lore of the Elements (which includes information about water, fire, and earth magic), Stones, Bones, and Talismans, Holy Days and Holiday (with recipes for the holidays!), Life Passages (such as marriage, childbirth, and death), Divination Practices, A Highland Herbal (where you’ll find those Scottish herbs from the title of the book), Fishing Magic, Boats, and the Lore of the Sea, Farming, Fertility, and Harvest Customs, Domestic Life (like food and whisky), Sacred Birds and Animals, Magical Practices (which features rituals, healing and protective magic, curses, and more), Elves, Spirits, Witches, and Monsters, and The Fairies.
I know, right? Whew! Hopman does an excellent job propelling the reader through a diverse range of topics in 272 pages, which includes an appendix of a pronunciation guide and the bibliography. What’s even better is that the book is thoroughly indexed! When you have that much information you’re going to want to refer back to the text for specifics from time to time, and thankfully, unlikely many books, “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore” has 36 pages of index which means you will definitely find what you’re looking for!
Ellen Evert Hopman provides a definitive book on the traditional Scottish lifestyle. As Hopman offers in the conclusion to “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore”, “As people’s lives become once more agriculturally based, folk will look to the old ways for inspiration as they seek to honor the Land Sprits and the seasons. It is for these future generations that I offer this book, in hopes that they will tend the Earth and Her creatures, the seen and the unseen, with loving care.”
