What's new with Interactive Tarot? Events and giveaways!

I’ve been taking a bit of a blogging hiatus, but I’m happy to be back! There’s a lot going on with Interactive Tarot, including a special pricing event, two giveaways, a reading event, and the newly revamped Interactive Tarot website. I hope some of you will take advantage of one (or more!) of these:

Now through June 30th

Special Pricing: Chakra Reading

This seven-card spread is typically $40, but from now until the end of June it's specially priced at $30! The PayPal button to order is right at the top of the Services page on the Interactive Tarot website. For details on what this spread entails, check out my blog post on the subject. It's a fantastic way to discover and overcome blockages that may exist in one or more of your chakras. This is also a great spread for self-discovery that can show you how to enhance your strengths and not just discern difficulties you might be having, but conquer and move past them.

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Now through May 18th

Tarot Deck Giveaway

Simply go to the Interactive Tarot Facebook page and "Like" the May 5th post where I announce the giveaway. It's that easy! I'll draw a name at random on Friday, May 18th, and announce it on Facebook, after which I'll contact the winner individually. The prize is the Universal Rider-Waite Tarot deck. This is a very accessible deck for a beginner, and great to have on hand for a reader of any level. Good luck!
 

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Now through May 18th

Evil Eye Beads Giveaway

Just as with the Tarot deck giveaway above, all you have to do is head on over to the Interactive Tarot Facebook page and "Like" the post where I announce this giveaway! The deck giveaway post went up on May 5th; this one is dated Monday, May 7th, and the random drawing will be Friday, May 18th. The Evil Eye is an ancient talisman that is said to ward of negative energy. The winner can choose the set of seven--yes, seven!--semi-transparent beads on the left side of the cord in the photo, or the seven beads on the right that are opaque and hand-painted. They'll look great on a leather cord, silver chain, or a Pandora-style bracelet, either as a group or one at a time. Just something fun and different!

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6/1/12
and the first Friday of each month to follow
First Friday Art Walk
647-A Congress Street
Portland, Maine
5-8 pm
June 1, 2012
and the First Friday of every month!

 Readings are half price - only $20 for 30 minutes!

My dear friend Maria Castellano-Usery has graciously offered me some of her gallery space for this monthly event. Come on by to see her wonderful art (or check out www.brushstrokesbymaria.com), grab some food and drink, and share some fantastic company. Walk-ins are welcome, or make an appointment with me in advance on the Interactive Tarot Facebook page or via e-mail!  

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That's all for events and giveaways...for now, at least! I need to catch up on all the content I plan on putting up here now that I'm back among the living. As always, if you have a request or an idea for a post, please don't hesitate to let me know in the comments section here, on the Facebook page, or via e-mail.

The Halloween Tarot

There are so many Tarot decks out there that I can't even keep track anymore, and that's a pretty cool thing. No matter what you're interested in--cats, dragons, Arthurian legend, photo collage, specific artists (Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, etc.), Celtic traditions, vampires, crystals, and on and on--there's a deck in that theme. I happen to be nuts about Halloween, and when I first saw the Halloween Tarot by Kipling West (U.S. Games Systems, 2003; this link is for the deck and book set) a few years ago in a metaphysical book shop, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn't until I finally purchased it just a few months ago, however, that I really fell in love with its numerous charms. I initially thought that this might be kind of a fluffy deck; the colors are bright, striking, and whimsical, and the images are not "dark." Even traditionally unnerving cards like The Tower, Death, and The Devil have a lighthearted bent in the Halloween Tarot. A curious black cat appears in every single card of both the Major and Minor Arcana, and we follow its journey like we would follow The Fool through his. When I finally did a reading with the Halloween Tarot, any illusions I had about it being fluffy were dispelled. These cards were crisp and clear in their message, and, most importantly, I had a lot of fun reading them. I re-discovered Halloween! Traditional Tarot suits are Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles (earth). The Halloween Tarot makes excellent use of these elemental correlations and gives us Imps (in place of Wands/fire), Ghosts (Cups/water), Bats (Swords/air), and Pumpkins (Pentacles/earth). Court Cards follow the typical Rider-Waite structure of Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm including several images from the deck below (some of the Major Arcana; a Court Card from each suit, and a Minor Arcana card from each suit) along with brief comments: I love this Death card. The growth/change/rebirth theme is wonderful here. In Temperance, the artist and alchemist themes are apparent as the witch happily mixes her concoctions. There's a lot going on in these cards. Frankenstein is the steadfast Emperor! The Bride of Frankenstein as The Empress is a fantastic symbol of the creation of new life, and she expresses her nurturing side with her cat. The solitary Hermit is shown as a mad scientist, keeping to himself and spending his time gleaning knowledge. In The Tower card, the traditionally terrifying image is made more whimsical in the spirit of Halloween. Strength makes clear the impact of finesse over brute strength. The image on the right is the fully reversible backside of all the cards. I prefer my card backs to be reversible so that I don't know in advance if the card will fall right side up or reversed. Examples of the suits of Imps and Bats. Happiness and celebration are clear in the Four of Imps, and the woman in the Eight of Bats is wrapped up in toilet paper by mischief-making bats as if in the midst of a Halloween prank. She can easily escape, but chooses not to. Examples of the suits of Pumpkins and Ghosts. The woman in the Nine of Pumpkins is content and successful as she tends her garden. The three Ghosts celebrate, intertwined, over a starlit pumpkin patch. One each of the four Pages and Knights. One each of the four Queens and Kings. If you get a chance to read with this deck, definitely give it a go. As I said, I was surprised at and so pleased with the results (shame on my preconceived notions!). When I was a kid, Halloween was fun and spooky, and a time I looked forward to all year; as a grown-up, I find that I'm reminded of those feelings when I pull out this deck. I consider it a gift.

October Announcements

I have five great announcements for October, including TWO giveaways! Check out Interactive Tarot on Facebook for future announcements that pop up here and there. 1) Gorham Art Fair I'll be at the Gorham Art Fair again this year! I had a BLAST last year and am so looking forward to it once more. It will be held at the Shaw Gymnasium in Gorham, ME (behind Baxter Memorial Library off of Ballpark Road at 75 South Street--it's a little tricky to find, but will be well-marked for the event) for two days: Friday, October 28, from 6-9 pm Saturday, October 29th, from 9 am-3 pm.  A 30-minute Basic Full Reading will be only $20--half-price! This is an ideal time to get a Tarot reading. As I noted my previous post about Samhain, the veil between the worlds is very thin this time of year, particularly around the 31st; divinatory powers are typically at their peak, and messages tend to be even clearer than usual. For more information about the event, check out the Gorham Art Fair Facebook page or the Gorham Art Fair site, or send questions to gorhamartfair@gmail.com. Come see tons of wonderful artists, have some great food, and hear some fantastic music! 2) Enlightenment Expo  I'm so excited to announce that I'll be participating in the Enlightenment Expo this year, hosted by the wonderful Dede Eaton of The Magick Closet!      Sunday, October 9th, from 10-5      Fireside Inn & Suites, 81 Riverside Street, Portland, ME Admission is $5 for access to TONS of amazing metaphysical practitioners, vendors, jewelry, guest speakers, and music! I'll be doing 20 minute readings for only $20. I would REALLY love to see some friendly faces! 3) Photo Giveaway Though I've been reading cards for 20 years, I "officially" started Interactive Tarot as it is now about a year ago. In celebration of over 100 fans on the Interactive Tarot Facebook page since then, almost 100 newsletter subscribers, over 1,000 Interactive Tarot Blog hits (since I put the counter up about four months ago), and several daily website visitors, I'm having a BIG giveaway! My dad is a lifelong photographer, and the prize is a photo he took of Portland Harbor (Portland, ME), shown below. While this isn't immediately Tarot-related, this represents where I live, and it's part of what has shaped my perspective and the way I read the cards. You can enter by clicking "Like" on the Facebook page giveaway posts dated October 1st and 3rd, or you can send me an e-mail at jennifer@interactivetarot.net with "Photo Giveaway" in the subject line. It's that simple. I'm proud of my dad and I love his photographs. This one is signed and in a hand-cut double-mat! Photo is 8"x10"; outside dimensions are 11"x14". Winner will be drawn on October 19th. 4) Evil Eye Bead Giveaway This is a newsletter-only giveaway! Just reply to the newsletter e-mail with "Evil Eye Bead Giveaway" in the subject line, and you're entered. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here, and you'll get the current issue within 24 hours. Once-monthly issues will follow, and you can unsubscribe at any time. Below is a photo of all the bead colors: green, yellow, blue, clear, red, and purple. If you win (and THREE of you will), you choose the color! They're lampworked glass with a sterling silver core. Great to wear on a leather cord, chain, or Pandora-style bracelet. The Evil Eye is an ancient symbol that, when used as a talisman, fends off negative or malevolent vibes. Who couldn't use a little extra help in that department? I'll draw three names at random on October 12th, the night of the next full moon. 5) Regular Monthly Engagement Thanks to my amazing and very dear friend Maria Castellano-Usery, I have a regular monthly gig that I'm THRILLED about! An incredibly talented artist, Maria participates in the First Friday Art Walk in Portland, Maine, and has so graciously offered me space to do readings for this event each month. It's the first Friday of every month (which you've probably gathered) at 647-A Congress Street from 5-8 p.m. The best part: a full half-hour reading of about 10 cards is only $20; as I mentioned above, that's half-price! Even if you don't feel it's time for a reading, please do stop by to say hello if you're in the area and soak up Maria's beautiful, happy, inspiring art. You can also check out her website in the meantime: www.brushstrokesbymaria.com. The atmosphere is fun and lively, and Maria always provides great food and drinks (her homemade guacamole alone is worth the trip!). Walk-ins are welcome, but if you'd like to guarantee a spot, just send a request to me at jennifer@interactivetarot.net or, better yet, via the Interactive Tarot Facebook page. If you're not yet a fan of the Facebook page yet, by the way, stop by!