The Fountain Tarot: Deck Review

On October 26, 2015September 3, 2021 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, tarot20 Comments

The Fountain Tarot was created by Jonathan Saiz, a visual artist with a penchant for metaphysics, written by Jason Gruhl, a writer, and designed by Andi Todaro, a graphic designer.

What a powerful Trinitarian force they turned out to be. This deck is magnificent to behold. It came out earlier this year and seriously the whole mess of tarot folk I’m buddies with were ooh-ing and ah-ing the deck and secretly I rolled my eyes and went, “Another modern-looking probably New Agey tarot deck. Oh wee.”

Then photos of it started rolling out on social media and I adjusted my tune only slightly. “Okay fine. It’s a very beautifully rendered modern-looking tarot deck.”

The artwork drew me in. So I watched this video (scroll down) about the creating of the deck and kind of nodded and was silent. Okay. Fine. It’s really, really beautiful. It’s still just another modern-looking tarot deck. And then I saw The Fountain card.

That’s when something in me clicked with this deck. Is it because that card announced the arrival of something new? Is it because it was saying to me, at that moment, that this wouldn’t be just another tarot deck? Not knowing one darn thing about this card, it caused me to relinquish what control I felt I needed to keep and just be quiet. (Interestingly enough, that is one of the given meanings of the card per its guidebook.)

In the Chinese ba gua, or eight trigrams, and the geomancy of the five directions, the fifth direction is the center, the fountain or fountainhead, the source of Qi energy that is then moved through the other four directions, becoming the eight trigrams, forming the five elements, and this is one of the cosmological foundations of feng shui. The center is the fountainhead, the fountain that springs forth the Qi. When I look at The Fountain card, that’s what I see.

But you know, this isn’t about me. This is about you, and what’s connecting between you and the Fountain Tarot. See the three cards below, left, right, and center.

Focus on these three cards and choose one. You can concentrate on an inquiry if you wish, try to connect specifically with the deck if you wish, or just leave it open to the universe.

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The Cartomancer Magazine: What we’ve all been waiting for.

On October 19, 2015May 3, 2016 By benebellIn book review, cartomancy, divination, Holistic Tarot (book), oracle deck, tarot, tarot community7 Comments

The Cartomancer is a quarterly journal just released this year. Its debut, the Summer 2015 issue was a huge hit. The only reason I’d heard of the magazine was because everyone I knew was buzzing on about it. The above is the Autumn 2015 issue.

You can buy each issue as an e-zine for $5.00 or the hard copy for $10.00. It’s worth the $10.00. The quality of the print magazine is spectacular, with heavy paper stock, vibrant colors, and absolutely stunning graphic design and layout. These are collectibles. A complete set of all printed issues of The Cartomancer is going to be worth something someday.

Setting aside the materialist reasons why this magazine rocks my world, check out the table of contents for Issue 2, the Autumn 2015 issue. You’re going to want to order your copy. Plus, your order goes toward supporting an awesome independent publishing house run by people who are passionate about tarot and working hard at making a living out of their passion! You’re supporting the very community that supports your tarot studies.

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Subscribe to My Newsletter!

On October 15, 2015October 19, 2015 By benebellIn personal15 Comments

“The Semi-Private Ramblings of Benebell Wen”

I just discovered MailChimp. The above is what I typed in for the newsletter title box.

So why should you subscribe to my new mailing list?

You probably shouldn’t.

But if you do, you’re going to see a much more personal side of me. There will be some shameless self-promotion, but I promise very, very little of it.

Instead, you’re going to get information. Woo-woo information.

Like astrological info. For example, right now as of this writing, there’s a stellium of the northern node, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus in Virgo that will stay in Virgo until November 9. November 5th through 7th, the Moon will join that party in Virgo. What might that mean for your planning during this time? November 10th through 12th, we’ll see the sun, moon, and Mercury in Scorpio–an optimal time for divination, but what else might you want to know about this time frame? These could be points I address in my email newsletter.

Tarot is continuing education. The more I learn, the less I know. When I stumble across new, cool, or insightful info, I’ll share. This isn’t going to be a card of the day reflection rumination sort of thing, so fear not. If I wouldn’t find it interesting, I won’t include it. But I guess that’s not helpful… we’re operating on the false premise that you’ll find interesting what I find interesting… oh well. It’s the best I can promise.

You’re also going to get to see just how woo I can get. How do I approach craft? What are some of my… for lack of a better term… recipes? And yeah, what are some of my recipes? As in cooking and do-it-yourself lotions (lotions, I said, for moisturizing, not potions)?

I’ll also get personal and ramble about stuff going on in my personal life. What’ve I been up to? And I don’t mean promotional-marketing what-have-I-been-up-to stuff. I mean, like, Mom’s neurotic phone call to me the other night, successful and failed attempts at contacting the dead, or that time when I met a friend of a friend and was introduced by my real name, as who I am in real life, and that new acquaintance is holding Holistic Tarot in her arms. Um… what? Get out of here!

So yeah. If any of that is not not-interesting to you, then please subscribe. What’s the worst that can happen? I spam your inbox like what everyone else is already doing? Yeah, well. It’s a gamble now, isn’t it.

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The 3x3x3 Tag: Tarot, Oracle, and Other

On October 11, 2015October 14, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, I Ching, oracle deck, personal, tarot19 Comments

Tarot Decks (left to right): Haindl, Holy Light, and Hermetic

I came across this tag on Greylady’s Hearth a while back and wanted to pipe in with my own post. It originated among the vlogs, like Kelly’s of The Truth in Story and Divinationary, among others.

First of all, it needs to be said upfront that I’m an Air sign, both sun and rising, and my birth chart is dominated by the presence of Air. I’m fickle and flighty and am always changing my mind. So the most I can say is I’m answering these prompts based on me right now and only right now. Ask in, gosh I don’t know, a year or heck maybe even next month and my answer could change. So there’s that.

Nonetheless, let’s give it a go.

3 Favorite Tarot Decks

I’m naming my 3 personal favorite decks, not my go-to public reading decks. While I do use some of the decks I’m about to name in professional reading situations, I am far more likely to go with a Rider-Waite-Smith (such as the Smith-Waite Centennial or just the Rider Waite 1971) or the Golden Universal (basically RWS). Every once in a while, a seeker’s energy pulls me toward an entirely different deck, so it’s hard for me to give absolutes here. However, generally speaking, my favorite go-to reading deck for others is going to be a straightforward, classic RWS deck and from time to time, a TdM (Tarot de Marseille). There are a multitude of reasons for this discrepancy between personal favorites and public reading favorites, but that may be for another blog entry.

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Tarot Pink: A Deck Review

On October 4, 2015October 9, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, personal, tarot23 Comments

I’m one of the contributors for the Tarot Pink charity deck. Tarot Pink is a collaborative deck where 65 or so artists came together to create art for a tarot deck keyed toward healing, wellness, and compassion. It was a volunteer effort on everyone’s part and all proceeds raised from sales of the deck go toward breast cancer research. You can now order your copy of Tarot Pink through GameCrafter, here.

I talked a bit about the conception process for the card I was assigned, the Two of Wands here. Now I have the deck in my hands and debated whether to do a review. For starters, I’m sure I’ll be biased in favor of the deck, since I contributed to it. Just look at the “little white booklet” (LWB) in the photo above. Just beautiful. However, I will do what I can to be objective. No matter what I might have to say, or what anyone has to say for that matter, please do support the charitable cause and order your copy today. A smartphone app is also forthcoming, so keep your eyes open for that.

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Angel Heart Sigils Mystical Symbols Oracle Cards: A Review

On October 1, 2015October 14, 2015 By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, oracle deck4 Comments

Angel Heart Sigils is in the genre of angel oracle decks, though as an “angel oracle deck,” it’s probably not what you think. For instance, just compare it to last week’s review of the Daily Guidance from Your Angels Doreen Virtue deck.

angel-decks — Comparison: Angel Heart Sigils vs. Daily Guidance from Your Angels

It’s so different from what most of us tarot practitioners have come to understand or presume to be an “angel oracle deck.” This deck doesn’t come out of one of the typical tarot and oracle deck publishers. It’s by Findhorn Press, a Scotland-based independent mind, body, spirit book publisher.

The deck– Angel Heart Sigils: Mystical Symbols from the Angels of Atlantis– is by Stewart Pearce, who is a voice coach, sound healer, and angel medium who, according to his biography, has worked with Princess Di (and several other celebrities from the British Isles who I don’t think I recognize simply because I’m an ignorant American). The deck is based on Pearce’s book, The Angels of Atlantis (Findhorn Press, 2011), which is about the 12 archangels of Atlantis, and also The Alchemy of Voice, published just one year before Angels of Atlantis, that chronicles Pearce’s initial contact with the 12 archangels.

The illustrator is Richard Crookes, who started his artistic career in watercolor and pencil, but is now into digital art, photography, and map and diagram illustration. In the Angel Heart Sigils deck, you’ll see that digital art, photography, and diagram illustration side. A quick scan through his portfolio will convey an incredible digital artist of the modern age who has designed some very cool book covers and can render some extraordinarily beautiful calligraphy.

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Month: October 2015