Cultural Clashes and the In-Laws I: The MIL

This is going to be a multi-part series of personal reflections on my life experiences and interactions with having mainland Chinese in-laws and the cultural clashes that have ensued. I’m Taiwanese American, and politically my family has been as far Green* as it gets. The Taiwanese and Chinese have a longstanding history of animosity toward one another, an animosity that has often played out at the interpersonal level.

Part I will begin with my late mother-in-law.

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* “Green” is an international political marker and movement that prioritizes participatory grassroots democracy, social justice, social progressivism, ecopolitics, and localism. Here it also relates to the Taiwan independence movement.

Continue reading “Cultural Clashes and the In-Laws I: The MIL”

On Password-Protected Posts

UPDATE:

Due to logistical and admin challenges of keeping up with e-mails re: the Closed Circuit, this has been turned off entirely. Apologies in advance for non-responsiveness. There is no longer a Closed Circuit track.

Any password-protected posts you might see from here on out are posts of supplemental materials for courses, workshops, or presentations. The blog post method is just the easiest way for attendees of these classes to access the materials. I give them the password during the class, and then they go to the password-protected blog post to download the class-specific materials.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Leaving the original text for this post below in case anyone is interested in the historical context.]

I’ve been receiving a number of messages expressing confusion around the password-protected posts, so I hope this note will help clarify.

The post that went up yesterday titled “How to Survive Criticism and Pitchforks (2024 Day Planner Add-On)” is password-protected because it is for those who ordered the 2024 Day Planner Add-On, explained here. In short, it’s tradition that I offer an optional add-on to those who order the annual Metaphysician’s Day Planners. For 2024, it’s that password-protected post.

That post falls outside the scope of posts on my blog designated “Closed Circuit.” All closed circuit blog posts are archived here: https://benebellwen.com/category/closed-circuit/

For information on how to gain access to Closed Circuit blog posts, read here: https://benebellwen.com/2019/07/13/revisiting-why-there-is-a-closed-circuit/

However, not all password-protected posts are Closed Circuit postsTherefore the password you get for the Closed Circuit posts will only work on Closed Circuit posts.

Thank you for your understanding,

Bell

Frater Setnakh’s 72 Angels Talisman Coins and Cards

I previously showed the above in a #54321tarot tag. Whether you get the coins or cards, if you’re interested in the 72 angels correspondences, there’s a free download from me at the very end of this walk-through.

The download is so you can do a direct comparison between the 72 angels and tarot correspondences per Christine Payne-Towler’s Tarot of the Holy Light and the tarot correspondences per Frater Setnakh.

This post is a photographic walk-through of the 72 Angels Talisman Coins and Cards created by Frater Setnakh.

Continue reading “Frater Setnakh’s 72 Angels Talisman Coins and Cards”

Gold Lyre Tarot by Lacy Martin and Christine Scanlon

The Gold Lyre Tarot is a feminine spin on the classic RWS, representing the divine feminine of today’s blended American culture and gender-fluid evolution. It is the exquisite creation of two best friends, Lacy Martin and Christine Scanlon, who combined their talents in art and divination to produce this tarot deck that balances the scales between modern and traditional.

The deck’s namesake is attributed to Apollo’s lyre, Apollo being the god of prophecy and music, and the lyre a symbol of wisdom and moderation. Hermes was the creator of the golden lyre. Later merged with the Egyptian god Anubis to create the syncretized Hermanubis, the namesake also calls upon the god of translators, interpretors, and conductors of souls. Likewise, the Gold Lyre Tarot holds songs and messages that only you can hear.

Continue reading “Gold Lyre Tarot by Lacy Martin and Christine Scanlon”

State of the Tarot Union 2023

I first intuited what felt like a waning phase in terms of activity and creativity in the tarot industry in 2022. But, you know, maybe it was just me. So I dismissed the thought.

Earlier this year, I started seeing comments in discussion forums from people in our community that were echoing those same thoughts. Apparently it’s not just me! I think people are really feeling it.

So I wanted to talk about my observations of the state of the tarot union as it stands now, at the close of 2023.

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KLD Tarot by Kate La Dez Studios

This is a photo walk-through of the KLD Tarot by Kate La Dez Studios. It’s a modern photo collage deck that features a candy pink and midnight violet-blue color contrast that recurs throughout the cards.

It’s the 78-card RWS-based tarot with 2 bonus cards. Each scene takes place in a dreamscape, with the pink and violet-blue clouds representing the divine feminine and masculine aspects within each of us.

Continue reading “KLD Tarot by Kate La Dez Studios”

Copyright Law and Tarot: Handbook Download

Last Updated 2023 Dec. 29

You might find this free handbook helpful.

Here’s some of what you’ll find in the downloadable PDF and DOCX:

  • Copyright law basics, from what is a copyright, to what constitutes infringement, and defenses against infringement
  • Group Registration of Unpublished Works (GRUW)
  • The DMCA and template DMCA take-down notices; how to look up an ISP’s DMCA Designated Agent
  • Template cease-and-desist demand letters to send to an infringer
  • Template letters to defend against a cease-and-desist demand letter
  • Sending cease-and-desist demand letters to stores selling knock-offs
  • Actionable solutions for the independent artist to deal with counterfeits
  • How copyright law applies in various tarot professional specific scenarios
  • AI technology, web scraping, copyright, and tarot
  • How copyrights compare to trademarks and patents; design patents and how they might be pertinent in the world of tarot

Continue reading “Copyright Law and Tarot: Handbook Download”

Silvana Alasia’s Oracle of the Egyptian Gods

Oracle of the Egyptian Gods by Silvana Alasia features portraits of Egyptian deities painted in tempera on papyrus in the ancient Egyptian drying method.

It was the art style really captivated me, and then as I explored the deck further, it turns out to be of the most well-done Kemetic-themed decks I’ve seen in a while.

This is a deck of 36 cards, each bringing messages of wisdom, warnings of danger, advice, and protection. Each card features a god or goddess from the Egyptian pantheon.

Continue reading “Silvana Alasia’s Oracle of the Egyptian Gods”