Author: benebell

Tarot of the Vampires by Charles Harrington and Craig Maher

On By benebellIn deck review, tarot7 Comments

Everybody needs a vampire deck. Is a tarot collection even complete without a vampire tarot? 😉 And this one in particular is tantalizing!

The Tarot of the Vampires by Charles Harrington and illustrated by Craig Maher is sleek, modern, and cinematic. You might recognize Charles as the author of the Murder of Crows Tarot (2020), Tarot V (2021), or the Ferenc Pinter Tarot (2021). He’s also a frequent speaker at various tarot conferences.

In terms of a genre, this tarot is delectable blood-sucking dark urban fantasy horror. These illustrations reveal a secret world coexisting with ours– as Harrington puts it, “the world of the undead and their eternal dance suspended between Heaven and Hell.”

That world of the undead and eternal dance enthralls all the more in Tarot of the Vampires because of Maher’s art. Craig Maher is an impressively talented artist in the realm of fantasy and imaginative realism. His renderings of this vampire universe are masterful. The detailing in these illustrations is next level. Just you wait and see.

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Addendum Blog Post Response to “How to Spot a Fake Tarot Reader”

On By benebellIn Bell Chimes In, opinion, professional tarot, tarot community22 Comments

There was a TikTok video that kinda sorta went viral among tarot people. All my tarot friends were chattering about those “six ways” and so many feels got riled up. Heck, the fact I made my VR two weeks ago and am still talking about it right now with an addendum blog post shows I got a little riled up, too.

In my (probably misplaced) priority of trying to keep videos short and succinct, I didn’t flesh out the thoughts I had wanted to share. And then many tarot colleagues continued and extended the discussion, so now I have even more thoughts. =)

This is a follow-up or written sequel to my VR.

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The Masters of the Tarot Conference at Omega Institute

On By benebellIn cartomancy, conferences, divination, tarot, tarot community4 Comments
2019 Masters of the Tarot Conference. Left to Right: Me, Mary K. Greer, Terry Iacuzzo, Rachel Pollack, and Joanna Powell Colbert

I was first invited to present at the Masters of the Tarot Conference back in 2019. The Conference takes place every July at the Omega Institute in upstate New York, and was founded by Rachel Pollack and Mary K. Greer.

Opening ceremonies and introductions happen on Friday evening, with a starter workshop or master class as your night cap. Then the keynote speaker events begin first thing Saturday morning and go until Sunday noon. Interspersed throughout are discussion panels for Q&As and moderated topical conversations. The event ends with all of us having lunch together.

From the 2019 Masters of the Tarot Conference. Photo courtesy of Joanna Powell Colbert (IG: @joannapcolbert)

I’ve had an incomplete draft of a post-event write-up since July 2019 that I never got around to finishing and posting onto this blog. Sigh. And now the 2023 Conference has come and gone, which was the second time I’ve presented at Omega.

So this blog post is going to cover both the 2019 and the recent 2023 events.

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Taoist Magic for Beginners: How to Get Started

On By benebellIn feng shui, free download, Fu talismans, grimoire, I Ching The Oracle (book), Magical in the Mundane, personal spirituality, Tao of Craft (book), Taoism, traditional witchcraft12 Comments

This is a companion write-up to the above video.

Continuing from what I said in the video chat, if this is something you seriously want to do, then start by getting that three-ring binder. Though I think organizing it into eleven sections is sufficient, I noticed you can’t buy packs of just eleven binder dividers. They come in sets of 12, so that’s fine. Having a final “Miscellany” tab is always a good idea anyway.

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Orange Peel and Rice Powder DIY to Treat Hyperpigmentation

On By benebellIn holistic food, Magical in the Mundane, personal8 Comments

I wanted to put this out there in hopes that someone googling for this info will find my post. So yes, topically it’s a bit outside my beaten path here on this blog.

I made my own citrus peel powder + rice grains powder face treatment to deal with hyperpigmentation and texture concerns, applied it twice daily for 100 consecutive days, and am now sharing my thoughts.

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The Living Tarot by T. Susan Chang

On By benebellIn book review, tarot, tarot community, tarot exercises3 Comments

I’m a huge fan of T. Susan Chang’s work. I loved Tarot Correspondences, which I’ve reviewed before here, have and cherish my copy of Tarot Deciphered, co-authored with M. M. Meleen, creator of the Rosetta Tarot and Tabula Mundi Tarot, two of my all-time favorite decks, ever.

So I’m thrilled about the opportunity to review Chang’s latest book, The Living Tarot published by Llewellyn Books. Unlike her previous publications, The Living Tarot is written with the beginner in mind, and more pertinently, how the modern reader can find personal, everyday meanings to the 78 cards.

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SKT Deck Deliveries Status Update

On By benebellIn Spirit Keeper's Tarot18 Comments

Apologies for not sharing a deliveries update sooner, as I know many of you are waiting anxiously for info on the status of your pre-order.

We are now almost two weeks in to having started packing and shipping the decks out. It feels like we’ve done a lot and have made a lot of progress, except then I look at how far we are down the list of pre-orders and we haven’t even finished the first 200 yet. Eeps! So I guess the progress is not as fast as it feels to us! =)

I write up these status updates assuming you are like me and would want all the info that I would want if I were the buyer, but if it’s more than you care to know, no worries, just scroll, skim, and skip around.

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Art Project: Scrapbook Collage Cards

On By benebellIn oracle deck, personal, personal spirituality, tarot community30 Comments

The real reason this post is going up is because I want to show off my cute little arts and crafts project. Otherwise there is no other purpose to them. So permit me to flaunt and brag about my accomplishment. This is where you ooh and ahh, or at least pretend this matters to you. =)

Like, I’m not going to sell them or turn them into an oracle deck (although you totally can, and what a great idea that is!) so what am I going to do with these scrapbook collage art cards I made… oh, I know, flex about it on my personal blog.

I mean. They’re pretty cute, aren’t they? You can give me that much. =)

But I will try my best to force out a more meaningful message for the collective, something you might be able to get out of my personal arts and crafts dabblings. This is a really, really easy craft project you can do at home, and I’ll explain why I believe it’s worth your while.

If you have arthritis, there are arthritic scissors you can use, or invest in one of those sliding paper cutter things. And then instead of collaging with magazine cut-outs, do what I did and buy a ton of stickers. All you’ll be doing is collaging with stickers.

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The Oracle of Nehalennia: Whispers from the Shells by Bela Síol

On By benebellIn deck review, oracle deck1 Comment

I reviewed Bela Síol and artist Igor Alexandre’s The Transformational Oracle of The Morrighan here previously, and I’m impressed by how versatile Síol and Alexandre are with their style and point of view, because The Oracle of Nehalennia is so distinct from the artwork and point of view in Oracle of the Morrighan.

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