Category: tarot community
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.
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- Group Registration of Unpublished Works (GRUW)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”
Nine Years on TarotTube/Pagan YouTube
The very first video I posted to YouTube was in October, 2014. It’s been 9 years. And I thought I’d take a pause from regularly scheduled programming to reflect on those 9 years.
To do so, I’m combining several TarotTube or Pagan Youtube (Occult Tube?) community tags on the subject. If you loiter in any of those networks then you may have seen some. I’m going to do my response as a blog post. And I think that in and of itself probably says something.
#54321Tarot
This is a TarotTube tag started by @Kelly Bear but I’ll be participating via blog post. =) I was tagged by the lovely and precocious @JessReadsCards. The prompt is to share 5 tarot decks, 4 tarot books, 3 tarot spreads, 2 tarot reader habits or tarot reading paraphernalia, and 1 piece of advice (or alternatively, 1 tarot card you’d like to embody).
Ack. You can see my Invisalign attachments in the above photo. And of course now that I called it out, it went from 50% chance you’d see it to 100% chance you’ll see it. Also, shameless off-topic plug for my new book, I Ching, The Oracle. The first few months after an author has released a book, you’re just gonna have to brace yourself for a lot of promo. =D
In Defense of Indie Deck Review; Also: On AI Generated Images
I don’t have a dog in this fight, no skin in the game as they say. There is more benefit to me opting out of this conversation and staying quiet. In fact, speaking up would be ill-advised; I only stand to lose.
First, a quick statement about my personal background, as that will be context for my perspective. I am a self-taught illustrator and in the late 90s was highly skeptical of using digital art in tarot. Everything people who are against AI are saying right now about AI in tarot art was exactly my perspective of digital illustrator tools in tarot 30 years ago (because I did not understand digital art).
At the time I was alarmed to see how many digital artists could create something with the computer that looked almost too perfect, and do it so quickly, but then if you take away their tech and put a pencil in their hand, they could barely do freehand sketches.
However, my judgmental opinion was on the basis of a very superficial understanding of digital art. As I learned more about the process and was exposed to more digital artists as individuals, getting to know the intricacies of their creative process, the more my opinion evolved. I met more and more digital artists who could do phenomenal freehand sketching, and who had simply chosen digital software as their medium, not unlike deciding on acrylics, or pastels, or watercolor, or clay.
Now for the commentary on current affairs…
Continue reading “In Defense of Indie Deck Review; Also: On AI Generated Images”
Changes to the YouTube Channel and Access to Past Videos
In an effort to curate the publicly visible videos on the Benebell Wen YouTube channel, many past videos are now unlisted but still publicly available via the Playlists tab.
For a ballpark sense of how many videos are now unlisted, as of this posting only 129 of 405 total videos are publicly visible in the general Videos tab and thus only those 129 videos are searchable on the YouTube platform.
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When the Tarot Community Incites Anti-Chinese Xenophobia
There’s been a rise in anti-Chinese xenophobia here in the West, and the tarot community has been no exception.
Yikes, did the well-known public figure in the world of tarot just say, in that above comment, that they “know of no Chinese printing” company that doesn’t steal copyrighted work? And then imply that Chinese people like to “beat the foreigner” aka exploit white people?
Every one of these screenshots were authored by someone I know or know of, someone I am connected to via the tarot community. Many are by well-known public figures in our community– published and celebrated tarot authors and popular deck creators. However, I’ve redacted names and profile pictures because that’s not the focus here. This is not about calling anyone out. Let’s focus on the content of the messages being spread in the tarot community and what social impact it might be having.
If you don’t think the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence here in the US is connected to all of these little microaggressions against the Chinese, then you haven’t been paying attention.
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Addendum Blog Post Response to “How to Spot a Fake Tarot Reader”
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
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.
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.
Continue reading “The Masters of the Tarot Conference at Omega Institute”
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