There's a (zombie) elephant in the room (and it's walleyed and the trunk is fused with...something.)

 

I made the above with DALL-E. I told it to give me Jean Harlow under the moon with spanish moss and a dog. It gave me this.

Admittedly, I don't spend much time with AI at all. So I haven't found the right words to make it give me anything sane looking. But the thing is, a lot of people DO spend a great deal of time with it, they're making decks, and none of those are sane looking either. I won't be so mean as to publish anyones' images here. But suffice to say that I'm seeing misaligned eyes, clothes growing out of peoples' skin, fused and deformed body parts, motors and mechanical parts in nonsensical places, tons of destroyed mattress stuffing...well, you get the idea.

I was talking with someone about this, saying how the people and animals resembled zombies and road kill. And they said that was the darkness and monstrosity they felt from it. They called it Frankentarot.

I've used the term Frankendeck before, to refer to those decks people put together from scavenged Public Domain images. While some of them are nice, many are jarring - the art styles can be incompatible. 

But this takes it more than a few steps further. You can think of the AI as Dr. Frankenstein and Igor. They go forth collecting parts from graves and gallows, bring them back, and stitch something together for you. Interesting, but not what I want in a reading deck.

Tradition

 

We all know how a lot of people will dig their heels in and refuse to learn cartomantic traditions, instead choosing to rely on "intuition." That would be fine, but for the fact that they push their views on the public, thus polluting the waters. Or they might make a deck, but choose to "innovate" rather than design the cards according to the reading tradition. There's a metric fucktonne of unreadable schlock out there.

I've been hanging out at cast iron discussion groups and found quite the opposite, in many cases. Let me explain first that a long time ago, people washed dishes with lye soap. Lye is used to this day to strip the seasoning from cast iron cookware. (Sometimes seasoning gets really crusty and needs to be stripped and done over.) The lye turns it to sludge and it washes right off. So you didn't want to wash your pans with soap then. People wiped their skillets with a rag, or scrubbed them with salt. But our modern dish detergent like Dawn is safe for washing pans. Still, some people still try to say you "should never use soap." I call bullshit. Wash your damn pan.

A lady at one of my cast iron groups said she knows this, she just doesn't use soap because her grandmother didn't, or told her not to. It's a way of keeping her grandma with her, I get that. Others will strip their pans by throwing them into a fire, risking cracks, warping, red scale and general heat damage. There are safe, inexpensive methods available but they choose to risk ruining their pan. They do it because a family member used to.

So people will follow a tradition for sentimental reasons, even if it's fatally flawed. But if there is no sentimental attachment, they want to tear it apart in spite of the value it has.

It makes no sense.

A "To Go" Bag

 

I've been away for awhile. There's really not much to say here as far as explaining how to do things, since the content always gets stolen and I have better things to do than sending out takedown notices. But I guess it's fairly safe to share this idea. It's a to go bag.

The idea is to get one of those big Tarot bags and fill it with small things. This one has a mini Lenormand, Chronata's Hallowstones, a good pendulum that I can't subconsciously force to tell me what I want to hear, three bone dice, my casting stones, a scrap of shearling for casting, and some small runes. I might add the Mercury Chain and a small crystal ball at some point, but I need to make bags for those. Maybe I'll add some small Tarot Majors, too.

Everything is kept separately in smaller bags, not jumbled together.

The Lenormand is a Fromann & Bunte mini, available here: https://gameofhopelenormand.bigcartel.com/product/minis-are-here

I like mini Lenormands. They make laying a Grand Tableau much less problematic when you're short on space.

The pendulum was made by a guy named Stan who sells them at the link below. It's the first one I've owned that I couldn't force. Its snakewood and excellent quality, not like those cheaply made yet overpriced ones that are flooding the market.

http://www.pendulumandpenink.com/shop2.htm

 

The Hallowstones are similar to Crowstones. Like Crowstones, they have a deceptively naive, folk-arty look but they're actually very incisive. They're a Halloween-themed set that Robyn was offering a few years ago. They're not currently available, but she's always got something interesting there.
https://tarotgoodies.webs.com/apps/webstore/

The runes are a little opalite glass set I found on etsy.  (I found the dice there, too, as well as the red pouch.) They're small enough to fit easily into one of those little deerskin pouches.

And the rocks are just a personal collection. I'd recommend everyone to put something together. Rocks, coins, dice, bones, whatever. There's lots of ideas in this little book:

https://www.luckymojo.com/lithomancy.html

These random object casting oracles work best when you accumulate pieces naturally. The book suggests starting with just three pieces: something to represent yourself, a yes, and a no. Cast them and see what lands closest to your piece - that's your answer. As time goes on, you'll accumulate meaningful pieces without trying. They just show up. ;) I tend to take something out when I add a new piece, but you can accumulate pieces to your hearts content. They might not fit in a to go bag after awhile, though.

And it all fits in a Tarot bag. I can just grab it on my way out the door.
(From Baba, of course! https://baba-store.com/collections/drawstring-pouches )

When the thieves come a-creeping

It's been almost ten years since I blogged about plagiarism so I think it's time to say more.

A lot of people in the seedy world of cartomancy just love stealing content and taking credit for it. It attracts the sticky-fingered for some reason. You see it with all the missing books at public libraries that aren't checked out - they're just gone. You see it in published works that don't cite sources - no bibliography or chapter notes, the content could have come from anywhere (and probably did!) People who can't even read cards want to look as if they can. I don't know why. I can read cards and the vast majority of people walking this earth don't give a shit. Thieves: Either learn, or write about something you actually know.

Over the years, I've noticed that the most-stolen content tends to be introductory stuff, especially lists of card meanings. My old Kipper Primer post has always gotten ripped off pretty regularly. Not the text on the top, but the card meanings. You'll want to avoid this kind of format - it makes things too easy for them. I've left it up because the damage is already done - there's a PDF being passed around, FFS. But I don't suggest posting this kind of content. If people want card meanings, let them buy books, translate websites, or pay for tutoring. If they want to share your content, make sure they credit you and link back to the original.

Sometimes it's just crazy and random. One guy stole my Grand Jeu clickable constellations post. He copypasted Didier's list and then linked to all the pages I'd linked to. He didn't steal my writing, but he stole my concept. The DMCA still worked. He was an exception to the norm, though.

I used to want to help newcomers. But after being shit on for my troubles too many times, I developed a noob allergy and drifted away from that. Why should I spoon feed people who could just as easily do the work the rest of us had to, only for them to "go pro" before they're any good and often spam their links in all manner of places that don't welcome self promotion. Ask your group or forum mods how much of this crap they have to deal with. Google works according to algorithms, but also SEO, not quality, and they're gunking up the searches.

I'm not the only one. I have a friend, an exceptionally knowledgeable and talented reader, who takes their blog offline regularly and starts another someplace else. Others, like myself, have stopped posting material for new readers. If you see a blog with card meanings, etc. and it's been there more than six months or so, it's almost guaranteed to be garbage with precious few exceptions. Most of us got fed up a long time ago. Come here for book and deck reviews, readings on current events, observations, or just to read my bitching, lol. You won't see me posting tutorials.

And don't come here to steal. I have no problem sending DMCAs. I especially love posting them to the offending blog's comments. That way everyone can see them.

Oh, and if anyone tries to be slick and thinks they'll get away with plagiarism by rephrasing a bit of someone else's content, Copyscape catches that, too. So bite me.

This dumbass. 😂 They substituted "it can get pretty physical" for "it can get sporty", i.e., "kinky." It's never a good idea to rephrase something if your reading comprehension stinks. The offending blog is part of the ATA's site, BTW. That's the same outfit I called out years ago here for racism and running a sham certification racket. Be sure to check out the comments, they're enlightening.

Simon Bar Sinister & the Ryan Edwards Decks

 

Simon Bar Sinister, or maybe Dollar Store Nosferatu. Rudy Giuliani is a man of many names. 

Recently an anonymous benefactor (who is welcome to identify themselves in the comments, but only if they choose to do that) sent me the Maybe Lenormand and the Playing Marseille. I've long been aware of both, I've even recommended the Maybe, but I gave them a pass since I already have tons of Lenormands (including expanded ones) and TdMs. I see now that I made a mistake. These are workhorse decks: sturdy stock, and unadorned enough for the images to pop. I can also recommend them to beginners, since the booklets are solid. Ryan reads some cards differently than I do, but his ideas are legit. There's no bogus information.

Anyway, I asked the cards "Will Rudy Giuliani flip on Trump?" 

 

The spread above is not what I expected! I figured Rudy's out for himself and he'll sing like a birdie. But the cards say otherwise. Still...

Mostly Diamonds. Money and risk.

Fish, lots of money involved, he's been paid off of course. (Speculation: maybe Trump doesn't pay his attorney fees because he pays them for other things?) Before the Key, it's "unlocked" and subject to change. Trump probably still owes him quite a bit and Giuliani intends to collect. What's after the Key (certain) is the Eye. He's being closely watched - not only by Trump but by the FBI and DOJ. Maybe the CIA as well, since some of Trump's crimes involve hostile foreign nations. The Eye touches the Book, too. There's certain information or records they want, but the Book opens to the Mountains. The information is blocked and Rudy's not talking. Book reflects Key, so these records are important. Fish reflects Mountains. Again, Giuliani has financial incentives for keeping his mouth shut. This could be promised money from Trump, but a likely scenario is that Rudy is in this up to his ears and he doesn't want to implicate himself lest his assets get seized.

Still, everything is likely come out in spite of that. For someone who lies constantly, he's not very good at it, as we know from the way he gets called out on twitter every time he posts his lies. He'll stick to his story until the bitter end, though.

For good measure, I decided to test drive the Playing Marseille for a different perspective and to see if there is any additional information. For the pip cards, it follows Dawn Jackson's Hedgewytchery system. Be advised that I read some cards, like the 7's, a bit differently. I don't necessarily view them all as "troubles that Fate has assigned." If "6 is a path that the seeker must tread" and we see that same path on the 7's with an additional suit symbol blocking the way, I think finding a Spade in the road is much worse than finding, say, a Heart. But Ryan's way will work, too, if you prefer that. Just be consistent.

Same question: "Will Giuliani flip on Trump?"

 

Again we have a "no." The line starts with two Knights: Staves and Cups. Trump with his stick ready to club people into submission, and Giuliani following along proffering his utter loyalty.

Next we have the 4 of Spades, the sickbed or grave. 5 of Clubs points to physical work. Hired people, of course. And 7 of Spades is a card of utter failure.

I think this might refer to Ivana's grave. I could be wrong, of course. But a lot of us find it suspicious that it took 10 burly pallbearers to tote a coffin containing the cremated remains of a frail, liposuctioned woman in her 70's. 

 There could be a metric f***tonne of classified documents in there. It really looks like this is something Rudy's mixed up in that he's not talking about. They're just riding away from the grave at the first hole. "It didn't happen."

Make of that what you will. Time will tell. ;)

Fin de Siècle Kipper ->

 

I've been seeing commentary online for awhile now stating that directions in Ciro Marchetti's wonderful Fin de Siècle Kipper are "not easily discerned." Must people be spoon fed at every step? Has anyone tried looking at the cards? O ye generation of vipers, how long must I bear with thee? Sheesh. 😂

Directions in the Fin de Siècle are as easily seen as they are in the Originals.

1. Main Male: Yes, he's looking straight at you. But he stands facing left. Therefore, the card can be read as facing left.
2. Main Female: Right.
3. Marriage: No clear direction. (But the same can be said of this card in the Original, as the man and woman are facing each other.
4. Courtship: Again, no clear direction.
5. Mature Man: He faces left. Be aware, though, that he glances to the right, and his finger points to the card below him. All of this can be useful in a reading.
6. Mature Female: Inclines her head to the left.
7. Message: Both the drawer and the envelope open to the right.
8. False Person: Right.
9. Change: The car faces right.
10. Journey: The train moves to the left. The man in the foreground also faces left.
11. Sudden Wealth: The coins spill down to the card below.
12. Privileged Lady: Left. But again, watch her eyes.
13. Wealthy Man: He's inclined to the left.
14. Message of Concern: Right.
15. Lovers: Like 3 and 4, no direction.
16. Thoughts: Left.
17. Gift: Left.
18. Child: Right. Pay attention to the card above, as well.
19. Coffin: Opens to the right, the rose in the glass faces right, the near corner points right.
20. House: No direction.
21. Family Room: The portraits on the wall face right.
22. Official Person: Left.
23. Court House: Right.
24: Thief: Two out of the three people depicted on this card face left. Majority rules.
25. High Honor: Right.
26. Great Fortune: Left. But the card below stands to benefit most.
27. Unexpected Income: Queen Victoria faces left.
28. Expectation: Left.
29: Imprisonment: Right.
30. Judication: Right. Look at the Judge.
31. Bad Health: Right. Depending on context, you can also read this from the patient's POV, i.e., left.
32. Despair: Right.
33. Concern: Left.
34. Occupation: Right.
35. Pathway: The path curves and meanders, with no set left or right.
36. Distant Horizons: Both the gull and the ship are clearly moving to the right.
37. Poverty: No direction, though you could read the cat and rat as right if needed.
38. Toil & Labour: Right.
39: Community: Not really directional. The people face various directions. 

So you see the directions are no less clear than those in the Originals. This deck is perfectly fine for beginners, as well as more experienced readers. Just don't let facing directions shove you around the board, or fall into the trap of relying solely on english language sources. German websites are generally best for Kipper, and we do have Google Translate at our fingertips. Also highly recommended: Hildegard Leiding's Leiding Wahrsagekarten, Buch 1 & Buch 2.

The Sibilla and Combover Caligula

 

I wanted to know how much more "mourning" Trump will be allowed before they re-schedule his deposition (that was postponed on 7/15 "in consideration.") What's happened so far:

7/14 Ivana dies
7/20 Ivana's funeral
7/22 Rally in Arizona
7/23 TPUSA in Florida
7/28 Pro-Am Golf Tournament NJ
7/29-7/31 Saudi LIV Golf Extravaganza NJ

I used a Vera Sibilla - no reversals as I'm a bit rusty with it. (This is a practice read.) The spread is basically a French Cross, except I didn't add the cards to arrive at a synthesis for card 5, I just laid a card. (Sibilla, as you guys know, has no Majors and isn't numbered straight through like Lenormand.)

The Sibilla, as always, lived up to its reputation for chattiness and gave me more than I asked for, lol. The first thing I noticed is that there are three diamonds, indicating an element of risk. There's certainly risk involved on all sides. Diamonds are also concerned with money. (This is "just" the financial fraud and not the sedition - its all about money.)

Card 1 is the 10 of Spades, Militare. I think the New York Attorney General's office is strong, they mean business. The soldier is determined, tenacious, and has every intention of going over the mountains.

Card 2 is the Queen of Diamonds, Donna Maritata. Cards in this position can help or hinder the situation. This card is positive, as it indicates a caring woman who is also practical. It might be Leticia James herself, even if she is unmarried. A person can be equally committed to their career. I think she very much wants to see him finally get some consequences.

Card 3 is the 5 of Diamonds, Malinconia. It might refer to Ivana's death - he had no real regard for her. He had her buried at his golf course so he wouldn't have to pay taxes on it. Unlike the Widower card, the grave on this card belongs to an animal. Losing a pet can be devastating, but I don't think Trump is devastated. The card seems to be saying it's really not important to him, he doesn't see her as a person. Many even suspect that he had her "Epsteined." The AG's office might be letting a "proper" period of time pass, for appearances sake. (Who knows, they might be gathering even more evidence while this is going on.) He IS depressed - it hangs over his head - but I suspect that's due to things like this, the Jan. 6 hearings, and the RNC's threats to stop covering his legal bills once he announces his candidacy for president..

Card 4 contains the answer, and it's the Queen of Clubs, Giovine Fanciulla. It's not Ivanka, though she's also in hot water - she's 40, and this card stands for someone unmarried and under 30. The card doesn't always refer to a literal person. She points to Militare, indicating that the NY AG's office holds the solution. If QC is a person, she's an up-and-comer working at the AG's office who is key somehow. He steps on her, disrespects her. This may be someone he's insulted or offended in the past.

Card 5 is the synthesis and it's 10 of Diamonds, Il Ladro. Definitely Trump and his financial fraud. Look at the horizontal line: see how he stalks Ms. James, but the AG's office is on his tail with a bayonet, lol. The "synthesis" of all this is quite simple: Trump is a thief. We knew that, but there will finally be something done about it. We end on a red card, a positive outcome. It's just going to take longer than we would like. How long? Card 5 is summer, so that gives it up to 8 weeks to play out. If not, the answer card is a Club and indicates winter. Let's hope it's not that long! I think they'll be requiring his deposition by the end of summer, but after that things could drag on with a final decision this winter.

All in all, better than expected.