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The Crystal Gate - Tarot

The Crystal Gate - Tarot


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Celebrating The Tarot: A Journal For Tarot Enthusiasts

Editor: Geraldine Amaral
Venue: print
Frequency: no specific schedule

The Spring 2003 issue of "Celebrating The Tarot" recently arrived - and it knocked my socks off - as usual! I have been getting Geraldine's newsletter ever since I found out about it on one of my Tarot e-lists. I love the internet - but I love even more that this is a print newsletter!

I am so excited - I have no clue where to start, so I will simply begin and procede to babble until I am done! LOL Geraldine herself has a flair for writing, and a flair for teaching. No - I have never taken a class from her, but I have read her book "Tarot Celebrations" 1001 times, at the minimum, and have read everything on the internet that I can find.

She sees Tarot as a tool for transformation, and works, as I do, with ritual, ceremony and affirmations. She is a very logical thinker, and presents her ideas well. Each newsletter is a little mandalla built around a specific concept. The Spring 2003 newsletter is built around the concept of gratitude, and how it is exemplified through the Tarot.

On the front cover she has the Five of Cups from five different decks. What a unique way to see how differing artwork can bring us different perceptions of the same concept. In "This Too, This Too", The Miracle of Thankfulness" Geraldine discusses the importance of showing gratitude for the difficulties that crop up in our lives. In "The Magician's Alter: As Above, So Below" she looks at the process of manifestation. Geraldine does a magickal job herself of reviewing "Tarot For Self Discovery" by Nina Lee Braden (Llewellyn, 2002), and I was mesmerized by her review of "The Forest Of Souls, A Walk Through The Tarot" by Rachel Pollack (Llewellyn, 2002).

We are not done by a long shot - this is a forty-six page newsletter! There are guest articles on 'Gratitude And The Tarot" by Debbie Johnson, Suzanne Turner and myself, a very interesting New Moon spread by Mikhail Pokrovscky, and a MAJOR interview of Tarot artist/author Arnell Ando by Diane Wilkes.

Alma Puissegur discusses how her work on her collage deck came about (quite interesting), Larry Baukin discusses what he terms "Double Decker" Tarot readings (discussing inner and outer aspects of a reading), Barbara Burchell discusses the High Priest, Judi Edgar does a wonderful take on some of our Tarot "Divas", and Phil Nauton discusses why we buy Tarot decks.

Mary Greer does a fantastic article on how to "meet" a new deck; Sandra Thomson has an excellent article on "The Tarot, Spiritual Alchemy, and Self-Sabotage", and a second article on "The Shadow Magician".

There are several very well written book and deck reviews: Diane Wilkes reviews "Hudes tarot Deck and Book Set" (by Susan Hudes and Leah Samul); Debbie Johnson reviews "The Tarot Spellcaster" (by Terry Donaldson) and Geraldines "Tarot 1-2-3 A Tarot Instruction Video"; Parice Walker reviews "The Victoria Regina Tarot Deck Set" (by Sarah Overnall and George Patterson); Beth Russell reviews "The Victoria Regina Tarot Deck Set" (by Sarah Overnall and George Patterson), Templar Tarot (by Allen Chester and Doria Kelleher) and the "Triple Goddess Tarot" (by Isha Lerner, Tara McKinney and Mara Friedman).

Sandra Thomson reviews "The Tarot of Oz (by David Sexton) and "Olympus Tarot Deck" (by Manfredi Toraldo). Pat Harrigan reviews "Listening To The Oracle: The Ancient Art Of Finding Guidance In The Signs And Symbols All Around Us" (by Dianne Skafte); Tiffany Davis reviews "Tarot Reversals" by Mary K. Greer; Kathy Bowman reviews "The Witches Tarot" (by Ellen Cannon Reed) and James Ricklef reviews "The Forest of Souls" by Rachel Pollack.

Geraldine's newsletters are fast paced, well written and full of surprises! An added bonus - she also accepts advertising! To subscribe to her newsletteror to obtain a complimentary copy, click here: Complimentary Copies.

"Tarot Celebrations: A Journal For Tarot Enthusiasts" is a wonderful addition to any Tarot journey. The theme for Geraldine's next newsletter will be an exploration of the many ways working with the Tarot can be life-altering.

© April 2003
Bonnie Cehovet, TM

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