Queen of Annwyn

The mythic and faerie art of Beth Hansen-Buth is like a travel album featuring the denizens of the Otherworld. Faeries and Dragons, Gods, Goddesses and Spirits; you never know just who (or what) you may meet. An inspirational painter of faery and myth, she has emerged as one of today’s premier visionary artists. Working out of her studio in her 96 year old bungalow in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Beth’s work is increasingly sought out by collectors of visionary art from all over the world.

Featured in FATE Magazine as the Painter to the Faery Court, Beth’s visionary work has been published in Pentacle Magazine, Seventh House Publishing’s “Season’s of the Witch” calendars in 2003 and 2004, and she has done numerous illustrations for “Tales of the Unanticipated”, a speculative fiction small press publication.

View more of Beth’s Art 

The Goddess Lilith

Art as a Life Path

Beth showed an early interest in art which was encouraged by her mother, who was an avid hobby painter, and at the age of seven she began painting in oils with her mother’s guidance. This early education as an oil painter was interrupted due to the passing of her mother in 1975. Beth continued to draw and occasionally paint throughout her childhood and teen years, the ease and portability of graphite pencil and sketchbook making that her favorite media for many years. Subjects often included animals and portraits, but when she started reading fantasy literature, dragons and hobbits started appearing in her sketchbook. Color called to her, though, and she began the long and arduous path of teaching herself oil painting. In the autumn of 2000 Beth studied Flemish/Dutch oil painting techniques in still life and portraiture in the studio of Jeff Hurinenko in St. Paul, Minnesota, which helped fine-tune her already award winning skills as a painter. Beth blends realism with romance in her oil paintings. Working in layers to achieve luminous skin tones and glowing light effects, she creates magical works inspired by faery lore and mythology.

In her own words

“Nothing inspires me more than time spent in nature. Feeling the wind in my hair and listening to the leaves rustling in the trees makes me long for my walking stick, and off I go on another journey of wonder and delight. There, I commune with the spirits of nature, great and small. When I get back to my studio, the themes that present themselves in my work are those of transformation and ethereal boundaries. Otherworldly characters such as faeries, mermaids, fauns, gods, goddesses and dryads cross over into our world, opening up new possibilities of thought and influence. I find additional insights from my studies of mythology and faery lore, and they find their way into my paintings enriching each with story.”

Guidebook

A 160 page guide book covers the individual meanings of the cards, as well as insights from the lore this deck is based on. From the Green Man and Woman, Archer, and Blasted Oak, authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews introduce forest archetypes based in the seasonal rhythms and festivals of the ancient year. Step back in time to better understand where your life’s path may lead. There is also a complete bibliography to take you deeper into your studies.

This is a 78 card Tarot deck, but the names, suits and meanings of the cards make it very friendly to those who prefer to use oracle decks.  The Four Suits are: Arrows, Bows, Stones and Vessels. Each card has it’s name as well as a meaning on the bottom. The Major Arcana are numbered and labeled at the bottom. All the standard names from the Rider Tarot have been changed on these cards.

0. The Wanderer – 0. The Fool
1. The Shaman – I. The Magician

The Seer (High Priestess)

2. The Seer – II. The High Priestess
3. The Green Woman – III. The Empress
4. The Green Man – IV. The Emperor
5. The Ancestor – V. The Hierophant
6. The Forest Lovers – VI. The Lovers
7. The Archer – VII. The Chariot
8. The Stag – VIII. Strength
9. The Hooded Man – IX. The Hermit
10. The Wheel – X. Wheel of Fortune
11. The Woodward – XI. Justice
12. The Mirror – XII. The Hanged Man
13. The Journey – XIII. Death
14. Balance – XIV. Temperance
15. The Guardian – XV. The Devil
16. The Blasted Oak – XVI. The Tower
17. The Pole Star – XVII. The Star
18. The Moon on Water – XVIII. The Moon
19. The Sun of Life – The XIX. The Sun
20. The Great Bear – XX. Judgment
21. The World Tree – XXI. The World

Here are some more of the images from the Wildwood Tarot cards:

7 of Arrows - Insecurity | 10 of Vessels - Happiness | 3 of Vessels - Joy | Queen of Vessels - Salmon

Additional larger images are available if you click on the alternative views on the Wildwood Tarot product page>

Inspired by myth, diety and personal revelation, Paul paints vivid colors and light-lines to evoke the dancing energy surrounding both traditional and new mythic figures. His original art is featured at the Eye of Horus, both on our gallery wall, as well as throughout the store.

We also carry some of these images and several of his other works as limited edition prints, all in runs of less than 500.  Prints start at only $15 for limited edition, archival quality prints of 24 of Paul’s paintings, both in the store and in the Art of Paul Rucker section of our online shop.  Each is signed and numbered by the artist and come with a certificate of authenticity.

Interview with Paul Rucker

We sat down with Paul to talk about his work and inspiration. We ended up with five short videos which explore the nature and understanding of life and the divine. Click here to go to the YouTube playlist.

In Part One of the interview, below,  Paul talks about his early experiences and how archetypal beings, gods, goddesses became the driving force behind his art. We also discuss his current work with body painting, ritual theater and sacred drama. Art, as he strives to create is Mythopoeic work, and artists reshape the Mythical Matrix.  We also explore the vibrancy of  Paganism.

In the second half of the interview, below, Paul explores the creation and meaning of two of his works. The first is his image of Melek Ta’us.  The second is image of Oshun.  We talk about how he doesn’t just set out to depict a pantheon, rather he connects with and answers the call to paint a divinity, and finally, Paul reflects on nature’s wisdom.

In His Own Words

Androgyne

As a small child I shared my visions by making pictures. That act of magic still sustains me.

When still very young I dreamed of a White Stag that took me to a moonlit grove, wild and rambling, filled with Gods’ names. Not the “Names of God” but the names of the Gods and Goddesses of the world. To stand anywhere in that holy place was to feel each Divine personality completely. All were there, every divinity the human world had ever known, and the Stag of the Moon leading me on and on… even then I knew my task was to bring that magic back to this world, somehow, through making images.

I think of myself as part of the Tribe of Dream… the people who bring heightened reality into the world through art and other acts of creative sorcery. View a video of Paul as he discusses the mythic symbolism of The Androgyne.

The Art & Appearances

I paint in acrylic and occasionally in other water-based media and in oils. I draw in pen, pencil, and mixed media. Other experiences involve creating theatrical backdrops, murals, collage, sign painting, mask-making in clay and paper-mache, silk painting, costuming, and elaborate face and body paintings.  In 1997 my art was featured in a mixed-media collaboration by the performance group Body Prayers at the Merrymeet festival. In 2006, 2007, and 2009, my “Blue Man” persona extended the boundaries at the Faerieworlds Festival in Oregon.

My images have been featured on and in magazines such as Green Egg, Hecate’s Loom, Mezlim, Psychedelic Illuminations, Tapestry Journal, and Reclaiming Quarterly.  In recent years my exposure has grown to include Spellcraft, Witch Eye, Faerie Nation Magazine, and the Green Egg Omelette anthology. I’ve provided work for card games, logos, T-shirts, brochures, and CD album covers: “Ancestor Energy” and Mojo Roots: “Prakriti’s Kiss.”

Paul Talks about his Influences

In the beginning, of course, were the dreams and visions I had no words to express, which led me to make pictures. Very early influences include the lush and amazing illustration in childrens’ books of the late 60s and early 70s– such as the work of Leo and Diane Dillon, who illustrated many of the most fantastical of the stories included in the Silver Burdett Reading series. Saturation in literature came fast and deep. To this day I think of myself as a “writerly” painter, because my art always alludes in some way to story and myth.

I never cared for mere realism, since one could see that anywhere, and far too much of it besides. In reading faery tales, I never identified with the hero or his/her sidekick the way I was “supposed” to– it was their faerie guardian or angelic helper or radiant friend/enemy from the Otherworld that held me fast.

Later on I delved into my parents’ collection of the Time-Life series of “Great Masters of Art”: my fascination with mythological images and scenes, paralleled what I was learning about Greco-Roman, and later Egyptian, Norse and Indian mythologies. I learned about who, or at least of what nature, the supernal personalities I saw in my dreams and sidelong visions were.

In college I began to make an active effort to expand my inner sensibility by studying and incorporating artistic/spiritual styles from many different cultures, most notably Asian art: Moghul images, Tibetan Thangkas, and so forth. Exposure to psychedelics and “entheogens” obviously left a mark as well. But after graduation I continued to work to expand the boundaries of my inner eye: gathering books for instance of artists just beyond my range such as Frida Kahlo and Gauguin, so that I could taste where their work and style was coming from.

Gremlin Fugue

One of my most important epiphanies came from a book on Aboriginal art: the frontispiece showed nothing but a dark and wrinkled hand, presumably the artist’s, lightly touching an Aboriginal painting done in undulating dots. I suddenly got it: these were energy paintings! Ever after I searched for more primal and trans-cultural ways to relate to these styles: Huichol, shamanic arts. The more I learned the more I realized how to learn; that the arts I had the most affinity for and that could teach me something, came from the same current of relating to the world in its invisible, energetic, and more than ego-based aspect: the universe was not a stage for the ego, and the world not simply its tool and plunder, but an infinite diversion of living beings, a “great story.”

Perhaps the ongoing journey between the two hemispheres of my own brain in absorbing Images and Music and Stories, then studying philosophy and discourse relating to expeditions “behind the veil” of ordinary reality, has shaped my approach to my themes and subjects. View a video of Paul discussing his meld of music and art – Gremlin Fugue. I find the greatest meaning in my art as a marriage of content as consciousness (understanding) and content as transmission from the nonrational and often surprising Undermind. I see my work as ongoing dispatches from a miraculous theater of myth and meaning, out there, in the Otherworld.

Paul B. Rucker originals showing at Eye of Horus

• Oshun – 3′ x 4′ – plus frame  |  11″ x 14″ print of Oshun
• The  Sybil – 2′ x 4′ – plus frame  |  8″ x 16″ print of the Sybil
• Androgyne – 30″ x 40″  – plus frame  |  8.5″ x 11″ print of Androgyne | Video of The Androgyne
• Offering -  24″ x 30″ – plus frame
• Gremlin Fugue – 16″ x 20″ – plus frame  |  8.5″ x 11″ print of Gremlin Fugue
• Drawing Down the Moon 16″ x 20″ – plus frame  |  8.5″ x 11″ print of Drawing Down the Moon
• Green Sister 10″ x 20″  |  8″ x 16″ print of Green Sister
• Living Water – 10″ x 20″

Eye of Horus also has two of his Pen and Ink originals available: Mother Goddess and To Dance for Iblis.  Prices for the original paintings start at $900 and the Black and White originals are $350.

A Look back at last weekend

Tess Whitehurst

♦ Saturday we welcomed Tess Whitehurst to Eye of Horus from Venice California.  She’s been on tour promoting her book, Magical Housekeeping. If you weren’t able to make it to the booksigning or workshop, there’s a Chat on USTREAM.  She had nice things to say about the cities on her Facebook Page.  She highlighted the Current (radio station), the Ecopolitan, Eye of Horus, and of course all the people . . . so thanks to everyone who came out. You can also follow Tess on her blog, Enchanting the Day where, appropriately enough, the latest post is Hotel Room Feng Shui.

The one thing I would change in her advice is, instead of a head of garlic, you should bring Smokeless Smudge Spray. It’s a much nicer scent to go to sleep to, and hotel-friendly. Note that I have nothing against garlic in food. But for Smudging I’d rather use appropriate plant extracts.

Street Yoga

♦ Last Sunday was the first ever Open Streets and the Gorilla Yogis were out in front of our store. In case you missed it, 20 blocks of Lyndale Avenue South were closed off to motor vehicles and opened for walking, biking, running, skating – anything people-powered. It’s a pre-programmed and destination driven world, but this is part of a movement to build community connections and a more personal lifestyle.  Open Streets promote:

• Sustainable transportation choices, including walking, bicycling and transit.
• Public health, bringing healthy physical activity to communities in need.
• Local business, drawing foot traffic past the front doors.
• Public space, helping residents see our streets as places where we can all come together and take pride in our city.

A look around the web

♦ Mythic Imagination Magazine Spring 2011 Issue – It’s Free! Articles of interest include

• Excerpt from Fate and Destiny, The Two Agreements of the Soul By Michael Meade
• The Witches of Lublin: A radio drama By Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom
• Finnish Charms: Appropriating Folk Magic from the Kalevala and Kanteletar By K.A. Laity
• Excerpt from Becoming Animal, An Earthly Cosmology By David Abram
• … and a half-dozen more focused on the Mythic Imagination

♦ Starhawk’s Book, the Fifth Sacred Thing has re-entered the womb of creation and we are expecting the birth of a movie sometime in the future.  It’s hard to say how long it will take because they are in pre-production and fundraising, but you can sign up for their newsletter for updates at their site: http://fifthsacredthing.com/ You can also check out their facebook fan page where they have posted the Artist Visions of the City.

♦ Speaking of creative endeavors, our very own Tarot Reader (and author and teacher) Barbara Moore is working with the fabulous artist, Aly Fell, on an exciting new Steampunk Tarot Deck, due out next year.  But she’s posting sketches and color roughs and giving you an inside view of the process in her blog, Steampunk Tarot. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, International Steampunk Day was just yesterday, June 14th.  Why the 14th of June? Well, it is H.G. Wells’ birthday.

♦ We also discovered Urban Threads while checking up on one of our favorite artists, Niamh O’Connor.  She had a show at the Eye a couple of years ago, and among other things, has turned her artistic talents to creating embroidery patterns both for machines and for hand-stitchers. All designs are sold as digital downloads. Just one look at the Urban Threads logo (a free design on their site) is enough to tell you that these are not-exactly-traditional designs.  I found it easy to delve into their site and explore designs for more time than I care to admit, and I don’t sew or stitch or anything, but I’d love to see more of these designs walking around town.  You can also explore their awesome blog of ideas tutorials and sundries, Stitchpunk.  Need I say more?

♦ If that’s not enough to keep you surfing the web, all of you Pagans should know about The Wild Hunt Blog – they have their own link roundup.  They not only do stories, but also have their own weekly link roundup, they call Unleash the Hounds!

A look at what’s coming

We’ve got our own kind of M&M’s here at the Eye coming up. No it’s not candy. It’s just that our next three events are all about the Moon or Meditation (or both).

♦ June 22nd (Wednesday) 7-9pm is the Signs & Seasons monthly Astrology class with Teri Parsley Starnes of Starsdance Astrology. This month’s class is devoted to the sign, Cancer which is ruled by the Moon. Join in and follow the Moon on a journey of intention, magic, and deep self-discovery. As the season of summer enfolds us in a blanket of green, let’s step out into the night to see how the Moon illuminates our souls. Come and join this practice of developing relationships with nature, self, and Mystery. Newcomers welcome! Get more info and free handouts about the Signs & Seasons class>

♦ July 1st (Friday) 7pm – 8pm – New Moon Meditation. Thraicie Hawkner, Eye of Horus founder, Intuitive and High Priestess, will lead a guided meditation during this time for reflection and inner wisdom, capitalizing on the time of the earth’s shadow on the moon. Join the circle of shadow-workers. Bring Notebook and Pen. Suggested Donation $5

♦ July 6th (Wednesday) 7pm – 8pm is the Twin Hearts Meditation (New monthly event!)
Experience a cleaner energy body, calmer emotions, and increased mental clarity through Meditation on the Twin Hearts, in which we focus on blessing the Earth through the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. Jason Calva, Pranic Healing instructor, leads this transformational monthly meditation. $10 donation requested.

Well, those are the highlights.  Feel free to discuss in our comments below.

Top grade vegetable tanned leather is used throughout our entire line of heirloom quality, Coptic bound journals. At first stiff, the leather becomes softer and gains character with use and age. One of the great joys about a hand bound Coptic laced binding is that the book always lays open flat, there is never a need of holding down the page so its easy to write in . . . perfect for a sketch book, Gratitude Journal or Book of Shadows!

Vintage, old world craftsmanship and consistent quality become more precious as time marches on.  Perfect for a personal journal, or to create your own family or craft tradition heirloom, detailing your seasonal celebrations, quotable moments, and magickal themes.  Look closely and you will see the beautiful woven linen pattern in the tree free paper of our journals. You can see, touch and feel the quality of each journal with the turn of every page. It’s a personal and lasting experience of texture and senses which will ignite your creativity and invite you to try new mediums and explore your inner and outer world, knowing the record you keep will last for generations. The image above features the Entangled Dragons Journal, Earth Mother (Gaia) Journal and the God’s Eye Journal.

Other styles are planned and we will add more when they become available.  View all handmade leather journals.

Ancient Deckle Edge Scroll

For those who like a little more room for artwork, diagrams or creating your own illuminated manuscript, we also offer the large 14½” x11″ Parchment Scroll. If you are truly into the “old ways” this journal/sketchbook is made exactly the way they made them 1,000 years ago. The cover is free-ranged goat skin. The pages are handmade deckle edge parchment paper of high grade organically grown cotton which is acid, resin and toxin free. Just roll it up and use the leather string to tie it into a compact and attractive scroll which can fit into a satchel, messenger bag or backpack. Then when you get to your destination, unroll and record your observations.  The larger format makes it easy to stretch beyond the imposed boundary of a smaller book.

On some of these you can see the actual spots of the goat on the naturally vegetable tanned leather… very ancient and tribal look and feel. Some of them are tanned all the way to black.  Each one is unique.  The paper can be removed and refilled. Great for Artists!  Another plus for artists is that we are able to offer it at a reduced price because we get this direct from the makers. Check it out!

• Size when flat and closed: 14 1/2″ x 11″
• Size when rolled in a scroll: 11″ x 3 1/2″
• Paper is approx 13″ x 10 1/2″
• Refillable

We’ve listened to your stories about what the Eye means to you, thought about it, and decided it made sense to invite you to join us as we step further on this path of exploration. And because we know you like great art, we decided to create a series of Exclusive Limited Edition Art T-shirts!

UPDATE:  Order Placed 7/26 – No more pre-orders!
We will have a limited selection of shirts available when the order comes in, sometime in August.  Thanks to everyone who placed their order.

Joseph Campbell said, “Knock and doors will open where there were no doors before.” So here we are, knocking on your door, raising money by creating something uniquely cool.  We know you want to keep the flame burning at the eye, and you can make it possible for us to reach a new level of selection and service.

We’ve selected eight amazing designs and created a limited edition badge that you can wear proudly as a Visionary Keeper of the flame.   Choose one or more inspiring designs, including a couple with artwork by Nene Thomas, and all of the shirts are available in sizes M through XXXL! Eight of the T-Shirts Are Also Available in Small and Kids Sizes! You will also get invited to special Visionary events and be the first ones to know about our transformation.

Reaching New Heights

These exclusive t-shirts will be made available this summer only. If you decide to become a Visionary, a Keeper of the Flame, you will not only get the T-Shirt, but you will make it possible for the Eye to continue to be much more than a store. We want to serve you better, but need your help to take the next step.

There will also be special Visionary exclusive events throughout the summer, for those of you who decide to join us in this adventure. We can’t give you details yet, on what all it means to be part of this unique group of Visionaries.  We can only let you know we’re working on all kinds of ideas. Click here to order your T-Shirt and become a Visionary for the Eye!

Exclusive Limited Edition Art T-shirts!

UPDATE:  Order Placed 7/26 – No more pre-orders!
We will have a limited selection of shirts available when the order comes in, sometime in August.  Thanks to everyone who placed their order.

Check out All of these Amazing Art T-Shirts:

The T-Shirts are printed in the U.S. by The Mountain, and we’ve made special arrangements to have them customized with the Visionary logo shown here.  So yes, you can find them cheaper, but not with the exclusive logo, and you will know that 100% of the profits from these shirts is going to a special expansion fund to make sure we can continue to add more products, enlarge our teaching space and store, and oh, so much more.  Because we are having the shirts customized, it will take a few weeks before we get you the actual shirt. But the moment you place your order, you will be giving the Eye the leg up it needs to reach the next level.

The Minor Arcana was much harder. A number and a suit: how to create meaning from something that seems random? How to motivate myself artistically to not hold back, but to pour everything I have within me into each card? It would be a shame to have created a body of work I was proud of in the Major Arcana, and then to fall short when coming to the rest of the deck.

I decided on one thing immediately. Just as I had done with the Major Arcana, I would proceed with the cards in order. Aces first, twos, threes, etc. By not allowing myself to skip ahead to what might be perceived as the “fun” images, I forced my mind to look into each card to find the meaning in it, to seek out its unique beauty, and to determine how it intersected with my life experiences and personal symbology.

After having come to this decision, I was surprised at how well it worked. I suppose that should not have been unexpected, for the popularity of the tarot and the fact that it has lasted and is so ageless is because the meanings of the cards span the whole of the human experience. If a single card is isolated, and one digs deep enough into the soul, there is bound to be some connection that one finds to what that card signifies. As a result, the journey of creating the deck felt like an extended exercise in meditation, spanning the four and a half years it took to complete the project.

At times during the journey, it felt like purest synchronicity the way inspiration would present itself as I approached a card. Or perhaps it was as I have said: that the connections are all there in our lives, only needing the moment of meditation to comprehend how that puzzle piece fits into the weaving. These links always exist, but they are not recognized as such until they are actively searched for.

I remember coming to the Eight of Pentacles in October and pondering how I was going to distill the spirit of craftsmanship and pursuit of higher understanding into an image. On the one hand, it was an easy card for me to relate to, given my current project, and being an artist. But relating to, and finding the right imagery that connects those thoughts and concepts into a visual context, are different processes. It is the process of communication (which is ultimately what an artist’s endeavors distills into).

After scratching aimlessly at my sketchpad for a while, I set aside the pencils and brushes and made my way down to Sausal Creek, which runs at the bottom of a ravine across from my house. The chill of autumn was just starting to set in as we transitioned from our long heated spell of summer drought into the months of rain. Dried and thorny blackberry hedges hemmed in the path, and sunlight trickled in through the greenery. I noticed then the glints of iridescent light from the dew on myriad webs strung in the foliage. These were masterpieces, stretched from twigs and tree limbs, beautiful geometric perfection spun in spider silk, with the little artisans seated at the center.

I knew then that I had found my muse. She was Arachne of Greek myth, in her moment of comprehension for her pride, being transformed to a spider to be given the gift to weave ephemeral beauty for all time. She was Spider Woman of Navajo tales who taught women how to spin and was the embodiment of creative thought. And she was the Spider before me: even as I watched, I saw to one side a spider slowly setting her anchor threads and then proceeding to patiently walk round and round her web in an ever-widening spiral, her legs twisting in a strange and intricate eight-legged dance to bind each strand as she passed the radiating anchor threads.

Another favorite moment of stochastic alignment for me during the creation process was when I began to work on the Hermit. The summer when I came to him, I was spending a few weeks with my husband’s family on Manitoulin Island, in Ontario, Canada. It is an isolated place, removed from the light and sound and humanity that surround me in Oakland, California.

My ears are accustomed at home to nighttime “silence” being the hum of my computer in the other room, the chatter of the family next door, the sounding of the trains five miles distant that carries on dry nights, and the occasional airplane coming into Oakland Airport. Orion gleams bright in the sky, and sometimes you can make out the Big Dipper.

At the island, though, it was a different experience altogether: at night the Milky Way trekked across the sky in a spill of light that reflected in the still waters of Lake Manitou. The silence was complete, broken only perhaps by a passing nocturnal creature whose eyes would pause and gleam outside a window before vanishing into the undergrowth. At dawn and dusk I went out to the dock and watched as the loons skimmed like phantom shadows near the lake’s surface, their eerie cries sliding across that mirror surface.

In the haunting cries of the loons came the Hermit’s inspiration. It is no surprise that loons were seen as spirit creatures to the Indians in those northern retreats. There was something otherworldly in the experience of encountering them. Like faery creatures of other cultures, their choice of timing at dawn and dusk seemed to mark the transition moments of the day, when the doors to the otherworld were opened briefly and realities existed in a nebulous way. When I returned home to Oakland, I summoned the memory of the wheeling stars in the night sky, and the still cold waters, and the voices of the loons, and held those all in my mind. And the Hermit came into being.

I’ve been asked, if I deviated from the imagery that other tarot decks have used, how are readers to find their own connection to the deck? I feel that the symbols I have employed have a deeper meaning than just their singular connection to myself. By delving into the language and imagery of myth, I tried to tap into a more universal well of metaphors. These are not just meanings that I have derived on my own from a void, but concepts and themes that have appeared over and over in cultures around the world and through time. In the way that each culture has its own creation myth that somehow has uncanny similarities, there are images and symbols and stories that are recognized on a subconscious level; meanings that are felt, stories that are understood.

Written by:  Stephanie Pui-Mun Law  -  Reposted by permission. Original Title: The Creation of Shadowscapes Tarot COPYRIGHT © 2010 Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

View more images from the Shadowscapes Tarot

Beneath the Below CD:

Here’s how it begins . . . a movie soundtrack and two musicians reaching for deep and ethereal, an otherworldly fantasy about a Moth Boy; a film which lent itself to dark and dreamy audio visions. Beneath the Below is a River began life as a collaborative soundtrack to the short film ‘Hugo’, directed by Nicholas Verso. Wendy and collaborator Craig Patterson were so pleased with the outcome of the soundtrack that they expanded it into a full length album.

This is not the first time Wendy has created ambient music. Although all of her CDs have some of that soundtrack quality, she worked to create almost theatrically faerie atmosphere in Deep Within the Faerie Forest–a collaboration with Gary Stadler. But that does not make these CDs twins, like so many of the ambient titles out there. Where the Faerie Forest is light and uplifting, Beneath the Below resonates like a waking dream and draws you back down into the underworld to explore further.

In fact, any artist or writer would find this music makes a great background for the creative process. It would probably also be amazing to have in the background of a Tarot Reading.  Imagine a room with dark velvet drapery, red wine and frankincense and add Beneath the Below is a River, and you have a modern, sophisticated Goth Salon…  Listen to mp3 samples

Legacy of the Divine Book & Deck

From the artist who created the best-selling Guilded Tarot, Ciro Marchetti,  comes a wondrous new vision of the archetypes and symbols which make the Tarot such a powerful tool for exploration.  While remaining true to the classic Rider-Waite Tarot deck, Marchetti creates a myth of a legacy from ages past to cast a new light on both the Tarot and the power of dreams.  The Legacy of the Divine Tarot was first available only in a limited edition version, which dazzled and stunned even the most jaded tarot enthusiast, but is now available to a broader audience in a kit. The Legacy of the Divine Tarot kit includes a 78-card deck, a 312-page book, and a black organdy bag.

This deck has been massively anticipated, partly because the artists says it will be his final deck, but largely due to the trailers.  That’s right, there are YouTube videos out for the deck, but that’s not all, Marchetti is creating an amazing interactive web site which will enchant any art enthusiast, let alone Tarot enthusiast. I need to say that these interactive resources are not just gimmicks, but clearly an expansion of the passionate vision which gave birth to this deck. Absolutely stunning:

Legacy of the Divine on YouTube

You don’t need to see the video in order to understand the cards, though. The companion guidebook, Gateway to the Divine Tarot, presents the author’s interpretation of each card’s significance, including the fantastic back-story, along with additional perspectives from experts in the tarot community, including Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, James Ricklef, and Leisa ReFalo. Just to give you a taste . . .

“The Blind Ones had told of its coming, that which would bring about our destruction. No one doubted their wisdom, and we neither feared nor questioned their reason. We understood that we were, ourselves, of the stars, and our existence in this form is but an instant in eternity. We would cease to be part of the universe. But we lamented nonetheless.” – From the companion book to the Legacy of the Divine Tarot (Gateway to the Divine Tarot)

For some people, like me, you just won’t be satisfied without seeing the actual card images. Here are some of the incredible images in this gallery here:

Think of how wonderful it would be to enter a world of faeries and goddesses, of sorceresses and enchantments. Within that world there is personal power and wisdom that can be found and deliciously experienced. Even better, though, would be to bring that wisdom back to your regular life. Now you can do this when you get the Enchanted Oracle.

The Enchanted Oracle is a new boxed set that features 36 cards filled with the sensuous watercolor imagery of Jessica Galbreth, one of the world’s foremost fantasy artists. Several of the cards have art that is original to this deck, making it a must for all Galbreth collectors as well as for those who love images of faeries, fantasy, and magic.

This is so much more than just the unique divination deck it is. Here are the names of some of the card to illustrate the possibilities: Autumn Splendor, Bewitching, Celtic Witch, Cernunnos, Crimson Moon, Dark Enchantment, Dragon Witch, Entwined, Gothic Rose, Innocence, Mermaid Dreams, Night Queen, Serenity, Temptation, and White Magic. Each has a magnificent and evocative image that must be seen to be believed by one of our favorite artists, Jessica Galbreth.

Destiny’s Portal

Included in the box is a 240-page book, Destiny’s Portal, written by acclaimed tarot author Barbara Moore. The book reveals the secrets of the cards, including the meaning of the symbolism on the cards; the meaning of the cards when used in a divination; and an associated spell, enchantment, visualization, or journaling exercise.

The Enchanted Oracle is ideal for beginners. The book includes information on how to give readings with the oracle, the six steps for giving a reading, and three different and simple spreads to use for laying out the cards and interpreting them. In addition to the book, however, you’ll also find something more in the Enchanted Oracle kit.

What’s That “Something More?”

An oracle, properly used, is a means of receiving messages from the divine, a source of guidance, and a tool for shaping the future. Inside the box with this oracle you’ll find the deck, the book, a whimsical silver organdy pouch with a draw string cord to keep the cards together when you’re not using them, and something more, something that makes this an all-purpose oracle that can be used for any reason.

The extra something in this set is a delightful faery pendant on a black sheer ribbon. You can wear it as an elegant necklace, enchant it to use as a talisman, or use it as a pendulum for another form of decision-making and guidance. Examples of how to charge it as a talisman and instruction on how to use a pendulum are included in the book.

The Enchanted Oracle is a powerful and beautiful tool to help you understand your past, thrive in the present, and create your future. The deck will take you to an enchanted place, filled with ethereal faeries and haunting deities. Here, sorceresses wield their spells and you, surrounded by power and bathed in the glow of the moon, can weave your way through trailing vines and gnarled trees to uncover truth, plan your goals, and discover ways to achieve them. Hold the spirit of the faery in your hand in the form of a sublime image that can be your guardian, a talisman or a gently waving pendulum revealing fact from fiction, and a set of unlimited possibilities for your life.

The Enchanted Oracle is a great gift that would be appreciated by anyone, too!