gadfly, Broken Arrow (11/19/2009 9:28:13 AM)

It should be noted, in this regard, that "the amazing Randy" (Google him) has put up $1,000,000 to anyone able to demonstrate the validity of any of the information presented in this "story."

This stuff is dangerous when used to extort money from the vulnerable.

If used like a Chinese fortune cookie (unless you believe that stuff, that is) "tarot card"-type stuff can be fun (so I've been told) but the bottom line is -- it's got absolutely no validity. There is enough nonsense going around, to add to it with a "spirit fair."

As Ernest Haeckel has amply expressed: "There is absolutely nothing in the universe that the human mind can comprehend." e

Balance, (11/19/2009 6:50:20 PM)

Gadfly's comment has inspired me to remind people of two definition's, one of hope and the other of gadfly.

Hope:
A belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.

Gadfly:
1. any of various flies (as a horsefly, botfly, or warble fly) that bite or annoy livestock
2. a person who stimulates or annoys especially by persistent criticism

Let's hope you go out and make your decisions based on the importance of these two definitions.

Skeptigamer, (11/19/2009 11:43:47 PM)

Everyone who knows the history of playing cards knows that the "true purpose" of tarot cards is for playing a type of card game. Go to the website of the International Playing Card Society and you will see that tarot cards were made for no other purpose than for game playing and people today especially in some European countries play a card game with tarot cards. They are a type of playing card deck. There is plenty of information on Wikipedia about it as well. Those of us who play real card games with tarot cards are sick of the biased treatment the topic gets in the media. Instead of always giving free advertising to these scams why not show another side of tarot cards and how people play real games with the cards. There is no excuse for the media to promote the lies of these charlatans when accurate information is available.

Tulsa World Scene Writer Karen Shade, Tulsa (11/20/2009 10:35:29 AM)

There is no "promotion" involved here. Mrs. Beale has an event in which tarot reading is only a part. Admission is free and it is up to individuals if they decide to attend or not.
As for "accurate information," I would not qualify Wikipedia in that category, and its best to follow-up on random Websites before relying on them as source material.
What is accurate about the article is that this is how Mrs. Beale understands these cards and that she will be at Unity Center to share that understanding with anyone who wishes to participate.

Skeptigamer, (11/20/2009 1:21:55 PM)

Mrs. Beale's understanding of these cards is a false one according to playing card historians. While Wikipedia should not be used as the only source of information, neither should tarot card readers be used to represent the history of these cards. Your publication is distorting and sterotyping the culture of people by assuming these psychics represent this artifact. There is no mention in the article at all of how these cards were really meant for game playing. There are people now in this country trying to educate the general public about how tarot cards are used in games and your biased article is harmful to these education efforts. Wikipedia may not be perfect but I find it to be a more reliable than those who claim "psychic" powers.
Below are some facts on tarot cards which the media does not want to tell people.
From the website of the International Playing Card Society

"The study of the development of playing-cards has further been bedevilled by overmuch attention to tarot packs. To the best of our knowledge, the first packs of cards in Europe comprised 52 cards in four Italian-type suits each with three court cards (king, knight, and foot-servant), and were used for games of skill involving trick-taking, as well as for gambling games, which were often prohibited. Very soon, the idea of adding extra cards to act as permanent trumps came into being, and the tarot pack was born. At the same time a queen was interpolated between the king and the knight, so that, with the extra 22 non-suited cards, a pack of 78 cards was created. Such packs have continued to be used for their original purpose right through to the present day.

In the course of their long life, many variations have been tried: the pack has been extended to 97 cards for Minchiate by adding more trumps; shortened to 63 cards by dropping low-value numeral cards; converted to using French suit-signs; shortened to 54 and 42 cards by dropping numerals; but always with the object of playing trick-taking games. Many of these variants are still in use for just that purpose.

It is the choice of subjects for the trump cards which has been the focus for so much attention by both scholars and occultists. Though playing-card historians still do not have a satisfactory explanation of the sequence of subjects, many of the occultist theories have been discredited. For instance, the tarot pack was known in Europe in the early 15th century, before the arrival of the gypsies. This rules out the proposed connection with Egypt first put forward in 1781, which forms the foundation for much of the later occult speculation. The earliest known use of Tarot packs for fortune telling was in Bologna, around 1750, using an entirely different system of meanings, and the use of ordinary packs of playing-cards for cartomancy does not date from much earlier than this. Unfortunately, some occultists and cartomanciers continue to ignore these facts."
From The Penguin Encyclopedia of Card Games, by David Parlett
"People are often suprised to learn that Tarot cards were originally invented
for playing games, that such games are still widespread and popular in
continental Europe, and that the employment of tarots for divination and
fortune-telling is a relatively recent perversion of their proper use, dating
only from the eighteenth century."

The media should stop the distortion and stereotypeing of this GAME PLAYING artifact.

Newmystic99, (11/20/2009 1:23:23 PM)

One would best be well informed before challanging the life works of true academics in this field. The tarot deck characterises the archetypes for us to explore our personal journey. I offer an extrated summation form 'The Stormy Search For Self', by Christina Grof and Stanislav Grof,M.D. According to the emminent Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, mytholgy originates in the "collective unconscious"(Jung term) and are manifestions of the primordial organizing principles of the psyche and the cosmos that Jung called archetypes. Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey" can be summarized as follows: A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
The tarot deck is orginized in a system that reflects the universal timeless archetypes that reflect our inner personal journey to a greater revelation of our connection to our cosmic understanding. Often this offers one new insights, renewed hope, a sense of joy and a desire to become of service to his fellow man in a more profound way.
To the unenlightened skeptics, a quote: "Those who love do there best. And forgive the rest." Ken Carey, 1985

Skeptigamer, (11/20/2009 2:08:55 PM)

True academics? Carl Jung is not considered scientific in the field of psychology. Tarot card readers like to use the name of "Carl Jung" to provide some legitamacy to their practice.

Balance, (11/20/2009 2:53:35 PM)

I guess on a good note, at least skeptigamer and gadfly are just bashing us in the comments section and not getting kindling together to burn us at the stake like they used to.

Skeptigamer, (11/21/2009 12:09:02 AM)

Who's talking about burning anyone? All I'm asking is that the media present a more balanced look at these cards instead of having people believe they are always used in fortune telling.

davincidoodle, Tulsa (1/8/2010 11:49:50 AM)

Skeptigamer, I hear what you're saying, but I do want to express that Carl Jung's legacy is highly respected by many in the field of psychology, and it cannot be denied that his contribution was massive. From his work we gained concepts like 'introversion' and 'extroversion' and 'collective unconscious. He felt that exploration of the unconscious could also be approached effectively through myth, metaphor, archetype and dreams. I understand what you are saying, but he is still to be respected as a valuable and fascinating contributor to the field.