12.12.2024
A flashback to Halloween/Samhain . . .
Hello everyone, and welcome to another Thursday Evening EP.
Before going any further, have a look at the lovely symmetry of today’s date!
12.12 is obvious, of course. But then 12 + 12 = 24.
And if you add across, the result is 14, which takes us to Temperance—the perfect image for a relationship of equal numbers.
Now for a quick trip back in time, to 11.31.2024.
I don’t recall what happened to sideline my intended post for Halloween + Samhain, but I’d planned to share a couple of relevant items. And since they haven’t disappeared, I thought they might serve as a brief respite from the onrush of Yuletide.
Tarot Everywhere—Real World Edition
On the day after Halloween, I came across these Tarot candles at my neighborhood Kroger supermarket, marked down to a must-have price.
The images are a bit random, but I sort of like the contemporary look. And the large, double-wick candles are very fragrant.
I can’t find any available online, so if you’re envious, all I can tell you is . . .
These fairly deluxe candles (original price $15 each) are made by an entity called House of Velas, which seems to be exclusive to Kroger and Fred Meyer.
Since the whole line appears to be focused along ritual lines—I’ll have to leave off with a bit of wonderment about the marketing logic . . .
Tombstones and Tarot
In the spirit of Autumn, Yale’s Beinecke Library (where some of the earliest Tarot cards can be found) offered this unusual webinar:
I’ve always been interested in both geology and cemeteries, so this was irresistible!
For whatever reason, I didn’t get to watch it live—but I tracked it down in this Facebook post. And if you ever want to spend a strangely soothing, very nerdy hour exploring a completely obscure topic . . . this would be your ticket.
On the other hand, if you’re wondering when the Tarot connection will be revealed— we’re there!
As I was looking for a copy of the Beinecke presentation, the Google algorithm brought me this:
The image is from a series called “The Tarot Tombstone Tourist,” on a blog called The Tarot Midwife. Several posts feature readings done in or about historic Australian graveyards.
I really enjoyed browsing the site, which offers thoughtful posts on an assortment of topics. And one of them brings us to a mirror image of the present moment:
Illustrating that post was a spread from Interrobang Tarot:
“Co-incidentally,” I’ve had Evvin Marin’s work on my list of things to write about for quite a while—but that’s a deeper dive, so I’ll take it up sometime soon on Tarot | In Four Dimensions.
Meanwhile, I’ll close with this suggestion from Tarot Midwife:
Take the time to pick up the energy of the Cemetery you choose to visit. Find the grave that calls to you. Shuffle and lay out some cards and then spend quiet reflective time journaling.
More soon. C