If you’ve been following along for a while . . . I’ll just mention the fact that I did manage several iterations of the “Then”/”Now” format during August. But in the process, I realized that most of what I currently want to write about wanders across both timeframes. So—looking ahead to September—I’ve organized some planned topics into a set of previews, and a new “routine” for the Exploration Project.
First, though, a few bits of housekeeping.
News
I’m reposting some content that was hidden inside the early (2020) newsletters. First up, and available today: Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 Tarot and Ken Kesey’s Tarot connection. If you missed these earlier, or subscribed recently, have a look.
I’d forgotten, but—there’s a “Search” tool on the Exploration Project home page. It’s so small, and in such an un-obvious location, that no one would casually notice it! But you can use it to find all the stories that contain any word/phrase you have in mind, or dimly remember. And now that there’s quite a bit of content on the site, I’m using this trick myself.
Launching tomorrow: a standalone landing page for the EP newsletter. It’s an experiment, connecting to a ConvertKit challenge that will measure the number of new subscribers who sign up via that page during the month of September. I’ll share the link, and if you know someone who might like to check it out, that would be fun.
Previews
The New Routine
As it turns out, I’ve ended up sending a “booster” email on most Thursdays. So I’m thinking the next logical development should be a Tuesday/Thursday plan. And to add a little structure, the Tuesday newsletter will be generally positive, focusing on “Art/Lit/Ideas” and “Tarot Practice.” Thereby leaving un-cheery issues and observations for the Thursday version.
Although it’s not very original, I’m thinking of them (for now) as the Sun Letter and the Moon Letter . . .
Some Sunny Topics
Starting off, the Lit focus will take a closer look at novelist and deck-designer David Keenan’s engagement with Tarot. He has some interesting things to say about language, metaphor, and “the primeval structure of stories and characters.”
The Art focus begins with an extraordinary example of conceptual Tarot, in the form of a photographic deck/essay on the counterculture movement.
My first candidate for the Ideas focus is an improbable but endearing effort by three “scholar-activists” to create a “Tarot of transgressive research.” I promise, this treatise gallops right off every beaten path you can think of.
An especially sunny point of departure for the Practice focus explores the relationship of seasons, gardens, weather—and Tarot. (Just in time for the Autumnal Equinox!)
Another Practice post will look at the Venn diagram of “normal” and “paranormal” approaches to understanding Tarot.
Some Moonlit Topics
First up, the previously promised examination of content marketing, social media, and the commercialization of Tarot.
Next, following up further on the Plath/Hughes/Tarot connection. As you may know, controversy has swirled around Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes ever since her suicide in 1963—but their tragically intense relationship was strongly influenced by esoteric interests, so it’s worthwhile to take a look at how the Tarot played into their creative lives.
The next moonlit exploration I see after that will look a little more deeply into the intersections of superstition, prejudice, and authoritarianism (from Nazi Germany to the present day).
It feels rather bold to look so far ahead—but these are things I’ve been thinking about for a while, so it seems like time to put them on a map.
As always, thanks for reading. And it’s never too late to participate in the survey(s)!
Warmest regards, Cynthia
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