Tarot for Grownups ~ that's what it means, it's not for kids

 

I have authored three tarot books, and these three tarot books are very different, each one uniquely focused on an aspect of the tarot that sets it apart from the other books.  One of these books is apparently somewhat controversial:  Tarot for Grownups.  I remember offering a copy of this book to a woman who is in the new-age magazine publishing business, anxious to get her opinion on it, and when she finally messaged me back, the email was one sentence that said:  "I don't get it."

That was disappointing, as well as a little confusing, as my intentions for this book were quite clear.

I had read an astrology book titled "The Dark Side of the Zodiac", and wow, was it ever.  I loved it!  We all know that Libra isn't always about beauty and love, sometimes she's a whore; and Aquarius isn't all new-agey and quirky and unique, sometimes she's a cold bitch.  It's true, with all twelve signs, there is another side we were ignoring.  I loved reading this book, it took reality and threw it all over the pages so it spilled out in recognizable personalities -- the good, the bad, and especially the ugly.  It was refreshing!  

So I decided to do the same thing with tarot, and I must say, I thought I was actually pretty gentle about it, because I could've been way more blunt -- way more. Yes, really.

Now, the negative side of the tarot is not usually a subject for focus, it's actually discouraged.  It's mostly glossed over and ignored in the fluffy bunny white-light feel-good tarot community, but the tarot has a dark side, and so do we.  I was tired of all the hoopla and attention being put on always being positive and upbeat and avoiding anything even remotely negative connected to the querent or the cards.  Well, this attitude doesn't begin to approach real life, and this isn't doing your querent any good.  Sometimes people need to hear the truth, even if it's nitty-gritty, kind of like a napkin with coffee stains on it.  At least they can clearly see where the issues are and what needs attention to straighten out their energy and their lives.

People don't come to have a reading when their life is all hunky dory and their world is coming up roses.  They come for a reading when they are in trouble, threatened, confused, vulnerable and sometimes hurting.  They come for a reading when they need help, and they need some honest advice.  They want answers, they don't want shiny new-age euphemisms.  

So, voila... Tarot for Grownups.

I can always tell when someone has written a book review without thoroughly reading the book, especially when they get all high-horse and blunder the review.  Case in point:

There was a ranting review left at Amazon complaining about the book being "all dark".  The reviewer stated:  "...it's all very well selling this book as a no nonsense, cut-and-dried kind of book but I felt that the author had a very negative approach with no positive traits in her descriptions of people."

Excuse me, Sarah.  You didn't read the book, did you?  Come on, you can tell me, you glossed through it, didn't you?

• On page 95, paragraph two:  

"In the section of this book identifying the court cards, my intention was to concentrate on the dark side, because it's this side that we so often need more insight into and it's this side that causes all the problems; but for the purpose of choosing a significator, we also have to recognize the positive aspects of our own personality, and I'm going to give you a brief description here of the lighter side, the softer edge, to the court cards."

And then I do just that. 

Time to Set the Record Straight

 

Most of the time most authors ignore negative reviews, most of the time.  But once in a while there comes a point where the record needs to be set straight and there needs to be some clarification, especially when there are reviews that are not a fair assessment of the book or where there is information that is misunderstood.  It seems like there's always something in life that needs to be cleared up, doesn't it?  Well, that's what I'm going to do today in this blog post.

The topic:

My book, "Tarot for Grownups"

 

Available At Amazon

Here we go...

• Astonishingly, in this book, all, even the positive cards have some negative "twist".

Yes!  That is the whole idea of this book.  This book was written with the whole purpose of looking at the darker side of tarot, and I'm amazed that there were as many reviewers as there were that just didn't get this.  This is not that unusual a concept.  I have a book that looks at the "darker" side of astrological sun signs, which is absolutely scathing and toe curling -- and it's an absolute hoot to read!  And this is what I thought this tarot book would be appreciated for, as in taking a look at the tarot and the cards in a totally different perspective than the usual humdrum goody-two-shoes way of tip-toing around life and its weirdness.  Someone told me once that I should have titled it "The Dark Side of Tarot", so there you go.

• I just wish that the author would have went into more detail as to HOW she arrived at the negative meanings. For example, what about the King of Cups makes him want to screw every woman he gets his hands on? What makes the Queen of Pentacles promiscuous early in life? What makes the Queen of Cups a naïve slut? I can appreciate the attempt at fresh irreverent meanings but some of her meanings just seemed like a far intuitive leap solely based on her own extremely unique experience.

How did I arrive at these negative meanings?  I did that with the unique gift I have of picking up energy from the cards -- both positive and negative energy.  It's called "intuitive reading", and I don't know how to explain it as well as I know how to do it.  I believe that it is a form of channeling.  I don't know myself where some of the scenarios and information I pick up come from, but I do know that they come from something outside of myself.  Does that make sense?

The King of Cups... he wants to screw every woman that he comes across because he is the epitome of the Hedonist.  This king has always wanted to indulge in his whims and desires.  It's not a secret, but people are so fixated on always looking at the positive side and avoiding the negative side that they brush over his bad habits.  He's naughty -- really, really naughty.  Hopefully age will bring some wisdom.

The Queen of Pentacles... she's promiscuous early in life because she's insecure and she's mistaking physical sexual contact for genuine affection.  She'll learn, most of the time.  And the majority of these queens will come into their own as they get older and wiser, but wow, when she's young -- ladies, hang onto your husbands.

The Queen of Cups... she's a naïve slut because she's looking for approval and she doesn't feel that she has the right to say no.  Most of these queens will snap out of it as soon as they learn how to build some self-esteem and discover that it's perfectly okay to tell an asshole to f*** off, 'scuse my French.

Based on my own unique experience?  I don't know if I would've survived all the pitfalls and potholes that represent the 16 court cards if I had experienced it all in real life.  I'm sorry to disappoint the author of this review, but I drew this information from the cards through my intuitive ability, not through personal experience.  (good grief)

• it's all very well selling this book in as a no nonsense, cut-and-dried kind of book but I felt that the author had a very negative approach with no positive traits in her descriptions of people.

No positive traits in my descriptions of the court cards?  You obviously didn't read the book.  For shame, writing a review without looking at the complete piece of work.  On page 95, I write:

In the section of this book identifying the court cards, my intention was to concentrate on the dark side, because it's this side that we so often need more insight into and it's this side that causes all the problems; but for the purpose of choosing a significator, we also have to recognize the positive aspects of our own personality, and I'm going to give you a brief description here of the lighter side, the softer edge, to the court cards.

And then, of course, there follows a positive description of each of the 16 court cards.  How did this reviewer miss this? 

You can read through the reviews yourself at the following link, and you'll have to scroll down... oh, and you will also be able to purchase this book at This Amazon Page -- in print or kindle.

"Tarot for Grownups" ~ an irreverent look at grownups and life, through Tarot

 

"Tarot for Grownups"... meaning this book is not for kids or the 'tweens' who are playing with their first tarot decks: Tarot for Grownups is a no-nonsense book written to tell it like it is in a black and white, cut-and-dried way. This book is written for grownups, and it looks at their world through the magick and mystery of the tarot, addressing adult issues with unabashed candor and a healthy dose of sarcasm.

This book is deliciously irreverent.

 
If you don't have a copy, you can purchase one at Amazon by clicking HERE

The following is an excerpt.  It's a short and sweet list of the Major Arcana cards with an adult twist to the meanings.  In the book, this will be followed up with an up close and more personal look at these cards and what they may imply...

The Major Arcana:
Life in a Shot Glass

0 The Fool: Road sign…“Idiot’s Cross Here”…drive slowly.

1 The Magician: The hand is quicker than the eye.

2 The High Priestess: Use your fricken’head!

3 The Empress: Life is preggers.

4 The Emperor: All man, and don‘t you forget it.

5 The Hierophant: Get a life, for Christ’s sake.

6 The Lovers: Hooking up.

7 The Chariot: Run baby, and don’t look back.

8 Strength: Get a spine.

9 The Hermit: “I ‘vant to be alone.”(Greta Garbo)

10 Wheel of Fortune: Don‘t bet on it.

11 Justice: Holier than thou.

12 The Hanged Man: Pity party.

13 Death: Your mother warned you, and you didn’t listen.

14 Temperance: How dull can it be?

15 The Devil: What you do when no one’s looking.

16 The Tower: Shit happens.

17 The Star: The glass is half full, if you squint.

18 The Moon: Liar, liar, pants on fire.

19 The Sun: Everybody smile…say ‘cheese’.

20 Judgment: I told you so.

21 The World: What goes around comes around.

Tarot for Grownups ~ Another sales milestone!

Good morning, World! I’m delighted to announce that my book, Tarot for Grownups, has reached another sales milestone this month. Yay! and Happy Dance!

 

Amazon ~ https://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Grownups-Amythyst-Raine/dp/1780995997

Barnes & Noble ~ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tarot-for-grownups-amythyst-raine/1113981785
 

If you haven’t already purchased a copy, you can follow the links provided here.  This book is written for adults, so expect a healthy dose of sarcasm, some explicit language now and then, adult topics, and a healthy dose of realism when it comes to the interpretations, as well as the personality profiles for the court cards.  There’s not a fluffy bunny to be found here, and I concentrate on the nitty-gritty of life.  We have plenty of tarot books out there shrouded in rose colored glasses, fairies, the white light, and fantasy.  This is definitely not the case with Tarot for Grownups.

 

 

 

 

Hope This Answers Your Questions

I’ve had an unusual amount of requests the past few weeks, since the beginning of June actually, from people who want to purchase my books and assume that I’m selling them myself.  I don’t sell my books, my publishing company does.  That’s one of the benefits of having a good contract with an exceptional company (they keep track of the Business Stuff); leaving freedom of mind for the writer to write.

Anyway, here’s the paragraph I’ve been sending out in emails when these requests come in.  I’ll post it here (and at my Other Blog), and I hope this makes it easier for the reader to connect with the book that they’re looking for.  Thank you so much for your interest!  I love hearing from my readers; you guys make it all worth while…Enjoy the Books, summer was made for reading:

You’ll find ordering information at John Hunt Publishing’s Website; or you can order at Amazon (you’ll find all of my books on this page); Barnes & Noble (you’ll find all of my books on this page); or a bookstore near you (if you don’t find the books on the shelf, the store can order them for you).

 

The Writer's Corner

 

I'm coming up on 50,000 words written in the manuscript to my next book.  I don't know where this will end, other than to estimate that I have approximately 45 short essays to write for 45 sections, and I have about a half dozen longer sections in a different area to create.  I'm thinking that this book may be around 70,0000-75,000 words when everything is said and done, and I still have lots to say on the topic, which remains my secret at this time.

 

My husband, bless his soul, got me a "Dragon" for Yule last December.  You're suppose to be able to 'talk' your words in, no more typing involved.  So far, I haven't been terrifically successful at this.  The directions say that it takes a lot of practice, and that you have to 'speak in' the punctuation, and that it might take Dragon a little while to get use to your speech pattern.  I've always thought that I was an articulate, fairly intelligent person, but after trying to use this tool, I'm not so sure. It doesn't seem to understand a word I say, except "scratch that", which deletes what you've dictated.  I was saying to someone the other day, that I would hate to think that English is my first language and I spoke it so badly I would need English subtitles (as does a popular reality tv family, who shall go unnamed here)...subtitles, really, so that you can understand their English.  .

 

I spent a good deal of time this morning being all artsy and creative making banners for the Facebook pages devoted to my books, and my 'author' page.  Please don't make me think I wasted all that time and creative energy for naught-- check out the pages and hit the "like" button:

 

Author Page

 

Tarot: A Witch's Journey

 

The Gray Witch's Grimoire

 

Tarot for Grownups

 

I went all crazy making banners, and now I want to make banners for everything.  It's addictive, like Pinterest or Twitter. I made a banner for our private coven group, I made banners for my blogs, I've made banners just to make banners.  I'm telling ya', it's relaxing and therapeutic.

 

The biggest drawback I have to getting any real writing work done during the day are 1) emails-- they always take so long to sort through; 2) Facebook; 3) blogs-- like writing in here when I should be writing somewhere else *cough*; 4) Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr, and my Google site.

 

There's just too much to look at and read out there; too many people to connect with; too many posts to write to keep everything fresh and interesting.  We don't want Stale!

 

The next couple months may find me busily trying to finish some work up, so if I'm not posting regularly, you'll know that I'm very busy, but I'm still here, still hangin' on, still doin' my Thang.

 

And that's enough from this Writer's Corner.