Madam Lichtenstein's Cosmic World

Lena Rodriguez - Tarot Down Under

Lena Rodriguez is a fascinating Australian tarot card reader who has been conducting readings - primarily political - on YouTube. Her forecasts, no matter what your political persuasion, are fascinating as you can see in this July 17 reading:

Salvador Dalí’s Tarot Cards Will Tell Your Surreal Future

I want these cards!!

The deck was originally created for the 1970s James Bond film Live and Let Die, starring Roger Moore and Jane Seymour, but it never appeared in the picture.

If you think you already know everything there is to know about Salvador Dalí, this lesser-known factoid might change your mind: In the early 1970s, the surrealist artist ventured into the occult with a custom deck of tarot cards featuring himself and his wife, Gala, as mystical figures. The deck was originally created for the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, starring Roger Moore and Jane Seymour, but it never appeared in the picture.

In 1973, Albert R. Broccoli, a producer for the 18th James Bond spy thriller, approached Dalí with an offer to create the tarot deck for a scene in the film. The cards were needed as props for the character of Solitaire, played by Seymour, a psychic who works for a menacing drug lord. As Bond films typically go, the psychic changes sides to become the spy’s collaborator and love interest.

Dalí accepted the offer and started working on the cards, possibly encouraged by his mystically inclined wife Gala, but it was rumored that the contract fell through when the artist demanded an astronomical fee that was too high even for the film’s $7 million budget.

The deck’s 78 cards combine classic tarot themes with Dalí’s signature motifs: dissected faces, ants, roses, and butterflies. The deck features the artist himself as the Magician, while his wife poses as the Empress. Dalí’s Ten of Swords card — which can represent betrayal, backstabbing, or the death of a relationship — is a depiction of the assassination of Julius Caesar. The Queen of Cups is a play on François Clouet’s portrait Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France (circa 1571), whom Dalí dresses with a goatee and mustache. The Moon is a woman’s face looking down on at a modern metropolis and Death is an ominous skull in a floating, cut-off cypress tree.

Queen of Cups (© Cartamundi, Turnhout Belgium © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019)

Death (© Cartamundi, Turnhout Belgium © Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2019)

As a poke at the producers of Live and Let Die, Dali gave the Emperor’s face to actor Sean Connery, who was the first to portray Ian Fleming’s literary spy character in a film. Connery and Moore were in public rivalry at the time, each criticizing the other’s performance of the secret service agent.

Taschen Books’s edition of the deck comes with an explanatory booklet authored by tarot expert Johannes Fiebig. It includes an introduction about Dalí and a guide explaining the meaning of each card and how to perform a reading.

Salvador Dalí as the Magician on the cover of Taschen Books’ edition of the artist’s tarot cards (courtesy of Taschen Books)

Musings on Tarot

For those seeking a way to make sense of the world, I recommend a tarot reading with a reputable reader. I have found that tarot cards are really good at telling you what you already know but may not be ready to hear. And when someone reads your cards, you can also see what is revealed and discover something that may not be said to you.Knowing what certain cards mean can give you added insight into what is what.

 

If you see the following cards, you will get your wish:

The Sun

The Nine of Cups

 

If you see the following cards you can make your own success - I call them Grit cards:

Two of Pentacles

Strength

 

If you see the following card you need to pull back and meditate. You know the answer - you just have to hear it:

The High Priestess

 

Online Tarot Course Starting in June

The Centre for Psychological Astrology is offering a new online course in Mythic Tarot with Juliet Sharman-Burke that starts in June.

Mythic Tarot Course
A Five Week Webinar Course in Mythic Tarot with Juliet Sharman-Burke covering the 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana
Dates: Tuesdays from 18^th June to 16^th July    Time: 18.45 - 21.15 BST (UK Time)

Aim: To give you an overview of the divinatory and symbolic meanings of the whole deck with a view to being able to use the cards to clarify situations and act appropriately.

This online course is presented by Juliet Sharman Burke. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Juliet explain the tarot live from wherever you are in the world! The five week course will start with a brief overview of the Tarot’s origins. We will then examine the Mythic Tarot in depth as well as referencing other decks.  We will look at the meanings, divinatory and symbolic, as well as the myths associated with each of the twenty two Major Arcana. The sixteen Court Cards, Page, Knight, Queen and King, will be discussed separately, linking them with the astrological signs and qualities as well as their myths. The forty cards comprising the four suits will then be discussed, noting their correlation with the astrological elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, and the myths associated with each suit. The final session will be putting it all together with readings which students can send in. Group questions and participation are encouraged. This course will be suitable for beginners as well as more experienced readers who would like a refresher or new perspective.
 
Session 1 = Introduction and Major Arcana
Session 2 = Court Cards
Session 3 = Suit of Wands & Cups
Session 4 = Suit of Swords & Pentacles
Session 5 = Readings

Cost: £170 for the full course

Full Details and Booking at: https://www.cpalondon.com/tarotcourse.html
Places are limited and booking will close on 10th June.

Don’t forget to also check out our weekend webinars happening this term here: https://www.cpalondon.com/seminars.html

Online Tarot Course from the Centre for Psychological Astrology

If you are ever interested in learning tarot, here is an online course offered by the London based Centre for Psychological Astrology on Mythic Tarot, taught by Juliet Sharman-Burke.

Mythic Tarot Course
A Five Week Webinar Course in Mythic Tarot with Juliet Sharman-Burke covering the 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana

Dates: Tuesdays from 18^th June to 16^th July    Time: 18.45 - 21.15 BST (UK Time)

Aim: To give you an overview of the divinatory and symbolic meanings of the whole deck with a view to being able to use the cards to clarify situations and act appropriately.

This online course is presented by Juliet Sharman Burke. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Juliet explain the tarot live from wherever you are in the world! The five week course will start with a brief overview of the Tarot’s origins. We will then examine the Mythic Tarot in depth as well as referencing other decks.  We will look at the meanings, divinatory and symbolic, as well as the myths associated with each of the twenty two Major Arcana. The sixteen Court Cards, Page, Knight, Queen and King, will be discussed separately, linking them with the astrological signs and qualities as well as their myths. The forty cards comprising the four suits will then be discussed, noting their correlation with the astrological elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, and the myths associated with each suit. The final session will be putting it all together with readings which students can send in. Group questions and participation are encouraged. This course will be suitable for beginners as well as more experienced readers who would like a refresher or new perspective.
 
Session 1 = Introduction and Major Arcana
Session 2 = Court Cards
Session 3 = Suit of Wands & Cups
Session 4 = Suit of Swords & Pentacles
Session 5 = Readings

Cost: £170 for the full course

Full Details and Booking at: https://www.cpalondon.com/tarotcourse.html