Rev Dr Karen Tate Book Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Goddess Calling by Rev Dr Karen Tate - Inspirational Messages and Meditations of Sacred Feminine Liberation Thealogy is published by Changemaker Books eBook: £6.99 Paperback: £9.99 Website: www.karentate.com

This book has been glowingly reviewed and praised by Jean Houston, Barbara G Walker, Szuzsanna Budapest and many other ‘greats’ of the women’s spirituality movement of our time. I opened it with considerable excitement to drink in it its beauty and riches and enjoy its poetry, delight and magic. The author provides here a useful manual to explore the many aspects of the Sacred Feminine and to access inspiration, encouragement and empowerment, not just on a personal level, but also to create a “Wisdom Circle”, a community in which rituals can be held to further explore this dynamic and transformational spiritual path specially for women.

Tarot of the New Vision

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review - Tarot of New Vision by. Pietro Alligo with artwork by Raul and Gianluca Cestaro. Published by Lo Scarabeo. £25.00

The ornate artwork, inspired by Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, is very enjoyable. This is a classy Tarot deck that will impress clients. The images describe the standard scenes shown from the back, so a great deal of information is available from these cards which aid intuition and help flesh out readings with a new perspective. The art creators are brothers. Several animals have prominence, owl, swan, monkey, turtle, lamb, etc. Ask ‘What is my purpose?’ There are two spreads suggested, The Cards of Meditation for journaling on a card each day, and The External and the Internal Cards. 

It would help to have a good knowledge of the RWS cards but having that, I developed a far broader understanding of potential situations than I had before. I like this deck. It is available from Lo Scarabeo and is included in the Total Tarot Collection, numbers 44 and 45. 

Colours - June McLeod

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Colours of the Soul - Tranform your Life Through Colour Therapy by June McLeod, 260 pages paperback £11.99, Kindle £6.99. Published by O Books. 
     For anyone interested in colour, this book covers the topic well, and who isn't interested? We choose clothes, vehicles and decor, but what effect does colour have on our life, and if we choose a particular colour, what does that say about us? The book provides exercises so is more of a work book. It explains what colours mean, the science of colour, how we can choose the best colours for ourselves, choosing foods of particular colours to improve health, colours that relate to the chakra and aura systems, art, etc.

Erotic Fantasy Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Card Deck Review: Erotic Fantasy Tarot by Joseph Viglioglia  Published by Lo Scarabeo Pack of 78 cards plus multi languages information insert. £18.99 

The little white booklet insert is in English, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Setting the scene for this very saucy Tarot deck are a few paragraphs about Eros, the world of our imagination, sex and ourselves, and these are followed by keywords and action suggestions for the Majors, where beautiful unclothed women are mainly featured, there are a few males and some ambiguously gendered archetypes. The Minors are King, Queen, Knight, Knave of Chalices, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords. The spread suggested is the 3 Card, ‘Erotic Relationship’. 

The Chocolate Lover's Message Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Chocolate Lover's Message Cards by Rosie Shalhoub, published by Animal Dreaming Publishing in a magnetic flip top box with 70 cards and instructions on how to use them. 

I enjoyed these cards! Let's get together and have some fun while we learn something about self- development.

Tantric Love Letters

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Tantric Love Letters by Diana Richardson Published by Manta Books Paperback: £12.99  221 pages

The author, Diana Richardson is a leading authority on tantric sex and has written several books on the subject (some with her husband, Michael). She trained with the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Community and the Barry Long Foundation. A qualified lawyer and therapeutic massage teacher, she conducts 7 day workshops in Switzerland on Tantra with her husband. Also authored by Diana Richardson 'Tantric Orgasm for Women', 'Tantric Sex for Men', 'The Heart of Tantric Sex' and 'Slow Sex'. 

Arcanis Animal Tarot

 Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Arcanis Animal Tarot by David Depasquale. Boxed set of 78 cards and Guidebook. Published by Hay House. RRP US $24.99 : Can $33.99 : UK £22.00

“Animals are referred by many cultures as moral guides, sacred guardians, and door to the spirit world.”

XXI The World - Upright: Completion, New Beginnings, Fulfilment. The World card is a sign that the end of something big is in sight. You’ve achieved what you’ve been working towards, and you feel accomplished. Though you’ve faced adversity, you have come out as the victor, and your hard work and dedication will be recognised. You feel a deep sense of purpose and have found your place in the world. If you haven’t quite reached the end yet, know it is within reach once you tie up those loose ends. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, be at promotion, a marriage, the birth of a child, or graduation. Your contentment is well deserved. Reversed: Lack of Achievement, Loss of Focus, Inability to Complete. The reversed World card signifies that you have some unfinished business to attend to. You may have been on the cusp of finishing something, but then became hesitant, or distracted. You didn’t follow through, which resulted in disappointment and a lack of closure. You need to jump back into the game and complete your goal. You will likely feel frustrated at having to start up again, and will need to make some changes to your approach, but know that in the end, the task will be worth finishing. Proud of his accomplishments, the World sits balancing the Earth, symbolising the fulfilment of his quest to find his place in the world. 

The Dream Weaver’s Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Dream Weaver’s Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid. Illustrations by Joel Makamura. Boxed set of 44 cards and guidebook. Published by Hay House. RRP US $24.99 : Can $33.99

“You are more than you know.”

There are two types of dreams: Dreams that are nightly, unconscious, and those that are conscious aspirations, hopes, and ambitions. This Oracle is about the second type. Information is provided in the guidebook on how to work with this deck, such as choosing a place within your home to keep special for readings. There is a prayer, an invocation offered to begin. Hold a question in your mind. There is a suggestion as to how to ask the right question. These cards are always upright, never reversed. You can choose a single card reading, a Two-Card or a Three-Card reading. How does it serve your highest good? 

Positive thinking! A good reminder. Taking a card a day! All good advice! Marvellous images. 

Soulful Woman Guidance Cards Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Soulful Woman Guidance Cards - Nurturance, Empowerment & Inspiration for the Feminine Soul by Shushann Movsessian and Gemma Summers. Boxed set of 48 cards and guidebook. Published by Blue Angel Publishing.£17.99

Written by qualified psychotherapists who teach the path of the sacred feminine. The cards encourage empowerment and authenticity. 26 different artists work are featured, contributing 48 illustrations of women's faces using computer graphics, multi media and paintings. Each card has an image, a number, title and card affirmation message. The guidebook provides a message for each card plus information on how to use the cards by using the words 'I am'. There is a suggestion of a one-card reading and a 3 card reading. Symbols are the faces of women, flowers, moon, geometric designs, eggs, birds, butterflies, hair and spirals. 

Reflective Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Reflective Tarot (featuring the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot) Pocket size, Boxed set of 78 pocket sized cards and short information in the little white booklet with extended introduction by Stuart R Kaplan. Published by US Games Systems Inc. $22.95

Sample: Seven of Cups - Strange chalices of vision. Divinatory meaning: Fairy favours, images of reflection, imagination, sentiment, things seen in the glass of contemplation, some attainment in these degrees but nothing permanent or substantial. Reversed: Desire, determination, project, willpower. 

Tarot of the Abyss

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot of the Abyss by Ana Tourian Boxed set of 80 cards and guidebook. Published by US Games Systems Inc. $22.95

Sample: “The rider stands tall on her two flying swans, brave and full of determination. There is no fear as she guides these regal feathered birds. She knows that fear will not help her and any wavering could bring about an accident. So, she guides her steed with steady hands, aware of the power hidden in the wind. She knows it’s useless to go against the wind: Instead she harnesses it so that her journey will be swift and easy on the swans. The rider balances herself with care, taking note of her surroundings, and also her charges. These are wild animals, and at any moment they could go their own way, to pull in the opposite direction. This Tarot Major encourages us to take action. It brings the potential for success. The Chariot appears in your reading, know that now is not the time to procrastinate or let yourself be distracted. Set your goals and maintain your focus. There are many things that can distract our attention on a day-to-day basis. Remain steadfast and know that the road to success is often filled with obstacles. It’s all about how you approach them. It’s your strategies, your tenacity, and your courage, that will ultimately allow you to realise your goals.” 

Oracle of the Birds

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Oracle of the Birds by Jeanne Ruland, illustrated by Petra Kuhne. Boxed set of 46 cards and guidebook. Published by Inner Traditions/Findhorn Press. RRP US $25.00 : Can $31.50 

Lift your gaze to the sky. Be unique, free, and yet connected!

This oracle deck is a collaboration, with assistance from Schirner Verlag who completed the work that was started by the late Jeanne Ruland, so this card deck could be described as Jeanne’s swan song. 

Sample card! Robin- joy, sound and singing. Robin flutters into your life, and invites you to open your heart to joy and happiness. With its companions, it warbles, Hear its tunes in the forest to increase love and enjoyment. If you have chosen this card, join in the merry chorus. Funny, cheerful, and joyful, at the top of your voice, walking, walking. Magic feathers, beautiful, delicate, red feathers, cover my neck. Feel the light reach into your vocal centre and fill it with power. Speak, sing, or raise your voice. Awaken, your sound, full of joy, and express what resonates within you. More meanings: self expression, raising your voice, singing aloud. Affirmation: Self expression conveys my joy of life, I raise my voice to show what makes my heart sing. In addition, the reader can add their own understanding. Robin! A Territorial bird, often a loner but with the most amazing and wonderful song for such a small bird, and so friendly, it will sit at your feet if you are a gardener! 

Motherpeace Tarot Deck Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Motherpeace Tarot - A Way to the Goddess through Myth, Art and Tarot by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble published by U S Games Systems Inc. 

     This Tarot deck was originally self published but has sold in excess of 150,000 sets. There is information about the history of the tarot and the history of the goddess. The book explains how to use the deck, and information on sacred space, focus, meditation, shuffling, deep breathing, candles, cloths, bags, etc.  Call upon the goddess! One can draw one card asking 'What if I took this particular action?' 'What can I learn from this situation?' to see what the answers might be! Work, close relationship, creativity and spirit life are possible topics. Helper cards can be added. Artwork by Lily Hillwomyn calligraphy and original drawings, Cassandra Light provided the card back designs.

Tarot for Magical Times Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Review: Tarot for Magical Times By Rachel Pollack and Johannes Fiebig. Published by AGM Urania. 160 page full color explanatory book £10.21 

‘Enlightenment is man’s emergency from his self-incurred immaturity.’ Kant

Astrologically, we are influenced by the planet Pluto which entered the constellation of Capricorn in 2008. It will occupy this position until 2024 during which time we will experience a process of cultural and personal transformation due to the breakdown of organisational structures, dogma and habits. Previously, when this planetary configuration occurred, it was the time of the Reformation and the Age of Enlightenment. Tarot for Magical Times focuses on this precise issue and uses the card of the Tower to play a central role in representing this planetary position.

The Mythic Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine book review: The Mythic Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke. 

This book is a marvellous substitute for a workshop designed for the Mythic Tarot deck by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene. Readers gain knowledge of themselves and can use this knowledge to interpret the cards for other people. Guided fantasy and colouring exercises of the Major Arcana help develop a closer relationship to the archetypes, and details of each element. Astrology signs, myths and divinatory meanings are provided plus questions to help with more accurate readings. A record of your work is used to chart your progress. The mythological references to each Major and its divinatory meaning with full 500 word explanation, followed by the card image are provided for you to colour with space for notes and the thoughts and experiences in the guided fantasies. 

Greek Mythology Reading Cards Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Review: Greek Mythology Reading Cards - Wisdom from Ancient Greece by Alison Chester-Lambert, illustrated with digital collages of classical artworks by Richard Crookes, published by Findhorn Press. Box comprises of explanatory booklet plus 50 cards.

Each card depicts a different Greek deity and the booklet has adequate explanations of each. The illustrations are majestic, enjoyable with photos and collages of paintings and sculptures from ancient Greece. These deities have been waiting in the wings to be consulted by us as they were consulted by the ancients, for guidance and advice. Since ancient times, the gods and goddesses have been implored for support at times of difficulty. Athena will provide strength for a task, Hera for the home, Eros to acquire a new love, Zeus for confidence. Sleep with them beside your bed for inspiration.

Crystal Visions Tarot

 

Mind Body and Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso Published by US Games Systems, Inc Website: www.crystalvisionstarot.com  
Jennifer Galasso studied art, graphic design and psychology and has produced a very enjoyable deck with a young female energy. Her fantasy artwork is also available as greeting cards, prints and figurines and her illustrations have been published in anthologies and magazines.

The title ‘Crystal Visions’ was taken from a music CD of the songwriter, Stevie Nicks, and the flowing beauty and elegance of these songs is reflected in the delicacy, femininity and enchanting quality of the card’s artwork. The symbol of the crystal ball is also detailed in several of the images within the deck and provides an

The Winged Enchantment Oracle Deck

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Winged Enchantment Oracle Deck written by Lesley Morrison, art by Lisa Hunt. Published by US Games Systems Inc. 39 cards with booklet insert. 

Sample reading: Robin - Hello, I am Robin with the song of renewal. I am ancient, bringing forth the spring from the chill winds of winter. I reassure you that the seasons are turning and winter turns to spring. It is time to rejuvenate, time to awaken! The hibernation of your talents and dreams have no place in Robin’s medicine that cleanses like the rain. I am flowing forward like the river and I sing your wake up call at sunrise. Keep your world going no matter how thick the ice is formed. You are the caretaker of your own soul. Renew yourself! You are a new beginning. You are invigorating. You are upward growth. You are Robin.

Golden Tarot Review - Kat Black

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Review: Golden Tarot by Kat Black Published by US Games Systems Inc £21.20 quality box with 78 cards and 198 page explanatory book. Website: http://goldentarot.com

Originally produced online where it gained publicity and recognition, this very beautiful card deck is produced to a very high standard and edged in gold leaf. The illustrator has used paintings dating from (1200-1500), a little known period known as International Gothic Style of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Many are owned by European churches. Tapestries, silks and brocades, carving, gilding, landscapes of hills, castles and crowns, gothic arches, stained glass, palfreys, talbots and flags, ornamentation and fine detail are the enjoyments of this deck. Classes of feudal society and aspects of human frailty are shown. The Rider-Waite symbolism is the foundation for the card concepts. The deck is for use more for personal insight and review than psychic fortune telling.  

Moon Goddess Diary 2024

Moon Goddess Diary 2034 for the Northern Hemisphere by Nicci Garaicoa, published by Rockpool Publishing. Price £9.99 ISBN: 9781922579560

A beautiful gift and a very elegant diary, suitable for all women. We have, to begin the year, a mission statement from the diary’s creator, Australian Nicci Garaicoa, and a message from Grandmother Moon. The diary is interactive, with a seasonal goddess self-care tool kit with a chosen goddess, her colours, sounds, body movement, crystals, plants, scents and additional exercises, advice and tips. Moon goddesses are detailed with full colour artworks. All positive messages of empowerment. Moon phases are included. 

There is a ritual to close the year and prepare for 2025.

Heavenly Bloom Tarot Deck

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Heavenly Bloom Tarot Deck by Noa Ikeda, Boxed set of cards and guidebook, published 10th Sept 2022 by US Games Systems Inc. $ 23.95 : £25: 

This is a Tarot deck based on a mythological fantasy storyline. It is nicely produced with rose gold card edges. I would think it is a deck for young people, as the many figurative images are very stylish, with young slim women in fabulous costumes, and some with a very Eastern stereotyped beauty. There is a computer game feel with enigmatic images, some are international, with a strongly female energy, and some figures in motion. I also think the deck would be most suitable for experienced Tarot readers or those with high intuition.

Sample card Knight of Laurels: Eula stays true to their grounded and practical mindset. Upright: Study and practical. This Knight exhibits perseverance and determination to travel a steady path towards their ambition. Reversed: Overly stubborn and conservative. There may be a feeling of being stuck in a routine. Live life a little, don’t be afraid to dream.

Cat's Eye Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Review: Cat's Eye Tarot by Debra M Givin DVM Published by US Games Systems, Inc Price: £16.99 

The 78 cards of the major and minor arcana are represented in this novelty deck which has a white booklet within the pack that offers card titles and concept keywords, an explanation of the upright card symbolism and an interpretation for each card. Each of the cards is painted by Debra M Givin, the deck’s creator, who is a qualified veterinarian and cat specialist practising in Portland, Maine since 1982.

The card sizes are traditional and the meanings have a traditional flavour. The major arcana cards are emphasised by their purple colours, the minor arcana’s colours and symbols are: Wands, represented by orange (creative energy), reptiles and flashy reddish gingers; Cups by red (emotional energy), fish and sweet, black and white cats; Swords by blue (intellectual energy), birds and the talkative Siamese and Pentacles by brown (earth energy), mice and solid, practical tabbies. The art-work tells a story and is without mystifying esoteric symbolism. The card backs depict a long-haired tabby cat’s face with green eyes.

The Wisdom of the Tao

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Wisdom of the Tao Oracle Cards by Mei Jin Lu. Box contains 45 full colour cards plus a guidebook. Published by US Games Systems Inc. £25.00

The Tao is an ancient knowledge of how to live life with wisdom and calmness. This is the first oracle card deck to incorporate the teaching of Tao masters, the elements, and zodiac animals. You are instructed to pick a card for inspiration and empowerment or to consult the cards when a decision is required.

Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck by Matt Hughes, published by US Games Systems Inc. 80 cards and instruction booklet in pack.

"A tool for meditation, inner reflection and divination."

Two extra major arcana cards have been added to the traditional tarot deck. These are The Well and The Artist. These two cards reflect the personal journey of Matt Hughes.

The faces of every card carry gold embossing which provides the deck with a very glamorous beauty and this special aspect adds an interesting ingredient to the readings. Each card carries a simple yet beautiful coloured drawing in soft pastel colours presented in a gold frame. The artist is self taught, and the cards have an Art Nouveau/Pre Raphelite and Symbolist energy, similar to The Age of Illustration. 

Celtic Tree Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Review: The Celtic Tree Oracle - A System of Divination by Liz and Colin Murray, illustrated by Vanessa Card. Pack includes a Hardback book with instructions and advice and divinatory meanings, plus cards, size 2.5 x 3.5 inches in size plus a writing pad to record information about your readings, in addition to a record sheet for 13 card readings and instructions about the Ogham alphabet, tree lore and Celtic traditions. 

Elemental Tarot for Kids

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine: Elemental Tarot for Kids by Rayne Storm, published by Red Feather, Quality Box of 71 cards, card size: 5” x 3.5”. 

Renamed cards to represent Majors using words like Transformation, Balance, etc. The Minors are Earth (Green), Water (Purple), Air (Yellow), Fire (Red) also with simple titles. 

There are simple explanations and practice for kids who want to play with their first set of divination cards. In the box are several cards that provide information as follows: “Set up, ask a question, shuffle, layout, read, apply intuition, record the reading: Tarot is the art of reading a story laid out in the cards. Messages are hidden to give advice and guidance. Whatever could happen has not happened yet, so it can be changed to a good outcome with forethought, discussion and good advice. Never accept money or gifts for a reading; Only use the cards for entertainment; Never say that anything bad will happen!”

Tarot of the Old Path

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot of the Old Path. Artwork by Sylvia Gainsford. Authored by Howard Rodway. 78 cards and instruction booklet in pack. Published by AGM Urania. £20 

A Handbook of Female Wisdom! The deck is designed for witches, initiates of Wicca and the Craft, also known as the Old Religion or Old Path. The detail of intricate designs, plant and animal artwork is excellent with plenty of action. Some of the major arcana cards have been given different titles, such as Mastery, The Wise One, The Lone Man, The Close, The Guide,Temptation, Illusion, and Karma. 

Sylvia Gainsford is a member of the Fellowship of Isis and the card images contain many leaves of plants. A coven of eight consultants contributed to the card descriptions, meanings, verse and symbols, and gave advice on astrological and elemental correspondences. A 10 card Celtic Cross spread is suggested. It is an attractive deck of cards. Not for a beginner because the booklet carries a few words leaving the insight with the reader to gain inspiration from the cards rather than the booklet.

Sacred Rebels Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Sacred Rebels Oracle - Guidance for Living a Unique & Authentic Life by Alana Fairchild with artwork by Autumn Skye Morrison, published by Blue Angel Publishing, £15.99 boxed set of 44 quality cards and guidebook. Author's website: http://alanafairchild.com

Each card has a number, a title and an image. In the guidebook detailed information on each card is provided with a healing process suggestion of an affirmation and a meditation and frequently a prayer. The artwork is excellent, as in the sample provided of an owl, peacock and raven that sit atop a web and a beaked skull as a grey haired woman relinquishes consciousness. Are her last thoughts about the needs of nature, as we shed our physical body, so many species face extinction.  

Shadow Light Cards

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Shadow Light Cards By Elk Woman and L Guescini, £9.99, Published by Mystic Mouse Publishing, 52 cards and a leaflet of 16 pages. 

This card deck is for personal use only, not to provide readings for other people. These square shaped 3 inch by 3 inch cards are designed to carry concepts to help the user attain 'unity' of consciousness. The cards are contained in an attractive mauve coloured pack which depicts a mandala with a skull design in the centre. The fronts of the cards have a larger skull design. Crystal skulls are extraordinary artworks carved from quartz crystal in ancient times and are said to evoke inspired feelings and thoughts within those who meditate upon them. Some think these skulls can also predict the future. 12 of these cards have a white face, these are the 'light cards'. They carry single positive words, such as 'empathy' 'solitude' responsibility' and 'judgement'. 40 of the cards have a black face and represent the 'shadow'. These have dual words in opposition to each other, such as 'awareness and delusion' 'creativity and career' 'experience and challenge' 'empowerment and victim'. These are designed to make us think, become aware and also provide caution.

The Cathar Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Cathar Tarot - The Secret Wisdom of the Perfecti by John Matthews and Wil Kinghan. Boxed set of 78 cards plus explanatory book. Card size: 4.5 inches x 3 inches. U.K.: £17.99 US: $19.95 CAN: $22.95

“In heaven, there are angels, and good men and good women.” Peire Mary June 1324

“The heart of man is the church of god”. Arnaut Sicre, October 1321

This is a concept tarot deck specifically designed for those who are interested in Catharism. The Tarot according to the Cathars you could say! There is a chart comparing the traditional Tarot cards and the Cathar cards. The book contains information about the history of the Cathars and an explanation on how to work with the cards, how to get to know the deck and how to activate it. Each Major is retitled with the traditional Tarot title and a Cathar title, subtitle, explanation, divinatory meaning and keywords for the light and dark aspects of each card. The Minors have less information but it is sufficient to provide a reading. The Minors are divided into the Book of Shields, the Book of Swords, the Book of Love and the Book of Wisdom. 

Seeker Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Seeker Oracle by Ravynne Phelan, published by Blue Angel Publishing. Boxed set of 55 cards and accompanying Guidebook. Card size: 10cm x 15cm. £18.99

Sample reading: Choose Love - Love is the force that binds and connects, inspires devotion and a willingness to commit. We choose to view the world through a filter of love. There are countless reasons to fear, but we can only counter them with love. We acknowledge that there is bad in the world. It is impossible to deny that humanity and its impact on the world can be destructive. It is also impossible to deny that mother nature can be unforgiving. We must choose to focus on and highlight that which inspires feelings of wonder and awe and do what we can to nurture and protect the source of those feelings. Make a choice to choose love. Act with compassion, empathy, and kindness. Face the source of any pain, anger, or fear with love. Do not allow hurts feelings to make you hard or cruel. When we choose love, we choose with our heart not our head. Well there are times when we must gather the facts, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a logical and rational decision. There are also times when we must put logic and reasoning aside and follow the dictates of our hearts. Sometimes our heart speaks truer than our head. Our head might offer the most logical option, but our heart knows whether our decision is going to bring us joy or sorrow. Do what we love. Be loving. Don’t withhold love. Love harder. Give compliments, show affection, show interest, and be supportive. Our choice to choose love could transform our life and the lives of those around us. Make “I love you” a part of each day’s conversations, let others know how much we care. All the time. Do it even if it makes us, or them, feel uncomfortable.

Ancestral Path Tarot

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Ancestral Path Tarot by Julie Cuccia-Watts, newly published by US Games Systems Inc. £18.75 Boxed set of 78 cards and booklet. Card size: 3.25 x 5 inches.

You are invited to “discover your own truths”, as the artist and card creator, Julie Cuccia-Watts expresses her own spiritual beliefs through this deck that describes human experience, histories, traditions and myths. Meaningful stories into the human condition are described for each card in 60 words. Four cultures are represented by the four suits: Japan (swords), Egypt (staves), British (cups), and Native Americans (Sacred Circles). One layout offered, the Celtic Cross Spread of 10 cards. 

Wild Kuan Yin Oracle

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Wild Kuan Yin Oracle - Soul Guidance from the Wild Divine by Alana Fairchild, Artwork by Wang Yiguang, published by Blue Angel Publishing, boxed 44 cards plus guidebook.

"For free spirits, passionate hearts and dreamers of impossible dreams"

The Guidebook provides information about how to use the deck and suggests spreads: Bridge of Transition 4 cards, Seeing from a New Angle 4 cards. The Guidebook is excellent, providing different types of information about each card, meaning, divination, guidance and healing aspects.

The cards bear a number and a 5/6 word message and an artwork influenced by the Far East with many animals, women in flight, attractive fabrics and natural settings. The Award Winning artist, with a Masters Degree, has a distinctive style and is a teacher of Fine Art in China.

The Secret Language of Animals Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: the Secret Language of Animals Oracle Cards by Chip Richards, published by Blue Angel Publishing £15.99 46 cards with explanatory booklet.

The booklet provides information about how to use the deck, with each card numbered and titled and provided with keywords, a spiritual perspective and a message and affirmation. There is a section about the importance of understanding current planetary concerns and some recommendations of charitable institutions who are involved in protecting endangered wildlife, many of which are teetering on the edge of extinction. 

There is a dedication to the 'loving, living pulse of Mother Earth and all her sacred children' and that God speaks through nature and how our evolution is bound up with our awareness. The whale, bee, snake, eagle, all so different, all so unique. The author was influenced by nature as a child in Colorado and now living on the coast of Australia where he feels in communion with the natural world.

Archetype Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Archetype Cards by Caroline Myss, published by Hay House, boxed 80 card deck with information booklet. £28.00 Author website: https://www.myss.com/

The information provided assists you in self examination to discover which archetypes are active in your life. Questions help self examination and learning. How can I be more fulfilled? What is my purpose in life? I think these archetypes are a big improvement on astrological horoscopes as they look at self improvement and the question of 'life assignments'. The book examines: life journey, unique challenges, life lessons, behaviour patterns, the inner shadow, and how to step into your archetype.

Nostradamus and The Lost Templar Legacy

Mind Body Soul Ezine Book Review: Nostradamus and The Lost Templar Legacy by Professor Rudy Cambier

Rudy Cambier is a linguist of ancient languages including Picard, and researched the verses of the Nostradamus opus for a decade. He noticed they were relevant on three levels. One conclusion was that these are not words from the time of Nostradamus, nor are they from the region of Provence. His studies show that the stanzas - reputed to be from the pen of the French visionary - were written by a Cistercian monk, in the era of between 1323 and 1328, and from the borders of the area of Belgium - and Rudy Cambier reveals the site of Knights Templar treasure. 

The author translated the Nostradamus 'prophecies' and discovered that a Prior by the name of Yves de Lessines had waited many years for someone - known as the l'attendu' - to collect the treasures of the Knights Templar but he failed to arrive. In order to record where the treasures were kept, the Prior wrote this cryptic lay which was stolen by Michel de Nostradame. The author is said to have traced the instructions and found a hoard of Knights Templar treasures!  

Goddess, Grail and Lodge

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Goddess, The Grail & The Lodge – The Real Da Vinci Code and the Origins of Religion by Alan Butler, paperback 360 pages £12.99 published by O Books 

With a foreword by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, this book has excellent credentials. I loved Alan Butler’s last book ‘Rosslyn Revealed’. ‘The Goddess, The Grail and The Lodge’ does not disappoint! 

Dungeon, Fire and Sword

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Dungeon, Fire and Sword - The Knights Templar in the Crusades by John J Robinson, 494 pages. 

The Holy Land was considered to be the centre of the world and the Christian Warrior Monks known as the 'Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon', were created to ensure safe passage for pilgrims, and to defend the area against attack. Sacrificing their ordinary life, these men vowed to maintain poverty, chastity and obedience, and with expectations to be martyred on the battlefield abroad, they devoted their life to their religion and their duties to the Papacy. Land in Jerusalem was donated to them by King Baldwin, and after many successful battles which increased their wealth and prestige, their doom was sealed by failure to maintain a Christian enclave far from Christendom, where Sunni, Shi-ite, Kurds, Arabs and Turks out-manouvered them. 

Rex Deus and Rosslyn

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Rex Deus - The True Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau and The Dynasty of Jesus by Marilyn Hopkins and the late Tim Wallace-Murphy, published by Element Books. 

A work of the late Tim Wallace-Murphy, Founder of the European Templar Heritage Research Network, suggesting Jesus Christ lived after the crucifixion to travel with Mary Magdalene to France where his descendants have retained a pure blood line to this day. It describes Jesus as the founder of a wisdom based dynasty originating with 24 Jerusalem kings, and follows how descendants joined forces to found the Knights Templar. What is the symbol on the Rex Deus ring? Links are made with the Cathar, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. 

The Square & The Circle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review - The Square & The Circle - The Influence of Freemasonry on Wicca and Paganism by Payam Nabarz, published by Avalonia Books. paperback £10.99

Wow! Connections between Freemasonry, Christianity, Mithraism, ritual Wicca, Sufism, Zoroastrianism, paganism, esotericism, and more! We might think that the great minds behind religious movements are inspired by revelations, but they borrow more from the ancient past than we think! If a set of moral codes, rituals and beliefs has survived for millennia, why not add and take from established literature and use what works! 

Of interest to all levels, from historians to the general reader. It reads like a written painting, with broad brush strokes, a revelation in every sentence! How imperative it is for those who develop religious, spiritual and social networks, brotherhoods, etc., that they declare where their ideas originate, and what they have absorbed from other dogmas. 

I'm impressed by this study. Recommended! 

Rosslyn Chapel Decoded

Mind Body & Soul Book Review: Rosslyn Chapel Decoded - New Interpretations of a Gothic Enigma By Alan Butler and John Ritchie, paperback, £10.99 US $21.95 Published by Watkins Publishing, 262 pages.

This is an outstanding book by two prominent authors in current esoteric investigation who are specialists in the enigmatic Scottish architectural masterpiece known as Rosslyn Chapel. What new is there to say? Evidently lots! Why was the Chapel built? What is so very special about the building? What ancient knowledge was used in its design? Was an ancient religious movement involved? What special information do the authors insist is given to visitors to the Chapel? When all is silent, what can be heard? Is there a scent in the building, and what is that scent? 

The Second Messiah Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Second Messiah - Templars, the Turin Shroud and the Great Secret of Freemasony by Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, published by Fair Winds Press, paperback 260 pages $18.95

This book is well researched by the authors of The Hiram Key and ties up many loose threads. From after the death of Jesus, the Jewish members of the royal House of David, a hereditary priesthood, have largely been forgotten, or perhaps intentionally hidden, maybe killed, by the early leaders of the emerging Christian sect. These blood relatives would have been the real Popes in a true succession, unlike the modern claims of apostolic succession from Peter. Was there a bloodline that was protected until the time of the creation of the Knights Templar Order, when 11 selected, related, French knights under Hughes de Payen, searched under the Jerusalem Temple for possibly scrolls, valuables, relics or other finds, hidden for safety and left to them by their ancestors when Jerusalem fell in AD 70? 

Odin & The Nine Realms Oracle

Mind Body Soul Card Deck Review: Odin & The Nine Realms Oracle by Sonja Grace. Published by Findhorn Press. Boxed set of 54 cards plus book.

Quality magnetic flip top box containing a set of cards and instruction book. Biographical information is provided about the author, who is also the artist of this deck. The images are hand drawn and painted and have a beauty and power within their simplicity. Sonja Grace is a visionary, a 'spirit traveller', and channels many topics from Spirit. Included in the book is information about the Norse gods and goddesses, and the runes. Each card offers a message of life wisdom. There is a short message for several reversed cards. There is a lot to learn about Norse myths, the deities and rune energies.
An interesting deck! For those of Viking ancestry and interests who will learn how to pronounce the deity names and runes correctly!

The Dion Fortune Tarot

                                               

                                                 Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Dion Fortune Tarot Cards by Dion Fortune.

The Dion Fortune Tarot Cards are based on the conclusions of Dion Fortune as provided in her book 'The Mystical Qabalah'. The box includes 78 cards, divided into 22 Grand Arcana and 56 Lesser Arcana cards with a booklet that explains about personal and spiritual development and exercising the imagination. Card size: 6 inches by 3 inches. The deck has been devised and assembled by the long serving and esteemed member of her Society of the Inner Light, David Williams. The cards are primarily for meditation and reflection. The card backs show the deck should be read upright only and the information in the instruction booklet only gives basic, traditional and upright meanings which are based on her research of the Order of the Golden Dawn of which W B Yeats was a member.There are helpful titles printed on all the cards, and information on how the cards can be used for meditation, especially of the Major Arcana , where meanings and significance, pathworkings and numerology are provided with the Lesser Arcana, wands, swords, pentacles, cups, included. There is information on the Qabalistic tradition, such as supernal triangle, ethical and astral triangles of the Tree of Life. The cards rely on the reader's knowledge and little information is provided. 

Hallowquest

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Hallowquest - Tarot Magic and the Arthurian Mysteries by Caitlin and John Matthews 254 page book to accompany the Arthurian Tarot Cards by Caitlin and John Matthews. 

This book contains black and white scans of each of the tarot cards in this deck, each of the Greater Powers has an extensive explanation, with archetypal and divinatory meanings, and there are comprehensive write-ups on the Lesser. The template for this deck are the Celtic myths and early mediaeval stories of King Arthur and the Round Table. Spear, Grail, Sword and Stone are the 4 Hallow suits and each have traditions, correspondences, archetypes of Kings, Queens, Knights and Maiden of four castles all described in a good level of detail. 

Hunting the Nazarene by John Koerner

Mind Body & Soul Book Review! Hunting the Nazarene - The Second Resurrection of Christ by John Koerner, published by Chronos Books, paperback 106 pages £8.99

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book with its strange title. The author, Professor of American History, is well qualified to write a fascinating and well researched examination of the controversial 21st chapter of John's gospel. This last chapter has had a great deal of exegesis over the years. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that anyone has suggested that Jesus died and was resurrected twice. Historians have suggested this chapter was possibly added to an already completed gospel.