100 Years of the Rider Waite Smith
Tarot Deck
Oh, it's just a happy time to be alive. We all get
to celebrate the anniversary of the release of the Rider Waite
Smith Tarot deck. This deck was first announced in the December,
1909 issue of The Occult Review magazine. The Key to
the Tarot book that came boxed with certain decks lists a
publication date of 1910. So, which date is it? Probably the 1909
date. It is not uncommon for publishers to list the next 
year as the publication
date on a book that will be released at the end of the current
year, so the advert shows up at the end of 1909 for a deck and
book that are already printed and in stock for the holiday season
but possibly won't be delivered until the new year. One fine theory.
At the end of it all, we can have celebrations all through December
and January, and even later if the spirit moves you.
The major celebration will take place October 3 and
4, 2009 at the Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS) in San Francisco.
Go here for
the scoop on the event. The ever-luminous Thalassa always puts
on a good show but this one will be something special. I'll be
dragging my sorry butt down there with as many of my pretties
as I can cram into suitcases and get on a plane without causing
financial ruination from paying for each freaking piece of luggage.
AND, as a special treat to us all, Melinda Parsons,
Pamela Colman Smith scholar, will be there chattering about all
she has discovered about our favorite Tarot artist. This is a
not-to-be-missed opportunity to meet and greet many of the people
who have spent entirely too much time fussing about this deck.
Arth and Pixie are getting excited about this. Don't
you be left out!
The rest of the deck is starting to feel the spirit.
Who knows, by BATS time I may have the Majors all done up in their
party clothes. I'm hoping for the whole deck. I'll see how it
goes. You too can see how it goes if you attend.
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