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I haven't been to FlashFest but if it's supposed to be of any educational value, I hope that Alexsandria Wilson informed the students the WHOLE truth about Tarot, that Tarot cards were created for playing trick taking card games similar to Spades and Euchre and that such games are still played today especially in continental Europe. Yes, that's right! Tarot is NOT only about the occult or fortune telling. Tarot, like Bridge and Skat, is also an esteemed card game! If Ms. Wilson failed to inform students of these facts, then she's guilty of promoting stereotypes and she's done a disservice to both culture and education.

Card reading is NOT genuine tarot. Tarot is really a kind of card game similar to spades, hearts, euchre, sheepshead, or bridge.The tarot deck was actually created in northern Italy for playing a card game in which the so-called "Major Arcana" are used as a fixed trump suit. This card game has no connection at all with astrology, fortune telling or the occult. The tarot card game is so highly esteemed in countries such as France, it has been called the "chess of card games" and is regarded as being superior to bridge. There is even an official body, the FFT or Fédération Française de Tarot, which regulates tournaments there. It's time for the media to stop promoting the fortune telling stereotypes and put tarot in its proper context.

You two might be pleased to know that a Mark McElroy has featured you on his Tarot Channel blog!
http://www.thetarotchannel.com/2007/04/its_a_floor_wax.html#comment-67900400

I will restate what I have said there.

Our universites should grant equal time to Tarot's gaming history. The university is no place for one-sided presentations of Tarot. It might be true that Tarot is both an oracle and a card game, in reality, the general public is not generally given the option of playing actual card games with Tarot decks. Tarot, as commonly presented by the mainstream press, is presented only as something to accept or reject in terms of its alleged accuracy in predicting the future. When other options such as card playing are being supressed, one is not actually free in how one views or uses the cards.

Part 1. Being a tarot reader myself over 10 years knowingly, I am in agreement with Oudler, to the point I am willing to offer a page on my web site www.freewebs.com/mastarot/ to anyone from Tarot's gaming community. They must be articulate in the historical facts with includes documented sources, and be willing to teach this game, no name calling to those people that read. Also I am opened minded enough to learn this game not via web site but from someone from Tarot's gaming community, and to this person must be willing to learn how to read Tarot first hand and do one reading for perfect stranger on the net in yahoo conference or any other media , which I am willing to invest months in doing so.

Part 2. I have only been involved in the controversy of Tarot as Game or Divination Tool short period of time. There is only one true fact!!!! Human kind has been using Divination tools of all sorts for thousands of years for instants: bones, tealeaves, scrying, just to name a few. So I guess Tyson Foods, Lipton Tea and Peria should spend Billions in wasted man-hours and dollars to start an anti Divination Tool campaign against those who throw chicken bones, read tealeaves, and using water for scrying. If you want to get down to brass tacks these cards are just cardboard with interesting pictures on them.

Part 3. From being a new comer on the seen of this division of opinion, to me it's similar to Catholics and Protestants battling over the basic issue of Jesus, their refusal to admit their similarities on. While one has a vast library, and the other doesn't. Here it's over a piece of cardboard with pictures on it. We both can live in harmony on this issue, because myself I have used Tarot Cards in playing the game call Spades, My friends were shocked at first but now they love pictures of the Robin Wood deck As far as the history, people has misuse this for years not only in tarot but the bible, the Jewish holocaust, which now some people saying, it never took place, even thou there are literary tons of evidence to state other wise.

Part 4. My point is we can learn from each other, maybe could come up with a 21st century game and tool for fun and help. That's why I got involve in tarot studies. I have helped a lot of people for free in my studies to the point I have them post their comments on my web site good or bad. Also I have used tarot reading to help my fellow military service members in very horrendous situations to the point where I stopped suicide attempts. (I spent 20 years in USAF and including the first gulf war).
To gain a better insight of my study of the tarot I have posted my tarot library on my web site. Which is a small portion of my home library.
MAS