Charmed Season 1 DVD Set
Topic: TV on DVD Reviews
Finally it's out! Fans have been waiting years for Charmed to come out on DVD. Was it worth the wait? Yes.

This DVD set contains all 22 first season episodes. Want to know the whole premise of the show? The answers are here. We follow the Halliwell sisters - Prue, Piper and Phoebe - from when they suddenly receive magical powers. Prue is telekinetic, Piper can freeze time, and Phoebe can see the future through premonitions. Not only do they receive magic powers, but they also discover that they come from a long line of witches and are the Charmed Ones, prophesied to be the most powerful good witches ever. I adore the supernatural elements of the plots, and there is a lot of that as the sisters discover how to use their powers, but what makes the first season really strong are the sisterly dynamics. Although the sisters have magic powers, they still act like normal sisters. They steal each others' clothes (and sometimes boyfriends), they argue and tease, and they confide in each other. The family element is what grounds the show and keeps it from being too over the top with the supernatural. I personally think that the sisterly dynamic became totally overwhelmed by the supernatural in later seasons, but it's still here at this early stage of the series. Sure, there's some rampant cheesiness, but season 1 has a lot of good solid episodes.

Some of the best episodes in this season are:
- "Something Wicca This Way Comes": The first episode ever, this really creates a firm foundation for the series. We learn a lot about the sisters and see them get their powers.
- "The Truth Is Out There And It Hurts": Prue casts a Truth Spell so the sisters and everyone speaking to them has to tell the truth. Hilarity ensues.
- "The Witch Is Back": The sisters summon their ancestor to help them defeat a warlock from her time. It's really neat to see the sisters interacting with their ancestor.
- "That 70s Episode": The girls go back in time to when Prue and Piper were young and Phoebe was still in the womb. They get to see their younger selves as well as getting to see their mother again (she died when they were young).
- "Love Hurts": Leo is injured and Piper needs to find a way to save him. Great acting by Holly Marie Combs (Piper).

The only real stinker is "Thank You For Not Morphing." All of the guest actors are horrible, including the actor playing the sisters' dad. Here was a great opportunity to explore more Halliwell family dynamics, but this actor plays him as a total asshole. The good news is that they later use a different actor to play the girls' father.

The packaging for the set is pretty nice. The 6 DVDs are each enclosed in their own thin case with different photos on front that match the photo on the actual DVD. I haven't yet decided whether or not I like this packaging better than the foldout packaging on other sets (like Buffy and Angel). It is convenient to be able to pull out only one of the DVDs at a time. However, they're all the same except for saying different disc numbers. At first glance, it's sometimes hard to pick out the one you want. Maybe using different colors would help.

There is one major problem with this DVD set: there are no extras whatsoever. The discs only contain the episodes (except for some annoying previews on disc 1). There are no featurettes, commentaries, interviews, etc. Although I'm glad to have the episodes to watch, I would have liked a little something more. Hopefully, they'll put some extras on the Season 2 set, which should be coming out in May.

Overall, this is a good DVD set, and a must-have for every Charmed fan. I only wish there were extras.

Current Tarot Top 10
Topic: Tarot Reviews
Well, the other night I thought it would be amusing to write up my own personal top 10 of tarot decks. Then I found a recent post on Aeclectic Tarot Forum asking the same thing. But first, some caveats: This is a list of the moment and will change as my collection and use of said collection changes. Also, although I found it easy to think of 10 decks I really love, it was really hard to assign rankings to them. They're all special in their unique way.

Now, without further ado, the list:

1. Morgan-Greer: groovy 70s-esque artwork and high usability
   
2. Triple Goddess: lovely feminine artwork; this is one of the few decks that speaks to me in a clear voice; used for deeper, more spiritual questions
   
3. Fey: innovative without losing traditional card meanings; playful but deep
   
4. Lovers Path: gorgeous artwork and packaging; sumptuous and reader friendly
   
5. Druidcraft: has one of the hottest Lovers cards I've ever seen; fabulous imagery and symbolism; great for pagans
   
6. Housewives: hilarious and kitschy without losing meaning; fun yet insightful
   
7. Gilded: rich jewel-toned cards that are easy to read with; a client favorite
   
8. Spiral: another client favorite; great artwork and easy reading
   
9. World Spirit: one of my first tarot deck loves; bright colors and bold lines make this a stunning and straightforward deck
   
10. Vertigo: hey, I paid a lot of money for this out of print beauty and it's worth every penny; hauntingly lovely artwork
    

The Housewives Tarot by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum
Topic: Tarot Reviews
This is an absolutely charming deck, which was created in the style of the 1950s. The cards are campy and often side-splittingly funny, but the theme and the tongue-in-cheekiness don't stop this deck from being a quite usable reading deck. The meanings are still clear despite the humor.

One of my favorites is the Devil card, which depicts (what else?) a devil's food cake with frosting horns, hot legs and a cigarette. Surrounding this sexy devil are implements of addiction. There is no mistaking what this devil is about. This card is a perfect example of how humor and clear meaning have been combined. Likewise the Star, which shows a proud housewife holding up her prizewinning pie, a huge smile wreathing her face. It's so cute, and you can't help but share her sense of accomplishment.

Another thing that I like about this deck is that it doesn't make the swords suit full of depression and horrors. They approach it in a more balanced fashion without losing the impact. For example, the 5 of Swords depicts scissors and needles and a dress that looks like a paperdoll cutout. The accompanying book explains: "You should acknowledge and accept your limitationsand focus on goals that are actually within your reach. Your perfectionist nature may be working against you." This is a far cry from the traditional RWS image and meaning of desperate defeat; yet it presents a rich meaning anyway. When this turned up in a spread that I did about my finances, I got much more insight than if I had gone with the doom and gloom meaning.

I'll end with the part that you will see first - the packaging. The packaging on this deck is absolutely wonderful and artfully continues the theme. The deck is housed in a recipe box, complete with recipe cards for Major Arcana, Minor Arcana and booklet. The backs of the cards have recipes, such as Divinated Eggs. When you pull off the top of the box, you'll find that the bottom part has 50s style advertisements for the Housewives Tarot on the side. There are even testimonials! The packaging is high quality and continues the deck's theme with skill and humor. I hope that this trend of a complete package for a deck (also seen in the Lovers Path Tarot - reviewed below) continues. I enjoy having boxes that I actually want to display on my shelf.

You can get a free reading with the Housewives Tarot at the website, and you can also download cute desktops.

I highly recommend this deck for 50s memorabilia lovers, tarot collectors, and anyone who likes a good laugh and some cleverness. This is a great deck, and at a retail of $15, it's a steal.

Stats:

• RWS ordering of majors - Strength is 8, Justice 11
  
• Cards are of medium cardstock, sturdy but easily shuffled; new cards are a little slippery; standard deck size
  
• Illustrated minors
  
• Suits retain the traditional names, but the objects depicted are a little different: Cups are martini glasses, Wands are household implements like brooms and mops, Pentacles are plates, and Swords are pins and scissors
  
• Companion booklet included with deck
  
• Reversible backs
  

Topic: Life Goes On
I just spent a wonderful weekend with my boyfriend. We went to Arisia, a sci-fi/fantasy convention in Boston. Originally, the plan was to spend only Saturday there, but the snow forced us to stay until Monday morning. There are certainly worse places to be stuck. We met some interesting people, saw cool things, and bought even cooler things. He bought a kilt (yummy!) and I bought a beautiful corset and coronet. I have no idea why, but the corset makes me feel absolutely beautiful. Maybe I'll be nice and put some pics up. :-)

Oh yeah, I got to change the jewelry in my tragus piercing too. I'm back to the barbell and I'm much happier with it.

Reviews coming real soon - like tonight.

Topic: Life Goes On
Well, I had a very nice holiday off, and things have been pretty slow ever since. So why haven't I posted lately? Let's be honest. I'm a lazy creature. ;)

I spent a whole week at my parents house over the holiday. It was a very nice break. Then I spent New Years at my house with my friend Nena. We did New Years tarot readings. Things look pretty good although there's a 3 month span with all Swords - including the 3 and the 9. We'll just have to wait and see what happens...

Recently, I lost one of my sweet little goldfish. Cleetis got some kind of swimbladder infection. Poor little thing was swimming upside down. A few days later, I picked up a new baby fish. I still miss Cleetis, but the tank just looked too weird with only 2 fish in it. The new fish is a moor, which means he's got the weird pop eyes and he's all black. I named him Sutekh, Devourer of Souls, but mostly he just goes by Jimmy. He's really small compared to my other two! I hadn't realized how much my older fish had grown since I got them.

In other news, the store where I'd been reading tarot on weekends went out of business just before Christmas. No worries, though. I recently started working on Sundays at another store. Sometimes I also fill in on Saturdays when the other gal can't make it. I'm happy to be doing the job I love again.

For Christmas, I treated myself to the Housewives Tarot. It's a scream, but it's also quite usable as a reading deck. Look for a review soon.

The Lover's Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr
Topic: Tarot Reviews
First of all, the presentation of this deck is absolutely gorgeous. You can have a virtual look at the artist's website. The outside box is made of a very sturdy cardboard and has velcro closure on the side. This is meant as a lovely and enduring way to house the deck, not as a cheap throwaway. When the box is opened, you will find that it is printed on the inside as well. The deck is in its own decorated well, but it also has its own box. This is a very nice feature for those who want to carry the deck without bringing along the whole package. Overall, this is a very well-designed and presented package.

The deck and book definitely live up to the promise of the packaging. Initially, I wasn't sure about the whole idea of illustrating major arcana with couples, but Kris's attributions are well thought out and add new dimensions to the card meanings. For example, I love Shahrazade as the High Priestess. She spins out her tales, one section at a time to save her own neck. A very unique secret-keeper! Her lover, Shahriyar, seems to represent us, sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting for the wonderful knowledge we seek to be revealed a bit at a time. I also love Romeo and Juliet as Tradition (Hierophant). The card depicts Romeo and Juliet with the Friar. What is more important - the tradition of family conflict or the promise of love fulfilled, as represented by the Friar? Their choice is clear. The illustrations are beautiful and passionate.

The Minor Arcana are equally beautiful. I find them to be richer in content than the Goddess Tarot, which Kris Waldherr also illustrated. Each suit shows the love story of one of the Major Arcana couples. Cups show Tristan and Isolde, Staves show Siegfried and Brunhilde, Arrows (Swords) depict Cupid and Psyche, and Coins (Pentacles) show Zeus and Danae. Once again, Kris's choices add layers of meaning to the cards. I especially like the 7 of Cups, in which Isolde considers all the choices she might make while also imagining a kiss from her lover. The 4 of Coins shows a daydreaming Danae in her tower. One of the pentacles covers her genital area (not blatantly), keeping her closed off from having a lover. Although she is not closed off by her own will, this card elegantly conveys the same idea.

The court cards are of the same high quality and feature characters from the same story followed through the pip cards of the same suit. I especially love the Cups courts with the phases of the moon in the night sky behind them. I also enjoy Psyche as the Princess of Arrows, dancing through the air with butterflies around her.

The book is of the same high quality as the deck. The pages are all in color on a thick glossy paper. Each page contains a smaller full-color version of each card. Descriptions of each major take up 2 pages each, while the minors get 1 page each. There are spreads to try in the back, along with a quick reference guide. The spreads are replicated with less description on the spread scroll included with the set.

This deck is a wonderful addition to anyone's tarot collection. Though I suspect it would be most effective for relationship and love questions, I think that it would do well for any kind of reading. The presentation can't be beat, and the artwork is lovely and well-planned. I highly recommend this deck.

Should you purchase the special edition, you get really nice extras like a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity, a signed print of Beatrice and Amor, and a signed extra card called Artistry. The extra card comes in its own little gauze bag (pity it's not big enough for the whole deck) and a small explanation sheet. It's well worth getting the limited edition for these wonderful extras and the collectibility (and it's not that much more than the standard edition). For more information, check out the artist's website.

Stats:

• Illustrated minor arcana
  
• Cards are a little wider than most decks but not enough to be bulky; cardstock is thicker than standard and is somewhat difficult to shuffle initially
  
• Major arcana depict a pair of lovers on each and many have been renamed
  
• Strength is 8, Justice 11
  
• Suits are Staves (Wands), Cups, Coins (Pentacles) and Arrows (Swords)
  
• Court cards are Princess, Prince, Queen and King
  

Ironwing Tarot - correction
Topic: Tarot Reviews
I had originally said in my review that the minor arcana don't show the requisite number of suit objects. I stand corrected. The cards do show the number of suit objects; the trick is to see them all. I sent Lorena Moore (the deck creator) the link to the review, and she responded:

---

"If you can't find the requisite number of suit symbols on a card, look again...
Some are more obvious than others, and a few cards contain multiples of the number.
If you STILL can't find them, e-mail me. Believe me, they are all there! :-)
It is interesting to me that when people have this problem with the deck, they don't have it with the same cards!
One woman simply could not find the third bell on the Three of Bells until I showed it to her. Another person picked out the same bell and saw the rest of the picture as "background". (Kind of makes you wonder how accurate those psychiatric ink blot tests are!)
Black and white images are interpreted in a different part of your brain than color, and your eye sees them with different cells. Black and white drawings speak to the older, animal part that focuses on detail and pattern in order to detect movement."

---

Thank you so much, Lorena! This deck is a wonderful adventure and a richly layered experience.

Ironwing Tarot by Lorena B. Moore
Topic: Tarot Reviews
I initially discovered this deck from a link on the Gaian Tarot webpage. I looked at some images and quickly lost interest. At the time, the pictures just didn't appeal to me. Recently, a thread on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum made me reconsider this deck, and I'm very glad I took another look! When I returned to the webpage, the images struck me in a way that they hadn't before. In fact, the images pulled at me so much that I decided rather quickly that this is a deck I had to have.

The images are mostly done in black and white with rust-colored shadings on some of the major arcana. Although the range of color is limited, the images are far from stark. They are symmetrical and organic and strangely haunting.

I find the deck as a whole to be incredibly and deeply feminine. I don't mean feminine as in pink bows and ruffles, either. I mean feminine as with the Goddess Herself. This deck speaks in Her voice. It knows what it is to give life and to weep for the dead and everything in between. Its femininity goes far deeper than our superficial cultural labels.

This deck speaks directly to my intuition with a voice of deep wisdom and strength. Unlike many of my other decks, this one actually does speak. When I look at these cards, my intuition pops full sentences into my head. I connect with the Ironwing Tarot on a very spiritual level, and I would probably not be comfortable using it for others (excepting my very closest friends).

The cards themselves encourage a more intuitive use. None of the cards, majors or minors, are numbered or labeled. This gives the reader 2 choices: to completely memorize what each card looks like and means or to "go with the flow" and let intuition supply meanings. There is a book that accompanies the deck, but for the most part, it explains what the symbols are rather than telling you exactly what they should mean. Working with this deck is a continual journey of discovery. I am looking forward to learning its secrets and deep wisdom.

I highly recommend this deck for Goddess worshipers, those who use tarot spiritually, deck collectors and more intuitive readers. You can view all the cards and purchase your own copy here.

Stats:

• Majors are un-numbered
  
• Non-traditional suits: spikes (fire), coils (water), blades (air), bells (earth)
  
• Minors are illustrated with patterns incorporating suit objects rather than human figures
  
• Court cards are called Spirit Guides and are all women; they are non-traditionally named: Apprentice (page/princess), Gatemaker (knight/prince), Madrone (queen), Shaman (king)
  
• Cardstock is sturdy but easy to shuffle
  
• Non-reversible backs
  
• Companion book included with deck
  

New Piercing - my favorite so far!
Topic: Piercings
Well, so much for waiting. I was going to wait til spring to get my next piercing, but I changed my mind. My tarot job will be ending with 2004 so I figured I would get it done while I had the extra income (and was working 2 doors down from the studio). I went by the piercing studio yesterday to get some information and I ended up getting a piercing too.

I had wanted to get a vertical tragus piercing, but my ear shape wasn't right for it. Instead I got a standard tragus piercing in my right ear. What's a tragus? It's that little flap of cartilage in front of your ear hole, bordering your face. I got a hole punched through that. It actually didn't hurt that much, and it's really beautiful. I have a small blue ball on my tragus. Nice and dainty. I love the way it looks.

So far, it's also been really nice as far as pain. I even slept on it last night with no problems. I wish I could say the same for the cartilage piercing on my left ear.

Maybe I'll be able to get some pictures put up. I'll have to bug a friend with a digital camera.

International Icon Tarot by Robin Ator
Topic: Tarot Reviews
The International Icon Tarot is a Rider-Waite-Smith clone done with the figures that you see on signage, the most familiar of which would be bathroom doors. These "international icons" are like stick figures but more filled out. You get a vague idea of gender, but any sort of ethnicity or facial expression is entirely in the mind of the reader. That is one of the greatest gifts of this deck.

In a reading, you don't get caught up in the facial expressions of the figures on the cards so you have more freedom to interpret. For me, this means that I focus more on the background details of the card. I see the buildings and landscapes behind the figures in more detail. For example, the King of Swords has butterflies on his throne and the figure in the 2 of Wands faces a lake. I never noticed those details in other RWS clones, and those details make me want to learn more. Why are those symbols there? What do they mean? Before this, I was never interested in the RWS deck (although I do enjoy many of its variants), but now I'm starting to come around. That, in and of itself, is a wonderful gift of this deck for me. Also, without the restriction of specific facial expressions, you can use your intuition to fill in the details of how a person might feel in a specific situation.

The artwork is of course greatly simplified, but as mentioned before, that's the wonderful part of this deck. This simplification doesn't detract from the artistry of the deck, either. The colors of people, backgrounds and symbols are all harmonious. The overall effect is quite nice.

I only have a few nitpicks, and they're very minor. On the figures, the heads are slightly detached from the bodies. I found this to be a little strange, but it's most likely my own aesthetics. Also, the Knights and Death have their plumes issuing right from their heads and not from any helmet. Finally, I found the cardstock to be a little flimsy. The edge of one of my cards was already slightly chipped from a good shuffle. On the plus side, the cardstock is rather easy to shuffle.

I recommend this deck to anyone, but especially beginners and RWS lovers (or those who want to learn more about it). You can order your own copy here.

Stats:

• Illustrated minors
  
• Strength is 8, Justice is 11
  
• Reversible backs
  
• Cards are about the size of standard US Games decks; easy to shuffle
  
• Comes with a little white booklet but you can use any Rider-Waite-Smith book with it