Reviews

Feng Shui in the Garden by Richard Webster ISBN 1-56718-793-5

This is an amazing book and I absolutely loved reading it! Richard Webster is truly one of the great "kindergarden" teachers of our time.

Each time I read one of his books I completely understand the concept he is attempting to teach me.

His writing style is very simple to understand and I always feel as though I'm sitting in the same room with him and we are just chatting about Feng Shui (or whatever other book/topic of his I am reading ).

I appreciate the little reminders he puts into this book saying 'not to run out and change stuff in your garden just yet, read some more of the book first'. As a "get it done now" person this sentence was good for me to hear because it kept me reading, and not digging.

Richard teaches you about your secret garden, where to plant your vegetable section and if you look around and find you have neglected an area...it's interesting to find out which part of your life you are ignoring!

I discovered my entire back yard is my "secret garden." Surrounded by 20 foot cedars, I have complete privacy back there. My pond is in the good luck center which is excellent and my vegetable garden is in my marriage section (very auspicious). I was able to decide, with Richard's assistance, where to put my daughter's digging section (in the children's area of course) and I was also able to see that I was neglecting my wealth center.

I had been working on all my garden except this one corner. It was overgrown and just looked awful but I never had the desire to get in there. When I learned this is my wealth area I quickly spent the day out there, talking to my plants and asking them what they wanted me to do. I began by pruning some trees and then moved down to the ground cover.

I sat in my secret garden and performed a prosperity spell after I finished pampering my yard, thanking The Goddess for her assistance in my prosperity, and officially acknowledging my wealth area. During my spell work I suddenly realized the metal table I got at a garage sale this summer will be perfect to bring more balance to my wealth section since I am water and my husband is earth.

Many books make feng shui confusing and complicated. If you find this statement rings true for you, I cannot recommend Richard Webster's books highly enough. At $9.95 US it's a very affordable way to understand this complex philosophy.

much light, Aleesha Stephenson

The World Spirit Tarot Illustrated by Lauren O'Leary Text by Jessica Godino and Lauren O'Leary

As I opened the box and looked through the cards, I felt the smile on my face grow wider and wider. I felt comfortable with them immediately!

This multi-cultural deck celebrates people. From a full sized empress to people wearing glasses, it even includes satyrs, mermaids and people of a Krishna blue color. A perfect melding of the past and present gives the deck a timeless feel. The deck, however, does not come off as contrived at all.

Rich blues, bluish-greens and purples predominate. Glowing orange and reds, earthy yellow and browns balance and bring warmth. A liberal use of black brings out the colors.

The cards are beautifully executed. They were made by linoleum block print, then hand colored. Each card took several weeks to make.

The World Spirit uses standard Rider-Waite numbering and imagery in new and refreshing ways. There is non-traditional use of gender. For example, The Fool card features a woman and several cards appear to be androgynous. I especially like that The Hermit can be viewed as either a man or a woman. There is full nudity shown, of both genders.

The court cards have been renamed, from the traditional decks, so as not to be hierarchical but rather to speak to different stages of development. What are traditionally Kings are called Sages, Queens are called Sibyls, Knights are the Seekers and Pages are the Seers.

The minor arcana are fully illustrated, with a thin color border which is different for each suit. The names and numbers of the cards are printed along the bottom of their black border.

The back is not completely reversible and features a large hourglass, with the sun and moon on opposite ends of the card.

The World Spirit is a full 78-card tarot deck of excellent print quality and card stock, packaged with a 192-page booklet as a mini-kit. This is a small book and not just the typical little white pamphlet! The cards can be stored in their clamshell-style, cardboard box and together, the deck and book slide into a cardboard sleeve.

I would definitely recommend this set for beginner and expert alike. The cards are easy to read, with clear meanings. I found them to be accurate, very emotive and easy to relate to. This deck's humor and whimsy make it perfect for reading everyday.

Reviewed by: Victoria Betson

- 23 - Edition 14, August 2003