Tarot Outlaw Bulletin #1

Hookin' up with The Posse

Howdy Outlaws,

I’m thrilled y’all are here for the very first, inaugural newsletter from Tarot Outlaw. I hope it can become a fun and lawless* place for us to dive into all things tarot together.

*Lawless in the spirit of free thinking and rebel hearts. I absolutely expect us all to treat each other kindly and respectfully, and anything that doesn’t fall within these bounds will be run outta town.

As I have gotten further into my tarot studies I started thinking about what my introduction to tarot was. I had no formal introduction, and when I wanted a deck I went out and bought myself one. (Gasp. Shock. I know.) But obviously I knew tarot existed, and had for a long time. I mean, I worked at Urban Outfitters for years and years, so the iconography and imagery was extremely familiar. Maybe I had a moon wall hanging at one point? I don’t know, it was all a very long ago and things have been lost to the sands of time.

What I’m saying is I was aware of tarot existing, as a thing, for so long it was hard to pinpoint the first moment of awareness. But guys, I dug deep, I remembered hard and I figured it out.

I am sure, like 99.99999% sure, that the first time tarot busted into my actual world was in the film Now And Then.

Now if you haven’t seen Now And Then, you should. Immediately. Like I don’t care if you even finish reading this, your priority should be Now And Then.

It’s iconic.
Cinema gold.
A classic.
A way of life.
One of the best soundtracks you will ever hear. (I wore out my cassette copy of it, so you know it’s solid.)

Basically it is Stand By Me, but for chicks. It documents the suburban summer adventures of four best friends in the 1970’s as they ride their bikes, steal Devin Sawa’s clothes (remember him!), learn about life and create life long bonds and memories. It’s amazing! Also there was a rumour when it came out that if you paused it at just the right time you could see Devin Sawa’s *penis*. I’m not saying that numerous sleep overs were spent trying to achieve this end, but I’m not not saying that. I’m assuming we understand each other.

Anyway, obviously during the course of the adventures the girls realise that the only way to get the answers they need is to pay a visit to the mysterious, scary, counterculture neighbourhood witch and have their cards read. Now since this was the 90’s the MSCCNW is played by Janeane Garofalo essentially doing her very best Janeane Garofalo (as is her thang). Her characters name is Wiladene, and now I want children just so I can name them all that.

Here’s the Scene,

I mean, it’s gold! Right? The crocheted vest. The numerous beaded curtains. THE HAIR. The table is legit amazing though, and I want it. I mean, it was the perfect 90’s girl, by way of the 70’s, introduction to tarot.

I fully remember being scared of Janeane/Wiladene in this scene, but now I want to be her. And even though I am blonde, my hair is currently so similar that I am really only a few beaded curtains away from my goal, so there’s something to celebrate.

I feel it has everything you want from a movie “tarot scene”: out of the way location, shifty proprietor, and the ominous misuse of both the death card, and the ten of swords! Like, I promise you, Dear Johnny was not killed with ten swords to his back. I believe the actual cause of death revealed later in the film is far more tragic. Remember these girls have lessons to learn and hardships to overcome! This was their formative summer. Formative summers are never easy or simple things.

There is no real point to this story, I just thought for our first hoedown, it’d be fun to share with you my earliest tarot memory. If you want you can even hop on over to the discussion to share yours.
Also, I’m interested did you have a MSCCNW in your town growing up? Are you your town’s current MSCCNW? Do you want to be? Should we all get MSCCNW tee shirts made so we can identify each other? Where do you stand on beaded curtains and crocheted vests?
Come on Outlaws! Let’ get to know one each other!

Now for the fun stuff! I’m going to be doing tarot readings for you all in these newsletters. They won’t be posted anywhere else, since I want Posse Members to have something special, just for us. I also want this be fun and different so instead of sun signs, pick a pile, or other commonly used methods of identifying I’m gonna be splitting it up differently each week. Some weeks it will be random, and sometimes it will be based on what’s discussed in the newsletter. This week is the latter.

I’ll be using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for this weeks readings. It is not my usual go to (the shade of insipid yellow all over it triggers my gag reflex. sorry) but if it’s good enough for Wiladene, it’s good enough for me!

A reading for all those who already know the brilliance of Now and Then

Two Of Swords
Alright guys, it is time to take a step back and make a choice. Maybe you’ve been putting it off, maybe people around you have been trying to sway you one way or another, maybe it came up suddenly and caught you off guard; however it has come, it needs sorting. Stop putting it off, stop letting it scare you, and most importantly, do not let anyone else make your decision for you. This is something you do for you. Put your blinders on, go somewhere you can you really think and cut through the bullshit. This is also not a great time to lead with your emotions, smarts and logic are the name of the game here. If you want it because it is shiny and beautiful, but comes at a high cost, make sure you can afford it. Put it in the budget, do the research. Find as much info as you can before you make the decision, but make it.

A reading for all those who do not yet know the brilliance of Now and Then, but will be remedying that as soon as humanly possible

10 Of Pentacles
Guys, I am loving this card for you, because once you watch Now and Then (which you will be doing, right…) you will reach the fulfilment and joy found in this card. Much like the girls in the movie, you will realise how much more there is to the world than your little prefab suburban subdivision, but you will also know that the home, people, and place that raised you, have made you who you are, and are always worth having fond memories of. Now is your moment to really live with the good things you have earned and/or achieved, really let them burrow down into your life so they stay. And if you aren’t quite there yet, the choices you’re making at the moment should be ones that have the potential to deepen your happiness long term, not just another fleeting dopamine hit.

That’s it for this week. There are only two states of being in this world; not having seen Now and Then, a state we all must pass through, and then having seen Now and Then. And look, I’m not saying that seeing this movie will solve all your problems (bitch, it might tho). I am, however, saying that once you watch it you will have Sugar, Sugar by the Archies stuck in your head for a week, that I can guarantee.

Also because I’m nice, and I know y’all want to see Baby Brendon Fraser, here’s a bonus scene!

See ya at the saloon!
Bronwyn