Queer Pride Day in Vermont

No rain on this Parade!

I love the Gay Pride Parade. It's so colorful and so joyful. Like a real life Four of Wands.

If someone would design a Four of Wands draped with the bright rainbow flags, and some drag queens dancing towards them, I would buy that deck just for that.

 I haven't been to the Vermont Gay Pride for a couple of years but the Oaf and I caught it this year.  We watched from inside our about-to-close local Borders where there are nice big windows and air conditioning.

As we were watching, a beautiful red-haired woman started to jump and wave at us.  It was a good friend of mine marching with her Congregational church.  Just ahead of her was another friend of mine, Mary.  Preacher Mary, as she is sometimes called because she is the minister of the Congregational church in the next town.

There were something like five Christian churches marching in the Gay Pride Parade.  Five.  Maybe four, but I saw the Quakers, two Congregational congregations, and the Episcopalians. Plus the Unitarians usually have a crew marching.  Petty amazing.  It further convinces me that the World is getting better, not worse.

There is a spirit of revelry at Pride that is very Pagan.  It's the way people come out to celebrate their sexuality and with such a show of color. Everyone dons their beautiful and shining rainment and dances in the street.  It's like Beltaine or something!

I was not on the ball enough to have a live battery in my camera, so I did not get any shots of the actual parade.  But I hurried home to get the good battery and then went to the festival for a nice sunburn.

The Sisters LeMay, Vermont's premier drag queens, hosted the after-parade festival.  One or two of them lives right up the street from me--or used to anyway.  I think they moved.

Every year they have an ASL interpreter at the event (American Sign Language) and I sometimes thing the ASL interpreter is the most interesting part of the whole thing.

Ever see some hard-rockin lesbian band be interpreted?  It's pretty cool.

This is the band L. Dora rockin out on the stage.

And the ASL interpreter rockin out as well.  She looked like she was having a great time.

Apparently our governor was at the festival, so he has my vote next time no matter how many vacations he takes.  As was our Congressman.  That's how amazing Vermont is becoming.

Here are some random shots from the festival.  It was a hot and hazy day as you can tell.  The thermometer at the bank said 94 degrees.  I'm not sure it was as hot as that.

Bears' motorcycles all deck out

Bread and Puppet Theater

Lucy Belle LeMay

Marguerite LeMay

True Colors

Here is a special little surprise for those who looked at all the pictures and scrolled through the whole post--Drag Queen Racing!

A Very Hot Day

                                                                        Listen to internet radio with Dax Tarot Today on Blog Talk Radio

Am I famous now?


This is the radio show I was on earlier this week.  On Monday afternoon to be exact.  It was a lot of fun!  We gave three or four readings to callers--mostly about love.  Maybe one or two on job searches.  It was great to talk to people I normally know only over internet forums.  I would definately do it again.


And I'm sure I am famous now--at least in certain circles.


On the tv series front;  I found a new show!  I am watching it right now on Netflix as I write.  Sorta. Kinda.


It's on one browser tab and my blog updater is on another.  Another wonder of technology. Oh, and what show is this that I am currently consumed by? Well, it was suggested by commenter (and fellow Tarot Guild member) Shannon Rae.

Yes, Medium!  I started the 3rd season today and I just started watching it Monday or Tuesday.  Of course, the Oaf worked very late two nights this week so I stayed up late watching episode after episode of Medium, and waiting.


I do love me a good crime drama.  Of course, I could use more crime drama and less family drama on these shows, but it's still compelling.  What really bugs me is that the show takes place in Phoenix--a very hot place.  The main character and her husband are happily married, but despite these two things they sleep in so many nightclothes as to be fully dressed, with covers fit for New England winter's night.  Maybe it gets cold at night there, what do I know.

Phoenix, AZ.  Sure looks hot.

It's hot here in the real New England.  I am in what is sometimes called Northern New England, or, to be poetic, The North Country, just like the song.  It has been in the 90's the last couple of days.  I ain't complaining--I lived in North Carolina and Virginia so I know what hot is and it's not this.  After all, it will break in a couple of days whereas in the South it will break in a couple of months, or three or more.

This is Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan singing "Girl from the North Country." But you have to watch it on YouTube.  It's worth it.

I wonder if I got a tiny touch of Heatstroke today.  I don't actually know it when I see it, but I did get on the wrong bus this afternoon.  Not only was it the wrong bus, but it was the bus I had already taken to get to my destination and I got on it again to go home.  Jeez.  Now I am sitting in the air conditioned room for the evening.


That's all for now, dear friends.  I thought I had more to write about.  If it comes to me, I'll let you know.

I'm gonna be famous!

On Monday July 18th I am going to be the guest co-host on the Rowdy Readers Tarot Today show.  I am very excited about it.

It's a Blogtalk Radio show and it comes on three times a week--Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I try to catch the Monday and Wednesday shows.  There is also a show on Sundays, usually devoted to interviews while the other days listeners can call in and get short readings.  On Monday I will be on there helping out with the call-in readings.  I think it'll be a great experience.

So be sure to tune in on Monday afternoon;  1pm Pacific Time and 4pm here on the East Coast.  9pm in London in case anyone is listening from there.  Take a listen to this episode from last week.

Listen to internet radio with Dax Tarot Today on Blog Talk Radio

What else is interesting?  I have been reading "Understanding the Tarot Court" by Mary K Greet and Tom Little.  It's packed full of information and I've been enjoying it pretty well.  But the strangest thing is that my readings have been full of courts lately!

I've done one or two of the exercises in the book and one of them required me to separate the deck into  Majors, Aces, pips and courts. (I guess pip refers strictly to unillustrated number cards, but I like the word.)  So my deck was ordered, and at first--meaning last week--I figured the deck wasn't shuffled properly, but since then I have shuffled and thrown and read, and shuffled and cut and shuffled again.  I think my deck is shuffled now!

Yesterday I did two 3-card readings to find out what I might need to know about a good friend of mine I hadn't seen for well over a month.  The first time I figured I needed to shuffle more.  I shuffled and threw again--more court cards.

Later I did a celtic cross reading for myself--four court cards!  Three of them were cups with only the page missing.  Ca-razy.

On other fronts, I got a new deck a week or so ago; the Sharman-Caselli deck. 

 I like it pretty well.  I wanted to have an alternative to my usual Universal Waite.

Well, friends, that's all for now.  I will leave you with this song.  It has nothing to do with Tarot or this post, but it is one of my favorite songs.

Je t'adore, Rob Brezsney!

Even if I can't spell your name.

Rob Brezsney is the creator of Free Will Astrology, which in my mind is still called Real Astrology as it used to be called because it has had a real effect on my life.  The Horoscope is irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and outrageously positive.  He also pushes a philosophy known as Pronoia, which I can't really spell either.  The idea is that basically the Universe is trying to shower you--and me and all of us--with blessings.  That things are getting better, not worse.  It's a rebellious thinking and I think that this philosophy could very well save the world.

But, he does not seem to like Libras very much!  I am a Libra.  I am a Libra's Libra.  Not only is the Sun in Libra on my chart, but so is Libra's ruler, Venus.  Plus a couple of other interesting things that make me an uber-Libra.  So for many years I would sigh whenever his Horoscope came out, and be unhappy with what he wrote for Libras.  I don't take it personally--or much of anything else either--but the Libra 'scopes have been getting better.

The Oaf is a Libra too, but not really.  He was born in the last two hours of the sun being in Libra that year, and he is really more Scorpio than anything.  So I read the Libra for myself and the Scorpio for him.  And this week they are GREAT!  Just listen to this:

"He got a big ego, such a huge ego," sings Beyonce in her song "Ego." "It's too big, it's too wide / It's too strong, it won't fit / It's too much, it's too tough / He talk like this 'cause he can back it up." I would love to be able to address that same message to you in the coming days, Libra. I'm serious. I'd love to admire and marvel at your big, strong ego. This is one of those rare times when the cosmic powers-that-be are giving you clearance to display your beautiful, glorious self in its full radiance. Extra bragging is most definitely allowed, especially if it's done with humor and wit. A bit of preening, mugging, and swaggering is permissible as well. 


Hot, right?  Well, heck, I'll start on this right now.


I am a really great Tarot Reader!  And a cook!  My words are lyrical and trip from my pen like the running of a wild river!  Of course the best and most wonderful clients and students come to me for I am an amazing person.

Hunh.  That felt pretty good, actually.  I think I'll go cook something.  Or read something. Or write something.  No, really, I'm gonna start on some supper for me and the Oaf.  We're gonna be hungry.

Still not so charmed. Sigh.

So I jumped ahead in the Charmed adventure to the season that begins with Prue's funeral (I did sorta tear up a little.  The thought of burying my siblings has that kind of effect on me) and where Paige comes into the picture et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

I was sorely disappointed by it.  I thought Rose McGowan would really add a bit of spark to it, and she did.  But the other two are so irritating that it doesn't matter.  And the White Lighters--don't get me started.  Aren't angels sexless?  How are they screwing around and having kids?  I suppose I should watch more of the earlier seasons before I get any more snarky about it.

The long and the short of it is that I won't be watching Charmed as I industriously create stuff in my studio.  I will have to find some other nice, long tv series to watch.  Suggestions on this are most welcome.  I have already watched the X-Files three times through in case anyone was wondering.

In other Pagan news, I have launched Frankly Tarot.

The name is not my idea, but was generously suggested by Patti Phare-Camp at the Tarot Guild.  Another idea was Cranky Frankie Tarot.  But that sounds rather less inviting I think.

For more details, and to order a really wonderful, and frank reading, go to the Frankly Tarot page.  There you will see my lovely mug smiling out at you as well.  I also have a couple of workshops and classes in my repertoire which I will be posting about soon.  Until then, and as always, contact me for more details.

Charmed, I'm sure.....not

When it comes to tv, it's been a long time.  I have never paid for cable and years ago I got rid of my antenna.  I don't even know how to get tv nowadays.  Until recently I had never even paid money for a television, but also until recently I'd never been married and husbands and televisions seem to go hand-in-hand. I do pay for Netflix though.

So I had never seen the tv show "Charmed."  I've been wanting to see it, but I don't want to put the discs in my Netflix cue because we only get two at a time and it seemed like a waste.  I have been waiting and waiting for Netflix to stream it and now it does!

I was so excited when I saw that one evening and couldn't wait until the next day when I had the house to myself to watch some of it.  After my husband left for work I went into the studio to do some work and watch me some Charmed.  Finally.

It was stupid.

I was so disappointed in how formulaic and stupid I found the show. I didn't even think the actresses were very attractive or stylish.  I'd been looking forward to what? eight seasons of shows about witches.  Strong female lead witches at that.

That is the one thing about the one show I watched;  those girls got out of their predicament on their own--no male rescuers.

My husband tells me that Season One is the least stupid season of that show, but then he reminded me that Rose McGowan joined the cast a few seasons down the road so maybe I will give it another show sometime.

The Great Thing about The Wild Hunt and Christopher Walken

This is one of the reasons I read and love The Wild Hunt blog.  I learn the best stuff from that blog, like Christopher Walken is going to play Zeus in a movie adaptation of the book "Gods Behaving Badly" by Marie Phillips.

I don't know how this book never made it onto my radar let alone onto my bookshelf.  But y'know, I think that I will wait for the movie and read the book after.  At least, I am going to try to wait until after the movie.  It really looks like my exact cup o'tea, with lots of honey in it.

Here is a cute video of an interview with the author of the book.  She does name some actors she thinks would fit the bill for a movie version, but she doesn't mention Christopher Walken.



Here is another awesome clip.  This is from the movie The Prophecy where Christopher Walken plays the archangel Gabriel, the bad guy.  He's really great in this movie which I recommend if you can handle a bit of deep dark humor in a movie.

Interesting reading outcome

In my last post I talked a little bit about the spread I read for my New Pagan Group Meeting.  My interpretation turned out to be pretty much on, I think.

To recap, I got a bunch of aces and twos and a couplea majors.  It was very low key and passive.  I figured only one person besides myself would show up.  I had one confirmation so I knew she would come, but I didn't know if others would show up or not, and the spread indicated that only that one person would show up.

And, indeed, one person showed up.  She was very down to earth and had a lot of ideas and feelings about paganism that I have, so we had much in common.  There were also a couple of important diverging opinions and ideas.

She also had an interesting background and experiences that I had not considered about where she is from and where she was on her journey.

A very interesting exercise, indeed.  I like this spread, but I think I am going to change the spread a little to look like this:

1. Past
2. Present
3. Possible Future
4. Self
(these are all the same as the original as you can probably tell)
5. Situation
6. Challenge
7. Next Action

Seven Sisters Spread for Organizational Meeting

What a dull post title!  Oh well, it was still an exciting thing to me at least.  I have been attempting to organize a pagan group here in my hometown.  Attitudes are open and liberal here in lovely downtown Vermont, but it's difficult to find people to be paganesque with.  I have been part of various pagan or witchy groups and classes, of different longevity but for the last year plus, I have been solitary.

So I put a listing up on Witchvox and Facebook and e-mailed back and forth with a few people and finally got something set up for Thursday evening.  I had no idea how many or who would show up or anything, and I was very nervous.  So I threw a tarot spread before I left.  I used the Seven Sisters Spread, which is a good, basic spread, but if I use it again I may tweak the positions a little bit.

The issue at hand:  What to expect from Pagan Meeting.

I think I like to read ina  more overall manner than card by card, at least at the outset of a reading.

I have  3 Aces--beginning on many levels but not very much groundedness (not the Ace of Pents).  But we have the World for that.

At either end I have cards of stasis; the 2 of Swords and the Devil. Not moving forwards.  In fact, there is very little movement in these cards except for the World.

I guess I like the Ace of Swords in the Self spot.  I am spearheading this whole thing; I am the on "on fire with it."

The only thing that bothers me is all the passivity here.

More later, as they say!