Friday the 13 (again?!)

When I was young I had a healthy fascination with the occult, especially all the ceremonial accessories and objects. In honor of the second Friday the 13 in the span of two months, this is a fitting topic for today.

Two items I was really drawn to (aside from candles and Stevie Nicks-esque shawls), were Tarot cards and Ouija boards.

I still love Tarot. I think the cards themselves, beyond their use and the ideas and energy that surround them, are little art pieces. I have always aspired to make my own deck. Here are some I found interesting:




(I especially love these ↑).

(While these ↑ aren't a Tarot deck, I find them stunning and just want to keep looking).



I played with Ouija boards when I was little. They were an especially fun slumber party activity, but they did hold an "evil" stigma that made many parents, including my own, a little wary. Sometimes we had to resort to making our own with paper and an upside down lowball glass. I wonder if our parents would have had so many misgivings if they knew that even Norman Rockwell, the master of capturing scenes of idyllic and innocent America, painted this for the cover of The Saturday Evening Post?:

"Ouija and talking boards were extremely popular from 1900 through the 1950's. At one time virtually every home in America had a Ouija board." And look how wonderful these ads are:



That's all for this week. Back up to see my lovely niece!

Listening to Emilie Simon.