Buffy Tarot Dies Yet Again

Death has found the Buffy Tarot…again.

Image source: Major Spoilers

Well, I had expected it when the deck didn’t ship at the end of September. When it didn’t ship in October, the second and final death of the Buffy Tarot became almost certain. Still I hoped, but the last nail in the coffin arrived in the email this morning.

Thank you for ordering from Entertainment Earth. Unfortunately, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Tarot Cards (Item DH15339), which you ordered, has been cancelled[sic] by the manufacturer. From time to time manufacturers cancel items for a variety of reasons. No additional information was given as to why this item was cancelled, however. No units were ever shipped to Entertainment Earth. We certainly would have filled your order had this item been manufactured. We apologize for any inconvenience. The order you placed for this item has been cancelled in our system.

Things from Another Planet sent out the cancellation months ago. I can only assume that EE left the product on their site to gather more email addresses for their “newsletter,” or as I prefer to think of their daily mass mailing: marketing spam.

The good news is that I can add EE to my junk senders list now. That will keep a little of their junkmail out of my inbox.

Slayer Tarot Ressurection?

More cards from the [resurrected?] Slayer Tarot

Photo source: Entertainment Earth

Those of us who occasionally (or frequently or as often as possible) visit the Buffyverse, know that it is not uncommon for Buffy Summers to resurrect. She has come back from the dead on at least two separate occasions.

I reported earlier that the Slayer Tarot, a deck designed for use by slayers in the Buffyverse and mystically transported to our world (where Buffy may be a mental patient straitjacketed in an asylum somewhere in sunny California), had been slain. Like Mark Twain’s, reports of the death of the slayer tarot may have been exaggerated. Unlike Twain’s, one can hope they will prove more than just premature.

Some random browsing today revealed that Entertainment Earth is offering the deck for September release. Thing from Another World originally offered it for August release but pulled the offering for “reasons beyond our control.” The deck has not been relisted on the the TfAW site.

EE also published a picture of a few additional cards (copied here). The images are true to the Buffyverse and to the concept that the cards are intended to be used by Slayers, as described by Comic Book Resources. Here’s how that site quotes designer and Tarot writer Rachel Pollack:

“The idea is it’s a tarot deck created for (use by) slayers in their task and for their allies in struggling against the vampires and the demons,” Pollack said. “So we’ve constructed a whole kind of world for this in which it’s not simply characters from the story, it’s actually cards that those characters actually use. There are characters, and some of the cards represent particular moments in the story.” The Lovers card, for instance, is Buffy and Angel.

Even though I wonder how a professional writer can use the word “actually” so many times in one sentence, I placed an order today with Entertainment Earth. I will let you know if I get the deck or if this order is also slain.

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12 November 2008 Update: It was a false hope. The EE order was canceled today.

Slayage: The Slaying of the Slayer Tarot

The Magician in the Slain Deck

Photo source: Mary K. Greer

Even though Buffy died twice, her tarot deck will apparently never have the opportunity. And I was so looking forward to it!

I got the word in an email from TFAW yesterday, since I had pre-ordered. Officially, Dark Horse says the cancellation is due to “circumstances beyond our control.” What could those be? Noted Tarot author Mary K. Greer speculates that someone who controls the rights thought a Tarot deck would be “too occult” and attract “the wrong people.”

Wasn’t it the wrong people who made BtVS a hit in the first place? And as Greer notes, several episodes of the series featured Tarot readings.

“Someone who controls the rights” can just …

I guess that someone who owns the rights should just get a life instead of irritating the fan base that makes money for the product. Academic conferences on the philosophy of the Buffyverse only bring in so much. Why not widen your sights. Oh, wait! I forgot! You’re an executive in the entertainment industry. That means you’re just the other side of brain dead.

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12 August 2008 Update: I have found the deck listed on another site for September distribution. TfAW originally listed for August distribution, so I am hopeful that we may eventually see this deck. For details, see my 12 August entry.

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12 November 2008 Update: It was a false hope. The EE order was canceled today.

Monday Night Football

Four of Cups Photo by: Rider-Waite

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,

The dear respose for limbs with travel tir’d;

But then begins a journey in my head

To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired

—William Shakespeare

Today’s Card

Four of Cups. Being a bit of a mystic, I see this card differently than most. I see the young adept manifesting his desire. He sits with his back against a tree and visualizes the cup. And tho his eyes are closed, it appears before him. I don't know that I've always seen it that way, but I do now. We each create our own worlds and our own happines through the choices we make. I choose to get thru a difficult time with dignity, calmness, and the happiness I can find.

Today’s Hexagram

Sun (Decrease). Thru sincere sacrifice, there will be good fortune and freedom from error. Firmness and correctness can be maintained. In the foreground lie stillness and obstruction. In the background are joy, pleasure, and attraction.

Enjoyed watching EW at work all day—assertive, decisive, glowing with enthusiasm. Dinner and then the first Monday Night Football I’ve seen this season. The Rams and Bears played like two high school teams. It was a quiet good time.

 

A Tale of Two Cities

Image Source: Learn Tarot

The Eagle's gift of freedom is not a bestowal, but a chance at a chance.

—Carlos Casteñeda

Today’s Card

The Hermit. My card. Hmmm. Seeking a greater understanding from within. Quieting oneself.

Supplemental Card

Two of Pentacles. Balancing demands. Moving forward gracefully.

Today’s Hexagram

Lu (treading carefully). To step on the tiger’s tail without getting bitten. There will be progress and success.

Since my card was the card for today, I decided to draw a supplemental. The two of pentacles is a good card. It goes well with Lu.

Rose has driven Buddy completely out of the house. He is having trouble coping with this frisky intruder, but he treats her kindly. He even almost played with her when he thought I wasn’t looking.

In My Hometown

My hometown was defined by chemical factories. I couldn’t wait to leave there

This is where I grew up. It may explain a bit about me. All the smart kids in my class could identify dozens of chemicals by smell. We knew that if you actually heard the explosion, you were OK. I once slept through a plant explosion that blew open the front door of my house.

It’s a strange place really. You can drive for hours and the scenery doesn’t change much from what is pictured. Just coastal flatlands interrupting pestilent pustules spewing steam and god-only-knows-what into the air. I remember reading by the light of the burn-off flares. I remember one time when I was in my late teens, I had a “sunburn” on the left side of my face from driving by a flare that lit up the night sky for miles. I had the windows in the car all rolled up because it was freezing, but I had to turn off the heater for awhile.

Great Expectations

Image source: Learn Tarot

Helplessly hoping

Her harlequin hovers nearby

Awaiting a word

—Stephen Stills

Today’s Card

The Queen of Pentacles. Nurturing and protective, she uses her power to help those less fortunate. A charitable advocate, she rules home and office.

Today’s Hexagram

Sheng (Pushing Upward). Advance to the south will be fortunate. Advantage will be found in a ceaseless maintenance of firm correctness. The situation is shifting, and Yang is becoming much more powerful.

Lots of tension today on the work front. I’m not there, but I can feel it from 30 miles away. The decision will be made about who gets the job that has opened up. CFE is up for it and is a little upset with me for recusing myself from the selection process. But that was the right thing to do—from the work perspective anyway.

Rose is adjusting to her new humans. She will plop down and roll over on her back to chew on me. This morning she had her first encounter with DogsNextDoor. They started barking at her, even though fully grown, they are no bigger than she is now. She took the back steps and the pet door at full speed, even as I opened the back door to see what was going on. She didn’t slow down until she was in the bedroom. She hid for all of a minute and then came out to fuss at me.

Later

Well, the offer at work was made. CFE did not get it, nor did MEd. Yang won out. I am saddened, but the choice was between winners. So there can be no losers in this, even though it may feel that way now to those who didn’t succeed. Still it feels like this morning’s queen was misleading. Perhaps I’m just looking at it wrong.

Tried out with a new (for me) singing group. I had forgotten how good it feels to breathe and harmonize. I think I’ll fit in. Beer good.