Tarot and Other Meditation Decks, Second Edition, 2023
Arthur E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith’s Rider-Waite Tarot (1909) is the most popular Tar... more Arthur E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith’s Rider-Waite Tarot (1909) is the most popular Tarot in the world. Today, it is affectionately referred to as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot in recognition of the high quality of Smith’s contributions. Waite and Smith’s deck has become the gold standard for identifying, categorizing, and analyzing
contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks based on archetypes. Developments in both visual and literary history and theory have influenced Tarot since its fifteenth-century invention as a game and subsequent adaptations for esotericism, cartomancy, and meditation. Updated for an evolving cultural context, this analysis considers Tarot in relation to conventional art movements, including Symbolism, Surrealism, and the modernist “grid.” Tarot has a strong relationship with post-modern art con- cepts such as the dissolution of the modernist hierarchy, Pattern and Decoration art, and collage. This work also explores the close connection between Tarot and the invention of the literary novel and includes new material on the representation of Tarot in film and fiction and a new chapter on the growing interest in the archetypal “shadow” and “shadow work,” particularly in deck design and its applications in the new millennium.
The new edition is now available from the publisher and on amazon.
This 410 page filmography includes entries for 199 films incorporating cartomancy and/or Tarot sc... more This 410 page filmography includes entries for 199 films incorporating cartomancy and/or Tarot scenes, b/w illustrations from over 30 cartomancy decks, numerous charts showing the cartomancy spreads used in specific films, and an index of the cross-listings between films. It is a companion volume to Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 (Intellect, 2016).
I have cataloged almost 200 films incorporating cartomancy scenes, including 150 with Tarot trump... more I have cataloged almost 200 films incorporating cartomancy scenes, including 150 with Tarot trumps (and/or the Fool). Discussion chapters address the history of the cards, with special note taken of those that make film appearances, the role of cartomancy scenes in film, and also the attributes and qualities associated with filmic cartomancers. The longest chapter addresses the traditional and revised meanings assigned to the Tarot trumps and Fool in film contexts.
Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 is now available for purchase from Intellect, UK, and various on-line distributors.
"Excerpt from the Introduction:
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructiv... more "Excerpt from the Introduction:
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality. They often expose the temporal nature of concepts of identity and society: rather than being fixed aspects of a permanent and indestructible “nature,” these concepts, like nature itself, are shown as mere parts of a larger simulacrum that is subject to change, exploitation, and even annihilation. Yet, even as tech-noir films present the mirror that reveals us to be as expendable and replaceable as any consumer product, they simultaneously affirm conventional beliefs and values – as do all popular genres."
Excerpt from the Preface:
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with preh... more Excerpt from the Preface:
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with prehistoric Inuit art as evidence of the diffusion of motifs and cultural practices, particularly those related to shamanism, in the circumpolar and circumpacific regions, and for its possible connection to the Paleolithic; later, I explored the ways in which contemporary Inuit art demonstrates cultural influences and has, in turn, influenced both non-Inuit artists and scholars. Over the twenty-some years I have pondered this art I have had frequent occasion to wonder at the apparent disparity between the relative simplicity of its forms and the extraordinary depth of interest those forms generate in myself and others; thus, in this book I dwell at length on matters of context and interpretation, such as shamanism, modernism, postmodernism, primitivism, and so forth, as explanations for why these forms, so far removed from the generative expanse in which they came to be, hold the imagination.
"Excerpts from the Preface:
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Ta... more "Excerpts from the Preface:
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Tarot are not so much replacements for the older decks as they are the results of the feudal, modern, and post-modern concepts readily associated with changes in Tarot function from game to occult accessory to meditation aid, as well as broader historical developments in the western world; indeed, the effectiveness with which these concepts have accrued, rather than substituted for each other, in Tarot, supports the genre's unique contemporary function as a heterotopian "space" where the individual may seek transformative understanding of himself, society, and the universe. This Tarot is akin to the library or museum, both of which are also heterotopias based on the accumulation of history, and is supported by the invitation the deck format extends for play, even in its most esoteric revisions. Combined with the artist's and querent reader's particular sense of purpose, this functionality is the essence of all Tarot creativity.
... it is a commonplace among historians of all types, but particularly those engaged with popular culture, that the art of real value in any given time and place is that which helps people to find a sense of reality, to find themselves. I believe, therefore, that recognition of the purposes and content of this unique, affordable and aesthetically satisfying popular art form is as important to understanding our times as is the study of more extravagant and critically acclaimed works. This book is intended to bring recognition of the place of contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks in cultural history and the conventions by which they help people find their place in the world."
A brief illustrated history of the incorporation of alchemical imagery into the Tarot Temperance ... more A brief illustrated history of the incorporation of alchemical imagery into the Tarot Temperance card. Note: I've uploaded the table of contents to the special issue of Coreopsis 10.2 (Autumn 2022) titled Moon in a Sacred Tree: The Symbology of Tarot and Alchemy. Click on my paper title for the full article with illustrations in place. I also have a review of Barbier's Tarot and Divination Cards (a book that is well worth a read) in this issue.
This annotated list of books from 1990 through 2005 continues the bibliography in Mythlore 36.2 (... more This annotated list of books from 1990 through 2005 continues the bibliography in Mythlore 36.2 (Spring-Summer 2018) and includes abstracts for each novel or series and some card layout diagrams.
Open-Access at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/12/
This selective list includes abstracts of each novel or series and how the author incorporates th... more This selective list includes abstracts of each novel or series and how the author incorporates the Tarot or Tarot imagery.
Open access copy available at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol36/iss2/24/
Characters and events in King’s Dark Tower series are inspired by the Fisher King, Arthurian, and... more Characters and events in King’s Dark Tower series are inspired by the Fisher King, Arthurian, and other mythologies and legends, as well as the works of more contemporary authors who derived inspiration from similar sources. This paper explores King's use of Tarot motifs in the Dark Tower series with attention to similarities and parallels to the presentation of Tarot in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. King’s central character Roland, whose cards are read by his nemesis, has the satisfaction of knowing when the cartomancer is dead and of saving multiple universes, but then discovers that he is doomed to keep saving those universes over and over again.
Open Access at the link
"Grand Manner Aesthetics in Landscape: From Canvas to Celluloid." Journal of Aesthetic Education ... more "Grand Manner Aesthetics in Landscape: From Canvas to Celluloid." Journal of Aesthetic Education 43.4 (Winter 2009): 96-107.
When J. R. R. Tolkien expressed his opinion that “in human art fantasy is a thing best left to wo... more When J. R. R. Tolkien expressed his opinion that “in human art fantasy is a thing best left to words, to true literature,” he had no idea what an inspiration The Lord of the Rings would be to artists ranging from book illustrator Alan Lee to film director Peter Jackson to Tarot artist Peter Pracownik. In this paper I consider the adaptation of Tolkien to Tarot in Pracownik and writer Terry Donaldson’s deck with special atten- tion to the features shared by The Lord of the Rings and Tarot, including the quest, alle- gorical or archetypal characters, and interlaced narrative structure.
ESOTERICA Arthurian Legend in Tarot Emily Auger Arthurian legends have always been subject to red... more ESOTERICA Arthurian Legend in Tarot Emily Auger Arthurian legends have always been subject to redefinition and rein-terpretation through the mediums of story-telling, literature, and the visual arts. Most recently, meditation and Tarot decks have been added to the mediums in which ...
The author considers Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862) as a detective novel ma... more The author considers Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862) as a detective novel marked by both literary and artistic gothic characteristics, including the classic "locked room" and "locked trunk" motifs, as well as Lady Audley's pre-Raphaelite portrait. This portrait is revealed as both clue and a-priori "truth" in the detective's investigation of Lady Audley's fraudulent upward class mobility.
Tarot and Other Meditation Decks, Second Edition, 2023
Arthur E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith’s Rider-Waite Tarot (1909) is the most popular Tar... more Arthur E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith’s Rider-Waite Tarot (1909) is the most popular Tarot in the world. Today, it is affectionately referred to as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot in recognition of the high quality of Smith’s contributions. Waite and Smith’s deck has become the gold standard for identifying, categorizing, and analyzing
contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks based on archetypes. Developments in both visual and literary history and theory have influenced Tarot since its fifteenth-century invention as a game and subsequent adaptations for esotericism, cartomancy, and meditation. Updated for an evolving cultural context, this analysis considers Tarot in relation to conventional art movements, including Symbolism, Surrealism, and the modernist “grid.” Tarot has a strong relationship with post-modern art con- cepts such as the dissolution of the modernist hierarchy, Pattern and Decoration art, and collage. This work also explores the close connection between Tarot and the invention of the literary novel and includes new material on the representation of Tarot in film and fiction and a new chapter on the growing interest in the archetypal “shadow” and “shadow work,” particularly in deck design and its applications in the new millennium.
The new edition is now available from the publisher and on amazon.
This 410 page filmography includes entries for 199 films incorporating cartomancy and/or Tarot sc... more This 410 page filmography includes entries for 199 films incorporating cartomancy and/or Tarot scenes, b/w illustrations from over 30 cartomancy decks, numerous charts showing the cartomancy spreads used in specific films, and an index of the cross-listings between films. It is a companion volume to Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 (Intellect, 2016).
I have cataloged almost 200 films incorporating cartomancy scenes, including 150 with Tarot trump... more I have cataloged almost 200 films incorporating cartomancy scenes, including 150 with Tarot trumps (and/or the Fool). Discussion chapters address the history of the cards, with special note taken of those that make film appearances, the role of cartomancy scenes in film, and also the attributes and qualities associated with filmic cartomancers. The longest chapter addresses the traditional and revised meanings assigned to the Tarot trumps and Fool in film contexts.
Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 is now available for purchase from Intellect, UK, and various on-line distributors.
"Excerpt from the Introduction:
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructiv... more "Excerpt from the Introduction:
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality. They often expose the temporal nature of concepts of identity and society: rather than being fixed aspects of a permanent and indestructible “nature,” these concepts, like nature itself, are shown as mere parts of a larger simulacrum that is subject to change, exploitation, and even annihilation. Yet, even as tech-noir films present the mirror that reveals us to be as expendable and replaceable as any consumer product, they simultaneously affirm conventional beliefs and values – as do all popular genres."
Excerpt from the Preface:
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with preh... more Excerpt from the Preface:
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with prehistoric Inuit art as evidence of the diffusion of motifs and cultural practices, particularly those related to shamanism, in the circumpolar and circumpacific regions, and for its possible connection to the Paleolithic; later, I explored the ways in which contemporary Inuit art demonstrates cultural influences and has, in turn, influenced both non-Inuit artists and scholars. Over the twenty-some years I have pondered this art I have had frequent occasion to wonder at the apparent disparity between the relative simplicity of its forms and the extraordinary depth of interest those forms generate in myself and others; thus, in this book I dwell at length on matters of context and interpretation, such as shamanism, modernism, postmodernism, primitivism, and so forth, as explanations for why these forms, so far removed from the generative expanse in which they came to be, hold the imagination.
"Excerpts from the Preface:
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Ta... more "Excerpts from the Preface:
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Tarot are not so much replacements for the older decks as they are the results of the feudal, modern, and post-modern concepts readily associated with changes in Tarot function from game to occult accessory to meditation aid, as well as broader historical developments in the western world; indeed, the effectiveness with which these concepts have accrued, rather than substituted for each other, in Tarot, supports the genre's unique contemporary function as a heterotopian "space" where the individual may seek transformative understanding of himself, society, and the universe. This Tarot is akin to the library or museum, both of which are also heterotopias based on the accumulation of history, and is supported by the invitation the deck format extends for play, even in its most esoteric revisions. Combined with the artist's and querent reader's particular sense of purpose, this functionality is the essence of all Tarot creativity.
... it is a commonplace among historians of all types, but particularly those engaged with popular culture, that the art of real value in any given time and place is that which helps people to find a sense of reality, to find themselves. I believe, therefore, that recognition of the purposes and content of this unique, affordable and aesthetically satisfying popular art form is as important to understanding our times as is the study of more extravagant and critically acclaimed works. This book is intended to bring recognition of the place of contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks in cultural history and the conventions by which they help people find their place in the world."
A brief illustrated history of the incorporation of alchemical imagery into the Tarot Temperance ... more A brief illustrated history of the incorporation of alchemical imagery into the Tarot Temperance card. Note: I've uploaded the table of contents to the special issue of Coreopsis 10.2 (Autumn 2022) titled Moon in a Sacred Tree: The Symbology of Tarot and Alchemy. Click on my paper title for the full article with illustrations in place. I also have a review of Barbier's Tarot and Divination Cards (a book that is well worth a read) in this issue.
This annotated list of books from 1990 through 2005 continues the bibliography in Mythlore 36.2 (... more This annotated list of books from 1990 through 2005 continues the bibliography in Mythlore 36.2 (Spring-Summer 2018) and includes abstracts for each novel or series and some card layout diagrams.
Open-Access at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/12/
This selective list includes abstracts of each novel or series and how the author incorporates th... more This selective list includes abstracts of each novel or series and how the author incorporates the Tarot or Tarot imagery.
Open access copy available at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol36/iss2/24/
Characters and events in King’s Dark Tower series are inspired by the Fisher King, Arthurian, and... more Characters and events in King’s Dark Tower series are inspired by the Fisher King, Arthurian, and other mythologies and legends, as well as the works of more contemporary authors who derived inspiration from similar sources. This paper explores King's use of Tarot motifs in the Dark Tower series with attention to similarities and parallels to the presentation of Tarot in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. King’s central character Roland, whose cards are read by his nemesis, has the satisfaction of knowing when the cartomancer is dead and of saving multiple universes, but then discovers that he is doomed to keep saving those universes over and over again.
Open Access at the link
"Grand Manner Aesthetics in Landscape: From Canvas to Celluloid." Journal of Aesthetic Education ... more "Grand Manner Aesthetics in Landscape: From Canvas to Celluloid." Journal of Aesthetic Education 43.4 (Winter 2009): 96-107.
When J. R. R. Tolkien expressed his opinion that “in human art fantasy is a thing best left to wo... more When J. R. R. Tolkien expressed his opinion that “in human art fantasy is a thing best left to words, to true literature,” he had no idea what an inspiration The Lord of the Rings would be to artists ranging from book illustrator Alan Lee to film director Peter Jackson to Tarot artist Peter Pracownik. In this paper I consider the adaptation of Tolkien to Tarot in Pracownik and writer Terry Donaldson’s deck with special atten- tion to the features shared by The Lord of the Rings and Tarot, including the quest, alle- gorical or archetypal characters, and interlaced narrative structure.
ESOTERICA Arthurian Legend in Tarot Emily Auger Arthurian legends have always been subject to red... more ESOTERICA Arthurian Legend in Tarot Emily Auger Arthurian legends have always been subject to redefinition and rein-terpretation through the mediums of story-telling, literature, and the visual arts. Most recently, meditation and Tarot decks have been added to the mediums in which ...
The author considers Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862) as a detective novel ma... more The author considers Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (1862) as a detective novel marked by both literary and artistic gothic characteristics, including the classic "locked room" and "locked trunk" motifs, as well as Lady Audley's pre-Raphaelite portrait. This portrait is revealed as both clue and a-priori "truth" in the detective's investigation of Lady Audley's fraudulent upward class mobility.
This series collects the works of prolific scholar Nancy-Lou Patterson (1929-2018), active primar... more This series collects the works of prolific scholar Nancy-Lou Patterson (1929-2018), active primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the essays first appeared in the journal Mythlore but are supplemented by articles that were unpublished or published in other journals and newsletters that are now difficult to obtain. Patterson also continued to revise many of her essays after publication. Patterson taught at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, from 1962 until she retired in 1992. The University of Waterloo named her a Distinguished Professor Emerita and Wilfrid Laurier University awarded her an honorary doctor of letters. Patterson taught art history and was an active artist, poet, and fiction writer. She was also an enthusiastic conference participant and scholar who published numerous papers on her favourite subject: the Inklings. Her writing is clear, refreshing, wide-ranging, and as rich and stimulating as when these essays were first written.
Table of Contents
Preface by Emily E. Auger
In Memoriam: Nancy-Lou Patterson by Janet Brennan Cro... more Table of Contents Preface by Emily E. Auger In Memoriam: Nancy-Lou Patterson by Janet Brennan Croft Editorial Notes
The Descent: Models, Motifs, and Milieus 1. The Chthonic in Women's Spirituality 2. Kore Motifs in The Princess and the Goblin 3. Archetypes of the Mother in the Fantasies of George MacDonald 4. Death by Landscape
The Others: Celts, Dragons, Psychopomps, and a Whatsit 5. "Bright-Eyed Beauty": Celtic Elements in Charles Williams, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis 6. The Dragons of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis by Nancy-Lou Patterson [with additions by Emily E. Auger] 7. "Homo Monstrosus": Lloyd Alexander's Gurgi and the Shadow Figures of Fantastic Literature 8. Angel and Psychopomp in Madeleine L'Engle's "Wind" Trilogy
The Mythopoeic: Art, Classroom, and Exhibition 9. Emily Carr's Forest 10. J.R.R. Tolkien: Art and Literature from Middle-earth ["Lord of the Rings" by A.M. MacQuarrie and "J.R.R. Tolkien by Nancy-Lou Patterson] 11. Art in the English Classroom: An Interdisciplinary Approach 12. Tree and Leaf: J.R.R. Tolkien and the Visual Image 13. An Appreciation of Pauline Baynes 14. Magic Realism in Canada
Nancy-Lou Patterson's Mythopoeic Drawings: A Compilation by Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan Croft with commentary and annotations selected by Emily E. Auger
Collects Nancy-Lou Patterson's essays on Charles Williams; the bulk of the book is her major, and... more Collects Nancy-Lou Patterson's essays on Charles Williams; the bulk of the book is her major, and previously hard to obtain, essay on Tarot in The Greater Trumps, "The Triumph of Love." With extensive annotations and illustrations. Now available for order at the link below.
This anthology of papers by Inklings scholar Nancy-Lou Patterson includes her study of Tarot in C... more This anthology of papers by Inklings scholar Nancy-Lou Patterson includes her study of Tarot in Charles Williams's novel The Greater Trumps (1932), first published in the 1972 proceedings of the 1972 Mythopoeic Society conference. This paper is one of the few scholarly studies of the subject from that decade and it remains very relevant as an analysis of the novel. This edition includes added charts, illustrations, notes, and an introduction by Emily E. Auger.
A collection of reviews is an odd and chimerical beast, with many heads and a variegated body. Wh... more A collection of reviews is an odd and chimerical beast, with many heads and a variegated body. What are we to make of it? What is its purpose? Nancy-Lou Patterson was the Reviews Editor for Mythlore from issue #26 through #84, a stretch of seventeen years. She was also officially on the journal’s board for issues #58 through #84. A position like this allows one to shape the field in a small but potent way, by determining what should be reviewed and who is the best person to review it. I don’t doubt that she saved many of the plums for herself, making sure the most promising books got her personal attention. Patterson probably didn’t think of the legacy she’d be leaving as she wrote these pieces, but taken as a whole, this body of reviews (all but a small handful from Mythlore) constitutes a chronologically-arranged annotated bibliography for each of these authors, and provides the reader with a concise outline of the main trends and major works of critical response during her active period, from about 1975 through 2001. This outline of critical history is a fine starting point for the student, the thesis writer, and even the established scholar making sure he or she has not neglected a relevant source. The extensive section on Lewis is, in my own draft copy, a rainbow of highlighted references that I plan to follow up. Of course, with this collection we gain a better understanding of Patterson as a critic and scholar, and her influences, opinions, and interests. But it also constitutes an education in the fine art of reviewing itself. Patterson demonstrates how to engage with the actual book in front of you, not the book you want or think it should be, with fairness and charity, but without allowing any major flaws to pass unmentioned. Her reviews are witty, clear as a bell, and generous, yet constructively acerbic when necessary. They usually end with a hearty, resounding “Recommended!” And I will apply her words to this collection myself—most highly recommended indeed!
I was the guest editor for the Divination section appearing in this issue of Mythlore, edited by ... more I was the guest editor for the Divination section appearing in this issue of Mythlore, edited by Janet Brennan Croft. More information about the issue is available at http://www.mythsoc.org/mythlore/mythlore-132.htm.
The Patterson Papers: Inklings of Lewis, Williams, and Sayers collects the work of prolific scho... more The Patterson Papers: Inklings of Lewis, Williams, and Sayers collects the work of prolific scholar Nancy-Lou Patterson, active primarily in the 1980s and 1990s. Most of the essays first appeared in the journal Mythlore but are supplemented by articles that were unpublished or published in other journals and newsletters that are now difficult to obtain. Patterson also continued to revise many of her essays after publication. This volume includes her sequence on Dorothy L Sayers’s Wimsey novels and additional essays on Sayers in general, as well as her own illustrations. Patterson’s writing is clear, refreshing, wide-ranging, and as rich and stimulating as when her essays were first written.
"""Tarot in Culture is a well-illustrated (260 illus.) two-volume multi-author anthology of paper... more """Tarot in Culture is a well-illustrated (260 illus.) two-volume multi-author anthology of papers on Tarot. Contributions range from original, in-depth, thoroughly documented studies of Tarot history, art, and literature to artists' statements and other primary source documents. Tarot in Culture is both accessible to the Tarot student and of interest to scholars of other fields, including historians and theorists of art, esotericism, literature, the occult, and popular culture and genres.
Contributors include Ed Buryn, Julie Cuccia-Watts, Tabitha Dial, Michael Dummett, Helen S. Farley, Joyce Goggin, Mary K. Greer, Bruce Hersch, Brian Johnson, Danny Jorgensen, Richard Kaczynski, Marcus Katz, June Leavitt, Carol S. Matthews, Paul Mountfort, Christine Parkhurst, Robert Place, Casey J. Rudkin, Leslie Stratyner, Catherine Waitinas, and Batya Susan Weinbaum. For a complete table of contents, see my website.
The call for papers for the Tarot in Culture anthology went out in 2008 and the manuscript was essentially finished in 2010. Since then it has passed academic peer review several times with different publishers, only to remain unpublished. With the unanimous support of the authors, I am making it available as an ebook (Kobo) in March 2014, and in print (Lulu) in June 2014.
Ebook distributed by Kobo (now available)
Hardcopy distributed by Lulu (now available)
Individuals who purchased the ebook version of Tarot in Culture Volume One and/or Two in March or April 2014 may get updated files by emailing Kobo at [email protected] and making a request. The updated files include a few minor corrections and alterations.
Edited collection of papers by Nancy-Lou Patterson, active in the 1980s and 1990s, and a frequent... more Edited collection of papers by Nancy-Lou Patterson, active in the 1980s and 1990s, and a frequent contributor to Mythlore. Volume 2 will also focus on Lewis; volume 3 on Dorothy L. Sayers and volume 4 on Charles Williams.
Papers by Nancy-Lou Patterson on C.S. Lewis's Fiction. Edited by Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan... more Papers by Nancy-Lou Patterson on C.S. Lewis's Fiction. Edited by Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan Croft. Valleyhome Books, 2016.
Nancy-Lou Patterson taught at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, from 1962 until she retired in 1992. The University of Waterloo named her a Distinguished Professor Emerita and Wilfrid Laurier University awarded her an honorary doctor of letters. Patterson taught art history and was an active artist, poet, and fiction writer. She was also an enthusiastic conference participant and scholar, who published extensively on her favourite research subject, the Inklings. Many of her papers on C.S. Lewis are gathered in Ransoming the Waste Land Volumes I and II. Hardcover and paperback now available on Lulu.
Table of Contents From Here to There: Time, Travel, and Transformation 1. Narnia and the North: The Symbolism of Northerness in the Fantasies of C.S. Lewis 2. "Always Winter and Never Christmas": Symbols of Time in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia 3. "Halfe Like a Serpent": The Green Witch in The Silver Chair 4. The Holy House of Ungit Other Places, Other Beings, and Other Futures 5. The "Jasper-Lucent Landscapes" of C.S. Lewis 6. The Green Lewis: Inklings of Environmentalism in the Writing of C.S. Lewis 7. Lord of the Beasts: Animal Archetypes in C.S. Lewis 8. The Bolt of Tash: The Figure of Satan in C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle 9. Letters from Hell: The Symbolism of Evil in The Screwtape Letters
Book Review: In the second edition of Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aestheti... more Book Review: In the second edition of Tarot and Other Meditation Decks: History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology author Emily E. Auger examines Tarot's relationship to art movements, literature, and film. This expansion on the first edition adds a more in-depth appendix, additional research to enhance the existing sections, and a new section focusing on the influence of the shadow on both Tarot itself and the other mediums Tarot influences.
Kris Swank. Review of "Re-Envisioning Mythopoeia: Papers on the Works of Lloyd Alexander, Pauline... more Kris Swank. Review of "Re-Envisioning Mythopoeia: Papers on the Works of Lloyd Alexander, Pauline Baynes, Madeleine L'Engle, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Others, and Nancy-Lou Patterson's Mythopoeic Drawings by Nancy-Lou Patterson. Eds. Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan Croft. Preface by Emily E. Auger and In Memoriam by Janet Brennan Croft. Valleyhome Books, 2020." Mythlore 38.2 (Spring/Summer 2020): 205-11. < https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/18/ >
A brief note regarding Fulgur's release of Ithell Colquhoun's "Taro" deck (2022) with links to a ... more A brief note regarding Fulgur's release of Ithell Colquhoun's "Taro" deck (2022) with links to a full-length review of it and to other reviews of related publications about Colquhoun and Leonora Carrington's work with Tarot. Mythlore 41.2 (2022)
Review of The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck and Guide. Casey Gilly (author) and Tomás Hijo (artist... more Review of The Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck and Guide. Casey Gilly (author) and Tomás Hijo (artist). San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions, 2022. 78-card deck and folded guide sheet. $27.99. ISBN 978-1- 64722-809-5. Mythlore 41.2 (2022)
Combined Rev. of "T. Susan Chang's 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the ... more Combined Rev. of "T. Susan Chang's 36 Secrets: A Decanic Journey through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot (Anima Mundi Press, 2021); T. Susan Chang and M. M. Meleen's Tarot Deciphered: Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot (Llewellyn, 2021) with foreword by Lon Milo DuQuette; and T. Susan Chang's Tarot Correspondences: Ancient Secrets for Everyday Readers (Llewellyn, 2018, fifth printing 2021)." Correspondences 10.2 (2022): 1-5.
Rev. of "Pamela Colman Smith Tarot Artist: The Pious Pixie by Dawn G. Robinson. Fonthill Media, 2... more Rev. of "Pamela Colman Smith Tarot Artist: The Pious Pixie by Dawn G. Robinson. Fonthill Media, 2020." Mythlore 40.2 (Spring/Summer 2022): 249-51.
The Tarot art of Leonora Carrington and Ithell Colquhoun is discussed in the context of other wom... more The Tarot art of Leonora Carrington and Ithell Colquhoun is discussed in the context of other women artists influenced by the Golden Dawn and who created historical Tarot decks. The emphasis is on the recent publications about Carrington and Colquhoun from Fulgur Press, with references to recent books about the Tarot art of Moina Mathers, Pamela Colman Smith, Jessie Burns Park, and Frieda Harris. Mythlore 40.1 (Autumn/Winter 2021): 242-48.
Combined Rev. of "A Treatise on the Deification of Sixteen Heroes by Marziano Da Sant' Alosio, wi... more Combined Rev. of "A Treatise on the Deification of Sixteen Heroes by Marziano Da Sant' Alosio, with text, translation, introduction and notes by Ross G.R. Caldwell and Marco Ponzi. Scholion Press, 2019; The Marziano Tarot The Oldest Known Tarot Deck Conceived by Marziano da Tortona, First Created by Michelino da Besozzo in Milan between 1412 and 1425 recreated in 2015 by Robert Place. Hermes Publications, 2016; and Explaining the Tarot in Sixteenth Century Italy, with translation and commentary by Ross Sinclair Caldwell, Thierry Depaulis, and Marco Ponzi. Second edition. 2018." Mythlore 38.2 (Spring/Summer 2020): 221-25. https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/23/
Rev. of "Deadly Powers: Animal Predators and the Mythic Imagination by Paul A. Trout. Prometheus ... more Rev. of "Deadly Powers: Animal Predators and the Mythic Imagination by Paul A. Trout. Prometheus Books, 2011." Mythprint: A Monthly Bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society 48.11 #352 (November 2011): 10.
Combined rev. of "Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred; and Mutants & Mystics... more Combined rev. of "Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred; and Mutants & Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal by Jeffrey J. Kripal. University of Chicago Press, 2010." Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 25.3 (2013): 436-38.
Rev. of "The Postmodern Sacred: Popular Culture Spirituality in the Science Fiction, Fantasy and ... more Rev. of "The Postmodern Sacred: Popular Culture Spirituality in the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Urban Fantasy Genres, by Emily McAvan. McFarland, 2012. Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 26.2 (Summer 2014): 263-64.
Rev. of Industrial Society and the Science Fiction Blockbuster: Social Critique in Films of Lucas... more Rev. of Industrial Society and the Science Fiction Blockbuster: Social Critique in Films of Lucas, Scott and Cameron by Mark T. Decker. McFarland, 2016. Journal of American Culture 40.3 (Sept. 2017) 283-84.
Rev. of "Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, by Adrienne Mayor. P... more Rev. of "Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, by Adrienne Mayor. Princeton UP, 2018." Mythlore 38.1 (Fall/Winter 2019): 67-69.
Jessica L. Horton. Art for an Undivided Earth: The American Indian Movement Generation. Duke Univ... more Jessica L. Horton. Art for an Undivided Earth: The American Indian Movement Generation. Duke University Press, 2017. 311 pp. with notes, bibliography, index, and b/w and colour illus. ISBN 9780822369547 (hardcover); 9780822369813 (paperback); 9780822372790 (e-book).
Jessica L. Horton introduces the thesis of Art for an Undivided Earth, which is evidently based on her PhD dissertation, with a quote from Jimmy Durham. "I feel fairly sure that I could address the entire world if only I had a place to stand. But you (white Americans) have made everything your turf. In every field, on every issue, the ground has already been covered." (1) She believes that much of the work produced by artists associated with the American Indian Movement (AIM) during the 1980s has been too readily interpreted in terms of identity politics when these artists deliberately "set out to transform struggles over the definition and ownership of space through artistic practice" (12).
The full review is available in the Canadian Journal of Native Studies xxxvii.2 (2017): 204-206.
Combined Rev. of "Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian, edited by Lowery Stokes Sims. National Museu... more Combined Rev. of "Fritz Scholder: Indian/Not Indian, edited by Lowery Stokes Sims. National Museum of the American Indian. 2008. [Re]inventing the Wheel: Advancing the Dialogue on Contemporary Indian Art [with DVD], edited by Nancy J. Blomberg. Denver Art Museum. 2008. Interventions: Native American Art for Far-Flung Territories, by Judith Ostrowitz. University of Washington Press, 2009." Canadian Journal of Native Studies 30.1 (2010): 191-94.
The "Tarot and Other Methods of Divination" area of the 2019 Popular Culture Association/American... more The "Tarot and Other Methods of Divination" area of the 2019 Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association conference in Washington DC is open to proposals on all relevant approaches and topics. In addition, we are also looking for papers on "Prophecy and Future-Telling in Tolkien and Related Authors" for a session co-sponsored by Tolkien Studies. See attachment for more information. Proposals due no later than 1 Oct. 2018.
Update Oct 3: Conference submission deadline extended to Nov. 1 2018.
The " Tarot and Other Methods of Divination " area is open to proposals for papers on a diverse r... more The " Tarot and Other Methods of Divination " area is open to proposals for papers on a diverse range of divination methods: astrology, I Ching, runes, tarot, etc. Approaches may include the biographical, historical, and theoretical, as well as the analysis of professional practice and of representations in literature (
The Tarot and Other Methods of Divination area is open to proposals for papers on a diverse range... more The Tarot and Other Methods of Divination area is open to proposals for papers on a diverse range of divination methods: astrology, I Ching, runes, tarot, etc. The cfp for the 2017 conference includes a specific call for papers on Divination Themes in Literature. Submissions due no later than Oct. 1, 2016 at the conference website.
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contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks based on archetypes. Developments in both visual and literary history and theory have influenced Tarot since its fifteenth-century invention as a game and subsequent adaptations for esotericism, cartomancy, and meditation. Updated for an evolving cultural context, this analysis considers Tarot in relation to conventional art movements, including Symbolism, Surrealism, and the modernist “grid.” Tarot has a strong relationship with post-modern art con- cepts such as the dissolution of the modernist hierarchy, Pattern and Decoration art, and collage. This work also explores the close connection between Tarot and the invention of the literary novel and includes new material on the representation of Tarot in film and fiction and a new chapter on the growing interest in the archetypal “shadow” and “shadow work,” particularly in deck design and its applications in the new millennium.
The new edition is now available from the publisher and on amazon.
Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 is now available for purchase from Intellect, UK, and various on-line distributors.
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality. They often expose the temporal nature of concepts of identity and society: rather than being fixed aspects of a permanent and indestructible “nature,” these concepts, like nature itself, are shown as mere parts of a larger simulacrum that is subject to change, exploitation, and even annihilation. Yet, even as tech-noir films present the mirror that reveals us to be as expendable and replaceable as any consumer product, they simultaneously affirm conventional beliefs and values – as do all popular genres."
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with prehistoric Inuit art as evidence of the diffusion of motifs and cultural practices, particularly those related to shamanism, in the circumpolar and circumpacific regions, and for its possible connection to the Paleolithic; later, I explored the ways in which contemporary Inuit art demonstrates cultural influences and has, in turn, influenced both non-Inuit artists and scholars. Over the twenty-some years I have pondered this art I have had frequent occasion to wonder at the apparent disparity between the relative simplicity of its forms and the extraordinary depth of interest those forms generate in myself and others; thus, in this book I dwell at length on matters of context and interpretation, such as shamanism, modernism, postmodernism, primitivism, and so forth, as explanations for why these forms, so far removed from the generative expanse in which they came to be, hold the imagination.
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Tarot are not so much replacements for the older decks as they are the results of the feudal, modern, and post-modern concepts readily associated with changes in Tarot function from game to occult accessory to meditation aid, as well as broader historical developments in the western world; indeed, the effectiveness with which these concepts have accrued, rather than substituted for each other, in Tarot, supports the genre's unique contemporary function as a heterotopian "space" where the individual may seek transformative understanding of himself, society, and the universe. This Tarot is akin to the library or museum, both of which are also heterotopias based on the accumulation of history, and is supported by the invitation the deck format extends for play, even in its most esoteric revisions. Combined with the artist's and querent reader's particular sense of purpose, this functionality is the essence of all Tarot creativity.
... it is a commonplace among historians of all types, but particularly those engaged with popular culture, that the art of real value in any given time and place is that which helps people to find a sense of reality, to find themselves. I believe, therefore, that recognition of the purposes and content of this unique, affordable and aesthetically satisfying popular art form is as important to understanding our times as is the study of more extravagant and critically acclaimed works. This book is intended to bring recognition of the place of contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks in cultural history and the conventions by which they help people find their place in the world."
Note: I've uploaded the table of contents to the special issue of Coreopsis 10.2 (Autumn 2022) titled Moon in a Sacred Tree: The Symbology of Tarot and Alchemy. Click on my paper title for the full article with illustrations in place. I also have a review of Barbier's Tarot and Divination Cards (a book that is well worth a read) in this issue.
Open-Access at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/12/
Open access copy available at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol36/iss2/24/
Open Access at the link
contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks based on archetypes. Developments in both visual and literary history and theory have influenced Tarot since its fifteenth-century invention as a game and subsequent adaptations for esotericism, cartomancy, and meditation. Updated for an evolving cultural context, this analysis considers Tarot in relation to conventional art movements, including Symbolism, Surrealism, and the modernist “grid.” Tarot has a strong relationship with post-modern art con- cepts such as the dissolution of the modernist hierarchy, Pattern and Decoration art, and collage. This work also explores the close connection between Tarot and the invention of the literary novel and includes new material on the representation of Tarot in film and fiction and a new chapter on the growing interest in the archetypal “shadow” and “shadow work,” particularly in deck design and its applications in the new millennium.
The new edition is now available from the publisher and on amazon.
Cartomancy and Tarot in Film 1940-2010 is now available for purchase from Intellect, UK, and various on-line distributors.
Tech-noir films are about technology perceived as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality. They often expose the temporal nature of concepts of identity and society: rather than being fixed aspects of a permanent and indestructible “nature,” these concepts, like nature itself, are shown as mere parts of a larger simulacrum that is subject to change, exploitation, and even annihilation. Yet, even as tech-noir films present the mirror that reveals us to be as expendable and replaceable as any consumer product, they simultaneously affirm conventional beliefs and values – as do all popular genres."
As a student of history in art, I initially became intrigued with prehistoric Inuit art as evidence of the diffusion of motifs and cultural practices, particularly those related to shamanism, in the circumpolar and circumpacific regions, and for its possible connection to the Paleolithic; later, I explored the ways in which contemporary Inuit art demonstrates cultural influences and has, in turn, influenced both non-Inuit artists and scholars. Over the twenty-some years I have pondered this art I have had frequent occasion to wonder at the apparent disparity between the relative simplicity of its forms and the extraordinary depth of interest those forms generate in myself and others; thus, in this book I dwell at length on matters of context and interpretation, such as shamanism, modernism, postmodernism, primitivism, and so forth, as explanations for why these forms, so far removed from the generative expanse in which they came to be, hold the imagination.
... I became intrigued by the idea that the recent revisions of Tarot are not so much replacements for the older decks as they are the results of the feudal, modern, and post-modern concepts readily associated with changes in Tarot function from game to occult accessory to meditation aid, as well as broader historical developments in the western world; indeed, the effectiveness with which these concepts have accrued, rather than substituted for each other, in Tarot, supports the genre's unique contemporary function as a heterotopian "space" where the individual may seek transformative understanding of himself, society, and the universe. This Tarot is akin to the library or museum, both of which are also heterotopias based on the accumulation of history, and is supported by the invitation the deck format extends for play, even in its most esoteric revisions. Combined with the artist's and querent reader's particular sense of purpose, this functionality is the essence of all Tarot creativity.
... it is a commonplace among historians of all types, but particularly those engaged with popular culture, that the art of real value in any given time and place is that which helps people to find a sense of reality, to find themselves. I believe, therefore, that recognition of the purposes and content of this unique, affordable and aesthetically satisfying popular art form is as important to understanding our times as is the study of more extravagant and critically acclaimed works. This book is intended to bring recognition of the place of contemporary Tarot and other meditation decks in cultural history and the conventions by which they help people find their place in the world."
Note: I've uploaded the table of contents to the special issue of Coreopsis 10.2 (Autumn 2022) titled Moon in a Sacred Tree: The Symbology of Tarot and Alchemy. Click on my paper title for the full article with illustrations in place. I also have a review of Barbier's Tarot and Divination Cards (a book that is well worth a read) in this issue.
Open-Access at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/12/
Open access copy available at the link https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol36/iss2/24/
Open Access at the link
Preface by Emily E. Auger
In Memoriam: Nancy-Lou Patterson by Janet Brennan Croft
Editorial Notes
The Descent: Models, Motifs, and Milieus
1. The Chthonic in Women's Spirituality
2. Kore Motifs in The Princess and the Goblin
3. Archetypes of the Mother in the Fantasies of George MacDonald
4. Death by Landscape
The Others: Celts, Dragons, Psychopomps, and a Whatsit
5. "Bright-Eyed Beauty": Celtic Elements in Charles Williams, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis
6. The Dragons of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis by Nancy-Lou Patterson [with additions by Emily E. Auger]
7. "Homo Monstrosus": Lloyd Alexander's Gurgi and the Shadow Figures of Fantastic Literature
8. Angel and Psychopomp in Madeleine L'Engle's "Wind" Trilogy
The Mythopoeic: Art, Classroom, and Exhibition
9. Emily Carr's Forest
10. J.R.R. Tolkien: Art and Literature from Middle-earth ["Lord of the Rings" by A.M. MacQuarrie and "J.R.R. Tolkien by Nancy-Lou Patterson]
11. Art in the English Classroom: An Interdisciplinary Approach
12. Tree and Leaf: J.R.R. Tolkien and the Visual Image
13. An Appreciation of Pauline Baynes
14. Magic Realism in Canada
Nancy-Lou Patterson's Mythopoeic Drawings: A Compilation by Emily E. Auger and Janet Brennan Croft with commentary and annotations selected by Emily E. Auger
Nancy-Lou Patterson was the Reviews Editor for Mythlore from issue #26 through #84, a stretch of seventeen years. She was also officially on the journal’s board for issues #58 through #84. A position like this allows one to shape the field in a small but potent way, by determining what should be reviewed and who is the best person to review it. I don’t doubt that she saved many of the plums for herself, making sure the most promising books got her personal attention.
Patterson probably didn’t think of the legacy she’d be leaving as she wrote these pieces, but taken as a whole, this body of reviews (all but a small handful from Mythlore) constitutes a chronologically-arranged annotated bibliography for each of these authors, and provides the reader with a concise outline of the main trends and major works of critical response during her active period, from about 1975 through 2001. This outline of critical history is a fine starting point for the student, the thesis writer, and even the established scholar making sure he or she has not neglected a relevant source. The extensive section on Lewis is, in my own draft copy, a rainbow of highlighted references that I plan to follow up.
Of course, with this collection we gain a better understanding of Patterson as a critic and scholar, and her influences, opinions, and interests. But it also constitutes an education in the fine art of reviewing itself. Patterson demonstrates how to engage with the actual book in front of you, not the book you want or think it should be, with fairness and charity, but without allowing any major flaws to pass unmentioned. Her reviews are witty, clear as a bell, and generous, yet constructively acerbic when necessary. They usually end with a hearty, resounding “Recommended!” And I will apply her words to this collection myself—most highly recommended indeed!
Contributors include Ed Buryn, Julie Cuccia-Watts, Tabitha Dial, Michael Dummett, Helen S. Farley, Joyce Goggin, Mary K. Greer, Bruce Hersch, Brian Johnson, Danny Jorgensen, Richard Kaczynski, Marcus Katz, June Leavitt, Carol S. Matthews, Paul Mountfort, Christine Parkhurst, Robert Place, Casey J. Rudkin, Leslie Stratyner, Catherine Waitinas, and Batya Susan Weinbaum. For a complete table of contents, see my website.
The call for papers for the Tarot in Culture anthology went out in 2008 and the manuscript was essentially finished in 2010. Since then it has passed academic peer review several times with different publishers, only to remain unpublished. With the unanimous support of the authors, I am making it available as an ebook (Kobo) in March 2014, and in print (Lulu) in June 2014.
Ebook distributed by Kobo (now available)
Hardcopy distributed by Lulu (now available)
Individuals who purchased the ebook version of Tarot in Culture Volume One and/or Two in March or April 2014 may get updated files by emailing Kobo at [email protected] and making a request. The updated files include a few minor corrections and alterations.
Nancy-Lou Patterson taught at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, from 1962 until she retired in 1992. The University of Waterloo named her a Distinguished Professor Emerita and Wilfrid Laurier University awarded her an honorary doctor of letters. Patterson taught art history and was an active artist, poet, and fiction writer. She was also an enthusiastic conference participant and scholar, who published extensively on her favourite research subject, the Inklings. Many of her papers on C.S. Lewis are gathered in Ransoming the Waste Land Volumes I and II.
Hardcover and paperback now available on Lulu.
Table of Contents
From Here to There: Time, Travel, and Transformation
1. Narnia and the North: The Symbolism of Northerness in the Fantasies of C.S. Lewis
2. "Always Winter and Never Christmas": Symbols of Time in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia
3. "Halfe Like a Serpent": The Green Witch in The Silver Chair
4. The Holy House of Ungit
Other Places, Other Beings, and Other Futures
5. The "Jasper-Lucent Landscapes" of C.S. Lewis
6. The Green Lewis: Inklings of Environmentalism in the Writing of C.S. Lewis
7. Lord of the Beasts: Animal Archetypes in C.S. Lewis
8. The Bolt of Tash: The Figure of Satan in C.S. Lewis's The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle
9. Letters from Hell: The Symbolism of Evil in The Screwtape Letters
< https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol38/iss2/18/ >
https://www.facingnorth.net/books/art/visions-jenkins
https://www.facingnorth.net/tarot-reviews/carrington-tarot
Jessica L. Horton introduces the thesis of Art for an Undivided Earth, which is evidently based on her PhD dissertation, with a quote from Jimmy Durham. "I feel fairly sure that I could address the entire world if only I had a place to stand. But you (white Americans) have made everything your turf. In every field, on every issue, the ground has already been covered." (1) She believes that much of the work produced by artists associated with the American Indian Movement (AIM) during the 1980s has been too readily interpreted in terms of identity politics when these artists deliberately "set out to transform struggles over the definition and ownership of space through artistic practice" (12).
The full review is available in the Canadian Journal of Native Studies xxxvii.2 (2017): 204-206.
Update Oct 3: Conference submission deadline extended to Nov. 1 2018.