It has been a strange and difficult few months, with the decline of my father’s health I made a choice that I would pretty much stop work and help to look after him.  His passing on the 29th January was the biggest tragedy of my life to date.  I know I should be grateful that I have been blessed with both my parent’s at my age, but it does not make it any easier when the time comes for them to leave this earth.    I have done a lot of soul searching since his passing, I imagine some of you on a spiritual path also question what happens next when it actually happens to someone you love.  I have to admit I am struggling with any concept of afterlife at the moment, it just feels like a huge void.    

The thing about Tarot is that it does not matter what your beliefs are, whether you are spiritual or not, because the cards understand, they can be both gentle and cruel in their messages. But I have found much comfort in my cards of late.  I am digressing …… what I really wanted to talk about was how sometimes things fall in to place just at the right time.  Out of the blue, an opportunity to buy TWO unique pieces of art (print) by Pamela Colman Smith came to me.  I did not hesitate to purchase one.  The print was the original used for the publication of ‘The Golden Vanity’ published in 1903 by Doubleday & McClure, once used, these original prints were exhibited between 1905 and 1907.   What happened to them next I do not know.  The person I purchased them from also bought them in auction some years back, so when I have time, I will do some research and track their journey.

On arrival of the print, it was more amazing than I dared dream, I could feel its energy, something very special about the picture, just as in the RW tarot deck, each time I look, I see new symbols and details, I cannot stop looking at it.  It must have taken a whole ten minutes before I decided to buy the second one.  All good, except the price had doubled.  I sat on the sellers suggestion of an offer which was a lot to find, then went back with my one and only take it or leave it offer.  After a few hours she came back to me and accepted, one of the ‘provisions’ was that I would not hide these from the Tarot world, that anyone interested in Pamela would be able to see them.  I agreed, today the second print has turned up, it is as fascinating at the first.   Time allowing I hope to have these on display at the London Tarot Festival on June 2nd along with more information.  I am thrilled that Mary K Greer will be speaking at the Festival about the life of Pamela Colman Smith as with Geraldine Beskin at the Conference in October.   Although Pixie did not get the recognition she deserved in her lifetime, we will make sure she is never forgotten in ours.