THE POWER OF THE PIPS: COURTING NUMBERS IN CARTOMANCY
CAMELIA ELIAS
DIVINATION
JANUARY 2018
ISBN 978-8792633392
PAPERBACK | 6×9 | Color | Illustrated | 114 pp
BUY FROM BARNES AND NOBLE | AMAZON US | UK
LIST PRICE $16
DESCRIPTION
I introduce the reader to the following method of reading the pip cards of the Marseille Tarot:
Think about the essential properties that form the four suits in a pack of cards.
Don’t think ‘meaning’.
As symbolic meaning is presented as situational, all the examples discussed highlight the importance of reading the cards in context, rather than seeing them as carriers of inherent signification.
The style follows the same tone as in the companion book: The Power of the Trumps: A Subtle Burst, whose premise is to deconstruct set cartomantic clichés.
In The Power of the Pips I look at how the pip cards embody connection, from creating coherence to burning bridges. The principal questions asked are these: how logical is the function of each card? How do we see context creating meaning in accordance with function and common sense? When are the pip cards syntactic markers, such as a full stop, a comma, or an adverb?
“I’ve been enjoying The Power of the Pips very much – I think it may be her best yet: there’s so much in it that’s distinctively Cameliaesque. The combination of laser-sharp precision with the freedom of ditching cultural accretions is powerful and compelling. This book really takes reading by the scruff of the neck and shakes it free of the nonsense (literally) but at the same time lets the pips speak for themselves. It’s great.” – Nathan Thomson, professor and musicologist
