Monthly Archives: January 2013

King of Swords

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swords14

The King of Swords, sometimes called the “King Arthur card” of the Tarot deck, depicts a stern and austere man sitting on his throne with his great sword (Excalibur?) in his fist. The throne has a brocade backdrop depicting a butterfly (a symbol of immortality). A glimpse of a man with outstretched arm can be seen at the bottom of the brocade. Birds flutter in the sky, perhaps the pair of ravens (known as Thought and Memory) who brough news to Odin each day.

When the card is upright, it speaks of an intelligent person who knows his power — whatever that power might consist of — and the authority he wields. He is not afraid to use that power and authority and uses it primarily to defend the poor, the weak, the needy. He is always available to those who need him, much as the knights of the Round Table were ready to set out on a quest at moment’s notice to right the wrongs suffered by those who appealed to the king.

When the card is reversed, it speaks of a person who is ruthless in the pursuit of his goals or agenda. He is cruel and cold-hearted, ready to do anything to increase his power and defeat those who oppose him.

Authentic Magic?

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In my BittenByBooks interview last November, I was asked if the magic in the COME HELL OR HIGH WATER trilogy is authentic. I was also asked where the spells came from.

Yes, all the magic is REAL and authentic! I found it in a variety of sources that I have plundered for information over the years: books about medieval magic, academic articles and essays about various ethnic folk rituals, collections of legends, transcripts of witchcraft accusations and trials, etc. For instance, the Italian folk magic in the chapter about Bartolomeo all came from an article I found in the Columbia University library stacks about Italian occult practices. The curse that starts the whole trilogy rolling, that Fen’ka screams out from the pyre, is almost all taken from 9th century Gaul monastic service books that the monks would use to curse nobility who tried to steal monastic lands or encroach on monastic privileges!

“I’ll get you, my pretty… and your little dog too!”

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'THE WIZARD OF OZ' FILM STILLS - 1939

Another question in my BittenByBooks interview was, “How did you become interested in this?”

My reply:

I first became interested in the occult and magic when I was very VERY young and saw “The Wizard of Oz” on television for the first and second times. The first time, my mom says I was terrified of the Wicked Witch’s appearance in Munchkin Land amidst smoke and flames and that I ran straight to bed! (I must have been 5 years old or so.) The next year I began watching the movie again and made myself stick with it past the appearance of the Witch and after that — I was hooked! The Wicked Witch of the West became my favorite character because not only is she the most interesting but she is the only one who wields any real power in the story. She became my idol for years and years! (Even just a few days ago, I made a comment on FB about the hurrican wind picking up our house and depositing it atop someone wearing pepermint stripped stockings and glittering red shoes and my cousin responded: “You’ve been chasing those shoes for YEARS!” LoL!)