I was surprised to receive this beautiful calendar in the mail, but I'm certainly glad I did! Each month is graced by an enlarged card from one of Llewellyn's decks, with smaller images from the same deck scattered throughout the month. Each month also features new articles and spreads by eighteen of the best-known tarot authors, including Michele Jackson, Amber Jayanti, and others too numerous to mention.
Each day is jam-packed with information, including detailed lunar and astrological information, retrograde planetary motions, times the bodies enter each phase and sign, etc. A wide variety of holidays are labelled, including secular observances and holy days of Christian, Jewish, and Pagan religions. Each day features a suggested "card of the day", starting with the Fool on New Year's Day and working through the deck in cycles. Many days also include a quotation that reflects that day's card. One of my favorite quotes is for the Empress, by Mother Teresa: "We do no great things - only small things with great love."
One of my favorite articles is May's "Reading Reversed Cards" by Mary K. Greer - offers eight suggestions of how a reversal can modify a card's upright meaning - along with a blockage or simple opposite effect, it may merely be drawing attention to a specific area in the querent's life, perhaps even an area they themselves are not aware of.
Another favorite article is a humorous look at ethics by Thea Bloom, titled "Tarot Ethics: Six Tips Hollywood Forgot to Mention." I've found her opening paragraph particularly true now that I've done several readings on my own: "Hollywood's depiciton of the exotic high priestess with the built-in, gift-of-sight package . . . effortlessly serving up prophecies. It's not that easy. A good reader - an ethical reader - is always sweating over what to say and how to say it." Ms. Bloom then proceeds to take some of the sweat out of reading by pointing out common pitfalls from her own experience.
Other articles draw parallels between tarot and the Qabalistic Tree of Life, astrology, numerology, and even the Wheel of the Year. A list of resources is included, with addresses for many groups and newsletters both online and through the mail. A beginner could easily use this calendar to lay out and interpret the tarot for the first time; but the variety and depth of information here is such that even the most experienced tarot enthusiasts can learn something new. This is one calendar that won't find its way to the trash can after next New Year rolls around!