Episode 158 - Magic Cards: Decks of Divination and Deception
Squaring the Strange · Celestia Ward
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Show Notes
We begin on somber note, with the passing of friend and contributor Erik Kristopher Myers, who will be greatly missed. Then we take a close look at cards, and how they have been used to foretell, trick, amaze, deceive, and swindle. Learn how racism was "in the cards" for fortune tellers in the early 20th century, and how Tarot seems to be ancient and exotic but really isn't. We discuss the rise and fall of Zener cards to "prove" ESP, and how quickly people adapted playing cards to be instruments of trickery. Plus, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes multiple appearances as we weave our way through card history!