I love Half Price Books. I go there every couple of weeks or so to check out the tarot section. I almost always find a deck there; this weekend it was Tarot of the Cat People. This deck hasn't been on my wish list, but at $5.98, I couldn't resist. It was brand new, it looked like it hadn't even been shuffled. It was the complete set, with the book. I've also found the Victoria Regina deck there, and a brand-new Gilded Tarot still in the cellophane.

I'm always thrilled to find deals like this, of course, but it makes me wonder. They hardly pay you anything for books you sell to them, maybe a quarter or fifty cents. I can't imagine they pay much more than that for a deck of tarot cards, particularly if they sell them so cheaply. My gain, I guess, but it does seem odd.

Here's (of course) the Hanged Man from the Tarot of the Cat People

From Learning the Tarot, by Joan Bunning, in Appendix A, "The Fool's Journey." (Bunning's associated website is LearnTarot.com:

Undaunted, the Fool pushes on. He is determined to realize his vision, but he finds life is not so easily tamed. Sooner or later, he encounters his personal cross--an experience that seems too difficult to endure. the overwhelming challenge humbles him until he has no choice but to give up and let go.

At first, the Fool feels defeated and lost. He believes he has sacrified everything, but from the depths he learns an amazing truth. He finds that when he relinquishes his struggle for control, everything begins to work as it should. By becoming open and vulnerable, the Fool discovers the miraculous support of his Inner Self. He learns to surrender to his experiences, rather than fighting them. He feels a surprisingjoy and begins to flow with life.

The Fool feels suspended in a timeless moment, free of urgency and pressure. In truth his world has been turned upside-down. The Fool is the Hanged Man (12), apparently martyred, but actually serene and at peace.