Did mushroom tea kick-start ancient Greek philosophy? Was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland a thinly veiled psychedelic mushroom odyssey? Is Santa Claus really a magic mushroom in disguise?

The world of the magic mushroom is a place where shamans and hippies rub shoulders with psychiatrists, poets, and international bankers. Since its rediscovery only fifty years ago, this hallucinogenic fungus, once shunned in the West as the most pernicious of poisons, has inspired a plethora of folktales and urban legends. In this timely and definitive study, Andy Letcher chronicles the history of the magic mushroom--from its use by the Aztecs of Central America and the tribes of Siberia through to the present day--stripping away the myths and taking a critical and humorous look at the drug's more recent manifestations.

Informative, lively, and impeccably researched, Shroom is a unique and engaging exploration of this most extraordinary of psychedelics.

· A brand new tarot deck and first set in the heyday of English Magic

· Dynamic, graphic-novel style design

· Each card has a secret code

· This complete tarot set includes a 160 page book and 78 cards.

This captivating new tarot deck draws us into the vibrant but often hidden world of English magic, evoking a golden age of mysticism when the likes of John Dee was Queen Elizabeth's Court Astrologer, antiquarian John Aubrey began to rediscover ancient sacred sites, and even the great physicist Isaac Newton study alchemy. During this time of upheaval archetypal forces were very much at play. The monarchs and mountebanks, visionaries and fools, knights and vagabonds that shaped the world are all there in the tarot too, making this a perfect setting for the cards.

Brought to you by renowned artist Rex Van Ryn, colorist Steve Dooley, and writer Andy Letcher, this deck has a dynamic, graphic style. The cards contain a depth and movement more associated with graphic novels than the tarot, and accordingly this new pack offers a captivating way to take charge of the stories we tell about our own lives. Early Modern English magic was built on foundations laid down by the ancient stone-circle builders, the Druids, the Romano-British and the Anglo-Saxons, and readers will see traces of these throughout the cards. There are unique twists to some of the traditional images, with riddles, references and lore buried within them that will draw users ever deeper into the mystery and meaning of the cards.

The first deck of its kind to draw explicitly on the English magical tradition, The English Magic Tarot opens up a rich new pathway into the cards that will delight novice and experienced tarot users alike.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION From the Reformation to the Restoration

A brief overview of this colourful period of English history.

PART ONE: WHAT IS ENGLISH MAGIC? An introduction

An introduction to English magic. The foundations laid down by pre-Christian peoples. Hermes Trismegistus and Renaissance magic. Alchemy and Sir Isaac Newton. High and low magic. The Hall of Magicians.

PART TWO: THE ENDLESS STORY Working with the cards

In keeping with the graphic style of the deck, users are encouraged to think less that the cards have a set of fixed meanings to be learned by rote, and more that they provide a dynamic tool with which to tell stories. By treating each card as the frame of a graphic novel, readers can learn to let the cards 'speak'. They can find their own stories in the cards and so 're-story' their lives.

Exercises and suggested spreads are provided to guide readers through this unique approach one that aims to let people take their place in the endless story of the tarot.

PART THREE: SIGNPOSTS ON THE WAY Pointers to the cards

Rather than providing a list of fixed meanings, each card is presented with a commentary and a set of questions that readers can use to deepen their appreciation. The Wands, Swords, Cups and Coins of the Minor Arcana are color-coded red, tan, blue and green and are represented by Tudors, Cavaliers, Roundheads and people from Restoration England respectively. The court cards are divided into Page, Knight, Queen and King. The Major Arcana cards present a kind of parallel dreamworld of English magic. Broadly, the cards follow a similar structure to Pamela Colman Smith's classic 'Rider-Waite' deck, though with some surprising twists to the imagery.

PART FOUR: THE MEMORY PALACE Building a deeper relationship with the cards

The memory palace is technique for improving memory that derives from classical times. It was used extensively in English magic, and instructions are given here for building a memory palace to help unlock the deeper mysteries of the cards.

Is Santa Claus really a magic mushroom in disguise? Was Alice in Wonderland a thinly veiled psychedelic mushroom odyssey? Did mushroom tea kick-start ancient Greek philosophy? The 'magic mushroom' was only rediscovered fifty years ago, but has accumulated all sorts of folktales and urban legends along the way. In this timely and definitive study, Andy Letcher strips away the myths to get at the true story of how hallucinogenic mushrooms, once shunned in the West as the most pernicious of poisons, came to be the illicit drug of choice.