East West Books and Gifts has been part of the Seattle area for some thirty years. As its website explains, “the store is a destination for spiritual awakening through metaphysical books, uplifting events, and conscious gifts.” Its newest location is in Edmonds, Washington, just a few miles up the road from where I live.
I’ve been a frequent customer of East West Books through the years and have found many goodies there, including inspirational books, journals, affirmation cards, jewelry, CDs, and my most recent purchase: The Radiant Tarot: Pathway to Creativity, with illustrations by Alexandra Eldridge and text by Tony Barnstone.
A few months ago, I visited the store looking for inspiration—and wow, did I find it in this wonderful box of magic! It includes a Tarot deck filled with colorful, imaginative, and inspiring images, along with a guidebook. The text thoughtfully explores each of the 78 cards through the lenses of prose, meaning, musings, hands-on creative practice, and an astrological note. I’ve been using the Radiant Tarot as a tool in my own creative work as a teacher, musician, and writer. As my daughter would say, “I’m lit.”
Most recently, I’ve started a YouTube series based on the first 22 cards of the tarot known as the Major Arcana. These are the juicy cards that represent the main archetypes we all encounter in our lives—beginnings, challenges, choices, teachers, disappointments, epiphanies, life cycles, seasons, creativity, relationships, struggles, joy, uncertainty, and rebirth, to name a few.
Alexandra Eldridge and Tony Barnstone have granted me permission to feature their cards on my YouTube channel, which is a true gift because the cards are so beautiful. I encourage you to pick up your own Radiant Tarot if you are at all curious about tapping into your creative side in a visual, playful, intuitive, and imaginative way. You can purchase the deck at East West Books and Gifts in Edmonds or online through Weiser Books or Amazon.
My latest video in the Tarot series features the High Priestess and explores intuition and listening to your wiser self. What has experience taught you? When you know, you know.
If you view the video on YouTube, please consider giving it a like and subscribing. It helps to build my channel! Here is the complete tarot playlist new episodes added each week: Piano for the Journey with Laura Dean.(you may have to click on the playlist: Piano and Tarot)