FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 09, 2004

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Patric “Pipa” Stillman
Owner, Oak Grove Oracle
Phone: 619-994-2263
E-mail: ogo@oakgroveoracle.com
Release: BT-09-09-A

Expanded Interview with Patric Stillman, creator of Brotherhood Tarot

San Diego - January 3, 2005 - Q&A with Patric Stillman:

Where did you get your idea to create a Gay-themed Tarot deck?

Somewhere in recent history, I lost sight of myself. Which was a terrible thing. And finally, one day, I sat myself down and
looked at my life. I though about how could I bring together my creativity and spirituality with what I’ve learned in my career
path to create something new in my life that could celebrate these things and bring me closer to a community of like-minded
people. I turned to my own Tarot deck for some answers to my internal debate and there it was, literally, right in front me. I
wanted a deck that celebrated my homosexuality and it seemed like this was the perfect time to take this project on.

So I took a personal journey through California to photograph this beautiful state where I live and take time to listen to my
inner voice away from the urban grind. It wasn’t long and I found myself taking advice from elderly Redwoods in Humboldt
County and questioning the endless rantings of the Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert. Right away, I knew that I wanted it
to reflect the free spirit that I’ve experienced with other Radical Faeries. As I moved around the State, all kinds of ideas came
together for me and my journey began.

You mention Radical Faeries.  Can you explain Radical Faeries?

Radical Faeries grew out of an idea in the late 1970s by Harry Hay, legendary gay activist and "father of the gay rights
movement", who had returned from a decade in New Mexico, where he was seeking a living Berdache (a Native American
gay male spirit guide). Harry formed a gay men's spiritual movement dubbed the "Radical Faeries." Today, Radical Faeries
gather for festivals and retreats all over the world from Australia to Germany. 

They say if you ask 5 Radical Faeries what it is to be a Faerie, you’ll get 6 answers. I would sum it up as men and women
who celebrate their individuality and love of nature by gathering together to celebrate the physical and spiritual.

Will the images on the cards be familiar to those who already use more traditional Tarot decks?

Yes, I wanted the cards to be useful so I kept in the tradition of the Rider-Waite deck, which is by and far the most popular
deck. While the imagery may be completely fresh in some cases, I tried to keep with the usual meanings of each card for
easy use.

Visually, the images used in Brotherhood Tarot are compositions that I created digitally. I chose to create a natural world that
contains the bold, colorful aspects of Radical Faerie fantasies.

What makes Brotherhood Tarot a little bit different is that I also have incorporated a nod to Gay history and mythology. It was
important to me to reflect the fact that gay people have been around for centuries and in all cultures. We have many stories that
date back before Stonewall and I think that we sometimes forget that life did not start for us in the 60‘s. In fact, discovering our
ancient history meant a lot to me when I first came out in the late 70’s when gays were not often positively reflected in popular
culture. These stories offered me a way to approach the Tarot with another perspective that I hope others find appealing as well.

Each suit within the deck contains loosely interweaving stories of gay history and mythology.  The suit of Cups retells the legendary
story of Zeus’ lust for the mere mortal Ganymede while the suit of Swords reflects upon the so called “cut sleeves” incident from
6 B.C., which is still a euphemism for homosexuality in Chinese literature to this day.  These stories and more will be told in the
companion book due out later this year.

This seems fresh.  Is this the first Gay Tarot deck on the market?

There have been some gay themed decks in the past that are no longer available. Until recently, Stevee Postman's Cosmic Tribe
Tarot, a visually fantastic deck, was the only tarot deck out there that I’m aware of that included three Lover’s cards reflecting a
straight, gay, and lesbian couple for personalized use. That is about as gay as any Tarot deck got that I could find over the years.

Recently, there has been some exciting developments for gay men interested in Tarot. During the Summer, Tarot publisher Lo
Scarabeo released The Gay Tarot by Lee Bursten with art by Antonella Platano that has hand drawn images of men in everyday
professions and committed relationships. I‘ve also talked with Paul Chirumbolo who continues to work on The Original Gay
Tarot, which should be very exciting to see once it is completed.

Obviously, the time has come for this to be out there for us and I think its great that we also now have choices.

What is it like to have created a Tarot Deck?  It seems like you would need to be dedicated to the process.

Recently I talked with Tarot creators Stevee and Lee about the release of Brotherhood Tarot.  It was great for me to have a dialogue
with the men behind decks that I admire and use in my own home.  Its strange but it was the first time that I allowed myself to step
away from the process of creation to acknowledge what a wonderful experience it has been.  The magic and support I discovered
was truly amazing.  In fact, I'm still astounded that in one year I would establish my own company, develop a full featured website,
and bring forth my vision of the Tarot.  It is a testament to the power of thought and action that lies within us all. 

Any surprises for us down the road?  What is next for you?

There are two things that I have my energy directed towards.  The first is an on-line GLBT artists collective and the second is real
world multimedia events.

I have set up the framework for a multimedia artist's collective on my Website located at www.OakGroveOracle.com.  I will be
gathering together a variety of GLBT digital, video, and musical artists to create a new kind of on-line community. Of course, my
heart is with the Faeries and Pagan artists that inspire me but in any case, I look forward to seeing the synergy that is created when
different artists come together and get inspiration from each other.  True celebration in our diversity!

At this point, BOOM!, I get sooo excited where this idea could go.  I think it would be really interesting to build this artistic virtual
reality and bring it back around to a specific reality just to see what happens.  I'd like to create a multimedia event that could pop
into different cities for a night by taking over a night club or even a coffee house for the evening.  A mini-circuit party, if you will, or
at the least, something different from the same ole grind.

Before I go, just let me say to everyone out there: Do the best you can and don't let yourself get boxed into a life that isn't your
own making.  Blessings!

For more information, log on to www.OakGroveOracle.com.

- END -

For media resources, and images for web and print use, go to:
http://www.oakgroveoracle.com/ogopress.htm

Oak Grove Oracle
Patric "Pipa" Stillman
654 Felino Way
Chula Vista, CA 91910
USA
Telephone: 619.994.2263
E-mail: OGO@OakGroveOracle.com
Website: www.oakgroveoracle.com