Mary K. Greer is the author of five books on Tarot plus a biography of four 19th century women magicians called Women of the Golden Dawn. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, and the world of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Mary posted this to the Tarot community and kindly allowed me to share it with you all - Genny About 16 Tarotists attended (4 of them flying in from various parts of the country), along with film-maker Matthew Kallis who is making a documentary on Tarot for either PBS or A&E, and many of Brian's friends from Italy (a couple of them helped with his Tarot tour of Northern Italy in September 2000). In addition the place was filled with his Berkeley friends and family. When the minister invoked Brian, I privately drew a card from his POMO deck as a message from Brian - so that he could speak to us directly. The card was "9. Out of It." (= The Hermit). Description: "The bearded old guy on card 9, Out of It, points a flashlight into an empty corner." On page 22 (!) Brian wrote: "Our character is Out of It, like all these venerable incarnations, but also out of the game, out of the loop. . . . There are consequences of absenting oneself from the world, from the scene, from the rat race: delightful consequences and otherwise. There is peace and quiet, inner calm, perspective, detachment." Andrea Savini read from Dante's Paradiso in beautiful Italian as well as English. Alessandro di Rocca read from the "business plan" Brian had written up for the first gay bar to be opened in Venice - it was hysterically Brian - in that he knew the cultural side of Italy better than most, but delighted in its scandals. His sister Genny told us how as a boy, Brian took her and his younger brothers to art museums and then "stole" their lunch money to buy prints of the masterpieces. Thalassa, dressed in a black lace Renaissance gown, did stand-up comedy revealing several of Brian's adult escapades. His family gave away many of his original drawings and sketches, along with packets of his ashes and pieces of the beautiful pottery urn which was ceremonially shattered during the ceremony. Several guys walked around in costumes Brian made - like his leather Roman Charioteer outfit that showed off his beautiful knees. Afterwards the Tarot group went out for pizza and drinks, hosted by Jeffrey Elliot, VP of the International Tarot Society. We inaugurated our first Patron Saint of Tarot - Santo Briano (there is no such name as Brian in Italian - so that's the name they've given him there). We hope to have holy cards made up soon with the following prayer (containing many oblique references to his holy symbols and sacred acts). BTW, Eros and Thanatos (see below, also known as "the boys" - his "imaginary" sidekicks) kept him in as much trouble as they could possibly manage. A self-portrait of Brian with Eros (looking like Michangelo's David) and a skeletal Thanatos graced the podium. Santo Briano, full of Grace, To bring a blush to the Oracle's face, Tie us up in leather and lace. Lying in the lap of Eros, Surrendering to Thanatos, You whom the angels hold close, Guide us in wearing wisdom's glove, Look down on us from above, Lead us to the door of love, Living in a house of trees, Tempting Mephistopholes, Possessor of the handsome knees, Delight in beauty, joy in pain, Pour your blessings down like rain, Santo Briano, tie me up again. [And bless my oracular ejaculations.] - said as an aside at the end. Please visit Mary's Homepage which features a great write-up of the Tarot tour Brian led in 2000. Back to Brian's Memorial Page