Tarot Card Reading
Meet Madam Cominichi! This delightful and authentic local Tarot Card Reader has been doing readings for over 25 years. She comes from a long line of tarot readers, psychics and palmists. Madam Cominichi comes in full gypsy costume, and brings all of her props!
Wine Cork Reading
Wine Cork Readings of seventeenth century France featuring 68 original symbolic hand painted vintage wine corks with beautifully colored original ancient symbolism on fragrant old corks. The way it works is this: the client simply chooses between 5-6 corks individually at random from a cask basket filled with 68 corks. The Cork reader then arranges the corks during which a short and amusing reading is given!
The History of Wine Cork Reading
Dom Pérignon (1638–1715) was a Benedictine Monk and cellar master at the Abby in Hautvilliers France. He pioneered a number of wine making techniques around 1670 when he also introduced corks in order to keep the wines fresh and sparkling, and used thicker glass in order to strengthen the bottles (which were prone to explode at that time). He was known to have said “come quickly! I am tasting the stars!”)
The corks remained and had been adopted by the local gypsy population for fortune telling purposes, and as a game to play while enjoying their own wines. Stories developed which tell of each monk pulling 5 corks which they had decorated with signs and symbols most popular of the time, it was an amusing way of searching for answers to daily questions on love and family and daily life.
The subject of protection, war and health was especially popular to ask spirits, saints and deities for help. The most natural game of connecting with the spiritual part of life, and using imagination along with the corks -as well as with a glass or 3 of delicious wine -has always been an amusing pastime while drinking, like a fun way of conversing with our ancestors. Many a wine cave was percused to engage these activities, and not generally known to most wine drinkers! While the role of the angels and the messages in the corks themselves affording a more meditating role; that of being messengers between God and men.
As an example, it’s well known that prehistoric cultures in northern and western Europe used circular symbols, rings and spirals nearby the settlements, which suggest that they were used to protect the site. The same symbolism was used next to the entrances of important tumulus; burial grounds and caves.
Many of these sacred caves were already acquired for the secondary purpose of storing wines at cooler temperatures.
The puzzles of ancient symbolism can sometimes be difficult to read, but the renants, many of which have survived, have been deciphered and thoughtfully transcribed into a more modern pictorial game to consider playing at your next party or wine tasting event.
