Ed Rowe Travel Biography

Introduction

I have done magic. I have controlled emotions with a wave of the hands. I havesilenced with a look; caused enchantment in the eyes with the right words. Am I talkingthe occult? No; simply classroom teaching. A place where when things go right, you can’twalk any finer, but, when things go wrong, you have no idea how long a second can be.This I did for 25 years. Then I went through a divorce. It brought me through a heart attack, a year and a half of contemplating suicide (right down to electrical wires taped to my arms ready to plug itin). Eighty-two days in jail for contempt of court (spending three days on suicide watch).Eleven months working two jobs, having 65 percent, plus 20 percent taxes taken out andnot making ends meet until I became homeless. It is a little bit like being the captain of the Titanic and watching it go down. I found myself doing more and more without untilthe cell phone went, then eventually the car insurance. Mine was not a nice divorce.I saw my homelessness coming. I was sure that I wouldn’t last a week in the greatunknown and I had made a vow to God that I would see the Smithsonian Institute beforeI died. So when I left my apartment for the last time in New York in 2004, I headed downto Washington. I had no registration. It was canceled when my insurance lapsed. Going toWashington was my saving grace for if I had been homeless in New York, I would have been lost. After seeing the Smithsonian I went down to Virginia Beach and hated it! Idrove to Richmond and was so depressed in Richmond that I got in my car and drovewest just to leave. I ended up in Charlottesville. It was “Fridays at five” and I asked a kidif he knew a free place to camp and he told me of a spot. The next morning, I passed aSalvation Army and something told me to stop in. They handed me a sheet to write what Ineeded (food, clothes), I wrote ADVICE! I unloaded my life out to a Kimberly and saidwhat do I do now? She recommended I stay which I did.Once in the Salvation Army I put applications everywhere, worked for a temporaryservice and because I am not good at doing nothing I laid out my Tarot Cards on theground hoping to get some money. A little voice in my head had been saying “try your arts”. I had been doing Tarot cards since I was 16, but I didn’t tell anybody. You don’t sayyou do tarot cards when you are a school teacher. I was sure I looked like an idiot, butamazingly I did not. Middle-aged men looked with envy at the freedom of it all. I told amiddle-age woman that I was a “guerilla vender” meaning that I work without a permitand she said “No you’re not. You’re a pirate stealing the situation”. At first, because Iwasn’t sure about price I said give anything. As it turns out, that is the only legal way todo cards. Tarot cards have been defined as “performance art” in courts of law and as suchare protected under the first amendment. The only thing is the moment I give a price; Idamn well better have a permit.I started making more money doing tarot cards than I made at the temporary service soI dropped the temporary service and stuck with cards. I found myself involved in adifferent kind of magic. Thus my journey begins….1

The Business

“There was music in the cafes at night and revolution in the air”

I would have an 18-inch square of fabric taped to the ground with cards on it in what iscalled the Celtic Cross near a pedestrian walkway. The fabric is from Wal-Mart’sSomeone would stop and say, “Is that your reading?” I would say no, that’s a sales pitch.If anybody asked for a reading I would say “Anybody who looks at tarot cards and says‘oh my God! That’s my future’ is an idiot. Cards make you think, but if you’re thinking,you know your future! That much is true.” If they questioned that I would say, “If thecards say that you meet a man, have a great time and then get pregnant; you would be anidiot to believe it, but you would also be an idiot not to go to the drugstore and get protection.” About price I would say, “I will do a reading and when I am done then youmay give me whatever you think I deserve, or not.”Before I handed them the deck, I would “clean” it. I’d shuffle it three times reversingone side of the deck each time. As I did this I’d say, ”I did a reading for a woman inArizona who had a very sad life. After she left, the cards wouldn’t work for anybody untilI cleaned them. Speaking as a former science teacher, that statement has no logic.However; talk to the psychics and they’ll tell you; turn the deck around and you cancelthe vibrations.”I would hand them the cards to shuffle. In New Orleans I would see readers havingthem just tap the deck, but I was never comfortable with that. After they’d shuffle I’dhave them lay the cards in three piles. I picked up the piles, put the bottom pile on themiddle and the whole thing on the top and turn the deck around because I’m reading for them. It’s how I learned.I would lay them out saying, “I’ll go simple, then more involved, then more involved.You can stop anytime you want. I just read the cards. Going simple; there’s past; present;future.” As I lay them in three piles right to left. From each pile would I turn over the topcard and then turn over the rest of the pile so there are six cards. Past are the right cards, present is center and future is left side. I’d say, “If you can’t trust the past, or the present,no way can you trust the future. That’s common sense!” I’d weave a story with the past2

two cards and ask if I’m going right. She would say yes and I do likewise for present.Then I tell the future.Then I’d say, “Think of a question or problem as you shuffle. You do not have to tellme the problem; I got too many of my own.” They’d shuffle and lay the cards in three. Iwould pick them up; bottom on middle; whole thing on top; turn the deck around. I laytwo down and say, “According to the question, this is what you see.” Usually they wouldagree. Sometimes they’d say, “That’s a question I have, but not the one I was thinkingabout.” I’d respond, “Is it going to answer the question you have in the front of the brain,the middle, or the back? The cards talk about what’s closest to your heart!” If it didn’t fit,I’d have them reshuffle. If it still didn’t fit, I’d say, “Maybe God doesn’t want me to readyou” and stop. The next two cards would say what they wanted. Sometimes it said theywanted to feel sad. I would say, “That would be true if you feel guilty about it.” And theywould agree. Sometimes it said they wanted to drop the whole affair. The next two saidwhat they needed. I would say, “You’re supposed to being going through this so thatyou… ” and read the cards and lay out the fourth two cards. and read..I would do a long layout. I got it from Eden Grey. It is a pyramid shape. You always laythe cards out right to left. The first four cards you lay out are the past; the next four arethe present. Everything else going up, is the future; Six on the next line; then four, twoand one. I had a girl bring another girl for a reading. There was something the girl, I wasreading, was planning and her friend and her family said don’t do it. She didn’t listen toher friend, or family, but when the cards said basically the same thing she freaked. Manytimes I will read the future and say, “I don’t know if this is true, or not, but the cards painta picture that you have a tendency to.” and describe a personality trait such asstubbornness, or anger problems and have them agree. If it showed a temper outburst andthen they have problems I’d suggest that they might want to control their temper. If itshowed The Empress I’d say birth control would not be a bad idea.To my left, or right would be other venders plying their trade. Jewelry makers wouldlayout necklaces, bracelets, or rings made from anything from silverware to bone, toshells, or wood. Macramé weavers would have their hemp jewelry out. Portrait artists andcaricature artists had their easels up. And then there would be the spray-can artists.They’d lay out white paper, Spray light blue over dark blue and rub it with a piece of cardboard to cause to dark blue to show up as dark waves against the light blue. Thenspray light red and dark red and repeat the process. Then lay a paint lid over the blue anda coffee lid over the red, spray the whole paper black and lift up the lids. It looked liketwo planets in space. As he would be doing this you’d see the crowd gathering stare inamazement as it looked like an entertaining mess and then suddenly appear realistic.Then he’d ignite the spray to “flame” the painting to quick dry it. As he would do soyou’d hear the crowd gasp. At which point he put the painting to the side saying five bucks. “Human statues” would be somewhere in the line. These are people who spraysilver on themselves, or white and stand on a pedestal frozen, moving only whensomeone throws money in their tray out front. Some places see Jugglers and flameswallowers. Musicians playing guitars and singing with their cups out front for money.3