User:Terencedonaldson
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Terence Donaldson is widely regarded as one of the foremost tarot theorists and practitioners in the UK, and possibly the world. He is the author of several books on the tarot, each of which have taken the tarot out from the domain of the erudite, and opened the subject to a wider audience. Born in Lambeth, on April 18th, 1955 his father was a steeplejack from the East End, and his mother from Richmond, Surrey. On his mother's side he has Irish roots, and on his father's Scottish. He was educated at the London nautical School and the London School of Economics(1973-6). He passed his honours graduating with a Third Class degree. Entering accountancy as an articled clerk he later withdrew and commenced a major journey to Afghanistan, where he lived for two years, witnessing the collapse of the Mohammed Daoud regime and the installation of Nur Mohammed Taraki, in 1977. He subsequently travelled widely throughout the region, returning from a long journey in Greece in 1989 to commence the London Tarot Training Centre, through which he was able to personally train over 1,000 individuals in tarot readership techniques. At this time he authored 'Step BY Step Tarot',( HarperCollins), 'Principles of Tarot' (HC), 'Tarot -First Directions)-HC; 'The Dragon Tarot' deck and book set( US Games), 'The Lord of the Rings Tarot' deck and book set(US Games), The Lord of the Rings Oracle' set( Godsfield Press); The Tarot Spellcaster'( Octopus- Hamlyn). He presented his own show on L!VE TV, based at the top of Canary Wharf during the reign there of Janet Street Porter, and later, Kelvin McKenzie. Appearing regularly on 'The Big Breakfast', as well as numeroud radio shows, Terence- or Terry- as he prefers to be known- has become one of Europe's best known characters and is associated in popular mythology with tarot popularisation, and with providing inspiration and impetus to the so-called 'tarot revolution' of the late 1980's and 1990s. He has in his life, though, suffered perodically from drug and alcohol addiction, and in 1997 suffered a break down associated with amphetamine addiction and was imprisoned in cardiff Prison throughout the summer of that time.This breakdown was linked with the experience of being accused of rape, something which he has always denied. Suffering another drug relapse- this time into heroin and crack cocaine- he was arrested in barabdos INternationl Airport in August 2002 with three kilogrammes of cocaine, and sentenced to four years imprisonment in that country. Serving three of those years, he returned to the UK, has subsequently written a book about his experiences, entitled 'Hell in Barbados' and due to be released in February, 2006, published by Maverick House. He is currently training in London as a counsellor, with special reference to the needs of ecovering adicts and alcoholics. He runs a website, www.terrydonaldson.com through which he maintains a public presence.