I love going to Tarot School. I put on my furry purple slippers, get a big pot of jasmine tea, hit the speaker phone button (and the mute button in case I sneeze or something) and I settle in for two hours of pure and amazing mind opening. For such an ancient art, The Tarot School in NYC really takes advantage of twenty-first-century technology by holding teleconferences to teach tarot. It's like the Flintstones meet the Jetsons.

Eleven of us from around the U.S. and Canada joined in last week to hear Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone open our minds to new concepts, ideas, knowledge and information. It's a very personal class because they do a wonderful job of helping each individual to absorb and apply the information in a way that will be useful.

Last week's topic was angels, and I'd like to share some of what we learned so that you too can tap into some angel aid.

I am so proud to tell you that as tarot readers, we actually have something in common with angels: they are messengers too! Do you believe in angels? Ten out of the eleven of us in class said we believed angels really exist. Throughout history, they have been known to be messengers of the divine, guides and enablers. They can cause or solve problems. Wald referred to angels as the "executive bureaucracy of God" and said in summary: "Angels get things done."

The Lovers card features Raphael, "Healer of God", associated with the element of air. Raphael is the messenger of healing, the reconciler and uniter of all things.

Temperance features Gabriel, "Mighty One of God", associated with the element of water. Gabriel is the messenger of prophecy, revelation and resurrection.

The Devil card shows Uriel, "Light of God", associated with earth. Uriel is the messenger of punishment and salvation.

Judgment shows us Michael, "He Who Is as God", associated with the element of Fire. Michael guides us to divine illumination.

The World card and ...



... The Wheel of Fortune depict all four angels in the corners of these cards. That's Raphael in the upper left, Gabriel is the eagle, Michael is the lion and Uriel is on the lower left.

When these cards show up in a reading and the angels capture your attention, know there is a special message from that angel in regards to the issue at hand. Also know that something, somewhere, somehow is being done at that moment to help that situation. The angels have taken note and are working on it. Isn't that comforting? It's true!

If you want to invoke some of these extremely intense forces for yourself, try this cool way to call on an angel for help. They're always there when you need them!

First, spend some time asking yourself a question that really needs an answer, and write it down. Then think about it, and make any necessary modifications. You want to make sure you are phrasing the question in a way that will get the answer you need.

When you are sure your question is solid, choose a spread that has more than one card in it. Most of us did a basic three-card spread with the center card holding the main meaning for the reading, and the other two offering commentary and additional insight for that issue.

Now take the six cards with the angels out of the deck and shuffle them by themselves. Choose one and put it face down as your middle card. Now mix the other five in with the rest of your deck, shuffle it, and pick the remaining cards out of the deck for the rest of your spread.

This is a powerful way to get access to divine help. If you really have faith in yourself to receive your angelic answer, you will get it loud and clear. We did some amazing readings during class for each other.

Maribeth McNair is a professional tarot card reader, psychic, and Usui Reiki practitioner who has been reading tarot cards since 1997. She has been certified through The Tarot School and she is author of "Tarot Talk," a tarot advice column in the Newport Mercury newspaper published in Newport, Rhode Island.

You can find Maribeth's website at www.tarotcare.com

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