Vol. 11 #5 / July 1, 2019
In this Issue:
- Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Understanding The Page in
Tarot Readings for Adults
- Tarot School Aphorism
- Diviner's Corner: Astral Projection
- Best Practices: Reading for Minors – A Matter of Preference
- Upcoming Events
Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a special welcome to our new subscribers.
Over the last several years, an interest in the
intuitive arts has gained popularity with younger and
younger people. Perhaps it’s the portrayal on TV and
film, or more awareness through mainstream outlets
that is at the root of this increased interest.
We have noticed this trend in our students and
Readers Studio attendees. These young people
aren’t just interested in getting readings, although
that’s always been popular, they’re serious about
learning as much as they can about tarot. If you
are part of that group, we celebrate you for your
enthusiasm and creativity, and for bringing tarot
into the future!
In this issue, the youngest member of the tarot court
is the focus for the Tarot Tip. The Diviner’s Corner
delves a bit into astral projection, and in the Best
Practices for Professional Readers column, Gina
expresses a personal preference about reading for
minors.
Enjoy!
This month marks 25 years since
Wald and Ruth Ann became a couple! 💗
With love and gratitude on the tarot journey,
Ruth Ann, Wald, and Gina
Tarot Tips is here to help you with the practical side
of your Tarot journey. In order to take the greatest
advantage of this newsletter, please send us your
questions regarding any aspect of your tarot study
or practice and we'll do our best to answer them
in an upcoming issue.
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with other Tarot Enthusiasts!
Tarot Tip
UNDERSTANDING THE PAGE IN
TAROT READINGS FOR ADULTS
Several tarot cards are instantly recognizable and
effortlessly understood, while others are equally
recognized but often take some effort to understand
and explain.
The Pages of the 4 suits could fall into the category
of challenging to find context or interpretation.
These darlings of the tarot court appear to be
androgynous and unassuming characters, and are
often interpreted as children or adolescents.
If Pages are seen as youthful innocence or immaturity,
it is fairly reasonable to see why a responsible adult
might not relate to this card. If the matter at hand in
the tarot session does not relate to concerns of
children or grandchildren, the role of the Page in
the reading could be minimized or misunderstood.
The rank and role of the more mature members of the
court are instantly relatable because unless you’ve
been living under the proverbial rock, everyone knows
that a king is a ruler, and a queen is also often a ruler
or leader. But what role did a page have in the royal
court? In regular playing cards the rank of page is
non-existent so how are Pages to be understood in
a tarot reading?
Traditionally, tarot images were illustrated within
the context of the Middle Ages in Europe. Pages
in the Middle Ages were male children of noble
families who served as attendants to other nobles,
knights or appointed officials. This service would
begin around age seven. Their role was all about
learning to behave and how to act around monarchs,
but they also received a general education and
weapons training. This path led to knighthood,
a rank also easily understood. In the oldest extant
playing cards, the queen did not exist since most
decks were based on a militaristic order that had
no place for a woman. But the tarot Page is very
different from this outdated context.
When a Page shows up in a reading for an adult,
it may indicate a need to be more responsible or
mature in a new way. Or it may suggest that the
querent is not as prepared or knowledgeable as
they think they are, and lessons are in order.
The Page might indicate a new direction, new
project, or new avenues of opportunity. It may
also suggest that they are acting like a child or
may need to view things with a child’s mind.
Another way a Page could represent an adult
is as a level of experience. For example,
the querent could be starting a new job, learning
a new language, changing careers or taking up a
new hobby. These are all adult pursuits, but the
the person is still unexperienced, with lots to learn
before achieving expertise.
The Page is not merely a rank, however. A Page
can be further understood by considering its suit.
Each suit offers a different way of expressing the
characteristic strengths and challenges of the Page.
Here are some suggestions you may find helpful.
Note: In esoteric tradition, Pages/Princesses are
considered female so this list uses the feminine
pronoun.
PAGE OF WANDS
Issues — Upside
• Energetic, talented, good-looking
• Elegant, eloquent and charming
• Complex and theatrical, curious and original
• Physically graceful and socially adept
• Precocious, self-assured and friendly
Issues — Downside
• Physically fearless to the point of folly
• Hot-tempered but coolly self-centered
• Arrogant, conceited, vain and accustomed to admiration
• Never wastes an opportunity for glory or applause
• Intensely ambitious, a sore loser
PAGE OF CUPS
Issues — Upside
• Psychic, sensitive, gentle and sympathetic
• Magical beings and energies are part of everyday life
and are experienced as real
• Unashamed of the impulse to pleasure
• Openly laughs and cries
• Immediately sees through fakes, fools and liars
Issues — Downside
• Frail and dependent
• Hypocritical and devious
• Whiny, ineffective and resentful
• Believes in and practices black magic
• Unhappy and uncomfortable in the adult world
PAGE OF SWORDS
Issues — Upside
• Optimistic, enthusiastic, idealistic
• Sensitive to inequities, trusts in justice,
believes in solutions
• High tolerance for physical pain, courage
in the face of superior opponents
• Original and imaginative, attracted to causes
and charisma, a natural rescuer
• Brilliant, a prodigy who successfully competes
with her elders
Issues — Downside
• Sensitive to praise and blame, elated by success
and dejected by failure
• Easily hurt feelings, disposed to melancholy,
but shows little emotion
• Socially awkward and inept, with little tolerance
for nominal authority
• Precocious intellect manifests as impatience and
conceit
• Dreams of heroic deeds and magnificent achievements,
but secretly fears her own inadequacy
PAGE OF PENTACLES
Issues — Upside
• Healthy, happy, lucky, strong
• Accustomed to gifts and natural abundance
• Happiest among friends and family and in
familiar surroundings
• Loves nature and all its mysteries
• Believes in miracles
Issues — Downside
• Small ambitions, talents and horizons
• Chronic illness, never enough of anything,
a survival mentality
• Uncomfortable with change, unhappy in
new environments
• Suspicious of strangers
• Superstitious, mean and angry, a natural bully
While these issues can certainly apply to children,
they are equally true of adults.
Tarot School Aphorism
Diviner's Corner
ASTRAL PROJECTION
In the context of interest in a variety of psychic
skills, astral projection is often associated with
astral travel. It is a type of skill where psychic data
can be exchanged between the subconscious minds of
individuals. During astral projection the conscious
mind leaves the physical body and moves into the
astral plane or body.
While in the state of astral projection, a person feels
connected to the subconscious world typically trough
relaxed meditation or dream-like states. It is akin to
spirit travel or may be called having an “out-of-body”
experience.
Some have reported seeing a silver cord that is
connected to their physical body during episodes of
astral projection. In other schools of thought, astral
projection is merely a cerebral experience involving
access to different states of consciousness and not
outside of the physical body.
Astral projectors are said to have access to a wealth
of mystical knowledge such as the Akashic Records,
and be able to see into the past and future. Astral
projection is often a part of a spiritual training path
for subtle body awareness and development.
Astral projection can help with overcoming obstacles
and common fears such as a fear of death. It is also a
handy skill to use in visualization and manifestation
work. There are a variety of techniques used for
learning how to project into the astral body such as
those developed by Robert Bruce, founder of the
Astral Dynamics movement.
To learn more about these methods, visit
https://www.astraldynamics.com/astral-projection/
We’d love your suggestion or submissions for this
column! If you have an idea or would love to
contribute, please contact us at tarot@tarotschool.com.
Best Practices for Professional Readers
READING FOR MINORS –
A MATTER OF PREFERENCE
By Gina Thies
www.tarotadvisor.com / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders
www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org
It is the season of the end of the school year, and
thus a time for proms, graduations and other
celebrations marking these time-honored rites of
passage. Over the years, it has been one of my busiest
time for events because, yes, adults really think it’s
a great idea to have a tarot reader at a kid’s event!
Before scoffing at the idea of reading for children,
consider that there are a number of books and decks
being written especially to capture the interest of
younger and younger generations. I take the position
that these future tarotists benefit from seeing true
professionals using tarot and having positive
experiences when exposed to readings.
I have not had an underage person attempt to book a
reading independently, but I also have a clear policy
of not reading for those under 18 years of age. If they
are not old enough to sign a contract then I draw the
line. However, when hired for events involving those
under 18, my preference is to do so only with the
permission of parents or chaperones.
The decision to read for minors is, of course, solely
personal. It is good practice to list it as part of an
ethical code, but also a good idea to examine your
own boundaries and to understand what a minor
would learn from your preferred way of doing readings.
Tarot depicts life, and while life is happening all
around us, I think giving readings to people of all ages
is beneficial. In addition to being amazed with what is
revealed by tarot, the experience I have had with
reading for children has been quite positive. Had
I persisted in my early objections to reading for
children, I might have missed out on meeting some
really clever kids, as well as missed the opportunity
to change a life for the better.
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