Vol. 2 #10 / May 15, 2010
In this Issue:
- Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Deck-Clearing Techniques
- Tarot Card Showcase: 7 of Pentacles
- Upcoming Events
- Best Practices: Investing in a Reading - Will They Buy or Not?
- Featured Tarot Blog: Kris Waldherr, Art and Words
Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!!
And a special welcome to our new members!
The month of May is not only known to be
"merry" but also known to be busy with not
much time for merrymaking. Typically, during
May, farmers are very busy with their crops in
preparation for the coming harvest. Students are
finishing their studies and taking tests. The long
sports season is fully underway, and preparations
are being made for the summer season ahead.
May is a hard-working time, but exciting with
promise for the future.
Planting seeds and watching crops grow requires
a lot of patience and hard work. In this issue, we
will discuss patience and growth by showcasing
the Seven of Pentacles.
We enjoy planting our own "seeds" of tarot
knowledge and aim to keep it fun! This summer,
we're looking forward to the Omega Tarot
Conference, the Bay Area Tarot Symposium
(BATS), and continuing our Tarot Teleclasses.
We're also deep in preparations for the 2011
Readers Studio, and have already been accepting
registrations from those intrepid tarot enthusiasts
who have discovered how to slip in through the
back door and snag their seats!
Today is the Ides of May, a traditional time for
purification and clearing out ceremonies. We have
excellent deck-clearing tips and are featuring the
blog of Kris Waldherr, creator of the Goddess
Tarot. If you are looking for growth for your
tarot practice, the 'Best Practices' column
offers an interesting look at what happens when
your clients decide to invest in your services.
Growing with you on the tarot journey,
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.
Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter
with other Tarot Enthusiasts!
Tarot Tip DECK-CLEARING TECHNIQUES
Clearing is a way of breaking down any negativity
energy and eliminating it energetically from your
deck. This can be refreshing and a great way to
re-focus. You may have several decks that need a
bit of "spring cleaning." Many readings are
emotionally charged, and if you find that certain
cards are coming up from previous readings, it
could be a sign that the deck is in need of a
clearing.
Here are some clearing techniques for your tarot
or oracles decks. These can be used as is or in
combination with your own ritual practice.
Clearing #1
Take the deck in your right hand and close your
eyes. Visualize a bright white light descending
from your crown chakra and settling in your left
hand. Take your left hand and place it over the
deck and your right hand. Imagine the light
pulsing and growing larger, absorbing any
unwanted energy.
Continue the pulsing until you feel your deck is
clear. Place the deck on the table, (preferably on
a silk cloth) and shake out both hands, releasing
any remaining unwanted energy. Take a deep breath
and bring both hands together. When you feel
ready, open your eyes.
Clearing #2
Separate the cards into five separate piles as
follows: Majors, Wands, Cups, Swords and
Pentacles. Once you have all the cards separated,
pick up each pile one by one and ask for a
blessing from the guardian of the element of the
suit that you hold.
The Guardian of the Ethers is for the Majors, the
Guardian of Fire is for Wands, the Guardian of
Water is for Cups, the Guardian of Air is for
Swords, and the Guardian of Earth is for
Pentacles.
Once you have completed the blessing, restack
all cards into one pile, starting with Pentacles on
the bottom. Next place the Swords on top of the
Pentacles, then the Cups, then the Wands, and
lastly the Majors.
Clearing #3
The preferred crystal to use for this clearing is
quartz, but any natural gemstone that you prefer
is also effective.
Start with a crystal that has been cleansed. You
can cleanse the crystal according to the
element/astrological sign that you belong to, as
follows: Fire - sweep the crystal through a
flame, Air - pass the crystal through the smoke
of sage or incense, Water - wash the crystal in
water infused with sea salt (rinse thoroughly
afterward) Earth - sprinkle with sea salt or
sand, or bury the crystal in dirt.
Once your crystal is infused with elemental
energy, place it on top of your deck between
readings, or wrap the deck and crystal together in
a silk cloth when storing after use.
Tarot Card Showcase
In this section we will feature tidbits on a
specific tarot card. While there are many
systems and decks to choose from in the world
of tarot, here we use the Universal Waite
Tarot images and symbols.
Copyright 1992 U.S Games.
SEVEN OF PENTACLES
Esoteric Title: Lord of Success Unfulfilled
Astrological Attribution: Saturn in Taurus
The Seven of Pentacles depicts a farmer who has
paused to observe what he has grown. This card
demonstrates the principle of reaping what you
sow. Here one can see a part of the material
results of any effort, usually an effort that has
been a challenge. The central figure in the Seven
of Pentacles indicates that we should slow down
and look realistically at our goals. This card
reminds us that time moves at its own pace, and
patience is a virtue we should cultivate.
Although the number seven brings positive results,
the energy of Saturn in Taurus has a bittersweet
undertone, so the results may not be as great as
they seem. It all depends on what action was taken
to achieve the results. Through Saturn energy,
this card becomes one of challenges and tests. One
such challenge would be trusting in the natural
process and order of things.
The Golden Dawn saw the Lord of Success
Unfulfilled as a minimal gain. When this card
appears, it may be time to redefine your idea of
success. Consider the farmer looking at the
pentacles. Did he truly accomplish anything, or is
he just daydreaming about success? Could he be
contemplating starting over?
Positive Keywords: Growth, profit, goals, gain,
effort, good results, maturity, cycles, harvest,
security, waiting, resources and financial
planning.
Negative Keywords: Loss, failure, impatience,
dissatisfaction, interruption, challenge,
carelessness, drought, infertile grounds,
laziness, financial problems and general lack of
success.
Upcoming Events:
CARD STUDY COMPLETE!
Tarot Teleclass Series
[Our first class on The Hierophant was a real
eye-opener! You can still get in on this series
and receive the Hierophant mp3 recording.]
5, 6, 7, 8 - Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot,
Strength. The energy of these numbers and these
cards crosses the space between what is highest in
you and what is central. They are the strings of
the net that bind divinity and spirit together.
They are what is most mysterious in you. Together,
they are most of what you can know about yourself
and the world with your eyes shut.
They are also about teachers and heroes, choice
and control.
This is the third series of classes in Card Study
Complete. You truly won't want to miss it!
5/13 The Hierophant
5/20 The Lovers
5/27 The Chariot
6/03 Strength
4 Thursdays: May 13, 20, 27 and June 3
9-11 pm Eastern time
Tuition: $80 for the series - includes .mp3
recordings. / Earns 8 Degree credits
The Omega Tarot Conference
w/ Mary K. Greer, Rachel Pollack, Lon Milo DuQuette,
Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Ruth Ann & Wald Amberstone
It is a real honor to be part of this exciting new
tarot conference at the legendary Omega Institute
in Rhinebeck, NY. We're looking forward to seeing
you there for a fabulous weekend! And because we're
not running this one, we get to hang out with you more. :)
August 28-29
Bay Area Tarot Symposium (SF BATS)
First Unitarian Universalist Centre, San Francisco
Speakers include: Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack,
James Wanless, Marcus Katz, Teressena Bakens,
Pamela Eakins, Diane Wilkes, Leisa ReFalo, Joseph
Ernest Martin, Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, Jaymi Elford,
Katrina Wynne, Arisa Victor, Rabbit McMatthews,
and more be announced soon!
Best Practices for Professional Readers
INVESTING IN A READING --
WILL THEY BUY OR NOT?
In my last column I wrote about specific types of
buyers and customers. Knowing these types helps in
attracting potential customers to your business or
website, but will not necessarily convert to
sales. If you have a web business, you probably
are constantly looking for ways to drive traffic
to your site and to your customers something they
need or want.
As popular as tarot readings and other divination
forms are today, it's not like food or shelter.
Not everybody needs or wants one. People are
naturally curious, but won't make a purchase
unless they know what's in it for them. In truth,
people are generally slow to part with their
hard-earned money, and a reading may not be
in the budget. How many freebies, trades and
barters have you had to do when offering a
reading?
I know that bartering and energy exchange is
important. But consider how much money you have
invested in learning tarot. Besides get the client
to pay for a reading in the first place, another
challenge is how to raise your rates.
When I was a real estate agent, one of the
challenges I faced in building a clientele was -
"My friend, sister, brother, cousin or neighbor
sells real estate!" so needless to say the
chance of their using me as an agent was slim -
funny how when I stopped being an agent everyone
started asking me to help them buy a house!
You can see this business, too. Whether you just
offer readings, or have products or teaching
services, there's lots of competition and the
client mentality could be "Why should I pay for
a reading when I can use an app or free automated
reading?" or "My friend, sister, brother,
cousin or neighbor reads"...bah!
There are a few factors that influence a client's
decision to buy, for instance: emotional
decisions, logic, value, risk, return on
investment and durability. This works well when a
purchase like a house is made, but what about
investing in spiritual health? In general, clients
will spend money on their spiritual health, i.e.,
readings, books, decks, natal charts, etc., if
they trust the seller, receive "seeds" of
wisdom, have a deep psychological, spiritual or
emotional issue that needs to be addressed,
receive real therapeutic help, have a desire to
learn or to give a gift.
What deters a person from buying? The reasons are
as varied as why people buy. The reasons range
from no motivation to bad marketing, poor
reputation, high price, indecision, or putting
procrastination. The truth is, the decision to
purchase any of your services or products could
fall apart at any time.
Building business and growing sales takes
patience, planning and thinking outside the box,
especially if you are a website entrepreneur.
Customers have a whole multitude of choices. We
are a choice-based and get-it-now society that has
grown to expect instant gratification, but only
experience satisfaction for a short time.
If you can figure out some formula - have a
product or service that will help a buyer reach
financial goals, feel safe and secure, maintain
great health and physicality, allow more time for
self, gain tremendous confidence, feel admired and
worthy, and help them evolve spiritually -
satisfying one or more of these desires will help
you make a booking.
Lastly, as a tarot practitioner, it may be hard to
pinpoint your target audience. Once you do have a
relationship with a client/customer, make sure to
follow-up and plant seeds for future appointments.
Questions arise when developing or transitioning
to professional Tarot Reading status to earn
income. These can range from "How can I make
money with Tarot?" and "How do I get started?"
to more complex technical and business questions.
You may already be up and running and have
questions about how to enhance or ramp up your
business. We would love to hear from you. Send any
questions, or interest in a future class on the
Business of Tarot, to tarot@tarotschool.com.
Do you want to learn more about tarot but don't
have time or the resources to attend a class?
The Tarot School Correspondence Course was
created just for you!
Study at your own pace and get one-on-one
Featured Tarot Blog / Newsletter
KRIS WALDHERR - ART AND WORDS
Creator of the Goddess Tarot, The Lovers Tarot,
and illustrator of the Anubis Oracle Deck and
several new decks on the way, Kris Waldherr is a
prolific artist and writer. Her blog and site
features her personal journey of the creative
process. Very cool for all aspiring authors!
Join our 1,830+ fans and join the fun!
You never know what we'll say next...
Do you have a question or comment on anything tarot?
Suggestions for future topics?
Contact tarot@tarotschool.com
For information on tarot classes, courses,
© Copyright 2010 The Tarot School - All Rights Reserved
Directors: Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone
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