Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com
ISSN: 1529-0565 
Vol. 7 #5 / June 1, 2015
                                                                  
 In this Issue:
- Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Tarot Diagrams
- Tarot School Aphorism
- What's Gnu?
- PsychWise: Ask Dr. G. – Why Don't Querents Change?
- Tarot Card Showcase: 10 of Swords 
- Best Practices: Business Approach For Your Website
- Cool Tarot Project 
- Upcoming Events
 
 
Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a special welcome to our new subscribers.
 
Summertime is always filled with excitement! After
graduations and school closings, families begin to have
more time for one another. Many of us look forward to
work holidays and breaks, if we are lucky!
 
We are returning from a short hiatus as we wrapped up
our annual Readers Studio conference. Talking about
breaks, this issue’s tip shows you a great way to
break down card interpretations into really small
categories, much like keywords but with a twist. A
breakdown of sorts is presented in the showcase card
for this issue, the 10 of Swords.
 
You are also in for a treat! Many of you are aware of 
the Tarot & Psychology Conference that we have added
as part of the Readers Studio event. Psychology and Tarot
has also made its way to Tarot Tips, and Dr. Elinor
Greenberg, PhD, CGP, CPTR has an informative piece in a
segment called PsychWise – a place for Q & A on the
psychology of tarot reading.

 
        
                            
And one more thing...
 
 
Tarot legend, writer extraordinaire,
and all-around fun gal, Rachel Pollack
has been undergoing treatment for
Lymphoma. She's been doing well
with it so far, but still has a long way
to go before the end of her chemotherapy
sessions. 

Rachel makes her living by teaching,
writing and editing, none of which she
can do until she recovers her health.
Living expenses and medical bills
don't care much about that, however. 

Some of her students have set up the "Campaign To Assist Rachel Pollack"
so that we as a community can help her during this time. 

We encourage you to give your support to our beloved 
teacher, colleague, and friend!

http://www.gofundme.com/tvw4f3u 

          
           
May your tarot journey be awesome and sunny,
Ruth Ann, Wald & 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.

Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter
with other Tarot Enthusiasts!
 

 
Tarot Tip
TAROT DIAGRAMS
 
 
In the course of a reading, the diviner’s focus is to
interpret all the cards drawn into a coherent
narrative. The tarot symbols are expressed in the
language of the diviner and transmitted to the querent.
It is interesting to think of tarot cards as word
categories that can be assigned to parts of speech as
taught in English grammar.  Simple interpretation can
be summed up in a word or two at best. These can then
form a sentence, a paragraph and so on.
 
Each of the cards can be thought of as having a
function that acts as a piece of a puzzle. Placed
together, they form a kind of sentence, just like
nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. Here we
demonstrate a way of getting to the gist of what cards
means down to a phrase (or one word if possible) and
placing them on a diagram similar to diagramming a
sentence. Diagramming a tarot spread is a way to
visualize how different cards fit together to
communicate perceptions, concepts, ideas and insights.
 
Let us take for example a spread having the Queen of
Cups, 2 of Cups, Eight of Swords and the Four of Cups.

As part of the reading process, we would naturally try
to describe what is taking place in each card. In doing
a tarot diagram, we would reduce each card to a single
word or short phrase equal to a grammatical part of
speech.

The Queen of Cups could easily represent a noun;
the 2 of Cups could be a verb, the 8 of Swords, the
adjective, etc.

The resulting sentence, as an example would be:
Queen Ann (Queen of Cups) agreed (2 of Cups)
with reluctance (8 of Swords) to the proposal
(4 of Cups).
 
The possibilities are endless since many words in
different languages, especially English, have dual
functions as noun and verb. The idea is to try to come
up with your own word functions that correspond with
the card so that you can efficiently analyze and
understand the spread.

There are thousands of words that correspond to the
individual cards, but there are no traditional interpretations
that set the “function” of the cards. So could “suffering”
be used to denote an action in the 2 of Cups? For many
who use reversed interpretations, it possibly might.
 
You may want to keep a chart or log of word categories
or assignments. It will prove useful for creative
writing exercises or in a journal or blog about your
tarot journey. 
          
 
   

 Tarot School Aphorism
 
 
           
 
                         
 
 

 
 
READERS STUDIO FACEBOOK GROUP!
 
One of the things we love about Readers
Studio is the collaborative energy the
tarot community puts into making it
consistently fresh and interesting.


Ferol Humphrey graciously offered to set
up a dedicated Facebook group page for
Readers Studio, and it's been a great
success! It's a public group so you can
swing by and see the photos and stories
people are sharing. And if you join,
you'll be able to be part of the fun, too!


https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReadersStudio/



TAROT CARD BANK

Now there's a place where people can exchange tarot cards!
If you have a spare or are in need of a replacement card ask here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/724991977629379/ 

                     
  
                        

PsychWise – Tarot & Psychology Q & A
with Elinor Greenberg, PhD, CGP, CPTR

WHY DON'T QUERENTS CHANGE?
 
 
Dear Dr. G:

“I did this great reading for my new client who was
very enthusiastic about it and said that she was going
to make the changes in her life that the reading
suggested.  But two weeks later, she was back and
asked for another reading on exactly the same topic.
She hadn’t done anything! What happened? 
 

ANSWER: 

One of the frequent misconceptions that many Tarot
Readers (and some psychotherapists) have is all that
clients need in order to make changes in their lives,
is to see the truth about what they need to do. The
reality is much more complicated. Real change
happens very, very slowly and after much practice.
It progresses in a stop-and-start pattern, and most
people need a lot of internal and external support to
help motivate them to continue through the hard parts.  

Think about how people learn to play a musical
instrument. No one who teaches guitar expects a new
student to play well after only one lesson. It may take
years of weekly lessons and daily practice before the
student can play reasonably well. Why should a tarot
reader expect more?


Even the most motivated client needs time to slowly
and repeatedly try to integrate the new ideas from the
reading into his or her life. I take it as a good sign that
she is asking you for another reading. That means
that she is ready to engage with this topic again.
It is like picking up the guitar for another lesson.
 
There is an additional factor at work here: your
client’s current level of internal support to stay
motivated. If you have ever tried to break a habit,
stick to a diet, or learn a new language, you know
what I mean. In the beginning, you are very
enthusiastic and filled with energy for your project.
Then at some point, you use up your current level
of internal support, and unless you can find a way
to “re-motivate” yourself, you are likely to give up
your project. 


Most people’s lives are littered with half- finished
projects and this is the main reason. In order for your
client to make the changes in her life that you helped
her identify, she will need to find people in her life
who support her, and also find ways to support herself.

Some things to keep in mind:

    ·  You may be the only person in your client’s
        life supporting this change.

    ·  If your client really wants to make important 
       changes, she needs to find ways to motivate 
       herself between readings with you. 

    ·  Small changes are easier to make than 
       big changes.

    ·  Slow progress is normal.

    ·  Reverting to old ways of being and losing 
       motivation is also normal.


Your job is to read her tarot cards; try not to be so
invested in how she uses, or if she uses, your
readings. None of this means that you are an
ineffective tarot reader or that she is a bad client. 



Dr. Elinor GreenbergDr. Elinor Greenberg, PhD, CGP, CPTR
is an internationally renowned Gestalt therapy
trainer who specializes in teaching the diagnosis
and treatment of Borderline, Narcissistic, and
Schizoid adaptations. She has been studying
tarot since 1995 and is psychology consultant to
The Tarot School, where she earned a Third Degree
in Tarot. She is a member of B.O.T.A. (Builders
of the Adytum) and has been certified as a professional
tarot reader by the American Tarot Association. 

           

           
 
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.
 
 
 
 
10 OF SWORDS
 
Attributions:  
 
Astrological Attribution: 
Sun in Gemini
 
Qabalistic Attribution: 
Kingdom in the World of Formation
 
Element: Air 
 
Esoteric Title: Lord of Ruin
 
 
 
            
Traditional Meanings: 

Death, the end, it’s over. What’s done is done.
Attitudes of suffering are belied by clearing skies and
placid waters. The sacrifice was a willing one, the
conclusion tidy. Pain becomes amnesia. A good death.
Karma is fulfilled, the situation is finished, the
slate is clean. 

Gloom, pain, overkill. Hysteria, exaggeration,
paralysis, hostility. Acceptance and resignation.
Failure, disaster, ruin. Pleasure in the unhappiness of
others. Gossip and slander. Detachment; decisiveness. 
 

Imagery:

Ten Swords: The orderly completion of any thought or
plan.

Sky: Yellow fading into black symbolizes a loss of
waking consciousness.

Slain Figure: Acceptance of the inevitability of
physical death and the transition from body to spirit.
In Masonic lore, this is the body of Hiram Abiff,
Architect of Solomon’s Temple, and symbol of the
master of plan and concept.  The “death of Hiram
Abiff” is part of the personal ritual experience of
candidates for Master Mason. 

Blood under the Head: Represents the spirit leaving the
body.

Visible Hand: The fingers form the gesture of the
Hierophant’s blessing and refer to the promise of
immortality implicit in the occult dictum “As above,
so below.” 

Unmarked Sand: The sign that all is as it should be,
and no one is to blame. 

                   
 
           
Excerpted from The Tarot School Correspondence Course
http://tarotschool.com/Course.html
 
 
 
 
 
Join us at the 2016 Readers Studio!  http://ReadersStudio.com
 
You've found the back door to the
2016 Readers Studio!

Enter now to get a 9-month payment plan!


ReadersStudio.com
 
 
   

 
Best Practices for Professional Readers
BUSINESS APPROACH FOR YOUR WEBSITE
 
By Gina Thies
 
 
“If you build it, they will come!” Or not! Buying a
domain name and paying lots of money for a fabulously
designed website does not necessarily equate to clients
who will reach you and --- more importantly –
convert.
 
There are two things all professional should be
conscious of in their business: 

1) a smartly devised business plan and 
2) for online e-prenuers, a website plan or strategy.
 
I want to specifically address website strategies
because most professional readers have business
websites. 

Here are some of the bits that are integral to site
strategies: 

        - Goals
        - Prospects
        - Audience
        - Traffic
        - Cost
        - Metrics and Analytics

For best long-term business results, it's important to
understand these terms and make use of them. The mix of
these components will vary depending upon your business
needs, personal preferences and goals. The important
thing to take away here is that in order to stay the
course, you have to know your destination and have a
practical idea of how to reach it. 

                   
 
 

Cool Tarot Project
TAROT PINK FOR CANCER
 
 



Inspired by the ongoing challenges of dealing with
breast cancer, over 60 of the Tarot community's most
accomplished creators have come together to collaborate
on a special Tarot deck to support this cause. Tarot
Pink for Cancer is being created as an inspirational
healing tool, and to serve as a fund raiser to benefit
breast cancer research. 

This group is the creative power behind several hundred
Tarot decks and books, and they have published over a
dozen Tarot decks that have been honored with Top Ten
Tarot deck recognition. Collectively, they have derived
creative energy and inspiration from each other, and
have come together to create a Deck of a Lifetime. 

The deck consists of 78 cards created by each artist
and accompanied by their personal interpretations and
inspirations. You will find Tarot Pink for Cancer to be
a beautifully rendered collection of inspirational
images created by Tarot's best talents, with a special
message of empowerment and healing. It's an
inspirational deck suited for your own wellness
journey, or for a relative or friend who might need the
supportive message embodied by the deck.

Note that the project will move forward and the Tarot
Pink Deck will be printed and the App will be released,
whether or not the goal is met. A sufficient amount has
been raised to fund the printing of the deck, and
WizardToo, the sponsor, will underwrite the cost of
development for the App even if the goal is not met.
Rest assured and tell your friends that there is no
risk to their receiving this wonderful deck.

The Indiegogo campaign has only a few days left!
Please consider supporting this worthy project.

www.tinyurl.com/TarotPink 

          
          
                   

 
Upcoming Events:
 
 

 
Tarot Salon
Forest Hills, New York

June 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29
 
Our popular Monday night Salons are the
hottest thing in tarot instruction!
 
 
   
 

Readers Studio Teleconference -- Free!
June 28, 2015


Come hang out with us on the phone
at our monthly informal get-together.
It's a great chance to catch up with each
other and brainstorm new ideas.
 
2015 Summer Intensive
Forest Hills, New York

The Court Card Array: Special Knowledge and Applications
July 25 – 26, 2015
 
Within the shape of the Array, Court Cards are
transformed. They become the heat and the light,
the passions and the powers, in yourself and in your
personal world. These things are natural secrets,
partially because they are not commonly known,
but more importantly, because when you release
them in yourself, the everyday world becomes
unaccountably more vivid, and you become more
effective in it. 

 
 

 


San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium

August 15 – 16, 2015
DoubleTree Hotel
San Jose, California

http://dodivination.com/







 
   
 
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Directors: Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone