And one more thing...
 

This has been a difficult time for some of
our beloved tarot teachers and colleagues.
Last month, we put out a request for healing
for Rachel Pollack who is battling cancer.
She has been in the ICU  but is expected to
be moved to a rehab facility where she'll
have round-the-clock care.  A GoFundMe
campaign has been launched to help with
her medical and care expenses.
Please give what you can at
https://www.gofundme.com/f/rachel-pollack-needs-your-help


And James Wanless, creator of The Voyager
Tarot (and more!) was savagely attacked and
beaten in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. Here
is the latest update from Julie King:

He is making progress on needing less oxygen
and the hospital reduced the drugs he was
on. Yay! As with any healing there are
setbacks and his is pneumonia. So keep up
the prayers and healing. Visualize his zest
for life and see him whole!

Let us come together to support our teachers!


Wishing you joy along the tarot path,

 

 

OCULOMANCY
Predicting the Future from the Eyes of a Person





by kalyani10


Divination has used a great variety of means
to read omens of the future; these have
ranged from natural phenomena like the
weather and the sky to movement of animals
and birds as well as human traits and
skills. A form of divination which made use
of the latter and read a person’s eyes to
interpret his/her personality and destiny
is oculomancy.

The term oculomancy is derived from the
Latin word for eyes or sight, ‘oculus’ and
that for prophecy, ‘manteia’. Oculomancy
thus refers to a practice in which the
diviner studied the eyes of a person, its
shape, color and reflections therein, as a
way of interpreting the personality of the
individual. Depending on the psychic skills
of the diviner and if focused deeply on the
eyes of the person, oculomancy would even
provide clues as to the circumstances and
events he/she may face in future.

The color of the eyes was considered an
important clue by oculomancers of the past
in determining the character of an
individual. According to this tradition,
gray eyes denoted prudence, practicality and
moral strength while a person with blue eyes
was believed to be forthright, gentle,
generous, loyal, modest, and forgiving.
According to experts of this form of
divination, brown eyes were associated with
traits like consistency, hope, nobility, and
truthfulness but on occasion its bearer to
could be prone to nervousness. Then again
hazel eyes indicated Intelligence, firmness,
sincerity, ambition, and friendliness while
a person with black eyes was supposed to be
goal-oriented, self-assured devoted, and
passionate but sometimes also extravagant.

Apart from the color of a person’s eyes,
their shape and behavior could also present
important clues to his/her character. For
instance, large eyes indicated sincerity,
industry, loyalty, affection, and
intelligence while small eyes symbolized
honesty, but with a tendency toward
hot-headedness and recklessness. Also a
person with close-set eyes was supposed to
be more intelligent than others. A much more
practical form of divination which has been
absorbed in popular superstition is what the
itching of eyes entailed; for instance
itching in the right eye predicted humorous
circumstances and laughter in store while
itching in the left eye itching presaged
misfortune and Impending sorrow.

The eyes have always been thought to act as
the windows to a person’s soul. The reason
for this not only lies in the obvious way
that eyes express so many human emotions
but also perhaps because the notion of sight
works on various levels. Sight is not only
about being able to see the things of this
world but also about looking into another
world, an alternate reality and into what
the future holds – in a sense of being
far-seeing or being a visionary. Thus it is
no wonder that eyes were thought by diviners
to act as much more than one of the five
senses; according to ancient seers, the eye
could be understood as some sort of conduit
to a person's mind-eye or the inner eye,
which in turn has complete vision over a
person's dreams and eventually images from
the future. Looking at the eye for an
oculomancy expert thus meant peering into
the state of dreams of a person. And dreams
have long been interpreted as a preview to
future events in a person's life. In this
way oculomancy entailed looking into the
eyes as some sort of reflector to a person's
soul as well as having access to his/her
inner world or some spiritual dimension.

Not much is known about the history of
oculomancy and the places in which they
were practiced. However in modern times,
oculomancy has found a way in popular
culture, evidence of this lies in the
mention of oculomancy in the incredibly
popular Harry Potter series of books which
are a favorite with both children and
adults. Professor Severus Snape is a
character in the series who is apparently is
a skilled practitioner of oculomancy,
allowing him to lie however he wants without
revealing himself to other people who knows
the divination technique.


Source: 

https://futurescopes.com/divination/
oculomancy/2288/oculomancy-
%E2%80%93-predicting-future-eyes-person

Photo by Bess Hamiti


We’d love your suggestion or submissions
for this column! If you have an idea or would
like to contribute, please contact us at
tarot@tarotschool.com.

 

---

   



ASTROLOGY IN TAROT
STUDY GUIDES!






It's been a minute since we've had something
new in our store so we're particularly
excited to offer you these Study Guides,
based on our popular Astrology in Tarot
classes.

And at only $7 each, they're super-affordable!

This series of 3 Study Guides on Astrology
in Tarot, presents clear and succinct ways
of looking at the astrological correspondences
that have been encoded into modern tarot cards
and the way they work together to enlarge the
field of meaning for your tarot readings.


#1. Astrology in Tarot: The Major Arcana

         
We’ll look at how the basic symbolic
elements of astrology fit so perfectly into
the structure of a tarot deck. You’ll see
how astrology gives tarot the gift of time,
and how tarot in turn gives time meaning.



#2. Astrology in Tarot: The Court Cards

        

With the Court Cards, the circle of signs
and seasons is established in tarot through
their astrological correspondences. Time is
seen and felt as orderly, and one thing
follows another with predictable simplicity.



#3. Astrology in Tarot: The Minor Arcana

        

Learn how each of the numbered cards in
the Minor Arcana fits into the structure of
the Zodiac Wheel of the Year, the Decans,
the Modalities of the signs (Cardinal, Fixed,
Mutable), and how to blend them together
in tarot readings.


"Wald has a particularly unique way of
working with tarot and astrology that makes
it all simple and easy to decode."
~ Cheryl Ryder, Tarot Teacher and Organizer
of the Albuquerque Tarot Tribe MeetUp


CLICK HERE to get your copies now! 



 

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Meet The Reader
JENNIFER STEIDLEY

By Sharonah Rapseik, Ph.D., CMAP



             

Jennifer Steidley is the creator and author
of three self-published card decks, including
the successfully crowdfunded “Tarot
Disassembled” a 78-card Tarot deck that
deconstructs and reexamines the traditional
symbolism of the Rider Waite Smith Tarot.

Jennifer has been a graphic designer for
over 20 years and has been fascinated by
Tarot throughout her life. An avid deck
collector and self-proclaimed “research
nerd,” she enjoys the process of taking a
deep dive into any subject that holds her
interest. Dissecting the layers of meaning
within a single symbol holds a particular
fascination for her. For her, the common
thread between graphic design and Tarot is
the language of symbolism..


Sharonah Rapseik:
Jennifer, what makes your tarot practice
unique and how do you express it?

Jennifer Steidley: 
My Tarot practice is centered around
symbology and connecting with the
individual symbols found in Tarot rather
than the pictorial narrative. For as long as
I can remember, symbology has held a
special fascination for me. It is a visual
language that I understand somewhere
deep in my core. It’s what drew me to
Tarot from the first moment I laid eyes
on a deck.

The layers of meaning and stories held
within an individual symbol hold endless
fascination for me. I find that when I allow
my intuition to home in on one or two
symbols in a card, I get more precise
messages. I also love the playful way
symbols tend to be reflected in everyday
life. I’ve recently started playing a game
with myself where I look for Tarot symbols
“in the wild.” For example, one day I
spotted a black cat traversing my front
yard. Together, those symbol sightings equal
Queen of Wands energy. For me, keeping an
eye out for those types of synchronicities
is a fun way to work with Tarot, even when I
don’t have a deck in hand.

The ultimate expression of my love of Tarot
symbology can be found in the deck I created,
“Tarot Disassembled.” While I love 
experiencing the wide variety of artwork in
the many Tarot decks I own, breaking out the
individual symbols will always have a
special place in my practice. 


Sharonah Rapseik:
Thank you Jennifer, it’s been a pleasure to meet you!
 

To follow Jennifer Steidley:

Website
http://ferociousink.com

Email
jennifer@ferociousink.com
 
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ferociousink

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ferociousink/


Meet Jennifer at the Northwest Tarot Symposium!
https://nwtarotsymposium.com
     

About Sharonah:

 

Sharonah Rapseik is an Artist / Designer,
Author, Tarot Reader, Radio Host and
Producer for Psychic Talk Radio.

Visit her at:
https://psychictalk.net/sharonah/

 

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Best Practices for Professional Readers
AVOID THESE SMALL BUSINESS MISTAKES!

By Gina Thies
www.tarotadvisor.com  / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders 
www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org


Given the current financial situation with
rampant inflation, your business may not be
growing the way you want. But that may not
be the only culprit. Successful businesses
rarely rely on a single plan which focuses
on growth and financial stability. 

Interestingly, most small business or sole
proprietorships fail to thrive within the
first two years. There are various reasons
why this could be, including poor planning
and/or understanding what to do when a
business gets stuck. Lack of a strong
business plan can also be a factor. Having
the right attitude and seeking out business
or personal mentors could change the course
of the success of your business.


Here are a few mistakes to avoid:

1)  Treating Your Business as a Hobby 

Your passion doesn’t necessarily translate
into profit. Many people start their own
business because they assume it will allow
more flexibility and freedom with their
time. But treating your business like a
hobby will probably result in hobby-like
profits.


2)  Lack of Focus on Core Competencies 

Assess whether or not buyers want what you
are selling and at the price you have set.
What is it that you uniquely provide in your
services that gives you an edge over
competitors?


3)  Relying on "The Big Catch" 

Putting your eggs in one basket is not the
best plan for long term success. Many
entrepreneurs start out with one or two
great clients. Keep in mind that returning
clients are important but so is
diversification and seeking out new
opportunities.


4)   Poor Understanding of Roles

Sole proprietors are responsible for many
aspects of their business. These roles
include marketer, sales, advocate, client
outreach, etc. If these skills are not your
strong suit, get help from someone else.


5)   Missed Partnership Opportunities

Don't overlook opportunities with other
businesses that complement yours. Investing
the time in a strategic partnership can give
you access to an audience that you may not
have been able to reach.


For the most part, research shows that most
businesses struggle because of poor
management skills, including time
management. I recommend talking to other
business owners who have the type of success
that you want for your business.