The Tarot Connection » Bonnie Cehovet

Episode 69: Become Your Own Oracle with James Wanless

leisa — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:05:20 +0000

Intuition, symbols, synchronicities and tarot to create your future.

From the Class on Friday November 30th 2007 in Portland Oregon

Experience modern, progressive tarot with tarot master, James Wanless, Ph.D. No longer a medieval fortune telling game, tarot is a spiritual and psychological tool that gives you a holistic map for how to create the fortunes you desire. Rather than a passive, deterministic old world process, tarot is an empowering, proactive compass for navigating your life in this changing, complex world.

In this hands on tarot evening, you will pick take-home cards and symbols from the Voyager Tarot Deck, and find your path and action to manifest your visions and dreams.

About the Presenter:

James Wanless, Ph.D. is the noted creator of Voyager Tarot, and also the author of Way of the Great Oracle, Strategic Intuition for the 21st Century, New Age Tarot, Wheel of Tarot and his latest book, Intuition@Work.

He has often been called “Mr. Tarot” or the “Tarot Revolutionary” because of his enormous contribution to the field of tarot. With his magical blend of personal charisma, humor and pragmatic enthusiasm, he is thought of as a “corporate shaman” and an internationally known authority on intuition.

He keynotes, trains, and consults with organizations throughout the world. He has also developed a groundbreaking technique for using the tarot as a proactive tool for “Life Coaching.”

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – the Star and the Moon

Let’s complete our journey through the symbols of the Sun, Judgement and the World.
Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we will be continuing on our journey through the symbols in the Major Arcana. As I noted in the first Pod Cast of this series, that of the Fool, the imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the final cards of the Sun, Judgment, and the World. The major theme for the Sun is that of renewal. The energy of the Sun is intense masculine energy (as opposed to the feminine energy of the Moon).

The Sun itself symbolizes life force, and its twenty-one rays symbolize the twenty-one cards of the Major Arcana, with the center representing the Fool.

The four Sunflowers, sacred to the Sun, represent the four elements.

The wall indicates a boundary of some sort – the child being outside of the wall indicates that he is beyond limitations.

The white horses are solar symbols, as well as symbols of our inner self. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson also indicates that the white horses represent force subdued by reason.

The naked child riding the horse has nothing to hide. The red banner symbolizes action and intent. The red feather goes back to the card of the Fool, showing that the Fool has been transformed through a mystical death and is now an innocent child.

When the Sun appears in a reading, the Seeker may be bringing a childlike innocence tot he situation. Take a look at the surrounding cards to see if they need to balance this by paying closer attention to their environment. The force of the Sun’s energy also represents the potential for unbounded creativity – the thought here is that the Seeker not burn themselves out….

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (www.magnatune.com)
Closing Music: Wish Fulfilling Jewel by Sibelian from the Soul Rush (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 68: The Skeptic & Spreads

leisa — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:35:20 +0000

The Process by Dan Pellitier

Chapter 6: The Skeptic from the upcoming audio book by Dan Pelletier read by the author.

The woman stepped over to the booth where I was sitting; she was well dressed and coiffed, and carried a look of concern.

Linda, the bartender told me to talk to you. She said you read cards. Can you read mine?”

“It would be an honor.”

“I don’t believe in this psychic stuff, you know… the only reason I’m talking to you is because Linda spoke so highly of you. She said if anybody could help me find answers, you could.” She slid into the booth.

Most people believe that as Tarot readers, we are all “psychics.” Few are aware that there are different styles of reading. There is (for lack of better terms) the ’standard reading’, whereby meanings are ascribed to each card, and to each position where a card is placed. The memorized meanings are translated into a’ reading’. Archetypes provide a venue into which the sitter is able to see their life and experiences.

The intuitive (or psychic) reading uses the cards as a focal point – information comes to the reader from “out there” (different folks have diverse theories on where the knowledge comes from).

Both styles, and you may disagree with me and that is fine, are valid. When I read, it may be either type or both, and my regular clients not only cannot tell, but do not know …

Dan Pelletier

Dan Pelletier lives north of Seattle Washington with his wife of 22 years, Jan, his two cats, Spook and Pookha, and 32 rosebushes. He has been reading Tarot for himself and others for over thirty years.

Dan is also co-owner of The Tarot Garden, a highly respected resource for tarot decks and related information on the Internet. He has written articles appearing on the Tarot for Life website newsletter, Seeker’s Journey, and Tarot Passages; and has published interviews with deck creators on the tarotgarden.com website library.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Tarot Spreads

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. This is Bonnie Cehovet, and today I will be discussing Tarot spreads … their purpose and how to develop them for yourself. I love using different spreads, and am very grateful to those in the Tarot world that are willing to share their own creative endeavors. I really enjoy the act of creating spreads … something that I began doing primarily to enhance my client readings, but discovered that it also allowed me to view my decks from a fresh perspective.

What do you get out of designing your own spreads?

The right sized spread for you … whether that is three cards or thirty-three cards.
Spreads that provide options, rather than outcomes.
Spreads that represent your own thought process.
Spreads that are tailor-made for the Seeker, and the Seeker’s issues.
The ability to modify existing spreads.
The ability to work sequentially with several smaller spreads.
Spreads tailored for use with specific decks, or geared towards special times, such as holidays.

There are probably as many ways to design a Tarot spread as there are people designing them. Each person is going to develop their own individual process … one that works for them, and their clients. The process that I am going to discuss is one that I have developed over a period of time, and one that works for me.

Whether I am reading for myself, for a friend, or for a client, the first thing that I want to know is what area of life the question is addressing. It can be romance, relationship, finances, career, decision making, spirituality … whatever it is, once I know the area that the question is in, I can determine what kind of answer the Seeker is looking for. (I use the term Seeker for the person being read for, as the term Querant … just makes me cringe, and is a term that I never, ever use!) Soooo …is the Seeker looking for insight into a specific issue or problem? Are they looking for actions to take? Are they looking for tools to work with? What the Seeker is looking for helps me determine how the questions should be worded.

Your question may be very general (as in “Is this the right time to make a move?”), or it may be quite specific (as in “Is it in my best interest to move to Florida next month?”). Work with the Seeker until both of you are satisfied with the question. As Teresa Michelson notes in “Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads”, one of the first things that you want to decide when formatting a question is the nature of the question: do you want it to be predictive, or empowering. A predictive question would be: “When is my house going to sell?” An empowering version of the same question would be: “What can I do to make my house more salable?” Go over this with the Seeker (or yourself, if the reading is for you) until both of you are sure what you want. Clear as mud doesn’t get it!

The next thing that you want to do is word the question so that the answer will be as specific as possible, and give as much information as possible. If the question that the Seeker is asking crosses ethical boundaries (i.e. legal, medical or financial, or personal boundaries in that they are asking about a third party) speak up. Either suggest a rewording of the question, or refuse to read for it, and explain why to the Seeker. If the question that the Seeker is asking is either vague, or very general, and this is what they want to ask, then work with a general spread, rather than one that is specifically created for the question. From my personal experience, a general spread puts this type of client in their comfort zone, and some truly empowering questions can come out of it.

Rather than asking a straightforward question, sometimes the Seeker will essentially tell you a story about their situation, and then ask you what they should do, or what they should know. Michelson points out that in such a case, make the different parts of their situation positions within the spread. Another thing that you can do here is to do several smaller spreads, collating the information into one flowing story once the individual readings have been completed.

Questions that I really hate run something like this: “Will I get the promotion, and if I do, will I get the salary that I want?” Here there are a couple of options: Break the questions down into separate questions, and/or separate the questions and reword them to be more empowering, something along the ones of: “What do I need to know about applying for this promotion.”, and “How can I best present myself to get the salary that I want?”

Tarot of the iPod

There are issues using the shuffle setting on some iPods if the file are ‘podcasts’. I’ve created this download archive: symbolism.zip

It has all of the files from the first edition Symbolism of the Tarot. The other reason you might want this copy is that the Artist shows who read the card. The iTunes feed removes this information. I will create an archive of the Pictorial Key to the Tarot when it is complete.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
Transition Music: Serpent’s Kiss by Solace from Nagari (Magnatune)
Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (www.magnatune.com)
Closing Music: Sorrow & Veil by Solace from Nagari (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 64: Seven of Cups and the Imagery of the Gaian Tarot

leisa — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:41:08 +0000

Seven of Cups with the Portland Tarot Study Group

Excerpt from a Portland Study Group session on the Sevens.

One thing that I like to do when the 7 of Cups comes up in a reading is to ask the Querent to pick one of the cups. This may give insight into the situation or advice. Each of the Cups corresponds to a planet/major arcana card.

Play along, and choose one for yourself.

If you know this material or have difficulty selecting a card take out the planetary trumps, shuffle them and draw a card that way.

Planetary Trumps:

Magician
Priestess
Empress
Wheel of Fortune
Tower
Sun
World

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Gaian Tarot

Today I will be discussing one of my favorite Indies – the Gaian Tarot, by Joanna Powell Colbert. I followed the creation process of this deck online, and was impressed not only by the theme (Gaia – Mother Earth), and the artwork (which is stunning!), but by Joanna’s inherent understanding of our personal relationship to Gaia. I do have to admit that it doesn’t hurt that the inspiration for the cards comes from nature scenes on one of the San Juan Islands, here in my very own Pacific Northwest! This deck is mystickal Tarot at its very best!I carried the excitement of a small child as I waited for this deck to arrive in my mailbox. I hurried back to the house to open it, cradling it in my hands – I knew this package would be filled with wonder and magick – and was it ever!

The presentation of this deck was so amazing, it was hard to take in all at once. The cards came in a royal purple velvet Tarot bag (made by Elaine Nichols), lined with a green and purple patterned silk, with a gold drawstring. In the bag with the cards was a small sachet of mixed herbs (sage, sweetgrass, cedar and lavender), as well as a stone, shell and beach glass that were hand picked from local beaches. (I have since added a rose quartz crystal – my personal gift to each deck that I own.) I have not seen a presentation this good since I received my copy of Ellen Lorenzi-Prince’s “Tarot of the Crone”. The quality of the Tarot bag is so breathtaking that I want to take time to note that Elaine offers Tarot bags through the “Gaian Tarot” site. Elaine will soon be offering one of a kind Tarot reading cloths, also through the “Gaian Tarot” site.The “Gaian Tarot” that I purchased was a 22 card, Majors only, Limited Edition deck. Since then there has been an additional printing. Joanna is currently working on the Minor Arcana and Court Cards, which can be found on her site, so that the deck will eventually be a full 78 card deck. The magick grows and grows!

Gaian Tarot

The Gaian Tarot celebrates the living Earth and those who seek to live in harmony with Her. It is an evocative and powerful tool for accessing inner guidance. The imagery of the deck combines multicultural Goddesses and other numinous beings with the mysteries of the natural world. Each image features birds, animals, plants, trees, rocks, constellations and other aspects of nature that amplify the meaning of the card. With its structure rooted in Tarot tradition, the Gaian Tarot is the perfect deck for those who honor Gaia, the earth, as a living, sentient being and who practice an earth-centered spirituality. (from GaianTarot.com)

The Gaian Tarot is a work in progress. The 22 images of the Major Arcana are finished. The Limited (First) Edition of the Majors-Only Deck is sold out, but the Second Edition is now available for purchase.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
Closing Music: Seven Promises by William Brooks from Fowl Mouth (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 60: Teaching By Teleclass with Bonnie Cehovet

leisa — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:52:53 +0000

Bonnie Cehovet (Washington) is a Tarot Educator, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer.

She currently has articles and reviews appearing in the World Tarot Network newsletter, and reviews appearing on the Meta Arts e-magazine site and on Aeclectic Tarot . Her website is The Crystal Gate – Tarot .

1. What are tele-classes?

2. What makes tele-classes a viable teaching venue?

3. What is the cost of a tele-class?

4. What kinds of classes are suitable for tele-classes?

5. What is your target student?

6. Where would you advertise a tele-class?

7. What information would you include in your advertising?

class name
instructor’s name
venue
length
fee (be sure and note that for a tele-class the student also pays their own long distance phone bill)
CEU’s (if applicable)
Course Material: What the class will cover.
What the student can expect to take away from the class.

8. How will you organize your class?

Class Objectives
What you will take away from this class.
Introduction
Main Class Material
Summary

9. How will you present your class?

Introduce yourself.
Ask each person to introduce themselves. (On a tele-class it is fun to also tell people where you are from.)
Ask your students what they hope to get out of the class.
Begin presenting your subject. You can do the major portion as a lecture, but class participation is a lot more fun! Note: I like to include handouts whenever possible. They make great visual aids, and present a place for people to take notes.
Encourage questions.
Try and end the class on a high note … some kind of exercise or discussion.

Teleclass with Robert Place

This is the introduction to the class Hieroglyphs from the Soul with Robert Place. This class will be offered again on October 24th. Topics covered include the history of Tarot, how to read Tarot and why Robert doesn’t use reversals.

There is still time to register for the class later this month. In the class, you will learn a guideline for interpreting them called “The Seven Patterns”. These patterns include: linear, choice, meeting, central origin, central destination, the central problem and the central teacher.

Date: Wednesday October 24th 2007
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PST
Cost: $25

For more information and to register visit shop.tarotconnection.net

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
Transitional Music: Come When I Call by Emily Van Evera from My Lady Rich (Magnatune)
Closing Music: And Is It Night by Emily Van Evera from My Lady Rich (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 56: Aeclectic Spreads with Alissa Hall

leisa — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:16:43 +0000

Aeclectic Tarot Spreads

written by members of the Aeclectic Tarot Forum, edited by Alissa Hall.

Available for purchase and instant download at Aeclectic Tarot

About the Book

Why me to edit this book?

From 2003 until early 2005, I was a volunteer moderator at the Aeclectic Tarot website. During that time, one of the forums I moderated was the Tarot Spreads forum. As a former librarian, I have a keen interest in indexing and making information accessible to the public. For fun, I began to index the Tarot spreads forum, providing categories for users to choose from when searching for spreads. Until the creation of that index, the only way a user could find a spread was to search through hundreds of threads using a keyword search, and relying on personal memory of previous threads.

Fast forward to December 2006, there was a thread started by another AT member suggesting an eBook of Tarot Spreads, and I contacted Solandia and expressed my interest in compiling such a work. Providing examples of other eBooks I’ve created (primarily from my henna design work) she and I negotiated our contract, our work flow and deadlines, and the project officially began in February 2007 with the initial selection of spreads to be potentially included in the work.

Choosing spreads to be included

The index I started has been expertly maintained and added to by the moderator who took over the forum when I stepped down years ago (her logon is “Moonbow”). When going through the current index, I considered which categories were the most helpful as a Tarot reader, which ones were used most often either by a professional or personal reader. From this, the categories of : Love and Relationships, Career and Money, Spiritual Path, Family and Pets, Self Awareness, Creativity, General Outlook, Daily and Spreads for Tarot Readers were created.

Each spread to be potentially included had to be universal – it could not reference a specific religion (such as spreads for certain Pagan beliefs, etc.) nor holidays (secular or religious) as certain parts of the world may not observe these events. The only exception was Chronata’s “Chakra Cross” a variation on the Celtic Cross which references chakras, a Hindu belief system, but one which is observed by many countries and religious persuasions.

I also had to push myself to overcome personal bias in my preference for shorter spreads. Spreads in the book range from 3 cards, to 14 cards, in length.

Once selected for potential inclusion, there was a lengthy process of contacting each individual spread author to query their interest in the project, coordinate the contracts to them, and compile information to be included on their page.

What else beside the spreads were included

Each page also includes a “blurb” written by the spread author themselves, limited to 50 words or less. This was something I specifically wanted to do for the authors, since many spreads included some background or users’ information within the AT thread that would be lost in the eBook form. I felt it also helped to personalize each authors’ contribution to the book.

How were the authors chosen

I deliberately ignored the authors’ names until the time of contact, as some spreads were written by members who were less frequent contributors to the AT forum, and some were “regulars”. I sought every opportunity to keep this from being a “popularity” contest. Some authors have more than one spread within the book. This is due to the superior content of their spreads, the needs I had as an editor to meet my 40 spread minimum quota for the book, and the amount of authors who were able to respond in a timely manner with their interest in being a part of the project.

Some very good spreads were “lost” along the way due to the authors not receiving the query messages in time to make the deadline, and/or their lack of interest in being a part of the project. Regardless, the final product stands as a great example of collective works, and I’m proud to have been a part of its compilation.

The Look

I designed the card graphics, as well as the page layout, as editor and included some Dover clip art to most pages in order to frame the pages’ content, and to give the eBook itself an overall appeal to the eye. This artistic side of me was great fun to express, as well as the shaping of the textual layout, which is meant to flow with the cards’ spreads, all designed to be shown exactly as they would be laid out during usage (i.e. a spread shaped like a spiral is shown as a spiral in the book, of course).

Also, I chose to use bold text to highlight key words for each spread position, in order to help the reader use the eBook at a glance while reading their spreads.

Copyright protection

As a writer myself, I was passionate about drafting up a very complete (some might say Too Complete!) contract for each author to be a part of the project. While Solandia owns the copyright to the anthology, each author granted what are called “one time rights” for their contributions to the eBook. This ensures that each author owns the copyright to their work, and can publish and profit from their work in any way they see fit later in life. Ensuring each author retained their copyrights for their works was something I felt very strongly about helping them maintain, especially since many had never published a work prior to this eBook and were less familiar with copyright laws.

Alissa Hall

Alissa Hall first began reading Tarot over 20 years ago, and as an adult has dedicated years to learning more about various occult paths. In addition to Tarot, she also reads palms and runes, and offers her gift of karmic path (past life) advisement to her clientèle as well. Known to lecture on Tarot and palmistry, she last appeared in Las Vegas for a series of workshops and classes.

A devoted wordsmith, Alissa has published both short and long works of fiction and non-fiction on subjects ranging from Tarot to Tantra, self-help to storytelling.

A resident of New Mexico for over 2 decades, she lives in the mountains with her husband and son, and is currently expecting her second child.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – the Star and the Moon

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we will be continuing on our journey through the symbols in the Major Arcana. As I noted in the first Pod Cast of this series, that of the Fool, the imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the Star and the Moon. The major theme for the Star is that of that of intuition and understanding. We are reminded of the need to acknowledge our inner truth. With this card, we see the ability to renew ourselves spiritually.

The figure in this card is nude, indicating that she has nothing to hide.

She has one foot on land (the physical, material world), and one foot in the water (the world of the unconscious, and of Spirit). As the “water of life” is poured, it divides into five rivlets, representing the five senses.

A sacred Ibis, symbol of thought and mind, perches in the tree behind her.

An eight-pointed star (representing power and mental success) floats above her, symbolizing infinity. Seven smaller stars (also eight pointed) symbolize spiritual illumination. These seven stars also represent the seven chakras, and the seven ancient planets.

In this card, we see the Spirit of the Universe, and the Spirit within.

When the Star appears in a reading, the Seeker is being asked to clear/cleanse something in their situation. They need to let go of doubting themselves, and listen to their inner wisdom.

The theme for the Moon is that of cycles, intuition, and inner development. The Moon is also symbolic of the universal feminine principle.

A crayfish coming out of the water symbolizes our conscious growth. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson indicates that the crayfish must get past, or overcome, the dog and the wolf (which represent our domesticated self and our natural instincts).

The mountains represent spiritual awareness. The path between the towers represents the path into the unknown. The yods represent divine energy, and renewed inspiration.

The Moon has thirty-two rays – the Qabalistic number of the ten sephiroth combined with the twenty-two paths on the Tree of Life. It also is represented in all three of its phases, symbolizing body, mind, and spirit.

When the Moon appears in a reading, the Seeker may not be able to establish a rational response to their situation. Something from their past may be affecting their present, so they need to look at whether they are repeating a cycle or a pattern. Any fears that the Seeker has may be reflected in this card.Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of The Devil and The Tower. The major theme for The Devil is that of acknowledging the hidden parts of our personality – our shadow side. These are the forces behind how and why we imprison and limit ourselves.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Inspiral by Hands Upon Black Earth from Hands Upon Black Earth (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 55: Thalassa and BATS

leisa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:30:30 +0000

BATS

Started in 1991 by Thalassa, and currently produced in association with the Daughters of Divination, the San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (SF BATS) is the oldest continuously produced Tarot even in the country. It has been the inspiration and/or the model for virtually every large Tarot-centred gathering in this country for more than a decade.

SF BATS is a day long event devoted to covering all areas of Tarot and related topics. Many established authors and teachers use SF BATS as an opportunity to try new and different approaches and projects as well as polishing existing work. Exhibitions of new (and often as yet unpublished or privately published) Tarot decks and artwork are an especially important feature of this event. In addition to providing networking opportunities and community building for Tarot enthusiasts of all levels of interest and experience, SF BATS has facilitated or furthered the careers of several noted Tarot artists, authors, and teachers, as well as being instrumental in the publication of several books and decks.

San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium Fall 2007

Saturday, October 6, 2007 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
First Unitarian Universalist Centre
1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA

Visit the BATS Fall 2007 web page for more information

Thalassa

Thalassa is the producer of the San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (SF BATS), founder of the Daughters of Divination (DOD), and publisher of The Belfry. She teaches and produces divination events in the SF Bay Area, and has presented at the World Tarot Congress, the New York Tarot Festival, PantheaCon, and LATS (LA Tarot Symposium). She lives in San Francisco with a collection of swords, too many books, more tarot decks than one can safely shake a stick at, and a tribe of semi-feral dust bunnies.

No more borders

This is my jumbo Thoth deck without the ugly gray borders on it. The links below show the process in greater detail. The Universal Waite Deck posts details the supplies I used to modify the cards.

I know the process is a little scary at first. You might want to practice on the extra cards in the deck or color copy your decks on card stock to practice trimming.

You might find, like I did, that the deck becomes more attractive and nicer to use.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Devil and the Tower

In “The heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson notes that the Devil is perched on what is considered to be a one-dimensional pedestal. This is the illusionary base of many of our decisions. The bondage of the two humans in this card is also seen as illusional – i.e. self imposed chains. Thomson further notes that the figures look not at each other, nor at the Devil figure – they are totally alone and vulnerable.

At the pit of the Devil’s stomach is the sign of Mercury. The Devil’s right hand is upraised and extended, the reverse of the benediction given by the Hierophant. A reversed Pentagram is on his forehead. His wings indicate that he is a creature of the night. His goat-like body connects this card to Capricorn.

The torch in the Devil’s left hand represents will directed at the material plane.

The tails on the human figures are symbolic of their animal nature. The tail on the female bears the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and the tail of the mail figure bears a flame, like the Tree of Life.

When the Devil appears in a reading, we are being asked to acknowledge hidden aspects of our personality. We are also being asked to note how and where we may be projecting those hidden aspects in our lives. This card is also very connected to the physical, material world.

The major theme for The Tower is that of change – abrupt change that is thrust upon us without warning. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson suggests that the Tower represents the defensive aspects of our personality. The falling male figure represents rigid attitudes based on ego, while the falling female figure represents rigid emotional attitudes.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Points Between by Robert Rich from Open Window (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 54: Non-Visual Tarot with Brighid

leisa — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:27:19 +0000

I was drawn to Tarot initially, because I knew that, with some adaptations, the system could work for me. Methods like scrying and runes seem almost impossible, while the cards are manageable. Also, it is important for you to realize that I have been blind since birth, so, lacking the visual element of the Tarot isn’t new to me. I just went about it the way I go about everything else: without sight.

First of all, Tarot decks are quite inaccessible, when first purchased. Before I can do anything with them, I have to Braille the cards, along with whatever documentation comes with them. If it’s an actual book, I can put it through a scanner, which speeds up the process, but those little, white books that come with most decks don’t scan well at all, which means that someone has to read them to me, while I copy them out. Needless to say, it’s time-consuming.

I put the card into a Braille typewriter, and write the name of the card. So, for the fool, I would write:

0
Fool

For the four of pentacles, I write:

Once the deck is Brailled, I can begin to use it. When I lay out a spread, I think about the meanings given for each card. I also think about the suit of the card, whether it is reversed or not, and whether it is a major or minor arcana card. I apply all of this information to the question that is being addressed. I then move on to the next card, and do the same thing again, until I’ve interpreted the entire spread.

I know that, for those of you who can see, the pictures on the cards are a great help when it comes to interpretation. Usually, I have no clue what the cards even look like, and so, I rely more on intuition and the meanings I know to be true for the particular card.

I also pay close attention to experiences that people have told me about. On another list, there was a discussion of how to interpret the Moon card, and I gained a lot of insight that way.

Brighid’s Daily Spread

To Explore:

Things I need to focus on Today?
What do I need to work on?
What am I supposed to learn?
What issues am I dealing with?
What is key for me today?

Card 1 , Card 2, Card 3

Card 4*

* Shadow Card, (Unknown or Undercurrents) from the Bottom of the Deck

Brighid is a Tarot Reader who practices Feminist Dianic Witchcraft. She currently resides in Texas while completing a social work degree. She shares her apartment with 2 dogs, a cat and a pregnant guinea pig. Brighid has, on occasion, tricked people into reading Tarot books for her. Her favorite decks include the Goddess Tarot, the Medicine Woman Tarot, Goddess Guidance Oracle, Magical Unicorns Oracle and Jamie Sams’ Medicine Cards.

Decks that don’t work as well:

Check out the Braille Spanish Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot.

Titles Only Tarot

It is an interesting exercise to try reading with out pictures. It can be done to test your knowledge and memory of the cards. You can see how you have internalized card meanings and explore what comes to mind when any given card comes up.

One thing to try is to do a reading with the Titles only then pull the same cards from various decks and see how you interpretation changes. You can make your own but writing on 3×5 cards. Here is a pdf of a deck I created for this purpose. It can be printed out on card stock and trimmed to make a set of cards.

For instance, what is the Knight of Wands on its own.

This is a deck I made with the printout on nice paper with golden fish on the back.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Death and the Temperance

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of Death and Temperance. The major theme for Death is that of transformation and new opportunities. Inherent in a new beginning, or new opportunity, is the leaving behind of that which no longer serves us well.

The skeleton of Death moves from left to right, from unconsciousness towards consciousness. His pink saddle symbolizes that his mission of transformation is based on love.

His black banner shows a five petaled white rose, symbolic of Mars, the five senses, and of life.

In the distance, the Sun is shown between two pillars, symbolizing immortality. A ship, symbolizing the afterlife, is shown sailing towards the Sun.

The four figures in the scene represent the temporal and the spiritual, old and young, male and female … death comes to everyone.

The red plume (as seen in the card of the Fool) represents will and power. The river represents the River Styx (the river that the Greek’s believed led to the underworld), and the constant movement into and out of materialization.

In a reading, Death alerts us that major changes are happening.

The major theme for Temperance is that of balance and control. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson refers to this as representing the purification and tempering of our own inner processes.

The crown at the end of the path represents mastery and attainment. The silver cup represents the unconscious, the gold cup consciousness. The water being poured back and forth is the essence of life.

One foot in the emotional world of water, one foot on the physical world of land, we bring balance to our conscious and unconscious selves.

The flower Iris represents the Greek Goddess Iris, Goddess of the rainbow.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Night of the Goddess Part 1 by Paul Averinos from Maya (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 53: Energizing the Tarot Session with James Wells

leisa — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:27:13 +0000

There are many ways to energize the tarot session in real life such as:

tangible constructive action
small doable action
new personal name
affirmations
body posture/movement
colour
meditation on the card
place the card in a special place with a candle & incense
wear something
jewelry or talisman to represent the card
essential oils
journal writing
walking a labyrinth
creativity (sound, clay, paint, etc.)

Reading List

Geraldine Amaral & Nancy Brady Cunningham. Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the Inner Voice.
Susan K. Cole. “Dance and Tarot: Personal Symbols Set to Movement”, Wheel of Tarot: A New Revolution, James Wanless & Angeles Arrien, editors, pp. 205 – 213.
Dori Gombold. “The Psychodynamic Effects of Tarot Symbolism”, Wheel of Tarot: A New Revolution, James Wanless & Angeles Arrien, editors, pp. 187 – 201.
Mary K. Greer. 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card (especially the chapter called “The Possible Self”, pp. 231 – 238).
Mary K Greer. The Essence of Magic: Tarot, Ritual and Aromatherapy.
Cait Johnson. Tarot for Every Day.
Robert A. Johnson. Inner Work.
Corrine Kenner. Tarot Journaling.
Jill Mellick. The Art of Dreaming.
Vicki Noble. Rituals and Practices with the Motherpeace Tarot.
Rachel Pollack. The Shining Tribe Tarot (especially the section on “Ways to Activate a Tarot Card”, pp. 305 – 312).
Rachel Pollack. Tarot Readings and Meditations.
Karen Turner. “Transformational Beliefs and Tarot”, Wheel of Tarot: A New Revolution, James Wanless & Angeles Arrien, editors, pp. 180 – 183.
James Wells. Tarot for Manifestation.
James Wells. “Walking the Labyrinth”, Llewellyn’s 2005 Tarot Reader, pp. 199 – 204.

James Wells is a Toronto-based Tarot consultant with an international clientele. Since age 12, he has lived, worked and played with the Tarot and its rich symbolism. James is also a Reiki Master, publisher of The Six-Rayed Star, musician, explorer of divination systems, weaver of rituals, and workshop facilitator. His job as a Worker of Oracles is to create sacred space for constructive feedback and soul work – a place where dreams, goals, imagination, intuition and magick, have full sway so that you can enjoy insight, support and healing. James can be reached at workeroforacles@yahoo.ca

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Justice and the Hanged Man

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of Justice and the Hanged Man. The major theme for Justice is that of being just with ourselves, as well as with others. In “The Heart of the Tarot”, Sandra Thomson notes that this is not a blind sense of justice, it is a clear sighted one. Before we act, we need to make sure that we are acting in a way that will insure a balanced outcome. We need to make sure that we are not only acting to bring in that which we desire.

Justice sits with her scales in her left hand, ready to weigh what is presented to her. In her right hand is the sword of reflection, pointing to higher truths, and to victory. It is a double edged sword – it destroys as well as builds in cutting through to the truth. It is her decision as to where the point of balance lies. The scales symbolize, as one might guess, our balance point in life. The pillars to the right and the left of Justice are the pillars of reconciliation, and of mercy. They are connected by the purple veil of higher consciousness.

Justice wears the crown of authority, with its imbedded square jewel of intelligence seated over the third eye, the wisdom and truth seeking chakra. The four sided jewel, along with the three turrets in the crown, add up to seven, the number of Venus. The olive green of her cape reflects the green of nature, and suggests personal growth. Her red dress symbolizes power – the base from which we achieve our growth. Her white slipper indicates purity of thought is at the foundation of her judgment.

The square brooch with the circular pin at her heart chakra symbolizes the “squaring of the circle”, a symbol of wholeness, and of the Self.

In a reading, Justice asks us to take the time to gather our facts, and to look at all viewpoints. It asks us to see the truth about ourselves.

The theme for the Hanged Man is that of releasing false, illusional images and of learning the natural laws of the universe. His being suspended upside down symbolizes his need to take a “fresh look” at his situation. He is letting go of the rules of society that bind him so that he can see clearly.

The Sevens by Ginny Hunt

Sevens in Tarot once again bring conflict and choice, but this go round involves less something from the outside happening to you, but your own actions and impulses create the change, cause the ruckus, because you have some silly notion inside you that prompts this. You are the one agitating here, but not for no reason. Sevens take a stand based on an unseen but strongly felt inner truth.

Seven is historically a mystical number. Its mythological and symbolic use is broad and deep. Many different religions and cultures view seven as spiritual, lucky, and very significant. It is the number of the philosopher, sage, and wisdom seeker. When a seven appears in any fashion, you can understand there is more going on under the surface that involves the spiritual, faith, and esoteric realms. Seven is an enigma and as such is difficult to define. It’s like the faith it symbolizes: you know it when you feel it.

Some of its significance stems from the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations, which identified seven planets and framed seven days of the week around them. Very early among Middle Eastern peoples, seven became known as a “perfect” number, symbolic of completeness and goodness. Not “perfect” mathematically like the six, but symbolizing perfection and as such is often attributed to God. In the Bible, God rested on the seventh day because his work of creation was complete, entire, perfect. Thus seven represents this perfect completeness and also it represents rest, as in the rest that is taken from work. It is from this same word that the Sabbath, the day of rest comes. In Judaism, every seven years a year of Jubilee is celebrated as well as a Sabbatical year once every seven. The “Counting of the Omer” leading up to the giving of the Torah is expressed as “7 times 7 weeks.” In Christianity, likewise, the number seven continues to be significant. It is the number of churches of Asia to which the “Book of Revelation” is addressed, the number of Deadly Sins and Virtues, the number of terraces of Mount Purgatory (one per deadly sin), the number of sacraments in the Roman Catholic faith, the number of heads of the beast of the Book of Revelation, and the number of seals on The Book of Life. Jesus says to Peter to forgive seventy times seven times indicating an unlimited number of times, but also that it is the spiritual thing to do. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Mystic Chants by Anne Young (Podsafe Music Network)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 52: Magical Pentagram Spreads, Sixes, Tarot for Personal Growth

leisa — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 00:54:34 +0000

In June 2007, the Portland Tarot Study Group covered the 5’s in Tarot and practiced related spreads. A very popular and meaningful spread is one based on the 4 elements plus spirit. There are many variations and ways to arrange the elements around the pentagram.

For this version, the elements are assigned to points on the pentagram with Spirit at the top. Then if we go around clockwise, Water, Fire, Earth and Air. This is the arrangement used in Ceremonial Magic Ritual to invoke or banish elements.

It makes interesting relationship between positions and allows a variety of ways to read elemental dignities. There is tension between the Water & Fire cards on the right. The same thing goes for the Air and Earth on the left. Cards that are diagonally across from each other are supportive (Air & Fire) (Earth & Water). Horizontal cards are neutral.

If you start at fire and go counter clockwise around the points, the elements are in the order of the Pentagrammaton.

Pick an element that best describes the subject of the reading.
Does the querent with to increase or decrease the element in their life?
Select a pentagram to dictate the order and direction the cards will be read.
Shuffle, while thinking about the question.
Layout the cards around the pentagram. I like to use the opening of the key to get the 4 natural element cards and calculate the spirit card based on adding the numbered cards up and reducing them to a number less than 22. Having a second majors only deck is very helpful for this. You might get a major card twice.
Start reading with the card indicated by the pentagram you picked. Continue in the direction indicated.

Examples

How can i improve communication with my spouse?

(Invoking Air) Start with Water, Move towards Air. Water-> Air-> Fire-> Spirit-> Earth

How can I stop obsessing about my application for college.

(Banishing Air) Start with Air, Move towards Water. Air-> Water-> Earth-> Spirit-> Fire.

I spent a couple of weeks trying to come up with a graphic that would help with keeping track of the pentagrams. This is what I came up with.

The colored paths represent the starting paths for each of the elements.

Red-Fire: Diagonal Line between Spirit & Fire
Blue-Water: Horizontal line between Air & Water
Yellow-Air: Horizontal link between Air & Water
Green-Earth: Diagonal Line between Spirit & Earth
Light Violet-Active Spirit: Diagonal line between Air & Fire
Deep Violet-Passive Spirit: Diagonal line between Earth & Water.

Pick your element. Decide if you want to invoke or banish the element. Banishing always starts at the element. Invoking starts away from the element and moves towards it. The first path is the one with the color of the element. The two spirit paths are represented by violet. Since they don’t touch the spirit point, consider the high end of the path to end in spirit to use the diagram. For example, banishing active spirit starts at Air.

Examples

Invoking Fire: Start at Spirit, move towards Fire. Spirit-> Fire -> Air -> Water -> Earth.
Banishing Water: Start at Water, move towards Air. Water-> Air -> Fire-> Spirit -> Earth

The Sixes by Ginny Hunt

Sixes in tarot are a welcome relief after the disruptive, conflicting adrenaline-pumping fives. Sixes restore harmony to the chaos, they offer comfort, nurturing, sympathy, and healing to those battered by the losses of the fives as well. Sixes are the kudos you deserve, the solace you need, the balm on your wounds.

Six is the number of the Major Arcana card VI The Lovers and it represents all the qualities of a secure, loving relationship such as harmony, beauty, nurturing, love, marriage, family, responsibility, understanding, sympathy, healing, empathy, perfection, order, duty, comfort, and service. Even its shape is soft and beautiful, its form is a continuous curve without angle, without line. It is almost a spiral, going towards infinity.

Six is both the sum (1 + 2 + 3) and the product (1 x 2 x 3) of the first three numbers. It is therefore considered “perfect.” In mathematics, a perfect number is one that equals the sum of its divisors (excluding itself), and 6 is the first perfect number in this sense because its divisors are 1, 2, and 3.

In alchemy, the upright triangle represents fire, and the upside-down triangle is the symbol for water. Together they symbolize the unity of opposites. The hexagram is seen in the Seal of Solomon, and this symbol is often used in ceremonial magick. It has been adopted as the national symbol of Israel and is a common symbol in Judaism, as there was a 6-pointed star on the shield that David carried to battle Goliath. Another version is the Unicursal Hexagram devised by the Golden Dawn in order to create a six-pointed star symbol in one movement rather than two. Qabbalistically, six represents Tiphareth, or “beauty.” (read the full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Tarot and Personal Growth

Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom and The Four Insights: The Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earthkeepers

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we are going to be talking about Tarot and personal growth. I have recently been working with a book by Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D., entitled The Four Insights: The Wisdom, Power, and Grace of the Earthkeepers. Since I have a tendency to mix and match my work tools, I immediately placed the intent of this book on a level with that of Rachel Pollack’s Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom.

In “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom”, Pollack sets down a solid basis for the interpretations of each of the card groups – the Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and the Court Cards. The Major Arcana is further broken down into three distinct areas of life experience: cards 1-7 deal with the main concerns of society (love, social authority, and education); cards 8-14 represent a withdrawal into self-awareness, with a symbolic death and rebirth; while cards 15-21 represent confrontation, followed by a union with the Divine. Working through the path of the Major Arcana can be equated with working through Jung’s process of individuation, the goal being enlightenment. The Major Arcana can also be seen as the fifth element – Spirit.

The four suits of the Minor Arcana are associated with the traditional four elements: Wands with Fire (action, passion, will, career), Cups with Water (intuition, emotions, love, friendship, joy), Swords with Air (conflict, mental activity, wisdom), and Pentacles with Earth (physical world, work, nature, material things), and the unspoken name of God (Yod – Fire, and the creative spark, the energy needed to begin any enterprise); Heh – Water, the actual beginning of the enterprise; Vau – Air, the development of the plan: Heh – Earth, and finished creation). Pollack notes that the Minor Arcana provide the commentary on life in a reading.

The Court Cards are expressive of personality types, defined by their elemental quality. In general, Pollack references Kings as representing social responsibility, power, and success; Queens as representing deep appreciation of the suit, and creativity; Knights as representing action, responsibility to others; and Pages as representing exploration and study.

The Tarot acts as a mirror for our lives, reflecting on many levels the situations we are facing, showing us different ways of looking at them, how we got into our current situation, and what options we have for dealing with it. It is an active tool of transformation, acting as a gateway between our conscious and unconscious selves.

Music Credits

Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Above the Clouds Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 50: The Golden Tarots of Kat Black

leisa — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 02:01:42 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

long with thousands of other people, I was made homeless due to the Olympics in Sydney on 2000. Landlords were kicking people out and renovating places, so many people like me who didn’t have a lease ended up without anywhere to live. An online pal, a fellow free-ware developer, offered me a room in his place – in Arizona. So I jumped on a plane and set off. Since I wasn’t allowed to work in the US, I decided to work on some pet projects on the web. One was a site on fork bending http://fork-you.com and one was a tarot deck. You can ask Dan Pelletier about the fork bending

Digital graphics were still pretty new, and I’d been playing around with it since the very beginning – I made my first digital tarot deck on dPaint on an Amiga in the early 90’s. I think I had 32 colours to work with, and there was no ‘anti-aliasing’ or ‘feathering’ so it looked pretty much like Lego blocks. Technology had improved in those 10 years or so, and now it was possible to use millions of colours and layering, so digital collage was by then a feasible option.

2000 doesn’t sound that long ago, but I’d be surprised if there were 10% as many decks on the market then, compared to now. Anyway, I had this idea that I wanted a deck that LOOKED like my Visconti Sforza, but that READ like a Rider-Waite. There are probably scores of decks now that would kinda fit that bill, but then, there were none. Even Brian Williams ‘Renaissance Tarot” didn’t look remotely Renaissance – more like a pastel Art-Nouveau fantasy of the Renaissance. Anyway, I had this idea to digitally collage old artworks to created easy to interpret tarot cards. It was as much about my love of International Gothic style art as it was about tarot, and they weren’t heavily collaged. I was working on a tiny little laptop with a touchpad, didn’t even have a mouse, so it was pretty rough. You can still see it on my site http://goldentarot.com

The deck developed quite a following online. I think I’d really struck a chord that a lot of people, like me, liked the feeling of tradition and the heritage of the tarot in the Renaissance without wanting the difficulty of trying to read a deck without illustrated Minors.

About a year after the deck came out, I started getting emails to congratulate me on getting Golden published. It turned out that it had been pirated in Germany, as part of an annual calendar/deck set by a publisher who had previously pirated other artists’ work. My Agents at the time said it ‘wasn’t viable’ to sue the German company, and the German copyright agency said it wasn’t a breach of copyright as the images I’d used was public domain. Of course this is rubbish – collages are NEW works of art, and copyright belongs to the collagist. But I can’t afford to sue someone myself, especially on the other side of the world. So, I was very annoyed but there was little I could do.

Then, unbeknownst to me, a fan in the US took up my case in the forums. Judy Sidone Tillinger had studied medieval and Renaissance art in College and now worked as an editor at a newspaper in New York. She started an email campaign, and I got swamped with hundreds of emails of support, and also requests to publish the deck legally so people could buy copies. I was flattered, but didn’t want to go through that whole rejection-slip process as I had with earlier projects. I sent everyone a polite standard “thanks, but it’s too hard to get published” reply. What I didn’t realize is that people must also have been sending the major tarot publishers similar requests, as both US Games and Llewellyn asked me to submit formal proposals, which I did. USGS very quickly send me a contract, which required that I sign copyright over to them. I’d always sworn as an artist that I’d never give up my copyright, but US Games were insistent, and pointed to the piracy of my work and said they needed to own copyright in order to legally protect against future piracy attempts. I still wasn’t too sure. I went to a great copyright lawyer, who pointed out that the contract also gave them full, exclusive digital rights – so they could technically make me shut down the website that had got me the fan base in the first place.

Then, late at night a few days after I got the contract, I got a call from US Games. A woman said she was just checking the number and that I was home, and that Stuart Kaplan would ring me back shortly. Kaplan took long enough to call me that I was completely freaked out and feeling quite nauseous by the time the phone rang. STUART KAPLAN! CEO of US Games, author of the huge Tarot Encylopedias, father of the modern tarot in many respects. Love him or hate him, tarot owes him a huge debt of gratitude for its current popularity. I heard his voice and didn’t know what to say. I don’t think I was very coherent, but I basically got the message. He liked my deck, and would I sign the contract? I explained about the copyright issue and he said that the contract wouldn’t be changed – I could sign it and be published by US Games, or not. I had a week to decide.

After a sleepless night, I got in contact with Llewellyn, who had been much more communicative throughout this whole Proposal process, and told Barbara Moore about the deadline (I’d say ultimatum, but that’s really too harsh a word). She understood, and offered to rush it through – but said that it was very unlikely with such short notice, that normally their assessment process takes months of market research etc. And as it turned out, she was right – they said no, and so I signed with US Games and they got copyright of the deck.

Two Strength Cards

As soon as I signed the contract, I got to work. I had to start again from scratch to create the deck at high resolution for publication. Given the limitations of working from low-resolution files, it was a difficult task. Many of the original designs were impossible to do at the higher resolution. In addition, I had to make it ‘more Rider Waite’ – a requirement for US Games decks, and also something I wanted to do. After all, making a beautiful but easy-to-read deck was my main intention.

I worked obsessively. Pretty much sixteen hours a day at least, seven days a week for about 4 months to finish the deck. Over 1600 hours in a very short space of time. My friends were worried about me – I’d ignore the phone and glare at them for bothering me and not invite them in when they dropped in to check if I was alright. Luckily I was single and living alone then

It was partly because that’s the way I work best, completely immersing myself in something, but it was also economic necessity – I got one small Advance when I signed the contract, but then no more money until it got published. My credit card held out for awhile, and then my brother helped out with bills and rent.

Finally it was finished and I sent it off, expecting a long, drawn-out editorial process of amending cards. To my surprise, they only asked me to change one card. Then, it was a case of them doing their end of the process. I got on with my life. I enrolled in Art School to get a qualification to teach, met Jasper there, became a VJ (live video performance artist). During that period, I had very little to do with tarot. At Art school, they pretty much look down on anything as commercial and graphic-design related as a tarot deck, so I just didn’t really think of it as part of my life. There was delay after delay with the publication and I think it was coming up to two years before it finally made it to market. After many and varied reasons for delays, the last straw was when it got pulled from pre-order on Amazon because they basically just didn’t believe it was really going to happen any more. I tried to explain to them that it WAS on it’s way, on a train across Northern America… it should have arrived by now…. then I heard that the train had got derailed by an avalanche and that the freight (including my decks) had got cleared off the rails so that other trains could get through…

It ended up seeming more and more like it would never get to market, but finally it did. And it looked WONDERFUL. Probably many of your listeners have seen Golden – the majestic blue box, the deck’s gilded edges. Kaplan had wanted it to be their ‘deluxe’ product and I’d said I wanted an affordable, budget edition made as well, so that everyone could afford a copy if they wanted it. The compromise was what had taken the 2 years – US Games went to great lengths to find a publisher in China who could make such a high quality product at such a budget price. They’d had to experiment a great deal to get the gilded edges not to flake and chip. Usually, a gilt-edged book is only read a few times, but a tarot deck is constantly handled. I don’t know HOW they did it, but it’s a technical triumph. I still can’t believe that they made such a stunning package for RRP of $25 (and I hear you can buy it for as little as $14 in the US). It’s got to be their least profitable product, considering the quality of the production.

I was very worried that it would get written off as a bit of a Show Pony – lovely to look at, but sniffed at by tarot professionals. Although I’d put a huge amount of research into tarot tradition for the deck, I’d also added in extra symbolism of my own so it wasn’t 100% ‘traditional tarot’. I’m not a dedicated tarot expert – I haven’t dedicated my life to tarot the way many people have. I’m really in awe at the mastery of people like Stuart Kaplan, Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, Dan Pelletier etc, but my interests are too varied to concentrate on becoming an expert in one field. So, I’ve been very surprised by the acceptance of the deck by tarot experts. When I heard that it was one of Mary Greer’s favorite decks (long before I was lucky enough to meet her in person) I was stunned, as her ‘Tarot for Your Self’ was the first time I’d read a book that explained use of the tarot how I’d used it myself since my teens – intuitively, for personal insight and self-awareness.

I’d never read for other people – I don’t think I’d even had my tarot read professionally. That’s not what it was about for me – it was always about archetypes and analyzing the world around you – where you fit, how you affect the things that happen in your own life. A tool to assist personal responsibility, not to surrender it. It still makes me very uncomfortable when someone turns to a tarot reader to ask something like ’should I take this job?’ and wants a ‘yes or no’ answer. They may as well toss a coin, if they’re not willing to consider the complexity of the situation, and face all the additional questions a proper tarot reading may raise. Anyway, I know a lot of your listeners may disagree with me there, so I’ll move on

Golden Tarot finally hit the shelves in 2004. By then, there were already many, many new decks flooding onto the market, including many medieval and Renaissance themed decks. I was thrilled when it was voted one of the ‘Top Ten’ decks on Aeclectic for 2004, and then it happened again in 2005. By the 2006 vote, I was just plain shocked to see it still in the ‘Top Ten of All Time’. There must be hundreds and hundreds of decks on the market now, I find it hard to think that mine is still so popular. My rating on Amazon is still a 5-star average after over 50 reviews (and they’re not all personal friends of mine I guess that goes to show that if you research something well, and put in your own personal passion and vision into it, there are going to be other people who share that passion and vision.

I get the most amazing fan mail for Golden Tarot. It’s funny, because I feel that what I’m doing, say, with my video art, is more important (that sounds so pretentious! Don’t know how else to put it though), more creative, more innovative. But then, golden really touches a lot of people – enough to get them bothering to email me and say so.

A lot of people have asked me when I was going to make another deck. That always seemed a bit weird because I’m not a collector, and I think that now I’ve created the deck I wanted, why would I bother making another one? And from a financial point of view, it would be crazy. even if it IS a popular, successful deck, I know it’s never going to make me enough money to be worth the hours spent making it. At least, with a traditional publiching model. I make about the same as unemployment benefit from Golden. I’m not complaining – I mean, at least I’m making that much, I don’t starve. And as I mentioned earlier, I doubt it’s a cash-cow for US Games, considering the luxury packaging, gilding etc. But after I read ‘The Long Tail’ I thought there has to be a better way. I have a sizable online following and the most wonderful, dedicated fans – many of whom have been with me since the pre-publication days. Lots of people around the world share my love of tarot and the Renaissance, and I can digitally collage old-master paintings better than anyone (Hmm, come to think of it I might be the only one doing it…). I must be able to make a better living

I’ve been a digital developer for a long time – running free graphics websites like http://retrokat.com/medieval/ since the 90’s and with new media like mobile phone content becoming more widespread, that’s where I should be looking to make my main living. Since I don’t own the digital rights to Golden, I can’t just adapt that for mobiles. Also, that wouldn’t work very well anyway – you need to design completely differently for the small screen. Which gave me the idea for a new deck…

Leave the RWS layouts out of it. If they were so tiny, then it’s just going to be a memory trigger and no more – and I want more than that. I want something that has a chance of connecting with the person, a trigger for reflection and personal insight. And what can possibly do that with so few pixels?…

The human face. It’s the first thing we recognize as babies… and regardless of language, we can read a lot about what someone’s trying to communicate from their expression. And if there’s one thing they did well in the 16th and 17th centuries, it’s painting faces.

So.. it was to be a deck of portraits. Maybe a few symbols here and there, if they didn’t detract too much from the person’s facial expression or body language, but predominantly, faces chosen to communicate the meanings of the card. Faces you can become familiar with, faces you can read. ‘78 friends you can hold in your hand’.

I popped a website up saying that I was considering this new deck, and showed a few draft samples. Behind the scenes, I was trying to get a mobile-content deal. Ack, now there’s a hard market to break into. People started to ask me when the deck would be finished, and I explained that it was on hold unless I could get a deal for it. Then, along came a very generous benefactor who offered to pay me to finish the deck. This person wants to remain anonymous, understandably, as they don’t want to get swamped by requests for money. Fishing for a private benefactor was the furtherest thing from my mind. The person doesn’t want a percentage or anything, just a copy of the deck when and if I can get a deal. Incredible! Like a fairytale. So that’s what I’m working on at the moment.

Cielo Preview

You can see some of the cards on tarotcielo.com – although due to piracy of my work, I can only show a few. At least, until/unless I get a deal

Another market I’ll be looking to with the deck is use of digital images for online and 900 line readers. Some of these readers use digital images of cards, but there are very few public-domain decks, and the commercial deck publishers are very strict about use of images from their published decks. For example, you couldn’t show a client images from Golden Tarot through online chat or by email without paying a usage fee to US Games Systems. And if you’re thinking that some of that will go to the deck creator, that’s not true in my case.

I think if I can create images that work well with online and phone readings, and if the reader knows that a payment (no matter how small) goes to the creator of the cards, then they’d respect that. That’s how the music industry is evolving. I have friends who sell their own tracks, for example through sites like Martian Music, and their fans will happily pay $1 a track rather than pirating the music, because they KNOW that most of that goes to the band. Digital rights are really empowering like that – you can use that more direct connection between artist and consumer to make a more fair deal for both. That’s an exciting for both creatives and consumers.

In particular, I think tarot people are concerned about fairness, karma etc. eg, ebay sellers email me to ask my permission before they list copies of the pirated German pre-US Games version of Golden Tarot. And if anyone tries to sell pirated versions or unapproved products related to Golden, immediately someone will recognize it and email me from my website. That sort of dedication and direct relationship with my fans has been there right since the beginning with Golden. I’m sorry if any of your listeners have emailed me and not got a reply. I always mean to, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day!

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Gold & Gilded Tarots

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. This is Bonnie Cehovet, and today I am going to be talking about a specific type of Tarot deck – those that fall into what I call the “Gold” or “Gilded” category. Sometimes these are viewed as art decks, sometimes as collectors items, and sometimes they are published as Special Editions of a regular Tarot deck. They all have one thing in common – they feature the color gold. This can be done through using the color to highlight different parts of a card, or it can be done through the application of gold foil. I adore the gold foil decks – but I absolutely dare someone to get a decent scan with them!

One of the decks that is unique unto itself in this category is the Golden Tarot, by Kat Black (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.). The imagery is a collage of artwork from the late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance, featuring the color gold prominently, along with the use of a gold border and a gold back to the cards. The most stunning feature of this deck, however, is the gilt card edges – when you take the top off of the box (which is one of the most elegant – and sturdy – Tarot boxes that I have ever seen!) the gilt edging transfixes you – it is so incredibly mesmerizing, you just want to sit there and look at it! Bravo Kat!

Gold Leaf Tarot Decks

Gold Editions

	Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot Gold Edition
	Golden Man Tarot The Tarot Garden Database: General Search
	Golden Rider Tarot Golden Rider Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot
	Golden Tarot Deck Golden Tarot of Deck at Aeclectic Tarot
	Medieval Scapini Medieval Scapini Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot
	New Century Tarot deck New Century Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot
	Stairs of Gold Tarot (aka Tavaglione Tarot) Stairs of Gold Tarot at Aeclectic Tarot
	Victorian Romantic Tarot (Gold Edition) The Victorian Romantic Tarot

William Wilde Zeitler

William Zeitler is a composer and professional musician. He has numerous published and commissioned works to his credit. A classically trained pianist, he earned his music degree from the California Institute of the Arts.

The Glass Armonica is the musical instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Said to be the invention that pleased him the most, Franklin’s Glass Armonica is a series of glass bowls mounted on a horizontal rod. Tapering in size, they are played like wine glasses as they spin.

William’s instrument is custom built and was a year in the making. It contains 44 glass bowls mounted on a hand crafted stand of cherry and oak.

4 Full album are available at www.williamzeitler.com

You can download the mp3s free of charge (click to play, right-click to save) with no copy-protection. If you like the albums you can purchase them or make a donation.

Music Credits

Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 48: Reading for Parties and Events

leisa — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:31:11 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

One major venue for reading in for other people is events and parties. Ginny Hunt interviews me about doing this. It can be a great environment and you can reach a large number of people this way. There are a few things to consider and workout before you get started.

How much to charge
How many people you can read for
How & When to Accept Payment
Contracts & Invoices & Deposits
What you need provided (Tables, Chairs)
What to Bring

Small Tarot to Go Kit

Attractive Box
Tarot Deck
Aromatherapy
Tea light and Holder
Business Cards
Matches
Sacred Object
Post-It
Pen
Podcast Promo Card

Large Tarot to Go Kit

Candles
Clock
Tissues
Lighter
Red Silk Cloth
Golden Hand Candle Holder
Purple Silk Wrap for Tarot Deck
Tarot Deck
Red Leather Box with Office Supplies
Business Cards
Paper
Pen
Aromatherapy
(Add Water & Goblet)
(Crystal Ball)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Hermit and Wheel of Fortune

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the Hermit and the Wheel of Fortune. The major theme for the Hermit is that of doing inner work. His is a solitary path … that of self-learning. He represents individual effort, and the knowledge that comes as the result of such effort. The Hermit is the energy that we need to work with when we need to work alone. His tools are contemplation and individual effort.

… The theme for the Wheel of Fortune is that of cycles … universal cycles, and personal life cycles. It represents a life in constant movement, and the lessons learned … or not learned through our life experiences. The sphinx at the top of the wheel acts as the guardian of mysteries, asking us to put our wisdom to best use. It also represents a sense of equilibrium in life.

The snake at the outside edge speaks of kundalini energy, moving up through the chakra system to allow us to express our creative natures. The snake also speaks of renewal.

On the four corners of the wheel are symbols representing the four elements, and the four fixed signs of the Zodiac (Aquarius, symbolized by man; Scorpio, symbolized by an Eagle; Leo, symbolized by a Lion; and Taurus (represented by a Bull). They also represent the four winged Archangels … Raphiel, Gabriel, Michael, and Auriel.

The Terminator by Ginny Hunt

“All but Death, can be Adjusted—
Dynasties repaired—
Systems—settled in their Sockets—
Citadels—dissolved—
Wastes of Lives—resown with Colors
By Succeeding Springs—
Death—unto itself—Exception—
Is exempt from Change—”
-Emily Dickenson

What does that card image say to you? Hi, I’m Death, right? It’s all there, the human skeleton, the scythe, cutting a swath through the remnants of human affairs. The lives of noble and peasant alike laid waste: the artist, the scholar, the kings and queens, the laborer, all meet the same end. The great equalizer: Death. Is there anything in this image suggesting rebirth? Fun things on their way? I don’t see it, do you? Call me a party pooper, but Death means end, finale, termination. “Quoth the Raven, “Nevermore.” This card is from the Classic Tarot deck, a reproduction of a Milanese deck, dated 1835, but it’s a very typical, historically accurate portrayal of death symbolism in art since the early Middle Ages.

So why do so many tarot readers insist this card does not mean what it clearly portrays? That look of terror in a client’s eyes in the middle of a reading is one reason. Nothing can cast a pall over a for-entertainment-purposes-only tarot reading faster than having Joe Black make an appearance. Readers are quick to say, “Oh no, Death doesn’t mean literal death, it’s symbolic, you see, calm down…have a mint.” Soft-peddling death is a natural reaction. We don’t like death. It’s unpleasant. It hurts. It’s scary. However, no matter how you candycoat it, death represents an end. True, that end doesn’t have to be the literal end to someone’s life, but it certainly means an end to an aspect of someone’s life, be it a relationship, a career, a phase or way of life. It’s an ending that cannot be resisted, it’s going to happen, like it or not, and the attending grief likewise cannot be avoided. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Monkey Party by The Headroom Project from Cira a Doro (Magnatune)

Episode 47: Dan Pelletier discusses Tarot Myths

leisa — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 04:24:59 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Myths, legends… Each myth, each legend had a basis for beginning. To simply say, Ah it’s a legend, don’t believe it’s is a knee-jerk reaction.

It’s a mythtake in my opinion. A blind knee-jerk in the name of rationale.

Stating something is not true because it’s a legend, or a myth, may be as heinous as blindly accepting a myth or legend as fact.

In fact it may be worse.

Debunking myths blindly (Hey I bought my first deck and it didn’t affect me!) does few any favors; students find no wisdom in such lessons. You may very well obstruct growth by imposing your world view upon them as opposed to allowing students to find their own view.

For instance, why SHOULD someone be given his or her first deck? Does it make a difference? Will they be a better reader? Will the deck work better?

Without exploring the root of the myth your syllogism is fallacious. Or as we said as a kid, Are-Oh-En-Gee WRONG.

I really want to see folks stop simply stating, It’s a myth! Don’t believe it!

I used to be one of those folks. And I now know that my prior stance was wrong. I no longer hold those beliefs.

Myths have a root.

Fables and myths are what we use to describe what we don’t comprehend. They are our attempts to make the impossible possible.

Wisdom often lies in the undertones. That’s where we find truth.

Dan Pelletier

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Chariot and Strength

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we will be continuing on our journey through the symbols in the Major Arcana. As I noted in the first Pod Cast of this series, that of the Fool, the imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a
traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the Chariot and Strength. The major theme for the Chariot is that of independence and self-sufficiency. As the Charioteer, each of us attempts mental control over our emotional and physical selves. This is a card of challenge, of confidence, and of being prepared, of developing our innate skills. The Chariot is the final card in the first series of seven Trump cards, and indicates that the Fool, the one taking the journey, has emerged from this phase a victor.

In Tarot Symbolism, Robert V. O’Neill places the Chariot as symbolic of the body, the horses as symbols of human instincts, and the Charioteer as symbolic of the mind. The horses pulling in different directions indicate that duality is still present.

In The Tarot – History, Symbolism, and Divination, Robert M. Place notes that the chariot is the cubic stone, and the Charioteer is the spirit emerging from the stone.

In The Heart of the Tarot, Sandra Thomson speaks of the Charioteer’s shield, with the symbols of yoni and lingam (tantric sexual symbols) below the winged sun, showing that he has the power to move energy from the base chakra to the crown chakra at will. The Egyptian winged solar disc itself represents aspiration.

… From the Chariot, and the ending of the first third of the Fool’s journey, we move on to Strength, and the beginning of the second third of the journey. Strength is where we begin to refine our personalities. The theme of Strength
is that of dealing with contradictory emotions – of acknowledging them, and then either resolving them, or bringing them into some sense of balance. We exert control over our world by using the right form of strength at the right time.

The female figure in this card represents feminine spiritual energy. Her purpose is to tame the masculine energy of basic instincts and brute force.

Tarot by the Numbers: The Four’s by Ginny Hunt

I’ve always liked the number four. Not sure why, but I do. Fours have a certain nice sound to them and they’re orderly and you can pair it off into two two’s. It’s just a nice number. And it’s true that fours represent stability, orderliness, practicality, patience, responsibility and all those nice things, so it’s no wonder our dear Mr. Emperor of the Major Arcana is the supreme IV of Tarot. Fours are very solid and dependable, like a square. In fact, the word, “square” has come to mean things like “fair, proper, honest, and straightforward.” We say we got a “square deal” if it was an honest exchange, a “square meal” is a proper one and if you’ve won something, I hope you won it “fair and square.” (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Only Begun by Artemis from Gravity (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 45: Creating Tarot with Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

leisa — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 05:52:35 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Ellen Lorenzi-Prince led a Portland Tarot Study Group session on creating Tarots and the Creative Process. Ellen Lorenzi-Prince has been a reader and teacher of Tarot for over 15 years. She is the artist and designer of the Tarot of the Crone, a sold-out, limited-edition deck, which will be coming back into print in 2007. She writes tarot-related articles, poetry, short stories and meditations for herself and for several online study groups, as well as for printed newsletters. Her latest tarot is Pandora’s Tarot, which can also be seen on her site.

Recommended Greek Sites

Creating Life Spread by Ellen Lorenzi-Prince

This spread was presented at the San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium, October 2002.

First focus on a creative work of yours. This work might be a tarot deck, a book, a relationship, or an identity.

1. The Calling

2. The Spirit 3. The Form

4. My Doubts 5. My Faith

6. Finding Depth 7. Adding Breadth

8. Inner Obstacle 9. Outer Obstacle

10. Starting Over

11. Inner Gift 12. Outer Gift

13. The Last Word

1. The Calling – What is your motivation? What is calling you, pushing you, pulling you to manifest this particular vision?

2. The Spirit – What is the spirit, the vision? What helps you connect with spirit, the genie behind the work? What desires or requires expression?

3. The Form – What is the form best suited to your vision? How might the spirit best be made manifest? What is the labor required?

4. My Doubts – What makes you doubt your vision? What denies you the right to your work and the rewards of your work?

5. My Faith – What makes you trust your vision? What helps you believe in yourself? How do you maintain flow through completion of the work?

6. Finding Depth – How much of yourself can you put into this work? How much emotion? What events of your past might illuminate your work?

7. Adding Breadth – How much of the world can you put into this work? Where can you find resources and inspiration outside of yourself?

8. Outer Obstacle – What are the habits and responsibilities that keep you from your work? How might they be overcome? How might they be changed?

9. Inner Obstacle – What shadows might rear their ugly heads during this work? What attitudes and emotions should you beware?

10. Starting Over – What needs rethinking? Where are you straying from your vision? Where might you need to abandon your vision?

11. Inner Gift – What strength and knowledge will you find upon completion of this work? How will continuing your work change you for the better?

12. Outer Gift – What rewards can you look forward to? How will continuing your work change your circumstance for the better?

13. The Last Word – Just what it says.

Tarot by the Numbers: The Three’s by Ginny Hunt

For some reason, three’s seem a little hard to grasp in Tarot. From the delightful Three of Cups to the painful Three of Swords, what do they have in common? It helps me to imagine a three-legged stool. From the tenuous decision-making and pondering of the two’s, something begins to manifest in the three’s. While a two-legged chair wouldn’t support one’s weight without tipping over, the addition of that third leg allows the seat to support something as solid as your posterior. While the type of manifestation is dependent upon the suit, what is common among the three’s is that first manifestation of something real, supportive, and true.

The Major Arcana each of the three’s echo is The Empress. This is related to her procreativity and abundance. She is the generative force behind bringing life and creation to fruition and the three’s each show a manifestation of that creative energy by the coming together of various elements in due measure. Astrologically, Jupiter and Venus are represented by the number three and Venus is the planet of The Empress as well. Venus rules our feminine side as well as relationships and the things we desire. Three’s also represent manifesting that which we desire through working with others, bringing things into relationship with one another to produce and create something. (read the full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Comparative Tarot

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we are going to be taking a look at reading with the Comparative Tarot technique. This technique was defined and made popular by Tarotist Valerie Sim, who was the founder the e-group Comparative Tarot, and the guiding light behind its companion site of the same name.

For those of you who might wish to join the Comparative Tarot e-group, it is currently under the ownership of Tarotist Teresa Michelson, and can be found a yahoogroups.com/group/comparativetarot. The Comparative Tarot can be found at www.comparativetarot.com.

Valerie also has a book out that discusses the Comparative Tarot method, entitled “Tarot Outside The Box” (ISBN #0738702773). This part of Llewellyn Publications “Special Topics In Tarot” series. (Slightly off topic – if anyone can tell me why they now have both ten digit and thirteen digit ISBN numbers – for the same product – I would really appreciate it!)

I am going to take a moment to talk a little bit about what the Comparative Tarot technique is, and then we are going to examine a three card reading, comparing the “Rider-Waite Tarot”, the “Gaian Tarot”, and the “Tarot of Dreams”.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Sunflower by Yongen from Moonrise. (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Download audio file (TarotConnectionEpisode45.mp3)

Episode 42: Mary Carter’s accidentally engaged

leisa — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:07:40 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived.

It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

My guest is Mary Carter who’s latest book Accidentally Engaged protagonist Clare Ivers is a psychic tarot reader. Clare ignores her intuition which is telling her to decline reading for a woman who is getting cold feet about her upcoming wedding. Clare is asked to give a phony reading in favor of the wedding (by the sister-in-law) and to break the engagement (by the future bride). Clare obliges her customer and comes into possession of a 3 carat wedding ring that needs returning.

Accidentally Engaged

By Mary Carter
PROLOGUE

It all started that fateful evening when I allowed myself to turn over the first card. It was from the Major Arcana, Trumps Zero, The Fool.

He’s the grinning idiot, the class clown, the one who eats oysters despite the Red Tide warning, the guy who lowers his car for increased speed and agility, despite the fact that it’s a Saturn.

Most Tarot card decks show The Fool standing at the edge of a cliff, not watching what he’s doing. He’s daydreaming, he’s staring off into the sky, he’s mentally composing his grocery list. In other words, he’s terminally out of milk.

He’s also one step away from plunging thousands of feet to his death.

And it’s not like anyone didn’t warn him. (Hence, his name.)

If a non-foolish man were carefully and strategically walking down a path and suddenly plunged to his death due to large foliage, overgrown trees, or poor city planning, we’d all feel sorry for the guy, maybe even drop a bundle of flowers or light an outdoor-only non flammable candle at the accident site. Maybe even shed a few tears. We’re reasonable people. And even if we didn’t go that far, we certainly wouldn’t blame the guy for dying.

But if there were clues pointing to the impending disaster scattered along the way, such as small forest animals running at top speed in the opposite direction, a strange, stale feeling of doom hovering about the suddenly stilled air, or a large, neon sign blinking Danger! This path ends in a perilous cliff!, we probably wouldn’t be so sympathetic when The Fool blindly forged ahead and plummeted off the face of the earth. Most likely we’d say, I told you so.

In my defense (because a fool always has one), at the time I thought I was doing the reading for someone else. It’s only now as I stand at the edge of the cliff, one step away from taking the fatal plunge myself, that I can see everything so clearly.

Mary Carter

Mary Carter is a freelance writer and certified sign language interpreter. She’s a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYC) and Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID. Her first novel, SHE’LL TAKE IT, will be re-published by Headline Books/Little Black Dress in the UK in November 2006. Her second novel, ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED, a comedy about a tarot card reader who messes up the engagement of a very prominent bachelor, will be released in March of 2007 by both Kensington Books and Little Black Dress. Mary currently lives in Manhattan where she is busy writing her third novel.

Mary Carter Books (Visit Mary’s Website)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Ritual and the Aces

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. This is Bonnie Cehovet, and today we will be talking about ritual and the Aces. Webster defines ritual as something done in accordance with religious law, social custom, or normal protocol. That is a pretty wide range of thought! I personally see ritual as something that can be either formal or informal something that marks the passage of time, and the important events in our lives. Ritual is a marker that we use to make sense of life.

For me, an important, if informal, ritual is my morning coffee. When the weather is nice, I sit on my porch and gaze into the back yard, which is filled with all kinds of plant and animal life. In bad weather, the ritual takes place indoors, but the result is the same â€¦ I have connected with my soul, and with the life that surrounds me.

The Aces represent a world of opportunity. They are unexplored elemental energy waiting to be manifested, waiting to be put into use. What do you wish to manifest in your life? Which Ace, or combination of Aces, will assist you on your path?

Caution: do not listen to this episode in situations requiring alertness such as driving a car or operating machinery. Journey work is designed to put you in to a state of relaxation and an altered state of consciousness.

Tarot by the Numbers: The Twos by Ginny Hunt

I have a very conflicted relationship with numbers. I’m hopeless with math but I can do symbolism. That may seem a contradictory statement, for what are numbers but abstract symbols themselves? I can grasp the conceptual meaning of the symbols easily, but for some reason I will add 2 + 2 and come up with 5. Hey, that’s just me thinking outside the box, ok? Numbers and their symbolism inform a great deal about the meaning of tarot, and there is very little, if any, mathematical skill necessary to understand them. While the suits each have their attributes, so do each number.

There’s a whole field of spiritual and divinatory study called Numerology that goes well beyond the realm of tarot. However, tarot numerology differs in some ways from what has been developed in Numerology numerology. In Tarot, we primarily keep the symbolic meanings of the numbers in mind as a reference to sorting out the meaning of the cards. Understanding these symbolic numerical associations becomes more critical when working with non-scenic pip decks, such as the Marseilles-based decks, where pictured on the card may simply be 4 cups or 7 swords and not much else to go on.

The Major Arcana is numbered 0-21 and the Minor Arcana is numbered 1 (or Ace)-10 in each of the four suits. Each of the Minor numbers are associated with a Major. For example, as we take a look at the Two’s in Tarot, they all connect in some way to the Major Arcana II — The High Priestess. Each number also has a planetary association, so there’s some crossover with Astrology here as well.

The number two first and foremost represents dualism which is the existence of two fundamental principles, concepts, things or energies, that are in opposition to each other. It is where thought begins to actually take form. Human minds are geared towards seeing the relationships between two things, usually opposite things. We often express ourselves in this way, using opposing concepts to get at what we mean. We say something is good/bad, light/dark, male/female, sweet/sour. It is said we could not know happiness if not for having experienced its opposite, sadness. So, in that way two’s represent that dichotomy of thought that allows coherent expression of the initial idea begun in the Aces. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Happy Accident from Mystery Repeats Itself by Michael Masley

Episode 42: Ritual and Aces Journey

leisa — Tue, 08 May 2007 13:46:50 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

This journey is part of Episode 42 and has been released separately for your listening convenience. Before beginning this journey spend a few minutes looking at and relating to the ace you wish to experience.

Music Credits

Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Episode 41: Robert Place & The Vampire Tarot

leisa — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:04:42 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Robert M. Place is an internationally known visionary artist and illustrator, whose award winning works, in painting, sculpture, and jewelry, have been displayed in galleries and museums in America, Europe, and Japan and graced the covers and pages of numerous books and publications. He is the designer, illustrator, and co-author, with Rosemary Ellen Guiley, of: “The Alchemical Tarot” and “The Angels Tarot”, which are both published by HarperCollins and have received international acclaim particularly for their skillful and illuminating graphics. He is the designer, illustrator, and author of “The Tarot of the Saints” and “The Buddha Tarot”. And, he is the author of “The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination”, which Booklist has said, “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the tarot.” He is currently working on the “Vampire Tarot”, which will be published by St. Martins Press in 2007.

Robert is recognized as an expert on Western Mysticism, the history of the Tarot, and as a gifted teacher of divination. He has taught and lectured at the New York Open Center, Omega Institute, The New York Tarot School, and the World Tarot Congress. He and his work have appeared on Discovery, The Learning Channel, and A&E. He has been a guest on numerous radio shows including The Woodstock Roundtable on WDST-FM, People are Talking on WKZE-FM , and Mystic Musings on KKUP FM.

Together with his wife Rose Ann, he has been creating hand crafted jewelry for over twenty-five years. Their work has been exhibited in the White House, in the American Craft Museum, The New York State Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Delaware Art Museum, The Montclair Art Museum, The Irish American Heritage Museum, the International Wilhelm Muller Competition, (which toured Museums in Germany), Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, England, and in numerous galleries in the United States, Ireland, Britain, and Japan.

The Vampire Tarot

I started on this deck after creating The Alchemical Tarot. I saw that the Vampire myth was the shadow version of the Alchemical quest. Instead of looking for immortality by transforming the psyche and identifying with all of creation verses a limited ego and mortal body, the vampire looks for immortality in the body and ego and creates a horror story. – Robert M. Place

To receive The Restored Temple of Hermes, the free newsletter of the Alchemical Egg, with articles, a question and answer section, and news about up-coming lectures and workshops, e-mailed every other month, send an e-mail to Robert with The Restored Temple of Hermes in the subject line. Also, please let include know what state or country you live in.

Vampires and the Tarot

April 27th 2007: A Two-Hour (+) Lecture with Robert M. Place, Creator of The Vampire Tarot

Although the Vampire of modern literature and film is a blood-sucking monster, he or she is also the focus of sexual desire. This is exemplified by the fact that although Bela Lugosi made his reputation playing Dracula, the most famous vampire fiend, women all over the world swooned for him and he received hundreds of proposals of marriage. This paradox illuminates the fact that the modern Vampire of pop culture, particularly Dracula, is in reality an ancient mythological figure who has covertly entered a culture that is consciously attempting to cut itself off from myth. This mythological Vampire is also related to the Tarot trumps! Like the Tarot, the Vampire myth also seems to relate to the alchemical quest for the red elixir, called the philosopher’s stone, which may also be portrayed as a liquid. Like blood to a Vampire, the red elixir was said to prolong life indefinitely.

Stoker’s biographer, Barbara Belford, points out that Dracula author Bram Stoker was aware of the Tarot and seems to have based many of the characters in Dracula on Tarot trumps. In this lecture we will explore how and why this is so and find out why Pamela Colman Smith and Stoker were friends, who influenced who, and whether Stoker was a member of the Golden Dawn.

Alchemy and the Tarot: A One-Day Workship with Robert M. Place

April 28th 2007

In the summer of 1987 while studying an alchemical image, I had an epiphany. In a flash of insight, I realized that the esoteric symbolism of alchemy was interchangeable with the symbols contained in the Tarot trumps. If this is true, I asked myself, then isn’t it also true that the Tarot is an expression of the same spiritual quest? The answer came to me as a revelation of the alchemical message in the Tarot, and although it lasted only minutes, it led me on an eight-year journey that culminated in the creation of the Alchemical Tarot.

In this workshop I will illuminate that revelation, examine the alchemical process as it evolved from the ancient Hermetic philosophy of Alexandria to become incorporated into the world view of the early Renaissance, and explain in detail the alchemical process outlined by the Tarot. Making use of number symbolism to make alchemical concepts accessible, the underlying pattern of the heroâ€™s quest will be illustrated from the single unity of the Monad to the cycle of twelve operations and back again.

The class will continue with advanced Tarot reading practice designed to make alchemical transformation relevant in oneâ€™s life.

In Love with Love by Ginny Hunt

You know these two. You may have even been these two at one time. Maybe you’re even part of this pair now, but if you’re not it’s all you can do to not say,”Get a room.” With fluttering eyelashes and deep gazes that invisibles everyone else from the stratosphere, the Two of Cups is a budding romance in its first flushes of engagement. No, not engagement engagement, unless they’re crazy, but that first meeting, that first date, the initial contact where both parties are twitterpated. “Whatever,” I say, with dismissive gesturing.

Wot? Not romantic? Moi? Sure I can be, but you know, this is the stuff of infatuation that those rogue Knights are so fond of, particularly that Knight of Cups and we all know how dependable they can be [insert derisive snort]. Oh sure, it’s sweet, it’s cute, and I can’t help but smile when I see a couple so obviously smitten, but I suppose I’ve had a few too many kicks from the back end of that horse that I look with slightly jaded (yes, I said slightly) eye on this card. Sure, it’s nice and all, but hello, it’s just a two. They’re being swept along by the rush of the Ace of Cups and while that’s a heady cup of spirits there, I say watch for the hangover sure to come ohhh around say, the Four of Cups, if it lasts that long.

Maybe I should have posted this on Valentine’s Day, but I have an internal boycott on V-Day that has nothing to do with whether I’ve personally been involved with someone when that day rolls around. It’s cheesy and forced and my knee jerk reaction to anyone telling me I gotta luuurve someone on February 14 is, again, “Whatever,” with dismissive hand gestures. Maybe that’s the root of my problem with the Two of Cups. I’m far too much a Queen of Swords to admit to any twitterpating on my part, however that underlying water element belies a romantic heart that cries at love stories and whose favorite movie is Ever After.

I say I’m realistic. Lovers don’t care. They don’t give a damn about reality and I don’t blame them at all. It’s all very nice in that pink bubble with hearts and glitter floating about. Because this is the card all the hopefuls want to see who come to a tarot reading asking, “Will I meet someone?” or “Does he like me that way?” So when I see this card for a sitter, I smile and say, “Yes. For sure. Yeah he does.” And that’s really nice. But get this, falling in love is a lot like drug addiction and temporary insanity, at least chemically speaking. (read the full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Emperor

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and in this Pod Cast we will continue on our journey through the symbols in the Major Arcana. As I noted in the first Pod Cast of this series, that of the Fool, the imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols for the Emperor. The major theme of the Emperor is that of authority. He teaches self- control and discipline in making decisions and taking action.

In a reading, the Emperor indicates a time of decision making for the Seeker. It also indicates that the issue or situation revolves around male authority, or male authority figures. Organizational ability is also part of the Emperor’s energy.

Which of the symbols attract the attention of the Seeker, and how does he or she feel about them? Are they anxious? Are they afraid? Do they feel supported? What part of their situation or issues do they see the Emperor as representing? Is this energy that they need to bring in, or is it energy that they need to release?

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Vampires by Briareus from the Podsafe Music Network.

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 40: Career Reading, Right Speech, Knowing When to Take a Break, and Strange Bedfellows

leisa — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:37:04 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

On Halloween 2006, I did a reading for a friend who was considering a career change. I’m sharing part of this reading including a yes/no spread, an 3 card exploration reading and a journey into the High Priestess.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Right Speech

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. I am Bonnie Cehovet, and today I am going to be discussing the concepts of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. This topic came out of conversations that Leisa and I have been having about the many things that are going on within the Tarot world, and about the responsibilities that we each carry, to ourselves and to our clients.

This is reflected in the Code of Ethics that each reader is encouraged to develop, but it goes far beyond this code.

The concepts of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood come from the essence of Buddha’s teaching. They are part of what is termed the Noble Eightfold Path: (1) Right View, (2) Right Intention, (3) Right Speech, (4) Right Action, (5) Right Livelihood, (6) Right Effort, (7) Right Mindfulness, (8) Right Concentration.

Right View and Right Intention are considered to be part of the discipline of Wisdom; Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood are considered part of the discipline of moral/ethical conduct; while Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration are considered to be part of the discipline of Mental Development. Together, they act as a foundation to allow the individual to free themselves from attachments and delusions, and to lead them to an understanding of the basic truth about all things.

What place does this serve in the professional world of Tarot? The same place that it serves in all worlds, and that is to act as a tool to guide the individual in making decisions and taking actions that are right for themselves, without causing harm to themselves, or those around them. It is living in harmony with our environment, and all that comprises that environment.

Tarot Realizations â€“ from Bill Vincent

Knowing When to Take a Breakâ€¦

Tarot can be challenging. Everything from doing readings, to studying the symbolism, to finding the proper balance in your life for Tarot can be challenging. I am what I would consider an Intermediate Tarot student. I feel I have come a long way in my intellectual understanding of the cards. I have read and studied several of the classic books on the topic. I have worked with the cards doing readings and flexing my intuitive muscles. But, over the course of time I have been working with them, there have been times when I felt the need to take a break from them, in order to be able to process all of the input that the cards themselves and their study present to me.

The first time this happened I had let myself get mentally over stimulated to the point where I put everything out of sight for a few weeks. At that time I felt a sense of frustration and failure at my inability to handle all of the information that was coming my way. I needed a vacation from the intellectual study of Tarot, and I took one. When I finally returned to my cards, books, and thoughts on Tarot, I was much better prepared to understand my limits, and how much I could do without overload. (read the full post)

Strange Bedfellows by Ginny Hunt

Christianity and tarot make very odd bedfellows indeed. One might even say they need separate bedrooms at the very least. That opinion is held not only by many Christians but also by many Pagans and neo-pagans who reject the Christian symbolism in the cards and claim the symbology to be corrupted forms of earlier pagan symbolism. While they have a valid point, I think it’s interesting that both Christian and Pagan belief systems reject the Christian historical roots of tarot.

The Church took offense with the deck almost immediately. Card playing had associations with gambling ever since playing cards had been introduced to Europe and various laws and decrees were enacted to discourage that. However, the earliest known disparagement of tarot cards specifically comes from an anonymously penned sermon, known as “The Steele Sermon” or “Sermones de Ludo cum Aliis,” c. 1480. This sermon detailed the Trumps of tarot and asserts that the Trumps were invented and named by the Devil and as such hotly discourages their use. The blasphemous depiction of The Pope, the inclusion of a female Popesse, the imagery of The Devil, The Tower and so forth created objections and banning by the Church. But it likely wasn’t just the pictures that caused such a ruckus. The politics of the time were more than probably the driving force behind the opposition.

The characters in the tarot “triumph” or trumps were seen in the many Roman Catholic pageantry processions, not too unlike what we see preceding Lent at Mardis Gras and Carnival. These pageants were evangelistic devices of the Church designed to convert. Indeed, the Church has used various forms of earlier pagan imagery in its quest to convert the heathen, so the imagery these pageants used were designed to place the Christian story in a pagan context. As the Reformation took hold in Europe, these pageants disappeared from France, Italy, and England. All religious plays were banned in France in the mid 1500’s and with them went much of the historical truth about what those original tarot trumps actually represented. A very sad loss, indeed. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Dolphins from Restrung by Reza Manzoori

Episode 39: Dan Pelletier & Dark Decks

leisa — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 00:18:55 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Dan Pelletier lives north of Seattle Washington with his wife of 22 years, Jan, his two cats, Spook and Pookha, and 32 rosebushes.

He has been reading Tarot for himself and others for over thirty years.
Dan is also co-owner of The Tarot Garden, a highly respected resource for tarot decks and related information on the Internet.

He has written articles appearing on the Tarot for Life website newsletter, Seeker’s Journey, and Tarot Passages; and has published interviews with deck creators on the tarotgarden.com website library.

A few of the decks mentioned:

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Empress

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the Empress. The major theme of the Empress is that of abundance. The symbols that surround her reflect that abundance. The first thing that catches the eye is the literal field of abundance that surrounds this figure. The lush grasses, trees and plants speak of fertility, life and living. The Empress represents the feminine principle, fertility and sensuality.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Dark Tower from music of the waters by Shira Kammen

Episode 38: 900 Line Readers

leisa — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:14:52 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – 900 line readings

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. Is 900 line reading a viable option for Tarot readers? I think so, and I speak with an insiders voice, having read for them for over twelve year. Over the past few years great strides have been made in the Tarot 900 line business. The Miss Cleo’s of the 900 line world have faded away, leaving behind lessons learned. Some of the smaller companies that were not built on solid foundations have fallen away, leaving those that had better vision, combined with solid business basics. Most lines now have an Internet presence, and offer multiple services, along with value-added items such as short articles and free horoscopes to help attract clients.

There are many reasons for considering 900 line reading as a career option. The primary reason is often the fact that you are working from home, with a close second the ability to arrange your own schedule. Finances are also something that you may want to consider: you do not have to pay for advertising, or for work space, and you will be drawing a clientele from a larger area (this is especially important if you live in a small town, or a rural area, and the potential client base is limited).

My interview guest this week is Amanda who shares with us her insights and experiences of a professional phone reader. The handout contains three of her favorite spreads.

Amanda is a healer, artist, spoken word poet, and professional tarot reader. Her primary reading deck is the Osho Zen Tarot. As a reader for the public, her goal is to inspire healing, assist with personal-growth work, and to encourage individuals to take a keen interest in who they are beyond their conditioning. Born and raised in Kentucky, she now resides in Northern California with her partner Chris and their 4 cats. She is currently in the development and design process of creating her first tarot deck.

Her website is: www.EmpathicAmanda.com

Papermoon by Ginny Hunt

The Moon. Mother of mysteries, forever linked to dark forces; natural, untamable forces, the feminine, the tides, and unstable currents, moods, and times. The myths surrounding her cannot be shaken loose, though statistics, science and rational thought have debunked the notions that homicide rates, birth rates, menstrual cycles, earthquakes and lunacy are effected by the moon’s gravitational pull. Nevermind science and rational thought. What have they to do with the moon anyway? We humans are a funny lot and we will persist in what we feel to be true regardless.

The only one out of my four babies’ births I predicted correctly, against the doctor’s little wheel-chart thingy which gave a date entirely too early, I calculated by counting lunar cycles. He gave me a due date of November 26 and I sat eating Thanksgiving dinner with the bun still in the oven. I knew, however, that moonwise she was more likely to make her grand entrance sometime around December 5. She hesitated but two days and birthed herself on December 7. So don’t get me started on science. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Sarah Calling by Nezecus (podsafe music)

Episode 37: The Zodiac Spread

leisa — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 09:02:11 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Dena DeCastro joins me to do a Zodiac Houses reading for listener Brad Jacobson. This is based on the second operation of the Opening of the Key.

The mode of performing the Divination called “The Opening of the Key” is by five consecutive operations of laying out the cards, they having been previously well shuffled, and, in addition in the first and fourth cases, having been cut as well, and in a certain manner. These five operations answer respectively, the first to the Dominion of the Four Knaves under the presidency of the Four Aces; the Second to that of the Kings, Queens and Knights, referred to the Twelve Houses; the Third to that of the Twelve Keys attributed to the Signs; the Fourth to that of the smaller cards answering to the 36 Decanates; and the Fifth and last to the rule of the Sephiroth in the Celestial Heavens. – The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic by Israel Regardie

The cards are shuffled and not cut. Starting with the first house (ASC.) the cards are dealt out in order around the wheel (counter-clockwise). This is where I depart from the Opening of the Key. We interpreted the top cards of each stack in relationship to the houses.

First House (Aries) – House of Self: Self-Awareness, Self-Expression, Individuality, Personality, Outward Appearances & Stimuli.
Second House (Taurus) – House of Possession: Sustenance, Resources, Money, Self-Worth, Wealth, Values, Luxury, Talents.
Third House (Gemini) – House of Communication: Logic, Mental & Spiritual Development, Curiosity, Hobbies, Short Journeys, Siblings.
Fourth House (Cancer) – House of Family & Home: Domestic Scenes, Environment, Roots, Security, Comfort, Tradition.
Fifth House (Leo) -House of Pleasure: Beauty, Creative Expression, Romance, Social Activities, Recreation, Children.
Sixth House (Virgo) – House of Health: Work, Duty, Responsibility & Personal Growth, Employment, Service.
Seventh House (Libra) – House of Partnership: Marriage, Friendships, Business Relationships, Karma, Compromise, Contracts.
Eighth House (Scorpio) – House of Sex: Sex, Death & Rebirth. Shared Resources, Inheritance, Support From Another, Regeneration.
Ninth House (Sagittarius) – House of Philosophy: Expanding Inner & Outer Selves Through Travel, Education, & Spirituality.
Tenth House (Capricorn) – House of Social Status: Career, Society, Public Reputation, Place In Community.
Eleventh House (Aquarius) – House of Friendships: Friends, Society, Philanthropy, Aspirations, Free Time, Ideals & Goals.
Twelveth House (Pisces) – House of Subconscious: Psychological Health, Emotional Experiences, Unconscious Memories, Seclusion, Secrets.

Handouts

Cafe Press Shop

And Justice For All by Ginny Hunt

When we think of what is “just” we often equate it with what is “fair.” However, what seems fair to one person is often not how another would envision it. Enter, Justice. She is the embodiment of the moral virtue that would not be swayed by personal interest, nor an individual sense of fairness, but an overarching global, cosmic sense of what is “right” because in the end of it all it is just and fair.
No idea in Western civilization has been more consistently linked to ethics and morality than the idea of justice. From The Republic, written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, to A Theory of Justice, written by the late Harvard philosopher John Rawls, every major work on ethics has held that justice is part of the central core of morality. So where does the concept originate? Social justice is likely as old as the first humans as they structured their communities and fought among themselves for their own conflicting interests. Without the cooperation and equity justice provides, we would quickly extinguish our own species. Egyptians knew her as Maat, the one who weighed the hearts of men. Greeks knew her as Themis, goddess of order and oracle at Delphi who was the mother of Dike, goddess of justice. Romans knew her as Justitia. It wasn’t until the 16th century that images of justice showed her blindfolded to represent impartiality, but the sword and scales have shown up in her various incarnations over the ages. (read the full post)

Tarot Realizations â€“ from Bill Vincent

Tarot is a somewhat remarkable thing. I find myself marveling at it’s beauty, and entrenched in it’s symbolism. But Tarot has also given me something else, too. It has made me really understand that there is a unique quality to Tarot that goes beyond the 78 cards. It has given me a sense of hope that someday we will better understand the energy behind it.

In my experience, Tarot is the most interesting and powerful of all divinatory arts. Through it I have discovered that there is indeed a unique power that plays between myself and the cards, a power of synchronicity which cannot be explained away. It does not have every answer, and does not control my life. Yet, it provides the closest thing to tangible proof in my eyes that there is truly an unseen intelligence that plays a part in our existence. (read the full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the High Priestess

For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the High Priestess. Here we see represented the feminine mystique, higher wisdom, and a connection to the Moon and our unconscious selves.

The wisdom that the High Priestess represents is universal wisdom that we connect with by accessing our inner self, our unconscious self. This is the wisdom that helps us to develop the potential inherent within the skills and abilities of the Magician.

In a reading, the symbols within the card of the High Priestess address the spiritual nature in our life. We are being told that before we can find a solution to our issues, we need to look deeply into them, and deeply into ourselves.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Transition Music: from Loops for Licensing from (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Eastern Sky-Touching Grace from eastern grooves by DJ Cary

Episode 34: Regina LaRocca of Fuego

leisa — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 13:34:47 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

My guest this week is Regina LaRocca who uses Tarot in her work with homeless youth and wards of the State of Oregon in Portland. She works for Fuego which offers educational and therapeutic experiences to multicultural, underprivileged young people who have cognitive, emotional, behavioral/attitudinal and socio-cultural issues. To learn more about Fuego please visit the website www.gofuego.com

At the end of the interview, Regina leads a guided meditation that can be used with any card. We used the 9 of Swords from the Tarot of the Sephiroth. Do not listen to this episode or segment while driving or other times where your attention is needed.

Tarot of the Sephiroth is created and illustrated by Dan Staroff. Illustrations from the Tarot of the Sephiroth are reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright 2000 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Reviews of Tarot of the Sephiroth & the Heart of the Tarot

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey! My name is Bonnie Cehovet, and today I am going to be reviewing two recent entries into my life – the “Tarot of the Sephiroth” (deck by Dan Staroff, text by Josephine Mori and Jill Stockwell), and “The Heart of the Tarot”, by someone that I truly admire, Sandra A. Thomson (co-authored by Robert E. Mueller, Ph.D. and Signe E. Echols, M.S.).

Tarot of the Sephiorth by Dan Staroff
In a card accompanying this deck, creator Dan Staroff notes that this deck was created from a desire to present a more unified and comprehensive portrayal of the Tarot. His wish was two fold: to interpret the traditional Tarot images for a new era, and to highlight the connection between Tarot and the Qabalah. In doing so, use was made of the Tree of Life, its spheres and paths, and associated colors.

The LWB (Little White Book) that accompanies the deck notes that the images on the Tarot cards act as links to connect elements of the human condition and the universal (archetypal) forces that affect all of us. The “Tarot of the Sephiroth” brings the Tarot/Qabalah connection to life through the laying out of the cards as they are associated with the spheres and paths of the Tree of Life. The LWB contains graphics that show the spheres, their numbers, and their associated colors.

The Major Arcana are represented according to their color correspondences. The Minor Arcana represent the energies of the ten spheres, and are shown with circular borders in their respective corresponding colors. The biggest change that this represents for the reader is that when multiples of the same number appear in a reading, it is very easy to see that they are associated, and the energy that they carry. In an overlay of the two’s, three’s, sixes and tens, the borders of these cards will align with the appropriate sphere formed by the joining of the Court Cards in their respective spheres. (read the review at aeclectic)

The Heart of Tarot by Sandra Thompson

Sandra Thompson, author/teacher/lecturer/mentor, is one of my favorite people in the Tarot world. In “The Heart of Tarot”, Sandra and her co-authors bring a background in psychology into the archetypal world of the Tarot. And they do so in the most gentle of manners – the emphasis is on the Tarot, and how to best put it to use, and not on the psychology of Tarot.

The format of this book is focused on the theme of each card – the energy that it carries, and how it fits into a reading. Rather than working with upright or reversed keywords/meanings, we learn to work with the theme of the card. In defining and exploring the different themes, Sandra and her co-authors work with the Rider-Waite Tarot and the Robin Wood Tarot. The “Rider-Waite Tarot” is used because it is a traditional deck, and because it is often used in teaching and in reference books. The “Robin Wood Tarot” is used because of its updated imagery and vibrant colors.

The backbone of this book is the two card reading – symbolically representing the first two cards from the traditional Celtic Cross spread. The first card drawn represents the Situation, while the second card drawn (which is placed crossing the first card) represents the Challenge. (Read the review at aeclectic) “The Heart of the Tarot” is a book that I cannot recommend highly enough! Sandra and her co-authors have done a marvelous job of promoting the two-card reading as an in-depth Tarot tool. The focus of this book is on the theme of each card, and not on upright or reversed meanings. (I should note here that each of the authors has a background in psychology, and the voice of the book is a gentle one that focuses on the connection between the reader and the Seeker.)

This technique was developed by adapting the first two cards from the traditional Celtic Cross spread. An interesting analogy is done between the traditional imagery of the “Rider-Waite” deck, and the more updated “Robin Wood Tarot”. Scans are included from both decks for all of the cards. The first card drawn is represents the Situation, while the second cards drawn represents the Challenge, and is placed across the first card.

Nine steps are presented in developing a reading:

Choose a situation that asks for information beyond a “yes” or “no” answer.
Acknowledge the Tarot deck as an oracle, and thank it for its help.
With your question in mind, shuffle and cut the cards in whatever style is comfortable for you.
Turn over the top card, placing it in the Situation position.
Consider what it tells you about your situation or issue and jot that down on a piece of paper or in a notebook of readings, if you keep one.
Turn over the second card, and place it in the Challenge position.
Decide what it tells you about the kinds of tasks or actions you might consider to resolve your situation. Enter that information in your notes.
Briefly summarize the two cards.
Finally, if you have not answered it already, ask yourself, “What do these two cards tell me about the lesson I need to focus on for maximum growth with respect to my issue?” Enter your insights in your notes.

Sample Reading using the Two Card Spread from the Heart of Tarot

I thought that it might be interesting to do a reading using the “Tarot of the Sephiroth” and the technique from “The Heart of the Tarot”. The question that I asked was: “What do I need to know about my finances?” The cards drawn were the Ace of Disks (Situation) and the Five of Cups (Challenge).

What do i need to know about my finances?

Situation	Challenge

Celtic Cross Storymaker v.3.0 by Ginny Hunt

When I began reading tarot, I learned, as many tarot newbies do, to use the Celtic Cross spread. It’s a 10-card spread that has been a staple of tarot reading at least since Arthur Waite published it, but he claimed it had been used among tarot readers long before he brought it to the masses. The spread is fairly general, but useful, and gives a lot of information, even some you may not need. A lot of people have difficulty with the Celtic Cross Spread. Some say it has too many cards, others say it’s too general and doesn’t answer the questions specifically enough. I understand those objections and there’s no reason to use the spread if you can’t seem to get it to work for you. However, I’ve found a way to read it that helps me, and maybe you, too.

The Celtic Cross Spread is like a story. It has literary elements like a protagonist, antagonist, conflict, climax, and denouement. It also reveals hidden forces at work, for better or for worse, and gives advice to the protagonist on how best to complete his mission. Tarot is story-telling with pictures and this spread lends itself quite well to that method of reading. (read the full post)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Transition Music: from Loops for Licensing from (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Eastern Sky-Touching Grace from eastern grooves by DJ Cary

Episode 33: Going Pro with James Wells Part 2

leisa — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:21:29 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Professional Readings

Continuing the discussion on professional readings, James Wells and I explore the following topics:

Why Read Professionally?
How do you know you are ready?
Ideas for Places to Read.
How much to Charge?
What is your mission statement?

James suggests that every reader explores the following questions:

Who are you as a person?
As a tarot reader what do you do?
What is your mission statement as a tarot professional?
What benefits do/can people derive from a session with you?
Who would benefit from your tarot services?

Recommended Resources:

Business Mastery : A Guide for Creating a Fulfilling, Thriving Business and Keeping It Successful by Cherie M Sohnen-Moe
Making a Living without a Job by Barbara Winter
The Medicine Woman’s Guide to Being in Business for yourself by Carol Bridges

Matter of Time Mix by Ginny Hunt

It’s only natural. We want to know “When?” You’re waiting on that call, that answer, your life feels in limbo until you hear about that job, that decision. Will the house sell? When? Will they accept my proposal? When? Will he call? When? When will I know so I can make my decision? We really hate being held captive by someone else’s actions or decisions. It makes us feel a loss of control in our lives and if there’s something human beings have a really hard time with, it’s lack of control in their own environment. So we turn to the cards for clues and we hope they can tell us something, anything, about when an event we’ve been waiting for is likely to occur. However, the cards aren’t imprinted with times and dates on them. They speak in symbols and analogies and time, being a manmade construct, is a rather limited box to try and shove allegorical symbols into. Predicting when something will happen with tarot is not impossible, but it’s difficult, and there isn’t one, particular way to do it. (read the full post) (read part 2)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Value Added Tarot

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey. Today we will be discussing Tarot as a business, and the place of value-added incentives in that business. As in any other business, Tarot taken to the professional level is dependent on bringing in new business, encouraging repeat business, and creating a recognizable style that lends itself to “branding” – name recognition that encourages word-of-mouth clients.

One of the ways to accomplish all of the above is the use of value-added incentives. What this means is that you client receives something that they perceive as having added value, some service or physical thing, without having to pay more for it. The really great thing here is that value-added incentives do not have to cost you anything, in terms of either time or materials.

What each individual practitioner chooses to offer as an value-added incentive depends on the nature of their business, on the community environment (what is deemed to be acceptable within their own community), and on the tools that they feel comfortable working with.

Value-added incentives create a win/win environment. The client gets something for free, and the practitioner gets good press for their business. New clients come in, existing clients become repeat clients, and word-of-mouth becomes a very magickal thing! An interesting thing happens along the way. As each Tarot professional begins to define in what manner they want to create a brand for themselves, they take a close look at their Tarot work, and often expand their understanding of “where” Tarot can go, and what other tools can be easily and comfortable associated with it.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (www.magnatune.com)

Closing & Transition Music: Dharma by Will Grega from Breath of Being (podsafe music)

Episode 32: Going Pro with James Wells Part 1

leisa — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 04:43:53 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Gate Cards: Tarot Realizations by Bill Vincent

I am always intrigued by the concept of gate cards. Gate cards, as they are referred to in Rachael Pollack’s book Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom are cards that lend themselves more easily than others to the process of active visualization, or entering the card in your mind. This type of exercise can provide deeper levels of meaning within the cards, and your relationship to them. My initial impressions of Tarot was that every card is a gate card, and I still believe that is true. However, some cards do make this easier with their stunning scenes and multiple levels of meaning. To quote Rachael in 78 degrees, They all share certain characteristics: complex, often contradictory meanings, and a myth-like strangeness which no allegorical interpretation can completely penetrate. Rachael talks about several specific cards being gate cards. (read full post)

Professional Tarot Practice

James Wells joins me to explore what it means to be a tarot reader including the following topics:

What is a tarot professional?
What is professionalism
ethical considerations

This is part one of a two part series.

Tarot Dancing by Ginny Hunt

Carol gave me the Three of Cups yesterday because I was such a mess on Friday. And then do you know what happened? I went dancing! I received an invitation last night to go out and see my favorite local band and danced my booty off. This is one of the things I really love about tarot, the layers of meanings in the cards, from the literal to the metaphorical. While Carol’s intention of giving me that card was clearly a way of expressing her friendship and support to me, little did she (or I, for that matter) know that it was a literal prediction, or prescription perhaps, to remedy my state of mind.
There is a dance we do among the meanings when we look at a card, a mental and emotional dance that, as a tarot beginner, feels awkward and out-of synch at first, but which becomes easier and more fluid the longer we work with the cards. I remember becoming very frustrated with the dance when I first started learning the card meanings because there seemed to be so many different choices, how was I to know which one to choose? I could look at the Three of Cups and see, literally, a get-together with women friends, or metaphorically a supportive environment, feeling at one with humanity, friendship, or caring. As I stumbled through the dance steps of tarot reading, I would become frustrated and wonder how I was ever going to actually read these cards. This was a new dance and I felt so out of step with the music. In fact, I couldn’t even hear the music at first. (read the full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Relationship Resources

Welcome to the Hermit’s Journey! This is Bonnie Cehovet, and I would like to thank each of you for joining me on my journey. Relationship and finances are two of the biggest areas that readers receive queries about. I can tend to roll my eyes and shake my head when I get too many relationship readings in a row. In thinking about this, I realized that there are some wonderful resources out there that readers can use to recharge their batteries when it comes to love and romance. Today I am going to be talking about a few of the resources available- books, decks, and perhaps a spread or two that specifically address the areas of love, romance, and relationship.

… As readers, we can open up the scope of our readings, and offer our clients tools for healing, and tools for empowering themselves and their relationships. Scans and reviews of the following decks and books can be found on Aeclectic Tarot

Books:

Daniels, Kooch N. & Victor Daniels. “Tarot D’Amour“. Weiser Books. 2003. ISBN #1-57863-292-7.
Fairchild, Gail. “Choice Centered Relating and the Tarot“. Samuel Weiser, Inc. 2000. ISBN # 1-57863-143-2.
Jette, Christine. “Tarot For The Healing Heart“. Llewellyn Publications. 2001. ISBN #0-7387-004306. Visit Finding the Muse
McElroy, Mark. “Taking The Tarot to Heart“. Llewellyn Publications. 2005, ISBN #0-7387-053605. Visit Made by Mark
Waldherr, Kris. “The Lovers Path”. Henry M. Abrams.2005. ISBN #0-8109-5785-6. Visit Art & Words

Decks:

Ma Padma Diva. “The Osho Zen Tarot“. St. Martins Press. ISBN #0312117337. Osho Zen On-Line Readings
Mahony, Karen & Alex Ukolov. “The Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot“. Magic Realist Press. ISBN #0954500725. Bohemian Cats Website
Sweikhardt, Karen. “Tarot of a Moon Garden“. U.S. Games Systems. ISBN #1572810955
Waldherr, Kris. “The Lovers Path Tarot“. U.S. Games Systems. ISBN #1572814683. Lovers Path On-Line Reading
Zerner, Amy & Monte Farber. “The Enchanted Tarot“. St. Martin’s Press. ISBN #0312050798 Visit the Enchanted World

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: A Life Worth Living by Royalty Free Music

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (www.magnatune.com)

Tranistion Music: Lunarsheen by Clair Fitch from Ambiancellist (www.magnatune.com)

Closing Music: Ambiancellist by Clair Fitch from Ambiancellist (www.magnatune.com)

Episode 30: Relationship Readings with James Ricklef

leisa — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:23:56 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Relationship Readings

A relationship reading is the most requested type of reading. My Guest James Ricklef proposes that as a reader we must know one’s self to be able to provide the most helpful reading possible.

There are many ways of approaching a relationships reading. Two really interesting aspects to ponder are “what does love mean to me” and “what is the foundation of my relationship”.

James Ricklef is a Certified Tarot Master — a Tarot reader, lecturer, and writer. For many years now, he has been a recurring workshop presenter at the annual Los Angeles Tarot Symposium (LATS). He has also been a featured speaker at the New York Tarot Reader’s Studio (an annual three-day event) and at the annual San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS). James is the author of the award-winning book “Tarot Tells the Tale” and of a book about Tarot spreads titled “Tarot — Get the Whole Story”.

El Diablo by Ginny Hunt

We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell ~Oscar Wilde

There are three Major Arcana cards that routinely tend to provoke quite the freakout: Death (dun dun dun!), The Tower (a rather unwelcome shock), and The Devil. He’s usually depicted in very grotesque form and it’s a natural response to recoil from such nasties. Case in point, here is an image from a very early deck, the Visconti-Sforza, the first “official” tarot card deck made in the mid-fifteenth century. It’s pretty typical devil symbolism what with the goat horns and bat wings, dragon-scaled belly, malevolent face, etc., but what is more disturbing about this card are the children. Good God, will someone not save the children? Actually, I don’t think they’re both supposed to be children, per se, as the female figure has breasts, but the male figure is clearly a boy. And they’ve spouted horns, so apparently they’re becoming that which both lures and repels them. Tied loosely, they seem captivated, willing slaves. The young woman looks freakishly like a Stepford Wife and the devil is obviously the Puppet Master. These kinds of images make one wonder what could possibly be so appealing about the gruesome dude that one would stay, willingly, bound.

Tarot Realizations by Bill Vincent

I’d like to take a few moments to talk about my favorite aspect of Tarot, the one thing that keeps me completely dedicated to the cards. Yes, they can be used for divination and can be used lightheartedly or seriously, depending on the situation. They are fun to work with, and fun to collect. But really, the most fascinating thing about Tarot, to me, has to be the symbolism. We are surrounded every day with symbols. You can’t even escape them if you were to move far away from our modern world, because symbols appear in nature as well as in our materialistic world. Symbols captivate us, they catch our eye and we subconsciously notice them, sometimes without even being aware that they are impacting us. Even colors by themselves are symbols that have multiple associations and meanings. (read full post)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Magician

Let’s continue our journey through the symbols of the Magician. There are two sides to every card. To paraphrase Sandra Thomson from “The Heart of the Tarot”, the Magician can be a sacred magician, or he can mesmerize us with illusion and then disappear (in a puff of smoke). The extensive imagery in this card tells us a lot about this gentleman.

This is a very powerful card to have appear in a reading. It indicates that the Seeker has these tools at his or her command, and needs to make best use of them. It is very important to dialogue with the Seeker when giving a reading, to get their impression of the multitude of symbols within this card … to see what draws their eye, and what place this might have in their life.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Hermits Journey: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
Transition Music: Toccata No 6 in F major by Jeni Melia from the Lost Art of Wooing (Magnatune)
Closing Music: I’m in Love by Yongen from Moonrise (Magnatune)

Episode 28: Yes/No Readings

leisa — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 21:58:37 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived.

It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Tarot Realizations by Bill Vincent

My personal use of Tarot tends to fall mainly within the self-development category. I’m always studying the symbolism from my various decks, looking for new insights. One day I discovered an exercise that inspired me so much that I wanted to share it, and I hope you find as much value in it as I did.

Recently I had a particularly challenging week at work, and by the time Friday came I was pretty beaten down, my energy was low and I needed some inspiration to finish the week on a good note. So while having my morning coffee, I decided to go through my deck face-up, looking for cards that inspired me. After picking a handful of cards, I placed them on the table and just let their positive symbols soak in. Within a few minutes I began to feel better, so much better that I knew I had discovered something really wonderful. By picking cards with symbols that were uplifting to me and meditating on them, I had redirected my thoughts. My focused attention on them caused a real change in how I felt, and as a result I had a boost of energy and good feelings which lasted my entire day.

Like anything that makes you feel good, it’s possible to do it so much that it loses it’s potency, so this may not be something you want to do every day. But, if you’re in a pattern of negative thinking or really need to recharge your batteries, doing this exercise can produce a real change in the way you feel. Good luck, and may the happiest cards be yours

Yes or No? by Ginny Hunt

In the comments section of my Confessions post, Roswila brought up yet another controversial topic in tarot: Yes/No Readings. Should we even do them? Some say that tarot just isn’t the right tool for the job, that the cards are not suited to simple, flat answers like Yes or No. They are archetypes and tell stories and dig up subconscious mysteries, so asking them a simple Yes/No question usually ends up with the cards giving you all kinds of information then leaving it up to you to decide yes or no. Still others say that the oracle is fine for asking Yes/No questions of and it can and will yield an answer and even tell you why it’s so.

TJ McKeown’s Yes/No Approach

My system for Yes/No questions (I’m not sure if you would call it a spread) requires knowledge of the Major Arcana and their order. After shuffling the deck you answer the question by dealing the cards in a pile as you count the cards.

Aces are Yes
Tens are No

If you do not get an Ace or a Ten within 22 cards then the Answer is unavailable or the Question was incorrect. As you deal the cards and count you remember which card it was when an Ace or Ten is laid. You stop dealing and Take into consideration which number it was and the suit.

The yes or no is answered by the number (Ace or 10). The Suit gives more information as does the number 1, 2, 3, … , 22). Match the number to the Major Arcana it represents and this too gives more information. So instead of just a yes or No you get a little background being the answer, perhaps a Why or Why not.

I have been using this system for a while and it has proven to be pretty accurate. I have also used it at psychic fairs.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbolism of the Fool

Welcome to all of our listeners. This Pod Cast is going to be devoted to the symbolism of the Fool. The imagery and symbolism in the Tarot is what connects us to its archetypal qualities and wisdom. It acts as a gateway between our conscious and our unconscious worlds. Each deck carries with it its own unique brand of imagery and symbols. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referring to the Waite-Smith Tarot (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot), as it is a traditional reference, and quite often used for teaching purposes. Interpreting the imagery and symbols is done in two ways: through the intent of the author/illustrator (and here we need to remember that the background for the Rider-Waite deck is that of the Golden Dawn), and how the Seeker sees it through the veil of their own personal life experiences.”

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
78 Notes Music: Winter Moon by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Hermits Journey: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
Closing Music: Floating Bamboo by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 27: Kings, Esoteric Decks and Old Greek Stories

leisa — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:35:38 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

The Tarot Court Series: Kings by Ginny Hunt

It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable. – David Brin,The Postman

All-powerful monarchs whose power was said to be a divine right, appointed by God and given free reign over the land and its subjects is, thankfully, a relic of the distant past. For as the above quote references, it seems quite true that power does corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. History as well as current events show that men don’t seem to do well without limits. (more …)

Individual Posts: The Tarot Kings The King of Swords, The King of Cups, The King of Wands, The King of Pentacles

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Esoteric Tarot Decks

Welcome to all of our listeners. This Pod Cast is going to be devoted to Esoteric decks – a category that includes decks based on Alchemy, Ceremonial Magick, Hermeticism and the Western Mystery Tradition. I love to walk this part of the Tarot deck path – doors are opened with the greatest of ease, and the wonders within allow one to, for a short time, live in very magickal world!

Those who are drawn to esoteric decks are often drawn to working with meditation, pathworking, ritual work, and ceremonial magick. A truism here would be that it is best to have at least a basic background in the Mysteries and Esoteric Symbolism before working in any way with these decks. Honor the decks – honor yourself.

Read Bonnie’s Newsletter

Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin. Read by Rob Sheehe

(From the Preface)

Perhaps no other stories have ever been told so often or listened to with so much pleasure as the classic tales of ancient Greece. For many ages they have been a source of delight to young people and old, to the ignorant and the learned, to all who love to hear about and contemplate things mysterious, beautiful, and grand. They have become so incorporated into our language and thought, and so interwoven with our literature, that we could not do away with them now if we would. They are a portion of our heritage from the distant past, and they form perhaps as important a part of our intellectual life as they did of that of the people among whom they originated.

The Story of Prometheus – II. HOW DISEASES AND CARES CAME AMONG MEN.
III. HOW THE FRIEND OF MEN WAS PUNISHED.
The Flood

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
78 Notes to Self: Winter Moon by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Hermits Journey: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
Old Greek Stories: Calliopeia – kithara (Ancient Greek) by Tim Rayborn from Qadim (Magnatune)
Closing Music: Father and Son by Paul Avgerinos from Muse of the Round Sky. (Magnatune)

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 25: Yoga, Deck Reviews and the Queens

leisa — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:15:07 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Nicole Mohr, CYT
www.nicolesyoga.com

I teach Yoga and have been a little adventurous by using a deck called Tree Magick. I sometimes let the class draw a card before we start so that during the class they have meditative focus, teaching and visualization. I will also offer a card after class. I instruct them to feel and pick a card with their left hand and they may decide to ask a question or simply let it have astonishing comparisons to the cards they draw and the events or themes in their life. Sometimes I pull out a deck of animal cards for my classes and this is wonderful. Many yoga poses are named after animals and I love the symbolism.

In general have found that the study of Tarot has giving me more symbols to work with in yogic philosophy. For example I work a lot with Masculine and Feminine in yoga (yin/yang, sun/moon) This restores the balance through the body, mind, breath and soul. In yoga we would say the balance through the upper body (prana/ masculine) and the lower body (apana/ feminine.) I am have learned to trust my own awareness and deepen what is true and real.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Deck Reviews

The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot

The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot takes one straight into the Baroque world – the Baroque feline world! This is one of the finest decks featuring cats that I have come across, one that I will treasure not only because the ever present feline “catattude” has been so lovingly expressed, but because of the stunning world that was created for them. One may wonder why I felt the need to give credit to the costume designer for this deck – the reason is simple – she did an outstanding job of dressing these adorable creatures in intricate Baroque style costumes that to me express exactly what this world means to the felines that inhabit it. (read the review)

The Tarot of Dreams

Tarot of Dreams grew from the work that Ciro Marchetti did with his first (gorgeous!) deck, the Gilded Tarot. This project, from the start, was very “high voltage”, and it definitely shows in the end product! I can proudly say that I was able to be there from the beginning, following the progress of this stunning deck and CD as Ciro shared scans of his work, as well as his thoughts.

This is a masterful project, well executed by artist Ciro Marchetti, the highly knowledgeable author/artist Lee Bursten, and the extremely talented Carlos Andres Rodriguez. It consists of an 80 card deck (the traditional 78 cards from the Tarot, a stunning graphic of the Tree of Life, and a front card that is signed and numbered by Ciro himself), along with a CD that is worth much more than its weight in gold. This project is being independently produced, and is not a limited edition. However, each deck will be signed and numbered by Ciro. (read the review on aeclectic)

The Tarot Court Series: Queens by Ginny Hunt

What exactly did a Queen do? Was her role merely as a consort to a King or did she have other specific duties? Well, the answers to those questions depends on the Queen. History is a mixed bag where queens are concerned with some serving as adornment and makers of heirs while others held power and authority at full throttle. Most were the ultimate diplomats and served as negotiators between conflicting lands. (more …)

Individual Posts: The Tarot Queens, The Queen of Swords, The Queen of Cups, The Queen of Wands, The Queen of Pentacles

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
Hermits Journey: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
78 Notes to Self: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Closing Music: Queen’s Goodnight by Four Temperaments from Phantasm (Magnatune)

Episode 24: The Art of the Powerful Question with James Wells

leisa — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 22:15:56 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Strategic, open-ended questions,
whether in tarot or in life,
act as gateways to greater wisdom.
— James Wells

www.theworldcafe.com/askingbig.pdf
www.crabgrass.org/site/strategic_1.html
www.javeriana.edu.co/decisiones/PowerfulQuestions.PDF

Hey! Teacher! Leave Those Kids Alone! by Ginny Hunt

There are few aficionados of tarot that don’t struggle some with this guy. The Pope. Later decks dubbed him The Hierophant in order to jazz him up and make him less Roman Catholic-centered and more esoteric, associating him more with the Greek mystery religions as one who guides initiates in sacred mysteries. However, in many of the later decks where he’s The Hierophant there’s no mistaking it, this guy is The Pope. The Holy See. Hence the common kneejerk flinching many experience when this card appears. Some of the more New Age tarot decks have tried to soften this character and have renamed him and redesigned him, often smiling and less severe, to counter these reactions, but…sigh…he’s still so terribly rigid, I think I may always respond with a bit of ambivalence with this one. (more …)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Symbols

What constitutes a symbol and what part do symbols play in our lives? We are surrounded by symbols on a daily basis. The stop sign at the corner, team logos (ardent NBA fan here), corporate logos, symbols for the signs of the zodiac that accompany the horoscopes in the daily paper, even the food that we eat. Comfort food exists in all cultures. Symbols are a way of communicating. They are a way of expressing an idea or representing an object. Symbols can be historic in nature in that they remind us of a certain time period. Or they can be archetypal in nature in that people from different cultures will see the symbol as the same thing. â€¦

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.

78 Notes Music: A Life Worth Living by Royalty Free Music

Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Closing Music: Clouds across the Darkness by Suzanne Teng from Mystic Journey (www.magnatune.com)

Episode 22: Gaian Tarot with Joanna Powell Colbert

leisa — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:57:23 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

The Gaian Tarot celebrates the living Earth and those who seek to live in harmony with Her.

It is an evocative and powerful tool for accessing inner guidance. The imagery of the deck combines multicultural Goddesses and other numinous beings with the mysteries of the natural world. Each image features birds, animals, plants, trees, rocks, constellations and other aspects of nature that amplify the meaning of the card.

With its structure rooted in Tarot tradition, the Gaian Tarot is the perfect deck for those who honor Gaia, the earth, as a living, sentient being and who practice an earth-centered spirituality. (from GaianTarot.com)

My guest is Pacific North West artist and author Joanna Powell Colbert. Her art has appeared in print publications for 20 years. She has published essays on mythology and nature spirituality. Joanna also has a web design business called JPC Web Design.

Download the Gaian Tarot Spread (by James Wells)

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet: Gaian Tarot Review

The Gaian Tarot is an earth-honoring deck in progress. It was created for pagans and others who honor Gaia, the earth, as a living being and who practice an earth-centered spirituality.Available as a majors-only set while the minors are being completed.

The Tarot Court: Be Thou a Knight by Ginny Hunt

Part three of a five part series exploring the tarot court.

… Knights, like all court cards, are not necessarily literally young 20-something men. They can be male or female, young or old. It is this exuberant, youthful, get-there-or-die-trying characteristic that is found in all of us, given the right circumstances, that the knights are portraying. Though their energy is admirable, they tend to have that egocentric tendency that younger men have, complete with a distinct sense of invincibility. This makes them short sighted and impulsive, and a bit too sure that they are right. They also possess, with the exception of the Knight of Pentacles, a distinct lack of “sticktoitiveness.” (The Knight of Pentacles has a bit too much of that, he’s not easily swayed from anything he sets his mind to, which can be a problem at times, too.) You can depend on the Knights for the short term, but rarely for the long term. Their immaturity is displayed by their bravado and rash tempers, their lack of thinking things through, and an inability to pace themselves in a realistic fashion… (more …) Individual Posts: Knight of Swords, Knight of Cups, Knight of Wands, Knight of Pentacles.

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
78 Notes to Self: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from the album Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Hermit’s Journey: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from the album Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
Closing Music: Gaia by Justin Bianco from the album Forge (Magnatune)

Episode 21: The Fools Journey, Pages and Greek Myths

leisa — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 16:39:19 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Hermit’s Journey with Bonnie Cehovet – Major Arcana Pod Cast

The Major Arcana act together to form a journey of individuation. This journey can be seen as one of individual archetypes, with the Fool interacting with each of the archetypes. Another way of viewing this journey is to see it as a Triumphal procession, with a natural division at the Wheel of Fortune into an 11/11 sequence. We can also choose to view this journey as a progression, with each card building on the cards before it, and containing the wisdom gained from all of these experiences. The Fool, representing the individual taking the journey, stands above the cards. Cards I-VII represent consciousness and the growth of personality; cards VIII-XIV represent our subconscious, and a very inward search; cards XV-XXI represent our superconscious, and the development of spiritual awareness.

The Tarot Court Series: Pages by Ginny Hunt

Part two of a five part series exploring the tarot court. To understand the meaning of the Pages in tarot, I think a little smattering of history is in order. Tarot cards were created in the middle ages when everyone understood what was meant when someone was a “Page.”A castle Page was a boy of a nobleman or a vassal who, if he did not already reside in the castle, was sent to his lord’s castle to live for the duration of his training. That is, until he became a knight. Lest the romance of it all soften this image, the knight was a soldier. He was trained for war. Thus, very young children were conscripted into training away from their families into a program so comprehensive that as they grew into young men, they would be fully prepared to serve their lord unto death, no questions. (more …) Individual Posts: The Tarot Pages, The Page of Swords, The Page of Cups, The Page of Wands, The Page of Pentacles

Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin. Read by Rob Sheehe

(From the Preface)

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
Hermits Journey Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)
78 Notes Music: Steamy River by Rhonda Lorence from Winter Moon (Magnatune)
Old Greek Stories Music: Calliopeia – kithara (Ancient Greek) by Tim Rayborn from Qadim (Magnatune)
Closing Music: Dark Moon by Suzanne Teng from Enchanted Wind (Magnatune)

Episode 12: Affirmations with James Ricklef & Bonnie Cehovet

leisa — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:40:20 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

In spirituality and personal development, an affirmation is a form of auto-suggestion in which a statement of a desirable intention or condition of the world or the mind is deliberately meditated on or repeated in order to implant it in the mind.

Bonnie Cehovet (Washington) is a Tarot Educator, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer. She currently has articles and reviews appearing in the World Tarot Network newsletter, and reviews appearing on the Meta Arts e-magazine site and on Aeclectic Tarot . Her website is The Crystal Gate – Tarot .

Music Credits

Opening Music: time release by the Droney Tones.
Closing Music: One Wish by Jessica King

Episode 7: The Anatomy of a Tarot Reading

leisa — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:31:39 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

3 Parts of a Tarot Reading

Roger Tobin & I discuss the 3 major parts of a Tarot Reading and Roger demonstrates 2 readings with the Robin Wood Tarot .

The Question
The Spread
The Interpretation.

The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood 1991 Llewellyn Worldwide, 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission. Card images are protected intellectual property, and may not be recopied or reused in any manner without written permission from the publisher.

Download the Tarot Spreads File

Roger Tobin is a Professional Tarot Reader from Portland, Oregon. He was introduced to the Tarot in the late 1980s but started serious study and practice in 2002 after encouragement from his family. He is a member of The American Tarot Association and reads for both of their Networks. Roger is also a Mentor for new readers as well as an active community volunteer. He enjoys both studying and teaching of topics in Tarot, and helps lead the Portland Tarot Study group. You can find out more about his reading practice at his website Sylvan Creek Tarot .

Robin Wood Tarot

Bonnie Cehovet and I review the Robin Wood Tarot which is a Pagan interpretation of the Rider-Waite Tarot . You can learn more about the Artist Robin Wood at her Website. You can order a Robin Wood Meditation Set if you want to color your own copy. Robin also has a number of Tarot Articles to read including a few spreads.

Music Credits

Opening music by the Droneytones.
Some of the music provided tonight from the PodShow Podsafe Music Network. Check it out at music.podshow.com
Closing song is Titania, Wake My Sweet Queen by Mark Gunn. Visit Mark’s site for more music downloads.

Episode 1: What is Tarot?

leisa — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 14:02:36 +0000

Archived

This Podcast Episode has been archived. It is available for purchase at shop.tarotconnection.net in the Year One Archive mp3 DVD.

Episode 1: What is Tarot?

What is Tarot? and an extremely brief history.The TarotL Tarot History Information Sheet by members of the TarotL discussion group.

Interview #1 with Bonnie Cehovet (Washington) who recommends the book Tarot Celebrations by Nancy Brady Cunningham & Geraldine Amaral. Bonnie is a Tarot Educator, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer. She currently has articles and reviews appearing in the World Tarot Network newsletter, and reviews appearing on the Meta Arts e-magazine site and on Aeclectic Tarot. Her website is The Crystal Gate – Tarot.

Interview #2 with Ceal (Colorado) who’s grandmother was a closet kitchen tarot reader.

Interview #3 with Suzanne Graham is an Australian who has made her home in the Pacific Northwest for almost thirty years. She has been working with tarot decks for approximately fifteen years. She is a certified Voyager Tarot consultant, but also works with other decks and intuitive tools. Suzanne likes her readings cold and has a fondness for the Secret Dakini Oracle.

Music Credits

Opening and closing music by the Droneytones.

The Tarot Connection » Bonnie Cehovet

Episode 69: Become Your Own Oracle with James Wanless

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 68: The Skeptic & Spreads

The Process by Dan Pellitier

Dan Pelletier

Tarot of the iPod

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 64: Seven of Cups and the Imagery of the Gaian Tarot

Seven of Cups with the Portland Tarot Study Group

Gaian Tarot

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 60: Teaching By Teleclass with Bonnie Cehovet

Teleclass with Robert Place

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 56: Aeclectic Spreads with Alissa Hall

Aeclectic Tarot Spreads

About the Book

Alissa Hall

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 55: Thalassa and BATS

BATS

Thalassa

No more borders

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 54: Non-Visual Tarot with Brighid

Brighid’s Daily Spread

Titles Only Tarot

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 53: Energizing the Tarot Session with James Wells

Reading List

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 52: Magical Pentagram Spreads, Sixes, Tarot for Personal Growth

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 50: The Golden Tarots of Kat Black

Archived

Two Strength Cards

Cielo Preview

Golden Tarot of Klimt

Golden Tarots of the Pyramids

Golden Tarot of the Renaissance

Golden Tarot of the Tzar

Mantegna Tarot (silver foil)

Nefertari’s Tarot

Tarot of the Visconti Grand Trumps

Basara Gold Tarot

Golden Botticelli Tarot

I Tarochi Egizi (delux gold edition)

Visconti Tarot

Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot

Golden Man Tarot

Golden Rider Tarot

Golden Tarot Deck

Medieval Scapini

New Century Tarot deck

Stairs of Gold Tarot (aka Tavaglione Tarot)

Victorian Romantic Tarot (Gold Edition)

William Wilde Zeitler

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 48: Reading for Parties and Events

Archived

Small Tarot to Go Kit

Large Tarot to Go Kit

Music Credits

Episode 47: Dan Pelletier discusses Tarot Myths

Archived

Dan Pelletier

Music Credits

Play or Download the Episode

Episode 45: Creating Tarot with Ellen Lorenzi-Prince