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.

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 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:

1. Choose a situation that asks for information beyond a “yes” or “no” answer.
2. Acknowledge the Tarot deck as an oracle, and thank it for its help.
3. With your question in mind, shuffle and cut the cards in whatever style is comfortable for you.
4. Turn over the top card, placing it in the Situation position.
5. 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.
6. Turn over the second card, and place it in the Challenge position.
7. 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.
8. Briefly summarize the two cards.
9. 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)

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

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