Gina Estevez shares readings and techniques from her new book and gives helpful advice on teaching tarot classes.

She has been teaching Tarot “formally” for the last ten years, i.e., classes with multiple students - generally in metaphysical shops. Classes run the range from introductory to intermediate to advanced skills, and her newest class of last year is Tarot & Magick (not about reading the cards, but working with the archetypal energies in the deck as allies). Gina has also had the honor of presenting workshops for local covens and at Pagan gatherings in the Southeast.

You can see general class outlines at website www.geocities.com/mnemosyne77 - just click on any of the class titles to go to the outline.

I have definitely developed a better understanding of Tarot from teaching, and don’t think that I would have grown nearly as much if I only read the cards.

I’ve also learned how folks learn - that has been an adventure. These days, in each lesson, I try to incorporate something for all four learning aspects: Fire - Intuitive, Water - Emotional, Air -Intellectual, and Earth - Tactile. I provide plenty of opportunities for validation for the intuitives, as they develop the other skills they’ll need when they are having “off” days. The emotional learners need to make heart-connections with each card, and I give them lots of stories, and give them the tools to work with their own cards. The intellectuals need some order, and sometimes I even break out the flow charts and talk to the computer geek in them. And I give practical examples and hands-on experience so that the tactile folks can dive into their decks and know that it’s real. Each student may start from his/her strong point, and then when comfortable, will start assimilating the lessons through the other three methods, as well.

Tarot Spreads, Threads and Mandalas – When you’re done with Tarot 101!

From the very first chapter, the novice reader will find powerful one-card techniques that allow for a greater understanding of each card. As for the seasoned professional, whether you use the Tarot to divine or to converse with the Divine, you are sure to fall in love with your cards all over again as you work through the spreads and exercises in this book.

• Go on a scavenger hunt.
• Create a mandala.
• Ride a numerological roller coaster.
• Weave fabulous stories using the amazing images and archetypes in your own deck.

This is your invitation to dance, dream and dare the Tarot to be far more than a “pack of cards.”

You’re a Star

The human body is the perfect template for so many spreads. In this design, use the star for a five-card reading that provides an image of where you have been and where you are heading.

• The card in the Left Foot position represents where you have been, and the ground that you have covered.
• The Left Hand card speaks of those things that you have received or been offered. This might include not only tangible things, but lessons or other gifts.
• The card at the Head indicates things that are on your mind right now, including the current situation.
• The Right Hand card represents those things that you may pay forward and gifts that you have to offer to others. It is also the hand that opens doors, or closes them, to potential futures.
• And the Right Foot is where you appear to be going if all else stays the same.

Look at the flow of the reading. The left side represents those energies from the past that may be lingering, but are waning. The right side describes experiences for which you are preparing.

Ask yourself if you feel balanced between these incoming and outgoing energies. If your head is caught in a tug-of-war, what might you release in order to maintain your balance? Or are you not seeking balance at all? Are you bound or do you feel chained at any specific point in the reading, and how does that relate to obligations within your current situation?

Finally, decide where you shine brightest in this spread and aim that light on the other positions by combining that card in turn with any that feel less than brilliant. And discover how to shine like the star that you truly are.

Gina Estevez

Cleverly disguised as a business professional by day, Gina Estevez (Tampa, Florida) is a musician, songwriter, mystic, and Mom, who has been shuffling Tarot cards for over twenty years, studying, reading professionally, and teaching along the way. Tarot Spreads, Threads and Mandalas is her first book, and part of her cunning plan to retire from the day job and travel in an RV from one metaphysical shop to another, from one festival to the next, working with folks of like-mind, and sharing her passion for Tarot, Magick and Kaballah. 2008 will see the release of two more books: Mama Gina’s Little White Book For Any Tarot Deck and Tarot: Your Magickal Ally. Contact Gina at mnemosyne7@hotmail.com and visit her little corner of the web at www.geocities.com/mnemosyne77.

Music Credits

• Opening Music: The Oracle Speaks by William Wilde Zeitler from Elegy for Atlantis
• Closing Music: The Lost Memory part 2 by Ambient Light from Shiver (Podsafe Music Network)

Play or Download the Episode

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (201)