Domenic Robertazzi is a Sargent and Councilor at a Juvenile Detention Center in New Jersey. He shares his experiences reading with the youth which began with his Thoth deck flying out of his shirt pocket in the computer classroom.
Leisa ReFalo is a Tarot Reader from Portland Oregon and can be contacted using these forms or by Voice Mail at 503-310-5236
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Tarot Connection graphics were created by Ciro Marchetti. The Queen of Wands is from his 3rd Tarot Deck which is in progress. His other decks are the Gilded Tarot and the Tarot of Dreams. The Tarot of Dreams Deck and Giclee prints are available for purchase at ciromarchetti.com.
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August 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 am
This was a heart-warming episode. Thanks for sharing your experience, stories, and genuineness, Domenic. It’s nice hearing about different ways in which tarot has provided a positive influence in people’s lives.
August 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 am
Leisa & Domenic:
Leisa - thank you for finding Domenic, and offering him this wonderful venue to share his thoughts and life experiences in. Domenic - thank you for haivng the courage to share not only your lthoughts on the Tarot, but your thoughts on life, and your life experiences.
Your work with at risk youth allows you to work with your personal strengths, and gifts the youth that you work with a way of better understanding their world, and the world around them. It allows them to see that there is a “way out”, and that there are people out there who believe in them.
It also allows them to build what may very well be their first experience of seeing trust at work in a relationship - them trusting you, and you trusting them.
Kudos all around! A thought comes to me here - that perhaps you, Domenic, should become a ‘teacher of teachers” for at risk youth. In other words - that you should teach the teachers that will be working with these youth.
People in your position may not see yourselves as teachers, but you are. You can choose to act as wardens, which would most likely have the effect of hardening the youth that you work with, or you can act as teachers, imparting your own hard won wisdom in whatever manner you see fit (Tarot, astrology, art, writing, dance).
Blessings,
Bonnie
August 22nd, 2008 at 11:39 am
I second what the other two have said! Thank you for sharing your experiences, Domenic. I’m sorry to hear that due to the increasingly difficult problems of the youth, you haven’t had the opportunity to use the cards as much as you did in the past. I hope you find another youth population that you can use the cards with, you obviously have the “counselor gift.” You may be interested in Michael Meade’s work at mosiacvoices.com.
Our unconsious can only speak in images, and your assistance in “liberating” their psyches with the tarot images was/is a real blessing to those kids! Thanks again to you and Leisa for sharing.
Take care,
Penny
August 26th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Amazing show!
I work as a teacher for primary school and I feel that I have an important role in life education of these children. As I was listening to Domenic I felt how great is the role he has, because it goes beyond mine.
I do believe that the cards are a key to our internal world and having these young people discovering this world is a gift… to the discoverer and the discoveree…
Thanks for bringing this experience to us!
August 26th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Yes, Domenic, I also find that Tarot definitely brings you out into a much wider universe.
Tarot is just like a counseling friend. Each deck has its own, unique, personality and as such, will never, EVER be boring. It appeals to the kid in me, and I can “run and play” no matter how things are going in my immediate surroundings.
I count my blessings, as I have a cadre of like-minded women I can share the fun with. While life is serious, I am finding out that as I get older, my capacity for fun is so much larger. Thank you for brightening my day!