Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Can We Really Predict the Future?
Sometimes the future is easy to see, sometimes it's not. Sometimes we can change what's coming, sometimes we can't. Here are some tips for predicting the future under any of these circumstances.
Can We Really Predict the Future?
How much can we see, and change, what comes next?
Tarot reading involves a certain amount of prognostication. So does meteorology. In fact, there are many fields that involve predicting the future, including medicine, finance and politics.
On a personal level, most of us have some combination of logic and instinct that causes us to make decisions based on what we think might happen next.
Many of us have dreams that predict the future. Some of us have a strong inner knowing, often about other people, or global events.
In my years of professional tarot reading, I have come to some conclusions about future predictions. It seems to me that there are some things that are absolutely predictable and unavoidable. There are other predictions that can be prevented or mitigated based on our actions. There are some aspects of the future that are completely unknowable. There are some things that the universe seems to keep secret from us, for our own good. There are some things we choose not to see because of our own fears, desires and tendencies toward denial. There are even times that we know what we choose might have a bad outcome, but we choose it anyway.
Predictions are indeed possible, and a heads-up on what might be coming can be extremely helpful. Predicting the outcome of certain choices can help us in decision-making. Even when it comes to undesirable predictions, forewarned can be forearmed.
I like to focus on the aspects of the future that we, ourselves, can create. Very often, what we do today creates what happens tomorrow.
When we look for future predictions, sometimes there are clear answers, and sometimes there aren’t. When the answers aren’t clear, it isn’t the fault of the diviner, nor the divinatory tool. Unclear predictions are an indication that a particular aspect of the future is not yet set. That means our action, including the power of prayer, can make a difference!
Prayer, energy work and wise action often have some power to shape what happens next. We need to be proactive toward our best possibilities and, at the same time, accepting of what we cannot control. It is in that middle ground that we find peace in the present, and joyful anticipation of what comes next.
Join Me for a Tarot Class in Oakland Park!
On Wednesday, July 31 7 to 9 pm, I will present a class called “The Journey of Life: The Major Arcana of Tarot” at the Center for Inner Wisdom, 4849 N Dixie Highway, Suite 2, Oakland Park, FL.
This is a fascinating exploration of the Fool’s Journey, the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana.
Whether you are a tarot enthusiast, a spiritual seeker or simply curious, this workshop will teach you something about tarot, something about life and something about yourself.
In twenty-two images, the Major Arcana expresses the lessons of life that every human experiences. Learn what those lessons are, and how these cards might speak to you in a tarot reading.
Even if you have extensive tarot understanding, this explanation of the spiritual lessons inherent in these twenty-two images will give you new perspective on the cards, and on your spiritual path and purpose.
Tickets are $30 and available on Eventbrite.
Divination Tips for Predictions
When we seek a glimpse of the future, we need to recognize a spectrum of probability. That is, that some things we see are unavoidable, some things are likely, some things we can change, and some things are unlikely but still within the realm of possibility. If we are sensitive to this spectrum, we can make accurate predictions and know how to prepare for what comes next.
Whether we are using a tool like tarot, pendulum, or runes, or whether we are simply checking in with our intuition and clairsentience, the there are two important things to consider. The first is to ask the right questions, and many questions. The second is to accept that some things are indeed predictable, and others are not. To have frustration with that process is never helpful.
What are the right questions to ask when you are looking to predict something specific? Let’s use a career example. Suppose you are looking for a new job, but don’t yet have any interviews lined up. The first two questions you might ask are questions that typically make diviners shudder. “When will I have a new job?” and, “Will I get a new job that I love?” Some diviners would instead ask, “What do I need to do to get a new job?” or, “What can I know about my next job?”
I am a fan of asking as many questions as possible and looking for trends in the answers. I might even ask those difficult questions involving timing and yes-or-no, just to see what comes up.
If you look at the consistency in the answers you get, you can develop a sense of how predictable this matter is, and how much advice you can get on how to achieve your best possible outcome.
I might also do a time-advance question, such as, “What does my career life look like in six months?”
If all the questions I ask receive similar answers, then I can conclude the future is pretty set. At that point I would ask about the actions needs to make sure things go this way. “What must I do to make sure this comes to pass? “What pitfalls should I avoid?” If I don’t like the way the future prediction looks, I will ask questions like, “How can I change this?”
If the answers to the questions tend to vary, I can get a sense of the different possibilities. At that point I can at least define what the most likely possibilities are. Then I can ask questions to see what can be done create the situation that is most preferable.
When we take our time in making predictions, ask a lot of questions and look for the trends in the answers, we can derive information that is both accurate and helpful.
See Me in Connecticut This August!
I will be returning to Connecticut for my August Northeastern Tarot Tour beginning August 14. I will be there through August 26.
I will be offering private readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, Connecticut. I am available for house calls and psychic house parties throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island.
On Sunday, August 18 at 7 pm I will be giving a tarot workshop focusing on the Court cards of tarot. The workshop is entitled “The Tarot Court: A Universal Mirror”. For more information and to reserve your seat for this class, visit the True Bikram Yoga website.
To reserve your appointment time for your in-person appointment with me, or to schedule your house call or psychic house party, call or text me at 561-655-1160.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a tarot tip about reading techniques. Do you use the same spread, or same technique, for every reading and every question? Try these six ways of getting information from the cards!
Did you catch my Three-Card Weekly Reading on Facebook Live? If you missed it, you can watch it in archive on my YouTube channel.
From Around the Web
Jenna Matlin has written a wise piece on Medium about distance readings. Sometimes people feel that distance readings might be less accurate than in-person readings. In-person readings are wonderful because we get to see each other face-to-face, but the accuracy doesn’t change, as Jenna states in her post.
I found this interesting post on OmTimes. It shares ways you can contact those who have passed on.
There is one kind of ‘fortune-telling’ that we need to avoid. In psychology, ‘fortune-telling’ is a term that means anticipating negative outcomes. Here’s an article about that.
Image from Celtic Dragon Tarot by Lisa Hunt, published by Llewellyn Worldwide. Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week let’s consider the Wheel of Fortune as a card that tells us that anything can happen.
Some modern tarot decks include an “Unknown Card.” That is, a seventy-ninth card that says that, whatever question was asked, the answer is simply unknowable. I find such a card redundant, mostly because of the Wheel of Fortune, which can often say the same thing.
In the Celtic Dragon Tarot, by Lisa Hunt and the late D.J. Conway, the Wheel of Fortune shows a book called “the Grimoire of Life” which says, “The Wheel Turns. Learn to ride with dragons.”
To me this says it all. Sometimes you just have to spin the wheel and see where it lands. Sometimes you need to go with the flow, and trust that the outcome will be what it needs to be. Sometimes you have to trust that a Higher Power is in charge. Sometime you need to trust your own ability to handle what comes, whatever it might be. The Wheel of Fortune can remind us of this.
You can get your own copy of this great tarot deck from my website!
Upcoming Events and Tour Dates
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 30
July 24, 2019
Messages of Love
Tarot for Valentine's Day, events in Tampa and CT, and more!
Messages of Love
We encourage each other!
One of the many legends about Saint Valentine is that he, while imprisoned, wrote letters of encouragement to his followers on the heart-shaped leaves available to him through his cell window.
Whether or not this story is factual, I love the imagery of it; the idea that an imprisoned person’s faith and inspiration could be so strong as to share encouragement with those outside his prison walls.
This leads to the idea that, no matter our own limitations or difficulties, we still have the capacity to provide inspiration, encouragement and solace to others. And, perhaps in that act, can find the same for ourselves.
How we communicate with people matters. Our tone, our words and our energy make a difference to the people around us. Even when dealing with strangers, we can choose to share a positive, encouraging energy.
Sometimes we hear positive messages, not only from the people we love, but from strangers, song lyrics, dreams, and our own intuition. I believe that our loved ones in Spirit send us messages of love constantly; we just need to know how to hear them.
The more we are aware of how we communicate with people, the more we are able to receive positive messages from the Universe. In meditation, divination and simply by listening, we become able to sense, and to share, the messages of love that are all around us.
Make Your Plans to See Me During My Northeastern Tour!
I will be in Connecticut March 27 through April 8. I am available for parties, groups and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York City.
I am also offering private readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison.
To make your appointment, please call or text 561-655-1160.
I will be teaching two workshops while I am there.
In Madison, on Sunday, March 31 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘The Journey of Life: The Major Arcana of Tarot.
In New Haven, on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘Oils, Intuition and Manifestation’. Learn more about these workshops, and register in advance!
The Pages are Messengers
There are many tarot cards whose keywords include ‘communication,’ but probably few as directly as the four Pages.
While the Pages can be children, or students, these cards also serve to bear messages and to encourage us to communicate.
Long before electronic communication, the Pages would predict the much-anticipated event of receiving a letter in the mail. Now, they handily answer questions like, ‘Will I hear from him?’ and ‘Should I say something to her about this?’
Pages can also take on the role of letting you know that your loved ones in spirit have a message for you.
The next time you see a Page in a reading, consider that the card could be encouraging you to communicate with someone, or letting you know that someone is trying to communicate with you!
The Week in Review
Just released this week was a podcast from the Tarot Readers Academy featuring me! The topic is ‘The Cards Speak for Themselves’. You can listen to the podcast, watch the video and download free study materials!
This week on my personal blog I shared some thoughts about Rumi, my new favorite song and a tarot exercise.
From Around the Web
Check out this month’s Hit List from The Tarot Lady. I was pleased to get a mention!
I stumbled on this older post from James Ricklef about Tarot and Desiderata. This post has certainly stood the test of time and offers a great tarot exercise.
Mary Greer has a new post called ‘Active Imagination vs. Guided Imagery.’
Cards for Your Consideration
What better deck to consider for Valentine’s Day than Lover’s Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr? This U.S. Games favorite comes in a lovely set with a full-length book.
Waldherr assigns classic love stories to each of the Major Arcana, giving us a lesson in tarot archetypes, literature and history.
The Minor Arcana are fully illustrated and also depict love stories. This is a full-service traditional deck that can be used for any kind of reading. Yet. given its theme, it’s the perfect deck for readings about romance.
See Me in Tampa This Weekend!
I still have a few openings to see private clients this coming weekend when I am in the Tampa Bay area from Friday, February 15th through Monday, February 18th. Call or text 561-655-1160 to arrange your timeslot.
Please plan to join us at Panera Bread in Lutz on Sunday, February 17th from 3 pm to 5 pm for a tarot meetup! Bring your tarot cards or borrow some at the meeting. Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome to join us; it’s free and fun!
Join us for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live
On Wednesday, February 20 from7 pm to 8 pm you have the opportunity to join tarot friends from around the world on my free monthly webinar, Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live.
Each month we gather on Facebook to share readings, conversation and tarot study. You can join in on your smartphone, computer or tablet.
To join, simply like my business page and look for the live feed.
Tarot Topics Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 7 - February 13, 2019
Your Internal Like Button
This week, Tarot Topics explore Judgment, in tarot and in life.
This week I have noticed a lot of people in a place of angry judgment, either with themselves or others.
The word ‘judgment’ gets a bad rap, and for a good reason. Judgment is discernment, and discernment is necessary to be able to make good choices. However, we tend to use the word ‘judgment’ specifically when we are making decisions about other people’s value, or about our own value.
It’s important to be discerning when deciding who we want around us. We don’t want to hire someone unfit for the job or marry someone whose character we don’t admire. We consider selectivity in dating and friendship a good quality. All of this is judgment, but I don’t think it’s the kind of judgment Biblically forbidden in Matthew 7:1-3 where we are instructed not to judge others to avoid being judged ourselves.
I think the admonition against that kind of hurtful judgment includes negative self-judgment; those moments where we let our regret for a human mistake turn into a full-on condemnation of our own character.
Hurtful judgment can also be cast toward strangers, either individuals or groups. It seems to be our nature to want to categorize everything as either good or bad, right or wrong.
Aside from basic human values, I would argue that very few things in life are inherently good or bad. It really all comes down to what we like, and what we don’t like.
If we could judge the things we like and don’t like rather than try to divide everything and everybody into categories of good and bad, I think the world would be a happier place.
Imagine it. The energy of saying, “That person is a bad person.” is much heavier than simply saying, “I don’t like that person.” The damage of saying “I hate myself for failing that test” is much greater than “I don’t like that I got an F.”
Every social media platform allows us the opportunity to hit a “Like” or “Upvote” button to show our affection, appreciation and support. Some platforms let us downvote as well.
Perhaps we each need to employ internal upvote and downvote buttons. If we simply allow ourselves to discern what we like and don’t like, rather than having to judge ourselves and others as good or bad, I think we’ll spend a lot less energy being angry, and a lot more time enjoying what we like!
The Week in Review
Have you seen my new blog post about reading tarot for others? Sometimes the hardest part is in the first moments.
I found a great post on Maelstrom Tarot from last year called Connecting with your Ancestors Through Tarot. As October approaches our thoughts naturally turn to those who have gone before. Tarot is a great way to check in with them.
Liz Worth has recently shared Three Truths About Running A Tarot Business.
Remember, too, that if you have a tarot business or are interested in starting one, I will be part of a day-long seminar as an extension of the Northwest Tarot Symposium in March. You can sign up now!
Now to talk about another kind of card deck. Have you played Cards Against Humanity? Did you know the game creators are looking for new card authors? You have until August 31 to contribute your ideas!
See Me on the Upper East Side of NYC
On Friday, September 7th in the afternoon and evening, and in the morning of Saturday, September 8th, I am offering hour and half hour readings by appointment in a private apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
To reserve your time slot, simply call or text 561-655-1160. Tell your friends in NYC – this is a rare opportunity to have an in-person appointment with me!
Judging Judgment
Card 21 of the Major Arcana of tarot is typically called "Judgment". In the popular Waite illustration, we see the Angel Gabriel blowing his horn to awaken the dead into a new life. Archetypally, this is the Rapture; the Judgment Day. In fact, most illustrations of this card include an angel with a horn. The feeling invoked is a call to awaken a sleeping hero, or a 'wake-up call' for ourselves.
Classic interpretations for Judgment include concepts like 'wake-up call' and 'hearing your calling'. Judgment can be about endings and new beginnings. Judgment is the card of 'get over it!' advising closure to grief, loss and the past in general. Judgment is the final analysis, when we are able to judge the results of our efforts. Typically, the presence of this card indicates that we should judge those results favorably.
Often the question arises as to whether Major Arcana 21 can speak of angry judgment, negative judgment, that sort of judgment that hurts others; that sort of judgment against which we are admonished.
The truth is, in a particular reading, card images and words might be interpreted literally. Some readers might find within this card the harmful judgment against others. However, if we look to the archetypal reference of this card and find within it a spiritual message, we may find advice against harboring those kinds of judgmental feelings.
The angel of Judgment arrives to wake us out of harmful habits. Judgment asks us to put closure to the past rather than to harbor bad feelings. When we study tarot as a book of spiritual wisdom, Judgment may teach us not to judge ourselves and others; to get over mistakes of the past and move forward without the burdens of anger and regret.
Register Now for September Classes in New Haven, CT, Madison, CT and Tequesta, FL
I love teaching, and I love that I get to teach a wide variety of topics in some very interesting places.
Registration is now open for the following September classes. In all cases, registration in advance offers you a discount, and reserves your seat.
On Sunday, September 9 at 7 pm I will be teaching “Tarot and the Four Elements” at True Bikram Yoga in New Haven, CT. This is a great hands-on tarot class for anyone interested in tarot, from beginners to experienced readers. You will learn about the power of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and how the Four Elements influence tarot, and teach us about ourselves.
On Sunday, September 16 at 7 pm I will be coteaching an exciting class with True Bikram studio owner Robin Brace at her Madison studio. Robin is a DoTerra representative. Together she and I will discuss plant magick – that is, metaphysical uses for essential oils. This will include using the oils to awaken intuition, and in working the Law of Attraction.
You may register for one of both classes on the True Bikram website.
After I return to Florida I will visit Dream Angels in Tequesta on Thursday, September 27 at 7 pm for a class in Tarot Key Words and Interpretations. You can reserve your seat for that on the Dream Angels website.
Very soon I will be releasing a new schedule of classes in my Palm City Conference Room, as well as some special online offerings, so stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Sunday, August 26, 4 pm
Tarot Meetup: Cards and Conversation
Panera Bread
2894 Town Center Way, Palm City, FL
Join our tarot meetup for fun, food and fellowship as we share readings and tarot exploration together.
Wednesday, August 29, 7 pm
Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live
Join me on my Facebook business page for an hour of readings and study with tarot friends from around the world.
September 6-18
Last Northeastern Tour This Year!
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York
Readings, parties and house calls available in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and NYC. Call 561-655-1160 for details.
Sunday, September 9, 7 pm
Special Class: Tarot and the Four Elements
True Bikram Yoga, New Haven, CT
The study of tarot, a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form, can offer insight, inspiration and personal reflection. One of the easiest ways to connect with the symbols of tarot is through the lens of the Four Elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Each of the Four Elements hold a powerful key to understanding astrology and tarot, and thereby, understanding yourself.
Join author Christiana Gaudet for a hands-on exploration of tarot appropriate for any level of experience, from expert to the merely curious.
Bring a tarot deck or borrow one at the workshop. There will be an opportunity to register on True Bikram Yoga’s website shortly.
Sunday, September 16, 7-9 pm
Plant Magic: Essential Oils to Enhance Intuition and Manifestation
True Bikram Yoga, Madison, CT
We all know that essential oils can offer profound healing of body and mind, but how can we use oils for spiritual growth and healing?
Join Robin and Christiana for an enlightening evening as you discover and deepen your own connection to guidance and wisdom, and your own ability to manifest your best destiny.
Luck Favors the Brave
See a full list of events for September, and learn how to get a reading with me in NYC and CT!
In this special edition of Tarot Topics I share some thoughts about courage, as well as some exciting updates and events.
Learn about upcoming classes in CT and FL, and opportunities to have readings in NYC and CT!
Read the Newsletter!