Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Try to Prove Yourself Wrong
You can't be sure you are right if you are afraid to be wrong!
Try to Prove Yourself Wrong
Learn to vet your intuitive truth!
Scientists know that every great discovery happens only after they make a good effort to prove themselves wrong. Inventors try to break their inventions in order to prove them market-ready.
This important step of the scientific method – this step of trying to prove oneself wrong – seems in sharp contrast to our culture that gives a sense of valor to clinging to a belief, even when it is proven to be factually false.
The inability to admit that one is wrong, or that one has made a mistake, is often a sign of narcissistic tendencies. The well-known Twelve Steps of Addiction Recovery requires a fearless moral inventory at Step Four, and quick admission when one is wrong at Step Ten. One could make an argument that there can be no healing, personal group or spiritual enlightenment without the ability to see when we are wrong and admit to it without suffering a loss of self-esteem because of it.
In intuitive development and divination, the process of checking in to see if you are on the right track is an important best practice. During a reading it’s very possible to stray from intuition into ego or fear. Checking in allows us to filter away any message that isn’t intuitively inspired.
It’s important to know the difference between honest introspection and negative self-talk. Being able to admit that you are wrong is necessary. Telling yourself that you are always wrong is harmful. It is especially important to prove yourself wrong is when you are telling negative stories about yourself!
Sometimes people have high anxiety about being wrong and making mistakes. That fear causes them to be unwilling to learn, grow and take risks.
When we are able to question our own beliefs, ideas and actions (while still recognizing our basic goodness) we become able to heal, evolve and grow.
Past Life Regression Workshop Tonight in Palm City!
Are you available on the Treasure Coast tonight from 7-9 pm? Are you interested in learning about past life regression and past life readings? Would you like to discover your soul’s history and mission?
Tonight, I will be leading a Past Life Regression Workshop in my Palm City Conference Room. Tickets are limited, and are selling steadily, but if you would like to grab a ticket before they sell out you may purchase one online or call or text me at 561-655-1160.
Five Ways to Vet Your Intuition and Divination
Whether doing a conscious reading or responding to a spontaneous intuitive bolt, or whether reading for yourself, a friend or a stranger, it’s good to question whether you are getting truth, or whether your message has been hijacked by fear, desire, attachment or ego.
I know that sounds a little counterintuitive. Our teachers so often instruct us to simply trust our intuition; how can I instruct my students to question theirs?
I believe in the Russian proverb popularized by Ronald Reagan, “Trust, but verify”. Trust your process, trust that your process works, but also verify your results.
Here are five ways to do that.
Check In
If you want to know if something is true, simply take a moment to breathe with it. Hold the statement or feeling in your mind and heart and ask yourself if it feels true or feels right. Pay attention to what you feel physically in your body, as well as what comes into your mind.
Use a Pendulum
A pendulum is a good way to verify a card reading or an intuitive hit. Simply ask the pendulum, “Is this true?” and see what it does.
Sometimes, while giving a reading, I will simply hold the pendulum and let it swing while I speak. If I veer off the path of the truth, the pendulum will stop or change its swing to alert me.
Pull a Card
You can always ask, “Am I correct in my interpretation of this?” or, “Am I right in what I am thinking?” and pull a card. If it seems that you are not correct, you can then ask, “What is the truth?”
Use Logical Evidence
How does your card reading or intuitive hit stack up against logic? Very often, things that aren’t true don’t make sense.
Try to Prove Yourself Wrong
Using any of the methods above, actively try to poke holes in your established theory. For example, if you are reading for someone and you have come to believe that their relationship is good and healthy, try reading on an opposing viewpoint. Ask questions of the cards such as “What doesn’t work about this relationship?” and “What is inadvisable about this relationship?” Basically, try to find some reason that your assessment is wrong. If you can’t, then you can feel comfortable in the veracity of the information you’ve derived.
The Week in Review
Did you join us for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live? If you missed it, you can view the archive on my YouTube channel.
This week I shared Five Techniques for Reading Larger Spreads. Consensus amongst readers was that these are good tarot techniques for smaller spreads, too.
From Around the Web
Spring is definitely here! Do you forage wild food? Here’s a guide to help you if you are interested in giving foraging a try!
Should you turn your hobby, artform or divination practice into a side job? Here are some thoughts about that.
Joanne Powell Colbert, artist and author of the Gaian Tarot, is planning to release a new deck this spring!
In-Person Readings Available in the Tampa Bay Area
I will be in the Tampa Bay Area this week, Friday, April 26 through Monday, April 29. I’m available to read for you in your home or office by appointment. Gather your friends and family together for a psychic house party!
If you would like to get on the calendar, call or text 561-655-1160.
Cards for Your Consideration
One of my favorite cards for checking for integrity, truth and correctness is the Ace of Swords. I actually call this card my ‘Anti-BS Device’.
The suit of Swords is about the powers of the mind. Aces, as ‘ones’, can be new beginnings as well as the source or essence of their element. Very often, we can see the Ace of Swords as a new idea, a newly learnt truth, or a new attempt at communication.
For me, the Ace of Swords also is a clear indicator that someone is telling the truth, or that what I am thinking is the truth.
The Ace of Swords is also an admonishment to do the right thing.
If you are wondering is something is true, real or right, the Ace of Swords will tell you, in very strong terms, that it is.
Reversals are part of my tarot practice, so for me, the Ace of Swords reversed will tell me that something is not true, not real or not right.
While tarot readings are subject to variations in interpretations, for me, the Ace of Swords speaks clearly about what is true and what is false, and what is right and what is wrong.
Tarot Meetup in Lutz this Sunday!
Join us this Sunday, April 28, at 3 pm at Panera Bread, 23388 State Road 54, Lutz, for an informal free tarot workshop.
Bring your cards or borrow a deck at the meetup. Enjoy some food and fellowship and meet some local tarot friends!
Whether you are curious about tarot, a beginner or a long-time enthusiast, you will have fun and learn something new.
You can RSVP on the Meetup site or simply join us at Panera.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 17
April 24, 2019
Does the Past Predict the Future?
Your past can't control your future, unless you let it.
Does the Past Predict the Future?
We can always create something new!
This week I am thinking about how the past influences the future.
“Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The poet George Santayana gave us this brilliant quote, which we often use as an admonition for all to learn history. Is this warning true in the context of personal history, as well as in the history of nations and politics? I think this quote can speak to our tendency to make similar mistakes multiple times before we are able to change our personal patterns.
Even after we make a conscious effort to release the hurt and trauma of the past, very often old, familiar energies continue to congregate around us. Sometimes it can take considerable work, both energetic and practical, to learn to attract energies that are healthier than the energies of our family of origin, or of our early school experience, or our first relationships.
Very often I talk with people who hang on to a fatalistic belief that whatever was true in the past will always be true in the future. They believe this without question, even when it’s not a logical assumption, and even when the problems of the past don’t seem to be related to an unhealthy energy or pattern of behavior.
For example, a person who has had a hard time meeting appropriate people to date might assume the dry spell will always be the norm. A person who has always struggled financially might assume that their bank account balance will never improve.
I believe it is our responsibility to take active steps to not allow an unfortunate past to dictate our future. Sometimes this means having awareness of the problems of the past and consciously making different decisions. Sometimes this means working to heal from the past and release the energy of the past so as not to attract more of the same. Sometimes it means being willing and able to recognize our own growth, and to anticipate, expect and accept something better than we had before.
Discover Your Soul’s Past!
We can do a lot to improve our future by looking to the past!
Please plan to join me on Wednesday, April 24, from 7 to 9 pm in my conference room at 1025 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Suite 203, Palm City, FL, for an exciting Past Life Regression Workshop.
Come prepared for guided meditation. You may bring a yoga mat, pillow or blanket if you like.
There will also be a section on using divination to explore past lives, so bring your tarot cards, pendulums and oracles.
What you learn about your past may inspire you, heal you and free you to create your best possible future!
Class size is strictly limited. Class fee is $37.50. You may reserve your seat online on Eventbrite up to the time of class, or you may RSVP by phone or text by April 23rd 5pm.
New Thoughts on a Classic Three-Card Spread
So many tarotists and oracle diviners, both new and experienced, swear by the classic three-card Past, Present, Future tarot spread.
This is one of the first spreads we teach tarot students. Larger comprehensive tarot spreads often include these three positions as well.
Many readers, especially those who are newer, use the Past, Present, Future spread to answer virtually any question. I wonder about the efficacy of this method – sometimes a linear timeline doesn’t provide as much information as more pertinent and specific questions might.
Although this three-card spread is classic, well-loved and often used, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about its value or teaching how to get the most insightful reading possible from it.
The Past, Present, Future spread is a bit of a conundrum, because it offers only one card to describe a very large period of time. I have been on the planet for more than fifty years. How can one card sum up my past? Likewise, I hope to be here for just about as long in the future. How can one card describe everything that might happen?
The obvious answer is – it can’t. The purpose of the Past, Present, Future spread is not to quantify everything that has happened or will happen.
To get the most from this classic three-card spread, you must see the middle card, the Present, as the primary focus of the reading. The Past and Future cards should be read in relation to what we see going on in the present.
As an exercise, lay out this three-card spread for yourself, with a tarot or oracle deck. Rather than trying to make sense of it in order, look first to the middle card. How does this card describe something going on in your life right now? Is it a spiritual lesson? A current problem? A happy triumph? Find the way this card makes sense in your life.
Now look to the card at the left, the card that speaks to the Past. How does this card make sense as something that has led up to the situation addressed by the middle card? Do you see that you have built on something positive, or escaped from something negative? Do you see a pattern, either good or bad, that you are continuing, or trying to change?
Now look to the card on the right, the Future. Where is this taking you? Will the energy continue, or change? Does the Future card suggest something you want, or something you would prefer to avoid? How do these three cards counsel you, as you consider what to do to create the future you desire? How do they tell a story that is pertinent to your life as it is now, and your goals for the future?
I think we very often do these Past, Present, Future readings in a very static way, as if we have no control of the energies around us. Truly, these powerful three-card readings can give us a great deal of information about where our past actions have brought us, and how we can create the future we want, or avoid the future we don’t.
The Week in Review
This week I am happy to welcome a guest blogger to my Dark Forest Blog. Adam Durham has shared an informative article about the use of crystals and gemstones for mental health!
Around the Web
Have you ever been ghosted? It can be painful and confusing when a friend or romantic interest suddenly stops communicating with no explanation. Here’s an article from the New York Times to help you cope.
Chris Highland interviewed Byron Ballard, and it’s brilliant.
Here’s a new piece from Mary K. Greer about Pamela Colman Smith and a new tarot deck.
Tarot card image from The Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti. Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week I offer for your consideration one of my favorite cards for creating the future, the Two of Wands.
The Two of Wands speaks of our dreams, plans and goals. This card reminds us that everything takes time, and that there is a process and a path to every achievement.
When I was a freshman at an inner-city high school, I was impressed when a young community organizer named Jesse Jackson came to speak to us. He made us chant with him; “If I can conceive it, I can believe it, if I can believe it, I can achieve it”.
Whether we call this simple statement the power of positive thinking, creative visualization, the Secret, the Law of Attraction, or something else, its truth remains.
To achieve something in the future we must first have a vision, a goal, and a plan.
The Two of Wands reminds us of this important step on the path to success.
See Me in the Tampa Bay Area!
I will be returning to the Tampa Bay Area April 26 through 29. I am available for house calls and parties by appointment. If you would like to have an in-person reading with me or have me visit your home or office to read for your family and friends, simply call or text 561-655-1150 to schedule your appointment.
On Sunday, April 28, from 3 to 5 pm I will once again host an informal tarot meetup and workshop at Panera Bread, 23388 State Road 54 in Lutz. You may RSVP on our Meetup or Eventbrite, or simply join us at the meeting – it’s free to attend and everyone is welcome!
Upcoming Events
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 16
April 17, 2019
The Journey Home
I'm home from my travels and ready for exciting things in Palm City!
The Journey Home
Gratitude for the trip, and for the return home.
My wise mother, who loved to travel, often said that one great reason for going away was the joy of coming home.
It’s become clear to me that I truly have two homes; Connecticut, where I got married, began my business, raised my children and lived for most of my life, and Florida, where I have happily worked and resided for the past eleven years. I feel so blessed to be able to live in one beautiful place, and commute regularly to another.
Spring Tarot Tour Northeast 2019 was a huge success. I am so grateful to everyone who had readings, hosted parties and attended workshops. As always, I am appreciative of True Bikram Yoga for their support of my tour.
My Midsummer Tarot Tour will be June 12 through June 25. If you couldn’t see me this time, or if you just can’t get enough, reach out now to make your plans with me for June.
I am happy to be back in Palm City and looking forward to seeing my Florida friends in my office for readings and classes soon!
The regular Tarot Topics newsletter will be in your inbox next week with all of your favorite features.
I’m looking forward to a spring and summer filled with travel, tarot and teaching. Wherever in the world you are, know that I am available to you for readings, mentorship and tarot goodness.
Thanks so much for your support of my work, and for letting my work support you.
Join Us for Global Tarot Circle
Wherever in the world you are, you can participate in our monthly Global Tarot Circle. Meet with us for an hour, share in readings and informal tarot instruction.
Global Tarot Circle allows you to practice your own tarot skills, receive readings, and learn from tarot friends around the world.
Our next meeting will Tuesday, April 16, 7 pm to 8 pm EST. We meet on Facebook Live.
Simply like my business page, look for the live feed, and join in!
The Week in Review
A highlight of my second week of Spring Tarot Tour was teaching a workshop about the metaphysical uses of essential oils with Robin Brace at True Bikram Yoga New Haven. I’ve shared some thoughts about essential oils, along with the oils we featured in the workshop and their special properties on my Dark Forest Blog.
I’m excited to be teaching a Past Life Regression Workshop in my conference room this month. Here’s a blogpost from a few years ago that speaks to some of my methods, and some of the things I think are important to any sort of divination. Read Imagery and Energy: The Importance of Imagination in Divination, Magick and Healing.
From Around the Web
Did you happen to catch the Tarot Blog Hop last month on the first day of spring? Here’s the Master List. Follow along and see what a group of tarot bloggers had to say this time around!
Are you in Washington DC, or planning a trip there? This DC bar looks like an amazing place!
It’s a new month, so here are some Tarotscopes for you!
Tarot card image from The Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti. Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
The Ten of Pentacles
There are a few tarot cards that can speak of ‘home’. The Ten of Pentacles is one of my favorites.
Known as the ‘Castle Card’, the Ten of Pentacles can reference the purchase or sale of a home, or any matters having to do with the business of real estate.
This is also a card that speaks of generational energy. When this card appears, it may be a reference to your ancestors in spirit, and their presence in your life.
The Ten of Pentacles asks us to consider what we have learned and inherited from our elders, and what legacy we are leaving for future generations.
The Ten of Pentacles can also be a reference to wealth, security and family. Within this card we see the many blessing that are afforded us when we make the stability of home and family a priority.
Past Life Regression Workshop with Christiana Gaudet
Please plan to join me on Wednesday, April 24, from 7 to 9 pm in my conference room at 1025 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Suite 203, Palm City, FL, for an exciting exploration of your soul’s history and purpose.
Come prepared for guided meditation. You may bring a yoga mat, pillow or blanket if you like.
There will also be a section on using divination to explore past lives, so bring your tarot cards, pendulums and oracles.
What you learn about your past may inspire you, heal you and free you for your best future!
Class size is strictly limited. Class fee is $37.50. You may reserve your seat online on Eventbrite up to the time of class. RSVP by phone or text by April 23rd 5pm.
Upcoming Events
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 15
April 10, 2019
Moving Forward
This week, some thoughts from the road, and a blast from my cartomancy past.
Moving Forward
Greetings from Spring Tarot Tour Northeast!
Hello, friends! It’s your intrepid tarot traveler, reporting from Spring Tarot Tour Northeast 2019!
I want to thank those of you whom I have had the privilege to work with since my arrival last week. I am also happy to welcome some new subscribers to this newsletter.
I will be available for readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, CT through April 8, as well as house calls and psychic house parties in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
I’ll be back in my Palm City office April 11. Of course, I am available to work with you by phone, Skype, FaceTime or Messenger no matter where in the world I am!
Simply call or text 561-655-1160 to book your appointment with me, no matter where in the world you are.
Once I am back at my Palm City office you will begin to receive the full weekly Tarot Topics newsletter, rather than this abbreviated travel edition.
Traveling always reminds me of one of the greatest lessons of the Tarot Fool; that life is a journey, not a destination.
The journey of life can sometimes feel like an adventure, but sometimes it feels more like a dangerous trail to be carefully navigated. There are pitfalls, heartaches and disappointments along the way, just as there are joys, discoveries and blessings.
A tarot reading is a good tool to help give us a roadmap of the journey, and to offer an opportunity to chart our course for the best possible experience along the way.
When we find ourselves on a particularly bumpy part of life’s path, it is important to remember that sometimes we simply must keep our head up, our eyes forward and our feet moving.
As we move forward, we move through our difficulties, and toward something brighter. This process happens more easily when we anticipate, and work to manifest, a smoother road ahead.
Oils, Intuition and Manifestation this Sunday in New Haven
Please join Robin Brace and me for an exciting workshop at True Bikram Yoga’s New Haven location this Sunday evening at 7 pm.
We will explore some different essential oils and discuss their role in enhancing intuition, and how we can use them in helping to manifest our dreams and goals.
This will be a hands-on workshop. All materials will be provided.
You can register online, or simply join us Sunday evening.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a tip for tarot readers on my Community Blog. When you see a card in a reading that references a particular thing, how can you be sure it isn’t additionally a reference to something more?
From Around the Web
Here’s a post from Vice about a topic that is getting a lot of attention recently. Can tarot help with mental health issues? Here is more evidence that it can!
Something that often comes up at the tarot table is the question of when it is time to say goodbye to your beloved pet. Here’s an article from the New York Times about that.
Tarotist Joy Vernon lays down some wisdom about how it works when you have multiple tarot readings.
My Very First Divination Deck
Cards for Your Consideration
My Very First Divination Deck
Since I am writing this from Connecticut, the place where I began my tarot career so long ago, I think it is appropriate to share with you my very first divination deck.
I received this early edition of the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards in my Christmas stocking when I was just eight years old. My mother loved a good novelty gift, and, to her, divination was nothing more than a novelty.
Little did she know that this particular gift would turn out to be so very prophetic!
I remember finding truth in the cards even then.
As a young adult, I encountered I Ching and then, finally, tarot. I remembered back to my childhood experiences with divination, and how profound that had felt. I had no idea what had become of that little deck of cards that had first introduced me to the idea of card reading.
After my mother passed away, I found she had saved them in a box of some of my childhood belongings. Now, they sit on my tarot shelf, surrounded by my extensive collection of tarot and oracle decks.
I’ve learned that the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards are quite similar to the Lenormand cards, and are still available today from US Games Systems, Inc. Surprisingly, they still come in the same orange box!
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 14
April 3, 2019