Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com
ISSN: 1529-0565 
Vol. 2 #6 / March 15, 2010

                                                                  
 In this Issue:
- Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Timing Techniques
- Tarot Card Showcase: Queen of Swords
- Upcoming Events
- Best Practices: Understanding Your Client's
  Thinking and Communication Style
- Featured Tarot Blog: Tarot Pathways

 
Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!!
 And a special welcome to our new members!

We are saying goodbye to winter while Ostara, the
day of rebirth and renewal, approaches. The light
of day stays longer as we spring our clocks
forward in time and the darkness of winter begins
to fade.

The spring air is both warm and cool, creating
erratic weather patterns. Air can be as subtle as
a light breeze or as violent as a tornado. These
are the qualities seen in the showcase card -
the Queen of Swords.

The sun begins to emit its warmth, allowing the
earth to thaw. As preparation for planting and
Spring Break happens, we are counting down to the
2010 Readers Studio! This weekend, we had the
pleasure of speaking to Donnaleigh on her Beyond
Worlds radio show. She calls The Readers Studio
"the best tarot party in the world!" and you can
hear us talk about it at http://bit.ly/9Qcpud.
(Be sure to check out the other fabulous tarot
interviews in the Beyond Worlds archives!)
 
Yours on the tarot journey,
Ruth Ann, Wald & Gina


Tarot Tips is here to help you with the practical side
of your Tarot journey. In order to take the greatest
advantage of this newsletter, please send us your
questions regarding any aspect of your tarot study
or practice and we'll do our best to answer them
in an upcoming issue.

Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter
with other Tarot Enthusiasts!



Tarot Tip
TIMING TECHNIQUES

The time frame of an event in a reading is a
question frequently asked by querents, even when
they know that readings are not absolute and that
free will is always important. Methods and
correspondences for interpreting time are an
important skill for a reader to have, and can vary
either by deck or tradition.

Time periods in tarot are often measured
astrologically. In addition to a specified number
of hours, days, months or years, time can be
broken into special periods reflecting things like
the phases of the moon or a querent's personal
time period, like holidays or school semesters.

In modern astrology, the zodiac begins at 0 degree
Aries, but the Golden Dawn tradition began the
zodiac at 0 degree Leo, reflecting a very ancient
system.

Each of the twelve signs in the zodiac has three
decans of 30 degrees each, or 360 degrees for the
full circle of the year. The 36 decans were
assigned to Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, The Sun, Venus,
Mercury and The Moon in a repetitive sequence.
The Minor cards Two to Ten are each assigned 10
degrees each of the 36 sections or "decans" on
the zodiacal wheel, representing days of the year.
One simple way to determine time frame uses just
the four Aces. The Aces represent the root force
of the powers of the elements, and time sequencing
relating to the Aces reference the quality and
pace of elements. So, fire (Wands) represent days,
air (Swords) represents weeks, water (Cups)
represents months, and the slowest earth (Pentacles)
would represent a year or more. The four Aces are
also each assigned to a season - Wands (Summer),
Cups (Fall), Swords (Spring) and Pentacles (Winter).

The Court Cards have astrological attributions
that can assist in determining when an event is
likely to occur, or the best time to start or
finish something. Timing with the Court Cards
can be exact down to the hour of the day.

The Pages represent seasons, just like the Aces,
and the Kings, Queens and Knights are connected
with the decans. Each of the Court Cards share
three decans. For instance, the Queen of Wands is
associated with the last decan of Pisces and the
first two decans of Aries. This is according to
one system. The Tarot School assigns each Court
Card to a complete sign, e.g. the Queen of Wands =
Aries.

The elemental attributions we prefer are as follows:
 
Suit of Swords (Air) = Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Suit of Wands (Fire) = Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Suit of Cups (Water) = Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Suit of Pentacles (Earth) = Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
 
To determine timing with the Minor Arcana, look at
the outcome card, central card in a linear spread,
or other important position, and combine the
number of that card with it's suit. For instance
the 4 of Wands would suggest a time period of 4
days, while the 10 of Cups, would be 10 months.

These are a few simple techniques for determining
timing in a reading. Try them out and see how they
work for you. We've sometimes found them to be
uncannily accurate.



Tarot Card Showcase

In this section we will feature tidbits on a
specific tarot card. While there are many
systems and decks to choose from in the world
of tarot, here we use the Universal Waite
Tarot images and symbols.
Copyright 1992 U.S Games.
 
 
QUEEN OF SWORDS
 
Esoteric Title: Queen of the Thrones of Air
Astrological Attribution: Libra
Elemental Counterchange: Water of Air
 
The Queen of Swords, like all the tarot Queens,
resides in Binah on the Tree of Life. Binah is the
Great Mother, who gives life but is also a
lawgiver who restricts and disciplines. Binah is
also part of the lineage that begins with Chronos,
the Father of Time. Chronos was the father of
Zeus, who fathered Pallas Athena, who in some
traditions is identified with the Queen of Swords.

Pallas Athena was born from the brow of Zeus and
was associated with ideas, thoughts and
intellectual gifts. She was a goddess of wisdom,
but also a powerful warrior protecting the state
from its enemies. The Queen of Swords can be both
terrible and sweet, with a nature that alternately
creates and destroys. Like Chronos, she ultimately
decides the length of time something gets to
exist.

She wears a blue robe representing the water
associated with the Queens, and with Marah, The
Great Sea. The robe she wears has an orange trim
that refers to Hod -- the energy of the mind. Hod
is the seat of intellectual power in humans. She
raises a sword invoking the Divine Crown of
Spiritual Brightness. It represents a power that
is invoked for good or for evil.

The butterflies on her crown symbolize air. The
butterfly is thought to come to life without the
assistance of a mother. In the same way, Pallas
Athena was brought into existence without going
through a female body. The butterfly does not
refer to a flighty and unstable nature. It
represents quick wit and independence.

Positive Keywords:

Wise, intelligent, analytical, original, clever,
smart, mature, perceptive, gracious and
even-handed.

Negative keywords:
Indecisive, cynical, impatient, self-righteous,
cold, unoriginal, uncaring, unconcerned,
abandoned, withdrawn, unrecognized.





 
Upcoming Events:
 
Sunday, March 21
1:00 pm EDT
Interview with the Amberstones on The Tarot Guild's
Tarot Today radio show.
 
 
Sunday, March 28
1:00 pm EDT
Readers Studio Teleconference (f'ree)
w/ special guest Dr. Elinor Greenberg
For call-in details: Email tarot@tarotschool.com
 
 
April 22-25
The 2010 Readers Studio!
 
 
June 11-13
The Omega Tarot Conference
w/ Mary K. Greer, Rachel Pollack, Lon Milo DuQuette,
Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Ruth Ann & Wald Amberstone
 
 
 

 
Best Practices for Professional Readers:
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CLIENT'S
THINKING and COMMUNICATION STYLE
By Gina Thies
 
A tarot reading is not just about reading and
interpreting the symbolism in the cards. It is
also about reading your querent as a personality.
The tarot practitioner should bear in mind that
individuals have different behavioral and
communication styles that affect how they respond
to a reading.

We can perceive information via 1) SENSING, or 2)
INTUITION. We can make decisions based on 1)
objective THINKING, or 2) subjective FEELINGS.
These styles are a part of the individual's
temperament and personality type. Personality
determines the way information is noticed,
processed, and remembered. It also influences the
reactions and the coping mechanisms that help us
deal with life on a day-to-day basis.

These qualities help to form our unique way of
thinking and the psychological process by which we
arrive at decisions. Most individuals seek
readings at times when life is in crisis and/or
the decision-making process becomes clouded by
emotions. Sometimes, being emotionally or mentally
overwhelmed can lead to not seeing or dealing with
the root causes of problems.

Not only are tarot professionals expected to give
insight into what these causes are, but also to
give advice, direction, warnings, meanings and
reassurance. Effective communication with your
querent can set him or her on the path of
self-examination and successful decision-making.

The intuitive, thinking, feeling and sensing
functions correspond to the suits of Wands,
Swords, Cups and Pentacles respectively. I use a
simple method of identifying a querent's
dominant function by asking them to choose a King
if they are male, or a queen if they are female,
from one of the four suits before I begin the
reading. This tells me how the querent thinks and
how to formulate tools they can take away from
their session.

For instance, Sally chose the Queen of Swords at
the start of her session. This tells me that she
prefers thinking to arrive at decisions. Her focus
was on a year-old relationship. In the reading, it
was discovered that this love interest confused
Sally. She wanted to know where the relationship
was heading, as she always planned ahead.

Sally is willing to work at the relationship, but
she is not comfortable with her partner's
spontaneity and emotional highs and lows. Sally is
an idea person. She resonates with advice giving
her strategies for coping and understanding a
"Cups" temperament in her partner.

The potential from all the cards in the spread
indicated a break-up, but she needed to be able to
weigh the pros and cons of the relationship as
facts and data that she can analyze and organize,
in order to make a decision on whether to move
forward or not.

This is just one of many techniques that can help
you understand and communicate with your querents.
I will cover this technique and others in a study
group at The Readers Studio next month in New
York. Join me for a study of relationship
readings, court cards and mate compatibility
issues in "Pitfalls and the Dilemmas of the
Relationship Reading" on Friday, April 23 from 9
to 11 pm. 

Questions arise when developing or transitioning
to professional Tarot Reading status to earn
income. These can range from "How can I make
money with Tarot?" and "How do I get started?"
to more complex technical and business questions.
You may already be up and running and have
questions about how to enhance or ramp up your
business. We would love to hear from you. Send any
questions, or interest in a future class on the
Business of Tarot, to tarot@tarotschool.com.
 

 
RS10 logo
 "The Best Tarot Party in the World!"...
 
The DEADLINE for our group hotel rate
is April 1st.
Your Tarot Tribe is waiting to welcome you!
 
REGISTER NOW
to make sure you don't miss out! 
 
                                            Visit ReadersStudio.com for all the details.
 


 
Featured Tarot Blog / Newsletter
TAROT PATHWAYS

Tarot Pathways is a tarot blog, forum, and link
collection, focusing on the tarot adventures and
explorations of readers Anastasia Haysler,
Rosered, Artemis, Andrew, and others in the
Tarot-To-Go community.  This blog offers podcasts
and information on tarot events and workshops.
This blog is fully loaded. Enjoy!
 
 


 
  
 
Join our 1,500+ fans and join the fun!
You never know what we'll say next...
 

 

Do you have a question or comment on anything
tarot? Suggestions for future topics?
Contact tarot@tarotschool.com
 
For information on tarot classes, courses,
events and more, go to www.TarotSchool.com

 
© Copyright 2010 The Tarot School - All Rights Reserved
Directors: Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone


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