The Tarot School: Tarot Tips Newsletter

Happy 22nd Birthday to The Tarot School!

The final countdown has begun before this year's
Readers Studio blasts off for an amazing voyage
through tarot time and space!

If you've never been to a Readers Studio before,
get ready for the ride of a lifetime! Just ask all
the people who are coming back again for more!
Remember the famous quote from the TV show,
Dinosaurs? "AGAIN!!!" Baby Dinosaur just
couldn't have enough fun –– and neither will you.
But you have to register first and time is
running out!

Do it now:
http://ReadersStudio.com

In this issue, we feature a tip from Katrina Wynne
(one of the presenters at the Tarot and Psychology
Conference) on Tarot journaling — a great way to
chart your tarot journey. In PsychWise, Dr. G looks
at the Ace of Swords, and Best Practices returns
with advice on how to sell your services without
sounding like a salesperson.

And one more thing...

Tarot Tips will be on "conference hiatus" for
the next couple of months. See you in June!

With love and gratitude on the tarot journey,

Ruth Ann, Wald, Gina & Elinor

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

THE TAROT JOURNALING PROCESS
by Katrina Wynne

Whether you are just beginning your exploration of
Tarot or have years of experience with this oracle, if
you want to get to know a new deck on an intimate
level, my first suggestion is to commit to a six-month
daily journaling process.

Why Tarot journaling...because to invite a Tarot deck
into your life is to make a new friend who you are
excited to get to know. Each deck has its unique
personality with various levels of meaning, through the
intention of the artist and your own understanding.
Journaling is a daily commitment to learning your
deck—card-by-card—diving into the details,
connecting the cards to your personal understanding,
while working at your own pace.

Journaling traditionally is a process of self-exploration
and reflection. Tarot cards are tools that are often
utilized for similar purposes. By combining these
two we open ourselves to deeper connections and
meanings in life…and beyond.

The Tarot Journal

First, find a notebook that you will enjoy using.
It can be a blank page sketch book or lined page
bound book. You can also use a ringed notebook
if that is your style.

Here are the key features you will need for each
individual page or facing pair of pages:

• Room to write (preferably a whole page).
• Space for a sketch, collage, picture, or card; or
• Space for a spread or layout.

If you are using a physical notebook, find a safe place
to store it. Of course, with modern technology, you can
also use a word processing program or other journaling
app. I prefer the tactile experience of writing and
drawing, but there are many creative new ways of
accomplishing the same tasks.

The Journaling Process

Your journaling book is your space to explore private
thoughts and revelations as you document and study
each card in your daily reading. Here is the process
I recommend:

• Divide your deck, separating the major trumps from
the minor suits.

• Use your favorite ritual to select one card from
the 22 major cards as your card-of-the-day.

• Write and/or draw a first impression of the card,
perhaps an intuition or some aspect of the image that
jumps out at you.

• Next, write down the name of the card at the top of
your journal page.

• Now pull out the book that goes with your new
deck and look up the card that drew your attention.
Additional books can also be used as reference sources.
Write these details in your journal.

• Since this is a one-card daily reading, try to start
your journaling ritual at the beginning of your day
so you can observe how the message from the card
interfaces with your experience. At the end of the day,
reflect on the meaning of the card and how its message
may have appeared. Write those observations in your
journal.

For the first two months I recommend that you randomly
select exclusively from the major cards, paying special
attention to those that repeat. If at the end of the two
months some cards have not appeared, then select them
purposely in order to journal about them. Whether
it takes two months or longer, keep working with the
major keys exclusively until you feel familiar with
them and confident about their meanings.

When ready, add the minor cards to your random
daily readings. Shuffle the entire deck together, and
then repeat the card reading and journaling steps.
By the time you have reached the suggested six-month
journaling period, you should have received each of
the 78 cards at least once. For those cards that did not
yet appear in your daily draw, choose one per day until
you have completed your study.

When you have reached a point where you feel
confident about your chosen deck and no longer
need to pull a daily card for journaling, you are
left with a personalized notebook that reflects
your unique understanding of Tarot in general,
and your deck specifically, that will serve as a
resource you can reference as needed.

There are so many wonderful aspects to Tarot journaling
that I am excited about and have written into my book,
My Tarot Journey — A Personal Journal, which I plan
to have available again in 2018.

============================================================

Katrina

Katrina Wynne, MA, CTM, CTI, CLC
is an internationally renowned Transformative
Tarot Counselor™ and trained psychotherapist
with 45 years’ experience living the wisdom
of Tarot.

Katrina will be a featured presenter at the
2017 Tarot & Psychology Conference!

Contact Katrina at:
www.TarotCounseling.org - website
www.MySacredJourney.org - weblog
www.OracleSoup.org - podcast
www.Facebook.com/katrina.wynne/

Tarot School Aphorism

Tarot images are famous for being evocative. All by themselves they can tell us what is relevant in any situation. Anyone can be a reader if they open themselves to the message of the imagery. The more of that message they’re aware of, the better their readings will be.

PsychWise – Tarot & Psychology Q & A
with Elinor Greenberg, PhD, CGP, CPTR

THE ACE OF SWORDS AND
THE POWERS OF THE MIND

Introduction
As every Tarot reader knows, the suit of Swords in
the Rider-Waite-Smith deck represents the element
of Air, the powers of the Mind, and more specifically:
our thoughts, our worries, our judgements, and our
decisions. However, when I look through my deck
and take out the cards in that suit, I see a very
one-sided view of the mind. Almost every Minor
Arcana card in that suit shows some form of mental
distress. Only the Ace of Swords captures all the
possibilities of the suit.

This reminds me of all my clients who enter therapy
with anxiety as their main symptom. Instead of using
their mental powers to help themselves in life, they
have been using the power of the Sword against
themselves—often in the most cutting ways possible.
Much of their therapy is spent in helping them learn
how to stop stabbing and cutting themselves with
the sharp edge and instead use the powers of the
Sword to solve their problems and protect themselves
when necessary.

The Ace of Swords and the Elemental Array

I thought that a good way to introduce the mental
powers of the suit of Swords would be through the
“Elemental Array.” My first “Elemental Array”
gave me a quick introduction to the role Swords’
powers played in my life.

The “Elemental Array” is a projective technique
developed by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone
that uses the four Aces from the Rider-Waite-Smith
deck. It is extremely simple and instantly gives the
knowledgeable user a great deal of useful
information about the talents and proclivities of
the querent. For those of you who would like to
try it right now, or are unfamiliar with it, I will
briefly outline it. Much more information is
available on the Tarot School website
www.tarotschool.com. I also wrote on an article
that is posted there on how to use the “Elemental
Array” in psychotherapy (see below).

INSTRUCTIONS

Take out the four Aces from a R/W/S deck
and shuffle them face-down.
Turn over the top Ace, look at it quickly, and
decide whether you like it or dislike it. Do this
without reference to anything you may know
about this card. Go with today’s gut reaction.
(It is perfectly fine to like them all.)
If you decide that you like it, put it down to your
left in front of you. If you do not like it, put it to
your right. (Do this only if you have a strong
aversion to the card, not just a matter of liking
it least.)
Turn over the next Ace and make the same decision.
If you like it more than the first Ace, put it to the
left of the first Ace. If you like it less than the first
Ace, put it to the Right of it.
Keep going until you have done all four Aces
and you have them down in front of you upright.
Now look at the spacing between the cards and
adjust it so that cards that it reflects how close in
your mind these cards are to each other. If they
are very close and you almost like them equally,
you can have them touch. If for example, you
actually hate the last card in your array, you may
want to indicate this by putting it at a greater
distance from the other three cards.

What the Positions Mean—the very abbreviated version:

Your innate gift or talent that is visible to everyone
Another innate gift or talent that you rely on as your
ultimate truth. Others may see it, or not.
Your challenge: something that you want more of
as an ability, but which does not come easily or
naturally to you.
What you dislike or do not give any energy to.

My First Elemental Array

(1) Ace of W (2) Ace of S (3) Ace of C (4) Ace of P

My Ace of Wands in the first position often leads
me into trouble, as I impulsively take on some new
project because it “burns brightly” and I am drawn
to its new and fiery energy. The Ace of Wands in the
first position suggests that I have no problem initiating
projects. However, after I impulsively plunge into
some new enticing project, my next reaction is likely
to be “Oh, God. What did I get myself into?”
The Ace of Swords in my second position in my
“Elemental Array” is my rescue card. It reflects
my innate confidence in the power of my mind.
I know from experience that once I actually sit down
and think about what I have to do, my mental powers
will kick in strongly and I will actually be able to
know what to do.

This column comes to you today by virtue of my
Ace of Swords.

The Ace of Swords

I think of this card as my psychotherapy card.
It contains all the powers of the Mind, which
also includes the verbalized thoughts that we
call words. I have found that very few of my
clients (or querents) really use their Sword
properly. When I started to study the Western
Mystery Tradition as taught by the Builders
of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.), I was delighted
and amused to find that in essence many
occult secrets deal with the same issues as
modern psychology: the right use of the powers
of our mind. Much of what we think of today
as very modern and newly discovered principles
of psychotherapy—the power of words to affect
our emotions, the use of visualizations and
hypnotic suggestions, the concept of forming
an intention, positive thinking, and the use of
affirmations—are really rediscoveries of the
Ageless Wisdom in modern dress.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
—The right use of the Ace of Swords

Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which was invented
in the 1960’s by Aaron Beck, teaches that our
thoughts directly affect our emotions. Its basic
premise is simple: If our thoughts are irrational
and negative, we will create painful emotional
states within us, reach erroneous conclusions
about our life, and suffer unnecessary pain. If
we correct our thoughts, we will find it easier
to be happier and productive. CBT therapists
have identified about twelve categories of
irrational thinking that reliably lead to
depression and anxiety. I have found that
most of us use the same ones over and over
again.. If you would like more information,
you can look at David Burn’s book:
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy.
Below are three very common categories of
maladaptive thought distortions and an
example of a client using them:

• Over Generalizing: This involves
jumping to a larger conclusion than is
actually warranted by the data.

• Personalizing: This involves making
something about you that is not personal
to you.

• Fortune Telling: This involves predicting
a negative future for oneself based on little
or no evidence. (Amusingly, if she were an
experienced Tarot reader and actually read
this in “the cards,” this would count as
evidence in my opinion).

Example: My client Sharon applied for a
job that was a bit of a reach for her and she
didn’t get it. She was understandably
disappointed, but the conclusions that she
drew from her experience made her feel
even worse. She told herself: “This always
happens to me (Over Generalizing and
Personalizing). I never have any good luck
(Over Generalizing). I will never find a job
(Fortune Telling). I might as well quit now
(Over Generalizing and Fortune Telling).”

First, I sympathized with Sharon’s
disappointment and then I asked her to
express her disappointment in a more
nuanced and accurate way. (In Tarot terms,
I was asking Sharon to put down the blunt
club of a Wand that she was using to bash
herself and instead pick up her sharp and
pointed mental Sword and use it to speak
more accurately about her situation).
Fortunately, Sharon has a sense of humor
and we had worked on these types of thought
patterns before, so I was able to point out the
exaggerated nature of what she was saying:
“This always happens? You never ever have
any good luck? You will never ever find a job?
Did the wicked fairy curse you?”

Sharon laughed and rephrased her feelings
in a more nuanced and realistic way, “I wish
I had gotten that job. I don’t want to have to
keep on looking. I am afraid it will take me
awhile to find a job that I actually like.
I had hoped it would work out and I am
sad that it didn’t.”

The reality was still negative, but now she
was no longer the passive recipient of blind
fate or inevitable bad luck.

The Ace of Swords Spread
What do I need to think about in a more nuanced way?

This is a very simple variation on the center of
a Celtic Cross spread. I developed it to focus on
how I should use my mental powers right now.
I decided to test it on a question that I have been
thinking about.

The Issue: I have a new book out in print form
and I am exploring the idea of reformatting it
for Kindle in the future.

My Question: What do I need to think about
with regard to this idea?

INSTRUCTIONS:
Take the Ace of Swords out of your deck and
put it face up on the table. It will be the center
of your spread. Shuffle and cut the rest of the
cards as usual. Draw five cards from your
face-down deck and lay them out as follows:

Center card: Ace of Swords.
Crossing card: This is the issue that you
need to think about in a sharp and nuanced way.
Foundation card: What is the basis of the situation?
Outcome Card: What is likely to happen?
Card on left of center: Do not do this.
Card on right of center: Do this.

My Cards:

Center card: Ace of Swords
Crossing card: 8 of Wands
Foundation card:4 of Cups
Outcome Card: Queen of Swords
Card on left of center 9 of Swords
Card on right of center: Page of Swords

My Interpretation:
Everything feels as if it is going a bit too fast
for me (8 of W). I want to sit back and enjoy
what I have done without taking on anything
new (4 of C). If I let myself take my time,
I will develop even more mastery and gain
self-confidence (Q of S). I shouldn’t worry
about this issue (9 of S). Instead, I should
let myself be the beginner that I am (P of S).

Conclusion:
This reading made a lot of sense to me and
it gave me an immediate feeling of relief.
I am not yet ready to reformat my book
when it just came out in September. I do
not know enough yet about publishing to
know if that is even a good idea for my
book. I am extremely busy right now and
I feel a bit overwhelmed with all my other
writing assignments and things that I am
doing to promote my book. This definitely
does not feel like the right time to do this.

The Page of Swords: By the way, those of
you who have read my other articles or know
me, may remember that the Page of Swords
comes up for me regularly every time that I
decide to put myself back into the beginner
position to learn something new. It represents
for me, among other things, my determination
to use my own mind to evaluate what other
people are trying to teach me, instead of simply
taking their ideas on faith. I have my own
“Sword” (mental powers) and I intend to think
for myself and not just uncritically accept what
“experts” say. Seeing it here confirmed for me
that I was on the right track.

Resource: The Elemental Array and Psychotherapy:
How to Move an Ace and Change Your Life by
Dr. Elinor Greenberg
http://tarotschool.com/ElementalArray.html

============================================================

Dr. Elinor Greenberg, PhD, CGP, CPTR
is an internationally renowned Gestalt therapy
trainer who specializes in teaching the diagnosis
and treatment of Borderline, Narcissistic, and
Schizoid adaptations. She has been studying
tarot since 1995 and is psychology consultant to
The Tarot School, where she earned a Third Degree
in Tarot. She is a member of B.O.T.A. (Builders
of the Adytum) and has been certified as a professional
tarot reader by the American Tarot Association.

Dr. Greenberg is the author of Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid
Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety, which
demystifies the diagnosis and treatment of personality disorders.

http://elinorgreenberg.com/

2017 Readers Studio Poster by Ryan Edward Capogreco

The 2017 Readers Studio is coming soon!

Click the poster above
for all the details!

Best Practices for Professional Readers
SELLING AND PROMOTING FOR
THE SOULFUL ENTREPRENEUR

By Gina Thies
www.tarotadvisor.com / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders
www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard,
“I’m a spiritual person, I hate sounding like a
salesperson!” I’d probably have enough to pay cash
for a car. I’m guilty of it myself. I have had a
love/hate relationship with the part of business that
requires people to pay for my services. But I had to
face that this attitude was not going to bring the
success I wanted in the long term.

There are many coaches that are going to sell you
formulas to grow your business and how to land that
ideal client but if you can’t get real about your
relationship with how to value yourself and what you
offer, throwing money at these coaches won’t help.

For the soulful entrepreneur, the best tools are the
very words we use to motivate and encourage our own
clients and students. So when you are thinking about
the words you’ll use for your content in an upcoming
promotion or if you have to talk to someone about
what it is your services will do for them, talk about
benefits instead. Take the focus off of you and place
the focus on your potential client.

For instance, you receive a call and the person
inquires about a reading and what it will cost.
After you give them a price, they proceed to ask for
a discount. Now stop! I can tell you that some
spiritually oriented practitioners have been caught
off guard and given in to dropping their fees. There
is nothing wrong if you choose to discount your rates.
But consider the motivation of the person asking for
your fees to be discounted.

I am going to suggest a few things:

• Have a clear, confident knowledge of your talent,
service and product. This means have your facts
straight and be able to back up what you offer.

• Arouse interest. There is a human side to what you
do right? This is what you should connect and reach out
with, rather than focusing on money.

• Screen. I can’t stress enough how your
information should always be geared to capture the
attention of your ideal clients, but sometimes seekers
just don’t know what they need. You won’t sound
like a salesperson if you are just asking questions.

• Create solutions. Believe it or not, people expect
you to have answers. Have pricing options and lists
readily available and visible. Also, it may be useful
to post a policy about whether or not you offer
discounts and other terms of service in order to avoid
uncomfortable conversations as much as possible.

Upcoming Events:

Tarot Salon

Forest Hills, New York

March 6, 13, 20 and 27

Our popular Monday night Salons are the

hottest thing in tarot instruction!

http://tarot.salon

2017 Tarot & Psychology Conference

East Elmhurst, New York

April 27

This full-day conference explores ways to integrate
psychological techniques into your tarot practice, and
ways that tarot can enhance your psychology practice.
A single-day pass is available – or you can combine it
with your Readers Studio registration for a 50% discount!

http://tarotandpsychology.com

2017 Readers Studio

East Elmhurst, New York

April 28 – 30

Join our international event as over a hundred tarot readers,
teachers, authors and artists gather for three extraordinary
days of tarot study and play!

http://ReadersStudio.com

The last time we offered this intensive it sold out!
Due to popular demand, we're offering it again.

The Tarot of Obvious Magic
June 24-25, 2017
11:00am – 7:00pm

Click Here to Register