Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com
ISSN: 1529-0565 
Vol. 12 #17 / November 1, 2020
                                                                  
 In this Issue:
- Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a special welcome to our new subscribers.

Thanksgiving pumpkins
In the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving each
November. It's a time to take a breath and
consider the things we're grateful for. Of
course, we don't need a special holiday to
do that, and many of us maintain a daily
gratitude practice no matter where we live.

But there's something special about
gathering with others close to us in a
shared sense of giving thanks for the
blessings in our lives. Physical gatherings
are still off-limits in many areas but we
can come together in the shared sacred space
of the cyber-universe. This has been a year
of tremendous challenges, but take a moment
now, before you read any further, to think
of at least one thing for which you can
offer thanks.

At The Tarot School, we are especially
grateful that Wald survived his deadly bout
with Covid-19 and is getting stronger every
day. And of course, we are always grateful
for you. Through our mutual love and respect
for tarot, we can gather together to make
the world a better place.

This is what we have for you this issue...


A tarot deck is most commonly thought to
comprise two parts — the Major Arcana and
Minor Arcana, but we say there are really
four. Check this issue’s Tarot Tip to see how.

In The Diviner’s Corner, it’s time for tea!
Tea-leaf reading, also known as tasseomancy,
is the topic of the month. And for the
party gig reader, Best Practices for
Professionals discusses adapting your
business to a digital world. 

We're also introducing a new feature, the
Student Spotlight. Over the years, many of
our Tarot School students have gone on to
become authors, deck creators and teachers.
We're happy to support them by telling you
when they've published a new book or deck,
or will be making a special appearance you
may wish to attend. If you are a past or
current student of ours and have a new
project you'd like us to spotlight, drop us
an email at tarot@tarotschool.com

 
 
 
And one more thing...

 World Divination Association Big Bang Event Wald Amberstone

Toni Puhle has put together another fabulous
World Divination Association virtual event.
With over 40 international speakers, The
WDA 2021 Big Bang is happening the weekend
of December 5-6. This exciting event will help
you wash off the cobwebs of 2020 and give you
the skills and personal power to kick off 2021
with a blast!

Wald is honored to be participating and will
be presenting on Tarot and the Power of
Intent
. This is what he has to say about it:

“Tarot magic is hidden in each of us and
can be found and used when we need it.
In this session, we’ll take a quick look at
the power of intent as it is lodged within the
mysteries of three tarot cards. It will be an
introduction to a possibility you may not
know you have, a power that can help you
in difficult times.”

This is entirely new work and he looks
forward to sharing it with you!

Find out more and register at:
https://www.worlddivinationassociation.com/big-bang-manifestation-conference


 

Take care, stay whole and healthy and
move forward on your tarot journey,
Ruth Ann, Wald, and 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
TAROT'S FOUR ARCANA


Dreamscape



Tarot is full of mysteries and depths. Every
card comes in layers many deep. Cards can be
combined into all sorts of meaningful groups
that make them especially significant in
different ways. When you play with tarot
long enough, you literally start seeing things. 

You could say without fear of being wrong,
that tarot is made of four suits of cards,
each fundamentally different from the other.
Each is an Arcanum, a formal mystery, each
a whole separate secret unto itself. 

The Aces are a secret like that. They are
the geological platform of the elements on
which everything rests — the secret roots of
the world. Each Ace contains the energetic
essence of its entire corresponding suit.

The numbers 2 – 10 of the Minor Arcana
are generally ascribed to the day-to-day
activities of life. But at their deepest,
underneath and supporting all their standard
meanings, these cards also form a mystery,
which is why they are called Arcana. At
that level, they are ways to mastery of self
and world.

The Majors, too, have depths beyond their
standard meanings. They are tarot’s version
of the arcane architectural principles that
bind together the above and the below, the
left and the right, the extremes and the
center, in the world and in you.

Court cards are avatars, incarnations of
human intention, the highest, strongest
intention of which you are capable. Court
cards bring with them the power to effect
necessary change in any situation in
specific ways. They are engines and energies
that do things to you, for you, about you,
around you, and in you. They are about
things that happen because of you. They
are intended to be personal.

When the four arcana come together,
they make the single scintillating mystery
of tarot. 

                          
    


 Tarot School Aphorism
 
 
            Be aware of how many things are associated with each tarot suit. How much richness and power. The combining of their possibilities gives you a sense of how magnificent you are.

           
            
 


What's Gnu?


TAROT SALONS
ON ZOOM ARE HERE!





The Tarot School's Tarot Salon










Ever since we started The Tarot School in
1995, our weekly Monday night classes have
been at the heart of what we do. We are
pleased to announce that starting November
23rd, we’ll be hosting them on Zoom! 

Each Tarot Salon will focus on either card
knowledge, reading techniques and spreads,
or philosophical discussion. The instructional
portion will be followed by reading practice
in the breakout rooms. We’ll come together
at the end for shares and a prize drawing!

In the past, you could only attend our live
classes if you were local, or if a visit
included a Monday evening. Now you’ll
be able to attend no matter where you live.
We can’t wait to meet you!

All levels of experience are welcome.

 For more details and to register:
      http://tarot.salon



 

Diviner's Corner
TASSEOMANCY


Tasseomancy
             


Residual substances left over after beverage
consumption are used for divination. Tea and
coffee, the more common beverages used for
this purpose, have spawned what is known as
tasseomancy. 

Tasseomancy has a stereotypical association
with fortune-tellers, possibly due to its
popular use along the ancient coffee and tea
trade routes. The reading of the sediment of
coffee grounds has its root in the cultures
of the Middle East. 

A divinatory reading is done when residue
forms patterns in most traditions, in a
solid colored cup or container from which
the querent drinks. The reading performed
by a skilled practitioner utilizes intuitive
insights about the dark areas of the
sediment, alongside a set of traditional
meanings corresponding to certain shapes
and patterns such as animals, clouds, snakes,
hearts, etc.  

For some practitioners, the landing of
residue in certain marked positions in a cup
as a guide makes readings easier. In modern
times as the popularity of tea-leaf readings
has expanded, specially designed cup sets
started appearing on the consumer market. 
These cup sets are found in various designs,
but the most common types are: symbolic
cups, zodiac cups, and those with playing
card symbols.  

As with any divination tool, the art of
tea-leaf and other sediment reading takes
time and practice to perfect. Mmmm—a
perfect pairing: divination and a good cuppa! 

Resources:


• Karin Dalton-Smith is one of the world's
premiere tea leaf readers (the photo above
is one of her special fortune-telling tea cups).
Find out about her original tea cards, charms
and courses at https://courses.teawithkarin.com/ 



• The Art of Reading Turkish Coffee Grounds
https://www.jlhufford.com/blogs/newest-posts/the-art-of-reading-turkish-coffee-grounds


 
We’d love your suggestion or submissions for this
column! If you have an idea or would love to
contribute, please contact us at tarot@tarotschool.com

 

Student Spotlight

We are very proud of our Tarot School
students, many who have become
successful authors, teachers, and deck
creators. From time to time, we will
tell you about their new creations or
upcoming public appearances.

If you are or have been a student
of ours and would like to be in the
spotlight, send us an email.



SASHA GRAHAM

Sasha Graham

TAROTPALOOZA PRESENTS
Illuminating the Shadow
a Sasha Graham Master Class


November 14, 2020 via Zoom

This day-long experiential master class
gives you direct and intimate access to
this world-class Tarot author, reader and
teacher. Whether you’re an advanced Tarot
reader or you’ve just got your first deck,
Sasha will guide you to:

• Learn the Life-Changing “Insiders Secret”
to Illuminating Your Personal Shadow

• Discover How to Use Fairy Tale, Myth, & the
Major Arcana to Unpack the Story of Your Life

• Understand The Importance of Evaluating
Your Shadow to Harness Its Power

• Embark on a Deadly Problems Spread to
Clear Your Path

• Get to Know Your Doppleganger

• Experience Instructor and Partner Readings

• Perform a Shadow Self Integration Exercise

• Experience a Psychic Reading from the 3
Intelligences of the Body

• AND SO MUCH MORE!



For full details and to register, visit:
https://tarotpalooza.com/




 

Best Practices for Professional Readers
PIVOT YOUR PARTY READING GIGS

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



Predictions of the end of brick and mortar
businesses have been around since the advent
of e-commerce. Who knew the cause would
be exacerbated by a pandemic? I don’t think
that anyone working in the gig economy of
in-person gatherings thought it would be so
hard hit and so challenging to restructure.
Festive occasions and family gatherings,
as well as corporate meetings, have had to
adapt to an increasingly digital world.  

For people who want to host virtual parties,
a standard holiday party during which there
might be different things to entertain 60 to
80 people no longer works. The trend now is
to have smaller parties with a single focus,
such as a Tarot Party, where everyone can
participate.

Pricing is also different now. Previously,
a 2-hour holiday party of 30 to 50 people
could bring a minimum fee of $350 for a
reader. However, pandemic-era Zoom parties
rarely last longer than an hour, with far
fewer people attending, so your prices have
to be adjusted accordingly.

When negotiating with a potential party
client, it’s important to discuss their
expectations with what is actually possible
within the time frame. Let’s say they’re
planning to have 20 people at a 1-hour party
and want them all to get a reading. After
taking some time to greet their guests,
readings can realistically only last about
2 minutes each. Obviously, there would
be little or no time for a person to ask a
question. If they want longer readings for
everyone, they’d have to decrease the
number of guests or increase the length
of the party.

I also make sure the hostess understands
that I will not be held responsible for
technical issues, troubleshooting the
technology or disconnects. I am not going
to extend time because a participant loses
connectivity. It’s useful to negotiate an
overtime rate to cover these eventualities.

It is also their responsibility to make sure
participants have the proper login
credentials, and understand the technology
and proper virtual meeting etiquette. People
get distracted or interrupted during virtual
meetings all the time, so it’s important to
set some ground rules in advance.

As a reader, it’s important to understand
your limitations. If you’re comfortable
doing short, quick readings then you can
read for a larger party. Otherwise, it’s
probably not a good idea to accept that kind
of gig. Hold out for smaller, more intimate
groups.

If the party is small enough to give everyone
a longer reading, determine whether the
querents would prefer the privacy of a
breakout room or if the party would be
better served by having everyone together
during the readings.

Doing group readings in a virtual setting
isn’t for everyone. Ways of adapting to
current circumstances are ever-evolving,
to say the least. The most important thing to
consider when providing these services is
the type of positive experience both you and
the people who hire you will have when you
walk away.


 
Upcoming Events:
 

• November 23 and 30, 2020

Tarot Salon on Zoom!
7:00 - 9:00 pm EST

Our popular Monday night classes are
now online so you can attend no matter
where you live!
 
http://tarot.salon

 
 
• December 5-6, 2020

World Divination Association
Big Bang 2021 Event


This event is designed to empower you with
the divination, manifestation and spiritual
skills needed to blast out of 2020 and make
the world a better place for all.
 
https://www.worlddivinationassociation.com/big-bang-manifestation-conference


          

 

 
 
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Contact tarot@tarotschool.com
 
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Directors: Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone