Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com
ISSN: 1529-0565
Vol. 16 #6 July 1, 2024

In this Issue:

- Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Reversals
- Wald's Words of Wisdom
- Diviner's Corner: Divining the Future with Nature
- Product Spotlight: Birth Cards Course
- Meet the Reader: Madame Pamita
- Upcoming Events

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

This month you came from:

India, Lithuania, Poland, Singapore,
the United Kingdom and the United States!

Wald and I celebrated our "Major Arcana" Wedding Anniversary a couple of weeks ago. It's been 22 years since we said "I do" (twice for Wald!) in a very magical ceremony at the New York Tarot Festival, which we produced in 2002.

The late Robert Moyer designed and created our elaborate wedding garb, as well as a magical setting for the ceremony—complete with hanging banners of the Four Aces, a beautiful altar, a grove of trees, and a black-and-white checkered floor! Lon Milo DuQuette and Mary K. Greer officiated as our real-life Hierophant and High Priestess, and a group of family and friends rounded out the wedding party. The ceremony was filled with tarot symbolism and other personal spiritual references. We had the communal blessings of everyone at the conference and the magic has held all these years!

Each of the Major Arcana cards has a unique gift to give, and in commemoration of this special anniversary, we'd like to offer you a book of these Tarot Blessings. May they bring you joy!

You can download it here: https://tarotschool.com/Tarot-Blessings-Book.pdf

Next week, we're celebrating 30 years of being a couple. We are grateful to have each other and to be part of such a loving community.

And one more thing...

There may or may not be an August issue of Tarot Tips. I'm having another total knee replacement tomorrow, the right one this time. Even though I've been through this before with good results, I'm still anxious. I'd appreciate any thoughts, prayers, energy healing and/or magical workings you'd care to send to me. Thank you!!

Wishing you joy along the tarot path,

Ruth Ann, Wald and Sharonah

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

REVERSALS:

QUESTION:

I hope that this question isn't too elementary, but I really do want to understand how to read the cards reliably. I have 2 good friends that each hold a different view on reading reversals. One says you do and one says you don't.

Blessings,
Vicki

ANSWER:

The short answer to your question, Vicki, is that they're both right. Friend #1 says "Yes" and that's what works best for them. Friend #2 says "No" because that's what works best for that person. Their only mistake is that they are telling you (and presumably anyone else who asks) that their way is the "correct" way.

Learning more about these (and other) aspects of Tarot will help you find what works best for YOU.

A lot can be said on the subject of reversals (cards with an upside-down orientation) but here are a few things to consider:

Reversals can be interpreted as a negative or lessening effect of a card, a delay, a block, or an internal process -- something you haven't discussed with other people yet or something still percolating in your subconscious.
Sometimes a reversed card is trying to call attention to itself, "Hey, look at me! I'm really important!!"
Some people don't use reversals at all, preferring to use their intuition to choose the appropriate interpretation from the full spectrum of meanings inherent in each card. (This is also how you would approach a card that's laid out sideways, such as the "Crossing Card" in the Celtic Cross spread.)
You can be selective about using reversals. Decide at the beginning of the spread if they are appropriate or not. Trust your judgement and stick to your decision.
But you can also be daring and innovative by using a mix-and-match approach. Within the same spread, take each card on an individual basis and decide if you wish to read the reversal or not!

If you are just beginning to read, you may choose to wait awhile before using reversals. You can introduce them slowly by expressing your intent at the beginning of a reading session. For instance, if you are clear in your mind that any reversed cards that come up will refer to a time delay or a call for attention, that is what they will indicate – to *you* at this time.

Ultimately, the decision as to whether or when to consider reversed meanings of the cards is up to you. There is no "correct" way.

Resources:

Mary K. Greer: Complete Book of Tarot Reversals

Joan Bunning: Upside Down Tarot: How Reversals Add Depth to Your Reading
(Pub Date: July, 8 2024)

Wald's Words of Wisdom

Diviner's Corner

DIVINING THE FUTURE

WITH NATURE'S HELP

Divination, the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means, has a rich history across various cultures and traditions. Nature, with its profound connection to the cycles of life and intrinsic energies, has often been a powerful ally in these practices. Here's a look at how natural elements and settings can enhance divination efforts, offering unique insights and perspectives.

Types of Nature-Based Divination Techniques

Nature offers a myriad of tools and symbols that can be interpreted to gain insights into one's life or the future. Here are some traditional and modern methods of nature-based divination:

Omenology

• Description: The study of omens, signs given by natural occurrences.
• Examples: Observing the flight patterns of birds (augury), the behavior of animals, or unusual weather patterns.

Botanomancy

• Description: Divination using plants, especially the burning of leaves, branches, or incense made from sacred plants.
• Examples: Observing the smoke and flames when burning sacred woods or leaves like oak, ash, or bay.

Geomancy

• Description: A method involving the interpretation of markings on the ground, or the patterns formed by thrown handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand.
• Examples: Making a pattern with pebbles or sand and interpreting the naturally occurring lines and shapes.

Hydromancy

• Description: Water divination, which involves interpreting the movement, color, and ebb and flow of water.
• Examples: Gazing into a natural body of water, observing the ripples caused by stones thrown into a pond, or watching how leaves move on the surface of a river.

Setting Up a Nature-Based Divination Practice

To engage in nature-based divination, consider the following steps:

Choosing Your Environment

• Suggestions: Find a place that resonates with you spiritually, such as a forest, garden, lakeside, or any natural setting that feels charged with energy.

Preparing Yourself

• Suggestions: Ground yourself with a few moments of quiet meditation, focusing on opening your mind to the messages nature may provide.

Selecting Your Tools

• Suggestions: Choose elements that are native to the environment you are in—this could be stones, leaves, water, or even the wind and clouds.

Asking Your Question

• Suggestions: Clearly formulate the question or area of your life where you seek guidance. Keep this in mind as you perform the divination.

Examples of Nature-Based Divination Sessions

Leaf and Wind Divination

1. Gather Leaves: Collect leaves from the ground that draw your attention.
2. Ask Your Question: Hold the question in your mind.
3. Use the Wind: Throw the leaves into the air and observe the pattern as they fall or the direction the wind carries them.
4. Interpret: The pattern or direction can provide insights based on your initial question.

Water Scrying

1. Find Still Water: Locate a still pond or a quiet pool of water.
2. Focus and Relax: Stare deeply into the water, letting your eyes slightly defocus.
3. Observe Patterns: Look for symbols, images, or colors that emerge in the reflections or movements.
4. Interpret: Reflect on how these observations might answer your question or provide guidance.

Divination with the aid of nature connects you deeply with the earth and its rhythms, providing insights that might not be apparent through other means. By interpreting the signs offered by the natural world, you can gain a unique perspective on your life's path, decisions, and the dynamics at play in your environment. Whether through the leaves of a tree, the patterns in sand, or the reflections in water, nature's messages are there, subtly woven into the very fabric of the world around us.

Source:

Moss & Magic

https://mossandmagic.com/

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

Birth Cards Course

You've probably heard of using the date of birth to align with a combination of Major Arcana cards. If so, you've almost certainly read up on it and played with this concept to better understand yourself, the people in your life, and even those you read for.

But this is not another one of those “You are a ____card, therefore you are this or that” introductions.

Are you hungry for in-depth, new insights that revolutionize how you understand tarot?

This deep dive master course will not only show you how to use this straight-forward process to be a better reader, it will help you understand yourself and others in deep and surprising ways.

Meet The Reader

MADAME PAMITA

By Sharonah Rapseik, Ph.D., CMAP

Madame Pamita is an author, witch, root worker and musician.

She is the author of Madame Pamita's Magical Tarot: Using the Cards to Make Your Dreams Come True, The Book of Candle Magic: Candle Spell Secrets to Change Your Life, and Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods.

She is the owner of Madame Pamita's Parlour of Wonders, an old-time spiritualist shop in Los Angeles, where she offers tarot readings, teaches classes in tarot and magic, and creates spiritual/magical tools for transforming lives.

Madame Pamita uses the powers of “euphonious prognostication” to tell audience member's fortunes and plays songs written both by herself and by those who have moved on to the great beyond: rural blues, old time, jug band and proto-jazz numbers about romance and revenge and mirth and mayhem. She plays on an assortment of odd antiquarian instruments as well as a 115 year-old banjo and early 20th century ukulele. She even has written and recorded her own theme song.

According to Madame Pamita, “Magic should be fun.”

Sharonah Rapseik:
Madame Pamita, what makes your tarot practice unique and how do you express it?

Madame Pamita:
I feel like what makes my tarot practice unique is that my readings focus on the pathway to success for the querent. Just like “Google Maps" or “Waze” can guide you and tell you how to get to your destination, my readings highlight the path to achieve your goals. Even tricky cards like the Tower, the Devil and those pesky Swords can be helpful guidance just like a detour sign.

When clients come to me in tough situations, we face them head on and they leave feeling empowered, knowing how to find their way through or around their troubles and back to a state of happiness and contentment.

Sharonah:

Thank you Pamita, it's been a pleasure to meet you!

To Follow Madame Pamita:

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/madamepamita

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/madamepamita

Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/madamepamita/membership

Visit Madame Pamita online:
https://parlourofwonders.com/

To Listen to her Theme song:
https://madamepamita.bandzoogle.com

About Sharonah:

Sharonah Rapseik is an Artist / Designer, Author, Tarot Reader, Radio Host and Producer for Psychic Talk Radio.

Visit her at:
https://psychictalk.net/sharonah/

Upcoming Events:

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.

Classes are recorded and all levels of experience are welcome!

JULY 2024:

1 - NO CLASS
8 - NO CLASS
15 - Issues of the 4 Knights
22 - Esoterics of the 4 Knights
29 - Secret of the Knight of Swords

NOTE:

The Tarot Salon will be on hiatus during the first 2-3 weeks of July as Ruth Ann recovers from knee replacement surgery.

Get on the notification list to see what we'll be teaching each week.

Readings with Ruth Ann

Running The Tarot School with Wald keeps me pretty busy, but I still love giving readings! My specialty is using your Birth Cards and Elemental Array (techniques Wald and I have developed) in conjunction with random draws to give you an extremely personalized and powerful reading.

If you are familiar with the Tree of Life, you may request a

I will compare your Birth Cards with those of one or two others to give you a deeper understanding of your relationship with them.

I excel at giving

Readings for Readers so if you're always giving readings to others, let me help you with some self-care for a change!

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
TarotSchool.com