All this year we've been celebrating
The Tarot School's 30th Anniversary.
This past weekend, we finally got to
celebrate in person with around 20
students – some of whom we haven't
seen in many years!

The amazing Sasha Graham organized
a wonderful luncheon in our honor at
our favorite Asian Fusion restaurant.
It was a gathering filled with warmth,
laughter, and memories, a rare and
precious opportunity to pause and
reflect on just how far this journey
has taken us.

We were especially humbled by the
outpouring of love and gratitude a
number of people expressed for the
life-changing influence our teaching
has had on them. We hope to carry
the energy of that gathering forward
and create more opportunities to
connect in the future.

We love dreaming up exciting new topics
and techniques to teach, but it's the magic
of connection that transforms information
into power. Fortunately, there are so many
ways to connect these days–but when
accompanied by a hug, there's nothing
quite like it. (At least for me.)

As we turn the corner into May, a month
traditionally filled with blossoming and
celebration, we're reminded once again
how lucky and blessed we are that tarot
has brought such deep and meaningful
connections into our lives. After 30 years,
we're still enchanted by tarot's power to
open hearts and shift perspectives–and
we're honored to continue sharing that
magic with you!

Speaking of connecting...

One of the most popular features of the
tarot conference we used to produce was
the Sunday Incubators. These informative
brainstorming sessions were a chance to
discuss and explore all kinds of practical
topics and take them out into the world.

Katrina Wynne and Cheryl Ryder were
inspired by that concept and have put
together a FREE online Incubator Event
as a gift to the community and to
celebrate The Tarot School's 30th
Anniversary!

Wald and I will be leading one of the
Zoom Incubator Sessions, along with six
other dynamic instructors on May 17th.

Seating is limited so be sure to register
now. We look forward to seeing you!

Get all the information at:
https://tarotcounseling.org/incubator

You can read more about this event here:

https://mysacredjourney.wordpress.com/

Here's a deceptively simple technique
that builds clarity, strengthens intuition,
and cuts through mental noise:
Draw a card – and describe it with
just one word.

That's it.

Your word can be a feeling, a symbol,
a quality, an action, a metaphor –
whatever springs to mind. The goal is
to respond instinctively rather than
analytically. No reaching for book
meanings. No second-guessing.
Just see, feel, and name.

This exercise gets you out of your head
and into a direct relationship with the
card. It's especially useful when:

• You're overwhelmed by information

• You want to build trust in your
intuitive response

• You're looking for a new entry point
into a familiar card

🔹 How to Do It

Shuffle and draw a card.
Look at the image for a few seconds.
Say the first word that comes to mind.

Pause. Let that word echo. You might
journal it or say it aloud.

If desired, reflect on how that word
relates to your question or situation –
but this step is optional.

🔸 One-Word Reading Examples

Let's say you draw:

The Tower → "Truth"
(The sudden destruction reveals what
was real all along.)

7 of Pentacles → "Pause"
(The man resting on his hoe invites
reflection before the harvest.)

3 of Cups → "Circle"
(Not just celebration – but the shape
of community and support.)

Queen of Swords → "Clarity"
(Her upright sword and gaze through the
clouds show mental sharpness.)

The Moon → "Echo"
(Dreamlike repetition, reflection, and
return.)

🔹 Three-Card Storytelling:
One Word Each

For this variation, draw three cards
and assign one word to each. Then read
them in sequence — almost like a haiku
or a movie still.

Example 1:
2 of Cups, The Devil, 6 of Swords
→ "Attraction – Attachment – Escape"
(A love becomes a bond, and then a
journey toward healing.)

Example 2:
8 of Wands, Page of Swords, Strength
→ "Momentum – Curiosity – Patience"
(Fast-moving questions call for steady
inner strength.)

Example 3:
4 of Pentacles, The Hermit, Judgement
→ "Holding – Searching – Awakening"
(What begins as fear of loss ends with
a spiritual call.)

You can do this without a question,
or use it as a way to distill the
emotional tone of a situation. Some
readers like to use this method before
a traditional reading to get an intuitive
snapshot first.

⭐ Bonus Twist: Reverse the Process

You can also begin with a single word –
one that's on your heart or mind – and
then draw a card to see how it reflects
or deepens that word.

This two-way method makes the exercise
adaptable for journaling, group classes,
or even as a quick check-in during
difficult times.

To submit an article or question to be answered
in a future issue of Tarot Tips, send us an email
at tarot@tarotschool.com

Wald's Words of Wisdom

Kinemancy is a lesser-known form of
divination that involves interpreting
the movements of objects or substances
in order to gain insight into the
future or to gain insight into oneself.
This practice is believed to have roots
in ancient civilizations, where people
would observe the movements of natural
elements such as the wind or the tides
in order to predict the future or gain
insight into their own lives.

In kinemancy, a diviner will typically
focus on the movement of a specific
object or substance, such as a feather,
a piece of paper, or a handful of
water. The diviner will then interpret
the patterns and movements of the
object or substance in order to gain
insight or make predictions. For
example, a diviner may interpret the
way a feather falls as a sign of good
luck or the way water ripples as a sign
of an upcoming change in the diviner's
life.

There are many different techniques and
approaches to kinemancy, and each
diviner may have their own methods and
techniques for interpreting the
movements of objects or substances.
Some diviners may use specific tools or
techniques to help them focus on the
movements, such as using a crystal ball
or gazing into a mirror. Others may
rely on their own intuition and natural
abilities to interpret the movements.

Observing the movement of a specific
object, such as a feather or a piece of
paper, is a common technique used in
kinemancy. The diviner will focus their
attention on the object and interpret
the patterns and movements it makes as
a way to gain insight or make
predictions.

There are many different patterns and
movements that a diviner may observe
and interpret in kinemancy. Some
examples include:

The direction in which a feather falls
or is blown: The direction of the
feather's movement may be interpreted
as a sign or message. For example, a
feather falling to the left may be
interpreted as a sign of negativity or
bad luck, while a feather falling to
the right may be interpreted as a sign
of positivity or good luck.

The way a piece of paper twists or
turns as it falls: The patterns and
movements of the paper may be
interpreted as a sign or message. For
example, a piece of paper that falls in
a spiral pattern may be interpreted as
a sign of change or transformation,
while a piece of paper that falls in a
straight line may be interpreted as a
sign of stability or consistency.

The way water ripples or flows: The
patterns and movements of the water may
be interpreted as a sign or message.
For example, large, circular ripples
may be interpreted as a sign of change
or upheaval, while small, concentrated
ripples may be interpreted as a sign of
focus or determination.

It is important to note that these are
just a few examples, and the
interpretations of patterns and
movements in kinemancy can vary
greatly depending on the individual
diviner and their own methods and
techniques.

Overall, kinemancy is a unique and
unusual form of divination that can
provide insight and guidance for those
seeking answers about the future or
about their own lives. While it may not
be as well-known as other forms of
divination, it can be a powerful and
effective tool for those who are open
to exploring its possibilities.

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 .

Court Cards: The Fourth Arcanum
a Tarot School Study Guide

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.

Court Cards are a group unto themselves.
What, exactly, makes them different in
their essence from the other cards? The
answer is that they are an Arcanum, a
formal mystery, a whole separate secret
unto themselves.

The Aces are are a secret like that.
They are the geological platform of the
elements on which everything rests –
the secret roots of the world.

At their deepest, underneath and
supporting all their standard meanings,
the numbers 2 – 10 of the Minor Arcana
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 are tarot's version of the
arcane architectural principles of
creation.

Court Cards are avatars, incarnations
in human form of a mysterious
intention, which is also distilled
human intention, potentially the
highest, strongest intention you are
capable of. They are energies that do
things. Court Cards are not about
things that just happen. They are
about things that happen because of
you. They are intended to be personal.

The uses of Court Cards go far beyond
their meanings in a reading. In this
study guide, using an original Tarot
School tarot psychology technique
called the Complete Court Card Array,
we'll start to explore what makes the
Court Cards a mystery – your personal
mystery, an Arcanum in their own right
and in the truest sense of the word.

Format: downloadable pdf $7.00

Esoteric Insights
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BEING:
Mapping the True Self

By Wald Amberstone

A human being is a magical being,
a being of many lives and forms,
an accumulation of formative
impressions as the residue of many
dramas. A magical life is far longer
and more complex than any of its
individual incarnations. Much of the
script and set of any incarnation exists
before the protagonist takes the stage.

The construction of any personal drama
is understood in this paradigm to be
part karma (with reincarnation as an
unspoken given), part dharma (with its
whole-hearted acceptance of the tasks
implied in all that went before), and
part improvisation (the free choice of
response to all the unavoidable givens).

Birth Cards are seen as the doorposts
of a life, the two columns that frame
the entrance to the mysteries of an
incarnation.

So a life, an incarnation, can be
understood and enacted as a mystery
drama. The temple of circumstance is
entered at birth between the columns
of a mother's thighs and the inner,
earlier, contraction of the Birth Card
pair. The drama is played out in the
temple and at the end, life exits from
the portal of the lips as the final
breath. The garment of the physical
body is put away, the temple of
circumstance is darkened, and the
celebrant prepares for the next
initiation, the next birth.

This is a pretty picture, and one that
can be intuitively accepted or denied
but neither proven nor disproven. It is
beyond analysis or proof. It can only
be experienced. One who lives in this
experience occupies a universe which
becomes more and more identified with
and identical to the "true self."

The search for, and immersion in, the
true self would seem to be the essence
of what is known as spirituality. And
spirituality is at the heart of religion
and mysticism, which satisfies the
vast majority of seekers.

But tarot is magic and magic parts
company from religion, mysticism and
philosophy in that it is supremely
pragmatic. It has no inner need or use
for spirituality. It does not aspire
upward or inward. It climbs no mystic
mountain, plumbs no spiritual depths.
It explores what is – the known, the
unknown, and the unknowable, and it
becomes what it explores. Magic is in
love with and in awe of the nature of
creation. In the end, magic is identical
with that love and awe and the mystery
at its root. The magician loses the inner
human form which is the true shape of
spirituality, and becomes a navigator
of the unknown.

For me, tarot has become a practical
compass for the navigation of the
unknown.

Patti Woods is a writer and tarot
reader with over 20 years of experience
in the publishing industry. Having
served as an editor for both newspapers
and magazines, she transitioned into
freelance writing, contributing hundreds
of articles to major publications such as
The Boston Globe , Business Insider ,
Wine Spectator , Parade Magazine ,
The Week , Christian Science Monitor ,
Vegetarian Times , and Health , among
many others.

In addition to her writing career,
Patti is the founder of Mind, Body &
Tarot , a business featured in Business
Insider , Reader's Digest , Good
Housekeeping , Fodor's Travel , and more.

She is also the author of Lost
Restaurants of Fairfield , published by
Arcadia/The History Press, and has
contributed to several anthologies,
including Chicken Soup for the Soul .

Learn more about her services and
offerings at www.pattiwoods.com .

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boozytarot
IG: boozy_tarot

Upcoming Events:



Tarot Salon on Zoom!
7:00 – 9:00 pm EST
$20 per class

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!

MAY 2025:
5 - Symbols of The Page of Wands
12 - Symbols of The Knight of Wands
19 - The Power of Silence (Salon #200!)
26 - NO CLASS (Memorial Day)


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

MAY 17th SPECIAL EVENT!

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 Birth Cards
Synastry Reading. 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!