"For several years, I have been using Google Alerts to send me links related to..."
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"Amberstone" is one of the keywords I set up. I've found all kinds of fascinating instances where that name shows up, including the above graphic of the hamlet of Amberstone in East Sussex. Although the illustration is a fantasy, the place is real.

One of my obvious search terms is "Tarot School." I sometimes get results about our own business (The Tarot School), but since we founded it in 1995, dozens of tarot schools have proliferated so I see what they're up to as well.

The other day, I received an alert that I was not happy to see. Someone had copied the mp3 files from two of our audio courses and uploaded them to YouTube –– without our permission of course!

Piracy is a big problem in the tarot creative community but this is the first time something so blatant has happened to us –– that we know about. I'd be none the wiser if it weren't for my Google Alert.

Fortunately, you can make a Copyright Complaint Submission to YouTube. I wasn't very optimistic that anything would come of it but I received immediate confirmation of my submission, and an email the very next day saying they reviewed my request and let the uploader know that they have 7 days to take action before their video is removed. I chose to give the uploader time to do the right thing before they incurred a "copyright strike." (A strike carries consequences, including potential channel termination.) 

I was able to confirm that our content was removed! I hope you never find yourself in a similar situation but if you do, it's nice to know there is some recourse. We truly want our teachings to reach as many people as possible, just not like that.

QUESTION:

As a beginner tarot reader, I sometimes find it difficult to differentiate between the Aces and the Pages in any given suit. Both signify beginnings but how are these energies interpreted differently?

All the best,
Monica

ANSWER:

That's a great question, Monica! You’re right that both Aces and Pages announce “something new.” They do it in very different ways though.

Think of the Aces as the wellspring of each suit.
An Ace is the element in its pure, undiluted state. It is the source, the seed, the raw “yes” of the suit before anyone has picked it up and used it. 

In our Ace of Cups class, for example, we treat the Ace as the origin point of feeling and connection, holding the potential for all expressions of Water. In the same way, the Ace of Wands is raw fire and impulse, the Ace of Swords is pure clarity and idea, and the Ace of Pentacles is matter and opportunity ready to take form. The Aces are the elemental platform on which everything else rests, the “secret roots” of the world of that suit. 

Think of the Pages as the first human contact with that element.
Pages belong to the Court, which we teach as an arcanum of living forces. Court Cards are “avatars,” personal embodiments of intention and power, so they act on you and through you. Pages are the youthful face of that power: curious, learning, message-bearing, and full of potential. They invite you to practice a behavior, adopt a role, or respond to a message in the world. 

Here's a simple way to feel the difference...

Ace = Source: impersonal, archetypal, ambient. Conditions are ripe. The element wants to flow.

Page = Student or Messenger: personal, embodied, interactive. Someone learns, delivers news, or takes a small first step.

Suit-by-Suit Snapshots:

•  WANDS
Ace of Wands: a live spark appears. Energy rises and asks for direction.
 

Page of Wands: a person is ready to try something bold. Curiosity and play turn the spark into an action.

•  CUPS
Ace of Cups: the heart opens. Grace and feeling are present.
 

Page of Cups: a tender invitation arrives. Someone experiments with vulnerability, art, or kindness.

• SWORDS
Ace of Swords: a clean line of truth cuts through the fog.
 

Page of Swords: a novice thinker tests ideas, asks questions, and learns to speak with skill.

• PENTACLES
Ace of Pentacles: a door in the real world appears. Time, money, or health can grow.
 

Page of Pentacles: a beginner studies the craft, takes a class, or commits to steady practice.

Why Pages feel different from Aces
 

Pages stand inside the Court’s mystery. The Courts are designed to move things “because of you,” not by accident. A Page shows where your personal intention meets the suit in a small, formative way. That is why Pages carry news, start apprenticeships, and signal teachable moments. 

Reading tip you can use today

When an Ace appears, name the raw condition that has just arrived. Keep it simple: “Fire is present,” “Feeling is present,” “Clarity is present,” or “Material opportunity is present.” Ask, “Where can this flow?”

When a Page appears, name the role or practice that wants attention. Ask, “Who is learning this?” or “What first step can be taken?” 

If you want a hands-on method, borrow the technique we call the Butterfly: let your attention “land” on one small detail in the Page’s image and discover the power or skill it wakes up in you. Then act on that one thing. 

In essence...
Aces open the spring. Pages pick up a cup and take the first sip. The Ace announces the presence of the element. The Page shows who will learn it, carry it, and make it real.

Of course, there is much more to know about the Aces and Pages but I hope this answers your question about how they express their aspect of beginnings in different ways. 

Reference / Resource:

Court Cards: The Fourth Arcanum study guide

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

Wald's Words of Wisdom

The word sciomancy comes from the Greek skia (shadow) and manteia (divination). At its simplest, it means “divination by shadows.” Shadows may seem insubstantial, but they are constant companions, revealing hidden dimensions of whatever casts them. In divination, a shadow becomes more than an absence of light — it is a messenger of perspective, timing, and mystery.

Historically, sciomancy was associated with encounters with shades of the dead, who were believed to appear as shadowy figures in dreams or visions. Oracles sometimes described receiving counsel from these “shadow souls.” Over time, the practice expanded to include interpreting the play of shadows in natural settings. The sudden darkening of the sky, the lengthening outline of a tree, or the flicker of a lamp casting strange silhouettes were all seen as potential omens.

Folklore often treats the shadow as inseparable from the soul — just as vital and just as vulnerable. J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan captured this beautifully in the scene where Peter loses his shadow after shutting a window on it, only to discover that without it he feels incomplete. In many traditions, to lose or damage one’s shadow was to risk harm to the spirit itself.

There are several ways you can explore sciomancy today:

Candle Shadows: Light a single flame in a dark room and watch how the shadows dance. If you place a familiar object — or even a card from your deck — near the flame, notice how its shifting outline suggests movement, distortion, or hidden aspects of meaning.

Body Shadows: Go outside when the sun is low. Watch your own shadow stretch and shrink. Some traditions teach that a long shadow signals a time of transition or reflection, while a shortened shadow suggests directness and immediacy. You can also stand over your cards and let your shadow fall across them, seeing which ones are obscured and which remain revealed.

Natural Sciomancy: Pay attention to the shadows cast by clouds racing across the earth, or by trees in the wind. These fleeting shapes can be read like living symbols, much as one would interpret smoke or tea leaves.

Card Spread Shadows: In a reading, notice how the light in your space interacts with the cards. Does a particular card consistently fall into shade? Does the angle of light emphasize certain details while others are hidden? This interplay can add a subtle but powerful layer to your interpretations.

Sciomancy reminds us that light and shadow are inseparable, and both have meaning. Shadows are not empty; they are expressions of form in relation to illumination. Just as a shadow changes depending on where you stand, so too can your perspective transform a reading. Sciomancy invites us to read not only what shines, but also what lingers in the penumbra — those liminal places where mystery and meaning often dwell.


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.

Correspondence Course Special Offer! 

Did you know we created a deep and powerful tarot correspondence course? Perhaps you've known about it but the time just wasn't right. Well your timing couldn't be better now...

We hardly EVER offer sales but decided this year to run a Back to Tarot School Special! For the month of September, you'll save $95 off the cost of either the non-certificate correspondence course or the degree program with personal coaching! (Use Coupon Code BACKTOSCHOOL at checkout.)

There's a HIDDEN LINK on our website's *long* information page about the course. (It's not really hidden but it's easy to miss.) This link takes you to a page where you can see actual excerpts from the course that will give you an at-a-glance synopsis of the type of material you'll find throughout the lessons!

https://tarotschool.com/CourseExcerpts.html

That doesn't even include the spreads, magical practices, personal insights and more that's also included!

Esoteric Insights

THE CREATION OF SYMBOLS
 

By Wald Amberstone

A human being, on one level, is recognizable as human by possessing a human body, as distinct and identifiable as the body of any other creature. And one human being is distinguishable from another by equally concrete, physical means. Creatures of every kind and level demonstrate the same type of discrimination.     

But human beings fancy themselves, perhaps correctly, unique among living creatures, in possessing the invisible quality of self-awareness, a quality enigmatic by definition, a mystery far more defining than the physical shape that contains it. But self-awareness, too, seeks concrete manifestations to know itself by. It is for this reason that humanity creates symbols. By means of symbols, self-awareness becomes visible and thus knowable, and self-knowledge becomes the final and defining task of every human being.     

Among symbolic constructs, tarot is one of the most powerful and versatile and is capable of reflecting self-awareness with great depth and precision. And this is accomplished with a great economy of means. In small mirrors made of tarot symbols, each differently constructed, the varying shapes, shades and levels of self-awareness can be clearly seen. 

Mind Your Own Business
YOUR TAROT NETWORK:

A VALUABLE BUSINESS RESOURCE
 

By Patti Woods

A friend of mine, a fellow tarot reader, sent me a voicemail this morning. “Things have been so slow,” she said. “My appointments are down by almost half of what they were last August.” I assured her that she isn’t alone. I’ve noticed that same decline in my bookings. Just last week I was talking with a group of colleagues at an event. We all agreed: across the board, it’s been a very quiet summer.  
 

I’m so grateful for my network of spiritual business owners, because it helps me feel not so alone. If I hadn’t had these conversations with my colleagues, I might have started to doubt my own skills. But after talking with them, I realized that this is a business trend: sales are simply down. We were able to share our fears and frustrations and come up with some ideas on how to pivot during these unpredictable times.  
 

One of the most important resources you can have for a healthy business is your network. As spiritual entrepreneurs, we have unique experiences and circumstances. Not only do we have business questions (things like taxes, marketing, tech), but we also have emotional concerns (explaining to people what we do, how to deal with clients who become too friendly, whether or not to charge for our sessions, etc.). It’s so valuable to have a strong business network. I know, I know– the idea of networking brings to mind visions of horribly awkward happy hour meetings with name tags and forced conversations. But hear me out. There are actually ways to meet other business owners without having to make painful small talk. (Or at least, not too much.) 

 

Online networking. One of the positive aspects of social media is that there are tons of groups out there that offer online networking support. Some are created exclusively for that purpose. For example, my friend runs a Facebook group called Holistic Entrepreneurs. With almost 10,000 members, it’s a great resource when I have questions about taxes or insurance, or I need to find another practitioner to refer someone to. Through that group, I then met a lot of other people in the spiritual space and have joined their own smaller groups. One Reiki master created a monthly Zoom meeting exclusively for spiritual practitioners. We get together and talk about whatever challenges we may be facing. 

In-person networking. It used to be that organizations like the Rotary and Chamber of Commerce were the main outlets to meet other business owners, but they didn’t necessarily align for those in the “woo” business. Fortunately, there are other types of networking groups that exist. In my area, there’s a group called Tribe TLC that includes wellness practitioners from New York and Connecticut. Members run the gamut from lawyers and doctors (with holistic twists) to energy workers and psychics. There are always events going on, from breakfast meetings to drum circles, so opportunities exist to connect both professionally and personally. 

Workshops and retreats. Networking doesn’t always have to mean an official meet and greet. Some of the best connections can be made when you participate in classes, workshops and other personal enrichment groups. If you go on a retreat or someplace like Omega or Kripalu or Esalen for your own vacation, bring along a stack of business cards. Chances are you’ll meet others who have their own holistic or spiritual business. 

Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road, but it doesn’t have to be. Instead of looking at others in the same line of business as competition, it’s helpful to think of them as team mates. Finding a like-minded group of people is useful for sharing ideas, problem solving together and supporting each other through difficult times. And you may even make some new friends in the process. 

About Patti:

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.

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Upcoming Events: 



Tarot Salon on Zoom!
7:00 – 9:00 pm EDT

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!

SEPTEMBER 2025:   

 2 - NO CLASS (Labor Day) 

 8 - Symbols of the Strength
15 - Symbols of The Hermit

22 - The 2nd Corner (4-Cornered World): Cups
29 - The 3rd Corner (4-Cornered World): Swords

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 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!