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- Tarot Tip: Spreads – More Than The Sum of Their Parts
- Wald's Words of Wisdom
- Product Spotlight: Tarot Meditations Bundle
- Upcoming Events
This month you came from:Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nigeria, Phillippines, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States!
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I just noticed that the word Welcome has appeared 4 times so far (not including the one in this sentence). It's one of those words that we see so often, we may not pay much attention to it. But Welcoming is actually a big part of our personal spiritual practice.
Much more than a social gesture, the spiritual act of Welcoming is rooted in recognizing the inner Self in everyone, fostering universal love, selfless service, and compassionate interaction. Tarot has allowed me and Wald to connect with these principles over and over again through our teachings, readings, and way of life.
These days the future is uncertain and scary. But if we can Welcome in the New Year from this spiritual perspective, it might make all the difference.
And one more thing...
We may not say it often enough but we treasure each one of you, and appreciate whichever way or ways you have welcomed us into your life. It is our fondest wish that the coming year treats you with kindness, love and respect. Happy New Year!
Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter with other Tarot Enthusiasts!
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SPREADS MEAN MORE –– AND OTHER ––
An essay on the concepts of Gestalt Fields in Tarot Reading
Most tarot students begin by learning individual card meanings: memorizing keywords, phrases, and traditional interpretations. This is a useful and often necessary starting point—but at some point, every reader notices something curious: the cards begin to convey meanings other than their traditional ones.
- A card that usually feels hopeful suddenly feels heavy.
- A card associated with loss begins to speak of release.
- A card that once frightened us becomes strangely gentle.
Nothing about the card itself has changed.
What has changed is the context—the role and relationship the card now occupies within a living pattern of meaning.
This is one of the great quiet truths of tarot:
Tarot Readings don’t arise from adding card meanings together; they arise from dynamic relationships between the cards, the querent, the reader, and the moment.
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Tarot Spreads are Not Recipes
It is tempting to think of a tarot spread as a recipe:
This card means X, that card means Y, so together they must mean X + Y.
But that is not how meaning actually arises.
Tarot behaves much like language. A single word can carry many meanings depending on the sentence it inhabits and the position it occupies within the sentence. The word itself has not changed—but its role has.
In tarot, in addition to their assigned meanings, cards take on meaning through:
- their position in the spread
- their relationship to neighboring cards
- the question being asked
- the emotional and psychological moment of the querent,
- the awareness and perception of the reader.
A card never speaks alone. It speaks in company.
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The Space Between the Cards
When readers say, “The cards started talking to each other,” they are describing something very real. Meaning does not emerge only from the cards themselves but arises from the space between them—from contrast, repetition, tension, harmony, and flow. A hopeful card placed beside a difficult one does not cancel it out or simply “balance” it. Instead, both cards are transformed by their relationship.
For example:
- the Five of Cups beside the Star may speak of healing sorrow
- the Five of Cups beside the Devil may point toward attachment to loss
- The Five of Cups beside the Eight of Cups may describe the moment grief becomes a reason to leave
The Five of Cups itself has not changed. The meaning-field has.
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"Other than the Sum of its Parts"
You may have heard the phrase, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Tarot certainly feels that way—but there is a deeper and more precise idea at work.
In psychology, particularly Gestalt theory, the phrasing is stronger:
The whole is other than the sum of its parts.
This does not mean the parts plus something extra.
It means the whole becomes qualitatively different.
Once elements enter into relationship, they are no longer the same elements they were in isolation. Their meaning shifts because their dynamic function has shifted.
Tarot spreads work this way naturally.
Once cards are laid down together, each card becomes part of a living configuration, not a standalone symbol.
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Tarot Has Always Worked This Way
Tarot has never truly been about fixed definitions, even when we tried to make it so.
This is why:
- different readers can offer different yet valid interpretations
- the same spread can speak differently on different days
- intuition matters at least as much as (if not more than) memorization
- context often matters more than keywords
The field of meaning does not live inside the cards. It arises between the cards, the reader, the question, and the moment in time.
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What Tarot is Not –– and What it Can Be
Tarot is not:
- a test you pass by getting meanings “right”
- a system where cards are added together mechanically
- a hierarchy of good cards and bad cards
- a language that works the same way every time
- a tool that lives only inside the cards themselves
Tarot can be:
- a living language that responds to context
- a way of perceiving patterns rather than collecting meanings
- a conversation between symbols, question, and moment
- a practice of noticing relationship rather than labels
- a temporary meaning-field that forms, speaks clearly, and then dissolves
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An Invitation to Practice
The next time you lay out a spread, try this:
- Pause before interpreting. Notice the overall atmosphere of the spread before naming any card meanings.
- Look for relationships. Which cards echo one another? Which ones challenge or redirect the energy?
- Let meanings shift. Allow familiar interpretations to soften or transform based on context.
- Trust the pattern. If the spread makes sense before you can explain it, honor that perception.
You are not doing tarot “wrong.”
You are perceiving the whole before naming the parts.
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The One Sentence to Remember
If there is one sentence to carry with you, let it be this:
“Tarot meanings do not ‘add up’—they shift, shimmer, and rearrange themselves to meet the needs of the reader and the querent within the living field of that moment.”
And, when they do, meaning appears—clear, alive, and unmistakably present.
About Cheryl Ryder:
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60-years of tarot use and study, a tarot workshop developer and the leader of the Albuquerque Tarot Tribe Meetup Group for the past 12 years. Cheryl has grown the group from 150 members to over 1200 using innovative and interactive teaching methods.
You all know her: a 10-year Readers Studio veteran, 7 years of Coordinating the Tarot Ambassador Team, occasional First-Timer Initiator, Merchant Faire Vendor, and last year, in 2024, the Facilitator of the Sunday morning Tarot Incubator Discussions.
Cheryl’s ongoing programs and discussion groups on the Albuquerque Tarot Tribe’s platform (open to anyone interested in tarot globally) continue to inspire people to expand and deepen their learning of tarot and their worlds.
https://www.meetup.com/the-albuquerque-tarot-meetup-group/
To submit a question to be answered in a future issue of Tarot Tips, send us an email at tarot@tarotschool.com
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Wald's Words of Wisdom
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January carries a unique rhythm.
It invites us to awaken to a new year while also encouraging stillness, reflection, and listening inward. This is a powerful moment to connect with tarot not just as a system of symbols, but as a living, inner landscape.
Our Tarot Meditations Bundle was created for exactly this kind of season.
Rather than offering traditional “relax and drift” meditations, these recordings invite you into active, imaginal encounters with the tarot. You step inside the cards. You move, explore, and experience their presence directly. January’s inward-turning energy makes this an especially rich time to work this way.
This special bundle includes:
Tarot Majors Meditations
A collection of guided experiential journeys through the Major Arcana, along with four foundational suit symbols. These are not passive
visualizations. Each meditation is an invitation to meet the Tarot face-to-face, allowing insight, memory, and meaning to arise organically.
Includes:
• 26 MP3 audio meditations
• A 61-page PDF book containing the full meditation scripts
Tarot Keys
Music has a way of reaching places words cannot. This companion collection features 22 original piano pieces by Ruth Ann Amberstone, one for each Major Arcana card, composed in the traditional Golden Dawn musical keys. The result is a subtle, evocative soundscape that supports meditation, contemplation, or quiet
listening. Each piece carries the atmosphere of its card, allowing you to attune without effort.
Includes:
• 22 MP3 musical recordings
Together, these offerings support January’s twin callings: awakening and inward listening. Whether you are setting intentions for the year ahead or simply giving yourself permission to slow down and reconnect, this bundle offers a meaningful way to begin.
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Esoteric Insights
WHEN I WAS LITTLE...
By Wald Amberstone
When I was little, I used to imagine the world was mysterious and wonderful, full of secret adventures and marvelous beings and places and magic, and a richness that ordinary life just didn’t possess. I lived a good portion of my life there, as much as my young powers allowed.
Of course, I grew up, slowly but inexorably. The mystery of life was challenged by the dullness of life at every step and turn, and for awhile dullness was more often victorious than not.
In time, I found that reality encompassed the hidden and marvelous as well as the obvious and dull. I needed them both, and both were there for me. Everyday life contained doorways into the magical life, secret passages and staircases that led to the absolutely extraordinary. I have learned to enter that extraordinary portion of the universe and I have made small, tentative explorations of it, so that I can take others where I have been and teach them to go on their own and make their own journeys into magical territories as they wish.
Tarot is the chariot that can take anyone to these places if they know how to drive it. What is amazing is how much people have forgotten of the magic of childhood, and how resistant they are to rediscovering it, how stiff and awkward and frightened they often are, clinging to the safety of the dull ordinariness they have become at home in.
I have to admit, though, that I have been offered many chances to go deeper into the wonder of the universe and have consistently balked, or gone ever so slowly into deeper water. I am so slow that I marvel at the patience of my would-be teachers.
Of course, there are so few takers at this level that the way gets, or seems to get, mighty lonely. There are very few to talk to or share with now — how many will be left if I go deeper? Will I be doomed to a solitary life, reduced to muteness for lack of an ear to speak to?
That’s probably just a fantasy, but maybe not. And there are other dangers out there that I have no experience of, only guesses and anxieties, like those of someone groping in the darkness. Is this the grownup version of childish terrors?
I go forward as my courage and resources permit. I encourage others to do the same. That seems to be my karma and my dharma. I do what I can, and earn a living helping others do likewise.
About the author:
A dedicated an innovative teacher, one of the founders of The Tarot School, Wald Amberstone has been working with tarot since 1959, and with symbols, play and magic even longer than that. He prefers the private paths to the public thoroughfares of his craft, and enjoys the company of fellow travelers when he can get it.
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Mind Your Own Business
EVENT READING PROTOCOLS
Here's How To Pull Them Off With Ease!
By Patti Woods
As we head into 2026, I’ve looked into my crystal ball and the big prediction is that in-person events are going to be in demand. Now more than ever, people are craving community and connection. Tarot parties and classes are perfect opportunities to provide that.
It goes without saying that some tarot readers loathe doing events. I went through a period of time right before the pandemic when I decided to stop reading at parties. I found them too draining. What I’ve since realized is that I actually love doing events, but the problem was that I wasn’t clear enough about my expectations. With that in mind, here are some examples for you to learn from my mistakes.
-Timing. I can’t tell you how many times people would say, “The party starts at 7,” only for me to be the first person to show up and twiddle my thumbs for a half hour waiting for guests to arrive. Now I ask the host what time guests will be arriving and what time they would like me to actually start reading. I arrive ten minutes early to set up and expect to start reading right away.
-Head count. Again, many times I would be told there would be a certain number of guests only to get there and be told there were more, or in some cases, less. I’m very specific with the amount of people I can handle. In general, I say a minimum of four and maximum of ten for parties where people want full readings. (The minimum is important, because you don’t want to travel only to find out that there are two people getting readings.) For larger events (50+ people), I offer the option of quick 1-3 card readings or bringing along another reader.
-Space. The physical space matters. I’ve been stuck on unheated porches, tucked into children’s bedrooms, placed right next to the loud DJ, seated on floor pillows … all sorts of places that aren’t conducive to good readings. Now I request a table with two comfortable chairs in a quiet space.
-Payment. I’m fortunate in that I’ve never had a problem getting paid, but I’ve talked with other readers who have actually been stiffed. I take a $50 deposit for the date, and tell the host payment is due at the end of the evening.
As we head into the new year, I believe that opportunities will be available for events that foster community. Being very clear about your policies will ensure that the party goes smoothly and all will have a great time.
And now, how about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions about doing events. Do you have certain guidelines that make your events happen with ease? Please share!
About Patti:
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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
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Upcoming Events: 
Tarot Salon on Zoom!
7:00 – 9:00 pm EDT
Our popular Monday night classes are held over Zoom so you can attend no matter where you live.
Classes are recorded and all levels of experience are welcome!
JANUARY 2026:
5 - The Year-Long Spread
12 - Symbols of the Page of Cups
19 - Symbols of the Knight of
Cups
26 - The Chosen Card Technique
Get on the notification list to see what we'll be teaching each week.
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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!
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