|
|
|
- Tarot Tip: Never Stop With Just Naming
- Wald's Words of Wisdom
- Mind Your Own Business: You've Been Ghosted. Now What?
- Upcoming Events
This month you came from:Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States!
|
September has always had a particular feeling. Even long after our own school days are behind us, there’s something about this time of year that suggests new notebooks, sharpened pencils and the possibility of learning something new.
So perhaps it’s an especially appropriate time to think about a phrase we’ve used at The Tarot School for many years: “An Education in Tarot.”
When Wald and I founded The Tarot School 31 years ago, we took the word education seriously. Tarot is an enormous field of study. There is information and theory to learn, intuition to develop, divination to practice, symbolism and esotericism to explore, and techniques that can only really be understood by using them. And the more we learn, the more there seems to be to learn.
One of the principles behind The Tarot School has always been that education is cumulative. New information connects with things you already know. Practice turns information into experience, and experience changes the way you understand what you’ve learned.
That idea is built into our system of degrees. Each one represents not simply an amount of work completed, but a degree of change that has taken place within the student.
Some of that change is easy to see. You become more skillful with the cards. You recognize symbols you once overlooked. You have more techniques available to you and more experience to draw upon.
Other changes are harder to measure. Tarot can change the way you understand yourself, other people and the world around you. And those changes, in turn, affect the way you understand tarot.
Perhaps that’s why you can return to a card you’ve known for 10 or 20 or 30 years and suddenly see something you never noticed before. The card hasn’t changed. But you have.
Wald and I have spent much of our lives studying and teaching tarot, and we’re still students. There are still things to discover, connections to make, ideas to reconsider and new ways of working with the cards.
So going “Back to Tarot School” doesn’t necessarily mean going back to the beginning. It means going back to being a student.
Maybe September is a good time to choose something in tarot you’d like to learn, revisit or practice. It might be a subject you’ve always meant to explore, a technique you haven’t used in years, or simply a card you thought you already knew.
You never know what you might discover this time around.
|
Yesterday was our cat, Lyra's 21st Birthday! Previously, the longest any of my cats lived was 16 years. I had heard of a cat that was 21 and prayed that she would live that long, too.
Lyra has a deep connection with both Wald and me, although I consider myself anointed as "her person" because she cuddles with me on the couch. Otherwise, she demands our attention equally. We do our best to obey but Wald is definitely better at that than I am. I don't think she keeps score though.
Lyra has made it through the entire Major Arcana, which is wonderful because she means The World to us!
Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter with other Tarot Enthusiasts!
|
|
NEVER STOP WITH JUST NAMING:
Stop Only Naming What You See. Start Engaging It.
©️2026 Cheryl Ryder, Albuquerque Tarot Tribe
* Excerpt from a book in progress
Why go beyond naming a card with a title or keyword?
Why do we often stop with what we perceive or feel?
Many tarot readers begin by learning to name what they see.
“This is conflict.”
“This is celebration.”
“This is loss.
You can see the pattern forming.
Naming is a necessary step in our discovery and learning process. Naming provides orientation – helping us recognize patterns and make sense of what appears in the cards. Without it we drift through the imagery without a foothold.
But there is a quiet trap - we stop too soon. We name the card, assume we understand it, and stop there.
Naming is not understanding –– it's recognition. Naming alone cannot carry the work of understanding.
The Difference Between Naming and Engaging
When we name something, we identify it –– draw a box around it, and file it away. When we engage something, we enter into relationship with it.
Naming says: “This is… ”
Engaging asks:
“Am I seeing this clearly?”
“How is this happening?”
“Why
does this matter?”
“How does this fit into the whole?”
“What can be done?”
In an earlier Tarot Tips article, Feb 1, 2026, Beyond “What it Means”, I suggested that modern tarot cannot be reduced to a set of fixed meanings –– it reflects dynamic human experience. If meaning is not fixed, then naming alone cannot only begin the work of understanding. More is needed to carry it through.
What matters most is what we do next.
Moving Beyond Naming
Tarot is no longer a system of fixed labels. It is a system of living patterns meant to be worked with, not filed away.
When we stop at naming:
- A label replaces lived experience
- Assumptions take over
- Meaning becomes fixed
- Agency begin to fade
“This is conflict” can quickly become “Something is wrong” .
“Something is wrong” can morph into: “There is nothing I can do.”
At that point, the reading stops being useful –– not because the card is unclear
but because we have
stopped engaging with it.
Moving Beyond Naming: Applying The Four Powers of Tarot
Once something is named, the real work begins.
Each suit reflects a human capacity to engage life:
• Swords - The Power of Understanding:
What is actually happening?
• Cups - The Power of Caring:
What matters here?
• Pentacles - The Power of Building and Sustaining:
What supports or sustains this?
• Wands - The Power of Acting:
What can I do?
These questions and their responses shift the reading from naming into participating. They return our focus to where it belongs: Not in the card, but in how we are meeting the very human needs the card reflects.
A Simple Example
Imagine drawing the Five of Wands, a card in the suit of action and engagement.
You might name it immediately: “Conflict” or
“Chaos”.
And you wouldn’t be wrong. But if you stop there, the reading closes.
Instead, engage and continue:
• What is
actually happening?
Multiple forces are interacting. Energy is present but not yet coordinated. Clarify needs and purpose.
• What matters?
Expressing values, being heard, testing ideas. What needs prioritizing?
• What supports this?
Establishing cooperative structure, shared rules. Choose to engage energy and intention for constructive rather than chaotic outcomes.
• What can be done?
Engage with awareness of
the goals. Choose to participate, redirect or step back.
Now the card is no longer just “Conflict” or “Chaos”.
It becomes something you can work with.
How will you engage with the
cards, and with yourself?
Which power(s) will you bring to the situation?
The Reader's Role
The tarot reader is not there to deliver final meanings.
The reader is there to help illuminate:
- what is being perceived
- what is being given value
- what is being assumed
- suggest a range of options
When we stop at naming, we close the door.
When we continue into inquiry, we open it.
Closing Thought
Naming is not wrong –– it is an incomplete process.
The cards don’t ask us to stop at recognition.
They invite us to continue into deeper awareness…
and from that deeper awareness into intentional response.
Naming tells us what something is.
Engaging reveals what we can do with it.
What do you think?
Namaste, Cheryl
About Cheryl Ryder:
|
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 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/
Email: ABQTarotTribe@gmail.com
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
|
|
|
Mind Your Own Business
YOU'VE BEEN GHOSTED. NOW WHAT?
By Patti Woods
You’re ready for your reading. You have your cards, your notepad, maybe you’ve lit a candle. Now all you need is your client. They’ve booked a session with you, but they’re nowhere to be found. What do you do?
This is a common problem with readings. People will change their minds at the last minute. They may forget and want to rebook. It can be a headache, but fortunately it’s easily remedied with some easy terms and conditions.
First, the easiest way to combat a flaky client is to require payment up front. Often this will feel very uncomfortable for some readers, but trust me– it is a powerful tool to ensure that your time is valued. When there’s a financial commitment, people will generally respect your time.
Second, have your cancellations policies in place and visible. This takes some thought about what you’ll be comfortable with. During the height of the pandemic, I had a hard “no refunds, no rescheduling” policy for no-shows. I required cancellations within 72 hours. After all, there were no excuses really. No one was going anywhere. Now I’ve adjusted it and allow cancellations within 24 hours. If it’s less than that, I will try to accommodate. I do, however, have a one-and-done policy. After a client “forgot” her appointment for the third time, I explained that I wasn’t the reader for her.
Third, send reminders. If you use a booking system, there’s likely an option to set up an automation where your client will receive an automatic reminder of their appointment.
What I’ve learned over time is that, if there’s a repeated problem within my business, it usually has something to do with my procedures. Take some time to ponder your cancellation and refund policies and
see if there are any changes you might want to make to help things run a little smoother.
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.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/boozytarot
IG: boozy_tarot
|
|
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!
SEPTEMBER 2026:
7 - NO CLASS - Happy Labor Day!
14 - The Secret of The Hanged Man
21 - Attention
28 - Birth Cards: Death / Emperor
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!
|
|
|
|
|
|