Tarot Tips: Personal Card Associations
Published: Fri, 08/01/14
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![]() Vol. 6 #7 / August 1, 2014
In this Issue: - Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Personal Card Associations
- Tarot School Aphorism
- Tarot Card Showcase: Five of Swords
- Best Practices: Dealing with No-Shows or Cancellations
- Featured Tarot Blog: Sun Goddess Tarot
- Upcoming Events
Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a warm welcome to our new readers. If you've been reading for any length of time,
it's likely that you'll associate certain cards with
personal experiences, and develop idiosyncratic
interpretations that may or may not accord with
standard ways of looking at those cards. In this
issue, we respond to a Tarot Tips subscriber who
has asked about the limits of such associations.
There are many cards that contain more than one
thing or person. With these cards, it is essential to
understand who or what in the card is central to the
theme of a reading. In our Tarot Card Showcase, we
spotlight the 5 of Swords, which is a card like that.
There are three figures in the 5 of Swords. Which one
does the querent identify with? What does that tell you
about their state of mind or situation? Does this give
you any additional information you might not get
otherwise?
And while we're asking questions...
Are you frustrated by clients who frequently cancel --
or simply don't show up for their appointments? The
'Best Practices' article shows how you can effectively
deal with this common business dilemma.
Last but not least, this month's featured tarot blog's
author may or may not have been inspired by our
newsletter, but her "Tarot Tip Tuesdays" are
well-written and informative. Enjoy!
And one more thing...
![]() that Wald has stopped teaching.
IT'S NOT TRUE!!
Granted, we probably weren't
clear enough when we discussed
his plans in our last issue.
SO HERE'S THE REAL SCOOP...
The only thing that's being put on hold for awhile is Teleclasses.
Wald is still:
Stopping the Tarot Teleclasses will give him some
much needed time to work on the Birth Card course.
If you'd like to stay informed of his progress, we've
created a special notification list at:
We hope this puts your mind at ease. :)
Yours truly on the tarot path,
Ruth Ann, Wald & Gina 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
PERSONAL CARD ASSOCIATIONS
QUESTION:
I've just finished reading your book, Tarot Tips, which
I thoroughly enjoyed. There was one question I didn't
see an answer to.
I've had a few important readings, some that I've
conducted for myself, where a card was drawn that had
deep and profound meaning for me and the situation at
hand.
The Lovers card is a good example of this, particularly
as it appeared on a night before my husband and I had a
ceremony where we decided to bring ourselves back from
a near split. Now every time I see The Lovers, I
presume that the reading is in regard to the work we're
doing to get stronger as a couple. When it's reversed,
I immediately associate it with problems with him and
the scenarios that are still swirling around us causing
rifts and reversing our progress.
It happens occasionally with other cards, too: the 3 of
Swords, the 9 of Swords... It's hard not to associate
these with old scenarios where they popped up and so
amply described exactly what was going on.
Is it possible that these are acting as signifier cards
helping me identify the specific scenario so that I can
look deeper into what to do next, or do I need to find
a way of rebooting the card's meaning for me?
ANSWER:
This is an interesting question, and one that
occasionally becomes an issue for many readers.
There are times in anyone's life when a particular
concern is of overriding importance and dominates one's
thoughts and feelings. Using tarot to cast some light
on this concern is a natural thing to do, and it may
well be that several readings are needed to get a good
understanding of the matter.
When a single card shows up over and over again in
readings about the same basic question, it's almost
unavoidable to make a meaningful connection between the
question and the card. There's no harm in that, and it
may be helpful.
But life has a tendency to move on. What was once
super-important will eventually become less pressing.
And on any given day, your attention and whatever
reading you're doing may be on some other matter.
When either of these things happen, you will want to
have more than one option for the meaning of that
special card. You don't want any card to get hijacked
by a single issue. You don't want any card to become
and remain a "one-trick-pony."
When the card appears in any context other than the one
that gave it a special meaning, begin again. Let the
card start fresh, unless you are specifically reading
about the original issue.
Here's a different but related question...
Can I use my personal card association when
reading for someone else?
If you are reading for someone else when the
card in question comes up, there are two important
things to keep in mind:
1) The context of the reading
In the case you mentioned, The Lovers gave you
important information that was relevant at the time,
and thus has presumably become significant to you
in the matter of your marriage. It is possible that when
you now read for a querent in a similar situation, if
The Lovers pops up in their spread, you might be
able to explain what they are experiencing based on
your own prior experience.
However, your personal interpretation may not be
appropriate for them at all. Or it may be a jumping-off
point for a variation on the theme. This is where talking
with your querent is crucial. And that's because of this next point...
2) Be careful not to project your experience onto
another person
Even though their scenario may appear similar to yours,
and sharing your story *might* be helpful, your querent
will have their own experiences and responses, which
could be quite different than yours.
While it may be tempting to include yourself in the reading,
remember to keep the focus on them. Asking a question
such as "Does this resonate with you?" will help you know if
you're on the right track or if you need to turn to a different
interpretation of the card that makes more sense to them.
This is where having a mix of intuitive interpretations
and more "academic" information about the cards, such as
various standard meanings and esoteric attributions is
especially useful. Breathe, relax, and let your intuition
guide you to just the right meaning. Who knows, it may be
one you're seeing for the very first time! Tarot School Aphorism Tarot Card Showcase
In this section we will feature tidbits on a specific tarot card. While there are many systems and decks to choose from in
the world of tarot, here we use the Universal Waite Tarot
images and symbols.
Copyright 1992 U.S Games.
![]() FIVE OF SWORDS Attributions:
Name: Severity in the World of Formation
Astrological Attribution: Venus in Aquarius
Esoteric Title: Lord of Defeat Traditional Meanings:
Winning against all odds by spirit
alone. No weapon has been wielded nor
injury inflicted, but opposition melts
before the energy of affirmation.
Of many voices within, one becomes dominant. Whatever is
found useful is appropriated without apology. To the victor
go the spoils, though the loser feels cheated and stolen from.
Humiliation is the other face of triumph. Victory is short-lived.
Stormy weather. Resourceful, opportunist, shameless. The opposition is routed but
lives to fight another day. Beware retaliation--from within and without.
Imagery: Jagged Clouds and Waves in Water: Symbols of unrest.
Graphic references to Aquarius.
Red and Green Clothing: The colors of life and passion,
reference to Venus.
Wind-swept Blond Hair: Symbol of intense awareness and
a high state of readiness.
Purple Mountains: Symbol of the limits of imagination,
reference to Swords.
Excerpted from The Tarot School Correspondence Course http://tarotschool.com/Course.html Best Practices for Professional Readers
DEALING WITH NO-SHOWS AND CANCELLATIONS
By Gina Thies
Don't you just hate when clients beg for appointments
at your busiest times, and after you scramble to fit
them in -- bam! -- they cancel the appointment,
or worse, just don't show up? Join the club!
This unfortunately is the bane of any service that
schedules appointments. They're a big headache because
they are costly in both time and money, and can eventually
be harmful to your business. Time for me is extremely
precious because I take a lot of "emergency" appointments.
Clients often feel their matters are urgent and want to
get in ASAP. Most of us are that way. If you feel you
are coming down with an illness that you want to avoid,
do you wait to schedule a doctor's appointment several
weeks away? Most likely you will want the first available
appointment. For the most part we want answers now
and right at our fingertips, which is why search engines
are so busy and successful.
Even though these no-shows do happen and are
unpreventable, we can reduce their frequency. What can
you do? You may be the one creating the monster. Do you
reschedule often or bump clients because you have other
priorities? This may cause a client to book the rescheduled
appointment and feel it's OK to not show up or cancel.
Be direct and post policies on cancellation or
no-shows. This may be appropriate for a reader with a
high-volume clientele or for those who work in stores
or in onsite shop locations. Make sure the policy is
posted where clients have access to it, or post it
where they actually schedule their appointments. You
can also place it in confirmation or reminder emails or
on receipts.
At the end of your session, give the client an
opportunity to schedule a follow-up session. Keep in
mind that the longer the interval, the more potential
for no-shows to happen. The last thing I want to
mention is to give your clients two or three times to
choose from on the days they pick to have their session.
If you narrow down the available times, they are more
likely to stick to the appointment. Scarcity in this regard
may work for you rather than against you.
Featured Tarot Blog SUN GODDESS TAROT Certified Professional Tarot Reader and Singaporean,
Joanna Ash shares very entertaining tips on her tarot
experiences, and insights about using her gifts. Anyone
who has a family and is a professional tarotist will
certainly be able to relate to her words. Enjoy!
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