Tarot Tips: Making Friends With Your Cards
Published: Sat, 09/01/18
"Oracle is a term that comes to us from antiquity. Today..."
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![]() Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com ISSN: 1529-0565 Vol. 10 #7 / September 1, 2018
In this Issue: - Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Making Friends With Your Cards
- Tarot School Aphorism
- Diviner's Corner: The Oracle Speaks - Best Practices: One Hit Wonders: First-Time and One-Time Customers - Upcoming Events Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a special welcome to our new subscribers.
![]() In September many of us return from vacation or breaks and recommit to paths of learning and discovery. Some of you may remember the excitement of seeing special friends and favorite teachers when school started again. Are you friends with your deck? For some users of tarot, the deck is just like a really good friend who listens and advises. For those looking to enter into a special connection with your cards, contributor Avalon Cameron suggests how to do so in this issue’s Tarot Tip. The Diviner’s Corner gives some overall meaning to the term oracle; and Best Practices for Professional Readers discusses how one-time and first-time customers may be the key to your business success. Enjoy and have fun! And one more thing...
It's September –– and that means the start of another school year or semester for many students. We like to call it "Back to Tarot School" season! Learning keeps us young. It boosts our brain power, and can add joy to life –– especially if it's something we love, like tarot. The Tarot School has many in-person and distance-learning opportunities to start your September off right! Check us out at TarotSchool.com. We look forward to welcoming you as a student! With love and gratitude on the tarot journey, Ruth Ann, Wald, and Gina
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Spread the experience of tarot - share this newsletter with other Tarot Enthusiasts! Tarot Tip
MAKING FRIENDS WITH YOUR CARDS
by Avalon Cameron a tremendous body of written material on the Tarot, and there are writers and readers who are continually pushing its boundaries, launching it into the modern age. Make no mistake, the modernization of Tarot is a good thing, but it can also be confusing because there is a strong intuitive difference between what is considered traditional Tarot wisdom and its modern eclectic counterpart. With so much available information, questions may arise, such as: Must I use the Rider Waite Smith system? Do I need to study astrology, numerology, Kabbalah and Jungian psychology? Do I need to know all the keywords? What about reversals? Do the Court cards still represent people and appearance? Do I have to explore the Hermetic traditions and figure out who the hell Huru is? Why is Tarot so complex? There is so much to learn, where do I begin? These are just some of the questions I have been asked over the years, and my answer to all these and other compelling questions is simple. Ask your deck. But, when I recommend this solution to a student of the Tarot, I'm met with a perplexed gaze. So please allow me to explain what I intended by my statement. Here's what I mean –– make friends with your cards. Get to know your deck. Flip through it often. Get used to the look and feel of the cardstock. Get to know the images and any peculiar little quirks hidden in the artwork and associated symbolism of your deck. Really look at your cards. You might be surprised at how many students out there don't really look at their cards. Instead, it is typical to glance quickly at the card name and then immediately begin to interpret it. Building up a sense of familiarity, comfort, and recognition with the deck you are using is imperative, and I'll tell you why. When you are in a relaxed state of mind, and you are shuffling an "old friend" type of deck –– a deck you have taken time to get to know, a deck you have made your solid buddy –– you will find that your internal overthinker will not have the audacity to interfere because you have got this! When you know your deck, your trusty favorite, performing a reading is second nature. And when you are in that state, what happens is quite beautiful. Some call it wisdom, or your higher self, or your guides, gods, guardian angels or beloved ancestry. Through whichever lens you personally choose to view it, the situation is the same. Your intuition is activated, you have allowed it to step forth and be felt. That state is what thrusts a reader into a sweet condition of "flow." In this space, the only source of influence is you and your cards. The “what is right or wrong” questions fade away, and you naturally embrace a state of openness, and with it a quiet confidence that comes with being sure of yourself in sacred space. Your relationship with your cards is personal. Your style as a reader will only emerge when you are sure of yourself in sacred space. The propensity to reach into that vast body of literature mentioned previously, will surely dull your shine. But more than that, it will cause an over-complication of something quite natural, and that is, look at your cards, and read what they say to you. After all, the conversation is between you and your deck, is it not? There is plenty of time for introducing critical theory into your tarot reading. There will also come a time where you might like to merge modalities, and before you know it, you are the reader who knows about astrology, numerology, Kabbalah and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. But until then, make friends with your cards. Look at the images, pay attention. What you see in a card is not what others will see. These differences in perception are essential and are worth nurturing. There are some outstanding sources of information on the Tarot, and it is well worth exploring that vast body of knowledge. But my advice to students is to take your time, don't rush, sit with what you learn, take the time to digest the information you encounter completely, and be discerning about the information you accept. Making friends with your deck does not mean you must discount the opinions of others. It merely implies that it is also important to value your own experience and perception. About Avalon: Avalon Cameron is a hereditary Witch who was born and raised in Brazil and now lives in the Far Northern Tropics of Australia. She is a Coven-based Witch, and a professional Cardslinger, Creator and Writer. At present, Avalon is working on the Bonestone & Earthflesh Tarot deck with artist and illustrator Ana Tourian. It is the first fine art Tarot deck to be created LIVE on YouTube in a series of iconic Bonestone Bashes. The Bonestone is due for release in December 2018. The 2018 Summer edition of the Cartomancer, the international Tarot magazine, will feature artwork from the Bonestone on its cover. Website: avaloncameron.com YouTube: youtube.com/user/TheElementalWitch1 Patreon: patreon.com/avaloncameron Instagram: instagram.com/avalonsapothecary Facebook: facebook.com/avalonsapothecary Tarot School Aphorism ![]() Diviner's Corner THE ORACLE SPEAKS ![]() Oracle is a term that comes to us from antiquity. Today, this term is used in reference to a variety of intuitive practices and tools. Oracle translates as “speak” or “answer.” It can be used to describe a person, place, tool or response. As a person, it describes one who practices the art of prophesying or divination and was often one that acted as the vessel through which deities or spirits could deliver messages. Oracular consultation is found in every corner of the world and throughout world history. In many references, oracles have been mainly female and are called prophetesses, sibyls or priestesses. In other religions and cultures, men who preformed oracular divination were priests, wise men or soothsayers. In the ancient world, many places had oracular centers. One famous oracular center, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, was where the high priestess or The Pythia served as oracle. This Delphic Oracle was the most renowned and influential oracle among the Greeks, and has gone down in history as the most powerful woman of the classical world. There are many types of oracles including interpretation of dreams and speaking with the dead. Depending on who you ask, an oracle may be psychic, or do predictive readings, or act only as advisor. In our time, the word oracle is rarely used to describe readers. Oracle decks have become increasingly visible in the metaphysical market and many artists and enthusiasts are inspired to create more just because these decks veer away from the traditional structure of tarot. Resources: • 22 Tarot and Oracle Decks You Need in Your Life http://spiritguidesmagazine.com/22-tarot-and-oracle-decks-you-need-in-your-life/ • Oracle Decks available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=oracle+decks We’d love your suggestion or submissions for this column! If you have an idea or would love to contribute, please contact us at [email protected]. Best Practices for Professional Readers ONE HIT WONDERS: FIRST-TIME AND ONE-TIME CUSTOMERS By Gina Thies www.tarotadvisor.com / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org In every corner of marketing strategy and business growth advice, you’ll find that when it comes to revenue, the focus is often on customer retention and loyal clients. It’s true that repeat business is a serious factor in growth and keeping a business alive, but marketing experts are giving more attention to those “one hit wonders” –– the one-timers or first-time customers. In the business of tarot readings, there can be a lot of loyalty from querents. However, I’ve seen a lot of “psychic hopping” amongst customers. Another thing I have noticed as I have worked on growing my clientele is that my loyal clients were spoiled and resistant to fee changes or increases. Author Doug Hall in his book, Jump Start Your Marketing Brain: Scientific Advice & Practical Ideas, explains how it is a common mistake in marketing to focus all your energy on loyal customers, even though a great percentage of profits come from short-term and non-loyal customers. Don’t think it’s true? Take a look at the wireless or cell phone industry. The commercials and advertisements are all about offers to new customers. The best deals are designed to attract new customers and rarely provide any incentives or special rates to existing customers. Take note of where the majority of your clientele comes from. If you are noticing that your regulars or loyal customers are taking more of your time but not spending as much, it may be time to look at increasing profits through new clients. This means creating strategies and services that new clients would be interested in, and not necessarily raising your rates or reinventing your whole business model. You can dedicate some of your time and available resources to uncovering business opportunities. The point here is test, test, and test! Upcoming Events:
• September 10, 17 and 24, 2018
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