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 FAQs and Tips
- Check back regularly for updates!
WHAT CAN I EXPECT?
This is actually very tough to answer because expectations are often all over the place! In general, I would offer the following advice: think of consulting the cards in the same way you would think of consulting someone very close to you, someone whose counsel you trust. The cards will answer your questions by highlighting key factors that are important for you to know. These include your state of mind, strengths and weaknesses, events and people that have played or who will play a part in your story, things that are not yet apparent to you, etc. As I wrote on the Home page, the cards will help you become conscious of your
unconscious such that you can take control of your life with more confidence and greater knowledge.
The cards will not so much tell you overtly that you should dump someone or quit your job, but they will absolutely--and usually loudly--point out significant dynamics (issues/concepts/events/feelings) that will help you to make up your own mind. The cards do not respond well to yes-or-no questions as they are better suited to advise and guide. I will read the cards for you with as much detail as possible...then it's up to you to make future decisions on your path. I will, at times, ask you to tell me how a card makes you feel, or which card stands out and why, and you are always welcome to offer your thoughts on how you feel about the look and meaning of a card or cards. This is just part of the interactive reading process that I think adds a whole other layer to my interpretations alone.
There is so much more to this, of course. If you're really unsure of what/what not to expect, or if you're nervous about anything, please don't hesitate to contact me! One last thing: I will tell you just what I see, always in the most empowering way possible. You won't be hearing utter gloom-and-doom from me; if something that appears negative turns up, it's a way of telling you that this, too, shall pass, and you will receive insight as to how to overcome.
HOW SHOULD I FRAME MY QUESTION?
Pointed yes-or-no questions (and questions of a similar nature requiring data or exact predictions) will always end up offering insight and will likely not give the direct yes-or-no response you might want. It is best to phrase questions in one of the following ways:
What is the best way to go about…?
What do I need to know about…?
What influences are surrounding…?
Am I on the best path? What will get me on the best/right path?
What do I need to reflect on in order to…?
What strengths and weaknesses do I need to consider in order to…?
What do I need to know, in general, in order to be my best self?
What can I do about...?
What will boost my intellectual curiosity?
How can I motivate myself to...?
How can I best…?
What do I need to know about this point in my life?
You probably get the idea. This is the best way to get the most accurate and thorough insight. I’ll work with you on phrasing your question to avoid those that the Tarot cannot reflect upon appropriately.
WHY INTERACTIVE TAROT?
Why, indeed, when you have countless choices. Let’s assume that you, like me, already have respect for the Tarot and its capabilities. That’s a critical first step. The next step is to find someone to translate the cards for you accurately, tactfully, and honestly, with a great deal of knowledge, intuition, and empathy. I'm your girl!
I've been reading Tarot since 1991. I have a Master’s in philosophy from the University of Chicago, which gives me a considerable cache of academic resources from which to draw. In addition to traditional academic training, I have studied the Tarot in relation to the mystical tradition of the Qabalistic Tree of Life; numerological and astrological associations; elemental dignities (associations with earth, air, fire, and water and their qualities); Hebrew letter associations; esoteric symbology related to the Order of the Golden Dawn and other esoteric traditions; Jungian archetypal relationships; traditional symbology of various cultures; etc., etc. When I read, I draw upon the methods and systems that I deem most appropriate at that time for that reading.
This didn’t happen for me overnight, and my learning process absolutely continues each and every day. I've built upon my initial foundation of a simple and pure love and appreciation for the images in this unique deck of 78 cards. I have experience and knowledge, and I am also in tune with that inexplicable aspect of the cards. That's intuition; that's empathy; that's that enigmatic, incomprehensible "thing" the Tarot cards so beautifully and masterfully display for us to ponder. I am truly an easygoing person with a great sense of humor, but I take my responsibility with the cards seriously. As I noted above, I will tell you just what I see, and I’ll tell you with tact and respect. So--those are a few reasons that I would choose me as a reader. Let your heart and your research be your own guide.
WHAT IS A SPREAD?
Once the cards are shuffled, they are turned and spread out in such a way that each position has a distinct meaning attached to it...hence, spread (says the Master of the Obvious). For example, three cards can be "spread" in a row, with the first indicating the Past, the second: Present, and the third, Future. The card that falls in each position is interpreted based on that position. Say the Five of Pentacles (a cards of difficult times and limited opportunities, to oversimplify) falls in the Past position--that would tell me that the influences of that card are on their way out. Were that card in the Present position, the client would likely be in the midst of those influences right then and attempting to push past those obstacles. And so it goes.
Spreads can be made up of one card (a deceptively powerful spread, by the way) to as many cards as necessary. I find spreads of more than 12-15 cards to be a bit unwieldy, but I use them on occasion. Clarification cards can easily be added to any spread to shed additional light on hazy cards as necessary; this is simply a matter of, after the initial spread is laid out, turning over a card from the top of the deck and setting it near the questionable card to be read as an adjunct.
WHAT ARE TAROT CARDS?
At first I thought this question was just too much for an FAQ page—and it is, if answered from all angles. What I DO have the space to do is at least explain the very basics. I mean absolute, bare-bones basics!
The most widely held belief is that the Tarot originated as a 15th century Italian card game called Tarocchi. Its use as a tool for divination occurred later, around the late 18th-early 19th century. This is a summation on my part of various schools of thought as there are Tarot authors who ascribe different origins.
The deck is comprised of 78 cards. 22 of these cards make up the Major Arcana (or trumps), including The Fool, The Devil, The Moon, The Hanged Man, Death...cards that you have no doubt seen here and there. These cards all bear names. The remaining 56 cards are called the Minor Arcana. The Minors are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. The ‘pip’ cards in each suit are numbered 1-10, followed by four Court cards, commonly: Page, Knight, Queen and King.
After this, the Tarot is far too complex a subject to delve into here. Even the small bit of info above is sort of a can of worms. For example, the four suits are sometimes known by different names--Wands are sometimes called Batons or Staves, Pentacles can be Coins or even Stones, and so on. Each suit corresponds to an elemental dignity as well: Wands=fire; Cups=water; Swords=air; Pentacles=earth. In certain decks, these dignities are translated differently, and the Court Cards occasionally have different names (Princess, Prince, Queen, King, for example, as opposed to Page, Knight, Queen, King). The Rider-Waite-Smith style deck offers fully illustrated Major and Minor cards; Marseilles-style decks have fully illustrated Major and Court Cards, with the pips having a suit-and-number style only, much like modern playing cards but with a bit more color and style.
And what about the various methods for reading the cards? What of numerological, astrological and planetary associations? What of Hebrew letter/Qabalistic Tree of Life correspondences? How about the heavy influence of Jungian psychology, or the mark of esoteric systems such as the Order of the Golden Dawn? That element of mysticism, the inexplicable? One can delve as deeply as one would like into the cards! Above is just a glimpse at the deck itself...the rest has to be learned and experienced over the years. That's why I'm here: to save you the work and bring as much of this to you through the cards as I can while I continue my own lifelong learning process.
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