Volume 3 Issue 2 Oct05

A Tarot for Life Publication

Getting Acquainted with Teresa...

By Greyhound eresa Michelsen is multitalented... reader, author, teacher and more. I have always enjoyed the articles on her website and heard great things about her workshops, so when I had the opportunity to add her book, The Complete Tarot Reader, to my library, I jumped at it. Teresa's book is chock full of practical exercises that get you working with your cards right from the beginning. It offers many different methods for dealing with common quandries Tarot readers face, allowing you to find the methods that work for you. The book covers elementary topics as well as more advanced and even includes rules for playing the game of tarocchi. It is written in such a way that it would make a fantastic text on which to base a Tarot class, but it also has plenty to offer the more experienced reader. I was delighted to have the chance to get to know Teresa a little better. Read on for our interview... Greyhound: Every Tarot book I've read has been valuable, but a subject you covered in the Complete Tarot Reader is something I haven't seen done before. What prompted you to include the chapter on dealing with reader's block? Teresa: I wanted to include very practical subjects, things that happen to Tarot readers but which no one
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A Tarot Review Tarot of the Dead

By WebWeaver

am an avid deck hound; whenever someone mentions a deck I haven't heard of or seen.. I'm off searching the web for some pix and a review or two. I think I first heard about the self published Tarot of the Dead on the CT Yahoo group. So off I went in search of the deck. I found a few reviews and the authors site, and lo and behold, it was going to be published by Llewellyn! Headed over to Tarot Garden, and there it was on their Upcoming Releases page. I pre-ordered. Yay! So when it became available, I had it in my hot little hands ASAP. I love to use my new decks. I was attracted to this deck for a few reasons; colors, subject matter, suit names, and Dia de los Muertos or in English, Day of the Dead. I found the use of pastel colors with this subject matter very intriguing. It looked like a fun deck. I mean, come on, skeletons have got to be fun. The deck came in a Llewellyn big box with a little white book of instruction (LWB) and a black Organdy bag. Nice. I like the bag. I have never liked the fold-yourown box Llewellyn includes with their decks. The cards are 4 x 3, a nice size. They are thin and flexible with a medium to high gloss. I find them fun to shuffle. I'm a poker shuffler, and they are easy for me to side shuffle and really nice to overhand shuffle. Slippery yet not too slippery. The backs are reversible with skulls, pink roses and a colorful diamond background. The colors on the cards
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Inside this issue: Fante Di Spade Rx YOUR Business Vision Jingle All the Way Calendar Time Halloween Fun A Meditative Series Member Corner Spread Tarot Shenanigans 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 12 17

Wanting to know more about a member in a Members Focus column? Nominate em! Have art or a story to share? Submit it! Send an email to: greyhound@tarotforlife.com

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Fante Di Spade Rx
by Dan Pelletier

ood to see you! You look well. Well just duck down this alley

Yes, its the Fleamarket of Esoteric Bowditch. Youll find many things here not found anywhere The North American release of Caitlin Matthew's Da Vinci Enigma Tarot was pushed back to October 6th. Magic Realist Press has scheduled the Fairytale Tarot to be released in North America in November, and their Fantastic Menagerie Tarot scheduled for Jan. 2006. Both will be available as deck/book sets, and the decks will also be available separately. On a non-tarot note, Shadow of the Vampuss is out and available at Amazon. HmmmShadow Darkener I guess you dont want a dim shadow I know I mentioned that the Golden Tarot of Klimt, Harmonious Tarot, Tarot of 78 Doors, and Masters of Magic decks, plus the mini editions of the Witchy, Gnomes, and Mermaids decks are due out aboutnow. Yeah, late as usual. I can confirm that the Tarot of Reflections and the Tarot of Metamorphosis have now been announced as having their North American releases in April of 2006. To that I must addI predict the release dates will be late also. Thats Lo Scarabeo for you. Oh how lovely, a Pendulum Swing, I had one of these as a child.

Fairytale Tarot Image courtesy of Tarot Garden

Tarot of Metamorphosis Image courtesy of Tarot Garden

Llewellyn recently announced a new title by Sandra Tabatha Cicero (co-creator with Chic Cicero of the Golden Dawn Magickal Tarot). Ms. Cicero's latest endeavor is the Babylonian Tarot, which exploreswell; it's kind of obvious from the title. The publisher claims that "...the powerful deities and mysterious incantations of this ancient culture can also be seen as the very root of Western Ceremonial Magick." Oh look, an Akashic Record Playeryou dont see one of those every day Okay, listenAGM/Urania Verlags, The Swiss deck publisher and German book publisher team (the combo that did the Eden Tarot, the Ananda Tarot, etc.) have had a special high-quality edition of the Crowley-Thoth Tarot planned for some time, but thus far, it's never materialized.
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Tarot of Reflections

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YOUR Business Vision

By Dawn Falbe

Jingle All the Way!

By Jimilyn ith Halloween just around the corner, we know that the holiday season is upon us once again. There is no better way to celebrate the winter holidays than with participation in the TFL Secret Santa gift exchange. Do you love sparklies, ribbons, wrapping paper, cards, and surprises? Do you have any decks on your wish list? Are you hoping for a new tarot bag, or perhaps some crystals? Do candles, incense or a book by your favorite tarot author fit the bill? You just may want to sign up as a Secret Santa! Are you a party animal? Maybe you enjoy happy banter, laughing with friends, exclaiming ooh and ahh over gifts as theyre opened, tossing sparlies and ghost poop at your friends, and partaking in virtual refreshments. Did you ever want to be there when we add to and revise our farewell saying on chat? (Thats fs&gp for those of you who havent made it to chat.) If youd like the story on freams, sparlies, and ghost poop, you just may want to sign up for Secret Santa! Do you get a kick out of planning a surprise for one of your online buddies? Perhaps shopping for the perfect gift to celebrate the holiday season sets the tone for your personal celebrations? Or maybe you even enjoy teasing someone whos having a hard time being good and waiting to open their gift at the party. You just may want to sign up for Secret Santa! Whatever your motivation, the TFL Secret Santa exchange is always one of the highlights of the year. All you need to do is watch the message board for details about when to sign up, post your wish list, shop, mail your package, and then come join us for the party when we all open our gifts. Trust me, this is one event you wont want to miss!

o far in this series I have written about writing a Decision Statement as well as a Belief Statement as part of the foundation of your business. Once you have done both of these, its time to expand your imagination and your horizons and create a Business Vision. Many people think this is some dry piece of paper that is full of information, numbers and generally something that you need to produce for someone else to see if you are borrowing money. When I talk about creating a Business Vision, I am talking about getting into a space where you can allow yourself to think big and dream about what your business would look like if you could create it anyway you want! Why would you have a written Business Vision? Very simple, if you dont know where you are going how are you going to get there? Perhaps Stephen Covey (author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) explains it best: Begin with the end in mind. Having a clear, specific, vivid and inspiring Vision for your business is critical to achieving it. Start thinking about your Vision: How many people do you want to work with per week or month? Who are you working with? What issues are you working on? Are you traveling and speaking to audiences? Are you meeting with clients in person or from home with a headset? What is your office like? Do you have a view from your desk? Are you seeing clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays so you can spend incredible time with your family or travel with your spouse? Are you working on the radio? Do you have your own Metaphysical Fair? Have you added coaching to your practice? How vividly can you paint your Vision? How clear and specific can you get?

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Calendar Time!
By Greyhound

Halloween Fun

t's that time of year again... the time when the leaves begin to turn, the nights begin to chill and the end of the year approaches. It's a time of year I love because not only does it include my favorite holiday (Samhain), but it's time to go calendar shopping. There are several lovely offerings out there... some familiar... some brand new. Let's take a quick peek, shall we? First, let's visit Major Tom, who each and every year provides us with the opportunity to enjoy different Lovers through his Tarot Lovers' Calendar. Some of the cards pictured will be from published decks, some from decks still in progress... All are lovingly assembled into a unique whole. Part of the proceeds of the calendar are pledged to support Aeclectic Tarot. Clearly this calendar is a labor of love, pun intended. The Tarot Lovers Calendar 2006 http://www.majortom.biz/calendar.html

ithout a d o ub t , Halloween is a funfilled, festive time of year that also holds a great deal of meaning to many people. Whether you like light-hearted fun, rip-roaring laughs, entertaining games, trivia challenges, history, horror movi es, del ectab le trea ts, or technology goodies, you should be able to find a few links from the following list to keep you entertained this Halloween season. Halloween Sites

http://www.halloweenishere.com/ http://www.halloween.com http://www.halloween-master.com/

Halloween Quizzes
http://community.netscape.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?webtag=ws-newageliving&guid=7cc754a0-76a4-4e8c-b135-a485d1f293cd

http://familyinternet.about.com/library/blhalloweenquiz.htm Free Halloween Reading

Next, let's visit Kris Waldherr, whose artwork never ceases to wow us. Comprised of art from her much-beloved (and one of my favorite) Tarot decks, The Lover's Path, and featuring famous couples throughout myth and history, this calendar includes 16 months along with several romantic postcards. If you haven't yet procured The Lover's Path for your own, this calendar might just push you over the edge to make it a must-have. Warning: Tarot addicts, consider yourselves warned! The Lover's Path 2006 Wall Calendar
http://www.artandwords.com/giftworks/lp/calendar.html

http://www.tarot.com/promos/aol/hallo04-tarot2.php?code=netscape&feature=halloween-tarot-love&

Paranormal Trivia Quiz http://channels.netscape.com/atplay/paranormaltrivia.jsp Tales from the Morgue

http://www.okmulgeetimes.com/articles/2005/07/01/news/875.txt

Halloween Games for Your Web Browser http://www.onemorelevel.com/halloween/

http://www.funmunch.com/events/halloween/halloween_games/index.shtml

http://members.aol.com/gitsb/halow.html
http://familyinternet.about.com/cs/halloweengames/a/blhallgameindex.htm

I almost hesitate to include this next calendar, because the website states that it's no longer available.
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A Meditative Series The High Priestess

By Igraine & Nimue

A full moon in the light of day! A mystery in itself, as the night and the day are one A cooling breeze begins to blow, tinged faintly with the salty smell of the sea. You stand transfixed; your face uplifted to the moon, and feel its tidal call deep in your body. On the edge of your awareness, you perceive, as if acutely listening into a conch shell, the sound of waves awash on a vast shore The moon now looms bigger, and you feel yourself growing lighter and more ethereal as you feel your own inner light expand to meet it. You are merging into its brilliant luminous body and are encased in its glowing sphere. You find yourself moving through the waves of a great ocean. Dolphins cavort and leap at your side, and lovely mermaids and undines swim to play with your light. There are others about you.many spheres, like yourself in the ocean, beaming and shining and moving in a dance of joy like beautiful pearls. The pearls now assemble, falling into line. There are many strung before you and behind you. You feel they are all YOU, through many lives ago and those to come connected by a silvery thread. Each one is perfect.

Floating in the ocean, embraced by the moon, you are profoundly peaceful But now a pulling in your body quickens, and you feel yourself rising into a starlit skymiraculously floating in a scintillating light, but still embodied by the glorious moon. A womans voice speaks. Youve heard it whisper often in the quiet of your heart. She bids you Enter and you look down to see that you are standing on a silver path strewn with starlight and sparkling with thousands of points of light. It leads between two majestic, upright pillars carved with hieroglyphs and lotus petals. One is black, as deep velvet space; and the other is white, as the pristine petal of a narcissus. A waft of sweet myrrh fragrance exhales from beyond, and you can hear the stirring palm fronds as you approach. Know Thyself. She speaks. You stand balanced between the two pillars and reach out your hands to part the intricate veils of woven light to reveal The High Priestess seated before you on a throne exalted with concentric, crescent moons. A camel flanks her, lying quietly, its dark eyes upon you. On her lap rests a quiver of arrows tipped with stars. In her hand she holds a sacred scrollYOURS. She unfolds it as she beckons you forward with a gleaming hand. Approach and hear Her counsel...

Pamela A

2005 Igraine & Nimue

This written and audio meditation is the creative child of Igraine and her sister Nimue. They are composing a new meditation CD on the Tarot's Major Arcana. This is an exclusive glimpse of the work in progress. Experience the meditation through all your senses download the audio of Igraine reading the Meditation at: http://www.tarotforlife.com/newsletter01.html Right click the link to download, left click to play from your browser window. Enjoy an audio meditative experience.
Background Music: Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors Bones 1998 http://www.ravenrecording.com/raven_portal.html
*Igraine and Nimue would like to thank Raven Records for their permission to use Gabrielle Roth s fabulous trance music from her CD Bones for this demo version in the newsletter.

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Tarot Mania Syndrome

by Regina M Peterson (raeregc) I became interested in Tarot cards way back in the summer between the 11th and 12th grade of high school. My family had just moved to a new location; it was an adjustment, but a welcome adjustment because there was a bookstore in the new town-something fabulous I thought. There was no such thing in the small town from which we had moved. It was here in this bookstore where, several years later, I bought my first Tarot deck. The deck was the IJJ Swiss Tarot Deck and it came with a small pamphlet; both the cards and the pamphlet were encased in a hard red cardboard box. The copyright on the pamphlet was 1969. I opened the box of cards up and was very interested in them but was very discouraged by the small pamphlet, which provided only a cursory summary of the cards as well as one spread, the Celtic Cross. The cards had no interesting pictures on the Minor Arcana; remember, I did not know what you called any of these cards then. The Court Cards, as well as the Major Arcana seemed to have very antiquated woodblock type engravings of kings, queens and various other personages signifying somethingof what I was not sure. I could find no books about the Tarot; the cards lay on a shelf, untouched. Ten years or so went by. Life goes on; I was still interested in the art and science of Tarot, so I bought another deck. Why? Hoping for a miracle, I suppose. This deck was called the Tarot of Transition, and it was an Egyptian themed deck with a beautiful large blue scarab on the back of the cards. The LWB which came with the deck was a little bigger. I liked the deck and still like it. I was interested in the motifs on the cards because I have always been interested in Egyptology, but the deck did not really click with me. However, I still like to look at it occasionally. In 1990 I was enchanted with the Enchanted Tarot
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by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. This set consisted of beautiful slightly over sized cards with paisley Persian motif (each Major Arcana would make a beautiful quilt) and a large companion book that gave well-written explanations of each card. I felt that I was beginning to get somewhere. Here was a deck of cards with a companion book filled with significant writing and explanations about the cards. Somewhere along the way I bought the Thoth Tarot deck which was beautiful, but totally incomprehensible to me. So it went onto the shelf. In the midst of all of this "dabbling" in Tarot deck collecting, real life got in the way, as it usually does, and I was diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis gave way to surgery followed by six weeks of intense radiation therapy. There followed a 6 year period in which I fought my way back into the world of the living. I had become extremely weakened both by weight loss as well as by radiation and it took a very long time for me to recover. Gradually, I did. By this time our town had grown considerably with many shopping malls which included bookstores. One bookstore in particular which I patronized frequently was Barnes & Noble. As I began to pick up my old interests, my interest in Tarot raised its head again. At Barnes & Noble I bought the Mythic Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene. I love this deck and was very taken by the Greek images on all of the cards. I read the accompanying book and began to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could learn something about the Tarot. By now, as you may have suspected, the shelves were beginning to groan with Tarot decks. All seemingly jockeying for favor. The only one in the forefront then was the Mythic Tarot, which I liked very much, and still do.

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talks about much :) Readers block is something that happens to everyone at times, more to newer readers, but even to very experienced readers. Sometimes it is just inexperience, but other times it is because the cards are teaching you something new and interesting, that just takes a while to figure out. Or, it may be that theres something about the situation you or the seeker is not ready to face. Whatever the reason, we all need techniques for working with it and understanding it it is probably one of the most frequent questions and frustrations voiced on the Internet reading lists. Its especially common when readers read for themselves, so its particularly important to understand why that happens and what to do about it, or readers can lose one of the most valuable tools for working with their own lives. As a mentor on the reading networks and a teacher, it just stood out to me as a subject that needed to be addressed up front. Since I really started out reading online, I had the luxury of time to work out my readings. I very seldom had this problem until I started doing more readings in person. There are a lot of things about that situation that tend to cause readers block but having had the experience of knowing that my readings would work themselves out given a bit of time and space, I knew that there was meaning in the cards and didnt need to question that. The question then became, what tools could we use as readers to help ourselves in these high-pressure situations? This was actually a group project, as I put the question out to the CompTarot and ATA readers lists with some initial thoughts to gain additional ideas. We also talked about the harder readings where even with a lot of time and thought the meaning isnt clear. Most of us have had the experience of doing a reading that is so unusual that it just doesnt make sense at the time, but makes perfect sense in hindsight and we learn from those. Then it just comes down to trust that you have received the cards that you are meant to have, even if you dont understand them. And the confidence to admit that we dont always figure it out right away, but it will come clear in time. GH: There are a lot of Tarot books out there for beginners. What makes this one different, in your eyes? Teresa: There were several things I was particularly trying to do with this book, and these were concepts that Llewellyn was very much involved in and supported. The first was to provide a book that would be especially good for self-study and use in classes. The book is organized more like a textbook than many (while still being fun I hope!), with study goals, exercises throughout the text illustrating the ideas and providing practice opportunities, and a self-test in each chapter. If you're working on your own, you can go straight to a section you're interested in and learn about, for example, elemental dignities, without having to read through the whole book to get there. Alternatively, the book provides a good structure for a more formal class. The other central concept was that of personal choice. I wanted this book to be usable with any deck, no matter how unusual. This is one reason I don't give specific meanings or keywords in the book for the cards, but instead show the reader how to work with her own deck and any accompanying book, her intuition, and the underlying structures and archetypes of Tarot to arrive at meanings that are not only pertinent to her deck, but personal to her. Barbara Moore at Llewellyn got into the fun by choosing cards from as wide a variety of Tarot decks as possible to use in illustrating the book, to help emphasize this point. A related theme is introducing the reader to alternative approaches in many areas, such as reversals, astrological correspondences, and elemental correspondences, to introduce the idea that none of this is set in stone and readers can make their own choices in these areas. This extends even to very philosophical issues, such as whether you choose to do predictive vs. empowering readings, and where your ethical boundaries are. I think it's very important for readers to make their own choices in these areas, but to have thought through and understood why they are making them so that they can be explained to others. GH: This is a question I ask almost everyone, but it fascinates me... How did you discover Tarot? Teresa: My household growing up was a bit unusual. In my teen years, my mother was an astrologer, numerologist, and did past life regressions. Her partner was a healer and Tarot reader. He did some readings for me when I was about 13 (with, I believe, the Morgan-Greer deck) that hooked me for life, though not right away. In college I had an intensive period of study with the Rider-Waite and Thoth decks, and also used Hanson-Roberts. Later my career and marriage took precedence for a while, until I had started my own business and was working from home. At one point I experienced an illness that kept me pretty well confined to the house for almost a year. I think this kind of experience may be a catalyst for a lot of people, but I got out my Tarot cards again, and searched online. Lo and behold I found the ATA and the Free Tarot Network, Comparative Tarot, Tarot-L, and the rest is history :) Aside
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from being a very engaging philosophical system that led me in all kinds of interesting directions, it was an incredible help in dealing with the pain and depression associated with that illness. At the time I didnt know if it would be able to be treated. I havent really put the Tarot down since. GH: Another subject your book covered is reading reversals with round decks. Do you have a favorite round deck that you read with? Teresa: Not really I think the perfect round deck has yet to be invented (hint, hint). I do have Daughters of the Moon, which has its place in the collection, but is not one of my everyday decks. I would envision one that makes strong use of the four elements tilts/reversals indicating more inwardly or outwardly focused elemental energy phases of the moon, other planetary influences, and a strong nature orientation. Wiccan or Pagan, perhaps. GH: So what's next for you, Teresa? Is there anything you can share with us about your current or future plans? Teresa: Oh, lots of plans :) I am in the middle of writing a book on astrology for Tarot readers. I find that Tarot draws many readers toward astrology, but just trying to pick up books on astrology and learn enough to be useful is frustrating. So, this book is about astrology as it relates to Tarot, and through the eyes of Tarot relating astrological concepts to Tarot concepts, but also pointing out where and how they are different. For example, is the Moon in Tarot really like the Moon in Astrology? They are similar archetypes, but also have important differences. All kinds of ways of using astrology in Tarot readings are presented, along with ways to use the two disciplines together, if you happen to be or work with someone who is an astrologer. Also, it gives you the tools to develop your own correspondences, if the Golden Dawn ones dont work well for you, and presents Renaissance astrology and correspondences as well as more modern ones. Other than that, I hope to do a revamp of my website in the next few months; its been suffering a little as Ive been working on other projects. I hope to refocus my readings in three areas for standard Tarot readings, simplify the offerings down to a few basic patterns that I have found over the years to be most useful, often with an elemental focus. In addition to that, I would like to offer readings that combine Tarot with astrology, and readings that combine Tarot with a nature focus. To me this last is probably the most exciting. I am collecting decks and oracles that are nature-based and considering what types of readings I could do with these that best make use of their energies. I do find that most of the nature-oriented decks are either southwestern or Celtic, and someday in the future, I would love to work with an artist and person knowledgeable about local traditional uses to create a deck for the Pacific Northwest, with our plants, rocks, trees, flowers, herbs, animals, etc. I would like people to be able to have a reading with this deck, and then go home with the actual plants, herbs, or rocks that will benefit them based on the reading. That is a more long-term idea, but the more I talk about it, perhaps the more likely it is to come into being someday :) GH: Do you incorporate other disciplines (i.e. astrology, runes, palmistry, numerology) into your readings? Teresa: Yes, when it seems appropriate not so much in a systematic way. Something about the situation, question, or information from the reading will suggest it, and Ill include it. Typically I might use astrology and elemental correspondences. As mentioned above, I am working on including nature-based elements in the readings based on the properties of rocks, plants, animals, moon phases, even directions. GH: I realize asking a Tarot collector this question is a little unfair, but do you have a favorite deck? If not one favorite, what deck has been speaking to you lately? Teresa: Lately Ive been most frequently using the Hudes deck, although normally I will choose a deck for a specific person or purpose. If Im going somewhere to do readings I usually take several decks and let my clients choose what to use for their readings. If visiting a friend, I will often pick out a deck to take that feels right for them. However, the Hudes deck is a personal favorite and a very beautiful deck. Among the nature-oriented decks, Shamanic Wisdom is the one that I like the best, partly because most of the plants, animals, and rocks are relevant to this area (even though its based on the southwest) and because the system of correspondences seems complete and comfortable. I dont pretend to be fluent with it yet, though. The other deck that intrigues me is the new DruidCraft Tarot, which several of the participants in my most recent online class were using. Just from
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their descriptions of the cards I knew I had to see it, and it has just arrived tonight I havent even unwrapped it! But who knows, it may become the next exciting deck :) GH: What was the last Tarot-related book you read? Teresa: Ive actually been reading mostly astrology books lately, as research for the new book. As part of that work Ive been perusing Liz Greens Tarot Decoded, which Im finding will be a good complement our two books work with different systems and come at it from different directions, so together they cover a lot of territory. Ive got several books saved up to read, including Mark McElroys Putting the Tarot to Work, Robert Places Tarot History, Symbolism, and Divination, and Christine Jettes Tarot Shadow Work. All of these Im looking forward to once Im done writing. Probably the Tarot book I enjoyed most recently was a while back, Mary Greers Tarot Reversals as much for what I learned about the upright cards as the reversals! The book thats most captured me lately though was The Way of Four, by Deborah Lipp. This is not exactly a Tarot book, but one I would highly recommend if you are interested in the four elements and how they manifest in every part of your life. Its kind of what I would call deep background for Tarot work, and unlike many books about the four elements, its not too focused on ritual (she has another book about that). GH: If a client you're reading for seems unreceptive to the messages from the cards, how do you handle that? Teresa: I dont worry about it. I feel confident at this point that I have received the cards he or she needed and interpreted them to the best of my ability. I also trust that clients are sent to the reader they need at that point in time and sometimes readers receive the clients they need to help them work through their own issues. I do believe that the message gets through at some level, even if a person isnt ready to hear it at a conscious level. Its not surprising that people ask questions they are really not ready for an honest answer to, or that they might need some time to respond to a reading that is deeper than they anticipated. Perhaps they expected a lighthearted diversion, and got a serious response. Or maybe they really wanted to hear only one answer, and cant deal with anything other than that. Hopefully, it will surface later when they need it and are ready for it. There are people who have such an extreme negative reaction that they may go so far as to attack you, your reading ability, your honesty, etc. That can be really painful, but you have to think theyve got some serious issue around the subject of the reading and its really about them, not you. When I get a reaction like that, I still take the time to examine what I said, just to make sure Ive stayed within my own ethical reading boundaries. One good reason to have clear boundaries and work within a specific philosophical or spiritual system is so that you can feel confident that you are not overstepping into unethical or inappropriate readings, and that youve given the best reading you can. I just try to have trust in the Tarot, in the reading, and have confidence that they got the message they needed and will understand it with time. If the response is really negative and hurtful, I am more than happy to give a refund, as it may make them feel better and I dont really want the negative energy that I feel would remain with their payment. To me, that clears the situation and lets me move on. GH: How has the Tarot changed your life? Can you share some personal "ah ha" moments? Teresa: I think it was when I started to be able to see Tarot archetypes, cycles, and sequences in my everyday life that it became a living force for me. It created a philosophical system that helped me when I was very depressed and ill and could not see much of a future yet I knew the Star always came after the Tower and somehow that gave me hope. I could see what was happening to me in terms of a larger framework and knew that I would get through it, even though I had no idea in what form or what path my life would take. Later I got very interested in cycles of the Tarot and in identifying how frequent patterns in our lives can be identified in the Tarot, both in the major and minor arcana. It helps me understand the purpose of being poor or going through periods of self-doubt, adjustment, or breaking down of structures, all the things that are so difficult in life. And it also helps one appreciate the good periods without clinging to them, knowing that they too are part of a cycle and must be allowed to transform, so that we dont get stuck in the Fours or the Tower and be forced out of it the hard way. For me it provides a context for life that no religion had been able to do successfully, and thats probably the most significant way in which it has changed my life.

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are crisp pastels. They have a white border which is thinner in the sides and top, wider on the bottom where the titles are. The titles are in both English and Spanish. One of the attractions to this deck was the suit names. Maybe a bit silly, but I really like them. They are air Pistols, earth Reels, water Coffins, and fire Pens. Fun! Adds a bit of difference and depth. The Majors follow the name and numbering of the Rider-Waite (RWS). All but Death depict skeletons in mostly modern settings. Or at least more modern then the RWS. A reel of film is passing the way of 33 rpm records ;-) I find them fairly detailed and somewhat tongue in cheek. It's a deck that asks us to look at death. Look Death squarely in the eye, acknowledge thats where we are all journeying to, and get on with life. It also asks us to remember that, and those that have already left us, with celebration, not fear and sadness. The Major Arcana follow the look of a standard RWS deck even with the participants being skeletons. What was really interesting was that most of the cards are sexless because they are skeletons. Some have clothes so you can get an idea of the sex, but some even with clothes can go either way. I kinda liked that. It can lay open your or your clients preconception of who does what in life. I also have to say that the Death card gave me quite a time. I kept wanting to see it as the Empress. However, on further contemplation what other card in a deck about the dead would you show a living person who was pregnant. Fun, interesting, and intriguing. Majors a closer look: You can run through the Majors and easily peg which card is which... except possibly the Star card. In the end you'll end with the Star because well it has a star, but it could be the Moon or Temperance on a quick look. The card is one of the darker ones and this brings up why I find looking and working with the deck interesting. The Star card is many times called the card of Hope. Many Star cards show light shining down on the person in the card or a beam of light somewhere, not in this card. The Star card, from this deck, brought to my mind on contemplation; what hope is there for the dead? Hence the choice darkness interesting to me. I dont want to digress, so I'll leave the rest of that whole thought go for you to think through if you choose. So the card is mostly in greys, black, and white with a tad bit of green and yellow. The card shows a Skeleton kneeling on left knee before the root of a large tree with his/her right foot in a stream across from another large tree. We can see the stream going off into the background. We can see the night sky with many stars and a large, yellow, 8-pointed star in the center of the sky. There is a skeleton animal in the tree that the wo/man sits on. The Skeleton holds two bottles or jugs. At my first look of this card, I saw one jug as milk and the other as beer. Now where the heck that came from only my psyche knows. That's what I saw. Hence, why I thought Temperance. One, held in the left hand, and what I took as milk, pours out onto the ground. The other held in the right hand and with the tinge of yellow, pours out into the stream (the beer). The tad bit of green comes in on the right side of the bottom of the card for grass. As whimsical as the deck may sound, I hope that this description has made you see how it is also a deck that can make you think. The Minors are non-illustrated in the style of the classic Tarot decks. They have some differences but are basically the suit icon repeated to match the the card number. The Court Cards are the same. Half a body with head, on each half of the card, making the court cards reversible. However they are not the same head and body, so again a bit interesting. I, of course, would have loved to see them all completely illustrated. I don't mind using a classic Tarot deck so it isn't a problem, but I don't use it as much as I might. I found out while doing 10 and 15 minute readings for a business engagement that I need extra time with this style of deck ;-) Takes me a bit longer to weave the element and numerology then it does to look at a story card.
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Volume 3, Issue 2
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Overall I have found enjoyment and stretched my Tarot knowledge using the deck. The art is fun and inviting for many reasons. The LWB isn't bad for a LWB, and I enjoyed reading what Monica had to say on the subject of death. Tarot of the Dead by Monica Knighton Published by Llewellyn Publication ISBN: 073870427X
http://www.nobordersstudio.com/

Want a fun deck? Buy It! Something for Halloween or the Day of the Dead? Buy It! Want a deck with detailed minors? No Want a deck that's non-traditional? Think about it. Want a deck that is thought provoking? Think about it. Beginner? No Buy the book? Not available. Personal/Spiritual deck? No All around good deck & book set? No My only deck? No. Would I buy it again? Yes! Easy reader? No

(Calendar TimeContinued from page 4)

However, this same website says that if sufficient interest exists (25 orders), they may decide to get more printed. If you're die hard fans of Arnell Ando & Leslie Cochran, let them know if you want to procure one of their calendars! Who knows... The 2006 Limited Edition Tarot Art Calendar http://www.arnellart.com/cal-promo06.htm This last in the list is not so much a calendar at all, but I include it here because it's a lovely addition if you like to have articles to read from your favorite Tarot authors, deck reviews, new spreads to try, along with places to record your own personal Tarot observations throughout the year. I personally haven't bought this particular offering*, but other books from Llewellyn that are offered annually (i.e. The Magical Almanac, the Herbal Almanac, the Moon Sign book, the Sun Sign Book, the Spell a Day Calendar) are always a treat and full of delightful tidbits. Llewellyn's 2006 Tarot Reader http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=J675&affiliate=Q2Y8N
*editors note: I have the 2005 edition; it is full of wonderful articles and Tarot ideas.

So run to your favorite place and get 'em while they're hot! Which one am I going to get? Heck... I've got more than one room to put them in. I may need one of each...

Volume 3, Issue 2
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The Fante Di Spade Rx says that there were some legal issues between Urania Verlags and the O.T.O, who still own the publication rights to the Thoth. Those difficulties have been resolved, however, and the project is moving forward, with an anticipated release date of Spring 2006 (or sooner). Speaking of legal issues, the Hello Tarot is no more, and I hear that the Buckland Romani vanished because perhaps someone was not who they said they were. Oh look! Rick Steams Astral Travel Guides! Galde Press, another facet of the folks that print "Fate" magazine apparently has indeed picked up the republication rights to the much sought-after Alchemical Tarot by Robert Place and Rosemary Ellen Guiley. Youll remember you heard it here first, back in the April 2005 issue.

The Alchemical Tarot Image courtesy of Tarot Garden

Since Ms Guiley has posted the announcement on her website; I believe I can say it is in the works. My spies have not spoken of a release date, but Ive heard in the wind that it may be in a somewhat different format than the original Llewellyn edition. Ive heard that Robert Place had offered to redo some of the cards, and they were toying with the idea of doing it as a superhigh-quality limited edition piece. And my spies are usually reliable. Ah hereneed a Used Alibi? Bottled Hope? Forgotten Dreams?

The Who You Choose Spread

By WebWeaver

1. The Who I choose to be 2. The Who I am 3. The Who I need to be

This is a three card spread that you can use to work through something about yourself you would like to change. Look through all your cards and choose a card that you feel has the qualities that you want to have. That becomes the 1st card and is put in the 1st position of: The Who I choose to be. Shuffle your remaining cards. Draw a card for the 2nd position. This is the Who you are. This card will indicate the qualities you currently have. The last card is placed between the 1st two cards and it is the 1st step toward attaining the qualities of the card you chose in the 1st position. So draw a card for position 3: The Who you need to be. Now take a look at all three cards. How far are the qualities from card 2 and 3? From 2 and 1? What do you need to do to bring out the qualities of card 3? This is the 1st step toward being the person you choose to be.

Volume 3, Issue 2
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Mistakes to Avoid
Before you begin, here are some mistakes I sometimes see when people are working on their Vision. Dont fall into these traps! 1. Dreaming Too Big Some people have a tendency to create grand Visions without any intention or desire to take the actions necessary to achieve them. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big; the key is believing it and then demonstrating your belief by acting! 2. Dreaming Too Small On the flip side, some people are afraid to dream big, so they settle and dream small. Dont go to this extreme either! Think about what you really want. You can have it! 3. Basing Your Vision on Shoulds Sometimes we base our dreams on what other people want for us or what we feel that we should do or have. Obviously a big no-no! Your Vision needs to be perfect for you. 4. Worrying About How As you work on your Vision dont worry about how youre going to achieve it. Have you ever heard the saying, When the why is big enough, the how will follow? The same applies to your Vision. If you identify what you really want and believe you can have it, the how will show up! 5. Choosing the Wrong Time Frame I like to instruct those I work with to write about their Vision for their practice as if it's reached its pinnacle, which might be three to five to ten years in the future. If you can see that far into the future, great! If not, pick a time frame as far into the future as you can see. 6. The IBS Committee You Cant. Those of you who have worked with me will remember that the IBS Committee (a.k.a. the Itty Bitty Shitty Committee) is comprised of those voices in your head that stop you moving forward. This IBS Committee comes up with all the reasons why you ought not take any action, ought to stay in the safety of where you are About the author: Dawn Falbe is familiar to many of us as the former instructor at the now, are scared of taking risks, and dont like change. Barnes & Noble Tarot for Beginners Class. Those voices come out in such ways as, What makes She is a former president of the ATA you think anyone will pay for your services? You (American Tarot Association) and also ought to get a real job. It sounds like a lot of work, teaches the Complete Metaphysical Practido you have the time for all of that? And on and on. tioner course. Dawn publishes a free In the weekly group coaching program that follows this monthly newsletter and is currently creating a Metaphysical Practitioner and Alternative core course we talk about the IBS committee and what Healers Business Development and Coachwe can do about them. Its quite fascinating!!!
ing School

So go out and write that Vision!

Next issue I will talk about why its important to figure out who you want to work with and why

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(Halloween FunContinued from page 4)

Halloween Ideas http://www.101halloweenideas.com/ Halloween Recipes http://www.halloweenkitchen.com/ Fearful Flicks http://www.fearfulfilms.com/ Halloween Safety http://www.halloween-safety.com/

History of Halloween http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/ http://halloween.com/history_halloween.php http://www.theholidayspot.com/halloween/history.htm Halloween Card Shop http://familyinternet.about.com/library/blpostcard_halloween.htm http://www.halloweencardshop.com/ http://www.spiritisup.com/halloween.html Halloween Word Search http://wilstar.com/holidays/puzzles/halloweenpuz.htm For the Computer http://wilstar.com/holidays/puzzles/halloweenpuz.htm http://www.halloweenfonts.com/
http://familyinternet.about.com/cs/computinghelp/a/aascarywaves.htm http://www.halloween-clipart.com/

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The summer of 2005 was a wonderful summer for me! I found that Barnes & Noble University offered a course on "Tarot for Beginners". Now at last I would finally have a chance to exchange ideas, etc., with some folks in the "know"! I eagerly signed up for the course! I bought the suggested book, Learning the Tarot, by Joan Bunning as well as the suggested deck the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. After I opened the deck i realized that I had finally found the "one." The Tarot deck with which I could connect! I have since learned the Rider-Waite deck is not for everyone, but it was perfect for me! I loved it! I still love it today! The lessons from the Tarot course were wonderful and the folks in the class were great, but something which I did not expect happened to me. I became an addict! Or should I say a worse addict than I was already! I became an avid Tarot deck collector. My friend in class, Jimilyn, warned me that it would happen. Another Tarot friend, Don, called the longing for more and more Tarot decks a syndrome; the "Tarot Mania Syndrome" or TMS for short. At the beginning of the TMS some of the decks I collected were: The Tarot of OZ set by David Sexton. I love this deck also, and feel a connection with it. Gilded Tarot by Giro Marchetti. A beautiful deck! with a gorgeous book to accompany it. Tarot of Prague by Karen Mahoney. An exciting deck with pictures of the city of Prague as well as a choice of two death cards. The edition number is limited to 3000 sets and mine is number 1492. The addiction grew as the TMS worsened. Very quickly more decks made their way into my possession. Indeed, now it seemed that I could never pass the Tarot section in Barnes & Noble without several of the decks "crooning" to me, flapping around on the shelves. In order to attract less attention to myself, I would usually pick up one or two of the more "noisy" decks which were on my list of "gottagets," paying for them quickly and then hurrying home. Finally, I just gave up, realizing that there was no cure for TMS, and the hits just kept on coming! The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood; beautiful! The Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo; dark and exciting! The Adrian Tarot deck by Adrian B. Koehli; a modern deck done with digital images and designs, different! Tarot Art Nouveau deck by Antonella Castelli; exquisite! The Golden Dawn Tarot, illustrated by Robert Wang under the direction of Israel Regardie and based upon the esoteric designs of the Secret Order of the Golden Dawn; mystifying! I also bought the DruidCraft Tarot set by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. I know that many of you have this deck and really love it. The Magician card in this deck looks just like someone with whom I used to work, the face has the same look with the same coloring for the eyesa very striking bright blue! The Universal Waite Tarot set, a recoloring of the Rider-Waite, by Mary Hanson-Roberts, made its appearance in my home one day, and very quickly the next day Mary Hanson-Roberts' own deck and book set followed me home. UPS left Graham Cameron's Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot deck one evening on my doorstep. The deck is illustrated in a whimsical way. Sometimes I think that word whimsical is an euphemism for "really ugly," but I do like the cards. The deck is a little over sized for me to actually manipulate, but I like the deck and would buy it again. The next Tarot set to arrive was the Via Tarot done by Susan Jameson and John Bonner. The deck is a Crowley type deck filled with Kabbalistic, magical, astrological and Thelemistic sources. I hope to study both Thoth and Via Tarot in the future. Recently my husband bought me the The Lover's Path Tarot set by Kris Waldherr, who, as most of you may know, is the author of the Goddess Tarot. The Major Arcana is composed of famous lovers from myth, legend and literature and she has done an exquisite job with this set. My latest acquisition is the Revelations Tarot set by Zach Wong. You may not be as familiar with his name as with
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Volume Issue 32 Volume2, 3, Issue

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(Members CornerContinued from page 15)

other Tarot authors and artists, but he is a young Malaysian man who is an architect and graphics design illustrator now living in Australia. "Revelations" is another of my favorite Tarot decks because it is so unique. Zach has designed each card with fully realized artwork containing both reversed and upright positions on each card. The cards are easy to handle and the accompanying book is an easy read. I was so taken with this Tarot set that I emailed Zach at his websiteand got a very nice reply. But I love my Rider-Waite-Smith deck most of all. I am most comfortable with it, and it has never let me down. Oh! I have asked its permission each and every time before my husband or I have bought any other decks for my collection. So far, so good! fingers crossed!

Extra info & Links

The next Barnes and Noble Learning the Tarot class will be starting November 1st. Don t forget to sign up.
http://educate.barnesandnoble.com/educate/bn/home/catalog/overview.jsp?productId=6268&userid=YG2XgW4CcF&nhid=bn

Dont forget to check out what Tarot Garden has going on. Make sure to view the Upcoming Releases at: http://www.tarotgarden.com/boutique/preorders.html Trying to find that hard to locate deck? Let Tarot Garden do the work for you. Visit: http://www.tarotgarden.com/searchservice.html or contact Dan with any questions at dmp@tarotgarden.com

Ordering from Amazon? Dont forget to click through out main site: http://www.tarotforlife.com/index.html Help support Tarot for Life and this publication.

Visit the site of: Complete Tarot Reader author Teresa Michelsen http://tarotmoon.com/

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Now get those new calendars out and mark off these dates .
November 2005 1 R Online: BNU Tarot for Beginners Course Starts http://tinyurl.com/7w2ua 9 Las Vegas NV: Corrine Kenner "Tarot for Romance" corrine@corrinekenner.com December 2005 6 Tele-Class Shari Smith (WebWeaver) Tarot Huh? shari@tarot-coaching.com January 2006 RRelease of Tarot Journaling by Corrine Kenner 14 R Online: Corrine Kenner "Journaling Workshop" corrine@corrinekenner.com 17 R Online: Corrine Kenner "Journaling Workshop" corrine@corrinekenner.com February 2006 11 R McAllen TX: Corrine Kenner "Spead Reading" corrine@corrinekenner.com 17-20 R San Jose CA: Pantheacon 2006 Various Tarot Luminaries http://www.ancientways.com/pantheacon/ April 2006 15 R San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS) http://www.daughtersofdivination.com/spring2006.html 21-23 R NYC NY: Readers Studio Various presenters www.tarotschool.com June 2006 11-18 R Rhinebeck NY: Mary K. Greer & Rachel Pollack at the Omega Institute http://www.eomega.org/ Ongoing Classes with Mary K. Greer on the Tarot and "Life As A Dream" contact Mary @ mkgreer@pacbell.net or at 530-265-3179.

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Meet the Authors

Dan Pelletier is the co-owner of The Tarot Garden. An accomplished tarot reader with over thirty years of experience, Dan has also contributed to such publications as Aeclectic Tarot and Body Mind Spirit magazine. Jimilyn, a Dallas native, had her interest in the metaphysical rebloom sometime during 1999. It was during this time she purchased her 1st deck. She also took the first Barnes and Noble University 'Tarot for Beginners' class in August of 2001. Joan Bunning was the instructor and the warmth and encouragement she shared was just the help Jimi needed to move forward in her own Tarot journey. Jimi also enjoys doing chat readings at Tarot for Life, where being a part of a group of readers helps everyone feel more confident. Jimi recently took two classes in intuitive tarot reading from Ferol Humphrey which have dramatically enhanced both her reading skills and her confidence level.

Igraine became fascinated by astrology, the tarot and everything metaphysical way back in the 60s. She grew up in the college community of Ithaca, NY where she encountered her first occult bookstore. She and her sister Nimue spent many hours there browsing through the shelves and chatting with the mystic proprietor. She purchased her first tarot deck at 14 and so began her lifetime study of everything beyond. Today she lives happily with her non-pagan husband of 25 years, three grown children and four familiars. She is a practicing astrologer, tarotist, teacher, herbalist, writer and Wiccan coven leader. She is currently a candidate for High Priestess with The Fellowship of Isis. Look for her upcoming website at lunamamas.com

WebWeaver has been reading and learning Tarot for over 20 years, but until finding all that was available online in 2002, she didn't realize how much it meant to her. Joining TFL and becoming a part of the management team as well as working on the newsletter has been a turning point for her. She believes Tarot is the perfect way to connect with oneself, and now lives with Tarot being a daily part of her life. She loves learning, growing, and sharing on her Tarot journey. What she doesn't understand is why everyone doesn't use the Tarot.. (Editor)

Contact us:
Greyhound, Manager TFL greyhound@tarotforlife.com Seasii, Asst. Manager TFL seasii@tarotforlife.com Jimi, Asst. Manager TFL jimilyn@tarotforlife.com WebWeaver, Asst. Manager TFL webweaver@tarotforlife.com Igraine, Asst. Manager TFL igraine@tarotforlife.com

Greyhound began reading Tarot in Oct. of 2000. Greyhound feels her natural tendency is to approach life very analytically. The study of Tarot has helped her to bring more balance and intuition to her life. She considers herself a student of the Tarot, rather than a teacher and feels confident that anyone can learn to read the Tarot if they want to badly enough.

Copyright 2005 Tarot for Life. All Rights Reserved. You may copy, distribute, and send this E-ZINE as long as source is quoted and you include a link to www.tarotforlife.com. Individual art and written articles, poems, prose and any other intelligent property remains the property of the owner/author/artist/creator. Publication, product, or company names contained herein may be registered trademarks of their respective owners. While every effort is made to verify facts, the Editor of "the Seekers Journey" does not accept responsibility for the complete accuracy of information contained herein. The content has been researched from sources deemed reliable but not absolute.