The · PDF fileLenormand Oracle within the Tarot community, and the future of Tarot in...
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The Tarot Your Guide to Tarot Mastery
Edition 20 Winter 2015
This edition’s theme is based on the card called ‘Judgement.
Are you awake? Or are you walking
through life as a zombie? So many trudge
along with no motivation, no passion, no
goals, and without those big, bold dreams
that make it easy to climb out of bed in the
morning.
When you find the card called Judgement
appearing in your readings, it’s time to
evaluate your life and be ready to ‘follow
your bliss’. This card is all about
awakening to your desires and following
your heart.
In this card’s image, the angel Gabriel is
blowing his trumpet to blast you awake.
This is a biblical scene representing the
last judgement.
When this card turns up, be prepared for
some life-changing notions to dominate
your thoughts. The angel is saying that the
universe is waiting for you to re-awaken to
all the possibilities you used to imagine
were your ultimate destiny.
Wake up to your own potential. The time
is right. Take the steps required to live the
life you know you could be living. Rise up
and make your dreams a reality. It’s up to
you.
Tarot Blessings, Don McLeod
www.MisterTarot.com
Page 1 – Editorial
Page 2 – Conferences & Events
Page 3 – Interview with John Matthews
Page 4 – Next Tarot Workshops
Page 5 – Interview with Caitlin Matthews
Page 6 – The Necessity of Clear Questions
Page 7 – Rachel Pollack’s Story
Page 8 – Interpretations for Judgement
2015 Living Tarot Conference
The International Tarot Conference will be held
in Melbourne this year.
Last year’s event was sensational, so if you are
serious about Tarot, then start planning your
attendance at this event.
It will be held from 7th to 9th August 2015, followed
by 2 days of workshops on 10th and 11th August.
Guest presenters include, Amber Jayanti, Evelynne
Joffe, Caitlin Matthews, and Mark Ryan.
Learn how to combine Tarot and Palmistry with Trev & Cinzia. It’s an innovative, five week course that only costs $125 — and it is followed by free practice sessions. It’s now held in North Adelaide as well as Hahndorf. Email Trev: [email protected]
UK Tarot Conference
(London)
9th and 10th October 2015
Some of the presenters for this year’s event
are: Caitlin Matthews, David Wells, Susyn
Blair-Hunt, Wicca Meier-Spring, Sue
Farebrother, and Chloe McCracken.
Caitlin Matthews’ workshop is called
‘Which Way Are Your Cards Facing?’ She says that noticing the way the subject of
a card faces helps us to skilfully read cards,
adding depth to our interpretation. Caitlin
Matthews is the author of four Tarots
including the Complete Arthurian Tarot,
and of several oracles, including The
Enchanted Lenormand Oracle.
The workshop by David Wells is called
‘Tree of Life Experience’. David suggests,
‘The ancient symbol of the Tree of Life
carries within it the mysteries of the Tarot,
so what better symbol to use as a grid for an
in-depth reading?’ In this workshop, David
will take you on an adventure through the
Sephiroth of the Tree, and using your own
deck of cards you will be able to use the
union of Tree and Tarot to bring a new
perspective to your readings.
Susyn Blair-Hunt’s workshop is ‘Let the
Tarot Cards do the Talking’. This
workshop focuses on learning to trust the
messages you receive from the Tarot,
visually as well as spiritually. Getting the
cards to ‘talk to you’ opens the door to
richer and more predictive messages during
your readings.
Edition 20 Winter 2015
An Interview with John Matthews UK Tarot Conference 2013
John and Caitlin Matthews live in Oxford, UK, so
it was relatively easy for them to be part of the UK
Tarot Conference in 2013. Their partnership has
resulted in more than 150 books featuring
mythology and oracles. At the conference, John
Matthews had an impressive range of his books
and decks on display.
He was happy to share stories of his involvement
with Tarot, and my first question related to the
number of years he’d spent working on Tarot and
Oracle decks…
John Matthews: The first one we did was the
Arthurian Tarot, which is about seventeen years
ago, then we had a long gap between that and the
next one, but in more recent years I’ve started
doing some on my own. Now we’ve started doing
a whole new series, and in the last five years we’ve
done about five Tarots. Recently we did the
Steampunk Tarot, which was a bit of a diversion
for us.
Mister Tarot: Could you tell us more about the
Steampunk Tarot?
John Matthews: We’d always been interested in
the idea of Steampunk—the whole idea of
dressing up and becoming a Victorian character,
or pseudo-Victorian character. And the whole
thing now has become a big cultural movement, so
we thought, well, what archetypes are there in the
Steampunk world that might work for this, and we
created the Steampunk Tarot. Since then, Caitlin’s
just done The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle, the
first of the vast realm of Lenormand decks that are
coming your way, and I’ve just done The Oracle
of Dr John Dee.
Mister Tarot: What’s the story behind the Dr
John Dee deck?
John Matthews: It develops the whole idea of the
Elizabethan magus as a way of enquiring into
your own mysteries.
Mister Tarot: You seem to be on a roll with
Tarot decks at the moment—why do you think
you are driven to create so many?
John Matthews: It’s a way of thinking…when
you’ve done several you start looking at every
theme and thinking, ‘How would that be in Tarot
terms?’
Mister Tarot: Are there any other new ones in
development yet?
John Matthews: The next one, which I’ve almost
finished now, is a Sherlock Holmes Tarot. That’s
a very interesting example of the kind of thing I
mean, because as soon as you start thinking about
Holmes, the enquiring detective looking for
answers to clues, I thought, well, isn’t that exactly
what Tarot does? So, it fit into place very well.
Once I’d sat down and started to think about it,
within the space of a day I discovered that all of
the archetypes were there. All the characters from
the Sherlock Holmes stories are all in my Tarot
deck…you’ve got the bumbling inspectors,
you’ve got Holmes’ brilliant brother Mycroft,
you’ve got Mrs Hudson, you’ve got all of the
characters that everyone knows so well, and they
all work perfectly as Tarot archetypes.
Mister Tarot: Are there any other decks planned
for the future?
John Matthews: After the Sherlock Holmes deck
there will be the Byzantine Tarot, which looks at
the very early Western Magical Tradition before
it really became formulated, and how the Tarot
images might fit into that. So lots of interesting
things are on their way!
Mister Tarot: We will keep our eyes open for
these new creations. Thanks for your time, and
thanks for bringing such interesting concepts into
reality.
Click here for more info about John Matthews.
A Tarot reading can help you to…
See the past more clearly.
Understand the present.
Work out best choices in the future.
Clarify your goals.
Discover what you really want and
why you want it.
Tarot is a way of tapping into your
subconscious mind and the universal-
consciousness to provide answers and
direction. The answers are already there…
and Tarot gives you a way to bring that
information into your consciousness.
Seeing Mister Tarot for a reading gives you
the power to manifest change in your life.
If you’d like a Tarot reading from Mister
Tarot, he’ll be available on occasional
Sundays at Crystal Wave, Grange, South
Australia.
It’s time to take charge of your destiny. Phone
8235 1817 for bookings.
Tarot Workshops with Don McLeod
Session # 1 - Tarot Simplified
Sunday 5th July from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Held at Crystal Wave 677 Grange Road, Grange, SA
How Tarot Works
Demystifying Tarot
Insightful Tarot Spreads
Learn Easy Interpretations
Practical & Spiritual Uses
By the end of this workshop you will feel
comfortable using Tarot cards and you will
have a better understanding of their meanings.
6 hours training for only $99
Requirements: Rider-Waite Tarot Deck
Bookings essential: Phone 8235 1817
Followed by…
Session # 2 - Intermediate Tarot
Sunday 12th July from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
@ Crystal Wave
Continue Your Tarot Adventure
Use the Major Arcana in Spreads
Become Familiar with the Suits
Connect with the Cards’ Numbers
Understand the Court Cards
Gain more confidence in
your ability to read the cards.
6 hours training for only $99 Bookings essential: Phone 8235 1817
Edition 20 Winter 2015
The Spiritual Lesson of the Judgement Card
The attribute for this card is Evaluation, and the lesson here is to awaken to your responsibilities as an enlightened soul.
Being selfless is a wonderful quality, but being selfless to the detriment of your own health, safety or wellbeing, lacks awareness. Your lesson at this stage is to discriminate with wisdom and clarity.
Be generous with your time and energy, but be astute in its direction. Be charitable, but keep a roof above your head and food on your table. Being kind to others is dependent on being kind to your own self.
An Interview with Caitlin Matthews UK Tarot Conference 2013
When I was learning about Tarot from books in
the 1980s, it was standard practice to choose a
‘significator’ card, which represented the querent.
This card was placed upon the table, and other
cards for the reading were placed over that card,
covering it completely! I was never a fan of this
practice, and I soon decided to ignore that rule.
But at a recent Tarot conference, Caitlin Matthews
ran a workshop called “Rejoicing in the
Significators” which promoted an innovative
approach to this concept.
At the UK Tarot Conference I talked to Caitlin
Matthews about that workshop on significators,
then we discussed the rise of interest in the
Lenormand Oracle within the Tarot community,
and the future of Tarot in general…
Mister Tarot: On a personal level, what do you
think are the advantages and disadvantages of
using a significator in a reading?
Caitlin Matthews: Well, I don’t like the passive
significator which you just choose and it sits on
the table and then you put some cards around it…I
much prefer that it dances into the deck and then
dances out with some friends. And what falls next
to them is always very significant! If you’re
reading by old methods of juxtaposition, you
really do need to have a significator, but modern
Tarot has relegated it to a negative, passive place
where it’s not doing anything.
Mister Tarot: There has been big interest in the
Lenormand Oracle at recent conferences. What do
you think will be the next big thing to interest the
Tarot scene?
Caitlin Matthews: I don’t think we’re done with
Lenormand as yet. It’s a 200 year old oracle
whose history is still being discovered…there’s
so much more history to be discovered…and
some of it is perilously close to being lost…
Mister Tarot: Do you mean that some of the
history of divination is likely to be lost?
Caitlin Matthews: Yes, divination in general. I
would love to see small Piquet card oracles being
better researched and put together. It would be
lovely if all the researchers would sit down
together…unfortunately a lot of people just want
to be the first at the trough, but it’s so much nicer
when people talk to each other.
Mister Tarot: Where do you think Tarot is
heading from this point in time?
Caitlin Matthews: There are an infinite number
of ways that it can go. I hope that the old oracular
ways of speaking divination will come back up
again. Personally, when I’m not reading cards,
I’m actually reading from nature. That sense of
getting omens from nature is a traditional skill
that I’d like to see more of. Also, I hope that air-
brushy, very photographic Tarot does not take
over…I want real art…I love real art...that’s my
personal wish for Tarot. I hope that real art still
remains alive and vigorous.
Mister Tarot: What do you mean by real art?
Caitlin Matthews: Real art that is done by hand,
as opposed to being done on the computer. I know
that there’s a lot of photographic collage-style of
Tarot being done at the moment, but they don’t do
a lot for me.
Caitlin Matthews is a prolific author of more than
60 books and hundreds of magazine articles.
She’s also an avid blogger, and I recommend
visiting her site called, ‘Soundings’ in which she
explores, myth, divination, and the Western
Mysteries. Click here to find out more about her
work. And click here to read the full interview.
Edition 20 Winter 2015
Let’s Be Clear About This!
What’s the number one mistake that I see beginner readers (and some experienced ones) making with their Tarot cards? They don’t take time to work out EXACTLY what they want to know from their reading. If your wording is broad and generic, then your reading will be too!
I see it time and time again in my workshops. It’s not unusual to have asked someone to think of a question and then deal out the cards for a reading, only to find that the cards displayed are not telling a consistent story. When I ask them to verbalise the exact question they were thinking as they shuffled the cards, I find that their question was not concise, or it featured two or more situations.
When doing a Tarot reading, you need to decide on the purpose of your reading. In order for your subconscious to be able to offer a definitive answer to any query, it needs to be directed through a simple, clearly defined, unambiguous question.
You need to be able to hold a clear question in your mind if you want your subconscious to be able to give some straightforward direction, therefore, you must work out in your mind the basic essence of the question you would like answered. It’s vitally important to reduce your question to its simplest form. If you need to ask about various situations, do a different reading for each part.
If you ask a vague question, you will have a difficult time interpreting the cards you select, because they will relate to a hazy situation. If you ask a question involving two scenarios, or two different areas of your life, then you will have a mixed answer relating to both areas. This will not be easy to interpret.
A clear, focused question gives a plain, direct answer.
Perhaps you might think, ‘If my subconscious is so smart, then it should know what I’m really trying to work out. Why does it need to be spelled out in such detail?’ Sure, it knows everything, but at the time of the reading you are directing it to give you a specific answer, and if you are not focused upon a specific question, then it cannot do it effectively. It’s a bit like using an Internet search engine: the more details you give for your search, the closer you get to the information you desire.
When you are shuffling the cards, you must only have your query in mind. If your thoughts stray while shuffling, then stop, think back to your question, and reshuffle. Do not allow your thoughts to wander to other topics while shuffling. And don’t think about possible outcomes while shuffling, or your subconscious will feel as though you are asking it to find cards relating to this outcome.
When working out your question, be clear and concise. Find the essence of the question! You might like to say it out loud, so that you can hear whether it’s a good, succinct question. Spending a few moments focussing on the wording for your question will pay off when you see a layout of cards that immediately makes sense and tells its story before your eyes!
Rachel Pollack—gifted author and revered Tarot
Master, has recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma.
Living with cancer is expensive, even with health
insurance. Rachel makes her living by teaching and
writing—unfortunately she cannot do this until she
recovers her health. She has spent her life generously
giving her time and energy to others, now we have a
chance to give something back. Please consider
making a donation to cover her expenses during this
illness. You can click here to make a donation.
Rachel recently wrote the following article for the
Tarot Association. It’s another brilliant, thought-
provoking article that will awaken you to the many
functions and layers of the Tarot. The way in which
you use Tarot today, is in great part due to Rachel’s
work with the subject. I hope you enjoy this
thoughtful piece of writing.
Tarot is Story, All Story by Rachel Pollack
Recently I was thinking about what epitaph I might
want if I had a tombstone (sounds morbid, but it’s
actually a kind of fun exercise—trust me). At first I
thought of a line from a Gabon Pygmy song
celebrating life and consciousness—All lives, all
dances, and all is loud. Then I recalled a line I love
from the book Awakening Osiris, Normandi Ellis’s
poetic translation of The Egyptian Book of the
Dead—Give me not words of consolation. Give me
magic.
Then, finally, I came to something more simple and
more personal—Story. It’s all story. I am certainly not
alone in this belief about the world, and people. And
Tarot. The great Italian writer, Italo Calvino, wrote,
“The tarot is a machine for constructing stories.”
More broadly, a famous Hasidic saying tells us, “God
made humans because God loves stories.”
To me, the Tarot has always been story. This is what
I fell in love with the moment I saw it, in early spring
of 1970. A friend of mine offered to read my cards,
and when she laid them down, then found the
meanings in a book (Eden Gray) I found I had no
interest in any predictions, it was the Tarot itself that
fascinated me. Each card seemed a frozen moment in
a story.
Rachel Pollack’s Story
Some people love the cards because they can give
us glimpses of the future. Still others love Tarot as
a spiritual science. To me, these too are stories, for
all time, and all science, are sets of interlocking
stories. For some, this might sound as if I’m
suggesting that nothing in the cards is true, that it’s
all made up. But I’m not sure truth is something
that simply lies there, like a rock. We engage it,
we bring it into being. This holds for our own
future, and it holds for such complex structures as
the Kabbalistic Tree Of Life, and even physics.
When we read the cards there are three ‘people’
present: the subject, the reader, and the cards
themselves. Together, they create a story, or allow
a story to emerge, of the person’s life and
possibilities. If you’re a reader, people will often
ask, “How does the Tarot work?” As if we could
answer that! I just say that nobody knows, but it
does.
Sometimes the story the cards tell is meaningful,
but not precise to that person. At other times,
however, the deck finds the one exact card to
answer someone’s question. And to make the
experience even stranger, it’s usually when that
question has genuine importance, when the person
seriously needs a precise answer in order to make
a decision, or to unlock something in their lives.
And this brings me to something else I’ve learned
through the Tarot, and another line that might
serve as an epitaph: The world is not what we
think it is.
For the full article, and for links to the
donation page for Rachel’s treatment, click here.
www.MisterTarot.com
Mister Tarot is on Facebook! Visit here and click “Like” to get all the latest Tarot news.
‘A symbol can magically bring
an idea to life by appealing to
the creative power of the
imagination. It can also offer
several layers of meaning in a
single image.’
~ Celtic Myths by Steve Eddy
& Claire Hamilton"
~
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simply send an email to: [email protected]
with the word ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject area.
Copyright on all articles in this newsletter belong
to Don McLeod unless specifically stated otherwise.
“One of the major ways Tarot can help us make wise and responsible decisions is by helping us see deeply into the heart of an issue and reveal the basic inner conflict or motivations within ourselves.”
~ Mark Ryan from ‘The Magician’, Autumn 2015
Symbols and Interpretations for Judgement
Symbols: In a bizarre combination of biblical imagery, people rise from rafts of floating coffins
and praise the Archangel who called them from the dead. This is a scene of the last judgement, and
is symbolic of an awakening to our spiritual nature. The people are naked because they have shaken
off the illusions of the outer world which previously clothed them. The equal-armed cross on the
flag, sometimes known as the Grail Cross, is the symbol of complete truth and perfect balance.
In our world: (In a positive situation) The announcement has been made. Your name is in the
journals and all can give due recognition of your services. You are being acknowledged for your
work, and your awards and subsequent rewards are being publicly displayed to the world.
Congratulations, you’ve made it!
(In a negative situation) The word is out! Your deeds have become known to the wider world.
There’s no getting out of this now. It’s time to face the music and acknowledge the mistakes you
have made. Sure, it’s going to be embarrassing, but at least you won’t have to hide anymore.
In a reading: Transformation—a stirring of the mind to a higher purpose. A renewed sense of
urgency to accomplish important and meaningful tasks. This card can represent settlement, an
announcement, or a decision which is made, leading to a change for the better. It shows an
evaluation of circumstances with its promises of reward and freedom from limitations. Prophecy,
an awakening from illusions, clear thinking, and good judgement on matters of importance.
Edition 20 Winter 2015