The Tarot Your Guide to Tarot Mastery

Edition 12 Winter 2013

This edition’s theme is based

on the card called The Hanged Man.

Since my last newsletter I’ve had a busy time

with Tarot. There’s been two Tarot Simplified courses at Cosmic Pages Bookshop; I did an advanced

class on Tarot Spreads; had a book launch during

which I talked about The Future of Tarot; and ran a Tarot Skills Workshop where we practiced readings

and we finished off the day with a Tarot Meditation. I

was also asked to be a guest speaker at Zen House, where I could talk about my passion for Tarot.

Now it’s time for me to move into the

energies of the card called “The Hanged Man”. The

image looks dramatic and at first glance it seems like a card of dire warnings, but there are a lot of positive

aspects to it. The man is suspended upon a tree filled

with green leaves, so this is a card of life, not death. There is a nimbus (halo) around his head, and

his face shows serenity, not suffering. Therefore, this

card is about contemplation, re-evaluation, and reflection. For me, this has already begun. Over the

last few weeks I have been looking at my approach to

Tarot and I am gradually awakening to the many ways

in which I can share my love of Tarot with the world.

If you want to bring about changes in your life, think

of The Hanged Man and look at your situation from

a new perspective. Remove yourself from your usual

position and consider your role from a new angle.

In a historical sense, paintings of this nature

were placed in public squares as a way of portraying

individuals who had not paid their debts. However, the underlying reason for these portraits was to make

these people consider their actions and make amends.

The message from The Hanged Man is to take time to think about your life and how it can be

improved. Sometimes you need to surrender yourself

to circumstances in order to understand them.

Sometimes you need to suspend yourself above and beyond your usual life in order to see it from the

perspective of the higher self.

Tarot Blessings,

Page 1 - Editorial

Page 2 - What’s Missing?

Page 3 - Webinar Review

Page 4 - Tarot Events

Page 5 - E-Book Review

Page 6 - Adelaide Events

Page 7 - Rachel Pollack Recording

www.MisterTarot.com

Edition 12 Winter 2013

Here’s some more information about my Tarot Tip

given during the month of April. I had some good feedback

from this useful and interesting way of looking at the cards, so I decided to write an expanded version of the concept for

this newsletter.

A Tarot spread (such as the Celtic Cross Spread) is sometimes filled with cards of a certain nature, for

example, a relationship reading often has a high proportion

of Cup cards scattered throughout. That’s to be expected because the suit of Cups relates to romance and partnership.

A reading about business matters will usually have

Pentacles cards in key positions. And a reading regarding

travel plans, or a person’s creativity and passions, will probably be filled with cards from the suit of Wands. But

keep in mind that sometimes you can learn a lot from a

reading when certain cards are missing from a spread. When doing a reading, give the interpretation based

upon what you see in key areas, but look for what’s missing

too. In a spread, if you are missing the suit of Cups, it means that emotional attachment to the situation is not

present. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending

on the type of question being asked!

It would be unusual for a relationship reading to be devoid of the suit of Cups. It means that the questioner (the

person you are doing the reading for) sees the relationship

in a different way to most people. If there are lots of Pentacles in the spread, perhaps this person views the

relationship in very practical terms, or if there are lots of

Wands, they might see the relationship as a passionate

affair, but without long-term commitment. A relationship reading filled with the suit of Swords suggests that the

questioner has a very logical, rational approach to the

relationship. In other words, it’s a relationship that is convenient, rather than filled with emotion. I’m sure that

this partner would be good conversationalist, and he/she

would be filled with bright ideas and sparkling wit, but a spread filled with Swords does not suggest a person who

desires cuddles and romance.

A business reading that is missing the suit of

Pentacles means that the financial aspect of the business is not as important as other qualities associated with that

person’s work. For example, when the suit of Cups

dominates the spread, the emotional satisfaction gained from the experience is more important than the financial

rewards. If there are more Swords cards than anything else,

the challenge of coming up with new ideas is the most

important aspect of the business. A spread filled with Wands suggests that the person likes the adventurous

atmosphere of their working life—perhaps it involves

travel, or maybe it is just filled with an appealing sense of

variety.

What about when the Major Arcana is missing from a spread? Most readings will have a Major Arcana

card in them. This is to be expected because the Major

Arcana shows the way in which the situation has a

spiritual connection to the questioner, or it reveals the underlying psychological link between the questioner and

their question. If there are no Major Arcana cards in the

spread, then the reading is only about the mundane aspects of a person’s life. There’s unlikely to be any highs

or lows in that person’s life at the time. Their life would

be cruising along without drama, but also without any dreams manifesting in front of them. Whereas a spread

filled with Major Arcana cards reveals significant

developments on a spiritual level, and life-changing

circumstances on all planes of existence.

In readings that I have done recently, I’ve seen both sets of extremes. I’ve seen spreads where a suit is

missing and I’ve been lucky enough to witness layouts

filled with Major Arcana cards. Both are fascinating for a Tarot reader to see, and each one has something valuable

to say to the questioner too! So remember, look at the

spread with the intention of seeing what’s in front of you,

and also look for what’s missing.

What’s Missing?

Traditional readings of the Tarot utilize both the

Major Arcana (trumps) and the Minor Arcana (suit cards) in each layout. What types of readings can be done using

only the Major Arcana? And if we only use the Major

Arcana, does this mean that we can only focus on the big issues in life, rather than the day-to-day realities normally

shown by the Minor Arcana?

In this webinar, esteemed Tarot author Rachel

Pollack sets out to answer those two questions. She begins with a look at some of the imagery on ancient and rare

Tarot decks before sharing the layouts for various spreads

that she has developed for Major Arcana readings.

At the start of the recording, the sound quality is poor, but don’t be disheartened, this soon improves and you

learn some amazing spreads that can illuminate your

spiritual journey. The first spread that Rachel gave was

called the Spiritual Challenge Spread. This was a 3 card layout where position 1 (on the left) showed your spiritual

history. Position 2 (on the far right) was the challenge your

spiritual growth was facing, and the final position (placed in the middle) was for the gift that you will receive from

the universe to aid you in your spiritual quest.

Spiritual Challenge Spread

Card 1 Card 3 Card 2 Spiritual History The Gift The Challenge

Card 1 is the big, archetypal energies that you have

been experiencing.

Card 2 is the challenge you must face in order to

progress on a spiritual level.

Card 3 is the gift from the universe that enables you to meet the challenge. It’s what helps you to

deal with the obstacles and blockages found on

your spiritual journey.

The best spread, however, was for a Soul

Journey Reading. This was done by taking the fanciful (and rather beautiful) concept of a soul journeying beyond

the body and returning with a message. In this spread, the

questions answered through the Tarot are:

Where has my soul been?

What has she done?

What does she bring back?

How do I welcome her?

This is such a lovely concept, and you can create amazing, uplifting stories for yourself by asking these

questions and using this spread of Major Arcana cards to

touch the deepest aspects of yourself through Tarot’s archetypal imagery.

At the start of the webinar, Rachel stated that one

of her aims was to identify the type of readings that could be done with the Major Arcana cards only. At the end of

the session, it was clear that if you are using only the

trump cards, you not limited by the questions that you

could ask—but the answers to your questions are likely to be bound to deep and meaningful interpretations that will

need to be considered on a soul level—it’s unlikely to

show simple solutions to mundane situations. Anything presented by Rachel Pollack is worth

investigating, and this webinar is a wonderful opportunity

to listen to her talk about Tarot’s imagery. It’s also an excellent webinar for those who want to explore a variety

of spreads with a spiritual focus.

Title: Major Arcana Only Readings Presented by: Rachel Pollack

Length of Recording: One hour

Available through: Global Spiritual Studies Cost: online recording: AUD $14

DVD is AUD $18.50 plus packaging and postage

Rachel Pollack is one of the world’s foremost authorities

on the modern Tarot. She is

the author of 12 books on Tarot, and has been given the

title of Tarot Grand Master by

the Tarot Certification Board.

Edition 12 Winter 2013

Webinar Review

Major Arcana Only Readings Presented by Rachel Pollack

Edition 12 Winter 2013

Tarot Events

9 - 11 August 2013

International Tarot Conference

(Melbourne, Australia)

Australian Presenters Brian Clark

Evelynne Joffe

Linda Marson

Anne Shotter

International Presenters Caitlin Matthews, Rachel Pollack

Mary Greer, Amber Jayanti

See the website of the Tarot Guild of Australia

for updates: www.TarotGuild.org.au

Conference Topics Include...

Reading for yourself

Palmistry and its Links to Tarot

Rejoicing in the Significators Symbols and Guided Tarot Meditations

Transforming Cards we Fear

10th 11th & 12th October 2013

UK Tarot Conference

This Tarot gathering is celebrating its

10th

anniversary in London!

Presenters include Caitlin Matthews and the

talented deck creator Ciro Marchetti

Edition 12 Winter 2013

Another of the innovative areas that caught my

eye was the section that listed the top ten Tarot cards dealing with love, career, and travel. With the colourful

imagery of the popular Rider-Waite cards next to each

of these groups, I could see at a glance how relevant the interpretations were to these scenarios. Brigit has a

friendly and flowing style of writing, so her

explanations for each card stick in your consciousness.

For example, in the chart dealing with travel, The Chariot is listed as: ‘Road trip! This card is

traditionally associated with driving, so get out your

roadmap, your favourite CDs and pack for a fun-filled road trip!’ In contrast to this, the suggestion for the

Knight of Pentacles is, ‘Travel by foot, be it hiking or

even cycling. This knight likes to plod along and take in the scenery. Your travel may include hiking to some

amazing places like Machu Picchu, Patagonia, New

Zealand, the Swiss Alps... the list goes on!’

There’s nothing better for a beginner than

getting familiar with the Tarot through

readings, so Brigit recommends using the 3 card

spread as a quick and easy way to apply your

new-found knowledge of Tarot card meanings

to ‘real life’ situations.

This is brilliant—she hasn’t overwhelmed the learner

with complicated or elaborate spreads, she’s simply suggested wording for a variety of situations—all of

which can be answered with 3 cards. Her questions for

these settings are deep and meaningful, yet simple to work with.

If you want more detailed information on

spreads and different ways in which you can use the

cards, see Brigit’s other book, Tarot Foundations: 31

Days to Read Tarot with Confidence. That’s where

you’ll find lessons and activities to discover more

advanced Tarot techniques, which will help you to gain confidence in your readings. However, The Ultimate

Guide to Tarot Card Readings is a highly detailed and

well-presented Tarot guide in its own right. It offers the basics of card interpretation with delightful learning

twists which encourage you to dive deeper into the

study of Tarot.

Click here if you want to be directed to a website where you can download this well-researched

and easy-to-follow e-book of Tarot interpretations.

Here’s a Tarot e-book that steps beyond the

‘normal’ framework of Tarot guides. It’s a comprehensive listing of all the possible meanings of the cards when they

are linked to various common situations. These

interpretations are specific to areas of life such as relationships, careers, and finances. Areas relating to your

spiritual path and health are also covered in the meanings

of the cards.

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings e-book is going to be useful to anyone with an interest in

learning more about the cards—whether you are a novice

or a Tarot expert. Through this simple approach, beginners can gain confidence in their use of the cards

and hopefully this will encourage further exploration.

Tarot experts will also benefit from the author’s expertise and I’m sure they’ll discover new perspectives on the

cards too.

Brigit Esselmont is the author, and I particularly

liked her explanation of Tarot card combinations and their influence on a reading. For example, when the card called

The Star turns up in a spread next to The Hermit, Brigit

says this card’s energy is tempered and ends up meaning,

‘Your inspiration may not be understood by others and is instead something you want to keep to yourself at this

time.’ Whereas, when The Star card appears next to a

more positive image like the Ten of Cups, the combined interpretation means, ‘Lots of joy, positive feelings, and

blessings are in your life.’

Quick reference keyword charts for each Tarot card are also included as a way of speeding up the

learning process. And to put a bit of a different spin on

the interpretations of the cards, every card has two or

three inspirational quotes attached to it. These have been sourced from literature, historical figures, and spiritual

teachers. One of the quotes associated with the card

Strength is from Winnie the Pooh books... ‘Promise me you’ll always remember: you are braver than you believe,

and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’

How lovely!

E-Book Review

“The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Readings”

Adelaide Tarot Gatherings

The Tarot Guild of Australia has meetings on the last Wednesday of each month.

They are run by Martha Adams, a Professional member of the Tarot Guild.

Meet like-minded enthusiasts to share, practice, and discuss your favourite spreads, decks and authors. You don't need to be a Tarot expert.

All are welcome!

For more information on each monthly event, please contact Martha on 0403 276 319 or email:

tga.sa.tarotgroup@gmail.com

Venue:

St John’s Spiritualist Church 271 Carrington Street, Adelaide

Starting time is 7 p.m. Cost is only $5

For a state-by-state listing of Tarot gatherings in Australia,

see the website of the Tarot Guild of Australia: www.tarotguild.org.au

Learn how to combine Tarot and Palmistry in an innovative, five week

course, held once a week at Hahndorf, South Australia. Only $190

Email Trevor: witchabilia@hotmail.com

Edition 12 Winter 2013

TTaarroott SSiimmpplliiffiieedd a workshop with Don McLeod

Sunday 25th August from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Held at Cosmic Pages Bookshop 338 - 340 King William Street, Adelaide

How Tarot Works

Demystifying Tarot Basic 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 basic

understanding of their meanings.

Only $65

Requirements: Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Bookings essential: Phone 8231 9105

EElliittee TTaarroott CCooaacchhiinngg

I am available for one o one sessions. Email: MisterTarot yahoo.com.au

Each elite coaching session goes for two hours and provides tips and techniques to give you confidence

in doing readings and making interpretations. The coaching fee is $99

PPeerrssoonnaalliisseedd CCllaasssseess

Want to learn Tarot with your friends?

Get a group together and I’ll come to you!

Email: MisterTarot@yahoo.com.au

Rachel Pollack Tarot Talk

Here are some notes from a talk given by Tarot author Rachel Pollack in Adelaide, 2008.

This segment was during a Question and Answer session and someone had asked how to work out the timing of events during a reading.

Rachel said, “First of all, not all readings are predicting that something is going to

happen. Some things are just about self-knowledge, but for readings that are predicting things,

how can you time them? In my own personal way, it is intuitive. I just sense how long it’s going to take for these things to work out. But there are systems that some people have. For instance,

some people assign time frames for the four suits. They’ll say Wands are days, Cups are weeks,

Swords are months, and Pentacles are years. Then they pick a card. If it’s the Two of Pentacles, it’s going to take two years for this to happen. That’s one way to do it. Another way to do it is

astrologically, because each of the cards has an astrological correspondence. If you have, say,

The Magician, which is the planet Mercury, and you have the Strength card, which is the constellation of Leo, you can say, ‘Okay, when Mercury is in Leo, this is going to happen.’ Those

are just two ways to do it, but for myself I’d rather do it intuitively.”

The recording of Rachel’s talk is 45 minutes in length and it’s full of interesting information about Tarot, given by one of the world’s most famous Tarot authors.

It’s available for half price ($4.99) until the end of June.

Click here and you can get an immediate download.

You’ll be able to listen to it through your computer, or have it on

your iPod while jogging, or learn about Tarot while you are driving your car!

wwww.MisterTarot.com

www.TarotSecretsBook.com www.MisterTarot.blogspot.com/

Edition 12 Winter 2013

‘Since one’s way of experiencing - and so, of

interpreting - phenomenality cannot but be a

function of one’s own level or state of consciousness, there can be no one true way of

evaluating life, symbolic forms or anything else.’

- Joseph Campbell The Interpretation of Symbolic Forms.

My book Real Tarot is now being stocked at

Crystal Wave, at Grange, South Australia.

While I was delivering the books I noticed some

nifty Tarot bags for sale. They are only $19 each

and they feature The Magician and The High Priestess.

Contact Crystal Wave if you’d like to purchase one.

Mister Tarot is on Facebook! Visit here and click “Like” to get all the latest Tarot news.