The Tarot Your Guide to Tarot Mastery
Edition 13 Spring 2013
This edition’s theme is based
on the card called Death.
“If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you are not afraid of dying,
there is nothing you cannot achieve.”
- Lao Tzu
Is this the Tarot card that you fear the most? Do you dread having it turn up when you
are doing a reading for a client or friend? For
most people this is a card that is difficult to interpret, especially if you want to give an
uplifting reading.
I went to the Tarot Guild’s International
Tarot Conference in August, and the Death card featured in many of the discussions. Tarot author
Rachel Pollack had a fair bit to say about this
card, and she provided some enlightening thoughts, which I’ll share later in this newsletter.
Some of the info in this newsletter is
going to be based on information discovered and
shared at that conference. It was a great opportunity to hear from some of the world’s
most respected Tarot teachers, and it was very
enjoyable to be able to talk about Tarot to everyone and anyone at any hour of the day!
It wasn’t the first Tarot Conference to be
held in Australia, and it definitely won’t be the last, and I strongly recommend attending—no
matter whether you’re a beginner, or an expert.
You’ll be thoroughly entertained and you’ll gain
more Tarot knowledge in one weekend than you’ll find in a year of do-it-yourself tuition.
Tarot Blessings,
Page 1 - Editorial
Page 2 - Verification Cards
Page 3 - International Tarot Conference
Page 4 - Interpretations for Death
Page 5 - Spiritual Lesson of the Death Card
Page 6 - Workshop Options
Page 7 - Rachel Pollack Tarot Talk
Page 8 - The Light Switch
www.MisterTarot.com
Back in 1997 I went to my first International Tarot
Conference and I met someone who changed the way
I used Tarot.
His name was James Wanless—the creator of the
Voyager Tarot. He was one of the guest speakers at
the conference and his approach to Tarot transformed
the way that I did my readings. At that conference I
experienced the energies of the Death card. Through
him I left many of my concepts of Tarot behind and I
awoke to a world of new possibilities.
James had a unique method of using Tarot. To him,
Tarot was not fatalistic; he stressed again and again
that he used Tarot in a pro-active manner. It was from
James that I learned about the use of action cards.
Action cards are ones that are chosen during a reading
when you want to discover how to overcome a
situation. If you don’t like an outcome, you choose an
action card which tells you what you can do to
change your future.
This concept opened my mind to a whole new way of
looking at Tarot, and it has been the basis of every
reading that I have done since then. And now I would
like to share with you an extension of this unique
approach.
The next step is verification cards. When you do a
reading and you see an outcome, or an obstacle that
you want to change, you can choose an action card
and work out an interpretation for it, but how do you
know if your interpretation is correct?
How do you know if the action you choose to
undertake is going to give the result you expect?
The answer is to choose a verification card.
After giving your interpretation for the action card,
ask yourself the following question: If I take this
action, what will be the result? Choose a card from the
remaining ones in the deck. If you have interpreted
the action card correctly, you will see a positive
outcome in the verification card. It will indicate a
successful conclusion to the situation.
In a reading that I did recently, a lady (Miss M) was
having difficulties with her sister-in-law. During the
reading it had become clear that the obstacle
hindering the relationship was the sister-in-law’s
need to be overly protective of the rest of the family.
She was always interfering, even though in her mind
she believed she was being helpful.
An action card was chosen to
work out how to deal with the
sister-in-law. The card was the
Page of Cups. It suggested that
Miss M offer a nurturing
attitude—and when this idea
was brought up, Miss M had the
realisation that the sister-in-law
was acting as a continual care-
giver because of her own need
for love and acceptance.
To test whether this interpretation was correct, a
verification card was drawn. We asked the following
question: “If Miss M is more loving and nurturing to
her sister-in-law, what will be the result?” The card
that was drawn from the rest of the pack was the Ten
of Cups. Did we get it right? Definitely. The
situation had been verified!
Verification Cards
A skull? A trailer full of junk? A work of art? This was seen in Burra, South Australia, July 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
When you take 100 Tarot enthusiasts and put them together with some of the world’s most famous Tarot authors and
teachers, you end up with a weekend of new ideas, lively
discussions, and a refreshed sense of awe about this
amazingly adaptable system of divination.
In August I was at the Tarot Guild’s International Tarot
Conference. It was held in Melbourne and people from all over Australia (and some from China) took part in this
brilliant event. Our special guests were Rachel Pollack
(New York), Mary K. Greer (California), Caitlin Matthews (England), Amber Jayanti (New Zealand), Linda Marson
(Australia) and Brian Clark (Australia). A few other local
experts were also chosen to present workshops at this
event.
At the opening ceremony, Australian singer/songwriter
Wendy Rule gave a stunning performance in which she invoked Tarot’s four elements and created a sacred space
for our workshops.
Anne Shotter (the original president of the Tarot Guild) then gave a presentation describing how the Tarot Guild
came about, and we heard about the first conference that
they put together in 1997. The slideshow of images from that event brought back some great memories.
The workshops over the next 3 days were varied in their approach and subject matter, but all were entertaining and
rich in substance. Some of the highlights were...
Linda Marson (from Global Spiritual Studies) presented a seminar called ‘Reading for Yourself’. It
provided a couple of great spreads which I’ll share in
future workshops that I’ll be running next year.
Mary K. Greer gave a wonderful presentation that
explained the history and uses of the latest Tarot fad, which is called The Lenormand. We learnt however,
that the Lenormand cards are not Tarot as such, but
many card readers like to use them because there are
many similarities between the two forms of divination. More info will appear on the Mister Tarot
website about these cards in the near future.
Mary K. Greer also gave another informative talk
called, ‘The Secret Tradition and the Symbolism of
Waite’s High Priestess Card’. For lovers of
symbolism (like myself) this was a great experience.
Brian Clark’s talk called ‘Soul and the Tarot’ provided a great concept...he said, ‘Look through
the cards and the one you like least of all is your
soul card.’
Caitlin Matthew did a whole workshop devoted to
noticing the way that the character in the card is
facing in a spread. Clarification cards can then be placed in front of the characters to ‘see’ what they
are looking at. It’s an intriguing concept that I’m
going to make use of from now on.
And Rachel Pollack’s talks were enlightening—as
always! One of the key concepts discussed was
how we need to acknowledge the energy of difficult cards such as Death. She said, “It’s too
easy to call it simply ‘death of the old self’, or
‘transformation’. The idea of something dying, of loss, of pain, needs to be addressed.”
The closing ceremony was also performed by Wendy
Rule and it turned into an energetic conga line which
joyfully ended a fantastic long weekend.
Now I’m off to the UK Tarot Conference, and I’ll have
much more to report after that experience!
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
New beginnings are often
disguised as painful endings.
- Lao Tzu
Rachel Pollack, Evelynne Joffe, Linda Marson, Caitlin Matthews, Mary Greer
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
UK Tarot
Conference
10th - 12th October 2013
This Tarot gathering is celebrating its
10th
anniversary in London!
Presenters include Caitlin Matthews and the
talented deck creator Ciro Marchetti.
www.tarotconference.co.uk
Learn how to combine Tarot and Palmistry in an innovative, five week course, held once a week at Hahndorf, S. A. Only $190 Email Trev: [email protected]
Free Tarot Readings
Some of the students from my Tarot
Workshops would like to do free
readings in exchange for feedback.
If you’d like to be added to the list
as a reader, or if you would like a
free Tarot reading from someone
who is hoping to gain confidence
through experience, send me an
email and I’ll put you in touch.
Tarot Quiz
Q: Which card mirrors the pose
of Death, in the Death card?
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Review of ‘Real Tarot’
by Mary
Don McLeod, or Mister Tarot, has spent
the last 25 years making the Tarot accessible to all
by cutting through the myths that surround the 78
pieces of cardboard that constitute a deck. Real
Tarot is his latest contribution in this ongoing
struggle.
The first part of Real Tarot is all about
getting the big picture and realizing that one
already has the tools necessary to “read the cards”.
After all, daily, we all deal with symbols of one
kind or another. Just imagine navigating our
modern world if every instruction had to be spelled
out!
In a chatty, fireside tone,
and many judicious examples
from the classical Rider-Waite
Tarot deck, Don demonstrates
how easy it is to make meaning
from the illustrations found on
these cards. He then takes the
time to explain that the future is
not engraved in stone and that
one of the uses of Tarot is to see
trends, to play the game of “What
if?” As he states, the use for
Tarot is limited only by the
imagination of the user.
When one consults the Tarot, the most
difficult part is actually formulating a question that
will yield the most accurate result and Don
painstakingly shows the reader how this can be
done.
The second part of Real Tarot is all about
mastering the details that were outlined in the
previous section. Through many questions and
exercises based on the “theory” presented, the
reader feels immersed in a one-on-one workshop.
What this book makes the reader realize, is
that the Tarot is all about tapping into the universal
symbols that humanity has always understood. But
what really impressed me was the amount of
research and passion that went into the very
readable chapter: The History of Tarot and the
charts in the Summary section. Well done, Don!
The Spiritual Lesson of the Death Card
On the physical level, the lesson of this card is to recognise death as a natural part of the cycle of existence. When you can accept this reality, you will have taken another step towards the release of the ego. When you let go of your fear of death, you can taste life with greater gusto! A Buddhist teaching states, ‘So the world is afflicted by death and decay, therefore the wise do not grieve, knowing the terms of the world.’ If you look at this process with fear, then you could easily decide life is without meaning. But when you accept endings as an essential aspect of existence, you learn to treasure every moment of daily life. You make your life meaningful by choosing to live it in spiritual fulfilment. Confronting yourself regarding any fears about your physical death can free you from a lifetime of insecurity. Accepting your mortality enables you to live with an open heart and an unburdened mind. By facing your physical death, you can truly live. And by shedding the facade of your old self, your spirit can be free.
‘Real Tarot’ is
available from
www.MisterTarot.com
Don McLeod s
Tarot Workshops 2014
Want to get serious about learning Tarot?
Next year I am running a series of workshops to help you become a more confident and
proficient Tarot reader.
All will be held in the workshop rooms of Cosmic Pages Bookshop from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
All of these workshops are only $75 each.
If you ve already been to one of my Tarot Simplified classes, or if you have a good
understanding of the basics of Tarot, then
you re welcome at these workshops.
January 19
The Major Arcana
Gain an understanding of the role of the Major Arcana in Tarot readings. Discover the meanings of the Major Arcana Realise the significance of the Major Arcana as a model for spiritual growth and personal enlightenment.
Do spreads using only the Major Arcana.
April 13
The Court Cards
June 15
The Minor Arcana
August 24
Tarot Spreads
October 19
Tarot Spirituality
December 7
Tarot Readings
Bookings are already open... Phone 8231 9105 to reserve your place.
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
TTaarroott SSiimmpplliiffiieedd a workshop with Don McLeod
Sunday 10th November 2013 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 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.
hours training for only $65
Requirements: Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Bookings essential: Phone 8231 9105
EElliittee TTaarroott CCooaacchhiinngg
One o one sessions are available for personalised, professional Tarot coaching with
Don McLeod.
Each elite coaching session goes for two hours and provides tips and techniques to give you
confidence in doing readings and making interpretations.
Email: MisterTarot yahoo.com.au 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: [email protected]
Rachel Pollack Tarot Talk
Here are some more notes from a talk given by Tarot author Rachel Pollack in Adelaide, 2008. This
segment was at the start of her talk, where she explained the origins of her Shining Tribe Tarot Deck.
Rachel said, “The Shining Tribe Deck is a deck that I made. I drew all the pictures. It was first
called Shining Woman, then I changed it to Shining Tribe. Part of the idea of it is I created a myth of the
Tarot’s origin which is that there were spirit beings, which were the constellations and the planets, and
they were the Shining Tribe, the tribe of spiritual beings.
To communicate their understanding and to connect to human beings, they created the Tarot cards
and gave them to human diviners. The human diviners were also the Shining Tribe. Anybody that does
divination is a member of the Shining Tribe Diviners, and whatever cards you use, or dice, or runes—or
any other technique you use—you are connecting to the spirits who gave divination to humanity.”
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 $9.99
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!
www.MisterTarot.com
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Edition 13 Spring 2013
Mister Tarot is on Facebook! Visit here and click “Like” to get all the latest Tarot news.
Free Book of Tarot Spreads
Have you downloaded your free e-book of
Tarot spreads yet?
It’s fully illustrated and lots of example readings are given.
Many of the spreads are originals that have never been published before. And all of the spreads are designed with
simplicity and usefulness in mind.
To download a free copy of this book of
Tarot Spreads, follow these simple steps…
1) If you have a Facebook account, sign in! 2) Find Mister Tarot’s Facebook page
(here’s the link)
3) Click “Like” 4) Return to this newsletter and click here
to download.
Feedback: “Thanks so much for the book on Tarot Spreads.
To date I have only had time to employ the Soul Card Spread on
myself and two close family members, but have been blown
away by the uncanny resonance in each case.” - Kay Dickin
“I touch you knowing
we weren’t born tomorrow,
and somehow, each of us
will help the other live,
and somewhere, each of us
must help the other die.”
- Adrienne Rich,
Twenty One Love Poems