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I recently had the pleasure of attending the Association for Tarot Studies (ATS) annual Tarot Convention, this year held in Brisbane. I have to congratulate Jean-Michel David and his team for organising such a Tarot extravaganza. After registration on the Friday evening Jean-Michel David outlined what wonders we could expect over the weekend and presented Two Uses of Tarot: the Vatical and the Sacral. We also had a chance to meet our fellow companions and presenters for the weekend. What a wonderful bunch! A large contingent had flown over from New Zealand and many had flown up from southern states in Australia. Not forgetting our keynote speaker for Saturday, Mary K Greer, who had come all the way from the United States.

After a buzzy breakfast on the Saturday morning we sat down to listen to Mary Greer’s Cartomancy in Western Art where she presented a slideshow of dozens and dozens of images from various paintings, prints and postcards showing cartomancers from the 16th through early 20th century. The imagery demonstrated that the practice of cartomancy has been remarkably similar for several hundred years, predominantly carried out by elderly, marginalized women of the lower class for women of higher social status. The major exceptions to this portrait were images of young women reading for themselves or peers, characteristics of the remarkably few men depicted, and the sometimes romanticised images of gypsies and others that reflect the fantasies of the artist or were meant to titillate the viewer. Considering that fortune telling cards depend greatly on visual impressions, it is interesting that this historical record has been largely ignored. This presentation brought to light both the professional and recreational characteristics of those people who practiced cartomancy, and revealed their largely unseen and under-acknowledged role in everyday Western society.

We then fortunately had a break for morning tea before Queensland local Russell Sturgess energetically presented a fascinating and thought-provoking talk on the history of the Tarot entitled The Marseille Tarot, a Medieval Spiritual Map. Russell spoke of links between the images of the major arcana of the Marseille Tarot with the heretical Christians of Northern Italy during the 13th and 14th centuries. He suggested that similarities between their beliefs and this new interpretation of the arcana suggest that this Christianised version of the Tarot may have been an attempt to salvage the primitive teachings of Jesus, which the medieval heretics felt were being distorted by the catholic church. It was a lot to take in. Fortunately I was able to purchase his book Metanoia – Renovating the House of your Spirit which will provide me with more insight into this interesting topic.

After lunch Brisbane local Angela Kinnane presented her wonderful Tarot: History and Mystery. She delved into the roots of the Tarot and their various layers of meaning as well as the historical significance of their images, which adds yet another layer of meaning. Angela discussed a number of the major arcana cards in terms of both their historical and modern contexts and symbolism.

New Zealand’s Lyn Olds then presented Intentional Tarot. As the name suggests Intentional Tarot is about intent and places the responsibility of ones life directly back where it belongs — into ones own hands. Lyn herself explains that Intentional Tarot is by no means a new concept. It is however unfamiliar to some due to the more traditional method of ‘picking cards at random’ being exchanged for ‘deliberate selection’. Lyn described how the cards act primarily as a tool to assist in achieving potential, reaching goals and manifesting desires and I certainly intend to use this for my own personal work.

For the final session of the day the group split into two. Some went to discuss readings with the Celtic Cross. I attended the presentation by Con Margaritis entitled Opening to Healing. Con’s journey into the world of Tarot has been influenced by his journey as a practitioner in the healing arts. Con shared his understandings of the dynamics of the Client/Therapist(Reader) relationship, and how this can be utilised in readings.

Quite a bit to take in in one day! We reassembled and chatted about Tarot over drinks and dinner before calling it a night. The event was held at a Scout facility which had what you could call basic facilities, including bunk beds that I had not slept in since going to camp myself as a child! However none of it mattered. The company of the participants, the quality of content by the presenters and the general warmth and excitement that everyone exuded made up for anything that we may have lacked in terms of luxurious comfort. I slid happily into my bunk bed and fell into a deep, contented sleep.

Next morning we met for breakfast and then sat down to hear New Zealand’s Fern Mercier present her keynote on Tricks of the Trade. It was an extremely interesting topic and Fern utilised many visuals to compliment her content. Fern looked at the history of Tarot as a trade, of it possibly being the oldest profession in the world, and where once upon a time the government actually paid for these services, not unlike our economists and weather forecasters today. As we discovered, fortune-telling is one of the oldest professions, and has time-honoured traditions and trappings. Fern then considered the trappings and she and the group then discussed the ‘tricks’ we can consider as Tarot readers to overcome them.

We then had a second surprise session with Mary K Greer where we worked though some of the 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card which are outlined in her book of the same name. Working in pairs we had a fulfilling session exploring these techniques and everyone got a lot from the experience!

We finished with an open session where we could discuss any issues or ask questions of each other. This was yet another valuable component to the weekend. Again, hats off to Jean-Michel David and the crew at ATS for delivering such a rich and nourishing experience. And thanks to all of my lovely Tarot companions for your wonderful comraderie. And for those who may read this and wince at the idea of settling down at night in a bunk bed at a Scout camp never fear as the next ATS Convention in 2011 will be at a Chateau in St Suzanne in France! Once more information is available it will be posted on the ATS website.

Earlier this month I was thrilled to learn I have been awarded Certified Tarot Reader status by the Tarot Guild of America. Not only that I then discovered I am actually the first to be certified by the Tarot Guild (USA)! I was quite speechless and feel honoured to be the first. In effect the Guild has been in full swing for less than 6 months with the Guild’s Tarot Portal, www.tarotguild.com being launched on 20 January 2010. I have been a member since February and cannot believe the growth of the Guild and of the services they offer. It truly is a global Tarot community and if you haven’t yet visited their site I urge to do so. It is free to become a member.

http://www.tarotguild.com

http://www.tarotguild.com/profiles/blogs/the-tarot-guild-story

Click here for more information on the Tarot Guild of America’s Certification process.

Melbourne
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd August, 2010

Sydney
Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th August, 2010

We are fortunate to be having the wonderful international Tarot expert Juliet Sharman-Burke visit out shores this year. The Tarot Guild of Australia have arranged for Juliet to hold workshops in both Melbourne and Sydney. This is one not to be missed. I have been fortunate to have studied with Juliet before and it was a fabulous experience.

In Melbourne Juliet will be peeling back the layers of symbolism of the Major Arcana and looking at the Court Card images from a mythic, elemental and astrological point of view. In Sydney she will be looking at the essence of each card in the Major Arcana and its relevance to the various stages in each of our lives through mythology, as well as look at the myths behind each suit of the Minor Arcana.

Each full day workshop costs AU$130 / $120 concession ($110 early bird special available to Tarot Guild members until 30 June 2010).

Places are limited.

More details can be found on the Tarot Guild of Australia website.

Stella Luna © 2010. All rights reserved.

On 25 May 2009, World Tarot Day, this blog was born and it is exciting to be celebrating Stella Luna’s 1st birthday on World Tarot Day 2010.

World Tarot Day was started by Den Elder in 2003 in order to promote the use of the Tarot tool across all human made borders, be they political boundaries, misunderstandings of the mind, or ignorance of the tool itself, for the benefit and growth of the Spiritual Self.

The purpose of World Tarot Day is to promote Tarot use as a tool for self-examination, spirituality, and other self-aide methods of guidance. And to have at least one day to celebrate, share, and stimulate our love of the Tarot tool with each other, and to think about what we can ‘give to’ instead of what we can ‘take from’, the Tarot Community.

For the past year Stella Luna Tarot has been my chance to share my love of the Tarot with the Tarot Community. Don’t be afraid to leave comments, I promise I won’t bite! I hope to hear from you soon.

For more information about 2010 World Tarot Day activities visit this website
For an interview with Den Elder at the ATA site visit this website

Happy World Tarot Day to you all… May the light in your lanterns always shine bright!

Stella Luna © 2010. All rights reserved.

I recently applied to undertake the Transition process with the Tarot Guild of Australia to become a Professional Member of the Guild. The process required a log of a minimum of twenty readings, work on an examination paper and Tarot readings for the members of the panel.

Today I was informed that my application has been successful and I am thrilled to now be accredited as a Professional Member. I take my work with Tarot very seriously and abide by a strict code of ethics, conducting my business in a professional manner.

For more information on the Tarot Guild of Australia’s Transition process please visit their website.

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
2–4 July, 2010

This year, The Association for Tarot Studies are holding their annual Convention in Brisbane, Australia. The weekend will include keynote speakers as well as more intimate workshops and presentations. Presenters include Mary Greer and Fern Mercier.

The Convention costs AU$185 (or AU$150 for ATS full members, presenters and concession holders). This price includes a communal Convention Dinner on the Saturday evening. Partners are welcome to attend the dinner for a cost of AU$30). Onsite accommodation can also be organised.

Places are limited.

More information can be found on the Association for Tarot Studies website.

Stella Luna © 2010. All rights reserved.