Life couldn't be busier!
Here is an update on my schedule of public appearances, presentations and public events for the next few months:
I was recently on Show Me St. Louis again. Check it out here.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13th, 4:30 - 6:00 pm: I'll be doing on-air readings on the Dave Glover show, 97.1 FM.
Thursday, Feb. 14th, 7:00 - 9:00 pm: I'll be at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum for their "Unhappy Hour", giving free tarot card readings.
Saturday, Feb. 23rd, 2:00 - 2:30 pm, I'll be presenting on "Tarot Toward Self Actualization" at the Working Women's Survival Show.
Saturday, Mar. 9th, I'll be on the Kelley Lamm radio show, 100.7 FM and 1380 AM, 9:00 - 11:00 AM.
Saturday, Mar. 30th, I'll be presenting on Sylvia Plath's poem "The Courage of Shutting-Up" at the Popular Culture Conference, Marriott Wardham Park, Washington, DC. The week prior I will be available for in-person readings in Washington DC, Maryland, and Ocean City, Maryland. Contact me for details.
Finally, June 21st and 22nd (exact time TBA), I'll be returning to London, England to present on Sylvia Plath's poem, "The Detective", at the Sherlock Holmes Conference, University of London, Senate House. Details forthcoming.
Please email if you are interested in having me appear at your public or private event, or if you would like to schedule an appointment for a personal reading.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Spiritual Credentials
Many times I am asked, "How did you learn to read tarot?" or "Where do you get your knowledge?"
I know that I am different from most tarot card readers, who simply reveal the meanings of the cards and that's the end of it. I personally incorporate a lot of spiritual and psychological teachings to my readings. When, say, a Seven of Swords comes up, I might point out issues where someone believes they don't deserve good things, and we might explore why those circumstances came to be, and what might be done about this negative mindset.
There are most certainly established tarot schools and tarot programs, and these may be very beneficial for someone new to the tarot who wants to learn. I am unable to comment on them. I have never pursued any of these, and to me, tarot is such a personal, progressive, feeling sort of thing that I just don't buy into the idea of a hard, formal education or certification on the subject. I have known since I was a young girl that I was very sensitive, and could feel what was going on sometimes when I didn't even have words for it. I have been conscious of premonitions since I was a teenager, and I have always been a lucid dreamer. Could one teach me how to feel? Can I be taught to dream? No, a formal tarot course has never been for me. For the most part I am autodidactic (self-taught), but my tarot readings draw upon my long spiritual journey (almost fifty years), as well as studies of psychology, religion, symbolism, arts and the humanities.
I got my first tarot deck when I was sixteen years old, a Rider-Waite deck, and taught myself how to read it from the free little white booklet that came with it (in tarot circles, these are actually called "LWB's"). I acquired many books over the years after that, probably learning the basis for the cards from Jane Lyle's Tarot. It is now out of print, but for me this was an essential first book.
Over the years, I have been a devout reader of the psychologist Carl Jung, who developed Jungian alchemy, pursued mysticism and used the tarot for himself and his patients. I have many other contributing resources of knowledge: I took a summer to study meditation with Buddhist masters; I have been through the Understanding Yourself and Others course; I have been a long-time study of dreamwork and archetypal symbolism, of which I think the tarot is closely aligned; I have been coached and take periodic workshops with spiritual teacher Blair Kneiss (out of Austin, TX); and I have studied A Course In Miracles, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Zohar, and other sacred texts. My work with the poetry of Sylvia Plath opened me up to the connection between tarot and the Qabalah, and that has occupied a great deal of the last seven years, as I understand synchronicities and the mirrors life gives us. Finally, my best friend, Judy Ryan, has also taught me a great deal through her work in redirect and understanding human behavior and motivators. All of this, plus a continual quest to read and learn, has made me a better tarot reader and spiritual counselor. Please know that I do not profess to be a trained psychological counselor, although many people have told me they have benefited this way too.
There are some people out there who do not want to do the work of inner exploration, and they are probably not the ideal clients for me. If you are seeking just to have a good time and get your "fortune told," then I may be a disappointment. I may also disappoint you if you want a lot of hocus-pocus, witchy activity conjuring spirits or talking to the dead. That's not my style. But if you are on the road toward the process of self-actualization (reaching your highest potential, or as Jung put it, "Individuation,"), then my services may be of value to you and I welcome you to call at 314.517.0158 or email me at tarot[@]nighttimes.com for an appointment in person, by phone, by Skype, or email.
I know that I am different from most tarot card readers, who simply reveal the meanings of the cards and that's the end of it. I personally incorporate a lot of spiritual and psychological teachings to my readings. When, say, a Seven of Swords comes up, I might point out issues where someone believes they don't deserve good things, and we might explore why those circumstances came to be, and what might be done about this negative mindset.
There are most certainly established tarot schools and tarot programs, and these may be very beneficial for someone new to the tarot who wants to learn. I am unable to comment on them. I have never pursued any of these, and to me, tarot is such a personal, progressive, feeling sort of thing that I just don't buy into the idea of a hard, formal education or certification on the subject. I have known since I was a young girl that I was very sensitive, and could feel what was going on sometimes when I didn't even have words for it. I have been conscious of premonitions since I was a teenager, and I have always been a lucid dreamer. Could one teach me how to feel? Can I be taught to dream? No, a formal tarot course has never been for me. For the most part I am autodidactic (self-taught), but my tarot readings draw upon my long spiritual journey (almost fifty years), as well as studies of psychology, religion, symbolism, arts and the humanities.
I got my first tarot deck when I was sixteen years old, a Rider-Waite deck, and taught myself how to read it from the free little white booklet that came with it (in tarot circles, these are actually called "LWB's"). I acquired many books over the years after that, probably learning the basis for the cards from Jane Lyle's Tarot. It is now out of print, but for me this was an essential first book.
Over the years, I have been a devout reader of the psychologist Carl Jung, who developed Jungian alchemy, pursued mysticism and used the tarot for himself and his patients. I have many other contributing resources of knowledge: I took a summer to study meditation with Buddhist masters; I have been through the Understanding Yourself and Others course; I have been a long-time study of dreamwork and archetypal symbolism, of which I think the tarot is closely aligned; I have been coached and take periodic workshops with spiritual teacher Blair Kneiss (out of Austin, TX); and I have studied A Course In Miracles, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Zohar, and other sacred texts. My work with the poetry of Sylvia Plath opened me up to the connection between tarot and the Qabalah, and that has occupied a great deal of the last seven years, as I understand synchronicities and the mirrors life gives us. Finally, my best friend, Judy Ryan, has also taught me a great deal through her work in redirect and understanding human behavior and motivators. All of this, plus a continual quest to read and learn, has made me a better tarot reader and spiritual counselor. Please know that I do not profess to be a trained psychological counselor, although many people have told me they have benefited this way too.
There are some people out there who do not want to do the work of inner exploration, and they are probably not the ideal clients for me. If you are seeking just to have a good time and get your "fortune told," then I may be a disappointment. I may also disappoint you if you want a lot of hocus-pocus, witchy activity conjuring spirits or talking to the dead. That's not my style. But if you are on the road toward the process of self-actualization (reaching your highest potential, or as Jung put it, "Individuation,"), then my services may be of value to you and I welcome you to call at 314.517.0158 or email me at tarot[@]nighttimes.com for an appointment in person, by phone, by Skype, or email.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Happenings
Hi Friends,
A couple of updates for you on my whereabouts, local and otherwise:
On Wednesday, February 13th, I'll be on the Dave Glover Show, FM News Talk 97.1 FM, in the 4:30 - 6:00 pm time slot. Listen to call for a free on-the-air reading!
On Valentine's Day, February 14th, get your free tarot card reading at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum's "Unhappy Hour." Here's a clip on the event featuring Yours Truly around two minutes in. The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum is on Washington Avenue, just off of Grand, near the Fox Theater and next to the Pulitzer.
On Saturday, February 23rd, I'll be presenting "Tarot Toward Self-Actualization" at the Working Women's Survival Show, 2:00-2:30 pm. Click here for more.
On Saturday, March 9th, I'll be doing free tarot readings on the Kelley Lamm Radio Show, 9am to 11am on 100.7fm and 1380am.
On Saturday, March 30th I'll be presenting on my Sylvia Plath/Tarot work at the Popular Culture Conference in Washington DC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 1:15 pm. The poem I am focusing on is "The Courage of Shutting-Up." It is Sylvia Plath's quiet advocacy for gay rights in a time when such things did not exist. Write for details (and more specifics are given in the preceding blog).
There is even more good news brewing, so watch this space and I'll post as it is finalized.
A couple of updates for you on my whereabouts, local and otherwise:
On Wednesday, February 13th, I'll be on the Dave Glover Show, FM News Talk 97.1 FM, in the 4:30 - 6:00 pm time slot. Listen to call for a free on-the-air reading!
On Valentine's Day, February 14th, get your free tarot card reading at the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum's "Unhappy Hour." Here's a clip on the event featuring Yours Truly around two minutes in. The St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum is on Washington Avenue, just off of Grand, near the Fox Theater and next to the Pulitzer.
On Saturday, February 23rd, I'll be presenting "Tarot Toward Self-Actualization" at the Working Women's Survival Show, 2:00-2:30 pm. Click here for more.
On Saturday, March 9th, I'll be doing free tarot readings on the Kelley Lamm Radio Show, 9am to 11am on 100.7fm and 1380am.
On Saturday, March 30th I'll be presenting on my Sylvia Plath/Tarot work at the Popular Culture Conference in Washington DC, at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 1:15 pm. The poem I am focusing on is "The Courage of Shutting-Up." It is Sylvia Plath's quiet advocacy for gay rights in a time when such things did not exist. Write for details (and more specifics are given in the preceding blog).
There is even more good news brewing, so watch this space and I'll post as it is finalized.
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