I am in love. Hopelessly, irrevocably, head over heels in
capital L O V E. After spending the last five days in New
York attending the Readers Studio, an annual tarot
celebration and intensive study event presented by the prestigious New York
City-based Tarot School ,
my love affair with the tarot has risen to new heights of passion and devotion.
This is not some adolescent crush, it is no brief assignation, but is instead,
like all true loves, a deeply transformative relationship.
There is a powerful alchemy which takes place when several
hundred tarot people gather. In this case, there were Tarot scholars and
historians, psychotherapists and social workers, professors of psychology, and
some of the world’s most influential tarot authors, teachers, and Readers, all
gathered together under one roof alongside Tarot enthusiasts from half a dozen
countries, including Australia ,
China , and India .
The combined energy of the group felt like an electromagnetic soup, drawing me
into its swirling mix and infusing every cell of my body with enthusiasm and
vitality.
What is it about the Tarot that has such a profound effect
on me and so many of my friends and colleagues? It is, after all, just this
innocent little stack of paper and ink images, some of them iconic, to be sure,
but many of them merely quaint, or even abstract, depending on which version the
deck one considers. What’s all the fuss about?
For me, the real answer lies in the intersection of Tarot
and human relationship. When you bring the tarot into your life for the purpose
of introspection, spiritual development, or divination, you begin to see your
life and the people around you in new ways, as though from a broader and more
expansive perspective, and the very landscape of your life seems to unfold in
new ways outward toward distant horizons previously unexplored. Tarot brings a
sense of adventure into my life. Along with meditation and prayer, it gives me
one more way to investigate my inner world, and provides a contextual language
with which I can enter into dialogue with my clients. Over the years, it has
become for me a way to communicate with the spirit world, a tool for accessing
past life memories, an aid to dreamwork and shamanic journeying, and a basis
for profound intuitive counseling work with hundreds of clients. Unlike many of
colleagues, I do not remember a time when I was unaware of the existence of
Tarot. It seems as though it was always there, just another fact of my life,
like the childhood doll I carried everywhere, or my grandmother’s hand always
reaching out to me as we walked across the street. Likewise, I cannot imagine a
life that doesn’t include an ongoing relationship with this little stack of
paper and ink.
Want to fall in love with Tarot for yourself? Join me this Thursday for
Tarot Fundamentals
with Heatherleigh
A fun and energetic look at
how to use the tarot deck for personal development, meditation, spiritual
growth, and more. Banish the myths and superstitions, learn the origins and
history, and see how this esoteric tool has very modern uses in everyday life.
This is a great class for anyone interested in learning more about tarot
reading for your self or for others.
Class is open to anyone 16
years or older.
Heatherleigh is the owner of
Boston Tea Room in Ferndale , MI , and the
co-founder of the Detroit
Area Tarot Guild, a tarot advocacy organization
currently more than 300
members strong.
Thursdays in
May, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, from 6-8pm
Classes held
at 195 W. 9 Mile, Suite 102 , $88 per person
Call 248-548-1415
to register.
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