BEYOND THE CELTIC CROSS

Secret techniques for taking Tarot to an exciting new level.
It was nearly a year ago when Catherine first mentioned to me about a book she had written with Paul Hughes-Barlow and having long been a fan of Paul's website Supertarot and more recently of Catherine Chapman's excellent blog TarotElements, I eagerly awaited publication and I haven't been disappointed. I have never really been a fan of the Celtic Cross tarot spread although I can see that it is useful so I was interested to see what was beyond it, as this book promised. The technique described takes a Celtic Cross reading and then re-reads it using the card counting techniques which are adequately illustrated. I had tried several years ago to learn this technique but I couldn't quite "get it" but the way that Paul and Catherine talk one through the steps makes it much easier to understand. So I then tried this method with an actual reading myself. The Celtic Cross spread that I laid out was OK but a bit ambiguous in places and I didn't gain much insight from the interpretation. I then re-did the reading using the card counting technique and the reading came to life and made absolute sense - I was amazed and so pleased that it actually "worked" for me.

I was going to describe this book as not one for beginners but then I thought "why not". There is something for all levels of experience to learn in this book and a beginner could do a lot worse than to learn these techniques from the start of their studies. Also explored are the rules of Elemental Dignities, card pairing methods, Elemental bases and the power of the Aces.

The journey through this book opens up new experiences of interpretation and insight to take tarot readings to exciting new levels. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone wishing to further their tarot learning experience.

Winter Solstice

At the time of the Sun's lowest ebb, the shortest day, the dying sun sets for the last time - but no sooner has the Sun disappeared than the seed of coming life again grows. Tomorrow the Sun will rise anew. The cycle of life will begin again with the Waxing year.
The Child of Promise, the Sun is reborn,
Bringing hope to the Darkness of the forlorn,
Death has been and left its mark,
With winter's bleakness, cold and stark.
We look towards the promise of spring,
And make our plans for New Year to bring,
With joy in our hearts as the old year departs.

London Tarot Conference 2009

This was the first time I have attended the London Tarot Conference and I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to mix with other Taroists and like-minded people. On arrival we were signed in and given a name badge by organiser Kim Arnold's helpful husband Martin. I didn't attend the Friday evening workshops and Cocktail party so can't report on them. In the large conference room we choose our seats and received our goodie bags which included a pack of The Llewellyn Tarot cards - very nice. We had a short welcoming speech by Kim and then into a talk by Liz Dean who is a former editorial director in mind, body, spirit publishing, writer, editor and poet. Liz talked about the Major Arcana's dark beginnings in a brutal Roman festival and its first appearance as a hand-painted deck commemorating a royal wedding in 1441. We were taught how to play the card game of Tarot which was quite fun once we got the hang of it.
Following a coffee break there was the workshop, The Living Celtic Cross by Corinne Kenner the well-known tarot master and author of several books. Corinne gave us very large tarot cards and chose eleven people (yes, eleven) to arrange in a Celtic Cross spread whilst holding the cards. The "querent" asked their question and Corinne read the cards. Then it was the turn of the people holding the various cards to speak to the querent and give their version of the messages from the cards they were holding. Three readings were performed in this manner - the first with a relationship subject read by Corinne, the second with a money subject was read by Emily Carding and the third with a health subject was read by Corinne's husband, Dan.
We then had our lunch break and the optional lunch time workshops - Reading Professionally by Mary Collin, the Transparent tarot by Emily Carding and Tarot & the Creative Process by Kay Stopforth.
After lunch we were treated to an hour long talk by Richard Abbot showing us how to find and explore our Inner World using tarot as the link to familiar themes and anchors and finding out where common experience ends and personal experience begins. Richard runs a print and publishing company, organises festivals and events, has written six books and numerous magazine articles.
Another much needed coffee break brought us to the workshop: Hunting the Lady by Caitlin Mathews. Caitlin taught us how to discover where a querent's deeper issue is located in a Tarot Reading and using some intriguing spreads we hunted the significator and revealed the hidden agendas.
This was followed by a Tarot Meditation led by Emily Carding which was enjoyed by many and I overheard some positive feedback.
Kim closed the Conference by asking all the speakers of the day up to the front for a round of applause and a photo call.
A very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday and the chance to meet up with some more TABI members

The Magic of Twitter

I think it was two to three years ago that I downloaded some Tarot podcasts from the Tarot Connection to my laptop and MP3 player. I listened to these in the car, in the bath - whenever I could. The podcast contributors included Leisa ReFalo, Ginny Hunt and Bonnie Cehovet. There were others but these are the ones that stick more firmly in my mind. I marvelled at the knowledge and experience these people had but they were distant voices from another part of the planet and as much as I admired them, I had no real connection to them apart from an interest in Tarot. Until last week that is. I now find myself discussing mundane, day to day, household issues with.......Bonnie Cehovet! The distant voice from my treasured podcasts is now communicating with me via Twitter.

It seems such a bizarre situation that I had to blog about it. Twitter, for me, is a great equaliser of all people. The famous mingle and communicate with the everyday people at home. It does them good (I hope) and helps to keep them grounded and at street level and it does us ("normal" people) good to think that the people we admire are interested in what we have to say. Whether they are or not, I don't know but it's good PR for them. So it works for everyone and keeps us all connected. Perhaps a rather simplistic view and I know that Twitter isn't everyone's cup of tea but I find it fun and all the time it's fun - I shall be using it.

UK Tarot Conference 2009

Less than a week to go now until the UK Tarot Conference 2009 on the 16th and
17th October. This is the 6th UK Tarot Conference founded by Kim Arnold who was also responsible for launching the Psychic Café in 2005.
Kim started the Tarot Conference in order to bring Tarot out of the shadows and into the 21st century. She had been intimidated in the past by members of a church, because of her work with the tarot, so decided to do something about it.
This will be the very first time I have attended anything like this and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about it. Having met Kim before, I have no doubt that it will live up to my expectations.
I can’t wait!

Happy Days

September already. Where has the summer gone? I seem to have had a non-summer this year. We had our holiday at Easter - to Malta, which was lovely and this was just as well because shortly after we came back my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had an operation to remove a tumour and then had to start a course of chemotherapy. He was also found to have TB and that's all on top of COPD. And that's where our summer has gone. Back and forth to various hospitals for test and treatments. I'm not complaining and the children haven't complained either. They are at the stage where they do their own thing and create their own entertainment.
I like the changes of seasons and I particularly like this one - Summer into Autumn. I love the Autumn colours and the feeling of the garden settling down into its Winter rest. This doesn't mean an end to gardening though. Autumn is as busy a month as any other. Lots of trees around us mean plenty of leaves to be cleared. There are Spring bulbs to plant, shrubs to be pruned, tender plants to be moved and wrapped up for the Winter months, the grass still needs cutting, final trims to the hedges, perennials to be divided and replanted, borders to be weeded and mulched - the list goes on and on.
I also look forward to Christmas - one of my favourite times of the year. I'm not sure why - I just love everything about it. Probably my inner child takes over at this time of year. I actually find myself getting really excited about present opening! I don't get quite as excited about buying and wrapping the presents but I feel this is getting easier now that the children are getting older. They know what they want usually months in advance. I also enjoy indulging in things that I generally deny myself at other times of the year - Cadbury's Roses, Turkish Delight and Fudge are several things that spring to mind.
The sign of Virgo - the industrious one - prepares us for the start of a new school term and year, not something that I enjoyed when young. "The best days of your life" we are constantly told by our elders. Right and wrong, I feel, depends on the child and the school. The best times of my childhood was when I wasn't at school - the summer holidays were always enjoyed. Especially the parts when I stayed with my nan and grandad in the country - a completely different way of life. Easier in some ways and not so easy in others but much, much simpler and one I often look back upon with great fondness. I would so love to be able to live those days all over again. Happy days.

Tribute to Michael Jackson

I never did write anything here about Michael Jackson. Not because I didn't care - more likely because whatever I wrote couldn't do him justice.

I was never a great "fan" but I did enjoy his music very much. I grew up listening to him and watching him grow and develop from being one of the Jackson 5 with his brothers to a unique individual who had a lifestyle like no other.

He was frequently in the news for various reasons - not always good but I do believe that underneath everything he was basically a good person. I'm sure he was misguided at times and sometimes his judgement was way off but we all make mistakes and Michael Jackson certainly paid for his. His children (does it matter whether they are "his" or not) seem to be remarkably well adjusted and "normal" and I feel that, as a father, he was second to none.
To say Michael Jackson was talented is a vast understatement. He wasn't crowned "King of Pop" for nothing and I doubt that anyone will topple him from his throne - at least not for a long time. Long Live the King of Pop.

Happy Mini Birthday

I haven't blogged here for ages for various reasons which I won't go into here but I am going to try to make an effort to do more.

I have recently achieved one of my ambitions. I have been saving hard and scraped enough money together to buy.... a Mini Cooper! I have always loved Minis and what they represent. A true icon of Great Britain, no other car has enjoyed such worldwide popularity and longevity. First built in 1959 (although considered an icon of the 1960s) - this year is the Mini's 50th birthday and this innovative, ingenious and distinctive design is instantly recognisable everywhere and anywhere. 5,387,862 Classic Minis have been built and a large proportion of these still survive despite the poor rust resistance (sadly true) of the bodywork.
Production of the "classic" mini ceased in 2000 when BMW, who had bought the ailing Rover Company, brought out the revamped, larger new Mini.

Lammas 1st August

Lammas marks the beginning of the early harvest - cereals, barley, wheat and oats. It was often celebrated with bonfires, once lit on hills and beacons all over Europe. This is also the festival of the Celtic God of the Sun Lugh, whose sacrifice in the harvest at Lughnasadh is made so that people may live.
The Corn King gives his life for the land,
We toast his sacrifice with ale in our hand,
And eat the bread, from the harvest made,
As sheaves of corn to the eath are laid,
May our well-earned bounty reward our toil,
As we harvest the seed and the grain from the soil.

Smurney's journey

Smurney and her sister Smudgie, came into our lives nine years ago when they were about five or six years old. Their owners couldn't keep them any longer due to an allergy and we took them home on the day before they were due to go to the cat rescue.

When I first saw them, they were curled up in a cardboard box together but soon after arriving at their new home with us their true characters started to show through. Smudgie turned out to be a hunter - frequently bringing in mice, sometimes dead and sometimes alive. Although friendly and affectionate with family members she wasn't keen on "alien" people that she didn't know. Her favourite place to sleep is in our bedroom and often shows off outside by racing around and climbing up trees.

Smurney, on the other hand, never caught or killed anything (that I am aware of) - she just never seemed to be interested. She would half heartedly watch birds but seemed to lack the killer instinct. She was always "top cat" and had first choice at the feeding station - not because she was bossy but somehow had an aura of superiority. She loved being outside in the garden and had several favourite places to sleep. When indoors she would often lie between the computer keyboard and screen - making sure she had full attention from the computer user by standing up and stretching from time to time. Smurney always had time for visitors and was loved by everyone.

When our latest arrival (To-to) came to us Smurney just accepted her as if she had always been there although To-to knew to keep her distance and that Smurney was to be respected, whereas Smudgie takes every opportunity to bully To-to.

When poor Smurney became ill we rushed her to the vets immediately. She was admitted for tests and the diagnosis was heart disease, complicated by thyroid problems, which led to a thrombosis resulting in her being unable to use or feel one of her legs. The care she received at the vets (Cathcart & Winn) was excellent and after 48 hours when there was no real improvement and after much discussion to decide the best course of action, we visited Smurney to say our goodbyes.

After lots of cuddles, stroking and comforting (amidst much weeping and wailing from us), the vet administered the lethal dose and Smurney quickly and painlessly fell asleep whilst on my daughter's lap. Once home, we buried Smurney in her final resting place - beneath her favourite bench in the garden she loved and knew so well.

Rest in Peace lovely Smurney and enjoy your next journey - we miss you so much.