SEERS AND SAGES: AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD HARTNETT

 

Richard Hartnett in mid-reading

Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!
 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. Currently, we’re working on our book, “ Walking The Tarot Path”. We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from e beginners to professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.
We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

 We first encountered Richard Hartnett, H.W., M. in June 2015 at TarotCon in Denver, Colorado.  His workshop Numerology And Tarot was excellent: thorough, well presented and through his thoughtful explanations and enthusiasm, it was quite obvious that he loves what he does.

A one-man metaphysical powerhouse, Richard has over three decades of experience as a spiritual counselor and teacher and has developed a series of classes, which he presents under the banner of Quantum Spirituality Seminars. He is a certified Psychic and Master Tarot Instructor with The American Tarot Association. In addition to teaching at conferences across the United States, he reads Tarot for clients all over the world. A lifelong scholar, he is fascinated in the areas where spirituality, myth and science come together.  His impressive background includes studies in Native American spirituality, Sufism, Jungian Psychology, Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way, and World Mythology.  Richard is the author of two books, with a third on the way.

We are delighted  that Richard agreed to share a virtual cup of tea  with us so we can all find out a little more about his life’s work.

 Divination Nation: Tell us about the earliest days of your career- how did you first become interested in Tarot?

 Richard Hartnett: My first exposure to the Tarot happened while I was in the Navy.] A friend of mine took out a Tarot deck and I was immediately intrigued. Within a year I had bought a deck and a book from the supermarket on how to read the Tarot. That book was confusing so the deck sat on my bookshelf for many years without my using it. When I was in my thirties, I came across some people who were using the Tarot, so I got interested again.

 Divination Nation: Whom did you learn from? Tell us about your influences, teachers and mentors…

Richard Hartnett:  One of my friends was doing professional readings all the time.   I asked her if she would teach me how to read The Tarot.  Out of that, she put together a class.  That one class was the only time she ever taught… but it was a good class.

R.H.: After that class, I began to read many different books on the Tarot.  The books that really open the door for me where are the classics, Tarot for Yourself by Mary Greer and 78 Degrees Of Wisdom by Rachel Pollock, parts one and two.  In those days Rachel’s book came in two volumes.  I wore out my copies of those books and had to buy new copies several times.  I regard Mary (who I’ve come to know personally) and Rachel to be my two most significant teachers and mentors.  It was so wonderful to attend Mary Greer’s workshop at Tarot on Denver and to have the opportunity to converse with her and all the other wonderful teachers at that conference.

 My other mentor was a White Mountain Apache medicine woman.  She encouraged me to trust my intuition, and she taught me how to read without using any tools. 

 D.N. When did you realize that the metaphysical-and divination in particular- was going to be the focus of your life?

R.H. I have been on a spiritual path my whole life. When I was twenty-four I made a commitment to become a Mentor/ teacher/ spiritual counselor.   That commitment required that I write a thesis and pass an oral review board explaining spiritual principles.  When I started to work with the Tarot, I found it to be a really excellent tool for working with clients as a spiritual counselor. 

D.N. What was your first professional reading like?

R.H. I got together with three other psychics and we created a mini fair in Boulder, Colorado.  It was the first time I got paid for a reading.   Over the years I have worked fairs, festivals and expos all over the country.  I also worked for many of the psychic lines. 

 D.N.   We loved your class at TarotCon- please let us know more about the classes you teach, both live and online.

R.H. As part of my Ministerial practice, I present classes on integrating science & spirituality, mythology, and how to work with Tarot cards.   I have helped several others to become professional readers.  I am a certified Tarot instructor with the American Tarot Association. The organization with which I have my ministerial degree is called The Prosperos.  I also offer many classes on my on my website and I have two webinars on YouTube.  (Scroll down for the links)

 D.N.   How do you prepare for your readings?

 R. H.   I am a voracious reader. (Editor’s note: in both ways, obviously!)

 I find studying the work of others inspires me in my own work.  Before I do a reading, I’ll refrain from using alcohol or other stimulants.  I also practice meditation and self-hypnosis to prepare me for my sessions. 

D.N. What -if any- disciplines do you practice aside from your main one…. which, we assume, is Tarot?

R.H. I am an astrologer; a palm reader, tea leaf reader, and I do professional dream analysis.  However, the Tarot is my favorite tool.  The two other disciplines that I consistently practice are called Translation and Releasing The Hidden Splendor.  You can find out more about these spiritual disciplines by going to The Prosperos’ website: http://www.theprosperos.org

I am also a writer, which is definitely a discipline in and of it.  I have written two books, which are available on Amazon and Kindle, about the relevance of Greek mythology for modern society.  The titles are: The New Old Gods and The Call Of The Soul.  You may purchase the books directly from me and I will sign them for you.

  I have a third book forthcoming, titled The Evolutionary Tarot.  I’ve been working on this book for over fifteen years.  In it, I present an expanded version of the Tarot, which incorporates numerology and evolutionary principles. 

D.V. What makes Tarot “relevant” these days, and where do you see it going in the future- it is so popular now, do you foresee any trends?

R.H. I believe most people today have lost their connection to mythology.  As Joseph Campbell said,

 “…Just because a myth is not literally true does not mean it holds no truth.”

  When religion insists that a myth is literal, it loses its vitality and relevance.  The Tarot is a dynamic mythological system that is constantly changing and evolving.  Just consider all the different decks that have different illustrations for the same cards.  The Tarot is very relevant because it is adaptable to a person’s personal mythological system.  That is why it is becoming so popular.  The Tarot literally changes from one reading to the next.  We are just now beginning to understand the personal relationship between the individual and the archetypes that the Tarot reveals. 

D.N. What do you love most about your job?

R.H. Being of service. 

D.N.  What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

R.H. I love to take my dogs to an off leash dog park where they can roam free. I like to play board games and electronic games. I enjoy movies and television. 

D.N. Would you please share some tips and advice for our readers…  many of whom are also readers?

R.H.  A good reader understands that there is no final understanding of the Tarot.  A good reader will keep their mind open to seeing the cards in the new way.   My advice to all readers is to get over any resistance you have to reading reversed cards or “negative” cards.

 

 Richard spreading the Tarot gospel

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 Visit Richard’s website here: http://www.quantumspiritone.com/

 Email Richard here: quantumspirit@ecentral.com. 

View Richard’s video lectures on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxkPCSAlAvQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBgIp_xMMZo

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 We’d LOVE to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant  or request a reading or healing session,  click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal’s background, or request a  reading or healing session, click here: http://crystalravenwolf.com

 

FOR LUNATICS ONLY: SONGS ABOUT THE MOON

 

September 27, 2015:  Super Moon Lunar Eclipse

 Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. 

We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from e beginners to professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.
 
We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

September 27, 2015: Tonight’s full moon is a doozy! Not only is it the Harvest Moon, it’s a Super Moon, as we’re all aware, there’s also a total lunar eclipse.

Call us lunatics, but in honor of the occasion, we compiled a playlist of 27 songs about Lady Moon, plus a bonus track.

Fly Me To The Moon – Frank Sinatra

Blue Moon Of Kentucky- Patsy Cline

Moonage Daydream- David Bowie

Moonlight Drive- The Doors

Sisters Of The Moon- Fleetwood Mac

Blue Moon- Elvis Presley

Moon River- Henry Mancini

Bad Moon Rising- Creedence Clearwater Revival

Next To The Moon- AC/DC

Howlin’ At The Moon- Hank Williams

 Mexican Moon- Concrete Blonde

Moon Shadow- Cat Stevens

It’s Only A Paper Moon- The Paul Whiteman Orchestra

Killing Moon- Echo and the Bunnymen

Ticket To The Moon- Electric Light Orchestra

Moon Over Bourbon Street- Sting

There’s A Moon Out Tonight- The Capris

 How High The Moon- Les Paul & Mary Ford

 Black Moon Creeping- Counting Crows

Harvest Moon- Neil Young

My Bloody Valentine- Moon Song

Waiting For The Moon To Rise- Belle and Sebastian

Under The Cherry Moon- Prince

 Walking On The Moon-the Police

Moon Dance- Van Morrison

There’s A Moon In The Sky (Called The Moon) The B-52’s

Song About The Moon- Paul Simon

Marquee Moon- Television

The Moon- Cat Power

(Bonus Track!)

Total Eclipse Of The Heart- Bonnie Tyler

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 We’d LOVE to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant or get a reading, click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal’s background or to get a reading, click here: http://crystalravenwolf.com

MERCURY RETROGRADE: A SURVIVAL GUIDE

(Freddie) Mercury Retrograde

Divination Nation blog!
 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community.
 We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from e beginners to professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.
We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

 We all know what Mercury Retrograde is like…it’s insane! Mercury’s retrograde periods are a nightmare- even for skeptics who don’t believe that the planets can actually influence our lives. Truth be told, we’ve often wondered why the hell Pluto’s status as a planet was taken away when Mercury was way more of a troublemaker! 

 Mercury rules most things that make our lives functional: communication, travel, mechanical stuff… and during the retrograde period, all this and more goes to hell in  the proverbial hand basket. The moment you think you’re getting through unscathed, all the batshit  situations start happening: you get in fights with significant others, emails bounce, your car breaks down, people misunderstand you, your computer crashes, you miss appointments, flights get cancelled- need we go on? 

Right now, Mercury is in retrograde  ( YIKES!)

Even though we’re right in the middle of the fray and can’t just bury our heads in the sand or pull the blankets up and ignore life, there are still things you can do that will things a lot easier. 

 Here are some ideas for now, and to remember for the next time it happens:  

 Expect The Unexpected:  If you’re already aware that everything from technology to your car is going to break down, allow for that stuff to happen.  Back up all your devices-you don't want to lose important documents, favorite songs or sentimental photos.  Since  all types of communications  are affected by Mercury, make sure that your inbox for voicemails, emails and texts isn’t full.

 Be proactive with servicing your automobile- make sure all the fluids are replenished, the gas tank is full, your spare tire is in working order, and you have an extra set of keys. 

Be as clear as you can in conversations and written correspondence . Spell everything out clearly and follow up. Misunderstandings are common during this time; be as direct as possible and  keep your demeanor amiable, even if you have to re-explain or repeat yourself.

  Be vigilant about keeping appointments - look at your calendar more than you usually do to keep yourself on track. Hell, set alarms on your phone to remind yourself of where you're supposed to be!

If you’re traveling,  reconfirm any reservations. Anticipate delays and plan your trip accordingly. Bring snacks, water, an overnight kit, a good book or tablet, a knitting project or whatever.  If you don’t have to use that stuff, consider yourself lucky.

Don’t Take Things Personally: One of the hallmarks of Mercury RX is miscommunication… dysfunction is in the air and emotions often run high. Be as calm and “Zen” as possible when you’re discussing anything, cause there’s a fair chance that even saying “hello” can be taken the wrong way!
Don’t engage if someone is trying to press your buttons- let it roll off. Try to have a positive attitude; have compassion and empathy for anyone who seems to be having a bad day...cause  many people get really crabby during this period. While that’s a good idea anyhow, during Mercury RX this is a crucial move… cause the entire human population, female and male can be acting like they have an extreme case of PMS.

 Don’t Make Big, Life-Altering Decisions: For heaven’s sake, during Mercury RX, do not do any of the following: sign contracts, have a surgical procedure, go to court, buy a house (or have it worked on)  accept a job offer, purchase car... or get  married!
  You’re welcome.

Take Some “Me” Time: Allow yourself to relax and relieve your stress. Watch a movie, take a nice warm bath, meditate, play with your kids or pets…just do anything you love that feels calming. Mercury RX is a trying time, and you deserve some extreme self-care. 

 Reflect And Self-Assess: Think of everything you achieved before the planets went rogue, and make loose plans for the future- but don’t act on them until Mercury goes direct. Concentrate on the positive places in your life, think of where you are directing your energy. Be grateful. Think abundantly, allow yourself to believe that the glass actually is half-full. Take some quiet moments for reflection.

Not that it’s any consolation if your smart phone’s screen has gone black, but Mercury RX is actually a time when intuition is high and synchronicity and amazing coincidences occur. So enjoy experiencing the profound and serendipitous.  

Plan Ahead: In the future, a couple of weeks before Mercury goes RX, make sure to finish up any large scale   projects, collaborative tasks… or whatever you’re working on. Check everything you need to finish is all done by the time things go awry.  And do everything listed above, but while Mercury is still direct!

BE PREPARED! DATES FOR MERCURY RETROGRADE 2016:

January 5 - January 25, 2016
April 28 - May 22, 2016

August 30 - September 22, 2016
December 19 2016 - January 8, 2017

Thank the heavens for this site, where,  if things are getting a little too cray-cray, you can check to see if it’s just you:

http://www.ismercuryinretrograde.com/

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 We’d LOVE to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant, or book a reading, click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal’s background or to book a reading, click here; http://crystalravenwolf.com

LIGHT AND DARK: CELEBRATING THE AUTUMN EQUINOX AND MABON

Autumn by Alphonse Mucha

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical community.
We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from e beginners to professionals, our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.
We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

The early autumn sunlight is warm on our shoulders, but there’s a subtle crackle in the air telling us that change is coming. The leaves on the trees are still green, just barely begging to turn. Mornings are slightly cooler; the evenings creep in just a little bit earlier.  If you have kids, they’re back in school, already excited about Halloween because every store is crammed full of spooky décor and sweet pumpkin, ghost and skull shaped treats.  Suddenly, witches and black cats are everywhere.

Pagans celebrate Autumn Equinox, also known as the Lesser Sabbath Mabon, all over the world. This year it falls on September 23, 2015.

Legend has it that on the morning of Mabon, the Goddess Persephone readies herself for the journey back to Hades. Mabon is a special time because day and night share nearly equal hours, signifying balance as the sunlight begin to wane. Historically the fields were ready for the last harvest that carried and sustained us through the barren winter. Typically, this Sabbath was celebrated with a feast from the summer’s last bounty, and by making offerings to the Goddess Demeter to show gratitude for nature’s generosity.

Now, most of us live in a world where you can simply visit the grocery store to buy your organic produce… as opposed to toiling in the fields, but we still like to honor the old ways. We hold dinners with loved ones to celebrate Mabon, which in our houses turns out to be as much of a  to-do as Thanksgiving…though thankfully minus the din of a televised football game! Our tables are always decorated with small gifts that our guests have brought to the Goddess, symbols of the love and gratitude we have for her. We like having each person at the table take turns sharing about things they’re grateful for, which is a fun way to a fun way of teaching the kiddies to be thankful for the many blessings we have in our lives.

 Many Pagans make special Mabon altars, decorated with squash, ears of corn, small bundles of wheat, colorful leaves and other natural items or talismans associated with harvest time or autumn. Since we are all about preserving traditions and rituals, we love to make our own gorgeous Mabon altars…but since we are super-sparkly glam-witch gals, our altars tend to include a lot of fall-centric bling-bling in addition to the traditional harvest theme…your altar, of course can reflect your own taste.

Balance is also an extremely important aspect of Mabon, and the period before, during and after around the Equinox is fantastic for self- examination and assessment. Look closely at your life; see if it were in harmony or if are there areas you’d like to work on. Ask yourself if you are allowing yourself to receive as much as you give, or if you’re giving as much attention to your inner self and family as you do to the outside world.  Meditation is terrific of course, but we swear by journaling. Writing your thoughts down is a great way – and a more concrete way –of manifesting what you want in your life.  It’s almost magickal in itself; once something is written with intention, it seems to manifest that much easier. Once you’ve written out your thoughts, you’ll be able to see the areas of your life that need more attention, and it will be simple for you to make the necessary adjustments.

 With the nights lengthening, this is also a great time to start new projects, as it will give you something to do when the weather turns cold and we spend more time indoors…Perhaps begin that new book you have been wanting to read (or write!) take a language, dance or art class, and experiment with learning any new skill. The possibilities are endless when you give yourself permission to dream.

 However you decide to spend Mabon and celebrate the Autumn Equinox, may it be filled with love and bright blessings! 

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Mabon Altar

 We’d LOVE to connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
For more on Crystal’s background, click here; http://crystalravenwolf.com

MONEY AND THE METAPHYSICAL

 

Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide, and would love for it to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from  beginners to professionals. Our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.

We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

 The relationship many metaphysical practitioners have with money is often somewhat ambiguous. Many of us are not comfortable taking money for our services, and there are several reasons for this.

To begin with, though several spiritually minded individuals dream of becoming a professional card reader-or astrologer, energy healer or palmist- they have little to no idea  of what to charge, and/ or feel extremely tentative getting paid at all, let alone getting  fairly compensated for  what their services are worth.  There are even professionals  who don’t charge what they’re worth.  Often, this is because many of the spiritual skills we posses- even if it’s “just” being intuitive- are usually something we have a gift for and are extremely passionate about. We love what we do. We love it so damn much that we’d do it for free.  And it goes without saying that when we love something that hard, we want to do it as often as possible!

 Also, though fortunetelling, crystal healing or having the chakras realigned is intriguing to the general public, many our clients typically come to us when they are at a low phase in their lives.  They’ve reached a significant turning point, they’re in pain. It doesn’t matter if  it’s physical or emotional, they’re hurting. Perhaps they suspect a spouse is cheating, they’ve gotten a worrisome medical diagnosis or they’ve just lost a job. They come to us because they want clarification on an important matter or because they need healing; they want a tiny shred of hope to hold on to. Because we are human and because we are compassionate, seeing that sort of pain is painful to us. Our first instinct is to soothe, to make it better to give advice… and it goes against our moral compass to take money for doing that.

Last, most of us metaphysical peeps  have become absolutely conditioned to the fact that society marginalizes what we do. While maybe seven out of ten “average” people will admit that they’ve played with a Ouija Board, experienced synchronicity or have watched every episode of Ghost Adventures, those are the same folks who poo-pooh the idea that there is any such thing as the spirit realm or that a medium can communicate with the dead! In fact, many esoteric folks are so self-conscious about being seen as “weird”, that we valiantly try to masquerade our true selves by being as normal as possible.

 In fact, we've had plenty of conversations with our colleagues - at Pagan Pride events, at Tarot conventions, at energy healing circles- where  the typical disclaimer at the beginning of  a story someone’s telling goes something like this:

  “ Not to sound all woo-woo, but….”

 Hello? Look where we’re having this conversation! We’ve all become so used to being “other”, that we feel as though somehow we’re not allowed to make money by having a professional career in  the  “woo-woo” field at which we excel.

In global our society, money is a requirement. In order to survive, we need cash for the basics: food, shelter clothing. We also need it for healthcare, power and water, phone service and transportation.  We gotta  have the Benjamins on hand for our kid’s braces, for their education…and to continue ours. All those hours spent in workshops and classes learning various forms of divination add up! Maybe you took them because you enjoyed the subject matter, but they weren’t free, right?  Ok, so maybe we don’t exactly need money for luxuries (that Tarot deck you simply must have, even though you’ve got nine on your shelf already or that gigantic amethyst cluster that costs more than your phone’s monthly data plan) but we still want them… and the only way we can get them is by paying for them.

 Doctors charge, mechanics charge; dieticians, housemaids, tutors, arborists, rock-climbing instructors, yoga teachers and acupuncturists charge for their services… so why don’t you? Because you are doing something spiritual? Priests, ministers and rabbis charge for officiating weddings; according to the Bridal Association Of America, in January 2015, the median price for this service was $263.00!

 What is your time worth?  How many hours have you put in studying your craft?  It doesn’t matter if you're a pharmacist or a Lenormand reader,  a copywriter or a Reiki master, your time equals money. While giving back to the community is commendable and often extremely fulfilling, realistically speaking, there comes a time when you do need to be compensated for your services. If you’re spending most of your precious time putting your natural abilities to use and practicing the traditions you studied to make herbal tinctures, cast enchantments or  douse for water, then how the heck are you going to have time  to make the  cash you need to live?  By flipping burgers part time? No, you need be compensated for your skills and time practicing the modalities you trained long and hard for.

If you are unsure of what the “going rate” for your services is in your area, by all means ask a  local professional.  Far from being offended, they will undoubtedly level with you…because the people who make a living this way don’t want to be undercut by someone who is giving the service away!
 If there’s no one in your area to ask, spend some time looking up your chosen profession on line, and seeing what others charge.  While it will vary from place to place, choose a point somewhere in the middle, not too high and not ridiculously low. For example, there are full Tarot readings touted on various sites for as little as five bucks, but there are also seasoned professionals or  very well-known, in-demand readers who charge upwards of $200.00 an hour…and are booked up for weeks if not months.  Consider your skill set and expertise as well as where you are working before deciding on a price that you- and your clients - will feel comfortable with.  If you still feel “funny” about getting money in exchange for your services, using a sliding scale with clients is a good way to take payment and not feel bad about charging.

 The exchange for your service doesn’t necessarily need to be cash; barter is always good.  One Tarot reader we know has a regular client who’s paid with produce and fresh eggs…for years!  While that might seem odd, that reader’s kids literally grew up on organic food straight from the farm. 

  And here’s one last point: not to sound all woo-woo but…when you come right down to it, money is an exchange of energy. Make sure you don’t have any underlying issues with this energy. If you do- and it’s likely if you’re stressing over getting paid for your metaphysical work-examine those issues, write them down, reason them out, or banish them completely, and heal your relationship. The issues could come from your childhood, could be cultural, or might even be that you’re feeling guilty at the prospect of doing something you love (and, as we said before, would do for free) to make a living.  Know that if you are thinking with abundance- as opposed to coming from a place of scarcity, you won’t see money as “dirty” or something that goes against your spiritual beliefs. 
 
Welcome cash into your life as opposed to pushing it away… and watch your life change.

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We wanna connect with you!
Visit our website: www.thedivinationnation.com
 
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
 
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
 
To find out more about Pleasant click here: http://www.pleasantgehman.com/
 
For more on Crystal’s background, click here; http://crystalravenwolf.com

LEARNING TAROT: HANGING OUT WITH YOUR 78 NEW BEST FRIENDS

 Welcome to The Divination Nation blog!

 We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. We’d love for this blog to be relevant for metaphysically-inclined peeps at every stage of development from beginners to professionals, so our posts will range from basic concepts and info that many of you are undoubtedly familiar with, to interviews, how-to’s and reviews on events and products.

We hope this blog is as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!

As most card readers will agree, Tarot isn’t “just” an incredible divination system that’s been around for centuries… it’s an obsession, a lifestyle, and a never-ending journey.  But often, the mere though of embarking on that journey- or picking up where you left off   years ago when the road forked- can be a little intimidating. To begin with, there’s seventy-eight cards- and they each have a variety of meanings. That in itself is daunting. Then there’s the multitude of card spreads, what the cards mean in various positions, and how they influence each other…not to mention the connections to the  elements, numerology and symbolism. It’s a lot to absorb! We jokingly refer to this overwhelming feeling as So Many Cards, So Little Time …but seriously, we’ve all been there at some point! Nobody was born knowing how to read Tarot.

The good news you don’t have to download all this info into your brain at once. Tarot is like a relationship- and every relationship is as individual as the people who are involved. Some connections develop instantaneously; the affinity is quick and the bond is strong. Others take a little more time getting started, but wind up growing into a significant soul connection you never imagined in your wildest dreams.

So, how can you become acquainted with that shiny new pack of cards you just bought and are all gung-ho about mastering?

The good news is that there’s a wide range of ways you can connect to your cards, and each of them is effective. Your goal is to develop a working relationship with your cards, familiarizing yourself with each card’s look, the meanings behind it, and the feelings, situations or people each card can potentially represent.

It’s important to remember that everyone learns differently, and that Tarot- as we stated before - is a lifelong journey.  You’ll never stop learning! Some of these methods may resonate with you better than others, but they’re all worth a try. Often, by combining a few of these techniques and playing around with them simultaneously, you’ll absorb pertinent information much more quickly.

Pretty soon, you’ll notice that you’re feeling awfully warm and fuzzy with all seventy-eight of your new best friends.

Books

 There’s a boatload of books on Tarot out there. Amazon.com in particular has tons of them, both new and used, hard copy and in eBook form, and all quite affordable.  Many books- even older ones that might look slightly cheesy- are jam-packed with knowledge. Some are geared towards general interest while others are specialized, covering a particular deck (such as Rider-Waite or Thoth) or focus solely on a particular subject, like Mary K. Greer’s Tarot Reversals or Megan Skinner’s Essence Of The Tarot, which covers only the Major Arcana.

Many decks come with their own instructional booklets, often  affectionately known to Tarotistas as LWBs, or “Little White Books”.  These are hit-or-miss: some are terrific, others are mere newsprint pamphlets with semi-useless info. No matter what, if you’re in the process of learning, read them anyway.

 One great example of a well-written, beautifully illustrated book accompanying a deck is the 152-page high quality paperback by Kim Huggens that accompanies Erik. C. Dunne’s Tarot Illuminati.  Though written specifically for that deck, her prose is gorgeous and her interpretations are fairly universal.

 Read whatever you can get your hands on, contrast and compare, and absorb as much information as you can. Ultimately, there’ll come a time where you just have to toss all the books aside, and formulate your own opinions.

Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t refer back to them- or read and collect even more books!

Classes, Workshops And Online Courses

 While it’s great to learn as much as you can on your own, there’s truly nothing like being able to study with a master reader who’s also a skillful instructor. If there aren’t in-person classes in your area, perhaps you can find a respected local reader to coach you.

There are several classes and workshops available online too, ranging from weekly courses to private Skype sessions, or one-off workshops on distinct subjects.  Hugely respected Tarot scholars teach many of these.  Sort through the many classes offered, read up on the instructors, and see if their philosophies and presentation jive with what you had in mind as a learning experience before signing up.

The UK-based Tarosophy Tarot Association has a number of pre-recorded seminars and workshops available to members, and they offer live lectures and classes at pre-appointed times as well. Additionally, they host a number of Tarot conventions globally.  We attended their TarotCon Denver this past June, and it was an incredible weekend, jam-packed with relevant workshops, master classes, lectures, panel discussions, after-hours Tarot-inspired fun and networking opportunities.

Research

Though the word “research” sounds somewhat formidable, it’s actually a fun process that simply means, “finding out as much as you can about a subject you’re interested in".

 Research can be as simple or extensive as you like. Of course it’ll include reading- as in books- but it can also mean getting a reading.

  Book a reading with a professional (in person, on Skype or the phone) and see what they have to say. Listen carefully to the way they interpret and explain the cards as well as how they approach the client, which in this case, is you. Ask questions. Take note of their reading style, the deck they use, the way they lay out the spread, and the tone of their voice, their advice.  If you can’t afford a reading, suggest trading readings- many pros are open to trades, or even barter.

  Doing online research also includes perusing Tarot blogs. Again, there are many out there. Some are general, others very personal…but they’ll all have something to offer. While you’re online, sign up for some newsletters, or even better, join a few of the (seemingly zillions) of Tarot pages or news feeds on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.  This is fun and simple way to see the opinions of many readers at all levels of proficiency.  Be careful though- it can be quite addicting!

Memory Cues

 A great way to connect with your cards is to develop your own series of memory cues. We’ve heard of people scrawling memory prompts in the border of the card itself…that we wouldn’t recommend, if just for the fact that you might want to use these cards to do a reading for someone in the future!

But a great way to learn is to stick Post-it notes on the back of each card in your deck with a couple of key words or phrases associated with that card. Randomly pull a card, and see what you can remember before checking the note on the back.

Visual, Emotional and Intuitive Association

 At first, you might need to rely on your written key word notes or looking the cards up, but eventually, you should start making your own associations.  Some questions to ask yourself:  What does the card say to you visually? What’s going on in the picture? How does it make you feel?

As far as using intuition for card interpretation goes, there’s a myriad of opinions…and it’s a hotly debated subject on all the Tarot forums and pages we discussed earlier! To put it bluntly, there are basically two camps on the subject; those who read intuitively, and those who think using intuition is utter bullshit.  There are folks who think there can be no such thing as a truly psychic or intuitive reader.   Sometimes, those are the people who  tend to read cards in a dry, memorized, textbook fashion. And sadly, there are also many so-called intuitive readers who just blithely picked up a deck, and with no study, experience or consideration whatsoever, just hang out their shingle as a “professional” and spout nonsense, giving a bad name to those who really are psychic or intuitive.

However, all of this is relative, and there is a happy medium to be found– pun very much intended!

Learning the various generally accepted meanings and key words for each card and then putting your own intuition to use can  help you reach this place of “neutrality” or balance.

Starting to trust your intuition can be tricky.  Usually the very first thing that pops into your head is spot on, no matter how crazy it seems…but this isn’t always the case. Often, our initial reaction to a card seems outré or bizarre and we’ll second guess it, only to find out that our first thought was, in fact, the correct interpretation.

Play around with your intuition, get comfortable with it.  There’s no right or wrong here, some people are gifted intuitives, and others, well…not so much.  There’s absolutely no hard and fast way to read the cards accurately, it’s all about whatever works for you.

Active Work/Study

 Sooner or later, you’ll want to put  yourself on an active work/study program.  A good way to begin is with Dividing The Deck into Major and Minor Arcana. Go through each card in the 22 Major Arcana cards and see how each one relates to the cards before and after it.  Go through the  56 Minor Arcana  cards suit by suit, and do the same.  Many readers like to use

Meditation as a way of connecting to the cards. Randomly pick a card and concentrate on it’s meaning, see what images or thoughts come into your head.

 Doing Single Card Pulls  (without intense meditation) for yourself each morning or evening is also a good method of getting to know the cards and seeing how that card relates to the energy you felt or the situations that unfolded for you. After awhile, you can do these pulls for other people too. It’s a simple way to see how each card works for you in the context of interpretation, as well as a good way to familiarize yourself with the individual meaning.

Graduate to laying out simple spreads and interpreting them for yourself, eventually working up to spreads that incorporate more cards. After you become comfortable with a few of these, offer readings to family members and friends.  It’s a fantastic way to practice, and we can assure you that very few people will turn down a free reading, no matter what level you’re at!  People have been fascinated by fortune telling for centuries, and today it’s no different.

Keeping A Tarot Journal

Through every step of each process listed above, you’ll definitely want to keep a Tarot journal- its an invaluable tool for learning. It doesn’t matter if it’s hard copy or on an electronic device- it just matters that you keep it. By writing down your thoughts and associations on each particular card, they’ll become ingrained in your mind much sooner.

 Examine single cards and jot down the impressions you get before relying on looking up the possible meanings. Take photos of spreads you’ve done, combine them with your notes on the reading (whether it’s for you or someone else) and refer back to it as needed. You’ll begin to notice patterns, cards that routinely come up, and start seeing through-ways from older layouts that you may have missed upon first glance. Your Tarot journal will be  fantastic way of  connecting with your cards, and it’s also a wonderful way to check  your progress.

 Think of it as a scrapbook  that documents the growing relationship with you… and your  seventy eight  new BFFs !

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