 |
| 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 |
#
View Richard’s video lectures on YouTube here:
#
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
No comments:
Post a Comment