Tarot School Readers Studio Conference Call for September 2007
Today started with a cup of coffee and the monthly Tarot School Readers Studio conference call. The call is hosted by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone of the Tarot School in New York and Mary Collin of Mary Collin Training and Consultancy in the UK. Mary attended the Readers Studio 2007, and was so impressed by the event that she persuaded the Amberstones to start the monthly conference calls to do follow up and to keep the network created at the event going throughout the year.
Today’s call was well-attended (it’s a type of meeting, so one could say that people attended!), about 11 people in all. Ruth Ann announced that she had created a stand-alone website for information about the Readers Studio at www.ReadersStudio.com. (Formerly it had been part of the Tarot School main website at www.TarotSchool.com.) Several of us logged on right then to check it out – very nice! I’m even more excited about attending!
Wald then continued the conversation by asking why most of us, as experienced in the Tarot as we are (unusually, almost everyone on today’s call has been doing Tarot for ten or more years) continued the Tarot learning process after having spent so many years in study already. Aside from the usual answers (there’s always something to learn, I just can’t resist buying new books), the general philosophy seemed to be that, no matter how much one learns, it’s the human condition to forget a great deal, and while it’s possible to tap into one’s knowledge unconsciously, having the conscious reinforcement is quite helpful. There’s also the joy of adding new knowledge to what one knows (and can remember), or to recall something read elsewhere, and deepen one’s knowledge and internal understanding (not just intellectual comprehension, but real understanding) of this endlessly fascinating subject.
Ruth Ann and Wald also solicited ideas and suggestions for the 2008 Readers Studio. The event will have a special extra session on “Advanced Birth Cards” the day before the conference actually attends, so there’s an additional opportunity for learning and making connections.
Ruth Ann and Wald also announced that their forthcoming book, The Secret Language of Tarot, being published by Red Wheel / Weiser Books, will have its debut at the 2008 Readers Studio – how perfect! And yet another reason (as though there aren’t enough already!) to attend.
We were all talking and ideas were flying around, and suddenly we realized we’d gone 20 minutes over the planned time, leaving people only ten minutes to log onto their computers and prepare for the web conference that Mary has set up as an addition to the monthly phone conference calls. I wasn’t able to stay around for the web conference – I had a wedding to go to – but I hear it was wonderful, and I can’t wait for next month!
You don’t have to have attended any of the Readers Studios to participate in the call. You can contact the Amberstones via email and they’ll add you to the notification list for the calls. I highly recommend it as a way to connect with new people in the Tarot community and to participate in some very exciting discussions about Tarot!