Astrological Birth cards are much easier – no math required! I use the Golden Dawn associations, as I find they work well.

Simply find the card associated with your Sun sign:

Aquarius – Star

Pisces – Moon

Aries – Emperor

Taurus – Hierophant

Gemini – Lovers

Cancer – Chariot

Leo – Strength

Virgo – Hermit

Libra – Justice

Scorpio – Death

Saggitarius – Temperance

Capricorn – Devil

There are many ways to figure out birth cards in the Tarot, both numerological and astrological. The way I work with them is less complicated mathematically, and is easier for people to use than some of the more elaborate calculation systems.

To calculate numerological birth cards, do the following. We’ll use Pamela Colman Smith’s birthday of February 16, 1878 as our example.

Add Month + Day + Year:

2 + 16 + 1878 = 1896

Then, break down that number into individual digits and add again:

1 + 8 + 9 + 6 = 24

Continue breaking down the number into individual digits and adding them together until you get a number of 22 or less:

2 + 4 = 6

So Pamela’s numerological Birth card is 6, The Lovers.

If you get a number between 10 and 22, that means you have multiple numerological Birth Cards.  For example, my grandmother’s birthday initially reduces to 19, The Sun.

19 then reduces to 10 (1 + 9 = 10), so she also has the Wheel of Fortune as a birth card.

However, 10 is still a two digit number, so we reduce again: 10 is 1 + 0 = 1, and 1 is The Magician.

So my grandmother ends up with The Sun, The Wheel of Fortune, and The Magician as her numerological birth cards.  Which, I must say, suited her quite well!

For more time with David Palladini, check out the interview by Michael Orlando Yaccarino of Orlando Tarot in the Winter 2009 issue of Tarosophist International. The magazine is available free to all members of Tarot Professionals, and available for purchase by non-members through The Far Away Centre Book Shop. But really, why not join Tarot Professionals as long as you’re there?

May 25 is World Tarot Day!  While we’re not doing a big event this year like the one we did in 2007, we think it’s important to acknowledge  – and to celebrate!

We’ll be reading cards, eating cookies, and generally making merry!

How are you celebrating World Tarot Day?

During a recent conversation with James Wanless (soon to be posted as Podcast #46!), we talked about why some clients take so long to shuffle the cards.

I posited that they take so long to shuffle because, once the reading starts, they can’t take it back. They’re afraid to get the answer they want, because then they have to make a conscious choice – and they’re afraid to accept the responsibility for that choice, afraid to accept responsibility for the consequences of that choice. (This applies equally to us as readers –  I am not singling out clients in this post.)

Or, they’re afraid that they won’t get the answer they want, which again requires them to make a choice and take responsibility for that choice.

If you’ve reached the point where you’re ready to ask the question, you’re ready to hear the answer – even if you think you’re not.

And even if you’re not ready for the answer, the answer nonetheless is ready for you.

How many times has a client (or we ourselves) said, “But I can’t do [some action] because [some reason]!”  It may be a true statement – they can’t vote because they’re not 18 years old; they can’t graduate college because they haven’t completed all their classes yet; they can’t fly a plane because they don’t have a pilot’s license.

However, for a lot of clients (and a lot of us readers), the reason is really a rationalization.  How do you know which it is?  Repeat the statement, and replace “I can’t” with “I choose not to” – what happens?

And so, I have created the Rationalization Card – an extra card to pull intentionally when appropriate (even if it’s not nice – the truth is not always pleasant):

Rationalization Card © 2010 Anastasia Haysler

(No, I’m not a graphic designer using some fancy software program; this is all cut and paste on paper, hence the weird lines and shadows. But I think that just adds to the effect.)

Printed on cardstock, it’s now in my reading bag, ready to come out at appropriate – or should I say necessary? – times.

(And yes, there’s one on the wall above my computer. If I won’t use it with myself, I shouldn’t use it with a client.)

I’ll be teaching two classes in the same month – the same weekend, even – in May!

On Saturday, May 15, I’ll be teaching “Tarot by the Numbers” at the Tarot Media Company Studios in San Francisco, 1:00 – 4:30 pm.  A standard Tarot deck has 78 cards, 22 major arcana, 56 minor arcana, and 40 numbered pip cards. We’ll look at why the Tarot has this particular organization, and look at the significance of these numbers. From there, we’ll dive into the sea of numbers in the Tarot and see what we find! Whether you’re an astrophysicist or a complete arithmephobe, I’ll make working with the numbers in the Tarot easy and fun – no advanced algebraic abilities required!  Full details and registration on the Tarot Media Company website!

Then, on Sunday, May 16, I’ll be teaching my first online class, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, in the Tarot Pros Classroom on The Tarot Guild!  The topic is “Birth Cards in the Tarot”.  Birth Cards, Life Cards, Soul Cards – call them what you will, the cards which are associated numerologically and astrologically with a client’s birth can be quite revealing, affecting the interpretation of a reading when they appear – or don’t appear – in the spread. We’ll start with how to calculate Birth Cards, and then devise some ideas on how to work with their presence – or absence – in a reading. We’ll also talk about the influence of Birth Cards on our Personal Year, and there will of course be time for Q&A. All in 90 minutes!  Full details and registration on the Tarot Guild website! Update: This online class has been rescheduled to July.  We’ll send out an announcement with the new date soon!

I hope you can join me for one or both of these fun workshops!

The next meeting of the San Francisco Tarot Cafe will be Tuesday, May 4, starting at 7:00 pm and going until 9:00 pm, at Borderlands Cafe, 870 Valencia Street in San Francisco.  We’ll be in the back of the cafe, with lots of tables and chairs for gathering in twos, threes, fives, etc. to ooh and aah over each other’s decks and do readings.

The Tarot Cafe isn’t a formal class or workshop.  It’s an opportunity to meet with others who read the Tarot, talk about cards, practice readings, compare techniques, and enjoy the delightful beverages and delicious food offered by the friendly staff at Borderlands Cafe. We’ll start the evening with a question or topic to get the conversation going, but after that, the only guide is your imagination!

We’re excited about these gatherings, as they will give us all a chance simply to enjoy the Tarot – and the company of fellow Tarot enthusiasts – twice a month.  There’s no admission fee; we ask only that you support the cafe by indulging in a coffee, tea, snack plate, or treat.  (Or all of the above – why choose?!)  Borderlands Cafe offers an extensive selection of teas and coffee drinks, and savory snacks and sweet treats sized for individual consumption, for sharing, or for a complete meal.  (My favorite is the Antipasto Plate – yum!)

Borderlands Cafe is at 870 Valencia Street, between 19th and 20th Streets.  It’s accessible from BART, Muni lines 14, 33, and 49, and a nice stretch of the legs from Muni  lines 22, 48, and J Metro.  Street parking is doable within a block or two of Borderlands, since the meters turn off at 6:00 pm.

Registration isn’t required, but we’d appreciate it if you would please email us so we have an idea of how many people to expect, that will allow us to reserve enough tables.  Even if you don’t manage to let us know ahead of time, feel free to drop in – the more, the merrier!