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TRANSCRIPT
The Tarot Your Guide to Tarot Mastery
Edition 18 Summer 2014
This edition’s theme is based on the card called ‘The Moon’.
I’m confused. When you look up
references to The Moon card in books and on
websites, one of the most common
interpretations is ‘confusion’. Why? It doesn’t
make much sense to me. The card called The
Moon is near the end of the Major Arcana,
which means it’s getting to the higher end of
the sequence of spiritual values and
enlightenment. Surely this must have a more
positive effect upon the card’s meaning?
To me, ‘confusion’ is a negative trait.
It means a lack of awareness within your
emotional, mental, or spiritual state. Why is
this lovely card encumbered with such an
undesirable meaning? I must admit that in my
workshop notes I sometimes include the word
‘confusion’ amongst my handouts for that
card, but I always mention that it’s a standard
interpretation and one that I’m not fond of.
Apart from the word confusion, in
some of the Tarot books in my collection I
also found descriptions such as illusion,
deception, sorcery, intoxication, falsehood,
fears, anxieties, and uncertainty…and that’s
the upright interpretations!
When I look at this card I see symbols
of change, femininity, dreams, and messages
from the subconscious. I don’t know why this
card has been given such a troublesome
reputation. In A. E. Waite’s book ‘The
Pictorial Key to the Tarot’ he does not
suggest any of the negativity mentioned by
later authors. I think it’s time we strip away
the ‘confusion’ associated with this card and
look at it from a fresh perspective. Let’s
honour the mystery of The Moon, not fear it.
Tarot Blessings, Don McLeod
www.MisterTarot.com
Page 1 – Editorial
Page 2 – New Year Resolution
Page 3 – Remembering Pamela Colman Smith
Page 4 – Tarot Conferences in 2015
Page 5 – Tarot Videos
Page 6 – Next Tarot Workshops
Page 7 – Love & Happiness & Court Cards
Page 8 – Interpretations for The Moon
At the beginning of a new year we’re all inclined
to reflect upon the previous 12 months. We
celebrate our achievements and think about the
areas that need improvements. Which brings us to
New Year resolutions!
Most of us will have goals we’d like to aim for in 2015
(usually it’s about getting fitter and healthier) but I’d
like you to consider adding another objective: how
about aiming to improve your Tarot reading abilities?
Here are some suggestions for you.
Choose one of these goals for 2015 - and
by the end of the year you will have
doubled your understanding of Tarot!
Do a reading a week for yourself or a friend.
Read a new Tarot book from start to finish,
instead of dipping in and out.
Pick a card a day for insight about the most
significant events or energies affecting you
during the next 24 hours.
Choose a Tarot subject and research it. For
example, decide to become an expert on the suit
of Wands and check websites and books until
you know all about its qualities, meanings, and
correspondences.
Choose a day (e.g. this Sunday) and make sure
that every week on that day you will pick a card
and look up its meanings in a Tarot book. Make
decisions as to which meanings suit your own
ideas and experiences for that card.
Pick a card a day and use its meaning to create
an affirmation for the day.
Do a meditation once a week on each of the
cards, starting with the Major Arcana. Do them
in sequence to get the best results.
Look at my Tarot Affirmations video every
week to give inspiration and to help you learn
the meanings of the Major Arcana cards. Click
here to view it.
Becoming a better Tarot reader in 2015 is a great
New Year resolution. By following one of the steps
I’ve just listed, you will gain confidence in your
readings, have a deeper understanding of the
meanings of the cards, be more sure of your
interpretations, and feel a sense of accomplishment
at the end of the year.
Start now with a reading
for yourself for 2015.
Here’s how…
Step 1) Focus on the question, “What can I expect
over the next 12 months.”
Step 2) Shuffle with this question in mind and then
deal out 12 cards in a row. The first card represents
the most significant energy associated with the
month of January. The second is for February, etc.
Step 3) Take the time to look at each card and give
at least 3 sentences of interpretation about the events
and energy associated with that month.
Step 4) Write down the results of your reading.
Step 5) At the end of the year, review this reading
and congratulate yourself on your uncanny
predictions and your accurate insights!
The gift of Tarot is its ability to help you make
decisions and to give guidance and inspiration when
you most need it. A New Year resolution to improve
your ability to give accurate Tarot readings is the
best gift you can give yourself!
Edition 18 Summer 2014
New Year Resolution for Tarot
On Feb 16, spend a few moments in silent gratitude to the artist of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It was on this
day in 1878 that Pamela Colman Smith was born.
Pixie was born in England, but her father had business ties with Jamaica, and the family moved there when
she was 10 years old. They lived in Jamaica for several years.
Her Jamaican nurse told her the stories of the land and people, and this folklore became an important part of her life.
When she was 15 she moved back to Brooklyn and
during her schooling she was encouraged to study art. By the time she was 19 she had a feature exhibition which was
reviewed in the New York Times. By the age of 21 she had
gone back to London to become a writer and illustrator and she managed to publish four books, three of which were hers
entirely—two included hand-coloured prints and one of the
books was a series of Jamaican folk tales with line drawings. In that year she also toured with a theatre company.
This theatre training obviously paid off as she
created a Jamaican character and she used this as a way of making money. In the Nelson Evening Mail on 4 May 1907,
Pixie was mentioned in the following way: “Miss Pamela
Colman Smith, who made such a success in London a year or two ago as a storyteller, is now enchanting America with
her quaint art. She recently entertained Mark Twain, and he
was so delighted that he laughed like a child the whole time.”
Pamela Colman Smith in the attire of a Jamaican story-teller.
Photo on right taken by Kate Pragnell, in 1912.
Pixie spent several years working with the theatre
company where she helped with costume design and stage
design. One of the members of this theatre group was its business manager, Bram Stoker, the author of ‘Dracula’.
Pixie illustrated his last novel, ‘Lair of the White Worm’.
Pixie also did illustrations for the poet William Butler Yeats.
It was Yeats who introduced Pixie to the occult society The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Arthur
Edward Waite (the designer of the modern Tarot) and
Aleister Crowley were members at the time. Soon after her initiation into the Golden Dawn, the
Order broke up into two groups. Many of the Golden Dawn
members, including Pixie stayed with Waite’s side of the group. At this time Waite was designing a new Tarot deck
which he asked Pixie to illustrate.
Pixie worked on this set of Tarot drawings in a small studio in London’s Chelsea district. She was 31 years
old at the time and had become a small, slightly plump
woman with an exotic appearance. She worked on the Tarot card project for about seven months. A full coloured
set of 80 cards had to be ready for publishing in December
1909 — 78 Tarot cards plus the designs for the back of the card and the nameplate.
Not one of the 80 original drawings for the cards
has been found. This is probably because the Rider & Sons Publishing archives were destroyed during World War II
bombing raids.
When the cards were published, they had minimal
marketing and only a few occultists
took notice—and most of them were stuck in long-running feuds. The
general public did not know what to
do with these ‘novelty’ cards. Tarot was considered to be a French
custom, not English. It was only
when the ‘New Age’ movement ‘discovered’ Tarot in the late 1960s
and 1970s that they became popular.
There is little known about the last 35 years of Pixie’s life. We know that she died in 1951 in Cornwall,
but the location of her grave is unknown. She was in debt
and all of her possessions were auctioned off. Except for a few art exhibitions during her early
career, which had a small amount of success, most of her
artwork has disappeared. Pixie would probably have been forgotten except for the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck.
It is thanks to Pixie’s visionary genius (and
Waite’s direction) that we are blessed with these magnificent Tarot cards that have continued to grow in
popularity.
On the 16th of February remember to say Happy Birthday Pixie! Through her marvellous artwork she will
never be forgotten.
Edition 18 Summer 2014
2015 Living Tarot Conference
The Tarot Guild of Australia has announced that
another International Tarot Conference will be
held in Melbourne in 2015.
Last year’s event was sensational, so if you are
serious about Tarot, then start planning your
attendance at this event.
It will be held from 7th to 9th August 2015, followed
by 2 days of workshops on 10th and 11th August.
Guest presenters are said to include, Amber Jayanti,
Evelynne Joffe, Caitlin Matthews, and Mark Ryan.
Learn how to combine Tarot and Palmistry in an innovative, five week course, held once a week at Hahndorf, S. A. Only $190 Email Trev: [email protected]
The Burning Serpent Oracle a Workshop with
Rachel Pollack & Robert Place
The Burning Serpent Oracle is a Lenormand of the Soul.
Saturday 28th February 2015 Learn directly from the Masters who created this 21st century mythic deck inspired by the 160 year old Lenormand fortune-telling cards. The Burning Serpent Oracle is a deck which has appeal for both Lenormand and Tarot readers. Sunday 1st March 2015 Rachel Pollack: Tarot Reading Techniques: the use of techniques and approaches of Lenormand with Tarot. Rachel Pollack is the author of 78 Degrees of Wisdom. The Burning Serpent Oracle is Rachel’s 35th book, of which close to 20 have been on Tarot and divination. Monday 2nd March 2015 Robert Place: The History of the Tarot and Renaissance Symbolism of the Trumps. Robert Place is a gifted illustrator and author. His books and decks include The Alchemical Tarot, Magic and Alchemy, and Shamanism.
All workshops will be held at
Beau Monde International, 934 Doncaster Road, Doncaster, Victoria.
For registration information, see www.tarotguild.org.au
or email: [email protected]
Edition 18 Summer 2014
This image is from Mister Tarot’s affirmations video…a Tarot meditation filled with
spiritual insight. Settle back and take a relaxing journey through the Major Arcana of the
Tarot. Listen to peaceful music as you view the Tarot cards, which are accompanied by
uplifting affirmations. Repeat these inspirational phrases to yourself as you look at the
images. Click here to view it.
Edition 18 Summer 2014
3D Tarot Video
Here’s a unique experience exploring the
Tarot. You won’t have seen anything like
this before.
The lovely and talented Kim Arnold (of
UK Tarot Conference fame) has created a
fascinating way to experience the cards—
it’s Tarot in 3D!
This first section features only three cards,
but let’s hope she makes some more soon.
Click here to see this wonderful video.
A Tarot reading can help you to…
See the past more clearly.
Understand the present.
Work out best choices in the future.
Clarify your goals.
Discover what you really want and
why you want it.
Tarot is a way of tapping into your
subconscious mind and the universal-
consciousness to provide answers and
direction. The answers are already there—
Tarot gives you a way to bring that
information into your consciousness.
Seeing Mister Tarot for a reading gives you
the power to manifest change in your life.
If you’d like a Tarot reading from Mister
Tarot, he’ll be available Sunday 8th
February at Crystal Wave, Grange, South
Australia.
It’s time to take charge of your destiny. Phone
8235 1817 for bookings.
New Tarot Workshops with Don McLeod
Session # 1 - Tarot Simplified
Sunday 22nd March from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Held at Crystal Wave 677 Grange Road, Grange, SA
How Tarot Works
Demystifying Tarot
Insightful Tarot Spreads
Learn Easy Interpretations
Practical & Spiritual Uses
By the end of this workshop you will feel
comfortable using Tarot cards and you will
have a better understanding of their meanings.
6 hours training for only $99
Requirements: Rider-Waite Tarot Deck
Bookings essential: Phone 8235 1817
Followed by…
Session # 2 - Intermediate Tarot
Sunday 29th March from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
@ Crystal Wave
Continue Your Tarot Adventure
Use the Major Arcana in Spreads
Become Familiar with the Suits
Connect with the Cards’ Numbers
Understand the Court Cards
Gain more confidence in
your ability to read the cards.
6 hours training for only $99 Bookings essential: Phone 8235 1817
Edition 18 Summer 2014
Tarot Quiz Apart from the card called The Moon, which other cards feature dogs?
I heard an interesting interview on the radio the other
day. A researcher (Dr Helen Fisher from Rutgers
University) studied people through a dating agency to
work out which types of people were likely to stay
together, and which types were not suitable.
She said, “I’ve always wanted to know what goes on
in the brain when you fall madly in love. People have
often thought that romantic love was part of the
supernatural, but we don’t think that fear is part of the
supernatural, or anger, or surprise. But somehow we
have relegated romantic love to the stars, and magic.”
So, the big question is, what is it that determines why
we fall in love with one person rather than another?
Helen Fisher explained, “There’s a good deal of
psychological data that we tend to fall in love with
somebody from the same socioeconomic background,
same ethnic background, same general level of
intelligence, same general level of good looks, same
goals, same religious and social values etc. So, in that
way similarity attracts. But I wanted to know if basic
body chemistry, your basic genetics, and your
hormone system drives you towards some people
rather than others. You know people will say, ‘We
had chemistry.’ Well, what do they mean by that?”
In her research she was trying to discover if there were
any behavioural traits that were linked with any
particular brain systems. And as it turns out there are
four brain systems, and each one of them is linked
with a whole constellation of personality traits. She
created a questionnaire which was placed on a dating
site—and so far 13 million people have taken this test!
She was able to study the traits people express, and
who they were naturally drawn to. And it shows that
in two cases similarity attracts, but in the other two
cases opposites attract.
Why is this of interest to Tarot readers? Because
the four personality types are exact descriptions of
the four suits! The qualities of the Kings and
Queens of the Court cards reflect the personality
types in her survey. So, if you know which Court
card represents you, you can work out which type
of person you will be attracted to, and whether
that’s a good choice or not!
Edition 18 Summer 2014
Type A is the same as the suit of Wands. These
people tend to be creative, curious, spontaneous,
energetic, novelty-seeking risk takers—and these
people want somebody like themselves. Helen
Fisher says, “They want somebody who is going
to leap off the couch and go to New Guinea to see
what it’s like there. I call these people explorers,
and explorers tend to seek other explorers.”
Type B is the same as the suit of Pentacles. They
tend to be conventional, traditional, and cautious.
They are sometimes frugal, they follow rules, they
are respectful of authority, they are detail
orientated, and loyal. They also seek somebody
like themselves.
In the other two cases, opposites attract. Type C is
analytical, logical, direct, decisive, sceptical, and
good at things like math and computers. In other
words, they are characters from the suit of
Swords. And they are attracted to Type D -
somebody who is compassionate, socially skilled,
emotionally expressive, imaginative, and
intuitive. This is the King or Queen of Cups.
Sword and Cup personalities are quite different,
but they have a mutual attraction for each other.
When the interviewer asked if it was possible to
predict what relationships will work and what
won’t work, Helen Fisher replied, “I think that
almost any kind of relationship can work, it’s just
that they are going to have different kinds of
problems. But there’s no question about it, when I
hear that a certain type of person is going out with
another certain type of person, I can anticipate
what some of those problems could be.”
Click here to listen to the whole interview.
‘Watching the moon at dawn,
solitary, mid-sky,
I knew myself completely:
no part left out.’
~ Izumi Shikibu
Love & Happiness & Court Cards
www.MisterTarot.com
Mister Tarot is on Facebook! Visit here and click “Like” to get all the latest Tarot news.
“Become a good noticer. Pay
attention to the feelings,
hunches, and intuitions that
flood your life each day.
If you do, you will see that
premonitions are not rare, but
a natural part of our lives.”
~ Larry Dossey from “The Power of
Premonitions: How Knowing the Future
Can Shape Our Lives”
If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter,
simply send an email to: [email protected]
with the word ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject area.
Copyright on all articles in this newsletter belong
to Don McLeod unless specifically stated otherwise.
Tarot Quiz
Q: Apart from the card called The Moon, which other cards feature dogs? A: The Fool, and the Ten of Pentacles.
Symbols and Interpretations for The Moon
Symbols: The changing face of the Moon Goddess (Maiden, Mother, and Crone) can be seen in this card.
The towers from the Death card are also featured in this image, and they represent the passage through
the gates of consciousness, into the realms of the psyche. The domestic dog, the wolf, and the crayfish
stare at the Moon Goddess, and blessings in the form of yods flow to the earth.
The dog and wolf are reluctant to walk along the trail to the mountains. These animals represent the
primitive, instinctual aspects of the conscious mind, barking and howling at the unknown. The crayfish,
representing our darkest thoughts and feelings, climbs from the depths of the subconscious mind. Its desire
is to travel down the path in order to expose itself to illumination, and to ultimately gain enlightenment,
but all previous attempts have failed and it will eventually become submerged again.
The crayfish represents the zodiac sign of Cancer. In modern times this is symbolised by a crab, but in
Renaissance times the crayfish was the usual emblem for that sign. In the astrological charts available at
the time of Tarot’s origins, Cancer was adjacent to Canis Minor and Canis Major (the dog and the wolf),
and the twins of Gemini (the towers) were nearby.
In our world: This card represents the person who is moody and irrational at times. She picks up psychic
impressions from people and is sensitive to her environment. She is emotionally vulnerable and often very
creative. Depending on the phase of the moon, she can be withdrawn, wild, or inspired with visions.
Dreamer, poet, and witch—she looks to the Moon Goddess for wisdom and peace.
In a reading: The Moon represents imagination, instincts, change, fluctuation, and vivid dreams. Because
of the feminine nature of this card, the changes implied in a reading should be regarded as being of a
subtle nature, relating to the inner level of experience. The message from this card is to calm the mind and
find peace within yourself. There is a soft and a gentle energy about this card.
Edition 18 Summer 2014