Tarot Update with Lisa Finander
Reader's Block

Lisa Finander Hello everyone,

This month I thought it might be fun to talk about something that happens to most if not all of us as tarot readers. It's called reader's block, a term Teresa Michelsen uses in her book The Complete Tarot Reader. Imagine yourself reading at an event or festival. Total strangers walk up to your table waiting for something profound and brilliant to come out of your mouth without any help from them. I compare it to going to the doctor and saying, "Guess why I came in today and give me what I need to fix it." (You lay out the cards and try to ignore the whispering from the people waiting in line. The person that came to listen to their friend's reading refuses to allow you do a private reading or won't stop interrupting the reading with their editorial comments.) Of course it doesn't need to be that extreme. You could be looking at an arrangement of cards that puzzles you for one reason or another. At this point you could use a reading to figure out what to do!

Relaxing and clearing your mind is part of being able to move past the block, but it takes some practice with those skills beforehand to be able to use them quickly and under pressure. My approach has always been to jump in and start talking about whatever I see. If the reading appears confusing and all over the place, I say that. For me, starting a conversation with the client, even though I am blocked, keeps my mind busy, calms the client (who can become worried if I stare at the cards in silence for too long), and allows me to move through any anxiety, worry, or expectations I may have for the reading. But that's my style. Teresa offers many more methods for overcoming reader's block in her book.

Here are a few of them:
1. Start Somewhere Else
If you need to start your reading and are still not sure what all the cards mean, remember that it is usually not necessary to conduct a reading in a strict order.

2. Ask the Client
If the client is sitting there with you and you are really stuck, try this approach. You can tell the client, if you choose, that one of the cards is unclear to you, and because she knows her question and situation the best, she may be able to help you with what is represents.

3. Let It Go
After all is said and done, there may still be a card that refuses to speak. It may even appear blank or unusually featureless. In some cases, this may represent an area where the client does not want you to see what is happening, or does not want to know what is happening (this can happen in readings for ourselves too)...
In the last newsletter, I asked for your ideas on what to call our online community. We received a lot of entries. You are a creative group!

Please vote for one of the following names by sending an email to tarotupdate@llewellyn.com:

1. Tarot Traveler
2. Tarot Pathways
3. Tales of Tarot

The winning name will be announced in the next Tarot Update.

May all your readings be good ones,

Lisa

An excerpt from the article
Six Amazing Years of Improvement
by Phoenix McFarland

Like the phoenix for which I am named, The New Book of Magical Names arose from the ashes of its old self as a whole new being. After the first edition (with the title The Complete Book of Magical Names) appeared, I had the luxury of time--six years--to think about it some more.

I also had the unexpected delight of receiving letters from a great number of (mostly) young readers who took the time to share with me what they got out of my first edition. Those letters are something I cherish. So many young teens had written from a place of personal angst. They were young people searching for themselves in a book of names.

The idea of using the names as a tool for self-transformation was something I covered in the original book, but the idea of self-definition was a new notion. To address that, I enlarged the "Index by Characteristics." This is a place where names are listed by the characteristics they envoke. If a woman wants to express more of a certain characteristic, she could start by choosing a magical name from the appropriate category. As that person and others increasingly identify her by using that name, the more she and others believe her to be that way. Soon she will begin to adopt other mannerisms and interests in that direction. Eventually, she will indeed have a name that suits the new her. It works for men, too.

READ MORE!

Great Books and Decks on Sale through
October 13
Click for a complete list of sale items


The Complete Tarot Reader
By Teresa Michesen
ISBN: 0-7387-0434-2
Price: $15.95 $11.17



The New Book of Magical Names
By Phoenix McFarland
ISBN: 0-7387-0395-8
Price: $19.95 $13.97



Tarot: Get the Whole Story
By James Ricklef
ISBN: 0-7387-0345-1
Price: $15.95 $11.17



Animals Divine Tarot
By Lisa Hunt
ISBN: 0-7387-0321-4
Price: $24.95 $17.47



The Bright Idea Deck
By Mark McElroy
ISBN: 0-7387-0595-0
Price: $19.95 $13.97



Da Vinci Tarot Kit
By Mark McElroy and Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 0-7387-0894-1
Price: $21.95 $15.37

An excerpt from The Llewellyn Tarot
by Anna-Marie Ferguson


WALES, LAND OF THE RED DRAGON


In legend, the standard of King Arthur and his father, Uther, was the red dragon, which remains the proud national emblem of Wales today. It would seem, however, that the land's association with the red dragon predates the Arthurian Dark Ages and is a tradition stretching back so far as to be lost in the Celtic Dawn. The dragon is evocative of the country's heroic nature, which continued to simmer, rise up, and drive the lives of native heroes such as Llewellyn ap Gruffydd and Owain Glyndwr. The many castles of Wales stand as testament to this rebellious spirit; while the castles are loved today for their magnificence, they were built by the English as strongholds of repression in the effort to quell the independent spirit of the Welsh.

THE RED DRAGON SPREAD
To Overcome an Obstacle



1. The Dream: Your heart's desire

2. Your Companions: The assistance you will receive

3. The Journey: Unfamiliar places you must go to realize the dream

4. Magical Gifts: New skills required for success

5. The Enchantment: Hidden obstacles along the path

6. The Dragon: What you must befriend, sacrifice, or defeat

7. The Awakening: The final outcome of your efforts


Get a FREE online Tarot reading featuring The Llewellyn Tarot with Llewellyn's Web Tarot Reader. If you like it, put Llewellyn's Web Tarot on your own website, free of charge!

Cool Links

Between Worlds
Nancy Antenucci's website, featuring presentations, workshops, personal readings and consultations, and monthly creative exercises.

Tarot Passages
One of the best tarot sites on the internet

Related Tarot articles from The Llewellyn Journal

ideadeck.com
Home Base for Mark McElroy's The Bright Idea Deck

Definitions of Tarot-related terms from the Llewellyn Encyclopedia

Aeclectic Tarot
Another of the best tarot sites on the internet - tons of reviews and an active forum with lots of great conversations
Author Events

Teresa Michesenn Teresa Michelsen, author of The Complete Tarot Reader, is holding two Tarot classes this year:

Dates: October 15 - November 15, 2006
Name of Class: Celtic Cross Intensive, 4 weeks, for all levels.

Dates: January - February 2007
Name of Class: Reading Reversals, 8 weeks, for Intermediate levels.

For more information and to sign up, visit Tarot Moon.

Mary K. Greer, author of 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, will make the following appearances this fall:

Date: October 7, 2006 Time: 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Event Location: East West Books, 2216 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95825. 916-920-3837

Date: October 28 - 29, 2006 Time: 12 pm
Event Location: Mary K. Greer will hold Tarot workshops in Toronto. Please contact info@workeroforacles.com for more information.


Click for a complete list of Llewellyn Author Events!
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