One of the creative things I have been doing during this time of social distancing is reconnecting with the ladies I used to play music with when I lived in the Tampa area. Now, we are not only socially distanced, we have many miles between us. Yet, we are finding ways to play songs together. It’s been fun, inspiring, healing and a little bittersweet.

The song we are working on right now is an updated version of the old Shaker hymn, “Simple Gifts”. I sang a version of this song with my church choir when I was a teen.

It seems appropriate for this time.

So often when we think of gifts, we think of packages with bows wrapped in shiny paper. I love to give and receive those sorts of gifts! Yet, there are many gifts that don’t come with giftwrap, and weren’t purchased at a store.

One spiritual survival technique is to try to find the gift in everything, even during very difficult times. During this pandemic I have seen this in clients’ readings. Even though this is affecting everyone, we are all going through different challenges. As part of that, there seems to be a unique spiritual gift, that is, a lesson or an opportunity, that is available to each of us.

To find that gift, and to nurture it and treasure it, is helpful.

We also use the word ‘gift’ to discuss our talents. Often, we don’t identify our own talents because they come so easily to us. When something is easy for us to do, we assume everyone can do it as well as we can!

‘Gifts’ is also a word that we use to discuss our psychic and spiritual abilities. Sometimes I find this an unhealthy nomenclature. Fraudulent professional mystics often use this word to describe their talents as a way of suggesting that they are aligned with spiritual forces to which average people have no access.

At the same time, if we recognize the word ‘gifts’ as another word for ‘talents’, we recognize that we can always work to develop our gifts, be they spiritual, artistic, or technical.
We often admire gifts of exceptionality. That is, talent that is unique and unlike what most people can do. On an amateur level, we need to know that even if our talents don’t set us above others, what we can do well, and what we enjoy doing, is still a gift to ourselves and to those around us.

Being able to find the gifts in our situation, and to find the gifts within ourselves, is a survival tool in difficult times, and a tool that can help us thrive in life.

The StaarCorner

What happens at a tarot conference? At the Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers Conference, you can expect a wide range of workshops and classes on tarot, Lenormand, Kipper, psychic development, meditation, and all things magical and mystical.

You can expect to meet some of the best artists and authors in the world of cartomancy and divination. You can expect to explore a vending hall filled with high-quality tools and art.

You can also expect to spend time making friends and connecting with like-minded people, sharing ideas, readings, techniques, and experiences.

Learn more about StaarCon, and register to attend, on the StaarCon website.

Finding the Gift with Tarot

When you find yourself in a difficult situation, simply ask the cards a question such as, “What is the gift for me here?”

When you are struggling to grow in your life, or to understand yourself better, ask the cards to show you a hidden talent that you could develop.

It is easy to ask questions like this and pull a single card, or a small group of cards, in answer. You can also ask questions such as, “How can I develop my talents?” or “What do I need to do the find the gift in this difficult set of circumstances?”

When we dialogue with the cards about the gifts within and around us, we take responsibility for our growth, and for our positive and productive response to challenges. We learn about the tools we have, and how to better use them.

Practical Tarot Techniques on Zoom

Join me on Thursday, May 21, from 7 to 9 pm EDT on Zoom for a tarot class appropriate for readers of all levels of experience.

What is the best way to give a general reading? How can you use tarot to interpret a dream? What spreads can you use to make a decision?

There are so many techniques for working with tarot! In this hands-on workshop we will explore spreads, interpretations, and techniques for reading for yourself and others.

Grab your tarot deck and get ready to expand your skills and understanding!

Class fee is $37.50. Register now!

The Week in Review

This week saw the end of April, and the beginning of May. The first day of May is an important day on many calendars around the world. I led an informal ceremony on Facebook Live which featured a four-card tarot spread. I wrote about the powerful cards that appeared on my 78 Magickal Tools Blog.

You can see the ceremony in archive, as well as the other live events I do every week, on my Facebook business page and my YouTube channel.

From Around the Web

Check out the Tarot Blog Hop for May First. Start with the Master List to to see the topic, and follow the links to read what six different blogs had to say.

Read your tarotscope for May, from Starcana.

You can always count on the Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, for great monthly astrology forecasts. Here is what Theresa has to say for May 2020.

Cards for Your Consideration

It was impossible for me to find only one card, or a single set of cards, that speaks to the topic of finding the gifts within a situation and within ourselves.

Certainly, the Aces and the Pages come to mind as the beginning of a journey of learning and discovery.

The Aces, too, in the Waite-Smith depiction, show the heavenly gift of each element, and speak of heaven as the source of all gifts.

The Star easily depicts the gift of healing, while the Ten of Pentacles shows the gift of family wealth.

Perhaps it is easier to say that, just as we can find a gift in any situation in life, we can find a gift in each of the seventy-eight tarot cards.

The gift here is tarot itself. Tarot is a simple game imbued with the magic of fortune-telling, divination, spiritual exploration, storytelling, and creativity. Each of us may find different ways of understanding and connecting with tarot.

Each tarot card teaches us something about life, and about ourselves. The more we learn these lessons, the better our lives will be.

Upcoming Events and Tours

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 19
May 6, 2020