For Part 1, click here.

For Part 2, click here.

Saturday morning dawned, and I hustled my way to the breakfast buffet and grabbed my chow before high-tailing it the the main room to attend Theresa Reed’s breakfast roundtable “The Tarot Industry: Where Do We Go From Here?”

The breakfast roundtable was full of lively conversation and interjections. A lot of it was business related, and even some of it involved the good old debate about what Beth Owl’s Daughter calls the “purple-color ghetto”: people that think that spiritual or metaphysical people shouldn’t be charging for their services. Theresa acted as a moderator and kept the talk engaged and on-topic. I even chimed in with my thoughts on legitimacy when someone offered up the idea of selling products to bring legitimacy to a tarot practice, to which I replied, “I’d love to get beyond that where there is no need for us to legitimize what we do as tarot readers.”

Me holding the “talking stick” (aka Wand of Power) during Theresa’s breakfast roundtable, photo by Helena Aislin

Once the roundtable wrapped up, we were all ready for Day 2 of Readers Studio. Saturday usually proves to be the busiest day of the conference, with the two final Master Classes and the dinner banquet. This one was no exception, and there was added low-grade pressure on me, because my class was Saturday night… and I was still stressing about it. I simply knew I couldn’t relax until after I was done teaching. I tried to calm down and just focus on a “one step at a time” mentality, or in this case, one class at a time.

The first Master Class of the day was with Major Tom Shick. He took us through his own tarot journey, and taught us a few things he learned along the way. Then it was time for lunch. While I wanted to join people for a nice long lunch and conversation, I opted to sequester myself in my room and go over my class notes and slides. (Did I mention I was stressing about my class?) It’s a good thing I did, because I felt calmer and more centered afterwards, and ready to rejoin the conference for the final Master Class.

We returned to the second Master Class of the day with Ferol Humphrey. She took us through a lot of interactive exercises that were table-wide, which may or may not have been a problem since I was seated at the “Bad Girls Table + Mike”. I really took a lot out of this class, and realized that perhaps a longer frame of time for a reading might be counter to what specific clients need. Sometimes they just need a sentence to summarize what’s REALLY going on in a situation!

The “Bad Girls’ Table + Mike” (aka Table #11)

After the final Master Class, we had a brief break before the cocktail party and dinner banquet. I hurried off to change for the banquet and gather my stuff together for my class so I could easily grab it after dinner.

The banquet was lovely as usual, and I enjoyed spending time in classy elegance with my tarot peeps. Cue the photo montage of mingling at the banquet!

Me and the lovely Linette of SunTurn Tarot (she came all the way from Australia to attend Readers Studio!), photo by Helena Aislin

Me with the legendary Mary K. Greer, Dan Pelletier, and Sasha Graham, photo by Helena Aislin

I sat with the beautiful and fun Deborah Smith and Gina Thies (not pictured) at the banquet!

The highlight of the banquet was a tribute to Ciro Marchetti for his prolific contributions to the tarot and Lenormand world. Ciro is an amazing artist, and had made the decision to move away from tarot endeavors. This was the last Readers Studio he was attending. While most of us in the tarot world are absolutely obsessed with Ciro’s work (Hello, Legacy of the Divine Deck? Gilded Reverie Lenormand?), we cannot be happier for the time he spent in our crazy subset, and we wish him all the best in his future artistic ventures!

Unfortunately for me, but fortunate for my class attendees, I didn’t get to watch Ciro’s video tribute, because I had to skaddle away from the banquet early to set up for my class. True to my nerd roots, I had a powerpoint and nerves the size of Kentucky, but all went well!

Who, me? A teacher of tarot AND spells? Nah.

And now, it’s time for a backstory. I would never have been teaching at Readers Studio unless Theresa made submitting a class proposal a homework assignment. Yes, my tarot mentor still gives me homework assignments, and for some reason I still obey (even though our mentorship relationship ended over a year ago!). Be careful with her: she may give you homework assignments, too!

Teaching “Using Tarot for Spell-Work”, photo by Theresa Reed

I was thrilled with the turnout, and though all the evening classes started late, my students stayed on to make up for the delay and play with the spreads I had created for the class. I also had an additional bonus in the form of Sasha Graham being my assigned “Teacher’s Assistant” (yes, the very same Sasha Graham that wrote the book Tarot Diva, go read it now if you haven’t already)!

After class I celebrated by doing a “wand dance” instead of a “pole dance”…

Workin’ that wand! photo by Theresa Reed

…answered any remaining questions my students had, and then proceeded quickly to the hotel bar, where I was more than happy to answer any other questions, drink a lovely berry mohito, and play with the Lenormand cards with an assorted bunch of the tarot motley crew. I can’t even remember what time it was when I finally called it a night and went to bed, because I was running on pure adrenaline and found it very hard to go to sleep! Thank goodness I did, because I still had a full final day of Readers Studio ahead…

Part 4 (the conclusion of the rundown) tomorrow!

Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

RS13 logo courtesy of Readers Studio/The Tarot School

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For Part 1, click here.

Friday morning was the official start of Readers Studio, and though I technically “slept in”, I still made it downstairs to the hotel restaurant with plenty of time for breakfast, conversation, and watching more tarot peeps roll in before the Opening Session started at 11am. Since I had already checked in the day before at the Tarot and Psychology conference, this allowed me more time to hang around, mingle, and check out the merch booths that were glistening with tarot goodies.

Me at breakfast prior to the official start of Readers Studio, photo by Paul Nagy

Before the festivities began, the only thing that I absolutely needed to purchase was a Grand Tableau cloth by Ciro and Maria Marchetti. I made a beeline over to the booth and made my purchase, then returned triumphant to my table right in time for the welcoming remarks.

After the welcome, the master class instructors for this year’s Readers Studio were introduced and interviewed. The master class instructors for this year were Nancy Antenucci, Major Tom Schick, and Ferol Humphrey. Each of them in their own way tantalized us with what they would be teaching during their master class.

Then we got down to the Foundation Readings, the very cornerstone of Readers Studio weekend. This year I paired up with Mike Hernandez and we got down to business. The problem with Readers Studio is that you are being read for pretty much all weekend, so you better come prepared with questions. I had a small “um” moment as I thought of what to ask the cards, and decided to ask a question about my upcoming nuptials. Mike’s reading was insightful and confirming, and I wondered what we would do on Sunday when we returned to it. You see, the foundation reading is all about giving a baseline of how your tarot reading is currently, and then you revisit the reading at the end of Readers Studio and apply all you learned during the weekend. After my reading, I gave Mike his reading, and then we broke for lunch.

Me and my foundation reading partner, Mike Hernandez

After lunch and allowing time for people to check into the hotel, we returned in the afternoon for our first master class of Readers Studio with Nancy Antenucci. Nancy’s class was called “The World Between the Worlds” and challenged those of us that really cling to our tarot cards… would you believe we even channeled in this class and gave each other messages? That sneaky Nucc!

Me and Master Class teacher Nancy Antenucci (Nucc), photo by Theresa Reed

After class, it was time for dinner and then attending either the optional evening classes or getting a reading from the Celebrity Psychic Fair. I opted to attend the evening study group on Lenormand with Rana George, because I’ve been fascinated by the Lenormand craze. I wanted to be able to learn Lenormand in person with someone, and offering the evening class was a perfect way to dip my toes into Lenormand and not feel completely overwhelmed. Honestly, it feels a bit like when I started to learn tarot!

I capped off the night with a nightcap at the hotel bar and a few of us tried out the Lenormand as we sipped our drinks. Alas, bedtime came way too quickly, as I wanted to be up on Saturday morning well rested for both Theresa’s breakfast roundtable and teaching my class Saturday evening…

Part 3 to come!

Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

RS13 logo courtesy of Readers Studio/The Tarot School

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I arrived on Wednesday night, knowing that the people that opted in for the bus trip to New York City would be returning shortly after my arrival, so I checked into the hotel room and made my way back down to the lobby to prowl for my tarot peeps. I didn’t have to wait long before people showed up, but most of us had the wise idea to call it an early night to be prepared for the next day’s “Tarot and Psychology” conference.

The day-long “Tarot and Psychology” conference on Thursday was a new addition to Readers Studio. This was a very interesting experience, and decidedly not for everyone in the tarot community. Personally I found it fascinating!

The day started off with a presentation from Dr. David Van Nuys. I enjoyed his speaking about the role of tarot and synchronicity in his personal life, and he reminded me of what a new age Mr. Rodgers might look like or sound like.

The next presenter was Dr. Elinor Greenberg, who took us through an exercise of making our own oracle cards based on the themes of our lives. Judging by looking around the room, there were a lot of happy tarot readers that love a craft project! After this exercise was completed, we were encouraged to use our new set of cards by themselves or in tandem with our tarot decks to deepen our readings. I certainly will be using my “Oracle of the High Priestess” for deepening my self-readings, but I probably won’t subject my clients to my remedial-looking “art” on my deck.

The final presenter of the Tarot and Psychology conference was Mary K. Greer, who was filling in for Dr. Arthur Rosengarten on 2 days notice! Unfortunately, Dr. Rosengarten got sick, so Mary, being the total tarot rock star she is, came up with a fascinating presentation about intuition and transference that really caused a stir for some people in the room. It made people a bit nervous when Mary, known as the “mother of modern tarot”, challenged people’s ideas of what is intuition and what is our own “stuff” that we may be transferring onto a client. It almost seemed as if with what she was saying, she didn’t believe in the concept of intuition (not true, by the way, as I was lucky enough to have a conversation with her to clarify afterwards).

What I got out of the Tarot and Psychology conference was that we, as readers, need to go further in analyzing both our clients and especially ourselves. When I began reading tarot for others, it was a struggle for me to open the doors of intuition wide for myself, and I suspect that is a journey that a lot of beginning readers go through. However, once there is a solid foundation of working with your intuition (some people might call the usage of “solid foundation” and “intuition” an oxymoron!), the doors to it need to be narrowed and focused. Not every intuitive “hit” is a hit. Not every message is a message intended for the client sitting in front of you… it could easily be a message for you! Fine-tuning reception of intuitive information is needed, and I think that was my lesson from attending this day-long conference.

All in all, I think this conference is a wonderful way to ease into the long weekend of Readers Studio. Stay turned for Part 2, when the actual conference began, tomorrow!

Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Images courtesy of Readers Studio/The Tarot School

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This is a little teaser… a portion of what I will be teaching at my evening class at Readers Studio this weekend.

The tarot is an incredibly versatile tool. One thinks of its immediate uses first, that of reading for someone’s past, present, future… etc. But did you know that you can “charm” a tarot card to bring aspects of the tarot card into your life… to create the life that YOU want?

Several tarot readers have suggested this, most recently in Sasha Graham’s book Tarot Diva. But there’s quite a few problems (and solutions to this): how do you choose between 78 cards which card is right for YOU? Right for the situation? Intuition comes into play here. One person’s Empress may be another person’s Devil (can you say mother-in-law issues?). Tarot Diva DOES include a chart of suggested cards for different tarot charms, but I have found the more personal the connection to the card, the better the magic works.

Step 1: Finding a Card

Get out your tarot deck and start rifling through the cards, face up. Keep a lookout for cards that may be applicable to issues that you would like to resolve. Anticipating travel delays (perhaps Mercury is in retrograde but you simply must travel during that time)? The 6 of Swords or 8 of Wands might be suitable to charm to make the situation smoother. Stuck with annoying habit that you are trying to break? The Devil reversed may be the perfect card to charm and stick in your back pocket when you are tempted to light up a cigarette when you are trying to quit the smoking habit.

Step 2: Charming the Card

Once you have found the ideal card for your situation, hold the card in both hands. Take three deep cleansing breaths, and allow your mind to become as blank as possible. Now, envision what you would like to happen. If quitting smoking, imagine you being able to take a full, deep breath of clean air. If possible, visualize the habit of smoking as shackles (like the ones you see in the Devil card). Feel the weight of the habit being as heavy as those chains, and now imagine them falling away. Picture the habit releasing its stranglehold on you, and you in turn releasing your own grip on it. If needed, close your eyes while you are visualizing, and then open them to look at the card. See the energy of your visualization flowing into the cards from either your hands or your eyes. You may feel a tingling sensation in your hands as you do this. You may also feel the need to speak to the card aloud as you are doing this.

Step 3: Carry the Card with You

Once you have charmed the card, you may want to carry it around with you or leave it in a prominent place as a reminder of the work you just did, and the work you will continue to do on a mundane level to allow the spell to come to fruition. If you have charmed a card to better focus your work while writing, a good place for this card to remain is resting on your desk, leaning on your computer monitor. For breaking a bad habit, carry the card with you. Reach for the card before you reach for the bad habit, and it may cause you to think twice!
I hope you enjoyed this little teaser! Just a reminder that I will be away at Readers Studio for the rest of the week, but stay tuned for the Readers Studio Rundown next week when I return!

Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How do you use tarot cards? Have you used them for another purpose, such as playing cards, inspiration for writing, or during spell-work? Share your experiences in the Comments section below.

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—

To learn about the Major Arcana overall and the first card in the Major Arcana, The Fool, go here.
To learn about the Magician, go here.

The Mysterious High Priestess

This is the one card I better know back, front, sideways, and inside-out… because She is now permanently on my body! Why the High Priestess card? people have asked. My response is that She is a constant reminder to always always ALWAYS trust my intuition. What I really love about both my tattoo and the placement of it is that it does have multiple meanings, including the reversal. When most people see my tattoo, they are seeing the High Priestess card upright (and therefore all the meanings of the upright association). When I look at my tattoo, I am seeing the High Priestess reversed (because I must bend my arm at the elbow to take a good look at her). The reversal of the card is a reminder that every time I haven’t trusted my intuition, I always end up regretting it.

Keywords: intuition (specifically the phrase “female intuition” but intuition is certainly not limited to one gender!), deep knowledge, inner wisdom

Applicable Quotes: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”—Albert Einstein

Traditional Meanings

The meeting of a very wise woman with spiritual and hidden knowledge. The scroll that the High Priestess holds often is a symbol of the Akashic Records, a record of everyone’s lives, both past, present, and future. The clues to the traditional meanings of the High Priestess are often indicated in the symbols most often seen on this card, such as the two pillars light and dark (walking between the worlds), the scroll, the flowing blue robes (oftentimes the water element is associated with this card), the number 2, her foot upon the crescent moon (symbolizing mastery over intuitive arts), etc. This card can also be associated with the Moon card in the tarot… if you look carefully past the High Priestess figure in the card, you can see the Moon temple from the Moon card off in the distance (in some decks). Have a look!

Personal Meanings

What I think of when I see the High Priestess: This depends on the client, the reading, and the other cards in the reading. But overall, I tell the client to start trusting their intuition (or continue to, as the case may be). As silly as this sounds, the intuitive hits one gets may seem to be as counter-intuitive as possible and impractical! This is not to say to act on your intuitive hits… sometimes this is impossible. However, acknowledging your inner voice is key.

When the High Priestess is reversed (upside down) in a reading, I let clients know that sometimes our interpretation of our intuition can sometimes be wrong, but the actual intuition itself is never wrong.

When The High Priestess Shows Up in a Reading

Upright: trust your gut, a wise woman shows you the way, psychic dreams

Reversed: time to eat some humble pie, backlash from not trusting an intuitive hit, tuning out other people’s opinions in order to better listen to your own wisdom

Ultimately, if/when you read for yourself, please keep the things I listed above in mind… and if you disagree, PLEASE use your own meanings for this card. Your thoughts on each individual card are invaluable, and lead you to a multi-layered understanding of the tarot that no one individual book/Little White Book/teacher can give you. Your experience with the cards counts, too!

Tarot class dismissed!
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Image: courtesy of Hilary Parry (yes, that’s my tatt!) and the Mighty Horseman Tattoo Co.

How do you relate to The High Priestess? Are you trusting your gut (or having trouble trusting your intuition)? Share your experiences in the Comments section below.

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I was appalled when I was talking to some fellow tarot readers the other day about nightmare-ish scenarios with some less-than-ideal clients. Some scenarios they were throwing out there seemed unfathomable to me.

For example, if you had a potentially violent ex-boyfriend trying to bang down your door, would you:
a) Call the police
b) Run into the room furthest away from the front door and cry
c) Scream back and further exacerbate the problem
d) Call a tarot reader

If any of you answer with any choice other than A, please please PLEASE do not call me (or any other tarot reader, for that matter) for a tarot reading!

I often like to say that there is no such thing as a tarot emergency. However, there IS such a thing as a real emergency. So, if you have a potentially dangerous situation going on, PLEASE don’t call a reader… because you’re just wasting valuable time which could be the difference between life or death only to get the same response from the reader as the one I’m giving you now: CALL THE POLICE!

Same can be said for health problems. Is your right arm numb or tingly and you’re worried you’re having a heart attack? Guess what? CALL 911, and get an ambulance up in that bitch.
Why am I feeling the need to reiterate something that seems so basic? Because god forbid something happens. I don’t want to encourage people to not use their noodle when it comes to common sense things. There’s nothing that drives me more nuts than people with over-average intelligence and no basic reasoning skills. NOTHING!

When You SHOULD Get a Tarot Reading

• on the precipice or faced with a life decision and still having a hard time deciding, even after weighing pros and cons
• when you are too close to a situation to be objective
• as an empowering exercise when you feel stuck in a rut

When You SHOULDN’T Get a Tarot Reading

• a life or death situation (go to the emergency room or call the cops!)
• When you’re drunk. Go sober up. Memories while drinking are foggy at best and completely nonexistent at worst. This also goes for the reader, too… if you suspect your reader is a bit tipsy, walk away.
• when in panic mode (see this post for why: What LUSH Taught Me…)

Seriously. Don’t become a statistic just because you didn’t hear it from a tarot card. The purpose of tarot is NOT to make your decisions for you; it’s to better INFORM your decisions. Think of it as the special sauce on your hamburger. It is not a necessity, but it sure makes the burger taste better/go down better. Tarot is not meant to take away your free will, nor is it meant to be the fall guy when you fuck up.

Here’s to empowered choices and common sense,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Image courtesy of FrameAngel / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you ever had a tarot reading when you probably shouldn’t have? How about not having one when you probably should have? Feel free to Comment below!

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This is my tarot bag… want to take a peek at which decks are inside?

This one comes from a twitter follower:

@hsparry I learned on the most loved + most falling apart Morgan-Greer deck. Are some decks better for some readings or is it your instinct?

— Kat McBride (@KatMcBrideArt) January 4, 2013

The short answer was this:

@katmcbrideart I think it’s a combo of both. I use Mystic Dreamer #tarot for love readings b/c it looks dreamy and romantic to me!

— Hilary Parry (@hsparry) January 4, 2013

The longer answer, well, is this blog post! The thing is, I try not to play favorites with my tarot decks. They only “become” my tried and true one subject decks if I calibrate them as such.

How does one “calibrate” a deck? Direct enough single-topic questions at them, and they’ll become a one-topic deck in most cases. This is both a blessing of tarot and a curse. Tarot allows us to look at a situation from all angles, and calibrating a deck towards specific topics can help hone in even further. However, If I use my “feelings” deck during a financial reading, trust me: I won’t get a reading on money. I’ll get a reading on how I FEEL about money, or how others feel about it. To be sure, there’s a benefit to that, but there’s a definite downside as well.

When I go out into the world to greet a new tarot client, I bring my tarot bag with me. This is a large bag that I hold four decks in, a notebook and pen (just in case my client hasn’t brought them and wishes to take notes), my trusted timer, and my large water bottle. The identity of the four tarot decks included in the tarot bag usually rotates out, depending on how I’m feeling or intuiting about what the client needs as I pack my bag before heading out for a reading.

Here’s a little “backstage pass” to the four decks I usually bring with me to any tarot reading appointment:

For romance readings: I use Mystic Dreamer because of not only the reasons tweeted above. Consistently when I have a client choose a deck for a romance reading, they choose this one (sometimes only feeling the energy coming off of the deck, and sight unseen!). It seems that both client and tarot reader are in agreement on this one: this is my lovey-dovey deck.

For a no-hold’s barred, gotta have the unvarnished truth reading: Tarot of the Boroughs. Sometimes the grittiness of a photo deck will force me to just “get real” with a reading. I also call this the “tough love” deck when my clients need a bit of a butt-kicking! I have a few theories about why this deck equates with tough love for me: the designer of the deck uses tough love to teach lessons to me (and frequently). Also, it’s hard not to “get real” when you have real-world images staring you in the face instead of a dreamy illustrated figure looking up at you from the card.

For the soul-seeker: Legacy of the Divine has a spiritualistic feel. It’s very used to hearing the question: “What is my soul’s purpose?” or “What is my destiny/fate?” Again, clients will choose this deck, sight unseen, when wanting to ask about their soul’s purpose.

My comfortable “security blanket” deck: Llewellyn Tarot. When all else fails (or a client simply doesn’t want to choose which deck they want to be read for from), I reach out to my own personal default deck. I’m extremely comfortable with the imagery (based upon stories in Welsh mythology) and this is the deck that I do my own tarot readings from. It is very good at general readings and equally at home in any topic the client wishes clarity on. An all-around team player!

Other decks that I “sub in”, when warranted:

Steampunk Tarot: Practicality is the name of the game with this deck, and also, it’s fun! This is one of the most useful decks I own, and despite its nod to the Steampunk genre (usually very specific) it seems that this is the deck to use with clients unfamiliar with the tarot… it’s surprisingly welcoming to newbies.

Tarot Nova: Because of its simplistic nature and innocent imagery, I normally use this deck for children. It sure as heck is not recommended for your first deck BECAUSE it is so simplistic (see the blog post for the down-low on that) but nix the big-baddy cards that younger children don’t understand (Death, the Tower, the Devil) and it could easily translate to the perfect reading deck for your little one (both sides of the table). Why not teach your child an excellent tool for creativity and self-contemplation?

Heart of the Faerie Oracle: for the seemingly aimless wanderer, who’s just as content when their questions lead to more questions. Since this is an oracle deck and not a tarot deck, I find that these type of decks lead to more questions and rabbit-holes than definable answers.

The choice is yours,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Image courtesy of Papaya! Art

Is there a deck you use for a specific topic? What is it and why do you use it for that topic? Feel free to Comment below!

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Best of Tarot by Hilary 2012

10. What LUSH Taught Me About Brand Dynamics and Tarot

I LOVE LUSH. As I write, I have my trusted “Handy Gurugu” Hand Cream next to me (picked up during a recent trip), and I can’t live without my “Rehab” shampoo and “American Cream” conditioner. I say without a trace of shame that I am a Lushie. This blog post combined two of my great loves (LUSH and tarot, naturally) and made me wonder what it was about LUSH that creates such a die-hard following . . . and how I could apply those principles to my own tarot business.

9. The Major Arcana In-Depth: 1 The Magician

Apparently, the Magician is more of a beloved Major Arcana card than I originally thought (or maybe a more misunderstood one) because a whole heap of people wanted to learn about him. Sometimes he can be known as a tricky character (especially when reversed), but overall best known as a teacher. Go get to know him!

8. Billy Joel, Narcissism, and Tarot Readings

I gotta say, this one practically wrote itself (or my anger over the situation did!). What is one to do when confronted with a narcissistic tarot reader who’d rather talk about themselves than you during YOUR reading? The answer to that question (and more!) can be found in this blog post.

7. Are There Shortcuts to Learning Tarot?

The quickie answer is “you betcha!” The longer answer, and some great tips, resides in this blog post. Some of the best blog content here comes from client questions, so keep being inquisitive about tarot, and I’ll keep turning those questions into informative blog posts!

6. The Wisdom Is in You—5 Ways to Realize It

What does a cheesy Hallmark movie about a good witch have to do with tarot and finding your own inner wisdom? You’ll just have to read this blog post to find out! Definitely have a soft spot for this blog post, as I have an unhealthy obsession with Hallmark’s “Good Witch” movie series.

5. The Major Arcana In-Depth: 0 The Fool

This blog post is all about the star of the tarot show The Fool, and his journey. Let’s also throw a little Joseph Campbell in there, a video relating the Hero’s Journey to popular movies, info about the Major Arcana, and stir!

4. Mentorship Wrap-Up (aka the Tarot Apprentice Rises)

A year-long mentorship with Theresa Reed ended with laughs, a few drinks, and lessons learned. What does a tarot mentorship entail? I do my best to describe the experience here.

3. If You Sprinkle When You Tinkle… Leaving Clients Better Than You Found Them

Okay, so it ain’t technically 2012, but this blog post gives me the most website action due to its provocative title and popularity. It ain’t rocket science: treat your clients well and don’t do harm, for pete’s sake!

2. 5 Simple Steps to Activate Your Intuition

More “games” than “steps” to activating your intuition. You gotta be able to play, otherwise intuition development will bore you to tears. Make it fun, and I guarantee you you’ll learn!

1. How I (Almost) Ruined My Marriage Proposal—Parts 1, 2, 3, and Conclusion

Hand’s down, MY favorite series of blog posts and yours. Unfortunately for everyone, that’s all she wrote, since he DID propose (and I said YES!). I’m sure there will be more misadventures involved in being engaged to (and married to) a psychic, so stay tuned!

Gotta admit, 2012 was a pretty great year for posts. So, how do I top it in 2013? I’ve got a few ideas…
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Any personal favorites that aren’t listed here? Feel free to Comment below!

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On to the Tarot by Hilary Best of 2012 in Tarot!

Best Tarot Blog—Besides mine? Well, okay. Divine Whispers by Donnaleigh de la Rose… she tackles subjects that most tarot readers fear to dip their proverbial toes into. She’s not afraid to get to the deep stuff, and oftentimes these are her most compelling articles. For an example of this, “The Best and Worst in You”. She also is the main reason I am now going to attempt to learn Lenormand (“Choosing Your First Lenormand Deck”) and who can resist trying out a crafting project or two? Donnaleigh’s blog has it all, and she is an absolute sweetheart to boot!

Best Tarot Deck— The Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell: Some would consider this deck a novelty on par with Hello Kitty tarot and Gummy Bear Tarot… to that I say “nay, not so!” Steampunk Tarot has given me some of the most practical and down-to-earth readings I’ve ever received. Clients also really enjoy this deck too! I was so psyched up about this deck before its release, and I can safely say it did not disappoint, but rather exceeded my expectations. Its companion book also is splendid and offers plenty of juice information… it is not a throwaway!

Best Tarot Book—Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit “Biddy” Esselmont: Not a traditional paperback, this downloadable pdf book not only has instruction on learning the cards within a month’s time, but it’s NOT boring and makes learning tarot accessible. PLUS it has bonuses, such as access to an online community who are all using Tarot Foundations to learn (form or join a study group!), tools and templates to further enhance your learning, and keyword charts. As I said in my in-depth review, I only wish it was available when I started reading the cards fifteen years ago!

–Honorable Mention—Raven Mardirosian’s The Reluctant Tarot Reader: Adventures in the Gypsy Trade (©2011): Since this wasn’t technically published in 2012, I can’t choose this as the best tarot book of this year. However, Raven’s book is a delightful change from your run-of-the-mill instructional tarot book. If you haven’t checked out her blog yet, you really should.

Best Tarot Reference Site—Biddy Tarot (www.biddytarot.com): Brigit “Biddy” Esselmont… what a tarot dynamo! This site is jam-packed with information, from her great blog to her database of free tarot card meanings… when I’m struggling with a particular tarot card, THIS is the site I go to for reference.

Best Digital Tarot Product *New Category!!!*—Theresa Reed’s (aka The Tarot Lady’s) Mystical Mogul program: As Theresa says, “Enough is enough. It’s time for mystics to start treating their gifts with respect.” So, this program ain’t just for tarot readers: it’s for anyone in a metaphysical biz, and heck, even massage therapists can benefit from these handy-dandy tips to go pro. Not only did I buy a copy for myself… I also earmarked the $$$ for my friend to get one, too! A must-purchase if you are daydreaming your own business instead of actualizing it. Plus, the logo is super-cute!

–Honorable Mention—Tarot Business in a Box: If you’ve got the extra cash to spend, purchasing this gem from Theresa as well is a no-brainer. It’s the next best thing to working with Her Tarot Thugness one on one!

Best Tarot Podcast—Again, Beyond Worlds is above par; if you are a reader looking to up your game, you should be listening to Beyond Worlds!

Looking forward to in 2013—So many tarot decks, so little time. I will be looking forward to the wonderful Readers Studio in April. As for decks and books, I have my eye on a few things, most specifically The Deck of 1,000 Spreads due to be released in March and the book Learning Lenormand by Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, slated for release in May.

Best Tarot Moment—being accepted as a teacher at Readers Studio 2013!

See you in the New Year!
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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What To Do When You Outgrow The People Around You

As a kid, you find friends somewhat arbitrarily. You’re best friends with your cousins, with the rando kid next door or you base friendships on the flimsiest of reasons.

“Hey – you like Smurfs, I like Smurfs
- let’s be best friends!”

So, you’re an adult now and you’ve got big goals. More than ever, you gotta surround yourself with inspiring people who match your energy and ambition level – not necessarily all the time, but most of it.

You want to be an entrepreneur, you gotta hang out with entrepreneurs.

You want to be rich, hang out with people who have an abundance mindset.

Success breeds success.

If you’re hanging with wannabe writers with three unfinished novels in their bottom drawer, or actors who only do freebie experimental plays, you’ll see them as your barometer to success.

It sucks when you’re trying to do something out of the ordinary – write a book, start a business, live an unconventional life and you’re the “weird one”. Maybe you’ve stopped talking about your business at family gatherings or you get asked strangely personal questions like “are you making any money yet” or “are you even qualified to do that?”.

You can’t be a chicken if you’re an eagle. It doesn’t mean that you’re better than them, you just need to experience something different.

For years, I was the black sheep in my friendship circle. I loved talking about money, learning about marketing and read personal development books for fun. Years later, I’ve found my tribe and I know thousands of women around the world who match my ambition level and get excited talking about launches, opt-in rates and are happy to meet up at conferences around the world. Yay, not weird any more!

I heard about this amazing, creative hippie chick Leonie Dawson who was rocking the business world and now I talk with her about money and marketing. It’s awesome to be around people who say “girlfriend, you killed that blog post” or “What’s your income goal next month? You can totally do that!”Eventually you have to consciously choose the people around you, because like it or not, they’ll influence what you believe is possible for yourself.When I was in a job and hating it, I only knew people who hated their full time jobs. Slowly, I started hanging out with people who had businesses on the side, like I did. Together we supported each other and talked about our business ideas.Eventually some took the plunge like I did and went part time at our jobs, so we freed up some time. Some people got stuck at that point and never made the transition to actually making money from their hobbies.When I was in that space, I started meeting people who actually made awesome money from their business, so I started to believe it was possible. It wouldn’t have happened if I just hung out with disgruntled employees.It’s fun to hang out with women who have big goals and hold the space for you. It’s fun to brag about your accomplishments with someone who gets it. It’s fun to get together at fancy restaurants and share marketing ideas.

It can sound a bit bitchy or ruthless but seriously, you don’t have to be friends with everyone. You don’t have to quit friendships but you need at least SOME people around you who “get” what you’re doing.

The old adage, some people come into your life for a reason or a season, or to put it another way, some people come into your life for an age or a stage.

You want an amazing marriage – stop hanging out with people who constantly bitch about their husbands, or create drama by sleeping around with idiots.

You want to be successful at business, hang out with people who follow through on their ideas, have a positive mindset and are investing in their own personal growth.

Really, finding friends as adults shouldn’t be much more complicated than this:

“Hey, you like to talk about personal growth, I like to talk about personal growth – wanna be Facebook friends?”.. and then you can just try it out.

Sometimes you transition slower than some people and it’s not like school where you have to wait for the slowest person. You can speed ahead when you need to.

It’s okay to outgrow some groups. When you make traction in your business, transition away from “start up” mentality and into smaller groups so you’re constantly growing and changing.

You don’t have to officially break up, unfriend them on Facebook or make a big drama out of it, you can just transition into a new friendship or networking group.

Organise meet ups or Skype dates

I’ve been imaginary friends with fellow entrepreneur Amanda Moxley for years. We’d watched each other’s videos, we’d been Facebook friends, we just hadn’t taken the next logical step. So she emailed me, “Wanna have a Skype date?” and it was like we’d known each other for years. We have similar sized businesses and we can talk at a level about our similar challenges.

Action – invite someone awesome for a Skype date.

Invest in smaller mastermind groups

I’ve always gone to personal development conferences but it was time for me to get away from 200 person events and transition into smaller mastermind groups. That costs money and it SHOULD cost money. Why? So you can be inspired by people who are making money, not wannabes who are looking for the next free event.

You can find the right mastermind tribe or create one. I love having several mastermind groups, just ensure they are stretching you to the next level.

Action – Ask the most successful woman you know for a mastermind recommendation.

You can seriously find any type of group online. Choose your preferred gender, age, style, etc. I love hanging with young, ambitious women who swear occasionally, wear high heels, drink champagne and love talking big money goals.

It’s okay to be competitive within those groups. It’s not about being the best, it’s about being inspired to raise your game. I love being in groups where I have the median income. That way I feel good about inspiring others and I’ve got somewhere go aspire to. When I become the highest income earner in a group, I know it’s time to stretch to the next level.

Basically – if you feel awkward sharing your biggest goal, you’re in the wrong circle.

What’s most important for you?

At the end of the day, you’re achieving your goals for a reason. Whether it’s to have more freedom and abundance in your life or because you just gotta create no matter what.

Don’t let your friendships be the excuse to why you’re not achieving your goals. Surround yourself with the right people and you’ll FLY.

Plus it’s MUCH more fun.

xx

P.S Some people are just dicks and you have permission just to get rid of them from your life.

—–

Denise Duffield-Thomas is a business coach for exceptional women and the author of Lucky Bitch. Get her popular free manifesting guide “The Lucky Bitch Secrets of Outrageous Success” at www.DeniseDuffieldThomas.com