Readers Studio 2015: Day 1

Readers Studio… aka “the most wonderful time of the year” aka “better than Christmas for tarot readers.” Yes, once again, it’s time for the rundown of Readers Studio, day by day, minute by glorious minute.

Courtney and I arrived a little late this time, due to traffic, but still in time to say quick hellos before we seated ourselves for the Opening Session (and still in time to get the traditional greeting from Sasha Graham of “my witches are here!!!!”; Readers Studio wouldn’t be the same without that warm greeting!). Our lateness prevented me from cruising the booths in search of new decks to satiate my inner magpie, and I sat down with the lovely Shavonne Readus of RedLight Readings who asked me to partner up with her for the Foundation Reading (the cornerstone of the Readers Studio). I was delighted to meet her, as we’ve been communicating through Facebook for quite a while… it’s always nice to connect with your tarot/divination tribe in person!

But before getting to the Foundation Reading, the three Master Class teachers were introduced and interviewed. This year’s Master Class teachers were Ellen Lorenzi-Prince, Theresa Reed, and Carrie Paris.

 

 

 

The interviews gave a tantalizing view of what to expect from each person’s class… and even though Theresa was my tarot mentor (and probably always will be!), she remained tight-lipped on what she was teaching when she hit the stage up until then. The woman is amazingly good at keeping secrets!

After the interviews, it was time to get down to business: The Foundation Reading. Usually it’s a good idea to come to Readers Studio with a lot of questions/situations, since you are both giving and getting a lot of readings over the weekend. I came to Readers Studio with a big question after coming off of the out-of-the-blue accident: how do I live life gracefully when the unexpected happens? A secondary question was the whys… why did it happen? What lessons do I still need to learn from it?

The Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell was used, and Shavonne got right to work giving me an amazing reading.

 

Then we switched roles, and I read for her using Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine. We were both very happy with our readings, and wondered how we could possibly get more out of them by the time Sunday morning rolled around and it was time to revisit them!

Next was the First-Timer Welcome Ritual, which was beautiful and moving. This year there were a lot of attendees coming to Readers Studio for the first time, and many had happy tears in their eyes at discovering this place to find your tarot tribe.

Then it was time to break for lunch before reconvening for the first master class with Ellen Lorenzi-Prince. Ellen’s class was on the four elements in the tarot suits and reading the elements instead of reading the rote or glib associations with the tarot suits. For example, the poor Swords suit really does get short shrift when using the simplified meanings of “conflict/communication” when talking about them. This leaves very little room for its associated element, Air, and all of the positive qualities that comes with that element!

After Ellen’s class, it was time for dinner and a trip to the Buccaneer Diner. Some of us cabbed it, and others walked. It was quite cold out, but I gladly went with the walking party to get in some exercise and chat some more with Jen Cintrón. I met Jen at Theresa’s Soulful Proprietor retreat back in October, and it was great to be able to spend more time with her. Jen also is a gifted singer and mala-maker.

At the Buccaneer, Theresa took over the table conversation and we talked about our love of tarot, ourselves, and what we hoped to gain from the conference. Truly, THESE kinds of conversations and the in-between moments is what Readers Studio is all about!

Then it was back to the hotel and more chatter in the lobby before it was time for bed. I had to be well-rested for the typically energy-heavy Saturday session!

Day 2’s update to come!

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

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