Tarot Thrones | The Court Card Blog

Tag: TABI

  • Elemental Court Card Families Workshop

    Elemental Court Card Families Workshop

    Photo of Alison Cross with details of TABI Elemental Families workshop on December 9 2023

    In the run up to Christmas (yes, I dared speak its name!) why not carve out an hour or so with me on Saturday 9th December at 2pm (UK) while we go through our elemental tarot court card families and how to place all 16 of them on the Wheel of the Year?

    You don’t need to be a member of TABI to take part, but it’s a few shekels less expensive if you ARE a member – £5 for members and £8 for non-members.

    All you need is a tarot deck and stuff for note-taking. Maybe bring a mince pie. Maybe a li’l Christmassy sherry. Maybe a party hat. Maybe a sweater with a Santa on the front. Maybe a flashing red nose a la Rudolph. You do you! Come along and join the gang!

    Look forward to seeing you – the more the merrier!

  • Druidcraft Tarot | Rebox

    Just before Christmas I was provided with a review deck of the newly reboxed Druidcraft Tarot.

    Druidcraft Tarot | all versions | Tarot Thrones
    new box, brighter coloured book cover

    Even a casual perusal of back posts from me will show that the Druidcraft is one of my absolute favourites and I fondly recall buying my first copy from a little incense-infused shop in Glastonbury when I met up with some tarot friends from TABI waaaaaaaaay back in the mists of time – 2004!

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  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 5

    Tarot, 30 Day Tarot challenge, Tarot Thrones
    My first Tarot client wore these!
    Any time I see red Dr Ms, I think of her 🙂

    Question:  When and where did you give your first reading?

    My first proper, paid reading was at Witchfest in Glasgow.  Can’t remember the year, but there were two other stalwarts from TABI who had travelled up from England to take part in this annual event.

    I was as nervous as a very nervous thing.  In fact, I’d say I was as nervous as the MOST nervous thing and as we set up our reading stations I realised that I was the most poorly prepared of the trio.

    Well, it was my first time!

    The tables were using as reading stations were pretty tatty and my colleagues produced the most wonderful reading cloths and swathes of silk to prettify their stalls.  I had nothing.  Well, I had a supermarket plastic bag and I contemplated turning it inside out and using that. Even I knew that would look even more rubbish than the chewing-gum bobbled tabletop. In the end I just went with the naked table. Brave.

    My colleagues had bowls of sweets, business cards and a myriad of different decks.  I had my Rider Waite Smith.  And was developing perspiration stains under my arms.

    Soon there were lots of people queuing up for readings, but such was my nervousness, I kept directing my potential sitters to the other two readers.

    Then the lovely Sharon announced that she and the other reader were going for a cup of tea.  Basically, to force me to read!  Well, I’m assuming it was that.  Maybe they were just fed up with me looking like a frightened puppy in the corner.

    And so it came to pass that a very sweet girl wearing purple feathery wings and red Doc Marten boots (and other clothes!) became my first paid reading.

    It was nerve-racking – but really good fun!

    She was very pleased with her reading – and that was it!  I’ve never looked back.

    So, you know what’s coming next…..tell me about YOUR first Tarot reading! Was it fun? Was it a disaster?

  • Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop | Fire in the belly

    Tarot Thrones blog: The Queen of Wands (Thoth Tarot)
    My inspiration!

     The theme for Imbolc’s Tarot bog hop is ‘what is in your belly’.

    If this is your first time to my blog, you are very welcome indeed.  This Game of Thrones (AKA Tarot Thrones) focuses on the Tarot court cards and aims to make them fun and accessible.  Come in and sit down *dusts down a comfy armchair and offers it*

    You may have hopped here from Chloe’s Celtic Lenormand or from Donna’s blog.

    So, what’s in my Tarot belly for 2013?

    So much!  Too much maybe!  Which Tarot Court has a lot of fire in her belly? The Queen of Wands!

    The Queen of Wands says:  It’s not enough to simply have fire in your belly, you must birth it too!  Set yourself – and the world! – on fire with your passions! She urges you to ignite, light and heat the world around you.  Will you do that?

    Here’s how I plan to!

    1  The Tarot Thrones blog!
    I started this blog in 2012 and really enjoy writing it – although writing solely about the Tarot Courts can be taxing! If you know anyone who would like a little help with how to use tarot cards (courts especially!), I’d love it if you could point them in my direction.  Also, if you have any questions that you would like me to tackle, just drop me a message and I’m happy to write something especially for you!

    2  The Glasgow Tarot Meet Up Group!
    I took over as Administrator for this group over a year ago and we have gone from an initial meeting of three people to 20+ regularly meeting up monthly to explore the wonderful world of Tarot.  I deliver all the 2 hour sessions at the moment, but it is part of the fire in my belly for 2013 to organise a whole weekend of Tarot for the membership – speakers, authors, the whole nine yards!   Now that we have found a spiritual home with the Glasgow Theosophical Society, I really feel that we can get something off the ground!  Is that something that you would like to be involved in? If so, I’d love to hear from you.

    3  Tarot website work
    I am very lucky to work with some wonderful Tarot authors and artists, running their websites and assisting with their on-line presence.  It would really stoke the creative fire in my belly to have some more Tarot or art orientated clients in 2013 as I love supporting their work and, of course, as a Tarotist I’m already in the zone as to what your requirements might be.

    4  Tarot work!
    I was the Chairman of the Tarot Association of The British Isles for over four years *twitches involuntarily* 🙂  Only joking, I loved it, of course, and always gave 110% effort – putting TABI’s needs above my own, as far as Tarot work (and heck, yes, even my family in some instances!).  In 2013 it’s time for me to focus on my own career.  Getting everything off the ground again isn’t easy, but the Queen of Wands is a useful woman for prodding me!

    I’m also booked to provide a session on Court Cards at Kim Arnold’s UK Tarot Conference in October – which will be very exciting! I’ve lectured in Business Studies at college before and run a few conferences for TABI, but never been asked to speak at Tarot Conference before – so I’m really looking forward to that!  Maybe even see you there?!

    5  Tarot e-books!
    Gone are the days when you had to have a publisher agree to take on your work – nowadays it’s all about e-commerce and self-publishing.  I’ve got lots of ideas for useful Tarot e-books, so that’s a fire in my belly for 2013 too!

    5  My own Oracle deck!
    This last point is what fires me up the most about 2013.  The greatest fire in my belly is to create my own Oracle deck.  I’ve been in the Tarot world for 10 years now – a great many of them have involved reviewing and writing about Tarot books and decks.  I’ve got pretty clear ideas about what makes a good working deck.  And so I’m creating my own.

    The research and writing part of the development is mostly done and I’m already blessed with an artist who is keen to be involved in the project – providing he can fit it in to his busy schedule! At the moment, the illustrations for the cards are just my own sketches, but a good artist will make it look a whole lot better!

    So, that’s the fire in my belly for Imbolc – what’s the fire in YOUR belly, this Spring?  Will you be able to do as the Queen of Wands commands?!

    Hop to the other blogs in the chain!

    Got lost? Here’s the master list: http://tarotwitchery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/tarot-blog-hop-master-list.html

  • 30 Day Tarot Challenge | Day 4

    You’re going on a journey……
    and acquiring an expensive habit

    Question 4: How long have you been reading the Tarot?

     Bought my first Tarot deck yonks ago – but couldn’t read with it without referring to the Little White Book, which is no way to read Tarot cards!

     I joined TABI (The Tarot Association of The British Isles) in, I think, 2003 and undertook their training course. I could read the cards competently after that.

    However, it’s an ongoing process – you are always learning and discovering something new to add to your knowledge about the cards.
    That’s what I love about them. I hate using the expression ‘it’s a journey’ *rolls her eyes* but hey, yanno, it IS a journey!

     Hey, it’s just dawned on me that I’m 10 years THIS YEAR in the Tarot world!!!

     A DECADE!! <- yes, shouting 😀

    *suddenly feels august, sage and yes, Mary-Beard-like*  That is, now that I think about it, longer than my marriage lasted.  Mind you I have stuff in the fridge that lasted longer than my marriage 😀

    So it’s my 10th Tarot birthday – anybody bring a party tooter? Bottle of sherry?

    So – now YOU tell ME how long you’ve been reading the Tarot! I also have a question for you – Do you think that knowing someone has been reading for decades makes them a better Tarot reader than someone who has been reading for a shorter period of time, but who’s studied until their eyes bled and their credit card squeaked for mercy?

    *pops open the Pringles crisps, pours self a small sherry, twangs the elastic on her party hat under her chin and waits for pals to turn up*