Celebrating Abundance At The Lammas Festival

When I started visualizing the contents for this particularly special blogpost, I wasn't sure if I wrote it because I signed up for the Tarot Bloghop and the 'Lammas' celebration was the topic du jour, or was I magically guided by the universe to express my genuine gratitude today, of all days, for the abundance I've received especially with my journey with the tarot cards.

So below is my blogpost on the topic of celebrating the harvest festival called 'Lammas'. And I would encourage you to read the blogpost of my Tarot Bloghop neighbor, Jordan Hoggard, who posted his blog on the same topic before me at http://jordanhoggard.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/tarot-lammas-pentacles-a-magnetic-fruit




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I learn new things from the tarot community everyday. 2 months ago I had learnt the significance of the Midsummer Solstice. This month, I learnt about the celebration of 'Lammas'. The word ‘Lammas’ is derived from an old Saxon phrase 'hlaf maesse' or ‘loaf mass’. It is a harvest festival, a celebration of the Earth’s bounty which traditionally was held at the time of the cutting of the first corn crop. In Ireland it is known as Lughnassah, the name being derived from the old Celtic Sun-God Lugh. Lugh presided over the harvest, skills of any endeavor, distribution of talents, success and victory.

Lammas is celebrated on 1st August. The pagans celebrate Lammas with music, dancing and lighting bonfires. I am a Roman Catholic and interestingly, I found out that it is a Roman Catholic tradition to bless the farmers' fields on this date.

Incidentally, 1st August is also my birthday. And this birthday is like a coming of age for me because it marks the year of new beginnings and new opportunities. Moreover, with these new beginnings brought by the new opportunities that I was blessed with, I felt like a farmer cutting his first corn crop, reaping the harvest he had so diligently cultivated and worked for.

So the Ace of Pentacles is naturally the card I would pick to meditate upon, during the Lammas celebrations.

Using my Radiant Rider Waite deck, the Ace of Pentacles has an image of a hand extended out of the cloud holding a pentacle in its palm, with a lush, green landscape spread throughout the bottom of the card - a picture of abundance. The Ace of Pentacles from my Goddess deck is also beautiful, showing a tree bearing a huge pentacle as a fruit, amidst a lush and green landscape - again, a picture of abundance.

The I of Spheres from the Lost Tarot of Nostradamus is even more special to me. The image on the card depict the great symbols of the church, together with the book of wisdom and the vessel containing the holy oil with which Christians were baptized and monarchs blessed. Above it is an image of the rising sun. This, again is a picture of abundance and success. It's special to me because this deck was a birthday gift from my otherwise skeptical husband who spent months thinking that my days and nights spent playing with my tarot cards was a sign that I was on a work stress-induced path heading towards the looney bin. This gift is much treasured as I see it as his acceptance of my gifts and his acknowledgement that I was using my gifts to touch so many people in my life. Truly blessed.

The Ace of Pentacles for me, is a symbol of the energies behind all my new inspirations, new ideas, the new beginnings, and all the new experiences particularly as I had walked up an unexpected path as a professional tarot reader since the start of this year. It is a card manifesting my goals that I had hoped to achieve with the skills I had attained. And that was, my goal to mentor fellow tarot readers, who like me before, are currently at the start of their journey with their tarot cards.

My personal journey with my tarot cards, led to the creation of Sun Goddess Tarot this year, and consequently my meeting so many new friends who are fellow tarot readers, as well as countless clients whom I have come to forge strong emotional connections with. I had also been blessed with the opportunity to use my tarot reading skills to contribute to the less fortunate, like the beneficiaries of the Children's Cancer Foundation.

Having attained my CPTR qualification and being a reader for the Free Tarot Network also had provided me new opportunities to better hone my reading skills, enhance my intuitive capabilities and increase my confidence. Months have passed, seeing me gradually building my tarot reading skills, and it had opened up opportunities to share these skills with tarot enthusiasts at the beginning of their journey.

I am truly humbled by the deep trust my clients and proteges have placed in me, hence the Ace of Pentacles is advising me to continue my journey of learning and hard work to better my skills. Indeed the day I picked up my tarot deck, I realized I had stepped into a world of lifelong learning that would be bringing me a fantastic sense of fulfillment along the way.

The Ace of Pentacles, as my hero card to celebrate the Lammas festival, advised me to open my heart and mind to the many opportunities that the universe has put at my feet. It is up to me to see it through, keep it going, and turn these opportunities into a wonderful potential that allows me to pay it forward in my bid to thank the universe for the abundance it has given me.

Now that you've read my musings on the significance of the Ace of Pentacles for me today, I would like to invite you to read the blogpost of my next Tarot Bloghop neighbor Christiane Hayes, at http://news.cosmictarot.co.uk/2012/08/pentacles-fruits-of-harvest.html

And to read all the wonderful blogs participating in this Tarot Bloghop, do visit
http://kareenatarot.blogspot.in/2012/07/tarot-blog-hop-master-list-for-aug-1.html


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA). A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network and is a mentor for the ATA.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

The Pet Whisperer

Move over Caesar Milan, your Dog Whisperer days are numbered!

In the past few months of shuffling my tarot cards for so many clients, most of the questions were generally about career or love life. I have had odd questions hurled at me by some clients from time to time, some can easily be rephrased, some.. well... took a little more time and effort meditating upon.

Last night, I had one request asking for a reading for her cats, Sooty and Sweep. I had half the mind to not accept that request but how hard I tried, there wasn't anywhere in my code of ethics that said I couldn't read for pets. Besides, I thought of it as a nifty experiment with my cards.

As it turned out, my cards uncovered that Sooty and Sweep had in the past seen difficult times with different changes in environment and plenty of uncertainty. However, they are currently enjoying a warm and loving home and are fearful of being moved from their comfort zone. This was an unsettling prospect in their mind.

I was so glad that Sooty and Sweep's care-giver thought it was a great reading. What a relief! So I thought to do one on my 8 year old Maltese-Shitzu mixed, Bailey.

Bailey's Tarot Spread:

What makes Bailey happy?  - Empress:

The Empress I think is a manifestation of the energy of Evelyn, my housekeeper. She's my Chief Operations Officer at home. Without her, David wouldn't know where to find his glasses, Joel would go to school hungry, my wardrobe would be in a perpetual state of upheaval and the dogs would die of neglect. Bailey is particularly close to Evelyn and actually whined for her when she went on a vacation back to her home town in the Philippines for 3 weeks last year. If dogs naturally have separation anxiety, Bailey only feels it with Evelyn. To Bailey, she's "Mum", providing him with an abundance of warmth, love play time and plenty of walkies. Bailey loves Evelyn and would wait outside her bedroom in the mornings for her to wake up, sits outside the bathroom daily to wait for her to finish her shower and follows her into the kitchen when she is preparing our meals.

What makes bailey unhappy? - Queen of Swords reversed:

Ok, I admit. I wanted to think of the Empress as me. However, as it turned out, my cards never lie. The Queen of Swords reversed is, unfortunately, me. When the daily work stress gets to me, I am usually too exhausted to give the dogs even a wee pat on their heads. Instead, I often bark back at them for spilling their dog food around their bowls, for barking incessantly at our neighbors or the occasional deliveryman. I have stopped taking them for long walks lately because of exhaustion, leaving the job in the hands of the very capable Evelyn. My demeanor when it comes to the dogs, is pretty much like the Queen of Swords, cold, hard, and seemingly devoid of emotions. I am sorry, I am just too exhausted everyday to even notice my interactions with the dogs.

Bailey's thoughts - The Emperor:

Bailey thinks of himself as the "Boss Dog". He is indeed the older, alpha male in the midst of my other dogs, miniature pinschers, Ozzy and Zakk. Bailey sometimes pretends to be a sheep dog, herding the other two back to their "space", the kitchen, while Bailey enjoys the "Boss Dog's space" of the living room. Bailey thinks the right to the first feed of the day, the best treats, and longer walkie times are all due to him as the "Boss Dog". In fact, in the packing order, Evelyn is no.1, Bailey considers himself as no.2, and the rest of us, together with the other 2 dogs are just "mutts". Thanks Bailey.

Bailey's feelings - 3 of Cups reversed

Bailey feels unhappy and is experiencing a sense of disharmony in relation to Ozzy and Zakk. There is a certain amount of jealousy and he thinks the environment has become too over-crowded. He dislikes their presence as they impinge on what he demands as his exclusive time with Evelyn and the family. He has to tolerate Ozzy and Zakk's hyperactivity and their incessant jumping around in an attempt to get our attention. Often, it works too because David and I will placate their hyperactivity with a treat off our dinner table. However, as Bailey suffers from sensitive skin and is overweight, we never allow him any "human" food nor treats that were not prescribed by the vet.

Impact on Bailey - 4 of Swords reversed:

Bailey feels restless and frustrated by our lack of action in spending more quality time with him. He does not understand why we have a bias approach to the dogs, practicing favoritism so openly by showering Ozzy and Zakk with all those exciting treats and hugging them from time to time while Bailey gets nothing. He is so tired of attempting to get my attention everyday when I come home, only to have me walk past him like a piece of furniture. On weekends, when we are about to head out for our usual Sunday brunch, Bailey thinks he's coming out with us. However he is disappointed every time we close the door behind us, leaving him at home with the other two clowns. All he wants very much, is to know that we do love him and we still think he is top dog at home.

But we do Bailey!

This weekend, I will take Bailey out to the Botanic Gardens for a long walk.  I have a lot of making up to do.

About The Writer:


The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America and she is also a certified numerologist.  She currently runs a Tarot consultancy called Sun Goddess Tarot based in Singapore.  A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors beginner Tarot readers on behalf of the ATA.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

Celebrating the Midsummer Solstice

Living in Singapore with 365 days of sunny weather weaved around 3 seasons of hot, hotter and hottest meant that I had little appreciation for the Midsummer Solstice. So, when my friends from the Northern hemisphere sent me emails wishing me a bright Midsummer Solstice celebration and their Facebook pages were filled with colorful accounts about how they were celebrating Midsummer, I was almost jealous.

There was even a tarot blog hop that pulled the tarot community around the world to blog about how they were celebrating the sunrise at the start of Midsummer. As usual, I was late in participating in the blog hop.

Now, I did not know what Midsummer Solstice meant. In Singapore, our multicultural people celebrated the Lunar new Year, Deepavali, Vesak Day, Christmas...but Midsummer Solstice? I was baffled.

So, I had decided to read my friends' blogs as well as to do a little research to find out more about Midsummer Solstice.

Apparently, Midsummer Solstice in 2012 started on 20th June. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, as the length of time between sunrise and sunset on this day is at maximum. In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year marks the first day of the season of summer.

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin word “sol” meaning sun. Some called it "Litha" and others called it "Alban Heruin". The Solstice has long been celebrated since people first began noticing the changes of the seasons.

Having a natural affinity for the sun, as a Leo, I thought to join in the celebrations with this blog post by pulling out the Sun card out of my tarot deck and describing what it meant to me on this Midsummer Solstice.

20th June was the date I had my surgery done on my right breast when the doctors found an anomaly in the breast tissue which had a high risk of turning malignant. Weeks ago when I found out the news and the doctors advised that the surgery was necessary, my life literally fell to pieces. I had to stare mortality in the face when it slapped me around to wake my senses to the beautiful things around me like the love of my family and friends, and the camaraderie and support from my team at work. I realized that whatever challenges I had gone through everyday, they were the ones who carried me through them.

The Sun in tarot is a major arcana card representing vibrancy, positivity, optimism and vitality. It's radiant energy promised to bring me happiness, joy and particularly at this stage, wellness and healing. The Sun indicated to me that there was a life out there worth living and I had to embrace it with passion and enthusiasm.

As I had been doing tarot reading for clients in the last few months, I realized that many come to me with a need for some clarity and assurance about their respective situations. Most of all, they needed a listening ear of one who could provide them a different perspective to their situations unbiased and with empathy and compassion. When I meditated over the card today, I sent its radiant energies to the clients whom I had been reading for in the last few months.

Another word within my vision when I saw this card, is LIFE. And it reminded me of the marketing campaign my colleagues and I had developed at work called L.I.F.E. or Living It Fully Everyday which asked our participating customers to make a social pledge to live life fully everyday in their respective ways, within our company's Facebook page. Some of the social pledges I came across were inspiring, ranging from one hoping to quit smoking for the sake of his children, to another hoping to achieve a better work-life balance so that she enjoys meaningful family time each day in spite of her heavy work load.

The Sun in all it's glory, in spite of the heat and perspiration it causes my fellow air condition-loving Singaporeans has been a vital component of that elaborate masterpiece of an artwork painted by the universe. Think singing birds. Think lush greenery. think flowers in bloom. Think children at play outdoors.

What's not to celebrate?

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

Sun Goddess Tarot Introduces Sol Elixir

Finally, I’ve got a custom-blended essential oil specially created for Sun Goddess Tarot which is an uplifting elixir that promises to enhance vitality, optimism, self-love and general well-being. I have named it Sol Elixir.

Sol was hand-blended by the very talented alchemist, Helena from Earth Magic Potions, based on ancient Lemurian knowledge and years of personal practice in essential oils, crystals and healing techniques.

Sol was created by custom-blending the highest quality, certified organic therapeutic grade essential oils of Jasmine, Lavender, Rose, Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Ginger, Cinnamon, Basil, Rosemary, Clary Sage, Vetiver, and Benzoin.

It was also infused with the following crystals, Tiger’s Eye, Red Aventurine, Carnelian, Citrine, Sunstone, Lemurian Jade, Charoite, Sugilite, Adamite, Moldavite, Snowflake Obsidian, Malachite, Labradorite, Pyrite, Kyanite, Kunzite, Clear Calcite, and Peridot. These were added into the bottle, to continuously charge the elixir with powerful crystal vibrations.

Colors from high energy flower and gem oils were then blended in and the elixir was nestled on a cluster of high vibration crystals with “Solfeggio Sound Frequencies”* directed at them for several days. The bottle was then transferred to a crystal cave and finally, the elixir was charged in a crystal singing bowl for greater sound and vibrational healing energies.

The development process and synergy of these elements, in harmony, with the specific intentions to energize and recharge one with confidence, positivity and self-love is what makes Sol Elixir magical. I remembered reading somewhere that aromatherapy is so powerful because of the positive effects it has on one's limbic brain when the oil is dabbed on one's pulse and chakra points.

So why have I named it Sol?

Sol or Sunna is the mythological Norse Goddess of the Sun who rode a chariot drawn on two horses called Allsvinn (Very Fast) and Arvak (Early Rising). I fell in love with this romantic mythological story of Sol and her brother, the Moon God, Mani.

In many ways, the birth of Sol Elixir marks a milestone in the transformational journey I took with the creation of Sun Goddess Tarot. When I started reading the tarot cards for clients, I went through an unbelievable process of self-healing and awareness, the way I hoped to have had provided the same for my clients.

Co-creating Sol Elixir with Helena has been a wonderful experience. She’s been an inspiration and I am very grateful for her time spent listening to ramblings about my dreams and my hopes, my thoughts about my past and my future in her bid to capture my vision of Sol Elixir.

This experience has just opened another door for me to explore my work on tarot cards combined with the energies of Sol which I believe will take Sun Goddess Tarot to a whole new level.

Postscript:

*What are Solfeggio Sound Frequencies?

In ancient times , these frequencies were sung in Gregorian chants during religious ceremonies in churches of that time. But mysteriously, around 1050 AD, they vanished and were presumed lost. These chants held special tones or frequencies which, when sung in harmony, and in Latin, were believed to impart tremendous spiritual blessings during religious masses. Apparently, the combination of these sacred tones and the Latin intonation had the power to penetrate deep into the recesses of the subconscious mind and promote greater healing and transformation.

The Solfeggio Frequencies contain the six pure tonal notes that were once used to make up the ancient musical scale. For instance, middle C is related to the 528 hz frequency tone, which is associated to the color green, which, in turn, is related to the heart chakra. (extracted from www.miraclesandinspiration.com)

Sol Elixir, like every potion that Helena concocts, contains 2 or more of these 6 frequencies to effect the highest transformational vibration of healing.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

The No.1 Fan Of Sun Goddess Tarot

It's funny how peer pressure and a display of male bravado transcends age. David was one of the original skeptics who thought that I fell off the looney tree and got hit by the looney truck when I agreed to spend a few precious weekends away from the family to attend the basic and advance tarot classes. He often joked about my "witch's broom" being parked outside the garage or he might shake his head at my increasing collection of tarot decks, crystals and other paraphernalia, injecting a rude comment thereafter that I was missing a cauldron.

It didn't take long for him to realize that I wasn't stopping at the classes but was going to further enhance my knowledge of tarot by sitting for the certification examinations and studying for the Tarosophy diploma course conducted out of the UK.

A couple of tarot readings done for him and the increasing number of tarot reading requests I got from friends and family around the world who got to know about my skills via Facebook, had led David to lend me all the support he could to help me establish Sun Goddess Tarot as a legitimate consultancy. From setting up the Sun Goddess Tarot website, doing the photography for the site and getting my name cards printed, he made every effort to ensure that I followed my passion and pursued each step of the learning curve with unwavering enthusiasm.

He had been following my blog posts and the progress of my Sun Goddess Tarot Facebook fan page with a slight hint of pride.

What was most amusing for me, was a gift of a charm bracelet he had surprised me with just last week. It was no ordinary charm bracelet. The charms were made up of a miniature version of tarot cards. This was an indication that he had finally accepted that my tarot reading hobby was neither heathen nor was it a result of my purported stress-induced delusions about my psychic abilities.

Now, I occasionally have my rational mind getting in the way of the development of my tarot reading skills. Yes, believe it or not, I do question from time to time, " What science is this?". Time and again, these thoughts in my rational mind have proven to be a manifestation of my irrational lack of self-confidence.

I know that David does the same but he had come to accept that if these skills were bringing so much clarity and assurance to my clients, he would continue to fan my passion for tarot reading. And for that, I am truly grateful to the universe for my no.1 fan.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

Raising The Bar On My Tarot Reading Skills

When I started embracing the wonderful world of tarot, I made a decision to take the learning process a step further in the hope that I could improve the readings that I do for my clients daily. I have recently gone through a difficult month obtaining my three certifications from the Tarot Certification Board of America. This blog post chronicles my experience obtaining my certification and serves to encourage fellow tarot readers interested in raising the bar on their tarot reading skills to get themselves certified.


How Did I Get Started?

I was introduced to the wonderful world of tarot through a basic and advance tarot class conducted by my tarot teacher Renae just barely a few months ago. She had my heart and mind prized open to what she termed "metaphysical science". I did not hurl myself into the course expecting to become a professional tarot reader. I was just curious and wanted to find out what science was there behind tarot. However, her tarot class had intrigued me by demonstrating its relevance to our day to day activities and how we managed our respective challenges dotted along that journey called life. Contrary to my original belief, it was not a fortune telling tool.

2 months after graduating from that advance tarot class, reading for family and friends with accuracy was not enough for me. While Renae had continued mentoring me post the classes, my voracious appetite for greater knowledge about the world of tarot led me to search for ways to take my skills a step further. I discovered the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI). As a member of the former, I was introduced to the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and the Free Tarot Network (FTN). I never looked back since.


What's The Point Of Getting Certified?

The TCBA was purpose-built to upskill tarot readers like us, depending on our goals. It aimed to raise the standard of tarot readers to legitimize the tarot community. Some tarot readers may just want to read casually for friends, and do it well. Some may want to make a career out of it by reading professionally. And there are some who might want to mentor or teach tarot readers who are at the beginning of their journey with their tarot cards. Whatever goals you have, TCBA's different levels of certification are created to meet these goals. They are, Certified Apprentice Tarot Reader (CATR), Certified Tarot Reader (CTR), Certified Professional Tarot Reader (CPTR), Certified Tarot Consultant (CTC), Certified Tarot Master (CTM), Certified Tarot Instructor (CTI) and Certified Tarot Grand Master (CTGM).


A Difficult 2 Weeks Preparing For CPTR Examinations:

My desire to better my skills and knowledge to attain the goal of ultimately teaching and mentoring prospective tarot readers was what drove me to TCBA. In the first two levels of certification examinations (CATR and CTR), I not only had to display a basic knowledge of tarot card meanings both upright and reversed but I had to also demonstrate my ability to do a reading with a spread of 1 to 7 cards. That sounded pretty easy for me, until I started to work on achieving my CPTR qualification. I swear, I had to nurse a 3 - day migraine due to mental fatigue after that experience ( I rationalized it as my brain's difficulty in getting started after years of having left school) but what a wonderful experience it was. And here's why.

According to the TCBA website
(www.tarotcertification.org), I was required to supply the examiner with the following:

- my own personal code of ethics
- demonstrate how I use my code with my clients
- demonstrate how I handle troublesome or impossible questions and situations
- explain how I intend to teach, mentor, or assist prospective tarot readers in how to read tarot card
- verify that I have performed a minimum of twenty-five professional quality tarot readings
- rephrase at least three improper or impossible questions and then answer them to the satisfaction of my examiner
- demonstrate a high level of competency using tarot spreads using up to twelve cards

While the entire process sounds daunting, particularly for tarot readers like me who are relatively new with the art, it was necessary and definitely applicable to our day-to-day efforts of performing meaningful readings for our clients.


Code Of Ethics Is An Important Foundation For A Tarot Reading Consultancy:

The code of ethics is the critical foundation of a tarot reader's practice. Thankfully, I had already set up a full fledged tarot consultancy by this time, Sun Goddess Tarot, and did have a self-drafted code of ethics which I adhered to. And mine went like this:

1) I will only speak the truth from what I have read in the cards
2) I will not judge you whatever the outcome of the reading may be
3) I will provide my sincere advice in the hope that you can uncover possible solutions to your situation
4) I will not accept questions related to lottery or other luck-based games
5) I will not offer any advice outside the scope of my expertise including financial, legal, religious and medical advice

Besides, my membership with ATA and TABI also bound me to their respective codes of ethics.


Demonstrating Proof Of Reading Experience:

I can understand now, why the log of at least 25 readings was important to the process because robust tarot reading experience was necessary to make the certification process more meaningful. In fact, the certification process had been useful in reminding me of how I should be applying my code of ethics to the readings that I do for clients everyday.

Being able to articulate my mentoring goals and explaining with conviction how I could mentor my peers was also an important step in the process. At that time, I could relate my experience of helping beginner tarot readers who had contacted me with requests to re-interpret their card spreads either to affirm their accuracy or to provide alternative perspectives.


Dealing With Difficult Questions:

I can assure you that in my experience reading for my clients, I had often come across a question that seems perplexing at first glance, unfocused or may border on a request for medical or legal advice. I can easily rephrase some unfocused questions, or refuse a reading for one that borders on a request for medical or legal advice. However, my experience of being tested on rephrasing difficult questions has helped to raise my confidence in dealing with them more effectively. I learnt to put myself in the shoes of the querant and manage responses with more empathy.


Designing A 12-Card Spread:

When I was asked to do a reading using a 12-card spread, I went into a bit of a panic because I was never taught to read using a 12-card spread before. I have learnt a few spreads in my time, like the basic horse shoe spread, the Celtic Cross, and the past, present and future spread. But a spread with 12 cards was not easy, so I had to make a decision at that time to quickly design my own spread. My 12-card spread went like this.

Card 1 - Self
Card 2 - Situation
Card 3 - Feelings
Card 4 - Thoughts
Card 5 - Past influence
Card 6 - Present impact
Card 7 - Start doing
Card 8 - Stop doing
Card 9 - Development
Card 10 - Outcome
Card 11 - Obstacles
Card 12 - Advice


Having A Mentor Helps:

Renae had been mentoring me constantly by advising me on my interpretation of the spreads I had done for my clients, or providing alternative perspectives to some of my readings. She had also set up a Facebook group amongst her ex-students from past tarot classes to spur active discussion around our respective tarot related issues or questions.

I also tapped on the expertise of Brigit, a professional tarot reader, mentor and blogger to help guide me along my journey. Her tarot blogs, coupled with the reading opportunities that I got from clients who visited her website provided me with more reading experience under my belt.

Also at that time, as I had applied to be a reader on the Free Tarot Network, I had to simultaneously undergo rigorous training. For this purpose, I was assigned with an experienced and qualified mentor. It was a fantastic learning curve for me, because the FTN mentor was dedicated in helping me read not only accurately, but also more intuitively.

The skills I had learnt both from Renae and the FTN mentor had helped me with my CPTR examinations.


Tips For Those Interested In Getting Certified:

1) For tarot readers at the beginning of their journey, focus on getting more opportunities to read for actual clients, beyond family and friends. The experience will go a long way to helping you respond to the more difficult questions that the CPTR examinations require a reader to respond to.

2) The tarot community is also generous with help and advice. Play an active part in the various tarot associations either locally or around the world. Subscribe to popular tarot blogs. Search the internet for other professional tarot readers' websites. Not only do you get a wider perspective on the subject from experienced tarot readers around the world, they are also ever ready to support you through your journey, if you ask for help and advice.


What's After The CPTR for me?

I have decided to further hone my skills with my clients, and build an abundance of experience doing different type of readings either in person, online, via phone, Skype, Facebook or at events. I also want to practice doing multiple spreads preferably self-designed according to what my intuition tells me. Once I have built that experience and confidence, I plan to complete the next level of certification, CTC, which requires me to write my own curriculum for teaching the 22 major arcana cards and demonstrate that I can attribute the 78 cards to another esoteric or occult paradigm, as well as justify their particular attributions. It sounds daunting already.

I love tarot with all my heart because of the limitless opportunities it brings. While the certification had helped raise the standard of my tarot reading skills, my experience reading for actual clients had helped hone my intuition and improve confidence in my skills. At the end of the day, what's important in this business is that we remain true to putting our clients' interest first.

About The Writer:


The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

The First Few Months Of Sun Goddess Tarot

Since I was young, I was always a bit of an odd ball with regard to picking up new skills. My nature of defying societal norms when it comes to learning new things, led me to take up full contact rugby years ago and now, I have hurled myself, albeit by accident, into the world of tarot. This blog post chronicles my journey of giving birth to a passion I never knew I had.

In The Beginning:

Years ago, while standing at a major crossroad of my life, a Feng Shui master I had visited, gave me a list of "must-do" activities which he promised would help me ride the rough and maneuver the hurdles along that path. The list went like this, 1) take up a course/learn something new, 2) balance my temperament/don't be too hard on myself and 3) open my mind to new experiences/stop being judgmental and prejudiced.

So, just barely a few months ago, when my tarot teacher Renae, invited me to join her basic and advance tarot classes, I thought I might have lost the plot in agreeing to sign up for it but went ahead to do so because it was the perfect way for me to tick that list. It certainly looked easier than that MBA from the University of Chicago business School or the Six Sigma Black Belt course which I was considering signing up for. And it sounded like an easy and relaxing way to spend a few weekends.

The Birth Of Sun Goddess Tarot:

Months have passed since then. I have set up Sun Goddess Tarot as a professional consultancy offering confidential readings for clients online, in person, and at corporate and charity events.

I am particularly proud that after graduating from Renae's advance tarot class, I was so fueled with passion for the art of tarot reading that I had my logo and my website (www.sungoddesstarot.com) designed with a vision in mind. How they look, had to represent the very essence of what I wanted for my clients and myself. I wanted vitality, energy, optimism, self-love, confidence and compassion as I set off on that journey past the original crossroad at which I found myself trapped in previously.

Sun Goddess Tarot gave me all that and more. In a few short months, my Facebook page www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot has now gotten 124 fans who are a great mix of clients and fellow tarot readers with whom I exchange a lot of learnings and experiences. I have also had my first experience doing tarot readings for the Children's Cancer Foundation last month. That was fun. I managed to do 42 readings in a day and while I went home nursing a 3-day migraine, I came out of it feeling gratified that I had put my skills to good use.

Taking It Further:

I am now a member of the Tarot Association of the British Isles and the American Tarot Association, and I am endorsed as one of the latter's readers for the Free Tarot Network. I was so thankful for a mentor assigned to me by the FTN who further enriched my knowledge of the art of tarot and actually made me a better and more intuitive reader. I have also gotten myself professionally certified as a CPTR by the Tarot Certification Board of America. The TCBA has 7 levels of certification exams that I had to sit for, and I finished 3 exams in a month. How's that for enthusiasm!

And you know what? That Feng Shui master was right. Learning the tarot and reading for clients in the last few months have been a turning point in my life. I feel completely healed from past hurts and disappointments as I became part of the healing process of my clients by reading their tarot cards. I also became more aware of myself and more opened to the faults and failings of others. Embracing the art of tarot has allowed me to get past that crossroad in my life, and walk that winding road with absolutely no fear of the roadblocks along my path. I am not even shying away from the skepticism of some friends who up to this moment, still thought that I made house-calls on a broom and danced naked under the moon.

Where Am I Taking Sun Goddess Tarot To:

As far as I am concerned, it's still a beloved hobby of mine. I am not leaving my job as a marketeer to pursue tarot reading as a career just yet. I absolutely love my job and funnily enough, the intuition honed from tarot reading has made me a better marketeer. Also, I think it's the universe' way of telling me that I should just continue on this path of enriching my knowledge of tarot and continue sharpening my intuition as a reader. Honestly, I feel I haven't learnt enough and am thankful for every opportunity I get to improve my reading skills. One day, I hope to be good enough to be able to teach and mentor other tarot readers who have embraced the art as enthusiastically as I have.

The family has finally accepted that this isn't just a phase of looniness that I am going through. And I am so glad that for every accurate reading that I do for my clients, it's an opportunity for me to demystify tarot as a fortune telling tool.

Someone said to me last week, " The world of Tarot has no limits if your intent is pure."

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

Dealing With Skepticism

Yesterday, I completed tarot card readings for 42 colleagues as part of my contribution to the Children's Cancer Foundation at my company's charity bazaar.

Most of the colleagues with whom I was familiar with, who gamely stepped forward to have their tarot cards read, were the same ones who had such fantastic enthusiasm in their day-to-day work and had displayed absolutely no fear of challenges. My working experience with some of them had bore similarities to what the cards had uncovered about them - their dare-to-do personalities and their determination to ride any rough times with persistence and plenty of courage. I was also particularly glad that some of these colleagues had initially viewed my tarot cards with skepticism and even fear. Yet, they put on a brave front when they sat through a session with me, some looking like a deer in headlights. The courage to open their hearts and minds to my cards and me, was definitely deserving of my respect.

Even my CEO, surprisingly, had a reading with me. I thought that was a career-limiting move for me but I loved him for being so sporting and feeling so comfortable with it. I think I still have a job waiting for me on Monday, thank goodness.

For the enthusiastic 42 that had stepped forward, I also had 420 skeptics who thought my tarot card reading was a "hocus pocus" party trick wheeled in to entertain the lot. One of them vehemently said to me, " No, no, I only believe in God, I don't believe in this", in spite of my protests that it had absolutely no bearing on religion and no reference to spirituality. At that point, I just thought to help myself understand their fears a little better.

So this morning, I visited a "modern day alchemist" by the name of Yvette Sitten. She runs her company Aurora Alchemy which specialized in healing and activating the chakras using hand-blended essential oils, each with beautiful names like Joyful Surrender and Queen of the Night. Each of these oil blends had specific purposes of healing, providing a sense of calmness, dispelling negativity and increasing alertness and confidence.

Like many who thought my tarot card reading was a complete joke, I had initially thought Yvette had fallen straight into the looney bin one day and got out of it only to be hit by a looney truck. A session with Yvette involved tarot and oracle cards as well as healing with crystals, essential oils, hypnosis and meditation. Frankly, even I couldn't quite explain the details of her session because I only had two words in my simple mind about it - Trust and Rest. I just trusted myself in the magical hands of Yvette in that hour and a half and I came out feeling very rested. In fact when I went home, I was so exhausted that I slept all afternoon. It felt like I had never slept for a long time, with my brain actively working overtime each night racing through dreams after dreams that I could never remember when I woke up. Yet, when I went into that deep sleep this afternoon, I swear I did not have a single dream. My mind was a complete blank. And I woke up truly refreshed. Whatever Yvette did that was unexplainable and beyond the comprehension of my simple mind, I honestly didn't care. It gave me a chance to rest my mind and heal my heart so that I can take on the world again.

More importantly, I had visited Yvette with a purpose to better understand and manage the skepticism that I had faced with my tarot cards. However, I came out of my session with Yvette, unconcerned about my skeptics and more fueled with enthusiasm to help those who were opened to my tarot cards and I. Yvette herself, had to confront skepticism when she first started on her own journey. She had never looked back since.

Yvette had a great career at CNBC as a journalist and documentary film producer only to leave it all behind to pursue this new path off the beaten track after many years of research and studies. Like me, she had faced initial skepticism from family and friends and had to " do her stuff undercover" whilst at CNBC. I was luckier. I have very supportive colleagues in the company. I was invited to do tarot card reading for charity events and I got invited to more upcoming client and partner events organized by different departments too. That's why I stepped out of my visit with Yvette realizing how fortunate I was, to be able to pursue a career in marketing that I loved and enjoyed, while helping people around me with my tarot cards. What more could I ask for?

It was humbling for me to realize that with or without the skeptics, I was putting my skills to good use. The skeptics only made me stronger in my resolve to hone my skills better and build better confidence in myself.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

A New Venture

I have been extremely busy lately conjuring ideas around a project borne out of sheer passion for my newly acquired art of Tarot reading. While the skill is still at a stage of infancy, budding with new insights, each time I go into a deeper exploration of the cards, I saw it as a hobby that I could hone to touch more people outside my circle of close friends and family.

Reading the tarot cards for friends in the past few weeks had been a wonderful experience. I am so grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to use my intuitive reading of the cards to provide them with different perspectives that could help guide them with the right choices to influence the outcomes of their respective situations.

I felt so good every time I managed an accurate reading of a spread for a friend. And I felt even better when I could use my interpretation of the cards to guide a friend to make choices that could positively influence her to better respond to a challenging situation.

So with much excitement, I created a name for my new venture, Sun Goddess Tarot. It's a name promising positivity, optimism and vibrancy. I chose the name because I wanted to be able to bring positive energy to people who approached me to have their Tarot cards read.

I had also designed a logo which brought out the essence of what Sun Goddess Tarot was all about and I am currently in the process of designing a website as well.

I was brimming with excitement all week whilst working on my new venture. Don't get me wrong. I still love my day job as a marketeer and would never give it up to pursue an alternative career at which I feel that I still lack experience in. I would consider Sun Goddess Tarot as a hobby that spurs me to use my gift of intuition for a greater good.

I did worry about the skeptics among my friends who might think that I had fallen into the looney bin. And I even had thoughts of being bound and dragged away to some clearing deep in the forest to be burnt on a stake. However, with increasingly more accurate readings that I had done, my lack of self confidence just dissipated.

I haven't the faintest idea where this project will take me but I know that whatever the outcome may be, I am at least having so much fun with it.

Oh, and by the way, in response to the hilarious text messages that I had been receiving, I don't make house calls on my broom, I don't wear an orange pointy hat, I really am not afraid of water, and I don't go "swish and flick" with a wand. However, when you have decided that you are not afraid of my new skills, I would love to read your cards for free.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

My "A-ha!" Moment

I had an "A-ha!" moment last week. It stemmed from months of emotional struggle attempting to juggle a new environment at the office and a new phase of motherhood managing the hang-ups of a boy trying to be a man preparing to enter tertiary life.

I drew on the comfort from a friend who advised last year that I should stop being so hard on myself and to seek solace in new pursuits like taking up courses for self improvement.

My "A-ha!" moment came last week when I had decided to heed that advice and signed up for Tarot reading lessons. The appeal to me, laid in my perception that it was easy enough, wasn't time consuming as it took up only 2 weekends of my time, and I remembered being described as intuitive.

What I didn't know was that it was an extremely brain-draining course filled with intense emotional hard work and numerical sophistication for a hard-nosed, non-numerical person intent on not expending brain power during a weekend. And it was such an expensive course that I was surprised they weren't handing out bursaries.

I also did not realize that the weekend without the family at my side was decidedly uncomfortable and I forgot that the person who described me as intuitive years ago was Joel, when he skipped Sunday school for weeks whilst hiding out at the church canteen, hoping that I wouldn't find out.

So I went for my Tarot reading course with an opened mind and a receptive heart. I worked very hard that weekend and was surprised that I actually enjoyed the course tremendously. I found the stories behind the Tarot extremely fascinating and the myths surrounding it, intriguing. My Tarot teacher even said that I was intuitive and highly sensitive, hence that made it easy for me to tune into the energies of people whom I read the cards for. I felt very proud because throughout my school life, I was the renegade who copied my classmates' work and studied for the exams the day before the paper. I also had no interest in anything depicted in numbers unless there was a dollar sign in front of it. However, last weekend, I nailed every reading that required my interpretation of timeline.

My friends laughed at me or looked at me quizzically when I told them that I studied the Tarot. I would too if I were in their shoes. Some of them have asked me to read their Tarot a few days ago. I haven't had any complaints from them thankfully. I thought they had rather enjoyed the process as much as I did.

I graduate next week after another weekend completing the advance Tarot course. The girls at work and the boys at home joked that I should don my Hermes scarf on my head and brandish a pair of bangle-sized hooped earrings and be the "party trick" at social events, the "official mascot" during holistic festivals, set up a table at company dinner and dance events and busk at the MRT stations. Very funny.

So I will end this blog post by sharing my favorite Tarot card from the major arcana suit - The Empress. The Empress describes a person full of love, sense of nurturing, a generous and giving spirit. She brings warmth and comfort to everyone and everything she touches. She signifies an abundance of new life and encourages you to embrace life and all the goodness it brings.

I like that positive energy the Empress brings and hope you will embrace my new pursuit with the same open mind and a generosity of heart.

Postscript: After sharing this blog entry on Facebook, my friend in New York asked me to do a "long distance" Tarot reading for her. It was my first experience. However, after interpreting the cards and sharing it with her, she told me that I was "spot on accurate". It felt good to be giving her something from my heart.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has recently achieved a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America. A member of the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles, she is also endorsed as a reader for the Free Tarot Network.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com