6 Horoscope

Tiffany Crosara plays The FoolThe day kicked off with a bright and breezy presentation by Tiffany Crosara dressed as The Fool; she perfectly captured the innocence and naivety of this Tarot card, numbered zero in the Tarot deck. Tiffany’s enthusiasm for her subject was contagious and soon we all had smiles on our faces as we watched Tiffany play The Fool and ‘tuned in’ to the open, optimistic energy of this card. Tiffany then took us on a guided meditation to connect with The Fool, who was the template for the card now commonly known as The Jester in a standard pack of playing cards. Her aim was to encourage us to use our intuition to bring the Tarot alive in our everyday lives.

We then embarked on a series of inspiring interactive exercises for which I was paired with Liz Dene, the Editor of Kindred Spirit magazine, official sponsor of this year’s conference. I asked Tiffany if she had a message for Horoscope readers, she didn’t

hesitate ‘Be a human being, not a human doing’! For The Fool tells us we need to take time out, to discover our true purpose. In doing so, we begin to accept ourselves and realise that we should not be afraid to embrace change, this is the message

of The Fool. For more insight into the Tarot with Tiffany Crosara, read her book ‘Transformational Truth of Tarot’ or pop into ‘Mysteries’, the New Age emporium in Covent Garden for a personal ‘face to face’ Tarot reading with Tiffany.

Exploring The Hermit with Juliet Sharman-BurkeTiffany Crosara’s entertaining presentation was followed by a break for mouth-wateringly delicious warm cookies and fresh brewed tea or coffee. We then embarked on an exploration of The Hermit with Juliet Sharman-Burke who with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation displayed The Fool and The Hermit (numbers zero and nine in the Tarot deck) side by side. This year’s Tarot Conference, being in its ninth year was represented by The Hermit card. So, we discussed The Fool’s journey, then Juliet

demonstrated how by the time we reached The Hermit card the energy had changed. The Hermit, now older and wiser than The Fool, armed with the lantern of experience tells us it is time to look inward. We discussed how today with our busy lives it is so difficult to find time to be still. Juliet told us we need to embrace The Hermit, to look inwards in order to be quiet, to refocus and regroup. We then embarked on more interactive readings, which I must say were my least favourite aspect of the conference, but others seemed to enjoy them and get a lot out of them in terms of insight and communication with others. Juliet Sharman-Burke is a convincing and extremely knowledgeable speaker, she is author of a number of books including the ‘Beginner’s Guide to Tarot’ and ‘The New Complete Book of Tarot’. She is perhaps best known as the creator of the iconic Mythic Tarot deck, an exquisitely illustrated deck which draws on characters and stories from Greek Mythology. The Mythic Tarot offers an imaginative and accessible approach to classic Tarot. Each suit depicting archetypal

characters such as the heroic Odysseus, the Earth Mother Demeter and Athena, the goddess of justice with every card telling a well-known mythical story. Juliet has been interpreting the Tarot and practising as an astrologer for over twenty years and teaches at the Centre for Psychological Astrology.

To eat or not to eat? Lunch or more Tarot?By the end of Juliet’s insightful presentation it was time for lunch or for more ‘in depth’ Tarot insight, for some interesting talks had been arranged to coincide with the lunch break. I was very hungry by this time, should I eat and risk missing interesting lunchtime presentations by Celtic Shaman Caitlin Matthews and the renowned Tarot and I Ching expert Alfred Douglas demonstrating the mysteries of the Tarot? In the end I decided to join the rush for a quick pitta bread with houmous and grated carrot from a nearby sandwich bar and a sprint back to the venue in time to catch a talk by Alfred Douglas. Sadly, I missed Caitlin Matthew’s presentation on her new Steampunk Tarot deck, created with husband John Matthews and due out this month, but I hope to see her at the 10th Anniversary of the UK Tarot Conference in 2013 when she will be one of the principle guest speakers.

Alfred Douglas is a mine of fascinating information on the Tarot; now in his 70s he still cuts a handsome, dapper figure. He had a queue of attractive young female fans determined to get his signature on their copies of his popular book ‘The Tarot – The Origins, Meaning And Uses Of The Cards’. This is

an excellent book which I would strongly recommend to anyone with a serious interest in the Tarot. Alfred has also written ‘The Oracle Of Change: How To Consult The I Ching’ and ‘Extra Sensory Powers: A Century Of Psychical Research’.

Alfred Douglas is an unusual, delightfully outspoken and intriguing character; he does not suffer fools gladly and was definitely my favourite speaker at this event. I mean no disrespect to other speakers, they were all

Hurtling towards London on board a high speed express train from Ramsgate to St Pancras I was full of high expectations; I knew an exciting day lay ahead, for I was heading for the Thistle Barbican Hotel for the 9th annual UK Tarot Conference. There I met with Kim Arnold, the doyenne of the Tarot world and charismatic organiser of the conference. Kim and her dedicated team were in high spirits and there was much friendly banter over a full English breakfast in an unpretentious local café as they prepared for the day ahead. Buoyed up by their obvious enthusiasm, I followed as Kim guided me into a bright, spacious conference hall with many circular tables equipped with the usual conference venue accessories of pens, paper and bottled mineral water, but this was to be a conference with a difference, as you will see.

Horoscope 7

BY CHRISTINA RHODES

Speakers at the conference including (left to right) Kim Arnold, Rachel Pollack, Juliette Sharman-Burke, Cilla Conway, Tiffany Crosara and Caitlin Matthews

Tiffany Crosara in The Fool tarot card outfit

Caitlin Matthews

8 Horoscope Horoscope 9

extremely knowledgeable and experts in their chosen fields, but there is something very special about Alfred Douglas. A former pupil of the highly regarded occult scholar and teacher Madeline Montalban, he is a practitioner of the magical arts. It is rumoured he has a rare hybrid of the powerful, magical Mandrake plant growing at his home!

Alfred gave a highly informative talk on the significance of the figure of eight spread in the Tarot; this is detailed in his aforementioned book on the Tarot. He also produced the Sheridan Douglas Tarot deck with David Sheridan, the son of his former partner, the late Jo Sheridan. If you have an opportunity to meet Alfred Douglas and to hear him speak on any subject, do seize the chance, you will not be disappointed!

The Tarot and the ShadowThe first speaker of the afternoon was Cilla Conway who explored ‘The Tarot and the Shadow’. We looked into the meanings of cards which we felt had a ‘shadow’ aspect to them, such as Death, The Tower, The Devil, The Moon, and somewhat surprisingly The High Priestess from the major arcana and many minor arcana cards from the Suit of Swords. We each picked a card at random and looked for ‘the shadow within’ after which Cilla led us through a revealing meditation to meet our ‘shadow’. I found this to be a very powerful experience and gained valuable insight from it. However, others were critical, saying the conference was not a suitable place to undertake such ‘deep, inner work’. It had a profound effect on one young woman, Agneta, an attractive blonde from Sweden, who burst into tears during the meditation, sobbing throughout the remainder of the

session. After the conference our paths crossed in the hotel bar, by this time she was more composed and she told me the guided meditation had greatly assisted her in facing her fears and in releasing blocked emotions.

Cilla Conway is a talented visionary artist who has created two Tarot decks, ‘The Intuitive Tarot’ and ‘The Devas of Creation’. She offers Tarot and Angelic readings and I particularly liked her medieval artwork which can be seen on her website.

Grand finale with a GrandmasterThe conference concluded with a two hour workshop presented by the internationally acclaimed American Rachel Pollack from Brooklyn, New York, creator of the ‘Shining

Tribe’ Tarot deck. Rachel is a Jewish transsexual woman, a popular author of many books including the highly regarded ’78 Degrees of Wisdom’. She has been a huge influence on the worldwide women’s spirituality movement with no less than four books published this year (‘Soul Forest’, ‘Tarot For Magical Times’, ‘Tyrant Oedipus’ and ‘The New Tarot Handbook’). Rachel, a Certified Tarot Grand Master (CTGM) with the Tarot Certification Board of America, travelled to the UK to participate in the Tarot Conference prior to setting off to The Netherlands on the first leg of her European tour.

During her presentation Rachel spoke with passion about each of her recently published books, telling us what had inspired her and what she had discovered on her journey as an author. She spoke of new Tarot spreads and of new meanings within certain cards. She instigated a three card reading (card 1 = self, card 2 = others and card 3 = action) and encouraged her audience to look at the cards as they had never done before. Thus, even the most experienced ‘readers’ of the Tarot discovered aspects of the cards they had not previously been aware of. This was a highly professional presentation and Rachel’s deep knowledge of the Tarot and her obvious enthusiasm and love for her subject was apparent throughout.

The Night BeforeUnfortunately, I missed the previous evening’s events which included a presentation by Rachel Pollack entitled ‘What Tarot Is, What It Does And How It Does It’. During which Rachel invited her audience to explore the Tarot, its origins and evolution. Plus its use as a tool for fortune telling, its inherent spirituality, its ability to give psychological insight and its status in magical practise and mythology. She also spoke of the Tarot’s place in the modern era of social networking and shared experimentation.

This talk was followed by a Master Class on ‘Multi-Dimensional Readings’ at which time Rachel explored the ‘essence’ of the Tarot and its capacity for change. She demonstrated how each time we embark on a reading the cards may be similar, but never the same. She explained that the Tarot shows us a moment, at the same time the deeper we go in a ‘reading’, the more that moment expands. We move backwards to past events, forwards to likely developments, also downwards to unknown energies driving the moment and upwards towards spiritual truth. She believes that this ‘vertical’ dimension reaches beyond the querent to a greater reality around that individual. In this workshop, Rachel demonstrated how the

Tarot can open up a worldview which is very different from the general perception of our individual cultural background. Also, how this multi-dimensional style of interpreting the Tarot can expand our own awareness, as well as helping querents to deal with their problems and move forward in their lives.

Cocktails & canapés and much more…There then followed a regular conference event, a cocktail party with canapés, giving all present an opportunity to mingle and exchange ideas. This was followed by the popular annual Tarot Conference auction of rare Tarot decks and related items. In the

past, at previous conferences I have acquired some unusual items which I treasure.

I was pleased to see that the indomitable Geraldine Baskin, proprietor of the famed Atlantis Bookshop (the country’s oldest occult shop, home to Aleister Crowley’s favourite armchair, he was a regular visitor to the shop) was present with her daughter Bali, running a stall which offered many tempting items for sale throughout the conference. These included rare old books on all aspects of the occult, together with a wide selection of more recent titles, a gorgeous array of colourful and beautifully decorated Tarot bags and many intriguing magical items and as usual I spent far too much!

Next month: What does 2013 (The Year of the Snake) hold for the world in general, for the UK in particular and for you? Find out in the February 2013 issue of Horoscope Magazine. For Christina Rhodes has consulted a number of soothsayers for forecasts, including predictions based on Astrology, Numerology, Tarot, Runes and the Crystal ball. Find out what the future holds!

To find out more about the 2013 UK Tarot Conference sponsored by Horoscope Magazine and to book tickets for this special event contact Kim Arnold on: 01843 847803 or email: info@tarotconference.co.uk. To qualify for your 10% discount exclusive to Horoscope readers call the number above and quote ‘Horoscope’.

Christina Rhodes is a professional psychic consultant, intuitive counsellor and motivational life & business coach. To book a consultation with Christina telephone: 01843 866861.

‘Be a human being, not a human doing!’ For The Fool tells us we need to take time out, to discover our true purpose.

Alfred Douglas demonstrating a figure of eight tarot spread

Rachael Pollack

Horoscope Magazine – sponsor of the 2013 UK Tarot Conference

We are pleased to announce that Horoscope Magazine is the official sponsor of the 2013 UK Tarot Conference. This will be held on the 10th, 11th and 12th October 2013 at which time conference founder Kim Arnold will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the conference. I understand that Kim has special treats in store at this time! For as the number 10 corresponds to The Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot deck, the conference will start with a ride on the London Eye in a private pod with refreshments laid on, followed by a ghost walk through haunted London led by Geraldine Baskin. Tickets for this event will be strictly limited, but Kim is offering a generous 10% discount to Horoscope readers.