Workshop Worlds...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

TemperanceAngel	07 Nov 2003
Hello everyone, I am so new here and feel a little rude interrupting you all. Last month I ran my first Tarot workshop and these will continue every month from now on. For me it was the next step of my journey, just like when I started reading professionally. I just wondered if anyone would like to share any stories on their first Tarot Teaching Workshop Experiences with me or any advice or any thoughts? XTAX

catlin	07 Nov 2003
Until now I've "only" made public lectures on tarot or public readings but I plan to offer my first tarot workshop at the end of this month. I'd be glad to chime in then.

jmd	07 Nov 2003
Great to hear you've taken that important step into teaching, TemperanceAngel. I'm not sure what kind of experiences you would like to focus on, so I'll just mention a few. Some of the 'workshops' and courses I have run over the years differ in so many ways. From two people to over twenty, from relatively high costs to free (paid for, in the latter case, by the City of Eltham - before it amalgamated with another shire), from mainly people with very little knowledge to others who have run courses themselves or have published, people with quite varied educational (and emotional) backgrounds... always needing to modify what I may have sought to have brought, and been guided by a central direction - but the journey and path created as we walk together with the ones actually present. I have often taken a deck unopened at courses (but not always), and began by opening this deck with the participants - becoming co-discoverers of what is hopefully for each of us an unknown deck (this puts me in a bit of the unexpected too). Personally, I find this also helps to make the group into, very quickly, a focussed co-operative and co-learning dynamic group. I personally (nearly) always bring some historical material, and then also do the opposite - forget what the card is supposed to mean according to Deurzeinsfield, but allow it - or a minute portion of it, to speak. Again, I find this quickly helps to bring some sense of confidence in the learner. With courts, I often introduce both the MBTI and some more general comments on mediaeval division of classes, and depict the cards as very much dispositions to act rather than situations or individual people. The pips are introduced often with a key-word system, and I encourage some reading with a deck which has plainly illustrated cards (such as the Marseille) even if they own a RWCS or its successors. Only in longer courses (such as a weekly evening class which went for a year +) do I go into more details in GD matter. Kabalistic materials I usually mention, depending on the duration of the course, either from a more historical perspective, or, if giving a GD-type course, as the way through which to enter the Sefirotic 'paths'. In more personal spiritual courses, I usually introduce an ascent upon the Tree using my own allocations. I mention all these, for it doesn't seem to matter how many Tarot workshops one has run, each has so many different aspects that they are each 'new' and 'firsts'. For what it's worth, the first ongoing course I gave (thought not the very first workshop - which I barely remember) also gave me the deck I have used the most for reading: my 'Classic' (as re-named by US Games) Schaffhouse.

TemperanceAngel	07 Nov 2003
jmd you are the wealth of knowledge indeed, very helpful and thank you!! Just for interests sake my first workshop was a Beginner's, what else could I do? And I did bring an unopened deck, Rider-Waite of course, wouldn't use anything else. The next one is about myth/legend/archetypes/traditions, The Fool and the Magician, Merlin, Houdini etc. Anyone know any other great Magicians/Jesters? We will talk about the Celtic Cross Spread and its' origin, the Celtic world I really resonate with. XTAX

TemperanceAngel	07 Nov 2003
Public lectures sound so intimidating...... XTAX

catlin	07 Nov 2003
MM, TA, Public lectures are not so difficult, I like talking to others about my fav subject. Ok, I was nervous when I did my first public lecture 3 years ago but now it is really easy. Besides, I want to show ppl that there is way more to tarot than "only" divination. It is really my heart's desire to make ppl more aware of esoteric matters in a "normal" way, not such yellow press stuff that all ppl reading tarot are satanists etc.

TemperanceAngel	08 Nov 2003
Your lectures sound great, Catlin, and inspire me to maybe someday do the same thing! XTAX

The Workshop Worlds... thread was originally posted on 07 Nov 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.