Tarot Seminar

[Scion]

The school year is upon us, and my Tarot seminar is racing ahead in a big way.

Pursuant to my earlier thread asking about buying Tarot decks in large volume. I've got my stack of Marseilles ready for tomorrow. My lesson plans are done for the first month. Papageno even gifted my students a load of decks which I'll unleash upon them once we've done some basics... (To quote the songspiele: It is the greatest of all feelings... that such a blessing should be mine... )

I thought I'd post some info on AT about this seminar that I'm teaching, to run ideas past people and keep a kind of public log on the progress of the kids. I may even (if people are interested) post some handouts to see if folks find them useful etc. Solitaire is doing a class of her own this fall, and I'm kinda hoping these two threads will allow us to crossreference and exchange/improve ideas before launching them on the kids. And that way tthe things we discover will be available to any other ATers thinking about teaching a class...

For my seminar, I have 9 months ahead of me and I've loosely mapped out the territory, with certain topics planned but unscheduled, in reserve for the point when they seem to fit the way the students are grooving.

My plan of attack is fairly academic because of the context and my desire that the students come away with ability not only to USE the cards, but to see the way the Tarot draws on so many elements of Western esoterica that also pop up in other subjects. All of these kids are pretty scholastic; they've all had Latin, they're all taking a heavy courseload, they're all involved in the arts, they all read voraciously, and (being adolescent) question EVERYTHING.

Last week I kicked off with a quick overview of Tarot with a list of spoilers (from here and Tarot-L) about common misconceptions, myths, and the current understanding of Tarot and its development. The kids loved it, and actually wound up wanting more concrete history than I'd expected. My goal for the year is to make them not only readers, but explorers of Tarot. To that end, I'll be doing a lot of nuts-and-bolts study, as well as brief, meaty overviews scattered across the year of some tangential topics that they ight want to explore on their own: gnosticism, astrology, alchemy, hermeticism, qabalah, magic, comparative mythology, et al... as well as practical applications like reading, meditation, creative writing, pathworking, lite spellwork, card design, and good old fashioned fortunetelling. My History of Magick class was such a hit and such a blast, I KNOW how far these kids will run with the material if it's presented properly.

Each class will be an hour and a half split between 45 minutes of lecture/info and 45 minutes of practical application/use of Tarot. The required decks for the year are the Big Three: I'm starting them with the Marseilles (as the root-deck of the modern esoteric Tarots), then going full-steam into Waite-Smith to give them their sealegs, and then shifting to the Crowley-Harris Thoth... at which point I'm expecting them all to have identified different decks that work best for them. And by that point, they'll be able to have intelligent discussions comparing and contrasting their various decks of choice...

Can you tell how STOKED I am to be doing this class?!

Let me type up what I have so far as a Syllabus and let y'all take a poke at it.

Scion

 

[Nimbus]

This group of students sounds very interesting. Can you describe the school setting you are working in and maybe a little bit about how you came to this point? How were you able to convince the school board to allow a tarot course?

If this has already been answered elsewhere, please direct me to the thread.

I will be watching this thread with great curiosity as my goal is to approach one of the adult learning centres about offering a tarot course that has more of a scholarly aspect than the usual 'tarot lite' courses that are offered here in town. Not that a 'tarot lite' approach is a negative thing, but more that I am interested in working with a group on a deeper level.

Thanks very much.

 

[Grizabella]

So this is your thread and you want me to start another thread about my "plan of attack", right? Or do you want us both to contribute on this thread, kind of like dueling seminars? Mine won't be happening till October 26th and will be a one-time thing except for those who want to continue after that.

Naturally it will be very brief on the three kinds of decks and tarot history because of time constraints, concentrating instead on using tarot for self-knowledge and reading for others to help them gain insight for their lives. I'll also spend a little time talking about tarot as art. Then right into reading by listening to the Universe and one's own intuition, how to use the symbolism in a deck, etc. If the students want to get academic about it later on, I can help them find the right information, but these are kids who interested in tarot as a spiritual tool and as a means of helping sitters access spiritual knowledge and guidance as well. People call this school "the hippie school". We're not hippies but some of the same philosophy is behind the way we raise kids. (No, not sex, drugs and rock'n'roll, either! )

So that's my info and I can go start another thread of my own if that's what the idea was.

 

[satinangel]

I cannot wait to follow along on this wonderful journey with you and Solitaire!!

...And of course, would love to see your handouts!

 

[Scion]

So this is your thread and you want me to start another thread about my "plan of attack", right? Or do you want us both to contribute on this thread, kind of like dueling seminars?
...So that's my info and I can go start another thread of my own if that's what the idea was.

No need to post anothr thread I think.... I was actually posting this thread to run in parallel to your "School workshop" thread. I just wanted to have a separate thread for my class (rather than leaving it in the preliminary "Bulk-buying" discussion) to talk through things. Because the format is so different and our courses are so different, I figure the 2 threads will cover different turf. You and I can just pop in and out of each other's class threads...

Looking foward to it. Im getting read to go teach the second class right now.

Scion

p.s. Nimbus, Those are excellent questions, and I'll answer you properly when I have some time to be articulate later this evening. And Satinangel: youwant handouts I got handouts!

 

[Scion]

The Syllabus is looking like this at the moment:

• WEEK 1: OVERVIEW AND MYTHBUSTING
  ~ Lecture: Discussion of myths and misconceptions, known facts about general Tarot history and development of esoteric Tarot
  ~ Exercise: Meet and Greet: students sharing what brings them to the class and what they hope to gain from it. Identify interests to focus later classes.
  ~ Assignment: Daily Draw with Trumps.
  
• WEEK 2: MAJOR ARCANA: HISTORY (distribute Tarot de Marseilles)
  ~ Lecture: Oldest extant decks, gaming history of the deck and parallels in Renaissance symbology
  ~ Exercise: Symbol hunt for single card, identifying parallel symbols across all the Trumps
  ~ Assignment: coloring their Majors (if time an issue, at least their favorite and least favorite)… nb: the TdM was photocopied onto cardstock and cut for them to allow coloring etc.
  
• WEEK 3: MAJOR ARCANA: STRUCTURE
  ~ Lecture: Ways of parsing the Majors as a symbolic structure (Estates of Man, Neoplatonism, Hermetic initiation, Heroic monomyth, Alchemy, etc)
  ~ Exercise: Relating situations/experience to Majors, storytelling with Majors. One Card Majors reading.
  ~ Assignment: Choose a well known story and determine the sequence of Majors that could nonliterally illustrate the narrative.
  
• WEEK 4: CATHOLICISM
  ~ Lecture: An overview of the Medieval Christian and heretical elements in Tarot and the way they would have been understood in their own time. Small presentation by guest lecturer on Notres Dame and sacred geometry in medieval architecture!
  ~ Exercise: Identify traditional and heretical symbols in the Trumps.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draw with journaling about the way numbers from the day's card manifests over the day/week.
  
• WEEK 5: PIPS AND SUITS:
  ~ Lecture: Evolution of pip symbols from China to Italy. Quick overview of Empedocles, Aristotle and the classical elements. Discussion of various attributions/interpretations of the suits, use of pips for reading.
  ~ Exercise: Dividing the deck Into Majors & Minors and thence into suits. Laying out suits in parallel to look at distinction between cards.
  ~ Assigment: Daily card draw with full deck. Simple interps using element and number... journaling about the way that card appears over the course of the day.)
  
• WEEK 6: REVERSALS
  ~ Lecture: Meaning spectra. “Positive” vs. “Negative” cards. Positive readings of Negative cards & vice versa Tradition of reversals vs. modern "softer" interpretation.
  ~ Exercise: Contextual reading with cards, Reading a card for its most positive and negative possibilities.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws and journaling, using cards in Rx and unRx positions.
  
• WEEK 7: SUIT OF COINS & SCENIC PIPS (distribute Waite-Smith decks)
  ~ Lecture: Discussion of the shifts across a single suit as reflected by the order of images and the depicted scenes. Connecting single suit with simple numerology, using element and number to glean meaning. Briefly, Book T titles of Coins.
  ~ Exercise: Review all Coins & journal impressions of suit. Discussion of the way this suit expresses meaning as a unit. 2 card reading using only the Suit of Coins
  ~ Assignment: Daily card draw using only the suit of Coins, identifying the way in which that Coin card manifests during the day.
  
• WEEK 8: SUIT OF SWORDS & FRENCH OCCULT REVIVAL
  ~ Lecture: Quickie history of Gebelin, Etteilla, and the public "invention" of Tarot as an esoteric object. Discussion on the public Egyptian reinterpretation and its impact. Briefly, Book T titles of Swords.
  ~ Exercise: Review all Swords & journal impressions of suit. Discussion of the way this suit expresses meaning as a unit. 2 Card reading using only the Suit of Swords
  ~ Assignment: Daily card draw using only the suit of Swords, identifying the way in which that Sword card manifests during the day.
  
• WEEK 9: SUIT OF CUPS & ELIPHAS LEVI
  ~ Lecture: Quickie history of Eliphas Levi and the association of Magick with Tarot. Discussion on the public Qabalistic reinterpretation and its impact. Briefly, Book T titles of Cups.
  ~ Exercise: Review all Cups & journal impressions of suit. Discussion of the way this suit expresses meaning as a unit. 2 card Reading using only the Suit of Cups
  ~ Assignment: Daily card draw using only the suit of Cups, identifying the way in which that Cup card manifests during the day.
  
• WEEK 10: SUIT OF WANDS & GOLDEN DAWN
  ~ Lecture: Quickie history of Golden Dawn and creation of Waite-Smith Deck including brief bio of Pixie Smith & Arthur Waite. Discussion on the Astrological modifications to the GD Tarot and their impact. Briefly, Book T titles of Wands.
  ~ Exercise: Review all Wands & journal impressions of suit. Discussion of the way this suit expresses meaning as a unit. 2 card Reading using only the Suit of Wands
  ~ Assignment: Daily card draw using only the suit of Wands identifying the way in which that Wand card manifests during the day.
  
• WEEK 11: COURT CARDS
  ~ Lecture: Structure of the Court Cards, History behind interpretations and conflicting hierarchies, Paul Huson's heroic attribution research
  ~ Exercise: Identifying famous figures of literature and history as Curt Cards. Then themselves and classmates and friends as Court cards, List of personal modes, activities, and actions as manifest in court cards
  ~ Assignment: Instinctively select a personal significator and research all of the symbols and images associated with it, allowing for a 3 minute card discussion next week.
  
• WEEK 12: NUMBER & NUMEROLOGY
  ~ Lecture: Pythagoras and the Neoplatonists; Spiritual and secular Traditions about Number; Selection from Theology of Arithmetic by pseudo-Iamblichus
  ~ Exercise: Reviewing the Minors grouped by number, Comparing Minors to the Major with which they share a number.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draw with journaling about the way numbers from the day's card manifests over the day.
  
• WEEK 13: HERMETIC QABALAH
  ~ Lecture: BASIC overview of qabalistic world view and the idea of divine emanation... Contrast Jewish Kabbalah with later Hermetic mutation. Brief Discussion of Tetragrammaton.
  ~ Exercise: 4 Worlds spread… manifestation of a current project or situation in their lives.
  ~ Assignment: Daily Draw, connecting the day’s card to its basic Qabalistic content
  
• WEEK 14: HERMETIC TREE OF LIFE
  ~ Lecture: The Tree of Life, the sephiroth, and the path of descent and ascension on the paths: Path of Serpent, Path of Sword (discuss Magickian vs. Mystic)
  ~ Exercise: Suster's Tarot Rummy with the whole class playing on a large Tree of Life!
  ~ Assignment: Review for 1st Semester Final!
  
• WEEK 15: FIRST SEMESTER FINAL!!
  ~ Assignment: Readings for family and friends over the holidays.
  
  : : : : : WINTER BREAK : : : : :
  
• WEEK 16: DIVINATION 101
  ~ Lecture: What is divination? History, theory, and science. Possible explanations of why divination and fortunetelling work.
  ~ Exercise: Linking three cards to create a cohesive reading. Quickie Hegel: Thesis/Antithesis/Synthesis!, Ricklef style Historical/Fictional Character readings.
  ~ Assignment: Do a three card reading and write it up as in page(s) due next week.
  
• WEEK 17: ASTROLOGY (distribute individual personalized natal charts: modern & traditional)
  ~ Lecture: Contrast of modern (lobotomized) sun-sign astrology with traditional astrology. Overview of astrological concepts: sign, planet, and house.
  ~ Exercise: Locating Trump of their ascendant and cards on either side; 3 Card "search" spreads as predictors of timing using basic solar astrology.
  ~ Assignment: Read/compare/contrast the provided natal charts... Where are they accurate? Where are they off? Daily draws and journaling.
  
• WEEK 18: THE DECANS
  ~ Lecture: History of the Decans. Comparison of Decan images with Etteilla and Book T meanings.
  ~ Exercise: Personal relation to the Decans: identifying the Decans c.f. the planetary positions on their individual charts. Then 12 card "Zodiac" spread" of 12 Houses with some very gentle discussion of astrological patterns in the spreads.
  ~ Assignment: Studying their own modern/traditional charts with regards to Tarot. Daily draws and journaling incorporating Astrology for timing and other symbolic content.
  
• WEEK 19: CROWLEY (Distribute Crowley-Harris Thoth decks)
  ~ Lecture: Quickie history of Aleister Crowley and the implosion of the GD. Discussion on Crowley's mythology and the impact on HIS deck.
  ~ Exercise: A tour of the Crowley Majors identifying the parallels to older decks and the changes indicative of the "New Aeon." Lay out all of the Majors and track the movement of "energy" represented as the descent through the four worlds from Kether to Malkuth
  ~ Assignment: Daily draw with Thoth. Read first third of Crowley’s “The Wake World” from Konx Om Pax.
  
• WEEK 20: BIRTH OF THOTH DECK
  ~ Lecture: Quickie history of Crowley & Harris' collaboration, Basic Thelema mythos and worldview and its impact on the Thoth’s symbolism. Selections from the Crowley-Harris correspondence. Quickie overview: Projective Synthetic Geometry
  ~ Exercise: Create a Tarot card! Choose a single card and compile a list of associated symbols, ideas, and meanings... and design an image that will convey a meaning and embed symbolism for deeper exploration.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws with Thoth. Execute the Card designed in class! Read 2nd third of Crowley’s “The Wake World” from Konx Om Pax.
  
• WEEK 21: QABALAH FAIRY TALE
  ~ Lecture: The Crowley Courts. Tarot as a heroic cycle... Understanding the Courts and movement upon the Tree of Life dynamically as expressed in the cards.
  ~ Exercise: Comparison of Thoth and Waite-Smith Courts. Compare and contrast of Scenic WS minors and Thoth's moody pips... Suster's Tarot Rummy with the whole class playing on a large Tree of Life!
  ~ Assignment: Write up of a comparative reading using cards from two different decks refractively to clarify the reading. Read final third of Crowley’s “The Wake World” from Konx Om Pax.
  
• WEEK 22: ARS MEMORIA
  ~ Lecture: Short History of the Art of Memory, starting with the Greeks and coming forward to Bruno & Camillo. Theoretic relation of Tarot to memory systems and emblemata. Thoth as Crowley’s Memory Palace. Waite-Smith as Waite’s Memory Palace.
  ~ Exercise: Identify a single symbolic element across the entire deck, then identify the way the symbol is transformed in the context of each card, and in turn how the constellation of cards defines the symbol.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws with Thoth. Pathworking and meditation with a Thoth card.
  
• WEEK 23: ALCHEMY
  ~ Lecture: Overview of European alchemy, its symbolism and aims. Identifying Alchemical elements in the symbolism of the Thoth deck. Alchemy as a model of creation and personal transformation.
  ~ Exercise: Speed reading. Students do rapid bookless readings by the seat of their pants. Switching frequently and focusing on achieving some coherence and flow.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws with Thoth. Alchemical spread used for academic project.
  
• WEEK 24: MYSTERIES
  ~ Lecture: An overview of the mystery traditions that are sometimes said to have impacted Tarot: Mithraism (& thence Zoroastrianism), Gnosticism, Sufism, and the Eleusinian mysteries.
  ~ Exercise: Using the mythology of less familiar traditions to enrich a reading. How unfamiliar stories retain relevance. Students identify a single “mystery tradition” and find a way it can add context to symbols.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draw with journaling about the way numbers from the day's card manifests over the day/week.
  
• WEEK 25: CONSPIRACIES
  ~ Lecture: An overview of some of the secret organizations and grand cabals that have been associated with Tarot: Templars, Illuminati, Rosicrucians, Egyptian priesthood, the Fez conference, the Cathars, etc.
  ~ Exercise: Identifying the secret hidden message in the Tarot deck by tracking and logging symbols from that tradition across all the cards.
  ~ Assignment: A one-page paper "proving" the secret tradition behind the Tarot. Daily draw with journaling about the way numbers from the day's card manifests over the day/week.
  
• WEEK 26: MAGICK (Distribute individual decks chosen by students)
  ~ Lecture: Basic definition of magick, various understandings of magick as something distinct from religion/prayer. Theories that "explain" magick in modern terms. Short review of Tarot's connection to magick.
  ~ Exercise: Changing a spread to change the circumstances. Using what we know about the cards and their attributions,, design a "spell" to achieve a specific goal using the cards as an element. Spread design and question formulation.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draw. Design/use a practical testable spell using their deck of choice.
  
• WEEK 27: CREATING WITH TAROT
  ~ Lecture: An overview of practical applications of the Tarot for artistic endeavors and the things that make it an ideal creativity tool.
  ~ Exercise: Use of Tarot in Creative projects; Reading for writing. Plot a story, flesh out characters, and revise the work using spreads and refractive reading techniques.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws. Produce a creative writing piece using the material uncovered by the above exercises.
  
• WEEK 28: QUESTIONS
  ~ Lecture: Formulating powerful questions. Useful and vague queries. Specifying language for better readings.
  ~ Exercise: James Wells’ (fab!) “question harvest” exercise which uses the entire class as a farm for powerful questions which hone examination of a situation.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws. Design a spread based on the re-focused questions from the Wells exercise, to be presented (with diagram) next week.
  
• WEEK 29: SPREAD DESIGN
  ~ Lecture: Shape, Scope, and Synthesis in successful spreads. Providing powerful/useful data. Formulating spreads on the fly.
  ~ Exercise: Pairing up with fellow students, design a spread based on their question complete with a shape, positions, and meaningful context.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws. Test 3 of the spreads designed in class last week in readings for friends or family.
  
• WEEK 30: ETHICS & PRESENTATION
  ~ Lecture: Personal framework for reading: ethical statement, presentation, goals, & expectations on both sides. Fee or Free? Venues suitable for beginning readers.
  ~ Exercise: Students and faculty from school invited to attend second half of class for short practical readings using deck of choice.
  ~ Assignment: Daily draws. Read for three strangers in a safe environment.
  
• WEEK 31: SECOND SEMESTER FINAL!!
  ~ Assignment: Keep studying and exploring Tarot… Share what they know!

 

[Scion]

Unbelievably great 3rd class on Structure of the Trumps tongiht!

Rea;;y spent most of the time with the students doing hands on rearranging ot the Majors to show how different groupings produce different meaningful patterns. The history from last week really paid off, and every single student was able top produce preliminary readings based on the card symbolism. Fascinating to watch them come at it and grapple with it. Becuas eeach one was positive that the meaings were totally unknown, and each one would gradually comb trhrough the details until a meaning emerged.

And some of the coloring of the Majors that they'd done was out of the ballpark beautiful. I'll try to get them to scan a couple cards so I can post. One girl did individual striations in metallic pencils on the bricks of the Maison Dieu. Crazy!

Then wrapped with a single card draw and daily draw assignment to keep their minds active and focussed on the images. Fabulous class...

Starting pips next week and theiy're itching to go.

Scion

 

[Grizabella]

My workshop is going to be a whole lot less formal than your class, Scion, partly because of time constraints. My workshop will be a day long at most but with follow-up on two fronts on a weekly basis for those who want to continue. The two fronts will be a weekly class at school if there's enough interest and one at my house in addition-----or instead of, if they don't schedule a class at school.

At the school the girls attend, workshops are offered once a month on a variety of things the kids either are interested in or think they might become interested in. That's the purpose of the workshops---to offer hands-on sessions with a lot of different things for them to choose from. Then if enough student interest is generated, the school will schedule ongoing classes for whatever it is.

In this case, I already know there are several students who want to continue learning, but there may not be enough that the school will schedule classes. If the school doesn't, I'm still volunteering to teach the kids myself at home on a weekly basis and by being available to them by phone in between.

I'm still waiting to hear whether I'm sharing workshop day with other workshops. If so, I may opt to wait and claim a whole day for myself that I won't have to share because a whole day will a) be more fun for the kids and b) will allow time to cover more topics.

I'll start by covering tarot history (in brief), then dispelling tarot myths, then introducing the kids to the decks available and letting them choose which they think suits them best. Of course, I'll explain that there are three schools---RWS, Marseilles and Thoth and that they're learning RWS.

The students who are only committing to the day of the workshop will turn in their deck at the end of the day, but those who want to continue on will sign out their deck and keep it to use ongoing. I'm sure some of the kids who turn their decks in will then decide they want to join back in on a weekly basis once they've thought about it, so then there will still be decks for them. Any parents or staff who want to take the workshop or the classes have to provide their own decks but with the selection Papageno has donated, they'll be able to see many different versions of the RWS type decks in case what they've been trying to learn with on their own hasn't been working for them. They may be caught up in the "deck as fashion accessory syndrome." I know a couple of people---a student and at least one staff---are caught in that syndrome.

They're going to start with a deck, a pen and a notebook. No tarot books or LWB's. Then they'll start making notes on each of the cards to find their own symbolism and meaningful points in each card. I'm sure there will be lots of comparing of decks among the students and I know we won't get through a whole deck in a day, but it will get them started on journaling and looking for their own symbolism and meaning.

Next step will be doing some simple readings for each other and the emphasis will be on "just for fun" so nobody gets stage fright or thinks they have to be "right". I expect this part to be great fun, lots of hilarity, but some amazement, too, when the magic starts to happen.

As everyone can see, my plan is very fluid, while Scion's is very formal, structured, and scholastic.

My emphasis is on reading for others. Not on tarot history or tarot art or the scholarly approach to tarot, but just on tarot as a personal spiritual tool and a tool to share with others by being a reader. That's what I know, so that's what I'll share and assist my students to learn how to do.

If there's time, though, I do want to discuss the art of tarot. We have some very artistic students and I can see at least one someday wanting to create her own deck, maybe. It would be good to discuss the art in the different decks and what makes it work.

Oh, forgot to add that I'll bring a selection of books to show that I'll also be lending out later when they've gotten quite acquainted with their decks without them.

Well, there's mine----not nearly as dazzling as Professor Scion's, but we're looking forward to it just the same.

Scion, you're a master.

 

[Scion]

Solitaire, that sounds fabulous. you aren't giving yourself credit. I don;'t know if the above syylabus, so much as it is LONG.

Actually, It sounds like we're both describing very similar tracks, the only difference being that I know that I'm facing 9 months with voracious minds and having a "set" plan makes me feel less panicky about covering the material substantively. I think the main difference between our classes may be one of time. I'm looking down the barrel of the year knowing that I want them to be exposed to certain ideas and I want them to be able to read comfortably. On top of that I'm looking at a narrow age range, and you're grappling with a much wider age-range which sets a whole other group of challenges.

Everything you're describing is almost exactly the way I'm covering the reading portion, except that I'm doing sort of "academic lectures" and handouts on related topics. But that's just cause we have time to do it, and I figure it can't hurt anyone to know something about Plato or Joseph Campbell... That only represents about 40 minutes of classtime. The second half is all practical, hands-on, no books reading. I mean: I hope they remember some of the material and that it helps them find stuff, but last night they just read those Majors using their own knowlege of art and history and whatever else.

Now having said that, by having a semi-formal syllabus, I know I've foregrounded some ideas and let others take a backseat. But the students have a way of shaping the course of a class just by virtue of interest and ability. BUt again, I think I'm setting all this out because the itme allows.

Anyways, I'm very excited to hear how your first day goes... Y'all are gonna kick all kinds of butt.

Scion

 

[Aulruna]

I'm really envious when I'm reading this.

While I was at school in a small town environment, it was not possible for years to learn Spanish, let alone Tarot.

Now I'm living in one of the major cities, so at least we have adult evening classes, where I also teach Tarot occasionally.

It is much more similar to Solitaire's than to Scion's and focuses on reading. Usually, the structure is like this:

- Introduction round, where everyone says who s/he is and what s/he expects from the course.

- Brief history of Tarot, focusing on the more recent developments.

- Introduction into RWS with some info on symbolism and colour scheme.

- Free association exercise; everyone gets to pull a card and just say what they see in it.

- Intro into building questions, the merits of open-ended versus closed/deterministic ones, and a little preaching about the importance of always relating the card back to the question. For that, I'm giving out round cardboard pieces (pre-cut from craft store) with a bright orange question mark stamped on it. They can put this in front of themselves when reading to help remembering that.

- Reading with 1 card of the first 5 trumps, which I first introduce in some more detail, then two, then three including switching the positions.
Here, I'm putting a lot of emphasis on sticking to the free association, then combine it with the more formal info and make a synthesis.

- Short introduction to structure of a deck, elemental and numerological association, etc. Everyone gets to pick favourite cards and suits and has to explain why.

- Introduction to spreads.

- Reading exercises for each other. This is sort of tricky with sensitive questions, which is why I switched to a list of pre-made questions until people feel more comfortable in the whole setting (and I had the chance to evaluate them and identify possible pushers); usually after they have done and received about 3 readings.

Last time, I did include a session on how to pick a deck and a little vanity show & tell from my collection. I was very undecided before this, but actually people loved it.

I never talked about the myths & misconception and it never did come up, but I think that might be a great thing to include. Will try it next time (in February).

Thanks so much for sharing your concepts, it was very inspiring!