| [The Washingtonian, August 2006, Pages 104–105]
Tarot Cards: Not Just for Looking Into
the Future
Five years ago, out of curiosity, Paul Weiss attended a class
on tarot-card reading. Now he uses his deck daily. "I
look at a card before going to work, and it tells me the energy
of the day," says Weiss, a library technician at a DC
law firm. "Or I use it when I write, like a brain-storming
technique. It's very subtle, but it changed how I see my life."
Contrary to popular belief, the 78-card tarot deck isn't
used only for seeing into the future; many people use it to
gain insight into their unconscious. DC resident Vicki Mattingly, who has studied tarot for ten years and given readings for
three, considers tarot a good way to get to know yourself.
"I think of it like inkblot tests or dream images,"
she says. "These types of symbols bring out a new way
of looking at things."
Through her business, Transcendent Voyage (transcendentvoyage.com),
Mattingly provides life coaching, workshops, and readings.
Her Sunday Spiritual Salon Series is an informal two-hour
lecture and brunch at her Dupont Circle home that ends with
a tarot or astrology reading for each of the attendees.
Mattingly says that because tarot is open to various interpretations,
the particular deck you use isn't so important; you should
pick one whose images you feel connected to. Themes such as
sports or feminism are popular, as are cards with Celtic and
Native American imagery. Amazon.com sells the classic Rider
tarot deck, including instruction book, for $11.70.
Geraldine Amaral—who taught the class that Paul Weiss
attended—is author of Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the
Inner Voice. She teaches workshops at the Arlington Metaphysical
Chapel (5618 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 703-276-8738; arlingtonmeta.com)
and gives personal "empowerment" readings, which
are booked through her Web site, TarotCelebrations.com.
Amaral's workshops ($30 to $90) give an introduction to what
tarot can do besides fortunetelling. Every three months, she
offers a $30 introduction at First Class (1726 20th St., NW;
202-797-5102; takeaclass.org); the next is September 9.
She suggests that those seeking more information on tarot
look into professional sites, including the American Tarot
Association's (ata-tarot.com) or personal sites such as aeclectic.net.
—Cory Ohlendorf
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What People
are Saying |
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| [Enneagram Workshop] "I came to this workshop
with little or no knowledge of the Enneagram — this
was all completely new information to me. I left
with a detailed overview of the Enneagram and the
concepts behind it. This workshop is an excellent
introduction to the material — well-organized, logically
arranged and expertly presented. I liked the intimate
setting, and the conversational atmosphere. The
setting was conducive to discussion and exploration,
but never strayed too far from the subject matter.
Well worth the time, the trip, and the very reasonable
donation." ~R.P., College Park, MD [Myers-Briggs Workshop] "Even though I am
fairly conversant with MBTI concepts, I still
found much to learn from this workshop. The intimate
group setting was very conducive to discussion
and exploration, while Vicki's skill as a presenter
kept the workshop focused and on-topic. Excellent,
useful handouts. The material is one of the best
distillations of available information that I
have seen. Very well organized, both on paper
and in execution. I left the workshop with new
knowledge and renewed excitement about the topic.
The type descriptions and examples of the various
types from well-known public personalities from
history and popular culture (movies, tv) were
very useful in forming a mental "picture"
of each type. I also found Vicki's enthusiasm
for the subject matter engaging and infectious
— she clearly loves the material and communicates
this well." ~R.P., College Park, MD
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