Wednesday 30 January 2013

Being True To Myself

Being True To Myself

I feel like the Page of Swords, embracing new opportunities to learn more and hone my Tarot reading skills with every chance I get.  I would be signing up for courses, buying more books, registering for workshops, meeting up with my friends in my local Tarot community and discussing new ideas with my mentors, or friends from the international Tarot community.
However this is what gets to me and if I wasn’t the strong King of Wands type, being a typical Leo, I would have caved in and decide to spend my time knitting in my quiet corner instead.
A Continuous Learning Curve
As I have been through a very steep learning curve when I started out on my journey with Tarot, I made it my commitment to help novice Tarot readers who are still starting out on their journey with Tarot.  And the very basic advice I often give them is that no matter where you are at with Tarot and how experienced a reader you are, you can never claim to be the best Tarot reader than someone else.  Embracing Tarot is a spiritual journey; it’s not a material thing that you garner. It’s not a clothing you wear, it’s not a title on a  plaque you put on your desk, it’s not  So no one should ever stop learning along his or her journey.
Tarot Certifications
I have been personally attacked in conversations about my pride in having obtained the Certified Professional Tarot Reader (CPTR) qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA).  Someone said to me, “I have been a professional Tarot reader for the last 30 years, who are the TCBA to come and tell me whether I am a proficient reader or not?”  I wanted to get online to check the TCBA’s mission and vision and send it across to her.  Then, I stopped myself because I don’t need the mission and vision of anything to deal with someone who perhaps hasn’t the mind and grace to understand what they mean anyway.
Frankly, that’s the stupidest comment I have ever come across.  Some 25 years ago, when I applied for and got into my University of choice,  I was elated about the opportunity to learn something new, embrace a new life, make new friends, and perhaps “grow up”.  When I went to work and had the opportunity to hire a team, I hired a mix of wonderful people who were from different backgrounds.  Some had a university qualification, and some hadn’t.  However each of them brought a special skillset and personality to the table that helped contribute to the success of the company.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter which school they studied at, or whether they were University graduates or whether they had 30 years of experience in marketing.  The dynamics of a profession like mine as a marketeer required one who not only had experience and was technically trained.  Beyond these basic requisites, one had to have great soft skills to manage cross functional teamwork and leadership skills to manage a team with a view to meeting the company’s business goals.
So my point is this.  Within the Tarot community, some of us have certifications from different certification boards, some don’t. Some have more than 30 years of experience, and some don’t.  However it doesn’t matter.  As light workers, the Universe has equipped us with our different skills and abilities with one goal, to bring clarity and assurance to the people in our lives. 
I chose to pursue a certification as my personal ambition to always better myself.  It didn’t stop at the certification from the TCBA.  I am still doing my course work every day for several other courses I had signed up for.  And I am doing all these with the genuine intent to learn and be better in what I do.  Sometimes, my clients teach me what the certification exams don’t teach me.  I learn to deal with different scenarios, different personalities, and even nasty clients and skeptics.
In short, it doesn’t matter what you’ve studied, and how many years of experience you have.  I always believe that if the intent is pure, the Universe will present the opportunity to you in its own time and pace.  So there’s no need for that sabre-rattling on social media platforms dishing all that negative energy around whether one should get certified or not.  I think your energy is better spent on clients who need you most.  .   
Temperance And The Empress
This morning, I picked a Card du Jour which I usually do on a daily basis.  Temperance was picked and let me repeat in this blog post what I had posted on my Sun Goddess Tarot Facebook page as the interpretation for my Card Du Jour – “Temperance is an appropriate card du jour as we approach mid-week.  It advises you to manage challenges with a measure of moderation, patience, calm and control.”  It’s a great advice for me at the moment when I feel like taking off my shoes and throwing it at that cow.
Then I picked the Empress for further clarification.  It’s even clearer now.  The Empress has asked me to continue to do what I do which fulfills me, and manage such cows with a generous and understanding spirit.  I should be thankful that with that one “nay-sayer”, I am surrounded by so many more people who believe in me, love my work and encourage my continuous learning.  I am blessed.  
These cards were picked from Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Tarot deck.

You Will Never Stop Me
I dislike “nay-sayers”.  I detest the negativity of people who are out to proof a point about nothing and hasn’t done much to look deeper into their inner being to drag their shadow of fear for competition out of the closet.  That’s basically what it was when I am confronted with a situation like this. 
I have no time for such negativity.  My clients need me particularly when they are under duress.  My protégés need me there to hold their hands and guide them through their respective journeys with Tarot.
Onward and upwards.
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) and was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also 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




2 comments:

  1. Good for you, Joanna, staying true to yourself and your calling to learn and share! Some people are certified, and still aren't good readers, some people have years of experience, but have lost their passion and empathy. We must each look into our own heart to see our worth and our intent - and you clearly have both :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind comments. It's people like you who make me feel proud to be part of the Tarot community. When I was confronted by this argument about certifications, it rocked my confidence for awhile but managed to regain my composure enough to let it go and just pen my thoughts in my blog. I had a chat with my proteges about this last night. The less experienced or mature ones would have been quite affected by negative comments like this So i wanted them to be able to deal with situations like these. It's already one thing to deal with skeptics, but to deal with negativity within the Tarot family is really not cool.

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