Reflections On SF BATS 2012

Right now, I am on a plane heading home after a few nice cool days in San Francisco (in the 60’s unlike the heat suckfest we’ve been having in Milwaukee!). I had a great time at SF BATS and am using my airplane ride as a time to reflect on the different things I have discovered during my trip.

My takeaways:

1. I am now convinced that Mary Greer has special powers. I would buy anything that woman is selling or promoting. After attending her class on the Lenormand (my favorite class at the conference by a landslide), I ran out to get a Dust Bunny Lenormand (which is adorable by the way) immediately. Yup, that’s how convincing she is and this clearly demonstrated to me why she is Queen Bee of Tarot. I always get something out of her classes.

2. Tarot people have a great sense of humor. This year’s skits were hilarious – big kudos to Nancy Antenucci, Dan Pelletier, Rhonda Lund, Thalassa Therese and Sue Wilhite for putting on a fantastic show!

3. No matter how far we are, social media and conferences keep us connected. It was great to see old friends like Georgianna Boehkne and Gina Thies – but also an honor to meet up with new friends like Traci Goodrich and Diane Wilkes. Plus these yearly meetings allow acquaintances to grow into stronger friendships. I’m thankful for the small time I got to spend chatting with David Attwood, Lisa Anderson, and others. Learning more about them makes me appreciate them all the more – and I want to know more about them!

4. Two days is not enough time for me. I relish the time I had with friends and classes but oh how I wish I had more time to spend chatting with great peeps such as Mike Hernandez and Joanna Powell Colbert! I wish the conference was still going!

5. You can teach an old dog new tricks. Can I just say that what I learned from Carrie Paris and Mary Greer got my tarot brain humming big time? I always love getting new insights in this crusty old tarot brain!

6. San Francisco is my second home. After a brutally hot summer in Milwaukee, the cold air felt amazing. I could breathe better and I felt more alive! Sadly, SF BATS will be moving to San Jose – which means that this is probably going to be my last SF BATS. I’m an urban gal and I try to travel only to big cities (and to cold places) so I’m a bit bummed even though I understand the reasons behind the move. Taking BATS to San Jose will keep it affordable and accessible for the masses. But for me – I’d rather pay more just to keep things in a hood that I like. Yeah, I’m spoiled like that.

So that’s my musings so far. Once again, a great conference.

Thanks, Thalassa.

Theresa