RS13 – Day One

Every year I look forward to the Reader’s Studio.  It’s not just a place to learn good new tarot techniques but it’s also a wonderful venue for connecting with tarot friends, both old and new.  Plus for those of us with ties to the city, it’s an opportunity to hang out and reconnect with loved ones.

I decided to come into town a day early with a few specific missions:  I was planning on visiting an old pal, meeting up with a Twitter buddy and most importantly, getting ramen at Momofuku.  Momofuku is a restaurant in the East Village with the most spectacular – and unique – Asian food. Last year one of my friends turned me onto it and I’ve been dreaming of it ever since.  (I even bought the cookbook to control my cravings but let me tell you this: it’s not easy food to make at home.)

Unfortunately, due to furloughs (screw you, congress) and some weather issues, my flight was canceled.  Images of my England fiasco flashed in my skull and I started to go into a panic attack (last year I was supposed to go to England for the TABI conference but got stuck at the airport for three days and never made it).  This was not a good omen.  

They managed to put me on a later flight but my well planned day consisted of hanging at the airport and commiserating with other stranded travelers – and then checking in late, ordering room service and watching the season finale of Bad Girl’s Club.  Although this was a bummer, I was relieved that I actually made it to my destination this time.

On Wednesday, it seemed like my luck had finally changed.  I went into the city early to meet a long lost friend who I had not seen in over 20 years.  We had a lovely lunch in Little Italy and laughed so hard my stomach hurt.  It was so good to catch up!   We had lost touch over the years but reconnected on Linked In of all things (see why I love social media?  It’s not just about business – it is a fantastic tool for finding old homies!).   The best part?  After all these years, we picked right up where we left off.

A few hours later, I was heading back into the city.  Every year, the Amberstones hire a bus to take a group into different parts of the city so the conference goers have a chance to decompress, play and sight see.  I was stoked because this year we were heading into the Lower East Side – my old stomping grounds!

Our poor bus driver seemed a bit lost which was a bit annoying but after we got off the bus, I lead a group to Momofuku!  You didn’t think I would miss out on my original agenda, did you?  Ha!  I was able to get my Momofuku ramen on and enjoy good conversation with my tarot peeps.  

After dinner, the group split up for different destinations.  I grabbed Linette from SunTurn Tarot (all the way from Australia!) and took her on a tour of my old hood, complete with a history lesson and a peek into my former work environment.  We finished off our tour with cocktails at The Cloister, one of my favorite haunts and a good source of Sangria.

Then it was time for some shut eye as we had a full day ahead.  The best part about coming early to the event is to be able to get first dibs on the Merchant tables!  I loaded up on some Ciro Marchetti swag and created a Lenormand kit for myself.  (I’m Lenormand curious but have not had time to dive into it – I convinced myself that a fancy kit might motivate me.  PS I am obsessed with kits.)

Soon we got seated and then Wald welcomed us with his opening remarks.  The one thing I love about Wald is that he is not only an engaging speaker but he truly wants to make sure that everyone does feel welcome.  He really cares about the conference and the attendees – and this year it was obvious to me that he and Ruth Ann really went the extra mile to make this event special.

The Tarot and Psychology Conference part of RS13 was a new concept.  This content rich day dove deep into the possibilities of combining tarot and therapy.  

The first lecturer was Dr. David Van Nuys who delivered a talk on “Combining Hypnotic Dream Induction and Tarot for Powerful Insights”.  He shared his personal stories and then did a group hypnotism exercise that produced some profound insights.  My partner and I had a powerful experience.  (For the record, I didn’t do the hypnotism part because I’m weirdly Scorpionic about things like that – I don’t like having my brain poked around in that manner.  Yeah I know, lame.)

Next up was Dr. Elinor Greenberg.  Her topic was Tarot As A Therapeutic Tool.  This class was really fun but also insightful.  She led us through some therapeutic exercises and then we got all creative as we made our own personal oracles.  (My oracle had some rap lyrics in case you were curious.)  

The final speaker was Mary Greer, who filled in with only two days notice when the original speaker, Dr. Arthur Rosengarten, had to cancel due to illness.  How she pulled this off was nothing short of a miracle.  Mary delivered a fantastic speech on Intuition and Transference followed by an exercise in interactive tarot readings.  Her thoughts on this subject challenged our own beliefs on intuition.  I’m still mulling it over.  

Once the day wrapped up, the Amberstones had another lovely surprise – a cocktail reception with appetizers and a bar!  Hungry attendees were happy to tuck into delicious treats and spend time chatting, meeting and greeting.  It was nice to chill out and talk about today’s events.  

So far I’m getting the impression that the Amberstones might have just upped the bar for tarot conferences with all this tarot goodness.  I cannot wait to see what the rest of RS will bring!  Now it’s time to rest up before tomorrow…..

Blessings!

Theresa

© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady