Talkin’ Tarot With is a monthly feature designed to introduce my readers to different tarot readers from our wonderfully diverse community! Each month, I’ll be asking various tarot readers 3 questions about their tarot philosophy and style, plus pointing you to their websites and blogs so that you can learn more about them! I like to hand pick tarot readers that I feel are talented and interesting.
If you’ve ever struggled with Court Cards (most tarot readers have), then get yourself over to Tarot Thrones, a site dedicated to the Courts by none other than Alison Cross. Alison is a long time friend of mine and one of the most brilliant tarot minds out there.
Her site’s cheeky tagline is: “Court Cards for the Nervous”, which probably describes most of us when we first began to dabble in tarot. But as you read through her site, soon enough you’ll be less anxious and a whole lot more comfortable with this part of the deck. That’s because Alison skillfully introduces each member of the Court with deep looks into different decks and artist interpretations along with clever exercises and personal stories. Her posts help to nail down the essence of the Courts. There is no other blog like it.
Check out two of my favorite posts, The Queen of Weeping or The King and Queen of Pentacles, and you’ll see what I mean. Dig around some more and those pesky Court Cards begin to feel like old long lost pals. (Or, in some cases, annoying family members!)
Alison is not only an expert on Court Cards but also the Wildwood Tarot, a beloved and popular deck. In fact, she even wrote a celebrated e-book: A Year in the Wildwood – Explore the Wildwood Tarot (HIGHLY recommended). She’s also been involved with the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), co-chairing it for years.
When she’s not knee-deep in tarot, you can find her designing websites, helping people with virtual admin stuff, or hanging on a small Scottish island with her husband, son, and various pets.
If you’re stuck on the Court Cards, thinking of joining TABI, wondering about the Wildwood Tarot, or just looking to connect with a whip-smart tarot mind, get to Alison’s world and settle in. You’re going to feel right at home.
Bio:
Alison is currently co-Chair of the Tarot Association of The British Isles, a role that she has held – on and off – for about seven years.
She is also the Administrator for the Glasgow Tarot Meetup group, providing monthly workshops in the Glasgow Theosophy Centre, for all things Tarot.
A dedicated advoate for social networking, Alison runs the Tarot Kaizen group on Facebook which is dedicated to helping students master their new decks. The group is now in its fifth year.
The Tarot’s court cards are a passion for Alison and her blog, This Game of Thrones aims to help readers work confidently with those pesky face cards. You can also keep up with Tarot Thrones at the official Tarot Thrones Facebook page.
Alison also runs the Wildwood Tarot’s website as well as being admin for the deck’s ever-popular fan page. She has just published her first e-book A Year In The Wildwood, which supports students of The Wildwood with a year-long series of encounters with each of the cards of the Wildwood Tarot.
You can find her at these online places:
Check out her fabulous answers to my questions below:
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Q: What is your philosophy about tarot reading?
Alison: Good question! I’m not sure that I’ve ever stepped back to consider what my tarot philosophy is, to be honest. I think that it HAS evolved since I started back in 2003. I’m sure that my original philosophy was probably something like: Learn a system and stick to that system. Over the years, I think I’ve mellowed and these days I am much more fluid in my approach.
I’m always open to learning new ways of working with the cards (or even really old ways of working with the cards!) and I enjoy having my preconceptions challenged by ideas different to my own. While I try not to be too precious or pompous about it all, I passionately believe that to be a good Tarotist, I should be exploring and learning all the time.
Q: How do you feel a client might get the most out of a reading with you?
Alison: To get the most out of a reading with me, a client should be perpared to Show Up. Not necessarily physically, of course! Living on a little island means that many clients are actually elsewhere in the world, but they do need to be prepared to really ATTEND to what’s going on in the reading. I often invite clients to make their own insights and we agree ways that s/he might make progress in the chosen direction.
There’s absolutely no point in having a reading and then slumping back into torpor. I expect clients to take steps – even tiny little ones – in the direction that they want to go. Otherwise we are just wasting each other’s time and they are just wasting their money. Does that sound harsh?!
Q: What is your best piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader?
Alison: My only piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader would be … don’t be afraid of the silences! If you are fairly new to reading for other people, you may feel that you ought to fill every moment of the reading space with your words.
But if you take a few moments to be still and silent, not to censor your insights, but to allow them to percolate through more evenly, you will also give your client an opportunity to absorb the card images for themselves. Yes, for me, leaving some white space allows me to create a richer environment in which to work.
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Lots of love to Alison for taking time to chat with me and for making undoubtedly the best online hub for demystifying the Courts. Join her Tarot Court Card party now: Tarot Thrones.
Blessings!
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2016
I’m Theresa Reed (aka, The Tarot Lady). I’ve been a full-time tarot reader for 30+ years — which, in my industry, makes me pretty badass.
I’m definitely not your average Tarot expert — I drop the F-bomb, I quote rappers, and I’m obsessed with pop culture + reality TV. Folks come to me for straight-talk + tough-love — without the woo-woo fluff. 
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