Back in 2008, Rachel Pollack came to Adelaide for her workshops on the Major Arcana, and her Master Class called “Rescuing Tarot from Psychology”. Here’s what happened on the day…

With a large, painted banner of The Empress card watching over us, we began the first session with a quick reading for the group — and the main energy turned out to be (coincidentally) The Empress!

Most of the afternoon was spent discussing the history of Tarot cards; the three levels of self development as represented by the Major Arcana, and the influence of various occultists in Tarot’s evolution. We also explored the association of the characters from the Major Arcana with the gods and goddesses of mythology.

In the Master Class, Rachel talked about the limited thinking associated with Tarot. People see Tarot predictions given in movies, and believe this is all it’s about. Rachel’s talk showed how Tarot also includes psychological teachings, esoteric symbolism, structures of the mind, Kabbalistic thought, and universal forms.

The highlight for me was when we drew our own versions of a Tarot card. The personal interpretation of the imagery, based on our understanding of the number of the card and our perception of the symbol itself, brought a whole new perspective to its meaning.

The fun part of the Master Class was when we took on fanciful, magical names to see how our interpretation of the cards changed, depending on our attitude at the time of the reading. The personalities around the table included Lord Fortuno, Magister of the Mysteries of the Elements, the Queen of the Treasury, and Priestess Aleena from Ancient Egypt.

Apart from having the opportunity to mingle with professional Tarot readers from around the world, these gatherings offer information on the latest direction that Tarot is heading towards. Keep your eyes open for workshops and courses like these. It’s going to cost a few bucks to get there, but having Tarot experts on hand to mentor your progress and answer your questions and open your eyes to alternative ways of looking at the cards — well, that’s priceless.