Readers Studio 2010

So I am finally getting a chance here to finish up, or actually start the blog of the official opening and weekend of the Readers Studio 2010. Of course, had my Foundation reading partner not given me her cold and I am now bed bound this prolly would have taken me another week before I could sit down and write. Thanks Christy for sharing - NOT! lol

As always, the Readers Studio was an adventure, both personally, professionally, and spiritally. What I love about Tarot and the Readers Studio is there is just nowhere to hide from those realities the Universe wishes to discuss, and thus was, once again, my experience here. The King of Swords reigned through my weekend and readings and has been my contemplation throughout the weekend and this week. I imagine as the week wraps up here, he and I will be good friends.

He first started speaking during the pre-studio workshop, as we had to ask a question to work with the color, costume workshop Thursday night. I really had onlhy prepared one or two questions for the Studio this weekend, as it has been my experience that really, thats all one needs. Because the questions are never the issue, and tarot talks about issues, not answers to questions. So I knew that i just needed one or two questions and the universe would provide further questions from there, and I was not disappointed by either the Studio or the Universe.

So my first question Thursday night was asking what I needed to know about sending Blysse to spend the summer wtih her father, and the cards were the Ace of Swords, the King of Swords, and the Ace of Cups. Mind you, the aces came in up-side down, but we worked with them righth side up.

Friday morning the studio opened and we started out with our foundation readings. My partner was new to tarot, her deck was brand new. She was only comfortable pulling 1 card, and seeing one other card stand out, I pulled that one. The one card my partner pulled.. the King of Swords. Thats 2 days in a row the King made his presense known, and I was forced to deal with him. Of course at first, I thought the king was Blysse's dad.. but by the time the second person shared a similar point of view, I was forced to look at the fact that the King was probably me.

And so the studio opened and the fun began..

Dr. Elinor Greenberg, who I had the pleasure of reading with the night before, did the first workshop. She is always amazing, I really love her stuff. She did another workshop at the first Studio I attended and taught us a relationship spread that I still use, and i LOVE her issue cards where each major arcana has an issue question it asks, something else i use all the time. This time we did a workshop I believe she called Turning Straw into Gold, which was about finding positivity in negative cards. I got to work with Jordan Hoggard on this, and it was quite an adventure for both of us, as we kind of approach the topic from different ends of the spectrum yet have the same attitude. Jordan had a tough time because he did not find any card to be negative. I didnt have any trouble, on the other hand, finding cards wtih a negative connotation to me. That being said, both of us easily find the blessings of all meanings and experiences outlined by the cards. It was a great match up, because I was able to point out how others might interpret things negatively, and his gift was just his positivity in the matter. Its impossible to be too intense with Jordan because he just has a great way of making all things positive and energetic - a quality i love and admire in others.

We then went on to do another exercise using Gestalt therapy where we would describe the card, and then become the card.. very interesting. My partner drew the Moon and became the tower and the dog and had a great conversation betweent the two of them. Very fun. I didnt get a chance to really try this out because i had to leave a bit early to catch a play we had gotten tickets to, God of Carnage.

So we did head out to the city to check out the play, which was fabulous! Its about two sets of parents who get together to discuss the issue of their sons getting into a fight where one knocked out the others teeth. It was a funny play, like its meant to be a comedy, but the comedy arises from the reality of what usually happens in these situations. Where people start out polite and civil and within an hour or two start hurling around their anger and their real feelings about the situation and people involved. It reminded me a lot of our own situation between our family and the Bretans.. though I dont find the situation nearly as humorous as I did the play!

After, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed something quick to eat while catching up with Corrine Kenner and her husband, Jordan, Dan Pelletier and Jeannette from the Tarot Garden and a number of others in the lounge area there. Lots of fun and laughs, but we did finally head up to our room to get some much needed sleep for the full day that lie ahead.