I almost missed Theresa’s telecourse tonight. I was so busy focusing on layout design that when I looked up it was 3 minutes till showtime. Thankfully, this gave me just enough time to log in and be second in line for the class.

Theresa’s amazing. I’m so glad that I got the chance to partner with her at the Reader’s Studio. She started the session right on time and lead us through an hour’s worth of tips, tricks, and inspiration to start, or work on our own blogs.

So what did I learn?

1. Blogging gives us four things: it helps you get to know me; it allows me to educate you on various tarot aspects; it allows me to entertain you (well, I DO firedance… maybe not with the cards tho); and it helps increase my business awareness online.
2. Theresa gave me permission to talk about things that have “been said before”. Everything may have been said, but it hasn’t been said in my voice or with my perspective.
   That it’s okay to write for both clients and peers. I want to strike a balance between sharing tarot stories with both clients and peers while getting them the information they need.
3. I brainstormed new topics to write for and I learned that I should put blogging due dates on my calendar to really make this habit stick.
4. Blogging should be done with a “just do it” attitude. Or as I like to think of it, a NaNoWriMo mode, where I shove my author and editor brain aside and just write something and get it up. So I’ll be trying to do that more often.

She was even kind enough to answer a question that I forgot to ask during the teleclass.

“What is your take on the difference between a newsletter (email or print) and a blog? I tend to do both and have a hard time figuring out where to draw the line on sharing.”

Her response, “Ah – good question. Here’s the deal: a blog allows you to reach an audience and show your personality. And hopefully it gets people to sign up for your newsletter. Because the newsletter is where you can offer deals, etc. for your clients and get to know them better – and allow them to get to know you even better! ” Good advice indeed.

I’m looking forward to next month’s seminar on “Stop Being A Broke Ass Tarot Reader” on Tuesday June 21st. If you’re a tarot reader and could use some expert advice on growing your business, then don’t miss this one!

I spent 2.5 hours yesterday going through the attendees’ feedback from Inspiring the Muse. While I was happy to see everyone got a lot out of it, I believe there’s a lot of room for improvement, both in the content and as I learn to develop my speaking style. Mainly, I think I’m going to break apart the journalling and the creative storytelling parts so that they are featured as their own separate classes. Putting them together, while a good compliment, is just something that overwhelms beginning students in an hour or 90 minute time limit. Breaking up the two parts also gives me the flexibility to give attendees more time to spend doing the work, which consists of writing down their thoughts.

Usually when I teach this class, I have a whole morning (2 hours or more), or a whole day (up to 8 hours), to carefully go through the material. My students are given ample time to dive deep into each exercise and properly share and provide feedback on each other’s ideas. Going into PantheaCon, I thought that if I went over both parts of this course, and gave them less time to write, that it would also give them less time to putter around or feel “stuck” in their heads. I like quick brainstorm ideas because the inner editor does not have time to pipe up and spew the negative vitriol that tells us we can’t do something. This quick-fire brainstorm technique primes the pump and shows students how creative they can be in short amounts of time.

I hope that students of this course went home to experiment with what I gave them in longer spurts. If you’re an alumni of Inspiring the Muse and have done the exercises in your own time, please share. I’m always interested in hearing feedback.

Last week, I attended the first Tarot Intensive held by Katrina Wynne at her home along the coast. The weather was beautiful for the entire week and I’ve come home with new ideas, tricks, and a whole new crew to support me on my tarot journeys. I have also attained Level One Certification in Katrina’s Tarot Counseling Certificate program. Now that I’m settled in and have hand time to recuperate, I feel ready to write about this wonderful experience. Read the rest of this entry

Next Tuesday, I’ll be heading out to the coast to participate in Katrina Wynne’s Tarot Intensive. From morning to evening I’ll be steeped in taroty goodness with a few other students who are interested in learning from her. The program starts out in teaching tarot basics but quickly progresses to intermediate and counseling skills.

I’ve known Katrina for several years now and she’s a wonderful instructor. Katrina’s very much an intuitive reader and I look forward to hearing and learning about the cards from her perspective. Plus, it’s always fun to camp out in her wonderful coastal wilderness property. I’m looking forward to recharging my batteries with this trip.

Because her classes at the Intensive lead up to her Level One certificate, I signed up to take that exam. Wish me luck on passing and receiving the certificate. I don’t if she has any spots left for the intensive but you can always go check Katrina’s site and email her if she’s got any more spots open.

When I get home, I’ll post details of my journey at the intensive.

Last Sunday I stood in front of a small group of people and talked to them about tarot. I gave them the history of the cards, debunked some myths, and answered a lot of questions about how to personally connect with the cards. Anna talked about the runes, and compared them to tarot. She also dove a bit into spirit guides and how one can connect with them.

Overall, we had a fun two hours sharing stories and learning about how the tarot worked. Looking forward to teaching this one again in autumn.

Just want to send out a general reminder that Divination for the Curious happens Sunday, July 11th from 3pm – 5pm in Vancouver, WA. We’ve still got a lot of spaces left so if you’re interested in tarot or runes, please come on down! This is a free class.

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be co-teaching a class on tarot and runes with my friend Anna. This isn’t a how to read type of class, however. I’m still developing that course. Instead, this two-hour class is geared for the general public who are curious about the tarot and runes and want to know more about the history, structure, and how to find a reader. If any of this sounds like you, then come join us on Sunday, July 13th at 3pm.

Divination for the Curious
Sunday, July 11th, 3-5pm
at 1811 Main Street, Suite 200 Vancouver, WA, 98660
email creativearts@shadesofmaybe.com for more info

Come learn about the mystical arts of tarot and runes. Let Anna and Jaymi introduce you to the divination tools, their history and myths, and help you select the right reader to guide your questions. This class does not teach how to read with the tools. It gives a general overview for the curious. No experience necessary, and no prejudices allowed. No cost, this one’s on us!

I’m excited to announced that I am a confirmed speaker for the 2010 San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS). This is a two-day tarot event hosted by Thalassa and the Daughters of Divination dedicated solely to the love of tarot. There’ll be workshops, a tarot bazaar, raffles, and of course, readers and tarot enthusiasts from all over the world. I attended last year and had an absolute blast!

Speakers this year include: Mary Greer, James Wanless, Teressena Bakens, Joseph Ernest Martin, Marcus Katz, Diane Wilkes, Ellen Lorenzi Prince, myself, Ms Rabbitt McMatthews, and many more who have not been announced.

My workshop teaches attendees how to use their tarot decks to inspire the storytelling muses in all of us. I’ll give attendants some ideas on how to craft characters, settings, and plot for their own stories. I’ve posted the full class description on both my Classes and Events pages, so go check them out for details.

If you love tarot and live on the West Coast, you do not want to miss this annual event!

I’ve wanted tarot certification for awhile now. Therefore it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of my 2009 goals is to get certified. This is important to me. I want validation on my knowledge and I when I teach tarot classes, I want to tell people that they can trust me and my knowledge because I’ve taken classes and gotten certification. Kender and I agreed that once we got our 2008 tax return he’d get a new Macbook Pro and I’d use my portion to pay for tarot classes. Our return hit the bank account Friday (insert much happy dancing here) and we put the order in for his new system yesterday.

I just finished paying for the Tarot School’s Correspondence Degree Program. It’s a 15-month program designed to solidify and certify people in tarot. I’m excited… looking forward to the start! This is one of two programs I’m going to get certified in. The other one is a “Transformational Tarot” and focuses more on how tarot can transform your life. Read the rest of this entry