The conference didn’t start until 11a.m. on Sunday which gave me and Katrina a bit of time to laze around, pack, and find a coffee haus with wireless. We wandered around our neighborhood until we found a Tully’s Coffee shop. I had a lovely smoothie and a marble pound cake for breakfast. I also enjoyed having some wireless to catch up with my emails and random other postings.

Then we headed back to the First Unitarian Universalist Centre for the day’s proceedings. Unlike Saturday’s numerous sessions which are done in blocks, Sunday’s sessions were all done in one big room so we could all stay together. I think having the days varied in this way is great, so conference attendees don’t feel like they lose out on all the fun for both days.
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Okay, so the hotel didn’t have free wifi like I was hoping. So I’m playing a bit of catch up on my BATS thoughts. I stayed at The Hotel Majestic, which has been known to be haunted. The place was very quaint. Very Victorian in style and the room was small and cozy. We even had a claw-foot tub in our bathroom. This was a surprise for me because I had never gotten to use one. After a light slumber on Friday (alas, no ghosts visited us), I woke refreshed and ready to dazzle BATS.
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The San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (SF BATS for short) starts in just one week. This two-day event gathers tarot professionals, authors, and deck collectors from all over the world and gives us the freedom to learn new techniques, view new decks, and swap taroty goodness. I’m excited and nervous and have started running around gathering books, notebooks, and planning my outfits for next weekend. By this time next week I’ll be packed and awaiting kender to drop me off to the airport for my two day solo excursion.

I’m looking forward to networking with other tarot enthusiasts and sharing our love of tarot and the deck art. I’ll also be presenting two classes, so if you’re planning on attending BATS drop by one or the following:

Inspiring the Muse with Tarot, using a tarot deck to tell stories
2010 San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium (BATS)
Saturday, Time and Room Location TBD

Class Description: Inspiring the Muse takes writers through a whirlwind tour of the many ways they can use their decks to brainstorm stories, characters and settings using the pictures, symbolism, and structure of a tarot deck. Interested in writing short stories or books? Want to combine your passion for words with your love of tarot? Let author Jaymi Elford show you how you can put spark into your writing life. Bring your imagination, paper and pen, and your favorite illustrated tarot deck.

Wine Inspired Tarot
Saturday evening, exact time TBA, in the mixers event room
Class Description:This off-the-cuff presentation discusses the ways wine and tarot are alike. Learn the secret to drinking wine and reading for others at the same time (responsibly of course). I’ll also share with you the secrets to engaging your senses with both wine and tarot. Wine will be provided by the lovely Thalassa.

I plan on bringing my computer with me so I can blog about each day of the event when I get back to my hotel. I also plan on using the Twitter hashtag #SFBATS during the event occasionally to keep the fun going.

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!