by Gina Thies

The holidays will come and the next thing you know it’s a new year and then into Spring. It happens so fast and then it will be time for Readers Studio. I reminisced back to when I first signed up to go to Readers Studio. I was reading everything I could on Tarot and wanted to formally study Tarot and found The Tarot School’s Correspondence Course. It was my first introduction to Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone and the Tarot School. I participated in their teleclasses and took other courses like the ‘Pain-Free Qabalah.’ I thought of myself as a novice and because I had started making money for readings I wanted to immerse myself into learning as much as I could about Tarot.

In a coaching session with Wald, he asked if I considered myself to be a professional Tarot reader. At that moment it dawned on me that I actually was getting paid to read for clients. Wald proceeded to tell me about an upcoming event that would be educational and geared for the Tarot professional. He said it was called the Readers Studio and would have presenters that were noted Tarot authorities. He said that they wanted 78 people to attend and I felt lucky to be asked to be in that number as it is the number of cards in a Tarot deck. I cannot describe my excitement back then, I told him I would attend and signed up immediately if I recall. On top of all this, I had never been to New York and that made it even more of a thrill.

The atmosphere at the conference was amazing. I had the opportunity to meet many like-minded Tarot Enthusiasts and I was at the table with Mark McElroy who was just about to have his first book on Tarot published. There was a celebrity psychic fair and I had a face-to-face reading with Mary K. Greer. I did some shopping at the many different vendor booths that were there and remember getting a “goodie” bag from the Llewellyn Worldwide. The information shared at Readers Studio by some of the leading voices of the Tarot world was invaluable to me as I had the opportunity to interact and perform the exercises over a three-day period.

I have grown so much as a reader. I have continued to develop and have to give some recognition to Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone for their contribution in my Tarot journey. I am pleased and honored to have the opportunity to present a study group/workshop at Readers Studio 2010 April 23 -25, 2010.

The attendance has grown since that first Readers Studio and continues to every year. The last two have been in New Jersey and I am so happy it is going to be back in New York. Find out more on the Tarot School’s website or by clicking http://www.tarotschool.com/ReadersStudio.html.

I feel very fortunate to have attended the first Readers Studio and look forward to the Readers Studio 2010. I have attended five of them so far and think that Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone have done the Tarot Community a fantastic service of providing a venue of continuing education for those who want to take Tarot to the next level.