The UK Tarot Conference 16-17 October 2009, is hosted by Kim Arnold and is now in its sixth year. The two day conference holds several workshops which are designed to assist you with your readings. I do question just how much you would learn from these workshops but I did discover one that might prove valuable. The description given is:
WORKSHOP:
Festivals and Family Trees: Reading the Oldest Tarots: From the major Arana’s dark beginnings in a brutal Roman festival and its first appearance as a hand-painted tarot commemorating a royal wedding in 1441, the first tarot, the Visconti Sforza, was also a family album: The High Priestess, The Emperor, The Hanged Man, The Hierophant and The Lovers were all based on real people related to the bride and groom. Their stories give more insights about the tarot’s influences and origins and, as archetypes help explain why the tarot has survived for more than 600 years.
In this session, history is replayed as we look at the Renaissance card game of “triumphs”, or “trumps”. Next, we explore a selection of cards through the ages in landmark decks (The Visconti Sforza, Marseilles, Rider Waite Smith, Morgan Greer) to see how card meanings and imagery have changed over the centuries, illuminating the way we read our own cards.
I think an exploration of the Tarot’s history can only benefit us as Readers and believe that any attempts made to track the last 600 years of Tarot history will help, on some level, enrich our own understanding and bring to light our own dark prejudices on what the Tarot ‘is’.
Overall, this event seems like a relaxed couple of days. Its main benefit may simply be meeting other Tarot enthusiasts but I rather suspect that the workshop focused on the history of the Tarot might end up being the most valuable part of the whole conference.
For more information visit the Tarot Conference site.
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2 comments… Let's discuss
Hi Doug,
I am attending the conference and as it’s the first one I have been to I am not quite sure what to expect but I am very much looking forward to it, not least of all the chance to meet other Tarot enthusiasts. Hopefully I will also learn something as well.
Hi Lori,
Thanks for dropping by.
From what I’ve heard, they say it’s an awesome place to meet other Tarot enthusiasts and to pick up a Tarot tip or two
Let me know how you get on