I am still alive and loved this week’s Readers Studio in NYC

Published May 5, 2016 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

I had a great time at this last week’s Readers Studio in New York City, and enjoyed seeing all the great folks again.  The featured speakers (Heatherleigh Navarre, Sasha Graham, and Barbara Moore) were so rewarding on themes broadly, and specifically, pertaining to facing our fears as individuals, as readers, and in dealing with ‘difficult’ cards, and extending out from there in far-ranging tarot fashion.  The presentations and exercises were all very worthwhile and I felt I learned a great deal from each of them.  I am excited to use these exercises later again for myself and see what new learning arises.

I got a kick out of speaking with a few folks and giving them ideas and having several of them (um, from different publishers, but that’s okay, because they were completely different ideas on different subjects!) be excited about ideas I gave them and decks/projects I suggested.  I love getting back in touch with the tarot community in such concentrated doses.

I bought and was given a number of new-to-me decks, and especially love The Raven’s Prophecy Deck and book, by Maggie Stiefvater–the book alone is worth a read for a different perspective on the cards, and it works so well with the deck.  I love it and have been using it a great deal.  I got a great deck bag for it handpainted by Rachel Paul, creator of The Dark Carnevale Tarot and other decks, who also gave me a fantastic deep reading one night.  Thanks so much, Rachel!  Since her decks are of cultures so unfamiliar to me, I chose the one that I knew least about, and she used that, and it worked great.  What a great experience to have a reading from the creator of the deck used!  I recommend it to anyone.

 

Oh, speaking of which, some of us were given the excellent opporunity to have a one-card reading by the excellent Rachel Pollack with the majors of the new deck she is creating with Robert Place.  I had not spent time with Rachel before, but it is like sitting down with a wise rabbinic teacher, to listen to all the stories and midrashes and origins of the cards.  The art is gorgeous too, and I have my eye on some  of the prints Robert is selling, as gifts and for myself–

 

I also love the various Visconti-Sforza deck sizes, and have been using those a lot as well.  I was fortunate enough to get a large version of the Visconti Sforza tarocchi deck from the 1970s with the Stuart Kaplan book from 1975 in it–such a treat to see the cards at that size.  Speaking of that gentleman, it was such a priovilege to meet him this weekend and to chat quite a bit about ideas for decks and projects: he has such a sharp intellect and view of the big picture, and how it is made up of details and currents.  His daughter Leslie (and I apologize for name errors if I made any!) was also acutely insightful and very friendly, and open to hearing about and discussing concepts and projects.

 

I was fortunate to have a private reading from the perceptive and helpful Andrew McGregor of The Hermit’s Lamp, up Toronto way.  He lead an intriguing class on the uses of trickster energy in tarot readings which got a lot of people excited and contributing their experiences of this.  The private reading, about some very serious subjects, was helpful, seemed very accurate, and gave advice on options to follow.  I really appreciated the opportunity to gain from his wisdom and special skills, and I look forward to working with his new book, A Tarot Of You.

 

So much went on at the event that I have hardly processed it, and will most likely detail more here at another time.  I simply wante dto get back to this blog and keep a brief record of some highlights and ideas for me to follow up on in future posts.

 

 

I am now “The Water Hand”–

Published May 9, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

I spent some time yesterday in New York City with the delightful Ellen Goldberg of School of Oracles ( http://www.schooloforacles.com ), having my hands photographed for her upcoming palmistry book.  We met at ACA Galleries, and it was so entertaining to me to have my palms and fingers praised extravagantly as being ‘a rare jewel’ in the sense of being ‘a water hand’, denoting psychic ability and whatever else the book will tell us all about (I’ll keep you updated as to title and release date etc.). After their egos were vastly inflated by praise, my elbows and arms were propped on pedestals, literally, to be photographed. The young photographer was very good-natured and understood the Spinal Tap reference of my teeshirt (“Make 11-11-11 Nigel Day”), and in all it was a great, diverting, time. Can’t wait for the book party!

A Year of Drops: Educate Yourself

Published April 29, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

This is the last in a very worthwhile series of articles on steps we can take–‘drops in the bucket’–of positive change in ecological awareness and preservation of the environment. I encourage folks to check out the whole series.

EarthSpirit Community's avatarEarthSpirit Voices

by Katie LaFond

Step 12: Educate Yourself

  • Read books like Garbology, Cradle to Cradle, The Backyard Homestead and Rubbish!
  • Go to lectures and workshops
  • Places like The Haberdashery, and even the mass.gov website have many great classes you can take to learn new skills
  • Join movements! If you want to be included in emails about upcoming events, please email us at earthspirit@earthspirit.com
  • Lead by example. Not all activism is marching. If your friends and family ask about your new habits, you have some experience now.  Tell them about your experiences, reference the materials you’ve used, or you can direct them to this blog post to get started themselves.

This is the last part in Katie’s thirteen-part series in walking lightly on the Earth.  Read more:  introduction, step 1 (recycle), step 2 (reuse), step 3 (reduce), step 4 (compost), step 5 (drive less)

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“9 Easy Ways to Increase Publicity for Your Professional Tarot Services” by Benebell Wen

Published April 29, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

This is a tremendous resource for all of us who have any connection with ‘tarot business’ and ‘internet’, as well as whoknowswhatelse. I look forward to exploring it more fully and using much more of it. Thanks, Benebell!

benebell's avatarbenebell wen

tarot_cards

Hey you, budding tarot professional, you. Trying to figure out how to get the word out about the tarot business you just launched? Looking to work for hire as a tarot professional but the concept of PR and marketing intimidates the crap out of you? Here are 9 easy ways you can start. You can do all 9 of these this week, right now, I promise.

So. Treat this post as a checklist. Don’t know where to start with your PR and marketing? Start here, 1 through 9. Complete all of these and you’ll be off to a fantastic start. [This is kind of assuming you’ve already done the social media basics, like gotten your own domain name URL, created a Facebook page for your new business, and created a Twitter or Instagram account.]

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“Lunatic, Street Person or Vagabond Hippie?” by Mary Greer

Published April 29, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

Here is a timely post by Mary Greer, whom I met this weekend at Readers Studio 2015 and got a chance to chat a bit about The Fool with. I am very pro-Fool these days!

Mary K. Greer's avatarMary K. Greer's Tarot Blog

Beggar - 4 views - Version 2Jester, pilgrim, mendicant or child?

Will the real Fool please step up?

Does the Tarot Fool bring up the rear in a long parade of triumphal figures, a warning about what will happen if one fails on the spiritual path? Or does he appear at the beginning, full of trust and hope, setting out on a new adventure?

Is the dog his faithful companion or a wild beast that threatens to tear him apart or ludicrously expose his privates?

What dangers does the Fool face?

Fool - Blind man 17th c - Version 2

crocodile

When the Fool turns up do you feel excited and ready to venture forth? Or do you fear your decisions are stupid and that others will think you ridiculous?

At the end of the 19th century, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn turned the Tarot on its head, depicting the Fool as a small child and putting it at the head of the Hebrew alphabet. The Waite-Smith card, published in…

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“Tarot Pink, a Collaboration Deck: My Two of Wands” by Benebell Wen

Published April 29, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

This is a deck-in-progress that I got to see this weekend at Readers Studio 2015, and I am so pleased to be meeting those who have worked on it both there and out in the interworld. It supports a very worthwhile cause, so I urge you to check it out, perhaps starting with this post by Benebell Wen.

benebell's avatarbenebell wen

Tarot Pink Promotional Banner by Roxi Sim Tarot Pink Promotional Banner by Roxi Sim, Creator of the Pearls of Wisdom Tarot

Tarot Pink for Cancer is a collaborative tarot deck project organized by Ron Leong, founder of Tarot eCards, a digital app for storing electronic versions of whole tarot decks on your smartphone. The mission of the collaborative tarot deck project is to raise funds for breast cancer research. The concept is to reach beyond the tarot community and introduce tarot to the greater public as a tool for emotional, spiritual, and physical healing, with a focus on fighting breast cancer.

The theme of the deck is “Tarot Pink,” with an emphasis on the tarot’s ability to inspire, empower, and support in a person’s physical wellness journey. Although the financial cause is dedicated to breast cancer research, the deck itself is keyed to all forms of physical healing and the path to wellness. The color pink…

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More Readers Studio 2015

Published April 28, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

IMG_2835Me and The Devil (played by Richard Melendez): I am not falling for it.  This might be the Devil reversed if it were a card–

Had a great time at Tarot Readers Salon 2015 in New York!

Published April 27, 2015 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

I spent a fantastic quite-long weekend (Thursday morning through Sunday afternoon) at the Tarot School’s Readers Studio ( http://www.tarotschool.com/RS15/index.html ) and Tarot & Psychology Conference, both hosted by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone in New York City.  What an excellent time and great chance to meet many folks interested in the subject, including those who taught classes, or brought the tarot decks they had designed, and/or books they had written.  I learned so much, and met so many wonderful people, that it really cheered me up and improved both my mood and my reading skills perceptibly.  I’ll add more as I remember more!

Laughing Dakini Tarot

Published November 6, 2014 by Donnalee of Laughing Dakini Tarot

FLASH SALE!!!

WILDCARD SPECIAL: "TL;DR" ("too long; didn't read")/BRIEF EMAIL READING ON YOUR CHOICE OF SUBJECT FOR THE BEST OUTCOME JUST $10.00 UNTIL I DECIDE TO GO BACK TO THE REGULAR PRICE OF $18.00!!!

If you want brief, to the point, come-on-get-to-the-good-part insight about what to do for the best outcome of your situation, this reading may be for you. Right now only $10.00, it will give you a good idea of what my style is and give you ideas if a longer reading will be of interest to you, and will tell you meanwhile right up front the best actions to consider for your situation. Try it! Click the button below for this wildcard flash sale special! This offer will disappear sometime, and this brief reading will go back to its usual price of $18.00.

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Intuition and support, not prediction.

A longtime psychotherapist and negligent meditator, I first read tarot cards in 1984 and have been involved with them on and off ever since. I took highest tantric vows with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in NYC in 1999 and in the years afterward have been fortunate enough to study with many of the highest Tibetan Buddhist teachers, and sang some four or five million mantras over those years as a practice. For a few years I saw people as a medical intuitive very successfully (in addition to being a psychotherapist) until my getting electrocuted in 2007. After that event and its aftermath, I stopped or slowed most of these activities to focus on health and recalibrating. As health and circumstances have improved, I have expanded my work in the last few years to consult for a number of folks on their life issues, to study and hang out with some of the great 70s/80s rockstars and other musicians of all sorts, and to work as Stage Manager and Assistant to the Directors, and even in-house psychotherapist, on various musical shows. Specialties in psychotherapy include buddhist psychology and working with old-fashioned multiple personality/DID folks and other survivors of trauma, as well as working on the musicals. I have begun to offer tarot readings to the public again, and I am delighted at the reception of this service–I missed it!

I am excited to be able to offer readings on the themes of “What is best for me to be aware of and to do for the highest and best outcome of this situation?” These readings can apply this question to any area of life, including work, relationship, career, general wellbeing, spiritual direction, life planning, unfinished business, etc. I do not ‘predict’ specific events or specific timelines, since these are so variable and depend upon what each of us does. I also do not do readings about personal details of third parties without their permission (such questions as “Is s/he involved with someone else?”, “Is s/he gay/straight/this or that?”, “Is s/he my religion/race/whatever?”, “Does s/he have a lot of money?”, etc. are best asked of the person, not of me!). As a member of ATA (American Tarot Association), and member of TABI (Tarot Association of the British Isles), I additionally abide by their codes of ethics.

For the moment I am doing readings by email primarily, with in-person appointments available one day a month on the Upper West Side of New York City on a Saturday, as well as readings in Central NJ on a regular basis for individuals and small groups. Please email me about availability and fees for these services, or use the comment form at the bottom of the page..

The “best outcome on single theme” email readings are $35.00 each for one question category on the above theme of best outcome, and generally take about half an hour for me to do. They are ordinarily done and sent to you within 24 hours and most often much sooner.

To request this type of email reading, send US $35.00 payment via Paypal for the “best outcome” spread to laughingdakinimusic@yahoo.com in advance with your question (example: “What do I need to know for the best outcome for my job situation?” or “What do I need to know to help me figure out if I want to stay in this relationship?”, etc.). Please mention your choice among the following decks for the reading, if you have a preference of which deck you would like me to use for your reading (click names to see deck images via Aeclectic Tarot site):


Universal Waite, Universal Fantasy, Pagan Tarot, Harmonious Tarot, Hanson-Roberts, Mystic Faerie, Paulina Tarot, and Tarot of the Old Path, plus some of the newer small-batch decks including City Mystic and The Fountain are currently available. If you do not specify a deck which you would like me to use (or a preference of which not to use), I will choose what seems best for the reading. I make custom spreads for each “best outcome” reading, so each one is a little different depending on the situation and on the person who requests the reading. Click the button below to purchase this “Best Outcome” reading.

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The larger readings, on serious issues that explore the possible gifts of a usually-difficult situation (most often relationships with parents or other longterm relationships, living places or jobs, or other traumas such as accidents or illnesses or severe losses etc.) are $125.00 each and take me considerably longer to read, although they will be sent to you within the 24 hours in most cases. The layout was devised by me specifically for this and I have used it with great success for myself and others. It explores the crux or status of the situation, how it affected you, what gifts can be gained from it, and what has to be done in order to receive those gifts. Many have found it very powerful and felt real shifts in their situations and ability to accept, allow, and receive the benefits of their situations, even those from the past, and this benefit has been seen to extend to other aspects of their lives. I am really excited about this spread and keep seeing positive results in my own life from having done it recently on some key areas.

Specify the larger reading and the area of inquiry with the appropriate Paypal payment of US $125.00 to laughingdakinimusic@yahoo.com . The larger reading is done with a combination of two decks. Click the button below to purchase this larger “Gifts Of A Situation” reading.

Buy Now Button with Credit Cards

You will receive a confirmation via Paypal and from me directly, with an idea of when the reading will be finished, so be sure to allow this email address to be received by your provider: sometimes AOL and others can exclude certain other providers if the addresses are not specifically accepted, so emails are never received by you. Gmail also sticks unfamiliar email into folders that are sometimes never seen by the user, so it’s good to be aware of that too if it applies to you. Thanks for helping with this!

There are no refunds possible once readings are completed, since each one takes time and effort. Thank you for your understanding of this.

I DONATE 10% OF ALL INCOME THAT I GET FROM READINGS, DONE IN PERSON OR ONLINE OR ANY OTHER WAY, TO CHARITIES. I WILL SOON HAVE SOME LISTED AND THEN CLIENTS CAN SPECIFY WHICH GROUP THEY WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THROUGH THEIR READINGS FROM ME.

Thank you for letting me help you gain some insights into your own life and the most direct ways to encourage and allow the best possible outcomes. I am open to hearing requests for many types of readings, not just those very few listed here so far, so please feel free to contact me with requests. Best wishes, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Donnalee

If you have comments, questions, or simply are happy with the readings you have received from me, please let me know using this form, and let me know also if you would allow me to print your recommendations or endorsements (with whatever name or nickname you choose) here on the “endorsements” page. Thank you again!

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