Spring Break
Martin unveils tarot secrets
Julie Elkovich
Issue date: 4/15/05 Section: Focus
Are you playing with your cards, or are they playing with you? If you're using tarot cards, it may be a little bit of both.
The Women's Center presented an Introduction to Tarot class Thursday night as the final night of their "Discovering the Intuitive You" series. Led by Dawne Martin, a UConn alumna and transformational healing specialist, the evening featured explanations of the art of tarot readings, the meaning behind each card and brief readings for all.
Martin said not all tarot cards decks are created equal. There is, of course, the traditional tarot card deck. But many deviations of the tarot card exist. There are Divination decks, through which you can see what is going on in your life right now or in the near future. There are also Medicine decks, which are commonly used in shamanistic rituals. There are even differences in the traditional tarot cards depending on the artwork on the cards.
There is one constant in all traditional tarot cards - they are separated into two categories: the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are the fate cards or the ones with no numerological categorizations to them. The Major Arcana describe things out of an individual's control, hence their name as the fate cards. The much dreaded and quite misunderstood death card is located in the Major Arcana. Despite popular misconception, the death card is not always bad to draw. The death card does not mean the individual will die but simply that the individual will be going through a transformation, perhaps a new beginning. The Minor Arcana are the free will cards representing things or events the individual has control over.
"I Found all of [Martin's] explanations of the cards really helpful," said Caitlin Meisinger, a 6th-semester psychology student. "She really explained things well so we could understand what everything meant."
Martin then went on to perform individual readings for the lecture attendees. As each reading progressed, the person being read almost always responded with an "Oh my God" or "wow" at some point throughout the reading. It seemed Martin's readings were not only accurate but eerily detailed.
"I'm kinda freaked out," said Stacey Wilgoren, a 6th-semester Education major. "That was just a little too accurate. I'm at a loss for words for how accurate my reading was."
Throughout the readings, Martin also gave several tips to anyone interested in pursuing the art of tarot reading. She suggested finding a deck one feels comfortable with. She mentioned the actual deck is less important than how one feels with the cards. She also suggested "The Idiot's Guide to Tarot" as a complete guide to learning tarot.
Martin has been a transformational healer for over a decade. She has performed workshops at UConn over the past several years and also ran The Wellspring Center for several years.
The Women's Center presented an Introduction to Tarot class Thursday night as the final night of their "Discovering the Intuitive You" series. Led by Dawne Martin, a UConn alumna and transformational healing specialist, the evening featured explanations of the art of tarot readings, the meaning behind each card and brief readings for all.
Martin said not all tarot cards decks are created equal. There is, of course, the traditional tarot card deck. But many deviations of the tarot card exist. There are Divination decks, through which you can see what is going on in your life right now or in the near future. There are also Medicine decks, which are commonly used in shamanistic rituals. There are even differences in the traditional tarot cards depending on the artwork on the cards.
There is one constant in all traditional tarot cards - they are separated into two categories: the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are the fate cards or the ones with no numerological categorizations to them. The Major Arcana describe things out of an individual's control, hence their name as the fate cards. The much dreaded and quite misunderstood death card is located in the Major Arcana. Despite popular misconception, the death card is not always bad to draw. The death card does not mean the individual will die but simply that the individual will be going through a transformation, perhaps a new beginning. The Minor Arcana are the free will cards representing things or events the individual has control over.
"I Found all of [Martin's] explanations of the cards really helpful," said Caitlin Meisinger, a 6th-semester psychology student. "She really explained things well so we could understand what everything meant."
Martin then went on to perform individual readings for the lecture attendees. As each reading progressed, the person being read almost always responded with an "Oh my God" or "wow" at some point throughout the reading. It seemed Martin's readings were not only accurate but eerily detailed.
"I'm kinda freaked out," said Stacey Wilgoren, a 6th-semester Education major. "That was just a little too accurate. I'm at a loss for words for how accurate my reading was."
Throughout the readings, Martin also gave several tips to anyone interested in pursuing the art of tarot reading. She suggested finding a deck one feels comfortable with. She mentioned the actual deck is less important than how one feels with the cards. She also suggested "The Idiot's Guide to Tarot" as a complete guide to learning tarot.
Martin has been a transformational healer for over a decade. She has performed workshops at UConn over the past several years and also ran The Wellspring Center for several years.