I suppose I’d be remiss if I failed to mention what I very selfishly think is a great tarot organization. I am very proud to be the president of the American Tarot Association. This group was started in 2002 (or the first board meeting was then.) As I understand it, this was the brainchild of John Gilbert and several others.
The ATA has gone through several changes over the past six years. I have been president since April 2006 and am up for re-election in 2009. Some of the changes this present board has made include a monthly stipend for the editors of both the ATA Quarterly Journal (members-only publication) and the ATA Reflections which is available to the public. Also we added one new board position–that of member-at-large–so the board would have an uneven number. Add to that the fact that we staggered the board positions to avoid having to re-elect the entire board all at once and I think you will see that we now have a much more effective tool for the membership. You can meet the ATA board here.
But Arwen! What does the ATA offer me?
Great question! Besides the fabulous ATA Quarterly Journal (edited by Elizabeth Hazel), you also get access to the completely revamped courseware. Several board members (not me!) worked very hard on editing our existing courseware. We looked up the certification requirements of several of the boards that exist and tried to gear these courses so that someone could study them as they worked on being certified.
And then there are the mentors. We have a mentoring program available to members. Experienced readers working one-on-one with inexperienced readers to help them grown as tarot consultants is a key part of the ATA.
The entire website is undergoing a behind-the-scenes revamping by our incredibly talented webmistress, Jes. She’s got some great ideas for the new ATA site. I’ll keep you posted here so you know when that is coming.
The ATA also offers the chance to read for others on the Free Reading Network. You can sign up to do one card readings for the public. You are assigned a mentor there as well who will check your readings before you send them out. That won’t be forever…just until you and your mentor are sure you are ready.
I joined the ATA a few years ago as a reader on the FTN. I learned so much by doing one card readings. I can’t tell you what a difference it made in my readings. By focusing on just the one card, I forced myself to get as much out of the card as possible. Truly it was one of the best things I could do for myself.
I hope you will take a look around the ATA website. If you have any questions, just ask.
