StaarCon, the Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers Conference, based mostly out of Florida, is comparatively new on the scene, with its first convention in 2021 for which I used to be fortunate sufficient to be a keynote speaker.
Presently within the U.S. tarot convention circuits we’ve acquired the Readers Studio in New York based by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone (click here for my coverage of the 2018 event and here for the 2019), the Northwest Tarot Symposium (click here for my recap of NWTS 2022) lately taken over by Michelle and Roger Welch of SoulTopia, and the Masters of the Tarot Convention on the Omega Institute, co-founded by Rachel Pollack and Mary Ok. Greer (click here for my thoughts on the event).
StaarCon has the personableness and intimacy of the Omega convention, a number of the dazzle attribute of Readers Studio, and the power to draw the massive personalities we love the way in which NWTS does. Should you’re in search of that tarot convention with slightly little bit of one thing for everybody, then that’s StaarCon.
I used to be invited again as a keynote for StaarCon 2024, my first time attending in particular person (the 2021 convention throughout the pandemic was digital solely). What’s distinctive about StaarCon is its hybrid mannequin, with the digital occasion managed by Accelevents. Which means you’ll be able to elect to attend in particular person or attend nearly from the consolation of your individual dwelling.
For the value of admission, you’re having access to a big selection of grasp lessons on tarot strategies, tarot adjoining research like astrology, crystals, and sound bathtub meditation, in-depth focused explorations on easy methods to learn the playing cards, highly effective and transformative guided visible journeying periods for connecting with an animal totem or quantum therapeutic, tarot enterprise necessities, extra academic-driven workshops, to creating and promoting your individual deck, simply to call a number of of the matters coated this weekend.
Lisa Adams, the Renegade Mystic, supplied intensive but sensible Astrology for Learners periods, which had been nice for anybody who has been that means to study Western astrology fundamentals however by no means acquired round to it, or who would profit from the in-person educating surroundings that Lisa supplied. Mary Ellen Collins, an unbelievable trainer, taught methods to mix divination methods, comparable to tarot and astrology, tarot and charms casting, and tarot and crystals.
Madam Adam, who has blown up on Tarot TikTok lately, bringing the world of tarot to a a lot bigger mainstream viewers than tarot has ever loved earlier than, held a number of unbelievable grasp lessons. They’re a full-time tarot reader who has cracked the code to launching a profitable tarot enterprise, and their “Advertising and marketing Your Tarot Enterprise” speak on easy methods to navigate the varied social media platforms, remark tradition, algorithm and analytics was actually insightful.
Beth Conklin led us by a guided session in “Discovering Your Animal Totem; an Indigenous Perspective.” (I acquired the prospect to speak along with her and he or she’s simply superb!) Christiana Gaudet all the time dazzles along with her charisma and stage presence, to not point out I had a whole lot of enjoyable dancing on swords (you needed to be there to know the reference). Maria Alviz Hernando from the World Divination Affiliation introduced a implausible three-part session on the 9 Card Tableau studying method, and Mam’selle Kamille, the Seven Seas Mystic, taught us easy methods to make a Gris-Gris Bag whereas immersing us within the historical past and traditions of New Orleans magic.
There was a workshop that took us on a deep-dive into the Thoth Tarot led by the peerless Joe Monteleone (ack! I’m so pissed I didn’t get an opportunity to speak with Joe one on one! He and I met some time again at… oh crap, I need to say NWTS? And he’s superior). Sadly I missed Joe’s speak, however I’ve bookmarked it on the digital platform to observe later. One other implausible workshop was the one on Kabbalistic Tarot from tarot reader and Kabbalist Mark Horn, creator of Tarot and the Gates of Gentle (he additionally occurs to be considered one of my favoritest tarotists on the earth, and for those who observe my work in any respect, you’ll have famous that I’m continually citing and referencing his work).
I cherished T. Susan Chang‘s workshop on Tarot Prescriptions, which was all about utilizing esoteric correspondences as therapeutic metaphors. These are strategies I’m most undoubtedly going to be integrating into my follow and adopting.
It most likely makes excellent sense to everybody who is aware of me and everybody who is aware of Tarot Correspondences (2018), Tarot Deciphered (2021), The Living Tarot (2023), or the podcast Fortune’s Wheelhouse that after all I might be an enormous fan of Susie’s work. So it meant the world to me to get to hang around along with her at StaarCon. Humorous sufficient now we have the identical tastes in relation to each meals and wine, guaranteeing that any get-together along with her goes to be fantabulous.
On the occasion there was one panel dialogue, and I might identical to to throw on the market into the universe that I want we may have extra panel discussions at tarot conferences. They’re all the time considered one of my favourite options at these types of occasions. This one was titled “Creativity, Magick, and Divination” on how creating artwork and magic, spell-casting, ritual, and non secular connections are interconnected.
Why are panel discussions my favourite? You get a range of voices , for starters, and the completely different views can play off each other instantaneously. I like the chemistry. I like the trade. I like that it’s interactive. And even when there’s a moderator with a listing of questions, it’s nonetheless free-form and fluid.
Keynote speaker Emilie Muñiz, creator of each the Simplicity Tarot and Simplicity Lenormand revealed by US Video games Techniques, gave us an all-inclusive crash course on working a profitable six determine tarot enterprise on-line. Should you run a tarot enterprise or have any curiosity in launching one, her course is a should, as a result of it covers a whole lot of floor, and covers every side of that floor intimately, with important ideas you’ll be able to apply to your enterprise instantly. There’s a lot one can study from her no-nonsense strategy to working an earnings producing sole proprietorship.
StaarCon 2023 hosted a variety of grasp lessons with one thing for nearly anybody and everybody. I appreciated the chance to broaden my very own horizon with lessons comparable to Connie Wong‘s “Meet Your Guardian Angel or Spirit Information,” a session on one thing known as the Quantum Therapeutic Hypnosis Approach (QHHT), which attendees then skilled firsthand. I realized slightly extra about ideas like soul tribes and soul contracts.
On Friday there have been technical difficulties skilled by these becoming a member of nearly, however I gotta say, by Saturday and Sunday, the platform was fairly implausible. And all occasions are recorded so you’ll be able to watch them in your individual time time and again, and likewise get to see the total transcript of the chatroom.
Attending nearly has its perks. I like that you would be able to interact with different digital attendees within the chatroom in actual time whereas the presenter is talking. For a number of of the grasp lessons, I opted to attend nearly from the consolation of my lodge room although I used to be there bodily on the occasion already. (I do know.) However hear me out– I felt like I acquired a greater view of the presenter. And I felt extra relaxed and relaxed within the privateness of my very own room, attending nearly.
My keynote presentation was titled “An Overview of Occult Influences within the Tarot.”
(Notice to Attendees: I will even be doing a follow-up digital occasion through AfterGlow, so keep tuned! Bulletins forthcoming through the StaarCon platform. The follow-up AfterGlow occasion can be extra interactive, that means we’ll get to speak. Additionally, I’ll complement with all of the bits of ideas and commentary I completely forgot to say throughout my reside keynote.)
Oh yeah, there’s additionally the AfterGlow digital occasions that’s a part of your admission ticket to StaarCon. As an illustration, all year long beginning February there are scheduled tarot lounge occasions on studying the Oracle Belline, a deep-dive into studying court docket playing cards, a tutorial on easy methods to enchant your jewellery, enterprise and advertising programs for tarot professionals, and rather more. Now that’s undoubtedly distinctive to StaarCon. I don’t suppose some other tarot convention has that function.
It was a 90-minute nuts and bolts foundational primer on the appearance of occult tarot, taking us on a tour that began in 18th century France, by the nineteenth century, after which the influence that the Airtight Order of the Golden Daybreak had on occult views of the tarot crystallizing by the early twentieth century.
We thought of why the occultists of those eras had been within the tarot as a software for esoteric teachings, what they had been satisfied was hidden in plain sight on tarot card photographs, and the 5 key influences on occult tarot: Hermeticism, Pythagorean mysticism, Hellenistic astrology, Renaissance alchemy, and the Kabbalah, then explored how these 5 influences converged by the lenses of Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism, and Freemasonry.
I coated a whole lot of floor, so maybe I went in a number of too many instructions in too brief a time, however my easy thesis was this: Why strategy the tarot as an occult software? You strategy the tarot as an occult software when your goal is to know All, as a result of to know All is to know The One, the Divine Monad. Occult tarot isn’t about realizing the long run and even the previous; it’s about transcendence, attaining a state of liberation and management over your individual ache and struggling. It’s endeavoring for data and dialog with the Divine.
This subsequent bit I’m sharing as a result of I assumed it was humorous: My presentation was between 2:30 pm and 4:00 pm. Now, within the beneath screenshot from my Fitbit app, take a look at the spike in energy burned whereas I used to be lecturing.
The analytics would give the impression I used to be performing some severe cardio and aerobics at the moment, however no. Actually, I used to be standing nonetheless and simply speaking! Ha! That’s so bizarre! I’m wondering why!
The Saturday night Bardic Circle was an unbelievable and entertaining showcase of artistry, expertise, and reflections on the tarot neighborhood. Dame Darcy, creator of the Mermaid Tarot, performed the banjo and sang. Ciro Marchetti, probably the most influential tarot deck creator of the twenty first century (right here’s my evaluation of what I think about his greatest work, Encore Tarot) did stand-up comedy. Ooh, additionally, all attendees acquired a duplicate of Tarot Decoratif in our goodie luggage. Stacey Williams-Ng, artist of the Southern Gothic Oracle and voodoo priestess Kamille Barnes recounted that point they went on a ghost hunt and paranormal investigation on Marie Laveau’s New Orleans property.
Mitch Osborn walked the room by an improv “Whose Line Is It Anyway” tarot version. John Sorbo, who’s simply one of the vital great kindred spirits and sort souls ever, sang Oh Danny Boy, and it was America’s Obtained Expertise stage extraordinary. I’m speaking I need a recording of it so I can play it on repeat. As Christiana put it, after John sang, there wasn’t a dry eye within the room.
Dionne C. Monsanto led everybody in a name and response, beseeching a Jali, an elder of the neighborhood, to inform us a narrative, per West African track and orature traditions. Traditionally Jalolu had been the historians and storytellers of royal lineages. Dionne introduced the query: can we not see the similarities between the Jali and the tarot reader/storyteller? What an unbelievable and deeply transferring strategy to shut out the evening.
Concerning the venue. The convention rooms on the West Palm Seaside Hilton aren’t configured effectively for tarot conferences. They had been lengthy and slim reasonably than ballroom model, which meant individuals within the again may barely see or hear the speaker up entrance, and attendees couldn’t be organized within the extra intimate circle formation.
I like the sensible thought of a hybrid convention mannequin, that means you’ll be able to attend nearly and/or you’ll be able to attend in-person. Better of all, you’ll be able to attend in-person, after which watch the recorded video of the workshops nearly afterward, through the Accelevents platform.
That’s a function I actually appreciated and made use of. I cherished watching movies of all of the workshops I missed, or re-attending the recorded workshops to refresh my reminiscence of the in-person reside occasion.
From the presenter perspective, nevertheless, the hybrid mannequin meant that as a speaker, you actually wished to be considerate about ensuring you had been standing, talking, and positioning your self with respect to the digital camera and microphone in a approach that accounted for each the in-person and hybrid expertise. So for me not less than, I felt some added stress as a presenter to must account for each.
Nancy Hendrickson, creator of Ancestral Tarot and Ancestral Grimoire each revealed by Weiser Books, wrote up a mirrored image piece on StaarCon 2024 and discovering your tribe inside the tribe here, “Do you know your tribe? Can you see the forest for the trees?” I extremely advocate clicking over to her Substack web page to learn the article.
“We might suppose all of us belong to 1 massive tribe,” writes Hendrickson, with respect to the attendees at StaarCon, “however in actuality many tribes walked the hallways of the West Palm Seaside Hilton,” noting that “the flavors had been distinct.” To provide a number of examples, she lists out the Work is the Factor Tribe, the How Can I Make Heaps Extra Cash Tribe, the Educational Tribe, the I’m All About Enterprise Tribe, and the Puppies and Unicorn Tribe, simply to call a number of.
That’s by the way an incredible abstract of the number of grasp lessons introduced at StaarCon. You bought inspiring, spiritually transferring periods emphasizing that the Work is the Factor. Should you’re a tarot skilled, you’d have cherished the various How Can I Make Heaps Extra Cash workshops. There definitely had been quite a lot of lessons for the Educational Tribe. And whereas I’m not fairly certain what the scope is of the Puppies and Unicorn Tribe, I consider there have been loads of angels, ascended masters, holistic therapeutic, channeling, Age of Aquarius, various drugs, and Akashic Information choices that I discovered fairly intriguing.
Can’t wait to see what’s in retailer for StaarCon 2025. They’ll be saying the keynotes quickly, so keep dialed in to the StaarCon Community.
Trending Merchandise
