This isn’t your Catholic grandmother’s Sunday school class but rather a class for pagans during the Halloween season for absolutely free. Almost every Sunday, the Modern Mystic Shop located on the upper level of Ponce City Market holds a Sunday school for metaphysical topics. They’ve had a class on tarot cards and will have a class on a spiritual affliction called the Sister Wound on the last Sunday of this October. I listened in on the class for mastering the minor arcana in regards to tarot cards, which was lead by Kelley Knight who owns the shop, on October 13th at 11 am. When I say listened in, I mean that I listened to the recorded podcast of the class because I sleep way past 11 am. They have podcasts so that those outside of the Atlanta area (or people who have the sleep patterns of a bat like myself) can still learn along with those that were able to attend the class.
The main topic for this particular class was to learn 40 cards of the minor arcana with a tarot deck in under an hour. Kelley Knight has created her own cheat sheet for the minor arcana which she found to be helpful and wanted to share it in this class. At the start of the podcast, Kelley refers to a slideshow that was generously included with the podcast. She also refers to a tarot grid that was included. She states that the best way to listen to this podcast is to listen along with your tarot deck (if you have one), which I did.
This podcast was recorded live during the actual class and it truly felt as though I was in the class with everyone else. Kelley never forgot to keep the podcast listeners up to date with what was going on in the class, which was quite unique. There was also a good point brought up in the beginning of the podcast. Kelley had been told by a man that teaching tarot reading was a “dumb business model” because it seemed like a “fast way to put yourself out of business.” Hearing Kelley be so passionate about teaching others ways that they can empower and take care of themselves through the use of tarot cards is actually really selfless and incredible. Reading some fancy cards may seem silly but it’s actually quite difficult, so having someone like Kelley who is making education on these cards readily available is such a gift.
The way that Kelley describes tarot cards was also something that instantly struck me. She explains to clients that each of the 78 cards within a tarot deck represent 78 different human experiences and archetypes. That is the basic way of understanding tarot but that way of viewing them had never occurred to me until I heard her say it. She explains that tarot is not just limited to pagans and/or those that practice witchcraft but is actually for anyone of any religion. Tarot cards exist to easily communicate with a higher power or, if you don’t believe in a higher power, our highest self. This means that, if you believe in the Christian God, tarot cards can be a way to communicate with that god.
Kelley also mentions one of the most difficult things about getting started with tarot reading, which is the deck. Finding the right deck for an individual is difficult and long but once you find it, you’ll know it instantly. Reading tarot where you have to pause in the middle of the reading and look up the meaning of a card becomes study rather than a reading very quickly. When you find the right deck of cards, it becomes easier to not use notes.
One helpful tip Kelley mentioned for beginners is to pull a card from your deck every morning and ask “what is my message today” then journal about the cards’ meaning without looking at a book. Then you can use the cheat sheet Kelley provided to see the difference between your intuitive reading and what the data would say. Finally, Kelley advises that you should spend your entire day thinking about that card and see how it manifests. At the end of the day, you can go back to your journal and write how you engaged with your card.
Kelley’s entire class for this topic was incredibly helpful and informative. She was aware of the fact that she was recording for the podcast at all times and would even verbally explain what she was physically doing so listeners could have a better understanding. She provided helpful tools for beginners on how to excel with tarot readings in their daily lives and even on a level of reading for others (if they chose to do that). Modern Mystic isn’t just a store but a place to learn and grow as an individual. The owners and workers are there to help others and to give back to the community as much as they can. Providing these free classes that can be accessed by anyone is such a powerful tool that many don’t do.
Ink and Crystals 