UK Tarot Conference Round Up

The 2023 UK Tarot Conference has happened.  I am not going to lie, the build up has been full of frustration, mainly because the venue never answered emails without being chased, phone calls not returned and most of the time I was left in limbo. However, praise where praise is due, they pulled it out the bag from the moment we arrived, great venue, good staff and there was nothing else they could have done to make our time there better.  We will be going back next year without hesitation.

Our pre conference event on Thursday evening at the Marquis Cornwallis pub was such fun, it is a time where I can truly relax amongst my Tarot family before the busyness of day one arrives.  The room was perfect for our group, a great atmosphere, an impromptu talk by Kristoffer Hughes had us in fits of laughter, a large slice of Judgement cake (there must be a joke there somewhere) accompanied by a rather large Sauvignon Blanc or two, informal chat with friends old and new, and a chance to connect with those who arrived early forming lovely connections before the big day.

The conference itself honoured Judgement, it was full of emotion. I have never laughed nor cried so much!     Every speaker offered a fresh insight into Judgement, it was truly fascinating.  One of my dearest friends Wicca Meier Spring flew into London to open the conference with a moving opening ceremony, this was followed by a short talk on the Marie Lenormand Ettelia deck.  (I have held the original in her Hexen Museum, Switzerland).   Lara Van Zuydam kicked off the conference with her workshop the 11^th Gate, this workshop also reflects work from her new book ‘Soul’ due out next year.

Our lunchtime workshops with Kirsten Buchholzer and Andrea Aste bring a calm energy to the lunch hour.

Steven Bright opened after lunch, Steven tells us he gets nervous before he speaks, but you would never know, he shared techniques with such confidence.  Great workshop!

Bel Senlle talked about Tarot and Flower Essences, unfortunately time ran away, and we had to hurry, but flowers and tarot is a fascinating subject and one to be continued. Our lovely Geraldine Beskin spoke eloquently about A E Waite and shared some rare publications. We love listening to Geraldine, she is a living encyclopaedia!   Ethony Dawn was our final speaker of Friday with a vibrant busy workshop, a perfect way to end before our evening session.

After dinner, I spoke, I never do this, maybe from what has happened to me in the past reflects why I prefer to hide in the shadows.  This year I decided for the first time in over 20 years, I would share my story, this included a snippet of my journey and why the Tarot conference is so precious to me.   I have decided I am going to write a separate ‘News’ feature on this as so much was left out, but I know that those who listened now know who I am.

Saturday was pure joy, Kristoffer Hughes opened the conference with his workshop ‘The Quandary of Judgement’.   Kris is such a special guy, one minute you are laughing, the next in serious mode.  His workshops are wonderful.

Talking of tears, Caitlin Matthews workshop was one of the most powerful sessions I have sat in.  The meditation accompanied by the power of her voice was beautiful and moving.  With tears quietly flowing, my father was stood before me. Even writing this is choking me, thank you Caitlin, what you shared on Saturday was a true gift.

I received such good feedback about Karen Currie’s workshop ‘Your Cosmic Super Three’ I am asking her back, I might not have told her this yet lol, surprise!!   Ari Wisner joined us for the day, another lovely speaker who we need to make more time for, leave this with me.

Richard Abbot launched into the afternoon with enthusiasm and vigour, he is so passionate when he speaks, people were commenting on the reading, there was new ideas within his workshop I don’t think we have encountered before.

We finished with Neil Kelso, who started with a little bit of magic and in a way, magic summed up the whole event.

Friendships being made, Tarot being learnt, new fresh ideas to incorporate into our readings.   The 2023 UK Tarot Conference was just perfect!