Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Tarot Tuesday: SOTA 2017 Feedback and SOTA 2018

So a number of you have asked me how the presentation at SOTA 2017 went back in October. At the time I felt it had gone pretty well overall, but no matter good you feel at the time, you always wait until you hear back from the organizer and see how the evaluations came back. 

The feedback was especially important to me this year because I did a lecture at a lunch, and I hadn’t ever really done a lecture structured this way. What’s more is that people paid extra to attend this lecture, and I was thrilled that I sold out, but disappointed that not everyone who wanted to see me could do so. 

The total time for the lunch lecture is 1 hour and 15 minutes, but I was told that the lunch, which was catered, would arrive at some point in the first 20 minutes. I asked about the room structure and there were two tables of 6-7 people each, so I knew that a traditional lecture style wouldn’t work this time.  

What I came up with was an activity that lasted about 45 minutes. Lunch arrived promptly and I allowed 30 minutes for participants to eat and get to know one another. Once people were finished eating, each table was one group and I gave each group a tarot card for brainstorming. Then I asked the groups to come up with movies that would represent the card they had, since the presentation was on learning the tarot through pop culture. I gave the groups about 15 minutes to come up with movies. 

The two cards that I gave out were the Empress and the Emperor, and the participants came up with some fantastic ideas that fit into the archetypes of the cards. We went over the answers and had some great discussion about other films that might fit the cards as well. Everyone seemed to have a good time and walk away with some knowledge, and that to me is what counts.  

I’m thrilled to report that I’ve been asked back to speak at SOTA 2018! The feedback was excellent, and people were really happy and asked for more time with me. So I’ll have an hour-long slot in the main conference next fall, and my topic will be “Telling Time with Tarot.” 

The even better news came along last week. Traditionally, speakers at SOTA prefer to talk on astrology and not on other metaphysical topics, and I can understand that. The conference is an astrology conference, after all, and is branching out into other areas. The conference organizer, Donna Van Toen, said that she’d like to give me a two-hour slot in 2019 if there’s enough interest. Please understand that normally those slots are reserved for astrology speakers, so it’s an incredible honor that I’m even being considered for it. 

I mention this because a number of you are interested in astrology as well as other metaphysical topics. Even though SOTA 2018 isn’t until next October, I’d like you to consider joining us if you have an interest. The conference speakers are fantastic, and what’s more...it’s a small conference where you can interact with the speakers. I’ve had drinks and meals with many of them, and I always come home having learned a ton.  

Finally, if you do come to SOTA and decide to drop in on “Telling Time with Tarot”, it will reinforce the need for additional metaphysical topics in the conference, which will only benefit the attendees. I’ve had a number of students attend and we always have a good time. If you play your cards right, I might even organize a night trip to Niagara Falls, less than 30 minutes from the hotel. In short, if you want more information, please ask. You can also check out the SOTA Web site for all the details. 

Thanks to all of you for your support. I’m blessed to have a loyal following among my clients and students. 

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