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Up at 7am feeling refreshed for minion duty. Spent most of the morning doing registration, running around, and orders for Tarot Media Company. My card of the day is “Page of Cups” and upon reflection we (RoseRed and Drew) have decided that I am to help others as well as be a fantasy ideal for others. I tend to like the middle path where I can be two different things depending on how people need me.

After helping out in the main hall, i got just in time to get a seat at Bill Tarot’s Dynamic Spreads class. Bill’s been an awesome Tarot friend over the years and when he came out with the Dynamic Spreads deck I KNEW I needed one and wanted to attend this presentation. I love that it’s an active and passive method that works with any deck. He did a great job introducing everyone to his product and then gave us a lot of play time with his baby in reading for others. My group ended the session with a really cool reading on Beyonce and JayZ.

Next session up was Rana George’s Lenormand: between destiny, fate and fortunetelling class. While I am still a baby beginner at the cards, I loved her energy and how the things she presented could also relate to tarot and its uses. We learned to do a reading and then to follow up a smaller 3-card spread with a “How can I change this outcome or make this a possible future?” question. My friend Sue and I exchanged readings and I was pleasantly happy to know that my answers were more right than wrong (Thank you Carrie!).

I sherpaed people up to the hospitality room for lunch and attended to many minion duties during the afternoon. I stayed in the main hall for most of the time to listen to the presentations going on there in. My favorite afternoon listenings were from Ellen Lorenzi-Prince and Nancy Antenucci’s Bats, Tarot, and the Dark Goddess class which featured interactive class with the Dark Goddess Tarot. Sometimes readers forget that movement can help provide insight into card meanings and readings and I am glad these two ladies are on the forefront of innovation.

We had a small break where we went back to our rooms to dawn our finery for the evening’s “BATS in the Belfry” mixer. RoseRed allowed me to borrow a corset (first time EVER wearing) and I wore my “glow butt” bustle. We had tons of fun socializing and chatting with the lovely attendees.

Also… THIS happened:
and no, they are NOT mine.

We moved our small group to the bar where we grabbed some food and then came back to our room where we had intense discussions about writing, the art of editing, and publishing. (If you are reading this… YOU KNOW WHO… I hope you know I believe in you.)

Wrapping this report up so I can get some rest for tomorrow’s festivities. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone attending SFBATS is having a great time and those who aren’t able to attend know we’ve missed you. We bring stories!

In just a few hours, I will depart with RoseRed and Drew. We’re hitting the road and driving down to the DoubleTree Hotel where SFBATS is going on. Tonight we’ll chat with fellow attendees, catch up on what’s cool and new over the past year and have lots of laughs. Today’s draw is the King of Swords. We’re all bringing our A-game when it comes to thirst for knowledge and what we know.

As we gather around the tables tonight, we’ll engage head on in the best of thinking, sharing, and getting the Tarot hive mind going. I’m looking forward to reuniting with my Tarot tribe and getting things started! The symposium starts tomorrow and while pre-registration has closed, you can show up at the event and get a weekend or a day pass. If you’re in the bay area… come join in on the fun! If you can’t join, don’t worry… I’ll post recaps tomorrow and Sunday so you can join in on the fun. (I’ll also be tweeting with the hashtag #SFBATS).

I’m sitting in PDX, at my gate. Today’s the big day! In just under an hour or so, I head down to the Bay Area. Today’s card is the 6 of Pentacles. It reminds me of keeping a good attitude in the face of adversity.

The TSA detained my bag due to my electronic wizardry and thankfully it passed after a second scan. I was nervous but remained patient until I could help them sort it all out. Nothing will damper my trip!

Today’s card is The Devil. I drew him last night to prep for today’s post and I’m honestly not surprised. I pushed myself quite hard yesterday with getting lots of creative stuff done. Woke up this morning to a runny nose and no energy. The Devil reminds me to give into laziness and allow myself to go slow the new two days. I do NOT want to be sick during my trip.

So I took an easy day today by chatting and doing some light planning. I also slacked a bit by not updating this site until after I packed my gear for tomorrow. And now that I have finished, I’m off to snuggle Kender and enjoy a last night lazing around.

Today’s draw is the 3 of Swords. Typically a card of heartbreak and soreness, I see this card as a reminder to ground and balance myself while I’m away. I’ll be leaving behind my three cats and Kender and I’ll miss them all dearly. While I’ll be having tons of fun with my friends and learning lots, sometimes it can be a hard thing to keep the spirits up when you don’t have your ground or touchstone. So, I’ll use this card to remind me to take time for myself. I’ll ground and meditate, reconnect with nature, and chat with my hubby as much as I can while I’m gone.

Only a few more days left!