Grow Your Brain with Tarot
....for more powerful insights and personal change
Do You Do Readings for Yourself Confidently and Productively?
To me, divination is a search-within. Like divining for water, one is going looking for the well of inner-wisdom.
Sometimes people are hesitant to apply divination strategies like Tarot to themselves. They feel they are "too close" to be objective or they aren't sure how to get deep enough for new insights. Other times they aren't sure where to go with their readings, how to apply their insights to move forward.
I think this is because we tend to treat our divination tool like something outside of ourselves that we need to learn, with specific meanings we need to memorize - we treat it as if it were Someone speaking to us from outside ourselves - an independent fount of Wisdom. And that makes us feel like someone else may be better able to tap into that external Source.
But I believe the real power of divination is in discovering our own inner Wisdom.
How do we do that with confidence and clarity? We grow a Tarot-Brain.
What?
To use any divination tool, like the Tarot, we need to uncover its potential power from within ourselves. That means incorporating its images, its way of communicating, inside our existing ways of communicating to ourselves -- our existing inner images, thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
All of that happens in our brain and in our heart. I call that uncovering and connecting the evolution of our Tarot-Brain.
And after we make those connections, we need to uncover ways to allow new connections to emerge more easily and use methods to follow-through on those new insights with more ease and success.
The more those methods are based on the way our brain works, the more powerful our personal work can be.
In 6 weeks, you can move from Life before Growing a Tarot-Brain…
You're fascinated by tarot cards and totally intrigued by idea of being able to get Answers to life questions.
But when you start to use them, you discover all sorts of uncertainties:
s What do the cards *Mean*?
s Did I choose the right deck for me? I don't Get some of these images.
s How will I ever learn all these meanings?
s How do I know whether I'm getting the Right meaning?
s How do I know what spread to use?
s How can I act on what I learn? How can I integrate my insights?
You may do some readings, but feel like there must be More in the magic of the cards. The doubts climb aboard:
s What am I missing?
s Am I only seeing what I want to see?
s I already knew that without the cards - so what?
s Maybe my question wasn't very good
or maybe you buy yet another new deck for a "better connection".
…To Life after Growing a Tarot-Brain:
ü You create a question that addresses what you need to know about yourself, a question that moves you forward. (Hear the "Quest" in question?? ;-)
ü You chooses a spread that fits the question and a deck (if you have more than one, one that fits the nature of the question)
ü You choose your cards with a sense of curiosity and confidence that they will reveal interesting and powerful insights related to your question.
ü You engage with your cards, treating each one like a special doorway into your deeper Wisdom.
ü You draw from your choice of strategies to contemplate, discover, and build meaningful connections between the card's image and your Brain. You use life experiences and open to the Aha! of entirely unexpected connections.
ü Finally, you create a Plan - other questions arising from the first; actions to take; unsticking to do to get energies moving again.
ü You feel the deep Rightness of the conversation with the cards and more confident of your knowledge and respect for yourself.
Why study Tarot with a Neuropsychologist?
I'm Dr. Karen Shue and I do brains. I'm a neuropsychologist - a science-person. And I really do use Tarot for my own self-growth. And I Ching. And runes.
I just started being curious about Tarot last year, but I have no time to memorize card meanings or do so many readings that they just start to "come". But I discovered that many of the strategies I use for other self-growth purposes applied to Tarot as well.
I see divination techniques as excellent tools for showing me the inner workings of my brain - letting me observe, work with, and evolve the otherwise deeply hidden, non-conscious, learning I've done (or may want to undo ;-). I've spent my professional life looking for and being open to new and different "technologies" that let us gently and respectfully evolve in the ways that have profound meaning to us. Some of those are new high-tech options I use with my clients, but others are the traditional and powerful low-tech options.
Many brain specialists focus on the anatomy and chemistry of the brain. They talk about the connections and what happens where, but it's hard not to get lost in all the jargon and the feeling of "So What - how do I use that information"?
I don't talk anatomy or chemistry, since I'm more interested in the physics of the brain - its dynamics, its dance -- so everything I write and talk about in the brain is as approachable as I can make it.
I believe that if you understand how the brain works, you can start to generate your own strategies and practices and habits and know why they will (or won't) work for you.
Others who include the brain in their offerings emphasize being More, "breaking out of your limits". In my mind, they are encouraging you to push your brain to do and be More and More. I like to emphasize that we are Enough just the way we are, even though we are always evolving - we don't need to be or do or have More and More. We don't need to push anything.
Even though I am a science-based neuropsychologist, I am also open to other ways of seeing the universe. I love Tarot, I Ching, and other "woo-woo" approaches to understanding ourselves and relating to the world AND I see how these relate to the science and evolution of our heart and brain.
My "Grow Your Brain through Tarot" offering is focused on a brain-informed playful approach to growing a brain that connects deeply and profoundly with divination techniques. As part of that, I include strategies that will also be applicable for more general loving-care that (1) help in opening ourselves to the power of our divination technique of choice as well as to (2) finding ways to move forward on the insights we gain by using it.
People often think they have to memorize card meanings, struggle with how to find their question or "hear" the answer if it's about themselves, are unsure how to move ahead on whatever answer they get...that kind of thing.
Knowing how the brain works can help bring these things together. IMHO. :-) Let me show you how to discover, explore, and build on your own brain's personal "Tarot-language".
Divination tools are an extension of your Brain -- they can uncover Wisdom you weren't aware of knowing AND they can help your brain evolve to new places
Learning to use a brain-informed understanding of your divination tool will apply to every other part of your life as well
What's Included
This unique program will speed-start the growth of your Tarot-Brain over 6 weeks.
My goal is to give you a Learn+Practice experience. I know you want new ideas and how-to applications plus opportunities to practice with your own cards and readings and to share your experiences and questions and insights with others. So I'll be providing:
1) teaching about how to connect your Heart-brain to your Head-brain so you can be prepared for your Readings
2) teaching techniques for addressing your blocks and hesitations so you can take action on Your readings
3) a small-group experience that gives you a safe place to open the doors to new bits of yourSelf
That looks like:
ü 6 Weekly Live Group Teaching-Coaching Calls: Once per week, we'll meet as a group in a web conference where I will teach core concepts for that week plus provide practice experiences and coaching to make sure you "get" it and can apply it on your own during the week. There are no pre-recorded videos -- I want to make 100%, absolutely sure you are with me every step of the way and that we are connecting and interacting throughout the course.
ü Developing a Practice: I`'ll provide worksheets, journal/reflection templates, and Key Idea summaries to help you apply what we talk about to each of your Readings
ü One-to-One Mentoring: You and I will work together for one 30-minute session to answer more private questions or clarify previous material -- the time is yours to use as you like!
ü Community Support: Learning is always more fun (and often more productive!) when we share our thoughts, experiences, and questions. This will be our private space.
What do Others Think of This?
The expertise part really got me to say Yes. I’m interested in tarot, but not in becoming an expert. It’s clear that you aren’t trying to make someone an expert, instead you are trying to help them grow. – Michelle M.
OH MY!!!!!! Yummy yummy yummy!!!!!!!! I love that it's new and fresh and to me unrelated (till now) to the tarot. “Dr. Karen will shower you with the most unexpected and profound wisdom, packed with street smarts and hilarity. So approachable, warm and understanding. Her quiet power brings a hugging embrace and listening endurance. Honest feedback you can hear (and implement). Creative in her expression and thinking. Never what you’d expect!” - Monicka Clio Sakki | Creative Director, Self-Expression Coach, and creator of the Sakki-Sakki Tarot
Obsessed!!! Appealing for a more approachable approach to divination. - Erika Lyremark
How We'll Grow Your Tarot-Brain
Week 1: What's the Brain got to do with it? Brain Networks
In this week, we'll get an overview of our journey by jumping into looking at how the brain works - not the anatomy and chemistry and all that jazz, but the basic principles behind how the brain does its thinking. The brain as:
ü a collection of Connections and Networks
ü an amazing Pattern-Extractor,
ü the use of Images and Metaphors as the basis of our underlying thoughts
ü the magic transformational power of Meta-stability.
Week 2: Mindmaps as Brain Networks
This week we start the deep dive into the networks of our brains and the networks of Tarot. Using simple free mindmapping software, we look together at:
ü examples of dream-networks
ü Tarot-based mindmap-networks
ü the connections related to and between Tarot cards
ü between our own personal associations to card concepts and elements and
ü between traditional and personal meanings.
ü We'll also look at spreads in the light of dream sequences.
Networks, networks, everywhere.
Week 3: Discovering Our Questions
In this week, we start to form our questions by using general mind-mapping to narrow down or enlarge what we are asking.
We also learn a technique to connect our heart-brain and our head-brain so we can put ourselves into a receptive place before we pose our question to the cards.
Weeks 4 & 5: Uncovering Answers & Ahas!: Images & Metaphors as Brain Networks
Now we’re getting into the thick of things!
Every card is a collection of images, a metaphor representing so much more than the surface. And the brain also thinks in metaphors. So we need to start to discovering how your Brain has created metaphors and how those match or enlarge or differ from those in your cards. Doing this lets us uncover the deeper personal meaning of a card for our Question AND it can let your brain create the new connections it needs to take you beyond where you`ve been before -- to evolve.
In the first of these two weeks, we'll apply Clean Language, a method of working directly with metaphor and imagery to clarify and enlarge on your initial connections to the cards you choose.
In the second week, we'll Play with ways to understand the images of sequences using a dream analysis technique.
Week 6: Using Insights and Taking Action
In our final official meeting, we'll learn to apply your Reading to get unblocked in ways your Reading has suggested will best serve you.
This is a chance to learn the basics of EFT ("tapping") and "Squiggling" (creating meta-stability - the technique that lets your brain create whole new connections you never had before and probably couldn't have imagined on your own) as well as to create personalised strategies.
We'll also circle back around to close our Reading with heart coherence to help our new Tarot-Brain grow around what we've learned.
"But....
...I can't fit in all this time to reflect and contemplate!"
Brain growth is all about intensity, duration, and/or repetition. To really evolve your brain, it does require some investment, just like the benefits of meditation require...well... meditating. ;-) But don't worry! I'm a believer in the power of small steps as well. So we'll be focusing on just one brain-strategy per week and you'll have little mini-assignments during the week to get you there. But hey! You probably love your cards and hanging out with them as much as possible -- I'm just giving you the excuse to go there. :-)
....I could get a lot of readings done for me for this amount!"
Yup, you can buy fish at the market or you can learn to fish. I want to teach you to learn to fish. I believe you can give yourself deeper, more personal interpretations than others can give you. And what you'll learn applies not to just Tarot, but other self-discovery techniques -- and Life generally -- as well.
....I do ok and have FB groups where I can post for help. Why would I spend more on a course?"
Maybe you don't need a new approach or new ideas. But if you want to go deeper into your own brain and mind than piecing together traditional symbols can take you, maybe it's worth the investment.
...The whole point of using a deeply historical tool like Tarot IS the use of archetypal, traditional images!"
The use of archetypes can be a powerful way to get beyond "our personal selves". It's the universality of archetypal images that makes then useful. AND we are more than the "universal" symbols. Each one of us has developed our own personal symbol-language that only our brain knows. The Tarot (and other cool tools, like dream analysis) is a path we can use to uncover our own personal deeply symbolic and powerful personal language.
If your brain uses that language to communicate your own Truths to you -- don't you want to speak it??
...You don't seem like a Tarot expert. How can I learn Tarot from you?"
I'm not a Tarot expert -- I'm a brain expert.
And I'm not teaching you Tarot. I'm teaching you how to combine the language of Tarot with the language of your brain and how to use Tarot to grow and evolve your brain's capacity for deep personal Wisdom.
...You keep talking about the brain. I don't get why the whole brain piece matters. Can't I just learn the card meanings and use my intuition?"
Sure you can. But if you aren't totally confident about the card meanings or what your intuition is telling you yourself, then you might want to explore other ways of getting to that wisdom inside yourself -- inside your heart and brain. This course will help you do that. And understanding the Tarot-language of your brain will help you choose techniques and strategies used in other self-evolution approaches to enhance your personal growth, your creativity (ahas!), and know better how and when to choose a particular strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I've already taken so many Tarot courses. Why would I want to do Grow Your Brain with Tarot?
Do you lack confidence about your interpretation of your own self-readings?
Do you believe a person can't be sufficiently objective to do readings for themselves?
Or get stuck on what to DO with your insights?
Then this course may be just what you're looking for. I'm not offering you yet another Tarot course. I'm offering you the opportunity to learn how to combine the language of Tarot with the natural language of your brain and how to use Tarot to grow and evolve your brain's capacity for deep personal Wisdom.
2. How is Grow Your Brain with Tarot different from other Tarot courses?
Grow Your Brain with Tarot is not just online information and card meanings or even just exercises to get better at memorizing and personalising the traditional card meanings - that would be more like a Tarot course, right?
This is a live course and workshop with personal coaching, support, and feedback to make sure you go away knowing how to explore and build on your own brain's personal "Tarot-language".
3. So, is it like a therapy group using the Tarot??
No! This is not a group intended for identifying or resolving deep personal issues nor am I acting in any way as your therapist or counsellor. I'm not even intending to coach you around personal or business issues. I am intending to teach you more about the inner workings of your brain, how Tarot can be a tool to do that, how to apply those strategies for personal growth and evolution. If something gets too difficult or sticky, I'll try to make recommendations for you about other resources that might be suitable.
4. Do I need a specific deck? Does my deck need to be a RWS or Thoth-type?
No. It just needs to be a deck you are willing to bring intimately into your brain. The usual advice to find a deck you feel connected to, want to touch and spend time with is exactly the way to go, but any deck you have will do the trick.
You'll be investing a lot in brain-connection energy into that deck's symbols though, so the more you want to use it in the future, the better.
5. I'm SO busy. How can I make time to do Grow Your Brain with Tarot?
Ok, here's the thing. Brain change requires some kind of practice. But I don't expect that you will entirely re-make your brain during the period of the course. ;-) I just want to make sure you have enough practice to be able to keep going after the course ends and have your self-readings feel more powerful and easy to apply.
To get there, we'll have:
ü small group video calls using Zoom so we can share screens as needed
ü emailed exercise directions with reminders, suggestions, and questions to keep you going; these exercises will use no more than one required one 3-card Reading each week to practice one technique at a time
That means you've got a weekly time commitment of about 2 hours per week:
- calls (90 minutes once per week)
- practice exercises (about 30 minutes)
(But hey! Admit it - you love your Tarot cards and you just might want to spend longer on certain activities. That's ok with me!)
6. I work during class times or I'm not at a computer.
No worries. Calls will be recorded and Zoom meetings can be attended by phone, if you prefer or aren't at your computer. I will say, though, that your best chance for coaching and bringing your own examples comes in the group calls, of course.
7. I want to learn to do Tarot readings for other people. Will this help?
Yes and no.
Learning your own brain's Tarot-language may help sharpen your intuitive feel for what a card means when you're the Reader. It may help you understand how to help a client reach their own deeper understandings as well and thus help you help them put it all together.
But it's not intended for that. My intention is for you to get a deeper connection to yourSelf by using Tarot and your Brain as a powerful combination.
8. What kinds of people sign up for Grow Your Brain with Tarot?
All kinds. Anyone interested in using Tarot for personal growth and introspection.
ü You are reflective, but perhaps uncertain how to dig deeper or trust your reflections.
ü You are open to -- even hungry for -- science-based strategies to enhance your self-reflections.
ü You are fascinated by your brain and all the information about how understanding the brain may help you understand yourself a bit better.
ü You are curious, open-minded, and fun; not taking yourself or the usual traditions of Tarot so seriously you can't "Play" with it.
ü You are interested in strategies or guidance to more confidently use Tarot for self-reflection and are willing to invest in that guidance.
ü You may be new to Tarot, new to using Tarot for self-evolution, or are just seeking other approaches to enhance your existing Tarot skills and knowledge.
ü You are open to discovering new ways to prepare yourself for opening a dialogue with yourTarot cards and following-up on insights for personal growth.
ü You are coachable and willing to experiment with new approaches that might take some practice and committed to showing up for classes and sharing your questions and experiences with a like-minded group to enhance everyone's learning.
9. Who isn’t a good fit for the course?
Anyone who is specifically looking for ways to better predict future outcomes by using Tarot (i.e., people who want to focus on what happen "out there" instead of "in here").
Anyone dealing with any emotional or social situation that is putting them at risk or so severe that self-reflection isn't enough or wouldn't be safe.
10. Can I share the exercises and materials with a friend or my FB group?
No. It takes a lot of time and effort to develop these materials and I ask that you respect that. If you want to share with someone, please ask me about how that could happen. Of course, I fervently hope you will share with others that using this kind of approach has deepened your Readings and that you share the outcomes of those Reading with those you trust and respect with your inner Being.
11. I'm not comfortable posting my personal associations in a group setting or having them recorded in a video
I understand. Privacy is sacred. We'll be using a (secret FB? password-protected course site discussion?).
Zoom also lets you turn off your video or call in by telephone if you prefer not to have your face available in the recordings.
12. When will you offer Grow Your Brain with Tarot again?
I don't know. I'm creating a fun break from my book-writing. Once the book is done, I may not have time to do it again - at least for a while.
13. Who isn’t a good fit for the course?
Anyone who is specifically looking for ways to better predict future outcomes by using Tarot (i.e., people who want to focus on what happen "out there" instead of "in here").
My Guarantee
What if I change my mind? Is there a refund policy?
You have up to 7 days or the day before the start of the course to change your mind, but I strongly suggest that you not sign up until you feel that sense of Rightness. Once we start the group, it can be disruptive to the trust and safety of the group if people start late or come erratically, so once we've started, I don’t give refunds.
What if this isn't at all what I expected or I hate it?
I do have a Guarantee. If you show up for all the calls, do the exercises, and ask for help when you feel stuck and still don't find value in what we've done, you can have your money back with my apologies. All I'll ask is that you show me a Reading and interpretation you did prior to the course and how you might interpret that same Reading using the course strategies.
Join Me!
This unique 6-week program begins June 11, 2018
It Includes:
- Weekly Practice Materials
- 6 Weekly Live Group Coaching Calls + Recordings
- 2 Bonus Masterclasses based on group needs and interests
- 30 minutes of One-to-One Tarot-Brain Mentoring with Me
- Private Community Group
- Email or Voxer Laser Support 5 days/week
So What Does it Cost to Grow a new Tarot-Brain?*
$197US* - this time
Yes! I'm In! (button)
* Shopping with the Canadian dollar? Contact me to discuss currency options DrKaren@BrainandLiving.com