My Philosophy
As I see it, the highest purpose of Tarot is that it serves as an Instrument of Change. I sometimes call the cards "Tools of Freedom". Instead of using the cards to tell us what will happen, we can approach them as wise friends, asking us meaningful questions. It then becomes our task or challenge to answer these questions, and by doing so claim our freedom, our Will, our purpose. Tarot has existed in a card format for almost 600 years. There is nothing - absolutely nothing - that the cards haven't seen, heard, or been exposed to. They know the human heart inside out.
I feel incredibly honoured to do this type of Work for a living. There is so much beauty, strength, grace, and love within all of us. Yet we so often forget this, or feel we have lost our way in life. Tarot and Art Therapy can provide a safety net, and a way to bring us back to this truth. With each reading and with each painting completed, we peel one more layer off between our highest potential and our excuses from fulfilling that potential. In a sense, a reading or a therapy meeting serves as a calibration point between the temporal and the spiritual. I don't take this work lightly, although I try not to forget humour either.
After having done readings since 1990, and Art Therapy since 2008, I've yet to come across a question or topic which would surprise me (fair enough, I do reserve the option to alter a question or approach to better serve the client). My approach combines Jungian or Analytical Psychology (archetypes)*, Logotherapy (Viktor Frankl), Steinerian Art Therapy, and concepts from Daoism. It is a "soup" which I find most satisfying.
You can't be doing this type of work without a good dose of self-knowledge and from unselfish motives - those who come from the opposite direction do a great deal of damage to themselves and the client. You can't afford to be prejudiced; training to become a therapist adds the necessity of being comfortable with uncomfortable questions. Any judgements or preconceived ideas need to be left at the doorstep. It is my task as a reader and as a therapist to create a Temenos, a sacred working space, which holds and honours the truth of each person when they enter the room.
*To be clear, I'm not a Jungian Analyst myself. I call myself a "Jungian Tarot Guide", as Jung's archetypal theory forms the basis of my tarot work. I consider myself an avid fan of C. G. Jung (same goes for Marie-Louise von Franz). I've been studying Jungian thought independently since the mid 90s, and have a personal collection of around 200 books by or on Jung.
Education
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Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor, 2013
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Academic Associate in Logotherapy with Specialisation in Art Therapy, 2008
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Registered Nurse, BScN, 2003
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Diploma in Nutrition Therapy and Complementary Medicine with Specialisation in Phytotherapy, 1999
Articles, Contributions, etc.
Tero featured in the Esotoracle Magazine, Iss. 3, 2020: Show & Tell
Interpretation for the reversed Tower card mirrored with the other 77 cards (upright) in Tarot Turn, Vol. 1: The Majors, ed. by Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin, 2012
Contribution to The Fool's Journey - The Tarot for Self-Development by Alan Jones, 2010 & 2016
Contribution to Religions in Play - Games, Rituals, and Virtual Worlds, ed. by Philippe Bornet & Maya Burger, 2012
Contribution to Tarosophy by Marcus Katz, 2011
Contribution to Tarot by Marita Liulia & Tiina Porthan, 2004
Articles published in the Tarosophist International:
A Short History of Tarot up to the French Revolution, Spring 2012 issue
Memoirs of a Century: Lady Frieda Harris, Spring 2011 issue
Walkabout: An Interactive Journey, Summer 2010 issue
Articles in Finnish:
Tahdon kysymys - Elementtien viisaus ja Taikurin taika (A Question of Will - Wisdom of the Elements and the Magic of the Magus) in Minä Olen No. 6, 2015
Elävä Tarot, osa 2: Tutkimusmatka alkaa (Living Tarot, part 2: The Exploration Begins) in Minä Olen No. 5, 2015
Elävä Tarot, osa 1 (Living Tarot, part 1) in Minä Olen No. 3, 2015
In Memoriam: Pia Virtakallio in Minä Olen No. 5, 2010
Terapeuttinen Tarot - ja mahdollisuudet Logoterapian kanssa (Therapeutic Tarot - and Possibilities with Logotherapy) in Fikkari, the Finnish Logotherapy Association magazine No. 2, 2010
Tarot vie myyttien maailmaan (Tarot Leads into the World of Myths) in Voi Hyvin No. 3, 2008
Itsetuntemusta Tarotin avulla (Self-knowledge Through Tarot) in Turun Ylioppilaslehti No. 15, 2007
Tarot - Karttakirja sisäiseen ja ulkoiseen maailmaan (Tarot - A Map Book to Internal and External Worlds) article series in Seita Magazine published by Lehto ry., the Finnish Pagan Association, between 2002 and 2007
Published Works
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The Full Life Tarot Deck, 2015 (together with Airi Oja)
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Opas viisauteen - The Guide to Wisdom DVD, 2012 (in Finnish, together with Jyrki Pitkä)
Past Talks, Workshops & Courses
Special Topics: Shadow Work (online workshop)
October 6th 2020
Tarot Intermediate - 5 Week Online Course for Intermediate Level via Zoom
September 2nd - 30th 2020
Special Topics: Spreads (online workshop)
June 25th 2020
Tarot Basics - 9 Week Online Course for Beginners via Zoom
April 9th - June 11th 2020
Tarot Mentors with Katrina Wynne
"Tarot & Tai Chi" online talk via Zoom
April 4th 2020
Tarot Reading I - 8 Week Online Course for Beginners via Zoom
Treadwell's Books, London
April 1st - May 20th 2020
Tarot Reading I - 8 Week Course for Beginners
Treadwell's Books, London
January 15th - March 4th 2020
UK Tarot Conference 2019
Saturday Lunchtime Workshop
"Working with the Tower"
Venue: Holiday Inn, Kensington
October 12th 2019
UK Tarot Conference 2018
History & Evolution of the Tarot Devil
Group Exercise: The Seven Faces Spread
Holiday Inn, Kensington, London
October 19th 2018
Tarot: Art, History & Symbolism
Private event
London
March 26th 2018
Astrology & Tarot with Debbie Frank & Tero Goldenhill
Bhuti Richmond
February 5th 2018
Tarot Shadow Work Workshop with Anton Rossi & Tero Goldenhill
Atlantis Bookshop, London
November 25th 2017
UK Tarot Conference 2017
Table Top session: the Kohinoor Spread
Thistle Barbican, London
October 14th 2017
Tarot-Mindfulness Workshop - A Day of Personal Transformation with Tarot with Anton Rossi & Tero Goldenhill
Neal's Yard Meeting Rooms, Covent Garden
September 16th 2017
London Tarot Study Group (LTSG) monthly meetup: New Spreads for the New Year with Tero Goldenhill
The Artillery Arms, City of London
15th January 2017