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.

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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.

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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 a 100 books by or on Jung.  

Education

• Tai Chi and Qigong Instructor, 2013

• Academic Associate in Logotherapy with Specialisation in Art Therapy, 2008

• Registered Nurse, BScN, 2003

• Diploma in Nutrition Therapy and Complementary Medicine with Specialisation in Phytotherapy, 1999

Articles, Contributions, etc.

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. Pages 391-410

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Contribution to The Fool's Journey - The Tarot for Self-Development by Alan Jones, 2010 & 2016

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Contribution to Religions in Play - Games, Rituals, and Virtual Worlds, ed. by Philippe Bornet & Maya Burger, 2012

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Contribution to Tarosophy  by Marcus Katz, 2011

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Contribution to Tarot by Marita Liulia & Tiina Porthan, 2004

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Articles published in the Tarosophist International:

A Short History of Tarot up to the French Revolution, Spring 2012 issue

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Memoirs of a Century: Lady Frieda Harris, Spring 2011 issue

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Walkabout: An Interactive Journey, Summer 2010 issue

Articles in Finnish: 

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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

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Elävä Tarot, osa 2: Tutkimusmatka alkaa (Living Tarot, part 2: The Exploration Begins) in Minä Olen No. 5, 2015

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Elävä Tarot, osa 1 (Living Tarot, part 1) in Minä Olen No. 3, 2015

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In Memoriam: Pia Virtakallio in Minä Olen No. 5, 2010

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Terapeuttinen Tarot - ja mahdollisuudet Logoterapian kanssa (Therapeutic Tarot - and Possibilities with Logotherapy) in Fikkari, the Finnish Logotherapy Association magazine No. 2, 2010 

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Tarot vie myyttien maailmaan (Tarot Leads into the World of Myths)  in Voi Hyvin No. 3, 2008

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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

• The Full Life Tarot Deck, 2015 (together with Airi Oja)

• Opas viisauteen - The Guide to Wisdom DVD, 2012 (in Finnish, together with Jyrki Pitkä)

Past Talks, Workshops & Courses

Tarot Reading I - 8 Week Course for Beginners

Treadwell's Books, London

January 15th - March 4th 2020

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UK Tarot Conference 2019

Saturday Lunchtime Workshop

"Working with the Tower"

Venue: Holiday Inn, Kensington

October 12th 2019

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UK Tarot Conference 2018

History & Evolution of the Tarot Devil

Group Exercise: The Seven Faces Spread

Holiday Inn, Kensington, London 

October 19th 2018

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Tarot: Art, History & Symbolism

Private event

London 

March 26th 2018

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Astrology & Tarot with Debbie Frank

Bhuti Richmond 

February 5th 2018

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Tarot Shadow Work Workshop with Anton Rossi 

Atlantis Bookshop, London 

November 25th 2017

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UK Tarot Conference 2017

Table Top session: the Kohinoor Spread

Thistle Barbican, London

October 14th 2017

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Tarot-Mindfulness Workshop - A Day of Personal Transformation with Tarot with Anton Rossi

Neal's Yard Meeting Rooms, Covent Garden 

September 16th 2017

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London Tarot Study Group (LTSG) monthly meetup: New Spreads for the New Year with Tero Hynynen

The Artillery Arms, City of London

15th January 2017