I had my first ever Tarot reading done the other day.  For some reason, I was never drawn to Tarot.  It seemed dark and scary, mysterious, and judgmental.   I had always used the Medicine Cards and a few others for my own divination practice, but never Tarot.  My mind kept repelling it.

But I believe things come into our lives at the right moments, and I was introduced to Tarot by a beautiful soul named Rowan Cutler.

Rowan invited me to Samovar Tea Lounge at the corner of Page and Laguna, and generously gave me a Tarot reading for free.  It was wonderful to learn that he is the in-house Tarot reader for Samovar and spends hours at both the Castro location and the Zen Valley location, giving Tarot readings to individuals and groups.

I bluntly told him that I had never been drawn to Tarot.  He gently told me that it is really just the way it has been portrayed, and that it is a fun, intuitive and highly revealing way to get in tune with one’s inner self, paths and relationships.

Rowan had me shuffle around the cards on the table and choose cards with my non-dominant hand, and arranged them in a certain formation.  The results were just spot on. This was the first time I really sat down and talked to this gentleman, and he read my situation like he was my mom.  There were certain challenges that were revealed for my business, like my tendency to drain my own energy for others, as well as hopeful signs that everything is going the right direction and I just need to be patient.  Phew.

It is clear that with any divination tool, the actual set of cards or whatever is being used is nothing more than a tool.  A very beautiful and well-thought out tool for sure, but it really is up to the practitioner to make sense of the cards, both individually and in relation to the other cards in the spread, interpret them, and communicate the findings and meanings to the person in the way that makes the most sense to them.

So as a Tarot Reader, it is essential to increase your intuition, and know how to energetically prepare yourself for the reading session.  A whole string of things come up for people, and it is crucial to be able to support them in their gained insights and application to their daily lives.

If you have a Tarot deck and don’t really know what to do with it, or if you want to explore this realm of spiritual practice, Rowan has created a 4-day course that can make you a Tarot reader (even perhaps a master!).  It is a short-cut curriculum for Tarot that includes not only the study of the Tarot deck, but also ways to increase your psychic and intuitive capacity, as well as the nuts and bolts of how to do an actual reading session.  It really is a comprehensive program that sounds as enjoyable as it is useful.

We are happy to announce that we will have Rowan teach the course over two weekends at Hanuman Center: April 28 & 29, and May 5 & 6. For those of you who can’t or don’t want to take all 4 days, each day is also a stand-alone class.

The first class, “Intuition,” is self-explanatorily about intuition.  Even if you don’t want to learn Tarot, it is a class to help you increase your intuition. There will be exercises using the pendulum, grounding exercises, learning tools to look at your energy and psychic information, setting up energetic space and more.  Towards the end, the Tarot deck will be introduced, using the “major arcana” cards, that are card numbers 0-21 (note: the 3rd class, on May 5th, is a focused class on the major arcana).

The second class, “Minor Arcana,” dives into the deck, focusing on the numbers cards, 1-10.  You will learn about what certain numbers represent, as well as the 4 elements that are symbolized by 4 suits.  These aspects can be combined to decipher what the cards may represent for your particular situation.

The third class, “Major Arcana,” looks closely at the major arcana, starting with the “Deep Journey of the Fool” all the way to the “World (Universe)” card.  The major arcana cards are based on Jungian psychology and mythology, and includes cards like the Devil, which represents fear, and the Tower, the symbol of reconstruction.  “You are all of it at different points in time, so understanding these cards means to understand and try to integrate the various parts of your complex self,” says Rowan.

The final class, “Reading,” is all about the specific aspects that need to be kept in mind for actual reading sessions that you do for yourself as well as others.  You will learn all about positions and patterns, but as important is how you perform the session.  How does the reader set up the energy for the session?  How do you read the other person’s energy?  How do you keep your energy so that you’re not distracted or projecting your own thoughts and experiences into the reading?  How do you separate yourself when you’re done?

Now that Rowan introduced me to the world of Tarot (and I’m so glad it was him!), I am very motivated and excited about learning more about it.  His explanations are simple, his spirit is elevating, and his guidance gentle, wise and thorough.   Hope to see you there!

For details of the workshop and to register, please visit the Tarot Reading page.

It’s such a blessing to be able to welcome new workshop leaders into Hanuman Center, especially when it’s world-class quality material that they’re offering.  It makes us very excited to be the medium to share their work to our own community of healers, practitioners and students.

One such individual is a well-known figure in the world of BodyTalk, a form of holistic energy & consciousness healing system that is practiced and taught all over the world (over 41 countries).

Multi-talented Karen Atkins is one of the most engaging speakers and teachers of this comprehensive healing modality, and we are honored to present her classes and workshops starting this month at Hanuman Center.

So what exactly is BodyTalk?

BodyTalk is a complete system that utilizes “tapping” methods to restore health in the cells of the body.  Based on the most progressive research in quantum physics, it is a practical and methodical – albeit intuitive and seemingly mystical – way to repair relationships within the body so that all cells, organs and systems work together in the most harmonious way possible.

Having come from a conservative family of lawyers and teachers, when Karen first discovered BodyTalk, she admits that “it seemed very ‘voodoo’ to me.”

Years before learning about BodyTalk, Karen had a solid musical career going for herself, but the high-stress lifestyle had gotten the best of her.  She went to a massage therapist who introduced her to a practitioner of the Alexander technique, who then introduced her to cranial sacral therapy, then she found herself learning about acupuncture and martial arts.  She was continuously searching for different ways to heal herself, and after being on the healing journey for over a decade, encountered BodyTalk.

“I’ve been on this healing journey for over 20 years, and I haven’t found another modality that is as dynamic, far-reaching, and simple,” Karen says, although she also warns that “you can’t just do one thing and say, ‘that’s it,’ because there are so many factors that affect our well-being.  But BodyTalk covers a major chunk.”

Karen’s passion is extremely contagious.  And that’s because of her core belief that the “only way to make a change (in the world) is to create more coherency within one’s self, and simply teach others to do the same.  I’ve learned over the years that there’s no point trying to fight all that is going on in the world.  The only way is to be more conscious yourself.”

Consciousness is a foundation of BodyTalk and Karen’s teachings.  It’s about tapping into the subconscious, which makes up more than 90% of our consciousness.  We are only conscious 1-10% of the time!  If we can (literally) tap into our subconscious and access our Inner Wisdom, then our bodies will be able to regain health.

Karen’s BodyTalk and Access (one-day intensive) classes give us the power to become intermediaries between us and our innate wisdom.  Our innate wisdom controls the communication between our 50-100 trillion cells. It knows what’s going on in the body.  But because of all the conditioning, polluting, and ego-driven thinking that has separated us from this “inner doctor,” we need help from a system like BodyTalk to re-open the lines of communication and rediscover our bodies’ perfect ways to restore themselves.

We had the opportunity to experience her teachings at her beautiful Mill Valley home.  If you too would like to learn firsthand what this is all about, we have introductory sessions that are scheduled for March 13th and 19th, from 4:00-5:30 pm at Hanuman Center (donation-based).

Her first intensive class, Access, will be offered from 1-7 pm on Saturday, March 24th, for $175 per person.  It will be the best investment you’ll ever make in yourself (well, besides taking our other workshops of course )!  Come with a partner, a friend, or make new friends – it could be the answer to healing you have been looking for all this time.  It’s open to women and men from all walks of life.

As we write this, Karen is in the middle of teaching a 4-day program of Body Talk Fundamentals, which we will be offering in the fall at Hanuman Center, around September 14th.

What we love about Karen is that she explains everything in the most persuasive, scientific and humorous way, that you are never once bored in her class. She is someone who can relate this information to both left-brained and right-brained people, and after learning the techniques, you too will be able to balance the sides of your brain

Karen Atkins is really at the forefront of this healing technique in the US.  She has traveled all around the world to teach and train new BodyTalk healers.  In Europe, BodyTalk has become a university degree, and many are lobbying for that to happen in the US as well.  So jump on the bandwagon with us now with one of the top teachers in this country, right here at Hanuman Center!

To read more about Karen and her explanation on BodyTalk, please visit her website/blog.

Real happiness springs from a place of orderliness for me.

When the mind is healthy, calm, sharp, and grounded to the will of the heart, from this point of view of compassion, kindness is born.

Happiness is born from this condition. The cultivation of happiness rises from a synchronized and healthy mind, body, and spirit. These are the main path ways where life force comes through you.

The midwives that cultivate this happiness are the mindful exercises that I do almost every morning in the fitness club – light, slow weight lifting with breathing exercises that facilitate strength training, with stretching in between each set. I incorporate all of these practices with a specific goal in mind. I focus my training with the vital sources of energy, which are the legs, hips, abs, chest, shoulders and head. I call them “spiritual hardware.”

Then here at Hanuman Yoga Center, I practice Yin and Kundalini Yoga for what I call “spiritual software” – the somatic, emotional, mental and spiritual.

When these spiritual hardware and software are firing well together and are synchronized, external & internal order is born; light and joy are expressed inwardly, which mirror external flow. This is the source of authentic happiness. Spiritual Software is the source to keep the Hardware functioning.

Understand this wisdom being expressed in this moment, quiet down your mind with your rhythm, quietly smiling, breathe, and allow this to take root in your consciousness, silent for the moment.

When there is disturbance in the four fields – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – suffering, disease, loneliness, and pain will be rising & falling through the four energy bodies. Focus your healing practice by observing your daily living to simply seeing where the root of these disturbance are coming from. Observe and activate awareness and nurture sensitivity. From these observations, healing will rise.

The true logic behind western and eastern medicine is to remove the disturbances, so then happiness can be experienced. Happiness comes from observation, awareness, in each moment, to protect the mind, body and the heart. Be disciplined with the frequencies of foods, thoughts, and behavior to protect your four fields. Your greatest tool is attention, which is a living, energetic organ.

Real happiness springs from a place of orderliness in all four of the fields.

The true guide is inner listening to your own unique tone and vibration. The first step for a long lasting happiness is meditation; learning to sit still. It is very difficult at the beginning, because you cannot still when there is so much disturbance. When the mind is imbalanced, two minutes can be too long; you are bombarded with so many negative thoughts.

How do you arrive to this place of silence?

Cleanliness. Purge the disturbance, and consciously choose your tools.

Yoga, meditative exercises, breathing exercises, sound, walk with nature – but all of these have to be done in silence, in clear purpose.

Putting your house in order. Accompany that with a good lifestyle, good diet, hydration, rest, and spiritual education, understanding the mechanical of the body and the nature of energy and how you effect your psyche. Go deep. Self-education is enlightenment. It is a medium for long-lasting happiness.

This is how you arrive from the place of silence. This is the true vocation of man: “simply to know oneself.”

So clear away your dust, so you can become a true reflection of the light.