|
Bio Readings Tarot FAQ Tarot Code of Ethics Tarot Certification Tarot Whispers Book Reviews Deck Reviews Articles Links Book List Newsletter |
BC: Judi, first of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to chat with me. I think that certification is a very "hot" topic right now, both whether to certify and whom to certify with. I am just going to jump in and start with what everybody wants to know: "What was the reason behind you and Winter Wren opting to leave the newly formed Tarot Certification Board Of America to start your own board?"
JE: Thank you, Bonnie, for allowing me an opportunity to share this information with the Tarot community. I hold a certification of Certified Tarot Master with the former TCB. Before certifying in Tarot I had some internal battles with certification. I see Tarot as a highly spiritual form of divination that derives from the relationship between you and your Spirit. I believe Spirit appears to each person in the manner in which that individual needs to see Spirit, thus the relationship is sacred. So, when I came to the fork in the path that offered me certification in Tarot or a path that was uncertified, I had a time of learning more about myself.
Having spent 20 years as a Respiratory Therapist I learned the necessity that standards be met and certification was a very viable way to achieve this goal. In the medical field lack of standards could mean senseless loss of life. I concluded that lack of standards in Tarot could lead to senseless manipulation and deviant behavior against innocent people who are searching for enlightenment. Setting standards by a certifying body provides a safe haven for those who wish to interact with a messenger for which they can trust.
Once the TCB dissolved, my mentor and friend, Geraldine Amaral, contacted me about my serving on a certification board. She worked with me and stood behind me as I formed the Washington, DC Tarot Society. Therefore, she felt I had what it takes to pull the strengths of the community together to provide a certifying body with integrity. After inquiring for more information from former board members such as Don Michael Kraig, I decided to put my name in the hat. The person putting the board together contacted me and then we moved forward. However forward did not last for long.
I realized the board was made up of 3 people who lived in the same town as well as attended the same organizations besides Tarot societies. Another member and myself were not living anywhere near these 3 members. At that point I asked to add Winter Wren to the board as I felt the importance to have a better balance at least geographically (and politically). I also learned that some of the members were very closely connected to the Executive Director of the former TCB and expressed regularly that he needed to be vindicated as he was not guilty of any accusation. As President I replied each time that removing the suggestion of guilt on this party was not the mission of this certifying board. I reminded the board members that we agreed at the first meeting that discussion of political factions would not take place on this board as we intended to grow neutrally out of this very painful loss of structure. However, the discussion among these dedicated board members about the guilt or lack of guilt continued so regularly that we could not make any advancement towards serving the Tarot community.
I had a long talk with Winter about these concerns and had contemplated resigning from the TCBA board of directors to resume my profession as a Tarot reader without worrying about certification. In our discussion, Winter and I agreed that we had stepped up to the task of serving on a Tarot certification board because we love our chosen profession and wanted to insure the community continue to have standards for which to promote this very valid, legitimately profound profession. Winter and I know the potential for the government to step in and take control of the Tarot profession if we do not standardize, organize and police ourselves. I realized the importance of practicing Tarot without such invasive control from the government. I read regularly in my Reiki newsletters the actions taken by each state to regulate that form of healing practice. I know it is just a matter of time before the Tarot community is visited by governmental investigation and such hacks as we have seen in the news lately are only hastening this probability. We as a community need to act now.
I had a choice, I could see it through by redirecting my efforts, or I could put my head in the sand. Winter suggested we join forces to 'see it through'. We decided we could put together a certifying body with integrity that was unencumbered by extremist factions. We could work with members of the Tarot community to set standards beneficial to the profession of Tarot. So, we did. We decided to start a new board not controlled by either 'side' of the past disruption. Now, that is not to say that neither group is welcome or has had an opportunity to express their opinion. We insured neither side was directing the path solely. Remember, this took place when fingers were being pointed, lines were being drawn and names were being disgraced. A lot of that has since calmed down and many have experienced growth. None-the-less, Winter and I stood-up and chose to accept the challenge of keeping the structure for Tarot a top priority.
BC: In light of the problems with the existing certification board, what things were important to you when forming your board? Can you tell us a little about the charter for the ABTC, how you are incorporated, and the respective roles that you, Winter Wren and Alan Lambert play in the organization?
JE: My vision of a certifying body is one that sets standards that are obtainable yet leaves room for improvement and growth. I feel this body should be free from constraints of political factions. This does not mean this body should not listen to the factions, but rather take the information and choose the best parts to utilize for the best good of the Tarot Community. I wanted a certifying body that continues to work within the standards set; not make exceptions just to increase the numbers. A certifying body can have space for those who are very much into education as well as those who are not. It is essential we assess the needs of the Tarot Community and then enact the necessary measures to make it happen. That is what I'd like to see.
The ABTC is incorporated in Illinois with Winter Wren as the registered agent. We are working on a non-profit status. We are set up to insure there are two board members involved in each activity. All members make all decisions with input and agreement. Standards are set if there is necessary exceptions to be made, all board members must agree to allow any exceptions to standards. As a human I realize that there are times a need for exceptions arises. Instead of saying all doors are closed, we are willing to listen, weigh the situation and find an answer. That answer may be no or we might be able to find a feasible compromise. However, we will work diligently to uphold those standards set.
I am President. I deal with communication and most of the administrative activities. Winter is the Executive Vice President. She will be handling the financial end of the business. Alan Lambert is our technical person. He is trained in computer and business. He is our client advocate. Since Alan is not a Tarot professional his input is from the client's point of view. Our bios are available on our web site: www.americanboardfortarotcertification.org
The ABTC has agents available for certification now.
BC: Many in the Tarot community feel a need to follow the paper trail, so here is another rather intrusive question. What was the basis for setting each level of certification, and the attendant fee's? Where does this money go? Will the ABTC be posting a yearly financial report on their site (or in some other way be making it available to the public)? Does any compensation go to the ABTC board members, aside from site maintenance and other organizational costs?
JE: When I discussed the possibilities with Don Michael Kraig, he made a suggestion I carried over to this new board. He said that a new board needs to be neutral and start from ground level. Winter and I created the new board by modifying old criteria of the TCB and shaping it to fit the community's future needs. We looked at the levels and criteria of the old board and chose where to go from there. If we were to be disassociated from the TCB we needed to insure we were not a carbon copy. I think Mary Greer made a comment that there was no need to throw everything of old out. We did not throw everything out, we just restructured with what we felt was important. Yes, we did contact others in our community to get their input and opinions. No one's opinions were excluded from our consideration.
With the first level, Tarot Associate {TA}, we have a space for those who wish to be recognized as a certified reader, but are not interested in the education. This level requires you have the ability to relay your meanings for all the cards. Plus, you can perform up to 7 card readings. So, even the person who wants to validate their craft, but not invest in the rest of the requirements can do so right at this level. And I believe there is a space for that. I prefer to continue with education for myself, but that is my choice.
The remaining levels are for those who advance their skills and wish to show their level of expertise. Tarot Professional {TP} shows the reader is performing readings where they are receiving some sort of pay, either by barter, cash, or trade. Testimonials from clients or even the manager of the bookstore or place where they perform their readings will provide confirmation of their reaching this level of skill. Also, the Tarot Professional needs to show proof of obtaining some advancement in their profession either by attending an advanced level class, reading and implementing ideas from advanced level books, or developing a curriculum for an advanced level workshop or class.
Tarot Master {TM} is the level where the Tarot professional has become more involved in their community by articles in approved publications, provide a curriculum for advanced level class, or write your version of the 'little white book' for a tarot deck of your choice. Please understand we do not suggest the 'little white book' requirement be published, as we know that is not legally possible. This is just an assignment to be completed for your records and the files of the ABTC.
Tarot Educator {TE} provides an acknowledgement that this professional has grown to the level of teaching the craft of Tarot to their community. This professional will also need to publish at least two articles on the subject of educating students, clients or planning workshops which must be published in an approved publication. As well, this professional must obtain at least 6 CEU credits to achieve this level.
The Tarot Sage {TS} is our highest level. The requirements for this level suggest this professional has reached a level where the individual is effecting or influencing the Tarot community either by writing books, executing a Tarot conference, or organizing and maintaining a local Tarot society for at least 2 years.
The cost of each level was set assessed by researching other certifying systems for metaphysical professions while keeping in mind the fee structure of the TCB. We felt the fee system should be reasonably obtainable. However, since each level is for a lifetime of that level the fee needed to be high enough to cover future expenses. There is a $5 per year maintenance fee for TM and above. This fee covers the cost to maintain the file as TM level and above are required 3 CEU per year.
To start, the budget will pay for the administrative costs such as certificate paper and printing, postal costs, etc. The members of the Board of Directors are not paid ANY compensation. The only time a member of the board will receive money from the ABTC account is to repay expenses for above-mentioned items.
The ABTC has recently announced the Referral Service we now offer our members. This service provides an opportunity for those certified as Tarot Professional and above to receive referrals through the ABTC. The system the ABTC uses for this service does cost us each month. Therefore a fraction of your fee of $75 will go towards that up-keep.
The ABTC is putting the final touches on our Problem Resolution Service. This service will benefit the community by providing a place to track those readers who do not maintain the standards set by their level of certification. Our hope is to help weed out those unethical readers who give the rest of us a bad name. Also, this service will provide a tracking system for such complaints to show reason for revocation of certification if this action becomes necessary. With this is a system which prevents arbitrary revocation of certifications. We hope this system gets little traffic. However, a tracking system provides a level of consistency not seen in the past.
The ABTC is finalizing the avenues intended to provide financial assistance for future conferences and workshops. Part of the reason this is on the drawing board is that we started with no funds. Winter, Alan and I are building the funds, which are not yet paying the minimum of costs we are incurring on a monthly basis. However, we expect to be in the black in the near future. At that time we will be able to implement the expected budget for such events. The ABTC did not receive any funds from the TCB as did other certifying bodies. Therefore we are beginning from the start line and growing from there.
Yes, we do plan to publish our budget. At this point our plan is to publish these documents only to ABTC members. However, copies of our financial documents can be made available upon request.
BC: Some people in the Tarot community are questioning the "authority" of any one group of people to form a certification board for Tarot. What are the qualifications of the ABTC, and will you be working towards national certification for the ABTC?
JE: Alan, our technical person, has been researching the accrediting options. We have every plan to do so, but do not wish to step into a fly-by-night organization.
I tend to wince when I am asked, "of what authority do you…" because I see it more as a service. I am a Tarot professional who loves my chosen profession. I wish to maintain the freedom to continue to practice without government intervention. With this in mind, if we as a community do not derive a way to police ourselves, the government will be happy to do so. What do you think this profession would look like then? Winter and I are the Tarot professionals who volunteered to step up and take the time to set the standards in order to protect this profession. Alan was recruited because of his expertise in business management and computer skills. I see this as a beginning effort with a lot of room to grow. However, you have got to start somewhere. This is where I chose to start. As the Tarot community and the Tarot profession grows, so too can the certification and standards thereof.
As I view it, standards are placed there in black and white. Either you meet the standard or you don't. The standards we set were not very different then those set before; the community accepted those. It is the standards that are the authority. I am just one who is facilitating the opportunity for those interested who wish to meet these standards.
As for my qualifications, I am certified as a Tarot Master. I achieved this level through the TCB. I studied with a distinguished Hawaiian Kahuna on healing, psychic abilities and spiritualism. It was he who directed me to begin reading the Tarot. I continued to study Tarot with him until I moved from Hawaii to the Washington, DC area. Within a few weeks of arriving into town, I found a class being given by Geraldine Amaral. Thirsty for more information and an opportunity to meet people in the area with my same interests, I signed up. I attend and began a beautiful friendship with Geraldine as well as many other member of the Tarot community in the DC area. I organized a study group from the members of the Geraldine's class I had attended. Together we organized a reading group who was available for parties and functions. Usually I organized the attending readers and activities.
With this success, Geraldine contacted me. She asked if I would be interested in heading up and reorganizing the Washington, DC Tarot Society which had dissolved several months earlier. Once I agreed to do so, my study group turned into the Washington, DC Tarot Society. This involves organizing the meetings such as discussion subject, meeting place, spreads to use, inviting other divination mentors to share their craft, just to mention a few items.
I teach tarot to those in my community who are searching for their spiritual path and chose Tarot as their direction. I continue to attend classes for my own growth. I have attend classes given by Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack and Geraldine Amaral.
I hope this gives you a little more comfort knowing I do have a viable background for the position in which I am sitting.
Additionally, if you wish to learn more about the board members, our bios ore on the ABTC web site.
BC: What role will certifying agents play with the ABTC, and what are their qualifications?
JE: Certifying Agents are members who hold a certification of Tarot Master, Tarot Educator or Tarot Sage. Their job is to assist, or better yet, act as a proctor for the applicant's certification. The Certifying Agent will be available for the applicant to perform their readings required and hear their explanations of their meanings and system they use with their Tarot cards. They are not intended to act as an instructor, but rather more of one giving the test and presenting to the ABTC the results of the certification.
BC: I have to say that I was very interested to see that the ABTC is requiring CEU's for maintaining the TM and above levels of certification. What was your reasoning for this, and how will this benefit those being certified, the Tarot community and the public that they serve?
JE: For those who are not familiar with this term, CEUs stand for continuing education units. These are credits that state that the certified person is continuing to improve and keeping abreast of the direction of the Tarot profession. This is achieved by taking a class that has been approved for CEU credits by the ABTC. We hope to include the conferences and workshops in the future to provide a wide variety of ways to achieve your CEU requirements. Tele-classes and on-line classes are also acceptable avenues for achieving the CEUs required. The ABTC has already granted CEU credits to several up coming classes.
Our intention is to raise the bar and provide a standard that will stand out when Tarot is looked upon as a legitimate profession. Many other professions require CEUs in order to keep their members from becoming stagnated. We feel this should pertains to the Tarot profession, too. Formerlly I worked in the medical field. One of my responsibilities was to provide such classes and acquire the CEU credits for each class given. Having had this experience I know how important it is to keep an ear open to the new trends and new products. My own profession was raised to a higher level and legitimacy once the CEU requirements were in place.
The ABTC feels the CEU requirement will provide the reader with more options. For one, they may find more techniques they wish to utilize in their work. Meanwhile, the client has a place to go to find readers who adhere to standards and may feel safer about contacting a reader who takes their profession seriously enough to continue to grow.
BC: How does an organization or an individual offering classes get them approved for CEU's through the ABTC?
JE: The process is very simple and not much extra work on anyone looking to reach these requirements. The instructor sends the ABTC a synopsis of their class, time, and what the student can expect to get from the class. Then the ABTC will reply with the CEU credits granted and will supply the instructor with a sign-in form for their students who are trying to get these credits. The instructor can then advertise their class as having CEU credits. The ABTC will list these classes on our web site, which provides the instructor yet another place to advertise without cost. Once the class is complete the instructor returns the completed sign-in sheet to the ABTC who will then add the credits to those who attended. For tele-classes and on-line classes, the instructor needs to send via e-mail a list of those who attended.
It is important to know that the instructor also receives the credit for the class they just gave. The ABTC believe instructors tend to learn during their class as well and certainly during their time of researching the information they will use for the class.
BC: What are your long term goals for the ABTC, and what part will the ABTC be taking in the Tarot community, apart from offering Tarot certification?
JE: The goal of the ABTC is to provide a level of standards which will act as a guide to the professional who choose Tarot as their career. We strive to bring a level of excellence that will up the ante for ethical reading practices and professional attitudes. We will continue to grow so we can meet the needs of the Tarot community as well as educating the non-Tarot community.
The ABTC is providing a service where the member who is certified at the level of Tarot Professional and above may place himself or herself on our Referral Service. This will allow the certified member to receive referrals from potential clients in their area giving them an opportunity to increase their clientele.
We are also working on a Problem Resolution Service. This provides a space for clients to let us know about any of our readers who do not follow the Code of Ethics or from which they had a bad experience. The ABTC will follow up to find cause or to clarify the situation. We hope to utilize this as a way to keep tabs on the readers and insure they are continuing to follow the standards for which they agreed.
We intend to be involved with future conferences either by making an appearance or certainly contributing financially to support these events. We are still in negotiations as to just how this will come to fruition.
The ABTC is working on programs for educating the non-Tarot public at large. We know Tarot is a legitimate profession, but due to the unethical readers and Hollywood's portrayal of Tarot there is much confusion; not to mention the organized religions' views.
BC: I feel that the ABTC is off to a very good start, and personally look forward to working with you. Maintaining professionalism and educating the general public as to what Tarot truly can do for them have been goals that have been gaining momentum within the Tarot community for a long time now, and the ABTC certainly has a place within this structure. What would you like the Tarot world and the general public to know about the ABTC, it's present and future goals?
JE: The American Board for Tarot Certification is interested in providing a certifying body with integrity. We see the writing on the wall and know if we do not do something soon to standardize this profession, the government will. The members of the board of directors are very interested in keeping this profession open to each of us to utilize as our spiritual path leads. As different as that may be for each person involved, there still needs to be some basic standards as that is what bureaucrats will examine. We intend to begin the process of standardizing the Tarot system.
Winter Wren and I started this because we were not satisfied the other options were unentangled from political factions. The problems of the past are learning lessons for all of us and we chose to use this information to grow. We took what we learned and designed a certifying body that has check and balances to prevent mistakes of the past. All our activities are shared and weighed by all the board members before action is taken. That alone provides shelter from all the problems found in the past regime.
We have been accused of 'ignoring concerned' Tarot professionals. This simply is not true. We worked with other very interested professional as we built this body. Our intention was to stay neutral from the definitely defined factions, but we heard from many of those individuals as well. I think the problem lies in that we did not publicize each and every conversation we had and with whom. Well, name dropping and revealing conversations, confidential or otherwise, is not my style. I prefer taking in the information and providing the best product possible with the combined information I receive. This is not concealing information, but rather getting the ducks in a row before presenting it to the population. I apologize if others do not see it that way, but we all have our own viable manner in which we work.
I think it is important that the Tarot community know the ABTC is an independent professional organization. We are not subject to the success or failure of any other organization. Our only responsibility is to our members. We welcome input from others, but the ABTC looks out for the best interest of our members. To clarify, members are those certified by the ABTC.
The ABTC is providing a standard that will create an umbrella under which all certified readers can find shelter. We intend to provide a place to increase your Tarot knowledge and growth in connected forms of divination. We work diligently to legitimize this profession to the non-Tarot public. The ABTC provides services for each certified reader to build their Tarot business either by client referrals or publicizing scheduled classes that hold CEU credits. Additionally, the ABTC is not subject to the prosperity of other associations.
I appreciate your interest in the ABTC. Thank you for allowing me to share this information with you and your readers. I know there are a lot of questions out there and I am willing to answer them all. Any one who wishes more information can contact me through our web site. Additionally, we are continuing to build our web site and much of this information will be available there.
BC: Judi, thank you for taking the time to answer some very difficult questions. You have given the Tarot world a look at what the ABTC is, as well as who t he people behind it are. I am certain that many of us out here look forward to working closely with you to create the best possible Tarot world that we can - one that is professional and key into the needs of the communities that it services. I personally wish you and the ABTC much success.
Bonnie Cehovet
|
