Suzie Daggett interviews Mary Greer, a local author and teacher specializing in methods of transformation through Tarot. A Tarot grandmaster, she is featured at Tarot conferences and symposia in the United States and abroad.

When did you first discover Tarot?

For Christmas 1967, my best friend received a Tarot book as a present but no cards! I poured over the book. Upon returning to college, I went on a quest to find a store that had Tarot decks. Right from the beginning, I knew this was something I had been looking for all my life.

At the time of the Tarot discovery, I was studying Jungian archetypal and symbolic criticism in my literature and theater classes and felt the Tarot cards reflected the same principles. My interests in psychology, art, history, theater and literature were ideally expressed through the Tarot images.

From there, I started reading for myself, and my friends who brought me their friends. I decided early on, that I would someday teach Tarot as an academic course in college and write a Tarot book. As it turned out, I taught Tarot in a college in San Francisco for 11 years and have written six books on the subject.

Explain about Tarot and the decks?

Tarot is a tradition of divination that helps one to gain insight and achieve greater control over issues involving relationships, opportunities, and life changes. The history fascinates me. Tarot emerged in northern Italy around 1440 - between the two great plagues that wiped out over a third of Europe. The cards were produced by the same printers and methods as Saints cards.

Although Tarot is believed to be ancient and based on secret teachings, its imagery is actually Christian and typical of early Renaissance Italian art. It's only since 1783 that Tarot has been related to the Hebrew alphabet, planets and signs of the Zodiac.

I use the Rider-Waite-Smith deck that was created in 1909. It best depicts images that tell a story, yet contain enough ambiguity to allow for personal projections. I have collected over 600 Tarot decks, but this has consistently been my personal favorite.

In a reading, you can ask about deep metaphysical philosophy, personal guidance, the meaning of events in your life, or for general information. There are layers and layers of information that can be gained from a reading that assist in personal growth.

What is involved in a Tarot reading?

People come looking for answers concerning their life purpose, changing jobs, moving, relationships or anything else you can imagine. I like to start with a general all-purpose question that they ask the cards - "What do I most need to look at in my life right now?" The person themselves, then, reveals the answer through what I call "transformative, interactive, empowerment" Tarot readings. I do not personally have the answers.

I try to draw out the information from the person's own unconscious by having them respond to the cards. I ask the person to describe the images and the emotions and attitudes of the figures and talk about what the images remind them of. Then I blend what they say with what I know from my studies of the cards.

There are so many interpretations for each card that, in a reading, I look for the most personally relevant aspects.

I also pay special attention to anomalies (for instance, when someone sees a medical caduceus as a wedge driving two people apart). Some people already know the answers to their questions and simply need this affirmed. Or, they may have too many options and the Tarot helps prioritize them in terms of their highest goals. Everything is already there in the subconscious, and the cards bring it forward.

I see life as a web, and in the reading we are looking for a particular thread that, when pulled, will bring the whole fabric into alignment. To end the reading, I created a breakthrough process in which the person can get rid of cards that represent problems, blocks or obstacles. I ask them to give an example of how each would manifest as a problem in their life.

For every problem card, they then pick a card that can help them break through the problem, and they tell me what it recommends.

This gives them a direct action to take. The final card is the Key Card - it represents the qualities they most want to develop in themselves. This helps them turn their experiences into lessons and gifts and can change the direction the person is heading. We rephrase those qualities as an affirmation, which is their highest goal in the situation.

What do you get out of reading for people?

My deepest vocation is what I call working as a midwife of the soul. I assist people to bring their own wisdom to birth. That is the most exciting thing that can possibly happen in a reading. I can't imagine a greater joy!

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Mary, along with Jonathon Cohn and Lola Jacques, will be speaking at an INSIGHT Practitioner Panel on the Magic of Tarot ÐWhat do the cards say about you?, on Tuesday, Jan 13, from 5:30 to 7p.m. For information on the panel, call Suzie Daggett at 265-9255. Mary Greer can be reached at 265-3179.

Suzie Daggett is the host of Healing Insights on FCAT, Channel 11 and the publisher of INSIGHT, a directory of the healing arts practitioners, www.insightdirectory.com, she can be reached at 265-9255.