So, I show up for the Breakfast Roundtable with Dan Pelletier... He reminds me that it is 5AM where we're from. I am never up at this hour. But there are some things that are worth getting up for, and Dan is one of them. I am not sure where he gets the energy...

Dan led us in a discussion about the World card. If you are not aware of who Dan is, he is a partner in the Tarot Garden. Dan is a very bad man, tempting us with all those decks needing homes... or perhaps, he is in the business of Tarot Rescue. You be the judge. Whether good or bad, I found a few decks that needed homes at the Reader's Studio. I am not the only one.

So back to the World card... after Dan began the discussion with some commentary of his own, then he opened the discussion to the group. In the tradition of a talking stick, Dan passed his "pork on a fork" to facilitate the discussion. Everyone had wonderful insights to share (and the pork made it around the room without sustaining injury). I, being on the quiet side, declined to share, but I did write this in my notebook:

"My world is not anyone else's world. All our worlds intersect in wonderful and interesting ways, but no one else can experience my world. I am alone in my world. Only I can be responsible for what happens in my world. Only I can make changes in my world, and only I have power over my world."

This thought colored my weekend and was profound for me. I had never seen the World in this way. This is something I will always remember. By the way, the breakfast was yummy. The hotel staff did a lovely job of making us comfortable.

I remember the first time I met Dan. The Tarot Garden came out to Portland (my neck of the woods) and had a table at a metaphysical expo. By the way, getting to see both Dan AND Jeanette = big treat! Dan invited me back to his reading table and he began talking to me about reading the cards. I was hungry for knowledge and it probably showed. He shared all I was able to digest that day. I was already a lover of the Tarot, but since that day, I have considered Dan a mentor of mine. I hope he doesn't mind.

So if you are not aware, Dan has published an audio book entitled, "The Process." It is available through the Tarot Garden or the Tarot Connection. Please check it out. I am listening to it while I write this article. Dan is fond of separating us from our book learnin' and forcing us to step out and create our own Tarot vocabulary. And if you got anything from Dan at the recent Reader's Studio, you likely received a pencil. The pencil is important, but you will have to listen to The Process to discover why. In this set of CDs, you have an opportunity to let Dan be your mentor. You will not be sorry.

I realize my wacky titles are probably doing NOTHING for my search engine rankings, but this title is especially appropriate, since at breakfast, I received a gem.