Astrology         Tarot         Writing

Steffan teaches Astrology, Tarot and a special Creative Writing workshop. Details are posted below. To be informed when a workshop will be held in your area or if you are interested in sponsoring a workshop you may contact Steffan by email or phone.

— Astrology —

Steffan teaches that there are two skills necessary to be a good Astrologer. One is the ability to access the information, the other is the ability to present the information in such a way that the client can benefit from it. Clearly the second skill is often the harder one to develop. This is something which takes practice.

Learning to access the information in a clear intelligent way with easy to understand examples is what Steffan uses when he teaches students the principles of Astrology.

Steffan can accommodate classes from a single evening to a week-end to a series of classes, from a beginners to more advanced levels.

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— Tarot —

Deeper Wisdom and Usage of the Tarot
by Steffan Vanel

There is a legend which states that the Tarot was created by a collective effort of profound minds following the destruction of the sacred libraries in Alexandria, Egypt. Their purpose was to preserve their knowledge from what they saw as the coming Dark Ages, knowing that those who knew the "key" would be able to unlock the wisdom hidden within the cards.

There is a tradition which teaches that the key to this wisdom lies in a correlation between the 78 cards of the Tarot and the symbolic structure of the "Tree of Life" of the Kabbalah.

For the student searching for insight and understanding of these mysteries of the Tarot, however, there seems to be two kinds of books on the subject. First there are those which purport to reveal this Kabbalistic/Tarot correlation but in language and concepts which are so arcane and esoteric that the average student has great difficulty in comprehending them. And then there are all of the other books which do not come close to exploring this "key" to the profound mysteries of the Tarot.

In addition to sharing his own individual insights and developments of this Kabbalistic/Tarot system, especially in terms of practical application, Steffan Vanel's intent and expertise in this workshop is to present this deep Tarot wisdom in language and concepts that the average student can comprehend.

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— Mining the Archetypes —

Mining the Archetypes Using
Tarot Symbolism to Unlock Your Story
by Steffan Vanel

Writers over the centuries have used various means to contact their inner "muse," their unconscious voice of inspiration and creativity.

The technique utilized in this workshop involves:

• An opening of the doorway to a communication with the unconscious through an individual Tarot Card Reading.
• This is followed by guided inner questioning/interaction sessions with the Tarot images provided using a technique akin to C.G.Jung's "Active Imagination."
• Each of these sessions are followed by writing the next phase of the story, thus allowing the inner voice to express itself in creative expression without.

This workshop has served as both a powerful dynamic impulse for the creative writing process as well as a profound journey of self-exploration. One may note the oft repeated maxim of the Actor's Institute in NYC: "You are the source of your own creativity."

Mining the Archetypes is the result of a collaboration in 1994 between Steffan Vanel and creative writing teacher in Santa Fe, NM, Ron Schultz.

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