Live within Energetic Harmony!

News for You!!

Massage + Reiki = Faboo!!! For the month of April, experience this simple equation by taking advantage of a 60 minute Reiki and Massage Session with Bruce Clarkson-Hendrix, LMT. Usually, this session is $60, but for this month, you can experience this rejuvenating combination of services for $50! You have two ways to take advantage of this deal, one way is to call the Solutions phone to schedule an appointment. Or, if you prefer, you may also purchase a gift certificate through the Gift Card Cafe at the reduced rate for future use.

I wanted to let everyone know that, due to a scheduling conflict, the date for my next Ongoing Tarot Practice Class has been changed. The class was scheduled for Tuesday, April 17th from 6:30pm to 8pm. The rescheduled date is Tuesday, May 15th at the same time. Come join me and experience the Wisdom Way known as the Tarot!

Computers are for the bananas…I mean the monkeys!! Yes, I wanted to give a final reminder as I prepare to transition over to Mailchimp for my e-mails. Sign up for them here!

Events, they are a Coming!!

Would you like to speak Tarot? Well, come join David Vine and learn how! David Vine’s Tarot as a Second Language is coming on Saturday, May 5th, from 9:30am to 12:30pm. I am limiting the class to seven people, and I am anticipating the class will fill so, if you are interested in registering, I would suggest you begin the process as soon as you could. The class is sure to be a great one! To begin the registration process, just e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call Solutions at (518) 383-8311.

Would you like to optimize your personal wellness? Would you like to welcome relaxation more into your life? If so, take advantage of our upcoming Reiki I Class on Saturday, April 21st, from 9am to 4:30pm. The class will be taught by myself alongside Mary Grace Murphy, RMT. Investment for the class is $105, which includes a class manual and a certificate of completion. To begin the registration process, feel free to e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call the Solutions phone at (518) 383-8311.

Deepen your practice of Reiki by joining me for my Advanced Reiki Training Class at Solutions for Healing and Renewal on Saturday, April 28th, from 9am to 4:30pm. I already have someone registered for this class, and I would like to attract at least a couple of more people to take it. The prerequisite for this class is completion of Reiki II. Investment for the class is $185, which includes a class manual and a certificate of completion. To begin the registration process, e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call Solutions at (518) 383-8311.

Interview with David Vine, Part III

I am very excited to share the final installment of my interview with David Vine, Tarot Practitioner and Tarot Scholar.  Just to remind everyone, David will be coming to Solutions for Healing and Renewal on Saturday, May 5, 2012, from 9:30am to 12:30pm to offer his Tarot As A Second Language Class.  If you are interested in registering, feel free to e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or reach out by phone to Solutions for Healing and Renewal at (518) 383-8311.  Enjoy!

 

If you could be any Tarot card in the deck, which one would you be and why?

That’s easy. And I’m answering from my gut. The Sun! Besides the fact that my lucky number has always been nineteen, this card has been a constant in my life in contexts that would take volumes to explain. So I won’t. But honestly––and I mean this in the humblest way––I would like, at the end of this life, to have been a light.

 

What is the most important thing you would want someone who is interested in your class to know about it?

“Tarot as a Second Language” is a workshop that builds on my idea that before we can communicate effectively and efficiently with What is on the other side, we need to take some time to become fluent in the language in which we intend to communicate. Very importantly, though, this is not the same thing as memorizing lists of keywords that correspond to this or that card. The tarot is a mutus liber or “silent book” composed of pictures, not words. In this class, we look at tarot practice through the lens of linguistics, but especially through what I call the “grammar of imagery”. We typically take a lot of time learning to read tarot. But the four cardinal language skills, in order as linguists rank them, are listening, speaking, writing, and reading. Notice that reading comes last! In “Tarot as a Second Language” we will be learning to listen to the cards for comprehension, and to speak and write Tarot, using the cards as building blocks of verbal and written expression. How fun!

News and Events Yippee!!!!!!!

Newsy Items for You!!

I am very excited to announce I will be offering an Advanced Reiki Training on Saturday, April 28^th, from 9am to 4:30pm at Solutions for Healing and Renewal. There is just so much within Reiki to share that I am not able to give enough time to in a traditional Reiki Master Class that I have decided revise my sequence of classes to include this one, similar to William Rand. In this class, students will receive the Usui master attunement, learn the Usui Reiki Master Symbol, learn additional Reiki meditations and learn advanced treatment techniques (distant and in-person). Investment for the class is $185 and students receive their own class manual and certificate of completion. The only prerequisite is completion of Reiki II. To register, just e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or feel free to call me at (518) 383-8311.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! Solutions for Healing and Renewal’s e-mail list has grown to the point I am not able to send an e-mail through Road Runner to everyone at once (Yay for growing!!). So….I have decided to begin the process of changing e-mails over to Mailchimp. Mailchimp is a funky, fun e-mail service that will allow me to send e-mails to a large group. Keep your eyes out over the next couple of weeks for my new e-mail format from Mailchimp!

Events, Events, Events!

Do you speak Tarot?? Come learn how to read and speak the language of this Wisdom Way in David Vine’s “Tarot as a Second Language” workshop on Saturday, May 5^th, from 9:30am to 12:30pm at Solutions for Healing and Renewal. I am limiting the class to seven participants so I would encourage you to register ASAP if you are thinking of coming to reserve your spot. The class is sure to be lots of fun and en-light-ening! Investment for the class is $35. Free feel to e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call me at (518) 383-8311 to register.

Also, I wanted to give everyone a quick reminder that on Saturday, April 21^st, from 9am to 4:30pm, Mary Grace Murphy, RMT, and I will be offering a Reiki I Class at Solutions for Healing and Renewal. Come learn this deep wellness practice that has made a positive impact my life and Mary’s life, too! Investment for the class is $105, which includes a class manual and a certificate of completion. To register, e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call me at (518) 383-8311.

Finally, if you happen to wondering what to do tonight, one idea to consider is joining me for my Ongoing Tarot Practice Class at Peaceful Inspirations in Delmar, NY. I really love the opportunity these classes offer for me in that I can expand more upon and go deeper into the Wisdom Way of the Tarot. Investment for the class is $24, and the class runs from 6:30pm to 8pm. If you are thinking of coming, Peaceful Inspirations asks that you call ahead to let them know if you can. Their number is (518) 439-7039.

Interview with David Vine, Part II

I am very excited to share the second part of my interview with David Vine, Tarot Reader and Tarot Scholar.  Just to remind everyone, David will be offering his “Tarot as a Second Language” Workshop at Solutions for Healing and Renewal in Clifton Park, NY on Saturday, May 5th, 2012, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.  Investment for the class is $35.  I am limiting the class to seven people to allow the opportunity for personalized learning so I would encourage anyone interested in the class to register as soon as they could.  To register for the class, feel free to call Solutions at (518) 383-8311 or e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com.  Happy reading!!!

 

What is your personal sense of how the Tarot works?

When people ask me what I think is going on with tarot, how it “works”, I give them my not-so-sophisticated four-point analysis. First, I believe there is Something Else out there besides us. Second, I believe It can and It wishes to communicate with us. Thirdly, I am absolutely certain that if we meet Its desire with sincerity of heart, It will never misspeak or mislead us. And finally, we need a “telephone” or some other kind of communication device to enable the conversation. In my case, this is the tarot. There is a fifth principle involved, though, implied in all of this, and that is that in order to converse, we must speak the same language. The uniquely protean imagery of the tarot allows each reader to establish and to develop her or his personal vocabulary and grammar upon its scaffolding. The Eternal Divine, because it wants to communicate with us learns our tarot-language, each one individually, and uses it to make intelligent contact with us. So, in very simple terms, if my personal sense of The Empress, for example, has something to do with motherhood, and It has some piece of information to convey relating to motherhood, It will mediate that message to me through the 3rd Trump.

What would you say is your approach to Tarot Reading?

My approach to reading is always at the level of the querent or the substance that has occasioned the reading. I don’t make what I consider to be more-or-less artificial––and maybe even highbrow––distinctions between questions like “Will my girlfriend come back to me?” and “What is the nature of the soul?”, although in the readings I do for myself, I tend more toward those like the second. I consider every question that can be presented before the tarot as of equal dignity, as long as it proceeds from a heart or a mind in search of truth and bent on improving the “world”, either the microcosm of the individual or the macrocosm that is the Universe in which we have our existence and cohabit. With respect to this, I feel very strongly that readers must never put up barriers before the cards. In an article that appeared in the journal The Platonist in 1883, Thomas H. Burgoyne wrote, “… It is impossible for any subject to arise upon which the Taro [sic] cannot be consulted with satisfaction and profit to the earnest student of nature’s hidden mysteries.” We often hear, for example, that the Death card never denotes physical death. But if the tarot is to be trusted as a tool of communication with the Beyond, it must be admitted that it can speak about absolutely anything and everything in the Universe. That would, of course, include death which is a part of life on earth. And if It has something to tell us that relates to physical death, why might It not convey that information through the Death card? My approach to reading the cards would probably best be defined as one of unconditional openness.

Interview with David Vine, Part I

I am excited to open the registration for David Vine’s upcoming “Tarot as a Second Language” workshop at Solutions for Healing and Renewal in Clifton Park, NY.  To give you a bit more information about David’s connection with the Tarot, I had the opportunity to interview him.  I am going to share that interview with you in a series of posts over the upcoming weeks.  Check out Part I of the interview below!

 

How did you get interested in the Tarot?

When my sister and I were little, we read a series of books by Edward Eager that all had the theme of magic suddenly appearing in the lives of ordinary children and transforming them. The two volumes I remember most fondly are Half Magic and Magic by the Lake. In Half Magic the children have just begun what they expect will prove a very dull summer vacation when they stumble across a mysterious talisman that has a peculiar way of granting wishes, and the magic begins! Tarot dropped into my life in a very similar way. I spent time growing up in Spain––an experience in itself that was pretty magical––and on Sundays my father would sometimes take us to the gigantic open-air flea market called the Rastro. In a very comical way, he’d have us synchronize our watches so that we could meet back at a central point at a given hour, and off we’d go adventuring through the stalls and shops. I was fifteen when, one day at the Rastro, I stumbled into a little boutique––and yes, it was through a beaded curtain!––where, inside, I found dozens of shelves filled with the shabbiest junk and bric-a-brac covered in a thick layer of dust and draped in cobwebs. I wandered the shop with relish, of course! And there, beside a hideous turquoise and orange ashtray sat a pack of cards wrapped in brittle, yellowed cellophane. It was the Vieja Baraja Española, the “old Spanish deck”, a sort of quasi-tarot which, I discovered, had its own divination tradition, and it changed my way of looking at the world forever. In the years after that, I found and acquired the Marseilles Tarot and, eventually, the Waite-Smith. Oddly enough, only recently, it struck me that Pamela Colman Smith’s style of illustration is uncannily like the drawings Bodecker did for the enthralling Edward Eager books of my enchanted childhood.

 

This workshop will be held on Saturday, May 5th, 2012, from 9:30am to 12:30pm.  Depending on the size of the group, I may change the venue to a larger space to accommodate the group.  Investment for the class is $35, and registration is required to attend the class.  To register either e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com or call me at (518) 383-8311.  Come join me for an exciting class!

Love, Love, Love!

Happy Valentine’s Day! My hope for you on this day is that it is filled with love.

I wanted to pass along an interesting column from Examiner.com by Amy Gracey. Amy spent many years in a monastery in the Southern US and “knows” spirituality (I got the sense as I read this that she was referring to the gnostic sense of “knowing” or knowledge obtained through experiencing). In the post, Amy shares a quote from Love is a Fire: Just as Love is the Essence of the Path, so is Longing its Agent of Transformation. The quote is “sometimes people brush it (God or the Divine) aside; the last thing they want is to be distracted from their outer goals, their achievements, and to be taken into the vulnerability and need that are within them.” As I read her column, it reminded me about the concept of awakening. To me, when we are awake, we recognize this world for the illusion that it is. Things are new and then they are old; they appear and then they disappear. What then remains when our world is illusion? For me, from my perspective, it is consciousness that remains. Our body grows old and eventually fails, but our consciousness is present within all and goes beyond. If I could hold the awareness of the Divinity (or consciousness) within myself, I could recognize that there is nothing I need to learn or change, and I could see life as an adventure for my consciousness. My hope in sharing these thoughts is that it offers you the opportunity to ponder the concepts of vulnerability and need in relationship to God for yourself. Check out Gracey’s column here and share your personal thoughts on vulnerability and need in relationship to God below.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know about a change to the date of the “Tarot as a Second Language” workshop with David Vine. I did not realize that 4/28 is part of the weekend that The Tarot School is offering their annual Reader’s Studio. For those of you who may not know, the Reader’s Studio is an annual conference for Tarot Readers. To allow people the opportunity to attend both events if they would like, I am changing the date to Saturday, May 5th, so mark your calendars! More to come on registration soon….

My next Ongoing Tarot Practice Class at Peaceful Inspirations in Delmar, NY will be on Tuesday, February 28th from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. This class is open to all practice levels of the Tarot. The investment for the class is $24. One of the thing the students say they love about the class is that they get the opportunity to hear other student’s perspective on the cards, which helps them with expanding their own sense of the meanings. Peaceful Inspirations asks that you call if you can to let them know you are coming if you can. Their number is (518) 439-7039.

Finally, I wanted to put out a quick reminder of our 15% off Special for the month of February with Buy Gift Certificate Now!">The Gift Card Café.com. Gift certificates could be used for family, friends, or even a treat for yourself. Just enter promo code “FEB2012” to get the discount!

Spirituality, Contemplation, and Discounts!

I wanted to share with you the link to a posting I came across in the Times Colonist, a local news resource in the Victoria and Vancouver Island area in Canada. The posting is by Lyle McKenzie, a pastor of a local Lutheran Church. In the post, Lyle invites readers to submit their own postings to the Times Colonist with their personal views on spirituality. I am thinking of sending one in myself!. What I do find interesting in his posting is his discussion of Jesus as a spiritual teacher versus the Messiah when considering the context of the multiple spiritual and religious viewpoints within our culture. The thing that came to me as I read this post was that as we deepen our intimacy with God we open ourselves to contemplation. When we are in a state of contemplation, we are able to reflect more on ourselves and others from the soul’s perspective. Reading McKenzie writing about Jesus as a spiritual teacher, my impression was he was writing from a contemplative perspective. My hope in sharing my thoughts and this posting with you is that it might allow you to think about your personal take on Jesus and on the idea of contemplation. Check out the post here and share your thoughts below!

Also, I wanted to remind everyone there is still time to take advantage of our February promotion on The Gift Card Café.com. Feel free to consider purchasing a gift certificate for a friend or a loved one, or one to treat yourself (with the perk of a discount!). During this month, to kick off our involvement with The Gift Card Café.com, we are offering 15% off all gift certificates. The Gift Card Café.com accepts all major credit cards. To get the discount, just enter promo code “FEB2012”

There is still time to catch me for a Tarot Reading at Peaceful Inspirations in Delmar, NY, this coming Saturday (2/11) from 1pm to 4pm. My time tends to book up at Peaceful Inspirations, so if you are interested in coming in for a reading, please call them at (518) 439-7039 to schedule a time.

Finally, I want to put out a reminder to everyone to save the date of April 28th for David Vine’s “Tarot as a Second Language” workshop. David is an accomplished Tarot Reader, Tarot Scholar, and Linguist. This workshop is sure to be an enlightening and fun experience to deepen your practice of the Tarot. Learn to “read” and “speak” the wisdom way of the Tarot in this workshop. More details to come…..

Instant Gift Certificates….Made Easy, What is Spirituality, and Events!!

Greetings to You!!

News, News!

Although we are putting the final touches on it, I am so excited to share something with you all that I just cannot wait so….here goes!! Solutions for Healing and Renewal has partnered with The Gift Card Café.com! The Gift Card Café.com’s motto is “Instant Gift Certificates….Made Easy” and the partnership between Solutions for Healing and Renewal and the site allows our customers to easily purchase either instant gift certificates or gift certificates that could be sent by mail. The Gift Card Café.com accepts all major credit cards for purchases, and you have the option to purchase gift certificates in dollar increments or to purchase gift certificate packages for our services (e.g. 60 min. Therapeutic Massage, 30 min. Tarot Reading, etc.). To celebrate our partnership (I am thinking of Valentine’s Day coming up, too.) we are offering 15% off any gift certificate! To obtain the discount, just enter promo code “FEB2012” Check us out at The Gift Card Café.com here!

I also wanted to send along a link to an interesting e-mail article from NPR about a project called “Frequencies: A Collaborative Genealogy of Spirituality.” The researchers involved with Frequencies are asking scholars, writers, and artists to write an essay about what they think of when they think of the word “spirituality.” For me, when I think of the word “spirituality”, I think “relationship.” To me, spirituality is about our relationship to a Higher Power. Within this relationship, spirituality offers the opportunity for a deepening intimacy with Higher Power where we recognize this power’s love more and more deeply. If we choose it, spirituality can involve transformative union with the Divine. My hope in sharing this article with you, as well as my thoughts, is that it inspires you to think of your personal take on what spirituality is.  Check out the article here and feel free to share your personal definition of spirituality in the comments below.

Events, Events!

I wanted to remind everyone that I still have availability for appointments for Tarot Readings or Psychotherapy at Crossroads Gallery in Duanesburg, NY, on Saturday 2/4. Feel free to call me at (518) 383-8311 if you might be interested in scheduling a time.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know I will be doing Tarot Readings at Peaceful Inspirations on Saturday, 2/11, from 1pm to 4pm. My time tends to book up, so if you are thinking you would like to come in, I would suggest you give Peaceful Inspirations a call at (518) 439-7039 to schedule a time.

Peace and Love,

Mike

Tarot Certification Debate and Events!

I wanted to share with you an interesting article from The Pasco Tribune, an area newspaper in Pasco County, Florida. In the article, a woman talks about applying for a local license as a “fortune teller.” I found this article interesting in that it reminded me about a debate within the field of Tarot Reading, which is whether Tarot Readers should be certified. One argument for Tarot certification is that it would set minimum standards readers would meet in order to practice Tarot Reading, but one argument against certification is that certification in Tarot does not necessarily equate with effective Tarot Reading. A larger question involved in this debate is also, who would certify the readers? In the Tarot community, there does still not appear to be a general consensus regarding who this might be although there are a couple of certification programs available. I raise these questions just to have you consider your personal thoughts around the issue as it is a complex, multilayered one. Check out the article here and feel free to share your thoughts below.

I also wanted to let everyone know I will be over at Crossroads Gallery in Duanesburg, NY on Saturday, 2/4, to provide some services. For those of you in the Schenectady, Schoharie area, it might be a bit easier to connect with me if you might be interested in a Tarot Reading so feel free to e-mail me at mclarkson-hendrix@nycap.rr.com if you would be interested in setting something up.

Finally, but excitedly, I am asking people to “Save the Date” for a workshop I am excited to be hosting (and attending!) by David Vine. The title of the workshop is “Tarot as a Second Language” and will involve building your skills in receiving the wisdom of the Tarot as well as speaking it to others in your Tarot Reading. The date of the workshop will be Saturday, April 28th. More info to come!!!

News, Events and Tidbits for You!

Some news for you…..

I was excited to read this article in the Huffington Post about Michelle Obama’s advocacy on behalf of furthering research to help identify effective treatments for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Much of the current advocacy concerning finding effective treatments comes from the awareness that many of our soldiers returning from combat are struggling with what they experienced during that time. Regardless of which side of the fence you fall onto when it comes to whether we should be fighting these various fights, we could all agree that helping soldiers living with the effects of these experience is important. My hope is that some of this research will highlight some of the effective psychotherapy protocols already developed that can help people heal from traumatic experiences.

I also found an interesting article on 3-Card Tarot Spreads written by Christin Sander, Tarot Editor for BellaOnline. The part of the article I liked the best had to do with the Body-Mind-Spirit spread and her interpretation of what each card position meant. A neat variation to experiment with related to what she writes about is to integrate an awareness of the classic correspondences of the Tarot into this kind of spread. To do this, when placing the card in the Body position, continue to flip cards until you come to your first Pentacles card. Do the same with the Mind card position by flipping cards over until you come to your first Swords card. Finally, to do this with the Spirit card position, flip cards over until you come to your first Wands card. Interpret each of these cards for the various positions. If you try this out adaptation, let me know your thoughts about how it goes. Check out the article here!

Events, events…..

Just a quick reminder that tonight (Tuesday, 1/17) I will be teaching my ongoing Tarot Practice Class at Peaceful Inspirations in Delmar, NY. The class runs from 6:30pm to 8pm. Peaceful Inspirations asks, if possible, that you call ahead to help them get a sense of how many people are coming. You could contact them at 439-7039.