I spent the past weekend at a Women and Spirituality conference with Nancy Antenucci and Julie Cuccia-Watts.
It was good to have some quality time with my tarot friends. In fact, I think this was my first road trip ever with other tarot people, rather than my husband and kids.
I learned a lot, of course. You always learn things when you travel. For example, I learned that:
- Julie is addicted to green smoothies, which are surprisingly tasty — as long as they’re not made from wilted romaine lettuce or slimy rotten kale.
- Just before bed, Nancy likes to roll around on the floor with a little ball under her back. She makes old-lady noises when she’s down, but when she stands up she’s young again.
- I am generally the gassiest person in any room.
- Julie and Nancy are not the world-class navigators they claim to be, but since Mankato’s not a very big town it doesn’t really matter.
- Neither Nancy nor Julie happened to notice that we went over one of the world’s most frightening bridges. I was the driver, so I noticed enough for all of us. In fact, my knuckles were white, my jaw was clenched, and my eyes were riveted to the dangerous roadway as we crossed what seemed to be the River Styx. While I was fighting for our lives, however, Nancy and Julie were charmed and enchanted by the fact that there was an empty boat floating down the river — and they were looking for bodies in the water. (If I hadn’t been so focused on preserving our corporeal existence, I would have explained it to them. There are no bodies in the River Styx, kids! There are only spirits on either side!)
- And now, after reliving the trauma of that bridge, I have to take a few deep breaths and calm myself down.
- Okay. I’m back.
- We also learned that at the Mexican restaurant in Mankato, the coin-operated Zoltan machine gives everyone the exact same fortune. Nancy and I both blew a quarter, but it was worth it — because we all enjoyed hearing Zoltan’s digitally recorded voice shouting, “Wait! Wait! Something is coming to me now!” In fact, we all got pretty good at emulating it during our tarot readings for each other.
But the conference itself was merely okay.
Let me explain that I didn’t go for the conference workshops and events, which probably would have been fun. I went to sell books, so it was a work event for me … and selling books is pretty dull work, at least at a conference.
Julie and I shared a table. She had all her decks on one side, and I spread out my books on the other. And then, we sat. And sat. And sat.
Some people bought, from both of us. Julie’s deck got ooh’s and ahh’s from everyone who walked by. My books got looked at. Most people were surprised when I told them that I had written them all; when they’re spread out on the table, it kind of looks like I’m just selling a range of tarot books. That actually embarrassed me a little, and I think in future shows I’ll just feature my newest book, rather than giving equal prominence to everything I’ve done.
The three of us did lead a workshop together, on tarot and the wheel of the year. That went well, I think, and afterward our table was buzzing with customers. In fact, since Nancy and Julie had both done workshops at previous conferences, our table was buzzing with their fans. They were like spiritual rock stars!
So it was a fun weekend. I was glad to go … and I was glad to get home again when it was over. Especially after we made a return trip across that scary bridge.
