Are you “curiouser and curiouser” about tarot? Then follow us down the Tarot rabbit hole. Whether you’re a long-time reader or you’ve never even seen a deck, we're happy to share our tarot knowledge with you. We may not always be able to answer your questions, and ask you not to substitute our opinions for your own, but we ’ll do our best to help. Let’s explore together, shall we?

For a change of pace, our Membership Coordinator discusses the five most commonly asked questions at ATA Headquarters.

The most common question we get is "Do you have someone available to perform a reading in my area?" I'll consult our members’ database and pull up all the members listed in the area. Then I find out which of them (if any) have given me permission to give out contact information. I look up what specific information they are allowing me to give out (and if they are available for the type of work that the person is requesting). Usually I have to tell them that I don't have anyone who is available in their area. If you're an ATA member and want to get contacted with such opportunities, don't forget to get with me at the office and let me know you are available. I won't give out anyone's contact information without their permission.

The second most common question we get is "Do you have any materials available free about the meanings of the cards?" For this one I will refer them to our resources page, which has links to many member sites and many purely educational sites. Check it out, there are a large number of very good sites out there.

The next most common question is "I'm doing a report, is there someone I can interview about Tarot in general?" This one is a bit harder. If it’s simple questions I'll try to handle it myself. If it looks more complicated I'll try to refer them to Board members and/or other people who have let me know that they are available for interviews. This is one of the rare cases where I might refer someone to a non-member. It depends upon if I know of a member who is knowledgable about that specific aspect of Tarot.

The fourth most common question is "What can you tell me about Certification?" This one is the easiest to answer. I will inform them of contact information for all three Certification organizations available.

The least frequent of the common questions is "Is this person a member of the ATA?" It is also the easiest to answer. I will look in the database for the name they give me and give them a simple "Yes" or "No". If requested I will also provide expiration dates. I do not keep track of when people became members, so I cannot provide that information. I will not give out any contact information unless the member has specifically instructed me to do so.

I'll get other questions (the occasional "What does this card mean?") but these are by far the most common. I really enjoy it when I can connect someone to a reader in their area, but it doesn't happen enough. We need more members to let me know what they are available for.

Please send your questions to RabbitHole@ata-tarot.com for consideration for future articles. Unless you prefer to remain anonymous, please include your first name and last initial, along with your location (state or country).