Q&A With Avril Price: Author of The Watkins Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Colouring Book

Avril Price, Tarot master and author of The Watkins Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Colouring Book answered a few of my questions about her personal journey with Tarot and how colouring can help us form deeper connections with the meanings of the cards. This amazing resource for learning with mindfulness is publishing on the 12th November 2024 and is available for pre-order now.

How does the act of colouring help someone who is learning Tarot?

There’s something of a ritual involved when we colour, whether it’s a template or a stencil or whatever, really. We gather our pencils, inks or crayons, we make the space available to us, setting the intention and do whatever else is required to be in the ‘zone.’ It’s not unlike preparing for a reading. We put ours worries to one side and step into the moment. Whatever else is happening around us is of little consequence; it brings about focus, which is less about the external and more about the inner world.

Working through my book, colouring in the Tarot templates allows you to relax into the imagery. You might choose to use a different colour scheme – this is okay! It means that you are connecting to the imagery on a personal level. The act of colouring is meditative, reflective and very absorbing. It supports you in learning the essence of the card, perhaps you might be drawn to a symbol or an aspect of the image which is particularly significant to you. The process of developing the colours in the card, encourages you to remember how you might interpret it. The most valuable part of this is that you have designated a time and a place and a method to devote to connecting to your Tarots, in return they will speak to you!

What is the importance of colour symbolism and correspondences in Tarot and your wider psycho-spiritual practice?

Psycho-spiritual Tarot is the observation of the integration between the spiritual and the physical worlds we have created for ourselves.
The world we live in wants to speak to us all the time! It does this through symbolism. We read this symbolism all the time, often without realising it. Colour is very much a part of that. It would include the colours we choose to dress in – they say so much about how we are in the moment. The colours we have in our environment, including our home and garden. We often associate memories with colour, our unconscious uses colour as part of a language, they allow us to have a dialogue with a hidden part of our being.

Certain meanings of colour are traditional. For example, red can mean passion, anger or energy. Blue can be peaceful, calm and mystical. Green can be seen as spiritual or fertile. If we look at The Emperor in all his red and orange, we immediately get the impression his connection to fiery Aries. It conveys his energy, passionate leadership and the warrior dynamic. The blue and green of the High Priestess take us into the inner sanctum, the quiet spirit, the psyche in the waters within. That’s the thing – colours, along with the imagery, give us impressions to which we can relate.

Can you tell me a bit about your own personal journey with Tarot reading and how you first learned the meanings of the cards?

I was gifted my first deck: a Spanish version of the Marseille – not that I have a connection to Spain, it’s just that my friend had them and couldn’t find a use for them! He knew I had a big fascination with the mystical and thought I’d appreciate them. It was a long time ago now, but the instant I had them in my hands I knew we were inextricably linked. I still have them.

At the same time, I came across a book by Alfred Douglas, it didn’t quite compute at the time that the book and the cards were from two very different schools, but it was better than nothing and, in effect, I was learning two perspectives of Tarot at the same time! I still have the book too, although it is very dog-eared and worn now.

I was living with a bunch of women at that point and it was often chaotic! I started to practice my card reading on my housemates, they seemed to have had all sorts of life issues going on. Our reading sessions not only became an oasis of peace each time, but I got some invaluable insights into the language of Tarot and how they recount with accuracy, the past, present and future. The story within all of that was often comforting and life affirming. I also think that Tarot cards provide a platform for conversation that you would not necessarily have with people anywhere other than around a Tarot table. By their very nature, the cards embody truth, impartiality, integrity and insight.

I have come to understand, over the years, that this is very much a large part of a healing process. My advice to anyone learning Tarot is to get as many real life stories to work on as possible, get acquainted with the traditional meanings of the cards and then work with them to build up your own style and connection.

I’d like to thank Avril Price for taking the time to answer my questions so openly. The Watkins Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Colouring Book is publishing on the 12th November 2024 and is available for pre-order now.