Venn Diagrams for Tarot Understanding

Most of us remember Venn diagrams from math class. Venn diagrams graphically depict commonalities and differences between a group of individual things.

Venn diagrams have been making a humorous resurgence in internet memes. My favorite is a Venn diagram about bank robbers, preachers and DJs. In a Venn diagram, the commonalities shared by all the individual things are in the center. What do bank robbers, preachers and DJs have in common? They all say, “Put your hands up!”

In a Venn diagram of three or more things there may be commonalities between only two of the things. In this meme, for example, both bank robbers and DJs say, “Get on the floor!” Both preachers and DJs say, “Are you with me?” Both bank robbers and preachers say, “Give me your money!”

What does all this have to do with tarot?

One of the things that is most confusing for tarot students is finding the subtle differences between similar cards. Advanced tarot students grow in their understanding and ability by considering the differences and similarities between cards, and groups of cards.

Tarot cards naturally have certain similarities based on elemental association, and number and rank. For example, all Queens will have something in common. All twos will have something in common. All cards associated with the element of Air will have something in common. When we understand these commonalities, we have an easier time understanding the cards.

Yet, it is important to understand the differences in individual cards. And, sometimes we find similarities between cards that don’t have elements, rank, or number in common.

A good exercise is to look through your deck and pull out cards that you feel have similar interpretations. Then, figure out what these cards and in common, and what is unique to each card.

A good way to do this exercise is with a Venn diagram. For example, some people have a hard time understanding the differences between the Three of Cups and the Four of Wands. Here is how I break out keywords for these two cards in a Venn diagram.

Sometimes cards of the same number have so much in common they become hard to distinguish one from another. Here is a Venn diagram of the Ten of Cups and the Ten of Pentacles.

You can see how helpful it is to parse out the differences and similarities.

Of course, we all have our personal set of tarot keywords, based on the traditions of the decks we use, and our own understanding and experiences with the cards. That’s why this is such a fun and informative process. Newer tarotists can make Venn diagrams based on their research, an on their impressions of the cards. Experienced tarotists can dive more deeply into the cards by using Venn diagrams to catalog the keywords they have developed over time.

Sometimes larger aspects of tarot can also be confusing. For example, there is a lot of crossover between the two masculine elements, Air and Fire. Here is a Venn diagram showing how I see their differences and similarities.

It would be interesting to do a Venn diagram of three circles with the three cards of authority, which are the Empress, Emperor and Hierophant. Then, a Venn diagram of the three clergy, which are the High Priestess, the Hermit and the Hierophant would be fascinating. There is so much we can learn when we compare and contrast cards with each other, and in small groups.

When we understand the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between similar cards we are able to give a more specific and nuanced tarot reading. When we are able to understand the commonalities between cards, we can find strong themes and important points when those cards appear together in a tarot spread. Venn diagrams can be a wonderful tool to help us understand our cards more clearly and become more proficient at giving great readings.

A Technique for Dream Interpretation with Tarot

I have a method I use for dream interpretation with tarot. This method has been very helpful and successful over the years. My method relies on the theory that “dream dictionary” interpretations have limited value because of the cultural and experiential differences between us. Yes, archetypes are real. However, the idea that a specific item appearing in a dream would mean the same thing to each and every person makes as much sense as believing that a tarot card would mean the same thing in each and every reading. It just doesn’t work that way.

I had been wanting to share this technique for a while. The thing is, it’s a hard technique to teach without a clear example. Luckily, I just had a request from a friend for help figuring out a weird dream she had. She has agreed to let me share the dream, and my interpretation, with you.

My friend is a Florida-based tarot reader. I have shared the dream in her words, with her permission.

I hope that the next time you have an interesting dream to interpret you might try this technique. If you do, please let me know how it goes!

The Dream

The dream takes place in a residential community that I have never seen but was my home in the dream. The dream has three parts.

In the first part, I receive a visit from an acquaintance whom I know, in real life, to have recently died. She and I were friendly acquaintances in life. She came to my tarot classes and we served together on an advisory board of a community in which with both lived. I assume the setting of the dream is inspired by that fact.

In real life, I had just seen on social media that this person (I will call her Mary) had passed away. While I had not seen or communicated with her in almost ten years, I was, in real life, saddened by the news of her death.

In the dream, Mary comes to visit me at my home. She is driving a golf cart, as I remember her doing in life. She is using oxygen, as she did toward the end of her life.

I tell her I am glad to see her but am surprised because she is dead. She tells me that she did die but is coming back for a little while. She is weak, so I have to help her up the steps. I am surprised by how little she weighs.

In the next section of the dream, she is stronger, and not using the oxygen tank any longer. We are sitting outside together, and there is a large black fuzzy spider, about the size of my hand. In real life, I don’t like spiders. This is also true in the dream. Yet, in real life and in the dream, I try to be kind to spiders and recognize their value. I tell Mary that it is a huntsman spider and is harmless to us.

Then, I see something on Mary’s face, and realize it is the body of the spider. I see that the spider has removed its own legs and tied them in a bundle. I flick the spider’s body off Mary’s face, and it begins to reattach its legs. It seems to psychically tell me that this is a normal thing for this type of spider to do. I tell Mary that, and she does not seem alarmed.

Then, a few minutes later, I realize that the spider has taken its legs off again, and its body is attached to my face. Its body is oddly metallic and square, although it didn’t look that way when its legs were attached.

I flick it off my face, it reattaches its legs and scuttles away.

Throughout this ordeal I am surprisingly calm, even though I am aware that I don’t like spiders and that this spider is behaving oddly.

In the third part of the dream I am to give tarot readings at an event at this same community. Mary seems to be fully recovered and is interacting with people in a normal way. It seems to be common knowledge that she was dead and is now alive.

I am on an open porch, setting up my tarot table. As I take my cards out of their pouch, I see the cards are all mixed up with a bunch of empty clothes hangers. This upsets me a great deal.

Once I am set up to read, some folks come to talk to me, but they don’t react to me in a normal way. No one wants a reading, and no one has much interest in what I am doing.

People are sitting at picnic tables, so I take my cards and try to strike up conversations with people at the tables. It turns out that they all have tarot decks, too. Yet, they have no interest in speaking with me about tarot. They have no interest in their own tarot decks.

That’s where the dream ended.

It seems significant to mention that Mary died of chronic lung issues, unrelated to coronavirus. Yet, I had this dream during our current quarantine, at a time that I was particularly worried about the coronavirus and the effects it might have. My sense is that this dream is related to my fears about the pandemic.

The Dream Interpretation Reading

My technique involves pulling a card, or a few cards, for each aspect of the dream in order to understand what the symbols in the dream mean to the dreamer. I also pull some cards to ascertain the importance of the dream. After all, some dreams are highly significant, others are more mundane. Some dreams are prophetic, or healing, or problem-solving, Other dreams are direct communication from those in spirit. Other dreams are simply the product of stress, or of the food we ate before bed.

Overall, what is the nature of this dream?

Six of Cups reversed.

To me, that suggests that the dream is based primarily on the dreamer’s upset at her friend’s passing. Given that her friend was a tarot student and they lived together in the same community, and the dream is based in a similar community, this makes a lot of sense. The Six of Cups can also refer to the dreamer’s concern about the coronavirus; wondering when and if things will return to normal.

Is there any deeper spiritual meaning to be derived from this dream?

Page of Pentacles

This dream is probably more a product of current anxieties and worries. Yet, there could be practical, helpful things to be learned from the dream.

What is the significance of Mary’s return from the dead, and increasing health throughout the dream?

Eight of Wands

Things are moving very quickly in the dreamer’s world, and, though times feel uncertain, good things could be coming at any moment, and more swiftly than expected.

What is the significance of the odd spider in the dream?

Ten of Swords reversed

The spider is creepy, but easily overcome. We can interpret this to say that the dreamer’s real-life anxieties can also be overcome. The spider, like the coronavirus, is unlike anything the dreamer has seen before. Yet, in the end, it goes away.

What is the significance of the spider removing its legs?

Six of Pentacles

We can do amazing things to receive and give help when we need to. We can ‘remove the legs’ of scary things to give them less power. We can remove scary things that try to attach themselves to us.

Why is the spider’s body metallic?

Queen of Swords

This may have to do with technology. The dreamer told me that she is using a lot of new technology during quarantine. She is unsure of her abilities to use it well, so this also causes a bit of anxiety.

What is the significance of the clothes hangers mixed in with the tarot cards?

Seven of Cups

Our dreamer is allowing anxiety to create confusion and dark imaginings that are clouding her spiritual focus and intuitive flow.

What is the significance of the fact that the attendees all had tarot decks?

Magician reversed

Our dreamer worries that her knowledge and skill might lose its helpfulness during this crisis.

What is the significance of the fact that the attendees had no interest in readings?

Four of Cups

Similarly, our dreamer worries that, in the face of illness and death, her spiritual skills and knowledge might not be equal to their task.

Summary

The dreamer is entirely correct in her belief that this dream is inspired by her fears regarding our current crisis. The important message comes from the return of her friend from the dead, and the departure of the spider.

It is normal to worry about the current pandemic and to wonder if one is capable of managing such a crisis and surviving it. Yet, in this dream we see life conquering death. And we see miraculous occurrences, and we see scary things going away.

Our dreamer must acknowledge her spiritual power, and her power to withstand the challenges of these difficult times. She must be strong in her knowledge of her tools and her ability to use them. Our dreamer must have faith that these scary times will go away, just as the spider did.

That the Eight of Wands presented, and that a spider has eight legs, suggests that things may be back to normal in the eighth month, which is August, or perhaps even sooner, in eight weeks.

When the Card Doesn't Seem to Answer the Question

Here is a universal struggle for tarot students.

We all know the joy of asking a question, pulling a card in answer, and having that card fit the question poignantly and precisely. But what happens when the card or cards pulled don’t seem to make sense in light of the question? This problem can also occur in a spread, when a particular card does not seem to fit with the position in which it falls.

The first thing to remember is that every card appears for a reason. In professional tarot, sometimes we need to find the answers right away. With experience, this becomes easier. Nicely, in a student’s divinatory practice, or in one’s own readings, it is okay to take time to find your answer. It is sometimes necessary to research, write, meditate, ask others, and puzzle it out over time.

Whatever the nature of your practice and experience, there are numerous methods to help you find the harder answers of tarot. One thing to consider is that, often, the more difficult the answer is to figure out, the more opportunity there is to learn and grow, both in your understanding of the card(s) in question, and in the situation about which you are divining.

One great technique that I learned from Mary K. Greer is to simply say the name of the card aloud. Very often that seems to jostle a memory or an intuition and allow the reading to unfold. Following that, a good tactic is to list off everything you know about the card. If you are new to tarot, read a number of references. By listing all the possibilities, you will often find one that fits. Very often this results in a ‘d’oh moment’ as everything becomes clear.

Sometimes traditional keywords in nontraditional uses will answer the question. Fr example, if the question is about what sort of exercise would be helpful and the Wheel of Fortune appears, it might be time to take a Spin class, because a keyword for the Wheel of Fortune is ‘cycle’.

Another technique is to look at the card image and see if there is anything in the picture as a whole, or within the picture, that strikes you as an answer to the question. This can work even if the answer you arrive at has no bearing on the card’s traditional interpretations.

Many times, newer readers expect all financial questions to be answered with Pentacles, all romantic questions to be answers with Cups, and so forth. Of course, this doesn’t happen in actual practice. It’s important to understand that any card can be interpreted in any context.

The trick is always to allow the time, energy, research, and intuition to find the answer.

Two-Card Tarot Spells

Two-Card Tarot Spells

I love to think about, write about, teach, and practice tarot magick. Over the past many years, I have become more and more convinced that we can use the cards for manifestation as easily as we can for divination. Very often, we can do both at the same time.

I write about tarot magick on my 78 Magickal Tools blog.

Sometimes the exercise of thinking about which cards to use for a particular need also helps us understand specific cards and card combinations in new ways.

The magickal tarot exercise I want to share with you here is simple, yet profound.

Think of a particular need that you have, or that someone you know has. What two cards would serve that need, when combined together?

Here are three examples.

To break a repetitive pattern in life, the Wheel of Fortune and the Ace of Swords.

To be accepted to a school or education program, The Hierophant and the Page of Swords.

To have a fair outcome in a court of law, Justice and Judgement.

You can use a pair of cards to manifest something, create change, or influence an outcome in a number of ways. You can meditate with the cards. You can do a ceremony with the cards in a central place on your altar. You can make a jar candle with images of the cards on the jar. In all cases, you must visualize your desired outcome in the present tense as a certainty, rather than as a wish.

If you happen to see a pair of cards that you have already used for a magickal purpose appear in a reading, consider that the cards may be speaking of the same or similar situation.

What two-card tarot spells can you think of?

Share them in the comments if you like!

Are They Cheating? Handling the Tarot Reader's Dilemma

The topic of how to handle questions about infidelity has come up a few times in conversations with tarot students and friends recently. “Is my partner cheating on me?” is, unfortunately, a classic question at the tarot table.

Before I address how I handle that question, let me discuss some things a professional tarot reader should consider regarding the uncomfortable subject of infidelity.

First, I believe a good tarot reader needs to approach every reading absent of bias and judgement. As humans, we tend to have a great deal of bias and judgement when it comes to this particular topic. To be a truly fair, impartial, ethical and helpful reader, I find it helpful to embrace the following three practices.

First, release gender bias. Everyone is capable of infidelity, not only heterosexual men. Heterosexual women cheat, lesbians cheat, gay men cheat. Yes, in some cultures there is a prevalent norm that gives heterosexual men a pass and an expectation for cheating. That, however, doesn’t mean that every man cheats, or that women don’t cheat, or that cheating doesn’t happen in same sex relationships.

Second, release judgment. The person at my table who needs my guidance may be the person who has been cheated on. The person at my table may also be the cheater, or the person with whom someone has cheated. Everyone at my table deserves compassion, understanding, and grace without judgment.

Third, not all cheating situations are the same. There is a lot of common wisdom that says things like, “Once a cheater, always a cheater,” and “If he cheated with you, he will cheat on you”. While these things may be true some of the time, they won’t be true all the time. This is another sort of judgment I try to avoid at the tarot table. Rather, I do the reading for the individuals and their relationships and interpret it free of those biases.

How should we handle it when the question on the table is, “Is my partner cheating on me?”

It’s easy to see what a quandary this might be. The potential to do damage is immense.

Right away, we need to know what our client feels cheating is. We don’t all define cheating the same way. For some, wandering into an adult nightclub would be considered cheating. For others, a flirtation or conversation might cross the line. Some spouses equate porn use with cheating. For others, the line isn’t crossed unless there is full-on sexual contact with another human.

Then, we need to remember that there can be all kinds of dishonesty and disrespect in a relationship. The cards might reflect other kinds of insult in a way that would be difficult to distinguish from sexual infidelity. We may see there is disrespect, but can we be sure that disrespect includes infidelity?

We also need to remember that some people are just plain paranoid and suspicious.

When asked this difficult question, I will pull some cards to try to get a read on the relationship and the nature of the partner. Is it in the partner’s nature to cheat? How does the partner regard my client? What is the energy around the relationship? What is the client’s tendency toward dark imaginings and unwarranted mistrust?

I usually ask the client if they have particular reason to suspect infidelity. I see how their answer to this question reflects my read on the relationship.

Never do I want to say for sure that the deed has been done. It’s not my job to bust someone, and it is not my job to break up marriages.

However, if the offense shows up strongly in the cards, and the client can relay to me stories that are corroborated by the cards, I might say something like, “It does seem like a possibility” or “This is definitely something you need to speak with your spouse about” or “It may be time for marriage counseling”.

If I don’t see signs of the alleged behavior in the cards, I will say something like, “There is no evidence here to suggest that this is happening”.

It’s important to remember that to flat-out deny something is happening when it is could be just as devastating as suggesting something is happening when it isn’t.

Very often when a person is concerned about infidelity there are other obvious signs of relationship problems in the cards. Often the cards will reveal specific kinds of abuse and disrespect which the client will confirm. Often the client wants to hear that their spouse is cheating to justify ending the relationship. In a situation like that, it is easy to point to the laundry list of known offenses and suggest the client act on those.

The truth is, cheating doesn’t usually happen in an otherwise happy relationship. We, as tarot readers, can be helpful by focusing on the obvious dysfunction in the relationship.

If the dysfunction is that the client is suspicious and accusatory for no reason, we may be able to identify the source of that problem and offer opportunities for healing. If the dysfunction is lack of communication, lack of sexual connection, lack of time together, we can identify the problem and suggest remedies.

Another thing that can happen is that infidelity will make itself known in a reading, even if the question hasn’t been asked and the client isn’t suspicious. Sometimes the cards just scream it in a way that can’t and shouldn’t be ignored.

When that happens, I don’t usually come out and make the accusation. Instead, I might suggest that there are issues of trust or communication, or that there may be another person meddling in the relationship. If the cards are particularly pointed, I might ask if infidelity has ever been an issue, or a concern. Of course, I suggest communication and counseling.

Very often, tarot readers are the first line of defense for people suffering with relationship issues. It’s important that we each have a protocol for handling difficult situations which allows us to help our clients, while doing no further harm.

While we often offer that first line of defense, we should always suggest marriage counseling, and individual counseling, when we see issues of distress within a relationship. Understanding the limitations of our practice is just as important as understanding the significant benefits a tarot reading can provide.

Five Tips to Help You Learn or Teach Tarot

Whether you are learning tarot on your own, helping someone one-on-one, or teaching a class, there are several things you can do to help make things click.

The problem with teaching or learning tarot is that tarot is complex. Many times, folks feel intimidated by the sheer number of cards, decks, images, keywords and possibilities. Even worse is the anxiety about saying the right thing. That’s an anxiety that we all seem to have in one way or the other. Sometimes when applied to something profound like tarot that anxiety is increased.

The trick to learning or teaching tarot is to remove the anxiety and invite playful imagination. Students must make a connection between themselves and the cards. That connection doesn’t have to feel spiritual, and it doesn’t have to be about liking the artwork. The important connection, the thing that makes things click and produces aha moments, is when students see themselves in the cards, and see the way the cards can apply to their own lives. Here are five ways to make that happen for yourself or for others.

Break the Deck into Bite-Sized Chunks

The Major and Minor Arcana are each too big to handle as a whole at first. Break the Majors into smaller groups, perhaps the Fool as its own story, and then the twenty-one numbered cards into three groups of seven.

Break the Minors into suits Ace through Ten. You can handle the Court in groups of four by suit and by rank.

Discuss, learn and do exercises with each group to avoid having to learn or hear about too many cards in a row in a way that becomes mind-numbing. This also teaches the structure of tarot in a very organic way.

Tell Stories and Do Exercises

Use these small groups of cards to demonstrate how we tell stories with the tarot, and how the cards are connected to each other. Create divination exercises using only these small groups. For example, from the suit of Swords One through Ten find one card at random to describe how you are processing information at present.

You can also choose a card from each group cognitively to answer questions about your life. For example, from the first group of seven Major Arcana cards, which one most expresses the lesson you are working on in your day-to-day life?

Make the Psychic Connection

Don’t let the meditative, intuitive and psychic aspect of tarot be an afterthought. Begin your studies with meditation, chakra clearing, grounding, opening the third eye, creating psychic shielding and making a conscious connection to Spirit. Everything flows more easily from this place. Your study should happen in sacred space, just as your readings will.

Make Connections Between Cards and Life

When a card is pulled at random, ask how that card represents something that is happening currently. This ability to extrapolate between the image and real life is essential to tarot reading. Start developing this skill from the very beginning.

Find Yourself in the Cards

Look through the cards to find images that you identify with. In which of these cards do you see yourself? Why? If you can see yourself in a card, you are on your way to seeing others in the cards. Seeing people and situations in the cards is the primary skill we need to develop in order to read tarot for ourselves and others.

Reading Tarot Out of Order

Reading Tarot Out of Order

One of the best ways to become a truly efficient and effective tarot reader is to learn and practice a number of techniques. In fact, the mark of a limited tarot reader is the word ‘always’. Try to avoid ‘always’ seeing and saying the same thing for a particular card, or ‘always’ using the same spread, or ‘always’ interpreting a particular spread using the same techniques.

This past Sunday we had our monthly Tarot Meetup, Cards and Conversation, at Panera Bread in Palm City. I was thrilled that over twenty people were in attendance! Our monthly meetups are a great place to meet old and new friends, share some readings, and learn something about tarot.

Since Sunday happened to be the day of Saturn and Pluto conjunct in Capricorn, an event that won’t happen again for more than five hundred years, I decided to design a series of exercises using the three Major Arcana cards associated with Saturn, Pluto and Capricorn, which are the World, Judgment and the Devil, respectively.

One of the questions I asked folks to consider was what those three cards might mean together in a reading. People came up with some great messages. Yet, I was struck by the fact that most, if not all, of our students and readers felt the need to designate an order to the cards and read the cards in that linear order.

Reading a group of non-positioned cards is a standard tarot technique. Designating an order to the cards (usually the order in which they were pulled) and reading them in that linear fashion is also, obviously, a standard technique. And, it’s an effective technique. Typically, that linear reading becomes a timeline, which turns a non-positioned group of cards into a de facto Past, Present, Future sort of reading, or, a Situation, Obstacle or Action, Outcome sort of reading.

However, there is no rule that says that tarot cards have to be read in a linear fashion, describing  a timeline, cause-and-effect, or a situation, action and outcome. While we must be able to read this way, it’s important to know that there are other ways to treat a non-positioned group of cards. The more techniques we know, the more information we can derive from the cards.

It became very clear to me that I have been in remiss in my group leadership. I have not taught my group other methods of handling groups of cards. Guess what we will be doing in our next meeting?

In the meantime, here are some ways to handle a non-positioned group of tarot cards that aren’t linear. These techniques can work with groups of cards as small as two, or as large as five or more.

Let’s use the example of the three cards from our meetup, the Devil, Judgement and the World.

When we read these cards in a linear fashion, we see a story of empowerment that comes from acknowledging and releasing our limiting behaviors.

How else might we read these cards?

We might see the state of the actual world here, where some want to end certain behaviors or traditions (Judgment) while others want to hang on to them (Devil).

We might see a reference to the World Wide Web (World) that connects us all, where we all have a chance to be heard (Judgement), yet also can become addicted and diminished by the attention we pay and the time we waste (Devil).

You can see that when you don’t attach to the order of the cards, the number of stories we can tell expands exponentially.

Other techniques for reading groups of cards include looking at what the cards have in common, to see if there is an overarching theme. If the cards have a similar message, that message can become the overriding takeaway from the reading. If the cards express opposite messages, you may be shining a light on a conflict.

Sometimes similarities in the coloring or images of the cards will give a specific message. I saw the Magician and the Nine of Cups from a version of the Waite deck recently and was struck that both cards had a yellow background, while the Magician’s cloak and the Nine of Cup’s hat were both red. I saw these cards, then, as speaking together with a message of boldness and confidence.

Sometimes cards within a group will be completely dissimilar, sharing neither messages, coloring nor themes. A good technique for blending dissimilar cards is to consider the keywords for each card and see how those keywords can work together in a sentence.

When you release your attachment to the order in which the cards are draw or laid out, or the numeric order of the card sequence, you open yourself to many additional opportunities to receive information.

Five Ways We Use Intuition in a Tarot Reading

Five Ways We Use Intuition in a Tarot Reading

The best tarot readings, whether for self or for others, involve knowledge of the cards and intuition. Intuition is an important part of card interpretation. Intuition informs other aspects of the tarot-reading process as well.

It’s important to differentiate the intuitive and psychic process from our desires and fears. Sometimes we might mistake common wisdom and internalized beliefs for spiritual messages. When we do this, we have circumvented the sacred process of divination.

Meditative exercises that involve a focus on the breath, and on grounding, centering, and clearing are typically the best way to stay connected in the intuitive process.

When the entire reading process, from the first shuffle to the final insight, is guided by intuition, we are likely to have a legitimate and helpful divination experience. The ways intuition can guide a reading are infinite. Here are five ways intuition makes its way into the tarot-reading process.

How We Shuffle, Cut and Pull

How many times we shuffle and cut, and how we pull the cards, can all be guided intuitively. If we engage intuition from the very first moments of our interaction with the cards, we infuse the cards with our energy and intention, and we easily choose the cards we most need to see.

The Questions We Ask

Even when reading for others, we, as readers, should use our intuition to help our clients choose the questions that will be most helpful. We must also use intuition to break down a single question into multiple parts, and to rephrase questions in order to gain the most insight from the cards.

The Spreads and Techniques we Employ

There are so many different techniques for tarot reading. A good reader will be competent at many techniques and spreads. Intuition, as well as experience, helps us decide which spreads and techniques will yield the best results.

Which Classic Interpretations Fit Best

Each tarot card has multiple classic interpretations. Yet, in a reading, some of those interpretations will fit, other won’t. Intuition is an important part of choosing the most appropriate interpretation for the reading.

How the Tarot Images Reflect the Situation

A picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes the tarot images will spark an entire story and will give a great deal of information that goes much deeper than any classic interpretation could. It is intuition that allows this process to unfold.

Holiday Open House 2019 a Success!

Our annual Holiday Open House was held at my new office in Palm City on Sunday, December 19. You can check out videos and photos on my Facebook business page.

We raised 507 pounds of food for the Treasure Coast Food Bank. Readers and healers came to volunteer from as far away as Pennsylvania and Saint Petersburg.

Throughout the course of the day we had eighteen readers and two healers sharing their skills. Our four volunteer hosts made sure things ran smoothly.

Most years when I write about this event I write about its humble origins in Putnam, Connecticut, when I was the only reader for an afternoon of free readings.

This year, I want to focus on the energy that drives this event year after year, making it bigger and better with each year that passes.

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The energy is generosity; radical, revolutionary generosity. We who are busy, we who are businesspeople, we who have hundreds of things to do and never enough time to get them done, we volunteer our time and skill, bring donations of food, travel great distances and share of ourselves, each in our own ways. It’s a community effort, and an effort that requires each person to muster that one important energy, the energy of generosity.

I believe that the more generous we are, the more we will receive. The more we bless others, the more we, ourselves will be blessed.

Thank you to the many, many people who volunteered and attended Holiday Open House 2019.

Seekers Beware

Seekers Beware

In this important blogpost, two professional tarot readers, Amie Mouser and I, share six red flags for metaphysical scams.

Any good-hearted, talented metaphysical practitioner will tell you that one of our biggest professional challenges is dealing with the harm caused by the many unscrupulous scam artists who intentionally blur the distinctions between what they do and what we do.

I recently had a conversation on an unrelated topic in a social media group. One of the participants in the conversation noticed that I am a professional tarotist and therefore decided that what I had to say had no merit because I was clearly morally deficient. A few others joined in with the same opinion. To them, tarot reader equals scam artist. Sadly, there is a real reason some people feel this way. There may be more metaphysical scam artists than there are competent, reliable professionals.

At around the same time, in the sort of synchronicity that gives meaning to things, Amie Mouser, my friend, colleague and student, reached out to tell me of a situation that had developed in her practice.

You see, we honest, well-intentioned practitioners often are the ones who have to clean up the messes and try to heal the damage done by scammers. Typically, we spend a lot of time, often at no charge, helping our clients understand that they have been scammed, and helping them discern the difference between healing metaphysical work and con jobs.

Amie handled her situation well and got her client on the right track.

In our conversation, it became clear that we both have a lot to say on this topic, and that we both have a lot of ire toward those who prey on vulnerable people who are simply seeking healing.

I asked Amie if she wanted to collaborate on a blog post about this topic. She quickly sent over a brilliant list of red flags to help spiritual seekers avoid getting scammed. I will share those next, and then add my comments at the end. Please note that arguably all metaphysical practitioners see people running these scams, and those hurt by them, virtually every day. Read, and beware!

Amie’s Scam Alert: The Top Five Red Flags

The Curse Remover

Most of us have heard of or encountered this tactic. If you’re new to all this, these are the people who tell you that a curse, hex, spell, bad energy, etc., has been placed on you, or your loved one. They then offer to remove said curse for a fee. Many times, the fees are exorbitant...like into the thousands. These kinds of scammers may even string victims along through repeated payments and sessions claiming that the curse is Herculean and difficult to battle.

The Trapped Soul Assistant

Can we connect with our loved ones across the veil? I believe we can. Are there reputable mediums and tarot readers who can help deliver messages from the departed which bring about a great deal of healing and peace? I believe so! I have a deep connection and communication with those who have died. I have experienced this first-hand and include connection with the departed in readings with clients.

That being said, if a reader suddenly “sees” your loved one suffering, stuck, or unable to find the light and offers to help them cross over for a juicy fee, that is a huge red flag!

The Metaphysical Prosperity Evangelist

This person is usually charismatic and wants you to get serious! Do you have a dream you want to manifest? Are you looking to achieve higher levels of activation? Do you want to finally heal? For thousands of dollars, they claim to do the work it will take to get you there. Here’s a quote from someone just this week.

“You can do all the free programs, read all the free books, but until you take responsibility for your own growth by buying my program...you will achieve nothing. You have to show the Universe that you are taking responsibility by taking the step and committing your money.”

This is just not how the Universe works, IMHO.

The Smarmy Salesperson

Respecting boundaries and priorities are a challenge for this type. When the sales pressure continues even after you have expressed disinterest, financial hardship, or reasons why now is not a good time to spend money, consider this a red flag.

No one reputable would suggest you prioritize high-dollar spiritual programs over a needed dental procedure or medical test.

I had a client who expressed the need to have expensive dental work done to a Smarmy Salesperson. Ol’ Smarmy insisted the treatment was not necessary and the client should seek a second opinion, and then continued with high pressure sales tactics. Gross!

Super Ridiculous

True story. Charging a client thousands of dollars for a spiritual program, and then reaching out with another charge to cover the 3.5% merchant services fee is absurd. This one totally blew my mind! News Flash: Business owners have the responsibility to pay for their own business expenses.  

Christiana here again. I’m so grateful for Amie’s clear, succinct and humorous list. The problem is, of course, that these scammers speak enough truth that it is easy for hurting, fearful clients to get sucked into their lies.

Many scammers are part of organized groups that help them orchestrate these scams.

It’s true that many cultures believe in curses and have a practice of offering magic-for-hire. More than two decades ago I thought it would be easy enough to just say that magic-for-hire is wrong, and curses are BS.

Now, I understand that there are revered and legitimate practitioners of particular cultural traditions who offer these services in ways that are uplifting and non-scammy.

How can you tell the difference?

Legitimate practitioners have set, reasonable prices for their services, are willing to explain their practices in practical terms, and don’t spread or capitalize on fear.

I’m glad Amie mentioned the prosperity scammers. Whether these people are misinterpreting the Law of Attraction or buying into the heinous “Prosperity Gospel”, this line of thinking is dangerous and morally bankrupt. Spiritualizing greed and teaching that it’s okay to turn our backs on folks in need is the exact opposite of good spiritual practice in any religion or culture. 

I have only one red flag to add to Amie’s list. Here it is.

The Over-Enthusiastic and Under-Experienced Tarot Business Coach

There are numerous tarot business coaches out there. Some of them are really great. Some of them, like me, have actually written books on how to become a tarot professional. However, some of them have achieved modest success in a very short period of time and chose to capitalize on their limited success by quickly becoming ‘tarot business coaches’ and offering very expensive programs for would-be readers.

The problems with this are three-fold. First, they promise unrealistic results.  Despite what they will tell you in order to sell their programs, here is the truth. It takes years to become a good tarot reader, not months. It is very hard to have an internet-only fulltime tarot career. A six-figure income is possible, but rare.

The second problem is that they, themselves, simply don’t have the experience to give good guidance.

The third problem is that very often, these ‘tarot business coaches’ offer advice on the legal aspects of tarot business, including local business licensing and tax advice. If you are serious about your tarot business, you will get your legal advice from town, county and state officials, attorneys and accountants. No one else is qualified to give such advice. To accept or request advice from anyone else is stupid and dangerous. To offer such advice as a ‘tarot business coach’ is nothing short of an egregious scam.

 Whether you are looking for a reading, a program, a course or a coach, there are plenty of good, reputable practitioners from which to choose. Just make sure you vet the professional you choose. If you see any of these red flags, please don’t allow yourself to be scared, bullied or tempted.

Just run.

 Want to work with Amie? Visit her current online home, and keep an eye out for her new website!

Want to work with me? Schedule your session here, or call or text 561-655-1160.