Often it seems that whenever we see a tarot reader in mainstream news, it is a crime story or an offbeat piece.

 When I first started my business in 1993, I sent press releases to all the local papers announcing classes and charity events I was hosting.  The number of times my stories ran actually surprised me.  I became a go-to person for some of the local reporters.  When they needed a pro psychic's take on something, they called me.

The internet has changed things somewhat since then.  I don't mail typewritten press releases anymore.  In fact, most of us just Tweet our daily accomplishments.  The rise of the Blogosphere has blurred the lines between the press and the public.  We communicate with our friends across the globe as easily as our friends down the street.

An article, dated April 29, 2011, from the business section of the Beacon-News, a publication of the Chicago Sun-Times caught my eye.  It’s a simple business piece.  Likely, the exposure was part of a package deal for advertising, or it was a really slow news week.  That’s not what matters. What matters is that a professional tarot reader had the business sense to get herself in the news in a positive way.

It is in every tarotists’ best interest that the press represents tarot as acceptable and accessible.  It's good for tarot professionals trying to feed their families.  It's good for tarot enthusiasts trying to avoid ridicule and discrimination on the job.

A thing of note is that there are absolutely no reader comments on the on-line edition of the article.  There are no protests, no jeers, no jokes.  Many of my peers keep their tarot interest as part of a secret double life.  They think it will scare the neighbors.  Sometimes it does.  But, apparently, not always.

Here is the article in its entirety, and a link.  Kudos and good luck, Leah Mueller!

Tarot Card Reader Comes to West Downer in Aurora

Tarot cards and astrology charts might seem mystical and “out there” to many people, but Leah Mueller assures that she is not in an outer realm.

Mueller recently moved Sacred Lotus Astrology and Tarot into a room upstairs at Annie’s Om Towne Fitness at 14 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora.

Mueller, of Aurora, started playing with Tarot cards as a kid after her parents got a deck of cards in the early 1970s. “I could tell there was something really powerful about them,” she said.

Mueller went back to reading cards in her mid-20s, mostly for fun. She dabbled in a variety of noncorporate jobs and then started doing professional readings in her 30s once she had more confidence in her abilities.

“A lot of it is practice; eventually it is intuitive,” Mueller said about reading Tarot cards. The cards can be read different ways and becomes kind of like a game of chess, she said. “I can give them a comprehensive portrait of what is going on in their life.”

Her astrology readings and birth charts help people to know how they fit into the cosmos, she said. But it’s all very grounded, said Mueller, who has a degree in social and human services.

She previously had offices in Chicago, Portland, Ore., and Tacoma, Wash. Most recently, she kept busy giving readings on the festival and expo circuit.

Mueller still works with out-of-state clients and hopes to now build up her business with local clientele. She offers mini readings starting at $20 and goes up from there.

“It’s not that different than doing therapy sometimes. I’m just using different techniques,” she said. “I see my role as that of a counselor.”

Mueller will have a grand opening celebration and open house from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday with refreshments and mini readings. Contact Sacred Lotus Astrology and Tarot at 206-910-6861 or via Facebook.