Episode 176. If you've been reading for yourself or loved ones, you might be wondering: what is it like to read for strangers? Jenna Matlin joins me to talk about reading tarot for the general public. Jenna shares her tips for delivering a rock-solid reading, and handling challenging querents. We also talk about the difference between readings for family versus the general public - and how folks should prepare for a session so they get a helpful tarot reading.
Jun 28, 2020•33 min•Ep. 167
Episode 175. Reading tarot for loved ones seems like a great idea, right? After all, who knows you better than a close friend or family member? While there are benefits to getting a reading from someone you trust, there are challenges for both the reader and the querent. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, I'm joined by Melissa Cynova , author of the upcoming book Kitchen Table Magic and cocreator of The Scorpio Sea Tarot, for a frank discussion on what it's like to read tarot for those who are near...
Jun 21, 2020•19 min•Ep. 166
Episode 174. There are some real tarot fears out there. Take the Death card for example. People see it and freak the heck out! Why is that? More importantly, how can we understand and dispel those negative connotations? In this episode of Tarot Bytes, Elliot Adam, author of Fearless Tarot: How To Give a Positive Reading in Any Situation , joins me to talk about why tarot scares some folks - and how to look at some "scary" cards through the lens of compassion....
Jun 14, 2020•32 min•Ep. 165
Episode 173. Although tarot is primarily associated with divination, modern readers know that it can be used for so much more. Jerico Mandybur, the creator behind Neo Tarot , sees tarot as a tool for nurturing yourself. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, we're talking about how tarot and self-care go together beautifully. Jerico shares various ways to incorporate tarot into your personal spiritual practice. Methods such as affirmations, journaling, and her fave spread for "checking in" help you tak...
May 31, 2020•22 min•Ep. 164
Episode 172. When you blend astrology into your tarot reading, you can uncover new levels of information. That's what V. of Red Light Readings has been discovering. She's been using astrology in her Cosmic-politan, a tarot-infused deep dive into your natal chart. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, we're talking about how astrology influences tarot - and how to create your own natal chart with tarot cards! SO COOL. Prepare to go down a new rabbit hole with V's techniques. Book mentioned in this epis...
May 24, 2020•27 min•Ep. 163
Episode 171. Do you ever find yourself getting hung up on supposed "tarot rules," and losing your own voice in the process? This happens to all of us, especially when we're first starting out. Rote memorization of what each card "means," can have you sounding like a tarot automaton...and that's no good. Tarot is a lot like music - while there are certain rules, individual expression is what creates the most interesting harmonies. Majorie Gatson, also known as The Punk Priestess, joins me in this...
May 17, 2020•22 min•Ep. 162
Episode 170. One of the methods I use with beginning tarot readers is keywords, which is a list of prompts for each card. It's a great way to get the interpretations down. Beverly Frable prefers to skip that method. Instead, she advises looking for different clues, which helps to develop your own meanings. In this episode, Beverly joins me to teach reading without keywords - and what you might want to consider instead. I love her intuitive approach to tarot - and I think you will too (Plus not h...
May 03, 2020•19 min•Ep. 161
Episode 169. A few episodes back, Seth Vermilyea of Coming Out Tarot discussed tarot patterns with me. He joins me again today to talk about cards and patterns that might indicate the coming out journey. We also chat about how tarot can support someone before, during, and after coming out of any life closet. Seth is an amazing teacher and tarot reader - I learned so much in this episode.
Apr 26, 2020•32 min•Ep. 160
Episode 168. Every tarot reader or enthusiast has at one time or another come across a family member who doesn’t support their tarot passion. Sometimes it’s due to ignorance while other times, there are other emotions behind the haterade such as embarrassment, fear, a lack of understanding, or it goes against their beliefs. In some cases, it’s because they’ve had a bad experience with a tarot reader or know someone who did. For example, my parents didn’t seem to care much when I was experimentin...
Apr 19, 2020•10 min•Ep. 159
Episode 167. It happens to all of us at one point or another…you get a reading but you don’t like what the tarot is telling you. It sucks when that happens. And sometimes, when it does, you’re tempted to ask the question again. I like to say that I’m not a fan of beating a dead tarot horse. Rather than asking the question again in order to get the answer you want, I'm sharing my favorite strategies in this episode!
Apr 12, 2020•6 min•Ep. 158
Episode 166. There are a few Major Arcana cards that tend to spook people, namely Death, Devil, and The Tower. Pull one of those bad boys in a tarot reading, and folks freak out - and fear the worst. Those Majors aren't the only "frightening" tarot cards in the deck. In fact, there are a few scary Minor Arcana cards that trip people up and stress them out. Cards such as the Ten of Swords, or Five of Cups. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, I'm joined by Meg Jones Wall of 3am Tarot for an enlighteni...
Mar 29, 2020•24 min•Ep. 157
Episode 165. The interpretation process can be daunting, especially for beginners. But what if you could look at the tarot cards through a different lens, one that views them as individuals functioning together in a situation? Melinda Lee Holm shares her genius method with me in this episode of Tarot Bytes. When you start reading the cards as personalities in a room, your interpretations will flow like never before! Melinda also talks about why she focuses on the difficult cards first in a tarot...
Mar 22, 2020•31 min•Ep. 156
Episode 164. Do you read reversals? If so, do you only see them as the "opposite" of the upright meaning? There's more than one way to look at a reversed tarot card - and in this episode of Tarot Bytes, Emilie Muñiz teaches all the different ways you can read them. Some of her methods include the shadow, weaker, blocked, or the wakeup. If you want to work with reversals and are stuck on the opposite only, get ready to amp up your interpretation skills with Emilie!...
Mar 15, 2020•20 min•Ep. 155
Episode 163. The elements play an important role in the Tarot. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit - each one holds clues to the cards. For example, the suit of Pentacles is ruled by the Earth element, which signifies the material world. Pentacles are therefore our foundation, the things that make us feel secure. Not just money (although that's a big part of Pentacles energy), but also our homes, values, and boundaries. Once you understand the Elements, you have a better connection to the cards....
Mar 08, 2020•43 min•Ep. 154
Episode 162. Whether you're a long-time tarot reader or totally new, a regular practice is necessary if you want to develop a strong relationship with your cards. But what does that look like? And how do you get started? Kait Fowlie joins me to talk about creating a meaningful tarot practice. Kait shares tips for making tarot part of your daily life with journaling and monthly/yearly rituals. She also shares her genius tip for combining tarot with "morning pages," a practice from The Artist's Wa...
Mar 01, 2020•15 min•Ep. 153
Episode 161. So you've read all the tarot books. Now you have a database of tarot meanings, and you're good to go, right? Not quite. While the books can give you a solid foundation, you may find that over time you start to develop your own tarot meanings. This is important because everybody's relationship with tarot is different - and that means everyone will have unique ways of interpreting them. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, Mantis, the author of Truly Easy Tarot , joins me to talk about cre...
Feb 23, 2020•19 min•Ep. 152
Episode 160. Awhile back, Erin Aquarian joined me on Tarot Bytes to talk about Tarot as a tool for liberation. She's back and this time we're chatting about the wisdom codes in the Major Arcana that trigger our evolution. Erin has been downloading this information for some time and shared this with me: "The messages I've been getting clearly especially from the Empress/Emperor years is that we are being initiated into mental/emotional/spiritual adulthood, all the work that is happening around de...
Feb 09, 2020•28 min•Ep. 151
Episode 159. A few years back I wrote a blog post about six mistakes tarot readers make. I thought we might want to visit that again here on the podcast. Here are the six things to avoid when reading tarot: 1. Depending too much on the “little white book." At some point, you gotta ditch the training wheels. 2. Becoming enamored with your newfound “powers." It's not about you - it's about serving the client. 3. Giving a prediction without strategies to change the outcome. If the outcome looks dic...
Feb 02, 2020•9 min•Ep. 150
Episode 158. 2020 marks the universal year of the Emperor. The themes for the year: security, protection, and the patriarchy. While the Emperor can symbolize the father figure, the shadow side is the dictator. In this week's Tarot Bytes my co-author of Tarot for Troubled Times, Shaheen Miro, joins me to talk about how to find the yearly number, what the Emperor year means for us on a collective and personal level, plus how to deal in a way that makes sense for you based on your birth card. Navig...
Jan 19, 2020•26 min•Ep. 149
Episode 157. There will be times when you’re reading for someone and suddenly you lose your sense of objectivity. For example, you’re reading for a loved one - and you see something bad and don’t want to tell them so you sugarcoat your delivery. Or perhaps you have someone at your tarot table that you don’t like. Maybe they are doing something that you feel is morally wrong. In that case, you may find yourself looking for the so-called bad cards because you feel some type of way. If you ever fin...
Jan 05, 2020•9 min•Ep. 148
Episode 156. Sure, you could use traditional spreads such as the Celtic Cross. But what if you wanted to create your own tarot spreads? Custom layouts that are tailored to you - or your clients - are not that hard to do! I'm joined today by Weston of Root Lock Tarot for a discussion on best practices for creating your own tarot spreads. Weston recently created The Root Lock Book of Spreads, an ebook filled with thirty-three original layouts. If you've ever thought that you wanted a fresh spread ...
Dec 15, 2019•20 min•Ep. 147
Episode 155. If I had to label my style of reading, I would definitely fit in the "intuitive tarot reader" category. While the traditional meanings of the cards form a framework, I like to let my sixth sense lead the way in the interpretations. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, I'm sharing one of my simple "Tarotcises" for intuitive tarot reading. This is an easy, effective way to get out of your head and into your gut. (By the way, Tarotcise is a term I coined for Tarot Exercises. I think it's cu...
Dec 08, 2019•4 min•Ep. 146
Episode 154. Years ago, I purchased a set of Runes. I couldn't seem to make heads or tails out of them, so I gave up. Turns out I needed to give those Runes some time, according to Abbie Plouff. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, Abbie teaches what Runes are, how to work with them, and how you might incorporate this magickal tool into your tarot readings. I may have to give those Runes another chance! Book mentioned in this episode: Taking Up The Runes: A Complete Guide To Using Runes In Spells, Ri...
Dec 01, 2019•20 min•Ep. 145
Episode 153. What is the Left Hand Path? How might a practitioner of this path approach tarot? I was curious. So I reached out to Bere Parra , a Mexican theistic satanic witch to learn more. Bere talks about common misconceptions about the left hand path, the Devil card, and more. This enlightening conversation sheds new light on a practice that is often viewed as "negative" or "scary." I have a better understanding of readers who follow this path. If you're wondering how a satanist might approa...
Nov 24, 2019•37 min•Ep. 144
Episode 152. Sometimes tarot takes us to places we don't expect. For example, we may come to the tarot table with a desire to sort out the future - but the cards take on a more therapeutic vibe. Tarot can go deep - and create profound healing. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, Ashawnee DuBarry of ElysianSpiritTarot shares her story on how tarot helped her find peace, balance, and wholeness. We talk about self-sabotage, peeling away old stories, and finding clarity If you're ready to go deep with t...
Nov 17, 2019•27 min•Ep. 143
Episode 151. One of the most stunning decks to come out in the past few years is Dust II Onyx by Courtney Alexander. Some of my listeners wanted to learn more about the deck - and the talented artist behind it. In this episode, Courtney joins me to talk about the inspiration for her deck, invocation, ancestors, ritual, and bonding with the deck. We also learn about the mysterious "Black Onyx" card and practice one of the spreads in the book. If you have this deck and want to learn more about it,...
Nov 10, 2019•39 min•Ep. 142
Episode 150. Although we often associate tarot as a tool for divination, modern readers are also using it for self-care. In this episode, I'm joined by Sarah Chappell for a discussion on how tarot helped her with sobriety. You'll learn how tarot can become your ally on the road to recovery.
Nov 03, 2019•30 min•Ep. 141
Episode 149. Charm casting has become extremely popular amongst tarot devotees. We can thank Carrie Paris for this - she's been a leading force for this ancient form of divination. With products like the Magpie Oracle, Carrie has been helping people determine the future with simple, everyday objects. In this episode, Carrie shares how she got into charm casting, how to use it with tarot, and create your own talismans for divination.
Oct 27, 2019•25 min•Ep. 140
Episode 148. Believe it or not, tarot clients aren't always asking about love and money. Sometimes they want to talk about the state of the world - and what it may mean for the future. In this episode, Georgianna Boehnke of The Tarot Room joins me to talk about how tarot can be used as a tool to understand current events - and how to deal with an unpredictable world.
Oct 20, 2019•48 min•Ep. 139
Episode 147. I've said it again and again: tarot isn't just for divination. Nowadays, folks are using it for creativity, introspection, therapy, and more. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, I'm joined by J Ryan Kent, who has been combining tarot and life coaching as a way to help his clients take command of their lives. Listen in and learn how tarot and life coaching are perfect allies for growth.
Oct 13, 2019•27 min•Ep. 138
