The Mirror, The Tool, The Gift of Tarot: Why We Study + Practice

People often ask me how I got into tarot. Not a surprising ask as only 3 years ago I was metaphorically crushing it, one would say, as far as career and finances go. I was on a path of sorts, something palatable and easy and acceptable. I had a great stable job as a recruiter and a range of hobbies. From yoga, bootcamp and spinning to piano, voice and eventually improv plus the occasional Tinder or OK Cupid date, Happy Hour or warehouse party. I was always doing something. Always laughing or working or grinding or getting shit done.

I was also struggling with anxiety and depression that no volume of “fun" to fill the spaces could seem to get rid of. I exercised, I ate well, I was in therapy. I did all the things you’re supposed to do, but none of the help I was getting provided the relief I so desperately craved. This lead to many Saturday mornings laying in bed, staring out the window wondering what the point of it all was. Why even bother?

Then, one day as I laid on the floor, groaning behind the reception desk, a weekly occurrence for me then, the beautiful Whitney Diamond suggested I get a tarot reading with her friend, Bakara Wintner. “You will love her,” she said. Decidedly cynical, but desperate for anything to make me feel better (or at lease feel different), I said “sure… whatever” and booked an appointment.

As she pulled cards and explained their meaning and how they translate to my own life experiences, I feel a pull and a connection to the imagery, to the symbolism, to the parallels of the collective. I felt I had a new sort of permission. Permission to trust myself. To believe myself. To reject the stories and rules that were provided to me without rhyme or reason. Permission to write the laws of my own life. My own code for navigating love and family and fulfillment and sex and friendship and ethics and ambition and work.

Soon thereafter, I reached out to Lindsay Mack and began a deep dive into the history, symbolism and meaning of tarot, my own intuition, and my Self. And now, I humbly offer you an opportunity to explore this beautiful tool in a collaborative environment of fiery, creative and curious individuals through the power of myths, folklore, popular culture and our own stories. The Fool, The Lover, Death, The Tower, these are all stepping stones in our universal journey, whether you're Harry Potter, Cinderella, Wonder Woman or Hercules, our cycles of healing and evolution all stop in the same places. I offer you a safe space to explore the cards and explore your Self over the next 12 weeks. 

Sometimes I get a little heavy on the scholarly side of things and doubt the magic of the cards. I recognize the usefulness of the images, but forget that something deeper seems to always call forth the necessary symbols. The cards swiftly slap me in the face every time I fall into this trap. Last week, I sat down to check in with the full moon energy and sit in ritual. I shuffled. I cleansed. I meditated. I breathed. I sat tall and felt my deck in my hand, I asked my questions and expected my brain to start piecing archetypal imagery together to make up some sort of correlation which is what happens when I approach my deck from my left brain (Ravenclaw rising, what can I say). But from the first pull, confirmations and feelings and information flooded me without giving me a chance to “think” through it and I was in tears.

The mirror of tarot is no joke. A reader does not carry secret wisdom. The wisdom is inside us all. I don’t have the answers. I just listen to the possibilities and open myself to lessons and truths embedded in these 78 images with foundations in an ancient oral tradition and parallels in Jungian archetypes, the Chakras of Hinduism, the Tree of Life of Kaballah, and so many belief systems and philosophies that have all strived to answer questions of universal truth. Who are we? What are we here for? Why do we feel the things we do? What is this eternal longing? How do we cycle through these ego journeys more gracefully? How do we come to terms with our mortality?

A reading does not always feel as serious or deep as all that. Maybe you just want to pull a card for inspiration. Maybe you’re curious about how to approach a new person or opportunity. But deep below the surface, lives the seed of these bigger picture questions. And maybe sometimes words aren’t enough. Maybe articulating these feelings feels too limiting. That is why we have images and symbols to guide us. To inspire us. To hold a mirror to the shadows and the lights of inner selves. 

And so I invite you to dive in with me, to explore the tarot, and in turn, yourself.

Note: Email me with any questions about registering or for a payment plan.