Brigit Esselmont's Blog, page 29

BTP121: From Ad Exec to Tarot Reader with Melanie O’Rourke

Have you ever dreamt of leaving your office job behind to start a career in something that truly resonates with you…especially if that thing is something that doesn’t resonate with a lot of the world?  I’ve 100% been there and so has my guest Melanie O’Rourke. In this episode, we talk about her incredible transition from working as an Ad Exec to running her successful and fulfilling career as a Reiki master, Tarot reader, and holistic counselor.   

In this episode, you’ll learn about:  

The beautiful process of ‘co-creating’ with your clients 
Mel’s incredible journey from ad-exec to living her dream 
Ways to combine your existing skills with your Tarot business 
Turning your interest in hobbies into a successful and fulfilling practice 
A reading with a tough client that turned out to a transformative experience, for both people

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

Biddy Tarot Certification Program 
The Velvet Chair 

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 121: From Ad Exec to Tarot Reader with Melanie O’Rourke.  

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

BRIGIT: Hello, and welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. I have a really neat episode for you today. I’m chatting with one of our certified Biddy Tarot Readers, Mel, who has gone from a career as an ad executive to now stepping into a beautiful new inspirational career as a Tarot reader, energy healer and just all out holistic counsellor. I think you’re going to really enjoy this conversation with Mel. 

Mel has discovered how to integrate many different aspects into her practice. She uses Tarot, Reiki, and even things like Feng Shui and energy healing. What she does, is she uses all of these different modalities to create a really integrated experience for her clients. As you’ll hear in the interview today, she describes it as this co-creation that happens with the client. 

I am all for co-creation. I think it’s a really powerful way to connect in with clients. Instead of it being about you as the reader, it’s more about them as the client, and helping them to access their inner self and their inner wisdom. 

Mel talks a little bit about her journey from being that ad executive and then starting to find Tarot and bringing it into her life. She’ll share some neat client stories, even one with a woman who was a complete sceptic. Mel was completely freaking out going, “I don’t know if I’m adding any value here,” only to be completely surprised within half an hour of the session.  

I’ll let Mel tell a little more about that story. Without further ado, I want to welcome Mel. 

Oh, just before I do, let me just say, you can see all of the show notes over at BiddyTarot.com/121, and you’ll also get the links to Mel’s website, which is thevelvetchair.com.au. All right, let’s do it. Let me welcome Mel. 

FROM AD EXEC TO TAROT READER WITH MELANIE O’ROURKE 

BRIGIT: Welcome, Mel, to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. It’s an absolute pleasure to have you here. How are you doing today?  

MELANIE: I’m doing really well. Thanks for having me.  

BRIGIT: We were just connecting before, and we realized that we literally lived a few streets away, which is pretty cool.  

MELANIE: It’s definitely a small world.  

BRIGIT: That’s for sure. Mel, you were part of our Certification Program. Today, I just want to talk a little bit about where you’ve come from and what’s led you to where you are now, and what you see for your future. Tell me a little bit about how you got into Tarot in the first place.  

MELANIE: Mine has been a bit of a long journey to get to Tarot Reading. Over about 20 years ago, I started to get interested when I lived in [inaudible 0:03:41]. I actually was working in an advertising job. It was high pressure, and I started to get adrenal fatigue. It made me just sit back and think, “There’s got to be more to this.” 

I started to research alternative ways of healing and also self-soothing, or another way to goal-plan, or just something like that, that resonated a little bit more with me. I started then, to seek different ways of helping myself stay on track. Over the years, a friend of a friend talked about a Tarot reader, and I was like, “Oh, that’s really interesting—maybe I’ll do that.”  

As soon as I saw someone, I was like, “Yes, I need to learn this.” I liked the way it gave me guidance, but it was my own intuition. It just made sense to me rather than any other kind of modality. It also opened up a whole new world of looking at all sorts of different approaches.  

BRIGIT: I’m curious, because we share a similar journey in that we were finding Tarot at the same time. We were working in corporate. I don’t know what your corporate experience was like, but mine was one where it wasn’t really the ‘done’ thing, reading Tarot cards and people would think you’re a little bit ‘cray-cray’. How did that fit in with you? Were you worried about it? Did you not talk about it? How did that integrate?   

MELANIE: That’s an interesting question. Actually, I kept it very private. It was more to my closest friends. They didn’t really understand it. It was just kind of the thing that Mel did. It just became my interest and my hobbies, whereas everyone else’s hobbies were sport or socialising. I would stay at home on weekends, and I would get into meditation and reading, look about what things I can do, study Tarot, mysticism, spirituality. It was very much a deep dive from years and years ago. It was private. It was very private. 

It’s not like I had two identities. I had my work persona, and I had my personal persona. They were very different, so I did actually keep it quite separate. I liked that, especially in the world of advertising. Everybody knows your business. Everyone works together. Everyone spends weekends together, parties together. It’s the way that culture works, whereas, I had this little separate persona of mine that was all mine. Do you know what I mean?  

BRIGIT: Yes, that’s a really neat way of looking at it, actually. I think it feeds into this whole concept I have about work. So often we turn up to our day job and it’s like we just drop who we are, and we put on this whole other suit, literally and metaphorically. We walk in there and we’re someone else. I think when you’re buying into that and participating in that, yes, it feels good to have this secret part of yourself that you don’t have to necessarily share at work. 

I don’t know about you, but I got to a point I was like, “This is feeling really out of integrity with me.” 

If I’m going to live a life that’s in full alignment and fully authentic, I felt like I needed to bring those two parts of myself together again. For me, personally, that’s when I was inspired to leave the corporate world and really pursue this full-time. I’m curious if you’ve had that thought too, or something completely different. 

MELANIE: No, it was very similar, actually. It started to become like a gut feeling, or something inside of me that just wasn’t fulfilled. I would look around me and I would be in conversations with people talking about their careers, and how they want to ensue – the next five years would include this in their life, and this kind of thing. I was really quiet because I would be like, “Hey, that doesn’t feel right to me. I don’t want that kind of career.” I was in that world and I was like, “What is it? Something’s just not feeling right.” I was never, I don’t know if ‘fulfilled’ is the right word, but I was never aligned. It was always a matter of, “This is what I do now to survive, but there’s something else for me.” That was when I really started to part-time study and read books, because it would nurture me. I would be then feeling like, “Hey, it’s OK because you won’t be doing this forever.” That was soothing to me, to have this other little life. Even though it hadn’t come to fruition or manifested into the career change at that point, it was that feeling inside going, “It’s OK, you’ll get—“ 

BRIGIT: I’m so glad we’re having this conversation. I’m sure many people would be able to relate to this if they’re working in a day job but feel like they’re being called to something else. You can either get really anxious about that and go, “Well, I should be doing else right now, why am I doing this corporate job?” But actually, there’s kind of a little place of peace in between where you can say, “Yes, I probably will be doing something different in the next few years, but right now this is actually serving me exactly the way it is.” You know, we’re exactly where we need to be at every single point in time in our whole life.  

MELANIE: I think back then, of the feelings and the things that I had to now, I wasn’t quite ready back then anyway. I needed to learn some more life skills. I needed to have a bit more experience about myself and other people, to be able to understand and do what I do now. When I look back in hindsight it’s like, “Well, that’s why it didn’t happen then.” During that period, I was like, “Oh, please! Just get me out of there, please!”  

BRIGIT: Now, are you working solely in energy/Tarot work, or do you also have a day job? 

MELANIE: I still have a day job. I work part-time as a producer. I will still be doing that on a small scale, hopefully not for too much longer. It’s a lot smaller agency. It’s a lot less stress. They know I’ve just started this business, and they’re very much supporting and helping me go forward with it. I am in the perfect job and the perfect place. I’m very lucky because they’re all entrepreneurs and have their own businesses. It’s a group of people with the same kind of goals. They all have a business, or they work part-time, or they have other interests. It’s a collaboration of people that do that. I still have my day job, and I still need money for my mortgage, but it’s definitely there on the way to where I’m going.  

BRIGIT: I think it’s a great way of making that transition, is to do some kind of part-time work. And great, if it’s work that you can feel really passionate about at the same time as building a business. It gives you that consistent income, so you’re not like, “Oh, I’m starting my business. Oh, my gosh! Where am I going to find the money?” Then you do crazy things that aren’t really in alignment. I think having that part-time work and then pursuing a growing, more of the inspirational side of the business, is a great way to go.  

MELANIE: Yes, and I think, as you say, when you don’t have to worry about the money necessarily, you have a job that covers the bills and whatever, your energy is a little different. I feel like you are able to grow a business slowly because you don’t have to worry about those things. You don’t have to be always in the energy of panic or need, or whatever that is, because you’ve got that covered. When you can sit back and just start building a foundation, I think.   

BRIGIT: Yes, absolutely. Now, you’ve created The Velvet Chair, which I think is such a beautiful business name. Tell me a little bit about The Velvet Chair. What do you do within this context of your business?  

MELANIE: The Velvet Chair’s personality came from the other interests that I have. It’s a little bit burlesque, if you like. It’s a little bit boudoir. I wanted to create something that wasn’t just a Tarot business but was going to encompass my personality, and to also give back in a different way. It just became an extension of me, really. When people see the website they’re like, “Oh, that’s so you!” 

I’ve always had velvet furniture, and I’ve always had this kind of aesthetic in the way that I dress, in the way that my apartment looks. I just wanted to be another extension of that. I wanted people to feel really comfortable, but also, when they came into my space, that they were in a different world. That they could let go of everything that is in their life and walk into this space, like when you walk into a movie theatre, or a themed party, or something like that. You walk into my space and you just let go of your life because you’re in a little different world.  

BRIGIT: I think of it in terms of, almost like shutting down the conscious mind so you can then open up your subconscious, or your intuition. In some ways, moving a customer or a client into a space that is very different from their everyday world, facilitates that process of, “This is a different experience to what I’m used to, and therefore I can access something that’s different as well.” if that makes sense.  

MELANIE: Absolutely, and it’s exactly what my clients say to me. After they leave, they’re like, “Wow! I’ve just had such a different experience.” I think, because the environment supports that. That’s how I wanted to frame The Velvet Chair, as something just a little bit different. When you come in, I feel like we can go a little deeper, and it’s more intuitive-based. If it’s the Tarot, I read the Tarot. If I feel like there’s some energy work that needs to happen, we’ll do some Reiki. There’s a lot of different modalities. Once we’re in that space and we talk about what the client wants and what the client needs, then creatively we work out together what the best practice is that day.  

BRIGIT: Yes, you’re someone who’s got so many different modalities and talents and skills. I love that you’re able to bring all of these together into this integrated experience. Tell me, how does that work? You’ve obviously got Tarot, you’ve got Reiki. Is this something you’ve accumulated over time, or do you go a little bit nuts and learn everything at once? What happens?  

MELANIE: I’ve accumulated a lot of different things over time. In 2008, I finished the Holistic Counselling Course. I really loved that because that taught a little bit of Art Therapy, Sandplay as well as [inaudible 0:15:56] Psychology. I got to experience a lot of modalities within that course. I think that really gave me the idea that once I start practicing, that I could have more than one modality too, and that it really is all coming from the same family. When I finished that course in 2008, I still really hadn’t tapped on what I wanted to offer as an experience. I went, “OK, you’ve done that course now, but you’re not ready. It’s not really feeling right.” 

Then I thought I would do Kinesiology. When I did that, I found it more chiropractic and based on sports medicine—the course I did anyway. “Yes, that’s not right either, I don’t really want to play with people’s limbs. That’s not really my thing.” So then, I kept reading books and things like that. 

It wasn’t until 2016 that I was like, “OK, now it’s time.” It’s interesting because the adrenal fatigue came back, so I had to rest in bed for a while. I think, once you shut down, these things come up. I was just doing a bit of research on the internet and I was thinking, “You know, I don’t really want to do another four-year course of something.” Nothing was really appealing to me. 

I researched this woman, Gala Darling, and she came up. She had just started what she calls The Self Love Coven. I didn’t have a lot of energy at that time and I thought, “You know, this just sounds like a bit fun. This just sounds like learning, but in a fun way. Not an academic way, or a way where I have to go to a course and study part-time, which is the old way of doing things, for me. 

So, I was like, “This is on the internet, I can do it my own time. This sounds like fun.” I did her course, and of course, you were a part of that, in the Tarot. It was fantastic for me. It just opened my whole world back up, and then I realized, “Hey! This is it! This is the type of thing I want to be doing.” It was just like a light bulb went on, whereas, 10 to 15 years before, it hadn’t felt right. 

Now I was like, “Oh! This is your thing! This is where your personality will come out. This aligns with you.” The penny just dropped, and I thought, “What would I like to focus on out of all those modalities of The Coven?” and I joined up to your course. It just became, “Yes, this is my thing.” There was no question. There was no doubt in my mind where I used to have doubt. It was like, “Oh, no, I’m doing this and now, I’m starting my business.” It all came in a big rush. 

I bought 20 to 25 books. I’ve had to calm down now and say: (a) stop buying books, and (b) do one at a time. Because I had opened something up and accessed what I really wanted, I just was hungry for everything. I was like, ‘this modality, that modality’. I really started to work out what I wanted to do, but more so, how I wanted to be with clients. I think it did start with the counselling course, because it was all person-centred. That’s my thing. I like to talk to people, get to know them, and then co-create. Ask them what they want, what type of modality are they interested in, what feels comfortable to them. 

Some people don’t like Reiki. They don’t like laying down and having your hands on them. Other people are really drawn to the Tarot cards. I’ve got a few friends that were like, “Not really, I don’t really understand the Tarot.” I think when I started out they were indulging me, as friends, just coming along out of curiosity. I had one woman say, a friend of mine, she was like, “Wow! I just didn’t realize how much you could get out of the Tarot, even if you don’t want to become a reader.” 

She said, “It was just amazing to me. I felt like I had clarified a lot of things that were on my mind, just by working with you with the Tarot.” 

I was like, “That’s it! That’s what I want to do.” 

That’s the kind of feedback I really enjoy. It’s like, what did we get out of it? It’s not about me, but did you learn something? Then, for weeks or months onwards, things come up and I get text messages like, “You know when we talked about that?” and “This is happening.” 

I feel like for me, Tarot and the way I read, is more of a life coaching style. I don’t future predict. I have sessions that I co-create. They go on for an hour, and we just work through. Sometimes I get the person to tell me what they think the card reads. It’s really funny, because it’s so different to how I would interpret, or how I would read a card. It’s because it’s about them. Your session goes so much deeper and we both get so much out of it. I go, “Wow! I didn’t even see that.” I feel like that’s hit the nail on the head, for me.  

BRIGIT: I find personally, reading in that way, it’s less about you as the reader and your performance, and it becomes more about the client, which to me, feels like it’s the perfect energy. It should be about the client and what’s right for them. What I love about this co-creation style is, it’s helping that client access their own inner wisdom so that they’re not relying on like, “Oh great one! Tarot reader, tell me my future.” It’s more about what’s actually in here, “Oh! Actually, I know everything I need to know. This is good.” 

MELANIE: Absolutely, and I think for me, when it came to things like counselling, people go and see a counsellor and it’s about the counsellor treating you. That whole methodology, I never agreed with. Person-centred is so much better the way to go, because really, it’s about their own therapy. It’s about what they want from their life. It just becomes all about the person. And if you can add a little bit of creativity in there, even better. The different modalities come in. 

Usually, it starts with Tarot and then someone will say, “I’m a bit interested in tapping.” They never normally know anything about it, so I explain it. Then I explain what purpose we could use the tapping, or the Reiki, or the spell work. I just let that person say, “Yes, that will really work for me.” or, “That’s not my thing.” I’m married into what they’re working with at the time, what those needs are, or what they want to get out of coming to see me for. That’s how I choose the modality. It’s a bit of intuition, of suggesting something that I think that’s what they may need, and also, just having that discussion and saying, “These are all options for you.” Some people just like the Tarot. They get a lot out of Tarot sessions, and I get, “That’s your thing, that’s what we’ll do together.”  

BRIGIT: I’m going to put you on the spot here, what would you say is one of your proudest moments as a reader?  

MELANIE: Interesting enough, one of my proudest moments was when I first started. I was doing free readings. So far, it’s been referral only. I had a colleague bring a friend of hers. She came in, she sat down and she crossed her arms. The shield was right up. I was probably only on my third or fourth client. I was a little, not terrified, but I was a little bit like, “Oh, my God! This is not going to be good. How am I going to get through the next hour or half an hour?” 

I started laying out the cards, and I’d say, “This is what it means. What do you see? Or how does this fit with you?” and she would give me nothing. It was just grunts or one-word answers. 

I’m like, “Oh, my God! This is going to be a disaster.” 

It was probably my shortest Tarot session. I got through it, and I feel a little disappointed that I have disappointed her, and that she was going to leave with nothing that she came for. For me, it was a great learning lesson. 

Before she left I went, “You know what, have you got another half an hour? I’d like to do a little bit of Reiki on you.” 

She was like, “Yes, sure, no worries.” 

I put her on the bed, and by the time I went through the first couple of chakras, I got to her heart chakra and she just broke. Not broke—she started crying. 

I stopped the Reiki, and I’m like, “Are you OK?” 

She was like, “Yes, yes. Please keep going.” 

She was crying through the session, but after the session she was like, “During the Tarot you had said something to me, or something came up that I couldn’t really communicate or articulate how I was feeling, and I didn’t really want to do that. You’ve released something in me that’s been with me for years. I thought that feeling would never go away.” 

From the initial first 10 minutes of “Oh, God! This is going to be a disaster,” or “I’m going to disappoint,” or “No one’s going to get anything out of this one,” to when she left an hour later, her face had changed, her whole energy had changed. It was the proudest moment. I thought, “Wow! I could actually do this.”  

BRIGIT: Love it! I’ve got chills. My eyes are tearing up. That’s so awesome, I love it. As readers we think, “Oh, crap! Am I having any impact here? This is going nowhere. The client’s giving me nothing.” 

Meanwhile, there’s all this transformation going on behind their front. We’ve got to be really careful of not trying to judge a situation and think, “Oh, my gosh! I’m not doing a very good job here.” Because, we don’t know whether that seed is going to drop, then and there in the reading, if it’s going to drop when they leave that room, if it’s going to drop in a year’s time. Often it does, and we don’t necessarily always see that. 

We’ve got to remember, as readers, that we are nearly always having an impact, even if it’s not then and there. Good on you for having the courage to stick with it, and hold that space, and follow through with it. Look at what you cracked open in a really positive way. It’s awesome! 

MELANIE: Yes, she was very complimentary and very beaming. It was great. It taught me a lot. That’s what I want. I want people to leave the session and really get something out of it. Have a positive experience, however they experience it. Not everyone will experience it the same. I’ve got to, as you say, not doubt myself, and just be present, stop thinking about it. Just be present. It happens how it happens.  

BRIGIT: You’re obviously, one of our certified Biddy Tarot Readers. I’d love to just hear what was your experience with the certification program like, and how has that supported you to get to where you are now with your Tarot practice and energy healing practice.  

MELANIE: The Certification Program was great for me. The biggest reason was because I had a full-time job and I longer wanted to go and study out of the home. Doing it at my own pace, but also having a deadline, was really good for me. With my corporate background, I’m trained to work with deadlines, but I really just loved having the freedom to watch the videos. If I wanted to repeat the video because of that section that I wanted to deep dive, or write my own notes, I just had that freedom. If I had missed a week, then I could catch up. I found that so useful. If I was on top of it that week, I could listen to podcasts or I could go into the community. It was really helpful. 

The free readings, as part of the course, was great. It just pushed me to go, “OK, you’re learning the theory, you’ve studied before.” It actually forces you into practice, but in a more comfortable way.” It’s not forcing you to practice with clients face-to-face while you’re still studying. It just worked for me. It was a way where I could build up my confidence, but also, integrate what I was studying in the present moment. That accelerated my learning so much, especially with having a full-time job as well, and a life. I couldn’t sit there all week and just learn along the way. 

I think the combination really helped me balance how I was studying. Also, my own life, and what was happening at the time and the stresses of my life, I could achieve the course. I really felt more confident at the end of that course than I had in other courses, just purely because of the way it’s set up. And of course, I was ready. I was like, “This is it! This is what I’m doing!” Giving free readings, I felt like I could read. I was like, “Yes, I can do this.”  

Receiving feedback as well really helps, from the free Tarot readings. Because it’s over the net, they have no filter. They’re just going to tell you what they think. That was good. I needed to hear it. I needed to get me confidence, but also, just keep learning. This is how people are going to receive. The way I communicate changed because I had to write it. Instead of speaking face-to-face, I had to actually write my responses. My storytelling became quite good. It’s like writing a book. Your storytelling and writing ability expands. I think we forget when we’re face-to-face talking, that we shorten our words, and that the conversation is stop-start. But writing with a purpose, storytelling becomes a big part of it. I love storytelling.  

BRIGIT: Yes, with your work, absolutely! Storytelling is so important in Tarot, I think. That’s what brings it all together in a really powerful way. So, Mel, what’s coming up next for you? What does the next six to 12 months look like for you, and for The Velvet Chair?  

MELANIE: The next six to 12 months is pretty much just building a business, building a client base, and attracting clients that will mirror me in some way. They want the kind of reading of the kind of experience that I will provide, they’re open, spiritually. Also, the life coaching style of the way I do things. I’m hoping to build a business with that client base. Hopefully by referral, people will start to know my name and The Velvet Chair, and what that feels like, and what that experience is. That’s really my plan for the year. Excitingly though, I booked a trip to the States, in May. There’s a woman called Lindsay Mack.  

BRIGIT: Yes, we’ve had her on the podcast. She’s awesome!   

MELANIE: I started listening to her Tarotscopes on The Numinous. I just fell in love with the way that she expresses the Tarot, and I thought, “You know, I’d really love to do that.” How it happened is, I was looking that day, the retreat went up, it sold out in, I think, 48 hours. I’m booked to go in May. I’m really excited about it. It’s a retreat in the Sierra Hot Springs, just out of San Francisco, and it’s for Tarot readers.  

BRIGIT: Beautiful.   

MELANIE: I’m a little bit scared too, because now I’m like, “Here you go!” It’s going to be deep, and it’s going to be intense. I feel like this year, I’m ready for that. That’s very exciting.  

BRIGIT: Fabulous! It’s going to be a very good year. That’s awesome! So, tell me Mel, where can people find out more about you?   

MELANIE: I’ve got a website. It’s thevelvetchair.com.au. I also have an Instagram called @thevelvetchairofelwood, and I have a Facebook group. I’m socially connected, if you like.  

BRIGIT: Good! We’ll make sure that we post those links on the Biddy Tarot website as well. Now, obviously, you’re doing readings in Melbourne, Australia. Are you also doing them online?   

MELANIE: I haven’t yet, but I am definitely open to doing it online. Via Skype would be great, I’d love to see the person I’m talking to. So, if I do start to venture online, definitely a Skype, or some kind of video conferencing, but absolutely available for people outside Melbourne.  

BRIGIT: If you’ve heard Mel speaking and you’re like, “Yes! I want more of this,” you can also have a Skype call. You don’t have to be in Melbourne. Mel is here and ready to go. Mel, it’s been an absolute pleasure to chat today and to hear more about your journey. I’m super excited about where you are right now and where you’re heading. I think it’s just going to keep exploding and expanding in beautiful ways. Thank you for everything that you’re doing. Thank you for being here today, and I wish you heaps and heaps of success.  

MELANIE: Thank you! Thank you so much for having me today, but also, as part of the course. That’s a brilliant course, so thank you so much.  

BRIGIT: My pleasure, awesome! All right, thank you. So, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Mel O’Rourke and I. Loved hearing her stories, and I really resonated with her journey. We share so many similarities. From that corporate world through to integrating the more spiritual self with a professional self, and then finally, bringing those two together to create this amazing business. 

I really want to say a massive congratulations to Mel. I think she’s done an amazing job. From taking part in our Biddy Tarot Certification Program and then being able to channel everything that she’s been learning in that experience, into her work. As you’ve heard today, she’s done an amazing job of that. 

Remember, you can find out more about Mel at thevelvetchair.com.au. If you’re in Melbourne or near Elwood, awesome! You can go and experience her beautiful space. Otherwise, reach out to her, because she is also available for online readings. Alright, that is it for today. If you are inspired to become a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader yourself, and to experience our Biddy Tarot Certification Program, which includes training, as well as the free readings experiences, plus certification at the end, make sure you check it out at BiddyTarot.com/certification. Have an awesome week. I will connect in with you again next time. Bye for now! 

The post BTP121: From Ad Exec to Tarot Reader with Melanie O’Rourke appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

BTP122: From the Archive: From Party Trick to Trusted Tarot Advisor

Tarot isn’t just a cheap party trick! While it might be fun to share with your friends over a glass of wine and a few laughs, the cards can be used for so much more. For Episode 122 of the Biddy Tarot Podcast, we’re pulling one of our most popular episodes from the archive where Brigit shares 3 ways to get taken seriously as a Tarot reader. Listen as she explores how to evolve from sharing Tarot tricks with your friends to becoming a trusted Tarot advisor, helping to empower your clients to step into their inner wisdom and live in alignment with their highest selves.  

In this episode, Brigit answers:  

What is a trusted Tarot advisor?  
What happens when you become a trusted Tarot advisor?  
3 ways to get taken seriously as a Tarot reader  
How Tarot certification might benefit your readings

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES  

Learn more about the Biddy Tarot Certification Program here  
Free Tarot Readings from the Biddy Tarot Community members  

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 122: From Party Trick to Trusted Tarot Advisor—3 Ways to Get Taken Seriously as a Tarot Reader. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

BRIGIT: Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. As always, I am so excited to have you here and to be talking about Tarot. 

Now, today, I’m dipping into the podcast archives and bringing you an episode about how to go from party trick to trusted Tarot advisor.  

In this episode, I talk about the 3 ways to really get taken seriously as a Tarot reader. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first started to read Tarot, I was a little bit worried that people would think that I was just doing something a little bit frivolous on the side, or that maybe I was messing with something that I shouldn’t be. 

What I started to discover, the more and more that I got into Tarot, was that Tarot is incredibly enriching, and there is so much more to Tarot than what we realise. That’s why I wanted to bring this podcast episode out of the woodwork, out of the archive, and bring it to you again today, because I think it may have a very important message for you. 

Even if you’ve heard it in the past, I suggest you listen to it again because you’re going to find some really helpful ways to get taken seriously as a reader. 

LET’S CELEBRATE! 

Now, before I play this episode, I wanted just to celebrate the five-star podcast reviews that you have left. I appreciate you so much, and I really want to honour those reviews by sharing them here on the podcast. 

The first one is from CurlyQforYou—what a cute name! She writes: 

“Best podcast! Brigit makes Tarot so approachable. This podcast is interesting for both the novice and the pro, and she so beautifully combines the mystical with the practical. Keep them coming!” 

Well, thank you so much! I appreciate that very much. 

Here’s another one from Pez9185 in the U.S. Pez says: 

“She’s really nice to listen to, and she has so much information. I’m trying to put together the money to take her upcoming classes that she seems to have a unique and easy-to-follow style, which seems to jive with me. Most of all, it’s nice to hear her positivity, which will brighten your day.” 

Absolutely gorgeous—I love it! Thank you. 

And one final one… This is from MagicAndMedicine, also in the U.S. This person writes: 

“I’m just starting to read Tarot, and the Biddy Tarot Podcast is a super helpful resource in helping shape me into a reader. I love listening and engaging in this way. For me, it’s much easier to learn and absorb than by reading books. I appreciate the interactive aspect, and thanks, Brigit, for sharing your experience and wisdom in this way.” 

Well, thank you for leaving a five-star review. I truly do appreciate it. If you’re really enjoying this podcast, please head over to iTunes, leave a review, leave a star rating. It helps get this podcast in front of the people who probably need it most, and gets it out to an even wider audience so that Tarot starts to become more and more normal, everyday and part of the mainstream. That is my vision! 

OK, we’re about to head into this podcast episode… 

Now, one other thing I just want to share with you is, if you’re listening to this podcast as soon as it’s come out, you are welcome and invited to my free training webinar. You can go to BiddyTarot.com/Webinar. We’ll talk all about how you can go from party trick to trusted Tarot advisor. Check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Webinar. 

Look, if you pass the date, go over to that page anyway. We might have something interesting for you after it’s run, but otherwise, I hope to see you in that free training as well. 

OK, let’s get right into this podcast episode. Here we go! 

FROM PARTY TRICK TO TRUSTED TAROT ADVISOR—3 WAYS TO GET TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A TAROT READER 

Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. As always, I am super excited to be talking with you about Tarot.  

Today, we’re going to be talking about how to go from a party trick Tarot reader to a trusted Tarot advisor. Tarot is often seen, sadly, as just this fun party trick, but you and I know both know that there is so much more to Tarot than people really realise. In today’s podcast, I’m going to be sharing three ways to help you get taken seriously as a Tarot reader and really step into that trusted Tarot advisor role.  

I want to talk a little bit about “party trick” Tarot readers. I don’t know about you, but unfortunately, there’s kind of this perception out there around Tarot and just being this cheap party trick. Maybe you can picture someone sitting at a party with a couple of girlfriends hanging around. They’ve been drinking a few wines, and someone says, “Hey, let me get my Tarot cards out! Let’s see what’s in our future.”  

Someone asks, “Oh, tell me about my future husband!”  

Then the reader might just draw a few cards, and everyone is just in fits and giggles about the Knight of Cups, or maybe you’re getting the Devil, and you’re like, “Woo! Everything is getting a bit raunchy!”  

But what happens in these readings is you might have a bit of a laugh and a giggle at the time, and it’s great entertainment, but really, does anybody walk away with any change in their lives?  

What often happens is it’s kind of a take-it-or-leave-it message. If it’s a good one, you might remember it. If it’s a bad one, you forget it and go, “Oh, I hate the Tarot now! It’s told me all of this bad news!” As a reader, you’re just not having much of an impact, and everyone just walks away from that reading really not remembering much—and it wasn’t to do with the wine, of course!  

The problem with party trick Tarot readings is you just don’t have much of an impact as a Tarot reader, and there typically isn’t much change. You might give some advice in that reading, but it’s a take-it-or-leave-it, and oftentimes people don’t put that advice into action.  

Worse, your reading just isn’t taken seriously. Even if you’re starting to try to put a bit of heart and soul into it, if you’re reading like a party trick Tarot reader, unfortunately, your client is not necessarily going to take that reading seriously.  

Look, party trick Tarot readings are always a little bit of fun, and I’ll be honest—I’ve done party trick readings myself before, and it’s a laugh. But I know (as I’m sure that you know as well) there is so much more to Tarot than just this entertainment value. If you’re feeling called to something more, let’s talk about what that really is.  

THE TRUSTED TAROT ADVISOR 

I see it as the trusted Tarot advisor. To me, that’s the ultimate. That’s where I want to really elevate my readings into that space of being seen as a trusted Tarot advisor. I mean, think about those words: trusted. As a client, I can put my trust into you that I can share what’s really going on for me, and I can trust the information that you’re sharing with me and that I can put that into place in my life—Tarot advisor.  

“Advisor” is a really powerful word. It is about giving advice. Not telling you what to do but just giving you advice about how you can create a more powerful, inspired life. For me, “trusted Tarot advisor” is kind of the pinnacle of Tarot reading and what I and many, many others aspire to. I don’t what to blow my own trumpet; I’m saying that I aspire to it. I feel like that’s where I’m at. As a Tarot reader, that’s what I embody, this “trusted Tarot advisor.”  

So, think about that “trusted Tarot advisor.” When she’s doing a reading, it’s a whole different experience. It’s not just a quick five-minute reading while you’ve been sipping on your wine with a few girlfriends. It’s often a reading where you’ve really created the space for it.  

You’re sitting there with the person you’re reading for, and you’ve set an intention for the reading. You’ve dived into the question that they’re asking, and you’re not going in for those fun, entertaining questions, like “What’s my future husband going to look like?” You’re actually exploring things that can be actioned and that would create positive change for someone.  

It might be “How can I open myself up to receive love?” instead of “What is my future husband going to look like?” You’re having this beautiful conversation around the cards, and it’s not just trying to think about what a card means and look it up on your iPhone; it’s actually really leaning in and reading those cards intuitively with the person that you’re reading for.  

As a Tarot reader, you’re not the one going, “OK, the card says this, and you must do this.” It’s having that conversation. It’s a two-way flow, and that’s what really creates this trusted Tarot advisor environment.  

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE A TRUSTED TAROT ADVISOR 
#1 BIGGER IMPACT 

Number one, you’re having a much bigger impact with your client. They’re actually listening to what you have to say. They’re tuning into the messages. And you’re also playing this beautiful role of helping your client tune into their inner wisdom. I am all about getting within ourselves for our answers. When we start to rely on external authorities for the answer, we are losing touch with our source of truth and who we really are. For me, it’s all about “How do we bring ourselves back into trusting our intuition, our inner wisdom, and our inner guidance and voice?”  

As a trusted Tarot advisor, what you’re doing is you’re helping your client connect with their inner wisdom, and that’s incredibly powerful because it means they’re not necessarily relying on you or the Tarot cards all the time; they’re learning how to trust their gut, and your Tarot cards are helping them in that process, but ultimately, they know how to trust their gut.  

#2 SHOWING POSSIBILITIES  

Now, what’s also great about being a trusted advisor is you’re showing people possibilities. You’re not saying, “This is going to happen next, and then this other thing will happen. Your relationship is going to break up, and then you’ll find someone else, but they won’t be very good either.” You’re actually showing possibilities.  

“If you choose to take this path, then this is what you might experience. But if you take this other path, you might experience this.”  

Now, this is important because what’s happening is you’re honouring free will, and you’re not just saying that everything is just laid out for you and out of your control. You’re actually reinforcing that sense of empowerment and “You have choices, and ultimately, knowing what those possibilities are enables you to make better decisions in your life.”  

#3 MANIFESTING GOALS  

And the final reason it’s awesome to be a trusted Tarot advisor is that you’re helping people manifest their goals and their dreams. Again, incredibly empowering and powerful because it’s not just saying that “This is what’s going to happen to you,” but it’s about connecting in with “What do you really want to have happen here? OK, awesome. If that’s your goal, what do you need to get to that goal? And if you take these different paths, how is that going to get you closer to your goal?”  

That kind of reading is a trusted Tarot advisor kind of reading! It’s not a party trick reading. That’s why I really want to encourage you to embrace this idea of becoming that trusted Tarot advisor. The impact is bigger, you have a better influence, you can create positive change—all of that good stuff. Hopefully, I have you on board with me in terms of becoming that trusted Tarot advisor.  

Now, here’s the thing…  

If you want to become a trusted Tarot advisor, you need to be taken seriously as a reader. You need your clients to take you seriously, and if you want your clients to take you seriously, then you have to take you seriously. It’s a big mindset shift, and I really want you to start stepping into this place where you’re thinking about “How do I take Tarot seriously? If I want other people to take me seriously as a Tarot reader, how do I start taking Tarot seriously myself?” Incredibly important.  

3 WAYS TO GET TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A TAROT READER  

I’m going to talk with you about three ways that you can start to really set yourself apart as a Tarot reader and start taking yourself seriously as well when it comes to Tarot.  

#1 INVEST IN LEARNING  

The first way to do this is to invest in learning the fundamentals of Tarot and the skills that are really going to set you apart.  

What do I mean by this?  

Well, at a very basic level, learn what the cards mean, and learn how to do a Tarot reading—some basic steps. Three-card readings, how to go from start to finish when you do a reading, and how to really investigate and inquire into what the cards mean in each of those readings.  

That’s the basics, but I also want you to be investing in understanding how to use your intuition in a Tarot reading. This is where you start getting a little bit more next level with Tarot readings. Really get into how to use your intuition.   

How do you bring intuition into a reading, so you’re not just memorising the Tarot card meanings and recalling what they all mean (because that’s kind of boring and dull)? It’s more about integrating your intuition into your reading and using that intuition to support a beautiful conversation.  

That leads me into the next thing.  

This is about how to have those meaningful conversations, so you need to get the skills to have those conversations.  

I’ve come across a number of readers who say to me, “I thought as a Tarot reader, I have to just be talking the whole session!”  

No! In fact, it’s a lot better if you’re actually having a two-way conversation because you’re engaging your client in the reading. Again, you’re transferring that power not just from you, the all-knowing Tarot reader, but to the client as the person who can actually trust their own inner wisdom and their inner guidance. So, getting the skills to have those conversations is incredibly important.  

There are loads of different techniques that you can use throughout a reading to really engage your client, to get them to think on a deeper level, and to encourage that level of inner wisdom to come through.  

Another aspect of investing into those fundamental aspects of Tarot and the skills to really set yourself apart is how to get to the heart of the question.  

A lot of people just take the question on face value.  

“You want to know when you’ll get that new job. OK, let’s pull a card.”  

You pull a card and go, “Oh gosh, not quite the right card for the question.” Everything starts to feel a little bit off.  

It’s about learning about how to get to the heart of a question so that when you do draw the cards, it gives you the answers you need.  

For example, if you were asking “When will I get the new job?” and then you suddenly realise “Oh goodness me, I don’t really believe that there are set timing for things, and we actually have choices, and it all depends on the actions you take,” then you’re like, “Oh man, I need to restart this reading.”  

But if you get to the heart of the question before you start the reading, you’re going to have a much better quality of reading.  

These kinds of things are all part of really good Tarot training programs. Of course, I think our programs are awesome. I am incredibly biased, but it’s also the feedback that we get from our students. All of these kinds of things are included in our Tarot trainings. It’s not just about that base level of understanding of what Tarot cards are and how to do a reading.  

How do you create these meaningful conversations?  
How do you get to the heart of the question with your clients?  
How do you create sacred space and get into an intuitive flow with your clients?  

Again, that’s what we cover in these programs.  

I can’t remember the fancy title for it, but I’m a Master Practitioner of Neuro-linguistic Programming. There’s this really interesting way of using language as a way of shifting people’s perceptions and their thoughts, and I’ve integrated a lot of what I’ve learned from my NLP training into how you could do a Tarot reading with someone so that, again, it’s not just about how you interpret the cards, but it’s how you navigate that conversation with somebody—really, really important stuff. These kinds of things are just what takes you to that next step as a reader.  

I could just keep going on about this stuff for a long, long time, so let me move into the second way for how you can get taken seriously as a Tarot reader.  

Now, this all comes down to practice.  

#2 PRACTICE  

Oh, my goodness! When I was first starting to learn Tarot, sure, I sat in my bedroom doing a lot of readings for myself, but there came a point where I was just like, “You know what? I don’t really have any more questions, and I kind of already know what my situation is, so I’m not really getting any extra value in this practice.”  

I started reading for my friends, and it was great at the start, but then they also ran out of questions, and I kind of knew too much about them anyway to really know if it was my intuition or if it was more about what I knew of their lives.  

That was when I decided to start giving free Tarot readings to people I didn’t know.  

The experience, the change in the way that I started reading Tarot was huge, absolutely huge, because it forces you to really get your intuition to kick into gear. You end up reading for people all around the world, all different kinds of questions, all different cultures as well, different approaches to life.  

My ethical boundaries were challenged in a really good way. It got me very clear about what I will say yes to and what I won’t do as a Tarot reader. I got very clear about what my actual skills and talents were. It was amazing.  

I’m not alone in this. We have many people who are part of our Biddy Tarot Community, and they are offering Free Tarot Readings to the general public in exchange for feedback.  

One of our readers, Garrett—oh, bless him! He is amazing. Literally, just a few months ago, he knew hardly anything about Tarot. But he joined our Community, he got some of our books, and he started learning.  

He jumped onto the Free Tarot Readings in November of last year. He did the first few incredibly nervous, really scared, but he persevered, and he started getting feedback.  

This feedback was amazing! His clients were going, “Whoa! This reading is out of this world.” His confidence just went through the roof.  

And do you know what happens when your confidence is just booming? You become even more confident. When you’re confident, you’re doing a really awesome job.  

I think it was after about his tenth or eleventh reading, and after receiving very consistent positive feedback, he said, “You know what? I think I’m actually ready to start charging for my readings.”  

This guy is an amazing manifestor. He created his website, and he’s already got a steady flow of clients coming through the door—and all because he just took that leap of faith and started practicing giving those readings with people he didn’t know.  

He’s not alone. There are so many of our other students who have had that nervousness of “Do I do this? Do I not do it? Am I ready? Am I not ready?” and they jump onto the Free Tarot Readings, they give the free readings, and within a few readings, their confidence has gone through the roof, and they realise, “I’m actually pretty good at this. I didn’t know it, but I am, and this is amazing.” Then they go on to do awesome things.  

Practicing with people that you don’t know is incredibly important. In terms of being taken seriously as a Tarot reader, you are presented with so many opportunities to establish your boundaries as a reader, to improve your Tarot reading skills, to find out and discover what your true Tarot talents really are.   

That’s thing #2: Practice with people you don’t know, especially those free Tarot readings—very, very important.  

Let’s move on to the third way to be taken seriously as a Tarot reader. This one is, of course, very dear to my heart, especially at this time of year.  

#3 CONSIDER GETTING CERTIFIED AS A TAROT READER  

Whenever you bring up Tarot certification in the Tarot community, there are always people who say, “You don’t need Tarot certification—what a joke. It’s just a really expensive piece of paper, thanks very much.”  

Well, I really challenge that idea because when it comes to something like the Biddy Tarot Certification Program, it definitely is not just a piece of paper.   

For Biddy Tarot Certification, getting certified means getting that training, what we just talked about in terms of not just the fundamentals of Tarot but the training in how you become a trusted Tarot advisor.  

Plus, it’s about getting the practice, that practice we just talked about, doing free Tarot readings and building up your experience, your confidence, and learning where your boundaries lie as a Tarot reader.  

And it’s also about getting the support. We have live monthly coaching calls together, and you’re getting access to our Biddy Tarot Community, of which there are over 1,000 members. And these are people who love Tarot just as much as you do, so it’s pretty exciting.  

When you get certified, this is what it does for you…  

It shows that you actually take your Tarot practice seriously, and you’ve invested in yourself. It also confirms to yourself that you have the skills to be a trusted Tarot advisor.  

I had a chat with Jess Carlson a little while ago. Jess was saying to me she had been doing professional Tarot readings for quite a while, and then she saw the Biddy Tarot Certification Program come up, and she thought, “You know what? I’m ready for that. I would love to be certified.”  

For her, it wasn’t really about getting the extra skills (although she actually found that she learned quite a lot in the program that she didn’t already know).  

For her, it was about having that extra validation that she knew what she was talking about. It gave her that little extra boost of confidence that she had been part of this program and had that certification from a respected organisation like Biddy Tarot. Certification can definitely confirm that you’ve got the skills.  

Finally, it really builds credibility with your clients, and it gives you the opportunity to raise your prices or perhaps even just start charging for your readings.  

When you have that certification, it shows your clients that you take Tarot seriously and that you’ve invest in yourself, and that actually adds value to you as a reader so that, instead of just going, “Oh, 20 bucks for a one-hour reading,” you can say, “You know what? I’m actually a certified reader,” and that boosts your credibility so that you can actually start charging more like $100 for a one-hour reading.  

So, do consider getting certified because there are a lot more benefits than just an awesome certificate that you can put up in your Tarot reading room, but there’s a lot more that goes on when you receive that certificate, and you know that you’ve done the training, you’ve had the practice, and now you have that extra validation of your skills and what you can offer to your clients and your community as well.  

WRAP-UP 

So, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed that podcast episode from the archives. 

Now, there are a couple of things I want to let you know about… 

FREE WEBINAR! 

If you’re listening to this podcast episode straight away, then the good news is that you can jump on my free training, which is happening today or tomorrow, depending on when you’re listening to it. 

You can check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Webinar. 

Now, in this free training, I’m going to show you exactly how you can go from party trick to trusted Tarot advisor with 5 simple steps that are going to help you nail your readings every time. 

Check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Webinar. 

BIDDY TAROT CERTIFICATION 

Now, the other exciting news is that the Certification Program is now open—very exciting indeed! Let me just share a little bit about what the certification program is all about, because this is what is truly going to help you go from that party trick Tarot reader to a trusted Tarot advisor. 

Now, you can find out more at BiddyTarot.com/Certification. 

And here’s what I want you to know up front… 

This is more than just a piece of paper to say you’re a good Tarot reader. 

You know me—I do so much more than just give you a piece of paper! The Biddy Tarot Certification Program is a comprehensive training, experiential and certification program. 

For the first 3 months, we focus on mastering the Tarot card meanings with my signature course. 

And at the same time, you’re going to be inside of our Biddy Tarot Community, connecting with people who also love to read Tarot. You can ask them questions. You can even start practising your Tarot readings inside of the Free Tarot Readings platform—super helpful! 

And we’re going to be jumping on a call each month during the time of the Certification Program, so that way, you get direct access to me, and you can ask me any questions about the program or about Tarot. 

Now, the second 3 months, you’ll be focused on Read Tarot with Confidence, which is our second training program. 

Now, at this stage, you’ve probably got a pretty good amount of confidence, and you’re ready to go, so this is also when you start doing your Free Tarot Readings. The idea here is that you’re reading for strangers in a really safe learning environment, and you’re putting all of the skills that you’re learning in the course into practice by reading for real people who give you real feedback—that’s for sure! 

Now, at the end of those two key training programs, you’re then invited to apply to become a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader. 

This is really where the rubber hits the road because this is stepping into that trusted Tarot advisor space. 

Now, you’ll be asked to do a couple of sample readings, to submit a log of the readings that you’ve done over the last 6 months, and a few other things, like how you see Tarot and so on. 

Now, the idea of the Tarot Certification application isn’t to say, “You must read exactly like I do.” I don’t want that at all! In fact, I strongly encourage you to create your own unique style. 

What I do look for in your Certification application is that you are providing a really enriching experience when you’re doing a Tarot reading, that you are becoming that trusted Tarot advisor. 

So, there you have it. That’s what’s inside of the Certification Program. There’s actually even a few extra things besides what I’ve just mentioned, but you can find out more about it at BiddyTarot.com/Certification. 

Between now (April 17th in some parts of the world) and the 24th of April, you can join the Certification Program. 

Now, we only open the doors once per year, so if you want to become a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader, and you want to have that comprehensive training, experience, and the certification at the end, then make sure you sign up for the 2018 program, because we won’t open until 2019 again, and that’s a very long way away. 

Check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Certification. 

If you’re listening to this after April 24, no worries! Jump over to that page, and you can sign up for when we open up again next year. 

Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate you so very much, and I can’t wait for our next episode. Bye for now! 

The post BTP122: From the Archive: From Party Trick to Trusted Tarot Advisor appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

25 Easy Three Card Tarot Spreads

Easy Three Card Tarot Spreads 

When I first started to learn to read Tarot, I thought I needed to master the 10-Card Celtic Cross to be a good Tarot reader. But every time I used the popular Tarot spread, I felt completely confused and frustrated, unable to see the forest from the trees and not knowing what my reading was trying to tell me.  

Enter the three-card Tarot spread.  

Finally – a way to quickly and accurately answer my questions, with just three Tarot cards.  

Sure, there are tons of fancy (and complicated) Tarot spreads that have ten, twenty, even all seventy-eight Tarot cards in them. But if you want to get to the heart of your question, then the best place to start is with a simple three-card Tarot reading.  

It doesn’t matter whether you are a Tarot beginner doing a reading for the first time or a seasoned professional with decades of experience – a three-card Tarot reading will give you the crystal clear insight you need. Seriously, you can get super deep with just three cards.  

To get you started, here are 25 easy three-card Tarot spreads for you to use in your readings.  

General Three-Card Tarot Spreads  

Past / Present / Future  

The nature of your problem / The cause / The solution  

Current situation / Obstacle / Advice  

Situation / Action / Outcome  

Context of the situation / Where you need to focus / Outcome  

What I think about the situation / What I feel / What I do  

Example:  

Three Card Tarot Spreads for the Future  

We all know that Tarot cards aren’t going to give you lottery numbers or predict exact events, but they are an incredibly useful tool for guiding you into the future you want.  Read more about my feelings the Tarot’s predictive abilities here.  

Where you stand now / What you aspire to / How to get there  

What you aspire to / What is standing in your way / How you can overcome this  

What will help you / What will hinder you / What is your unrealised potential  

Three Card Tarot Spreads for Understanding the Past  

What you can change / What you can’t change / What you may not be aware of  

What worked well / What didn’t work well / Key learnings  

Three Card Tarot Spreads for Love and Relationships   

You / The other person / The relationship  

What you want from the relationship / What they want from the relationship / Where the relationship is heading  

What brings you together / What pulls you apart / What needs your attention  

Three-Card Tarot Spreads for Decision-Making and Choices  

Do you run to your trusty Tarot deck when you’ve got a tough choice to make?  I know that I certainly do. Over decades of consulting my deck in times that I needed direction, I noticed a number of helpful cards kept popping up.  That’s why I made a list of the Top 10 Tarot Cards for Decision Making. You can read it here.  

Strengths / Weaknesses / Advice  

Opportunities / Challenges / Outcome  

Option 1 / Option 2 / Option 3  

Option 1 / Option 2 / What you need to know to make a decision  

The solution / An alternative solution / How to choose  

Three-Card Tarot Spreads for Self-Discovery  

Mind / Body / Spirit  

Your conscious mind / Your sub-conscious mind / Your super-conscious mind  

Material state / Emotional state / Spiritual state  

You / Your current path / Your potential  

Stop / Start / Continue  

What the Universe wants you to be / The personal qualities required / Specific action required  

Are you struggling to read Tarot for yourself?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone! We created a free guide to help you.  Download our 7 Steps to Read Tarot For Yourself With Clarity PDF now.  

Reading Tarot with these 25 three-card Tarot spreads won’t just give you a quick Tarot reading – they will help you get to the heart of your question and give you the crystal clear insights you are looking for. And ultimately, that means becoming a better Tarot reader who can help more people with your natural gifts and talents.  

More Tarot Spreads

Looking for more spreads?  You’re in luck! With the help of a few friends, I’ve created all different spreads to help you navigate your, year, life choices, relationships, and more.  Check out the Tarot Spreads archives here.  

The post 25 Easy Three Card Tarot Spreads appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

BTP120: How to Be an Authentic Tarot Reader

 

 

When I first started reading Tarot, I thought that being “authentic” meant that my readings had to be 100% accurate, I was widely recognized as a professional, and I belonged to an accredited association.  Boy, has my perspective changed! Now, I’ve come to see that for me, authenticity is more about connecting to my intuition and my true self.  

In this episode of the Biddy Tarot Podcast, I’ll discuss my personal journey to becoming what I consider to be an authentic Tarot reader.  I’ll also touch on how to share your authenticity with clients and how we as Tarot readers can shift society’s perception of Tarot. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

All about my personal journey to becoming an authentic Tarot reader 
What “authentic” means in the context of Tarot reading 
About intuitively based readings  
How to build a relationship with your clients  
How you can become an even more authentic Tarot reader 
Shifting the perception about Tarot

Now, let’s get to it! 

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Biddy Tarot Certification Program

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 120: How to Be an Authentic Tarot Reader. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

BRIGIT: Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. As always, it’s my absolute pleasure to be talking with you all about Tarot. And today, we’re talking about a topic that is very close to my heart, and that is how to be an authentic Tarot reader. 

Here’s the sad reality… 

Unfortunately, many Tarot readers get a bad rap, whether it’s from being told that they’re just doing a silly, whether what they’re doing in the actual Tarot reading is just B.S., and you’re really only hearing what you want to hear, or it could apply to anybody. 

Even worse, sometimes Tarot readers are called evil and doing the work of the devil and disobeying the rules of the Bible. 

Again, some Tarot readers can be labelled as scammers or fraudsters, that they’ll just take your money and rip you off by telling that you’ve got curses and hexes, and trying to make you pay lots and lots of money to take away those curses and hexes. 

So, we are faced with this challenge where there is a lot of general misperception that Tarot readers just aren’t the real deal. Today, what I want to talk about is… 

How do we stand out from the crowd? 

How do we start to shift the perception of Tarot? Not just as individual readers, but as a wider community, as a tribe of readers, how do we start to present Tarot as this beautiful, authentic tool? How do you become an authentic Tarot reader? 

That’s what we’ll be talking about today. 

HOW TO BE AN AUTHENTIC TAROT READER 
MY JOURNEY TO AUTHENTICITY 

Now, I want to get started with my journey around what I thought was an authentic Tarot reader. Obviously, my goal (as with many of you) is to be an authentic Tarot reader. 

But authenticity often takes on different meanings or definitions or different expressions, and we think that we’re doing something that’s authentic, but as time goes on and maybe we learn more about Tarot, we start to see other ways of being an authentic Tarot reader. 

So, here’s the thing… 

When I first started reading Tarot, obviously, my goal was “How can I be the most authentic in my practice?” 

At that stage, I thought “authentic” meant being accurate with my readings, that I could accurately predict the future, that I could accurately tap into my client’s life and tell them everything that they needed to know, and surprise them with the level of detail that I knew about their life. 

I thought being “authentic” meant being right every time, that every time I did a reading, the client would walk away going, “Wow, you’ve told me something so new about my life, and everything you said is so right!” 

I thought that was authenticity. 

I also thought that being “authentic” meant giving the most in-depth meanings of the cards in my readings. When I would do an email reading, it would be a huge amount of detail and depth, with these long descriptions of the cards and what they meant for the client. 

Sometimes what that meant, though, was there wasn’t really a story or a thread or a summary of what the key messages were. Instead, it almost read like a book or even an academic textbook about what the cards meant versus what the actual answer was for that particular client. 

I also thought that being “authentic” meant giving clear messages and being direct in my advice and recommendations, not really leaving room for “Maybe this” or “Maybe that” or “Perhaps this” or “Here’s a possibility.” I thought being “authentic” meant saying, “This is how it is. This is what you need to do. This is what should happen.” 

I also thought “authentic” meant being professional. 

At this stage in my life, I was doing a university degree. I went on to working corporate. Being authentic and professional to me, at that stage, meant using very clear language, being not too… Not being your best friend, but at least being almost transactional, and keeping some level of distance, not really necessarily bringing all of my personal stories or personality into the reading, but just being “professional” and transactional, to be honest. 

I also thought being “authentic” meant belonging to an association. 

At that stage, I started to look for various Tarot associations online and locally, and I thought, “Oh, great, well, if I do that, that’s going to boost my credibility as a reader.” I joined those associations. I got a professional membership. I also went through a certification application as well. That really did give me that boost of confidence, knowing that I was backed by an organisation, and I had almost passed a test to show that I was an authentic Tarot reader. 

That’s what Tarot looked like for me when I was first starting to read Tarot. 

Now, over time, I started to really open up to using my intuition a lot more in my readings. Instead of reading by the book, I really understood the value of using my intuition in my readings and really trusting into that intuition. 

BECOMING AUTHENTIC 

When I started to apply that mindset—that my intuition could really help and support me in my readings—then authenticity started to take on a very different meaning for me as a Tarot reader. 

At that stage, being an authentic Tarot reader meant for me that I could trust my intuition. So, the more that I trusted my intuition, the more authentic I could be. 

It also meant that the overlapping of who I really am… I mean, being “authentic” is really about connecting in with who you really are and bringing that into everything that you’re doing, so trusting my intuition was really a first step to that in becoming more authentic in what I was doing in my readings. 

INTUITIVELY BASED READINGS 

Now, authenticity, at this stage, also started to come through by giving unique and specific readings based on my intuitive insights. 

Instead of doing a by-the-book reading that might have been a perfect representation of what you would find in the textbook, I started to really lean into my intuition and allow my intuition to open me up to a whole new raft of possibility when I was doing a reading. 

One of the examples I often give is this reading I was doing for a woman where she wanted to know if her ex would return to her. I pulled the Knight of Cups, and I noticed that this had a desert oasis in it, and it reminded me of this romance happening in the desert oasis. 

She said, “Well, I’m not in the desert oasis.” In fact, he was—with a new woman! 

These are these kinds of details that really come out when you’re trusting your intuition and allowing that to come through in your readings. 

Authenticity was very much about using my intuition more than I was using the book. When I first started, I thought it was very much about doing it by the book, and now it was much more about doing it by my intuition. 

Another piece to the authenticity was about speaking from the heart, from a place of truth even if that truth hurts. 

This kind of feeds into many things. One, in particular, is this concept of good cards and bad cards, and what do you do when you’ve got a negative message in the cards? 

I know some readers freak out and think, “I don’t want to give someone a really bad message here!” 

But when we are being an authentic Tarot reader, we speak from our hearts, and we speak our truth—again, even if that truth hurts in some way. 

For example, if someone has asked about a new relationship and what might unfold over the next three months, and you draw the Three of Swords, well, you have a choice. You can sugar-coat it and go, “Oh, you don’t have to worry about this. Surely, it’s just a temporary disagreement. It’ll pass. It’s all good.” Or you might actually see that card and say, “Oh, man, you know what? I’m really sorry, but I just don’t think this is the right relationship for you. But what’s neat with the Three of Swords is that it’s clearing the way for something better for you, something that’s more in alignment with who you really are.” 

In that case, you’re speaking your truth. You’re saying, “This is what I’m actually seeing in this care.” You’re not trying to censor it or soften it in any way; you’re conveying what you see, but you’re also doing it in a way that is serving the highest good of your client. 

And to me, that’s very much about authenticity. 

SETTING BOUNDARIES 

Then, finally, at this stage of my Tarot readings, authenticity was about setting boundaries. 

Earlier, it was about being professional, but then that started to evolve into this concept of setting boundaries and having a code of ethics. It’s very, very important, because for me to remain authentic in my readings, I need to have a personal code of ethics, a personal code, a personal set of guidelines around how I wanted to read and how I wanted to interact with my clients. 

Now, fast forward to right now, and I’ve read for over 10,000 clients online, mostly email readings. Some in-person readings, but mostly email readings. At the same time, I’ve built Biddy Tarot into what it is now. We have 15 team members. We’re a seven-figure business, and we are actively serving over 4 million people every year who come to visit our website. 

So, authenticity is really starting to evolve again, because yes, sure, it’s about being an authentic Tarot reader, but there’s something bigger for me in particular, and something is really coming through where it’s about… There’s this mission, this vision inside of me that it feels like it’s my purpose in life to share this in the world in a really, really big way. 

For me now, authenticity is about really lining up with who I really am, and being authentic truly starts with me, so I need to be the best person that I can be so that then I can be truly authentic in this world, so that I can really show up as who I really am. 

No more trying to put on my suit and be professional or pretend like I’m some gypsy Tarot reader, because that’s not who I am. 

For me now, being authentic is just showing up as me, who I am. Some people will agree with it; some people won’t. 

But so be it. 

It’s about being authentic. 

COMBINING TAROT WITH OTHER SKILLS 

I also think with being an authentic reader, this stage is very much about integrating Tarot with many other skills. For me, that’s been about integrating it with NLP (neurolinguistic programming), hypnotherapy, coaching, counselling, doing some wider reading around relationships, career, soul purpose, shamanic journeying. All of these things come into my Tarot practice in some way or another—and certainly in my business! 

I run this business very much from an intuitive, authentic place, and it’s because I haven’t just focused on Tarot. I’ve focused on many other areas as well. 

HOLD A SPACE FOR CLIENTS 

Another part of being authentic is really, now, I see it as holding a space for my clients and seeing the whole person in a reading. 

What does this really mean? 

Well, originally, I thought that being a good Tarot reader or authentic reader meant that I would need to give lots and lots of information, and it would all have to be correct and direct. It’s basically a one-way conversation. But what I’ve learned over time is that an authentic Tarot reading experience is actually one where I’m holding the space. I’m basically a conduit. 

The work is happening within the client. It’s not me telling the client what to do. It’s the client coming to realisations… 

“There’s this inner wisdom and power inside of me, not the reader telling me what to do, but the reader can help me dive further and deeper into who I really am.” 

So, my authenticity as the reader actually becomes “How do I transfer that authenticity to the client?” 

This is happening on a whole different level. Instead of focusing on “me, me, me” as the reader, I’m starting to shift my focus a lot more now to the client, and this is what I teach. I teach people to really focus on the client and how they can create authenticity for that client. How do they connect their client into that space where they can access their inner wisdom and inner power? 

EMPOWERING THE CLIENT 

Finally, at this stage of my reading and my connection with Tarot, being an authentic Tarot reader is about empowering the client and showing them how to use their intuition, rather than just reading for them. 

A large part of why I really now only read Tarot for close friends and for myself and for the business is I love helping people understand their own Tarot cards, and I love helping people to read their own cards. I think that’s where the magic is at. 

I feel that I am in my most authentic space now by teaching people to read their own Tarot cards, which is why you see Biddy Tarot exactly as it is right now. It’s so focused on helping others learn to read Tarot. And not just learn to read Tarot but also to trust their intuition and bring their intuition into their readings and then to create these beautiful, intuitive, authentic experiences not just for them but also for their client. 

DEFINING AN “AUTHENTIC” TAROT READER 

So, let’s talk a little bit about what’s an authentic Tarot reader. 

Just before I started recording, I looked up: What does “authentic” actually mean? 

Here’s what’s really interesting… 

This is, I don’t know, Google Dictionary! It says: 

Authentic: Of undisputed origin and not a copy, genuine. 

I think that’s really interesting. This is something I haven’t even picked up, but being authentic is about finding out who you really are, what your unique skills and talents are, and how you can bring that into the experience of your Tarot reading. 

It’s not about copying what other people do. It’s not about doing it by the book. It’s not about doing it by the rules. 

It’s about being genuine. 

And to be genuine, you really do need to have that full understanding of who you are and what makes you special and unique so that you can then project that out when you’re doing your Tarot readings. I think that’s fascinating! 

When I came to thinking about “How do we define an authentic Tarot reader?” I started writing down some notes, but then something said to me, “Hey, come on! You’ve got your Tarot cards. Why don’t we pull those out and see what the Tarot has to say about being an authentic Tarot reader.” 

I grabbed the Lumina Tarot deck, and I drew three cards. 

I tell you what—they could not be better in describing things. 

JUDGEMENT 

The first one was Judgement. In the Lumina, Judgement is represented by an eclipse. We see the darkness of the planet with the light coming from the back. To me, this represents that an authentic Tarot reader is able to see the light and the shade in any situation, even those good situations, like, “Oh, you’re going to get married, and it’s going to be amazing… And you’re going to need to focus on respecting one another or allowing each other to share opinions, even if they’re different from one another,” and so on. It’s about seeing light and shade. 

Judgement card also shows us to be unafraid of dealing with the shadows and to go through those dark moments, but to go through them with courage. You know, we all come up against dark times in our lives whether it’s for a few days—I mean, I often feel it around the moon cycles—or even for a few months or a few years, where perhaps you’re going through an up-levelling experience, a spiritual awakening, maybe even some rough times where maybe you’re experiencing depression or so on. 

The Judgement card reminds us that as authentic Tarot readers, we’re not afraid to step into those dark places and to explore the shadow: What is this darkness, and what does that mean for you? 

Judgement is also about helping others to hear the calling and to see the light. If you are walking through darkness, what is also the place that you’re heading towards? How can you move through this darkness in honouring what it is but also finding the end state, the end goal in that lightness? 

And, of course, Judgement is very much about powerful transformation. As an authentic Tarot reader, we are supporting our clients through powerful transformations, not just surface level. 

I mean, look, mind you—I don’t mind if you have a fun reading here and there that’s like, “All right, what am I going to do next week?” or “What should I cook tonight?” and you draw a Tarot card. That’s absolutely fine. 

And we can create these beautiful, powerful, transformative experiences for our clients as well. 

SIX OF WANDS 

The next card I drew was the Six of Wands. In the Lumina, it’s this beautiful pink and purple colour. It almost looks like a crystal crown. I just love the vibe of this card. To me, the Six of Wands shows that an authentic Tarot reader is empowering. It’s about empowering the client and helping them feel that they are aligned, that they are serving a purpose in life, that they are moving forward to a place where everything is going to work out. 

And it’s not sugar-coating! Please don’t think that this is sugar-coating. It’s more about helping someone come back into who they really are so that when they do project themselves out into the world, it’s a true reflection of their authentic self. 

In fact, in that way, when we’re all authentic Tarot readers, we have authentic Tarot clients. 

This is about making the client feel as if they can handle anything and helping the client to create an authentic life for themselves. 

Oh, I think this stuff is super juicy! 

THE MOON 

OK, the final card I drew was the Moon. In the Lumina Tarot deck, I love the Moon. It’s this beautiful woman with a gorgeous headdress on, and behind her is this purplish moon that shines over her. 

For me, this Moon card represents our connection to our intuition. As an authentic Tarot reader, we’re connected to our intuition. We’re also in a healthy space ourselves. I really do believe that when you are working on your own spiritual journey and your own spiritual hygiene, then you’ll be a much better Tarot reader. 

When you’ve got all crazy stuff going on in your life, and you’re still figuring things out, or maybe you’re going through a bit of a transformation but haven’t quite found your footing just yet, it may not be a good time to pick up the cards. It’s an important thing that you need to be looking after yourself before you’re helping others. Make sure that you’re in a healthy space yourself. 

And being an authentic Tarot reader with the Moon card is about having the intention to serve the highest good of all involved. It’s really important. We won’t come up against issues of scams or anything along those lines if we’re serving the highest good. We are here to help both ourselves and our clients and the greater community in these readings. 

And finally, the Moon reminds me of believing in your work and the value that you offer as a reader. There’s something beautiful about the woman in this card, and she really owns her space as an intuitive woman. As an authentic Tarot reader, own your space as an intuitive, authentic Tarot reader, as an intuitive person, and know that you offer so much value in your readings. 

I hope that you’re starting to see this picture of “What is this authentic Tarot reader?” I really do invite you to ask yourself what being an authentic Tarot reader means for you, because there may be some things that I’m talking about today that you’re like, “Nah, I’m not really gelling with that,” or maybe you’re like, “Yes, that! Definitely that!” 

HOW TO BECOME AN AUTHENTIC TAROT READER 

OK, I want to wrap this up with how to actually become an authentic Tarot reader with some tips to get you started. 

#1 BE AUTHENTIC WITH YOURSELF. 

Now, I truly believe that this begins with being authentic with yourself. To be a great Tarot reader, I think we need to be great people within ourselves first. Commit to being the best that you can be as a person. Really commit to your spiritual growth, your spiritual journey, your understanding, and create a life that you truly want to live. 

I always think it’s something that you are ready to brag about, and this is not to serve your ego. It’s more to create something that is exciting for you. 

Be authentic with yourself. Really come into your fullest potential. 

Practice good spiritual hygiene. What I mean by that is daily meditation, your daily Tarot card draw. If you’re feeling frazzled, don’t turn to drugs and alcohol. Find ways to manage these things in a more constructive way. And, of course, commit to your soul journey. We’re all on a journey to self-improvement and empowerment and so on. 

When you’re committed to that, then you can help others in a similar way. 

Start with being authentic within yourself in really discovering who you really are so that you can then project that outwards as you’re working with others. 

#2 COMMIT TO TAROT AS A SACRED PRACTICE. 

The second thing to become an authentic Tarot reader is to commit to Tarot as a sacred practice. Really believe in what you do. This translates through things like how you talk about your value, what you think of your self-worth, how you price your readings, who you read for, what your boundaries are. 

If you don’t believe in what you do, then your clients will not believe in you, and that whole concept of authenticity being about being genuine and not a copy, all of that starts to crumble if you don’t believe in yourself, so you’ve got to believe in the work that you’re doing. 

Honour the sacredness of Tarot, too. We can, of course, have fun with Tarot, and I really do encourage you to, but also acknowledge that there is some deep, sacred work that happens when you use Tarot cards. 

Create a sacred space. Invest time into meditating before you read, to clearing your mind, to setting intentions and so on. Don’t just necessarily whip out the cards, pull out a card, and go, “Whoop! That’s what it is!” and then pop it back in the deck and run off. Really, take your time and honour it as a sacred practice. 

I’m just looking at my notes… I think I got a little bit direct here. 

Three things: 

Don’t ask dumb questions. 
Don’t do dumb stuff with the cards. 
Don’t be a doofus! 

Basically, follow those rules, and you will have a sacred practice around your Tarot cards. 

#3 PERSONALISE YOUR CONNECTION WITH TAROT. 

What do I mean by this? Really bring yourself into your Tarot readings. That means reading from the heart and not just the book. Again, I thought that it was all about just doing it by the book when I first started learning, but as we saw with the meaning of authenticity—not a copy. And what that means is not copying. 

“Well, so and so does it like this; therefore, I must do it like that.” 

Find your own style. Personalise your connection with the Tarot. Find your own meanings. I mean, that’s why we have the Tarot Card Meanings Workbook, which is basically a blank workbook designed for you to write down your meanings of the cards, not just what you read in a book. 

Also, create and connect your life experiences with the cards. That way, you can support others and share your stories with them, and then they can relate to the journeys you’ve taken and how that might be unfolding for them as well. That’s #3, personalise your connection with Tarot. 

#4 BE PROFESSIONAL. 

Now, by this, I don’t mean that you have to put on a persona that is not you, but I do believe if you’re going to be working with other people in particular, then there needs to be some kind of level or standard that you have with those people that you’re working with. For example, you might set clear expectations and honour those expectations. 

I remember very, very early on, sometimes I would get a request for a reading, and I had a promise that I would deliver it in 2 days. Then someone might ring me on that second night and say, “Hey, you want to go out?” and in my head, I’m thinking, “I’ve got to do a Tarot reading! Oh, but maybe I could go out to the bar with my friend, and I’ll just do it tomorrow.” To me now, that seems ridiculous and totally out of integrity. 

If you are going to be an authentic reader, it’s about honouring those commitments that you’re making to others, and that to me is about professionalism as well. And, of course, if you do have paying clients, it becomes even more important because they are investing in you, and you need to invest in them as well. 

Part of being professional is having a code of ethics. Now, I know a code of ethics may seem a little bit dull, but it is incredibly important. With a code of ethics, you’ll probably find there are many different codes of ethics online, and if you’re part of an association or an organisation to do with Tarot, they often have the code of ethics they ask you to abide by, which is a great starting point. 

However, I recommend that you create your own, that you go through a process of self-inquiry around what is important to you. Where are your boundaries? Is it OK to read for someone who is under 18? And if it’s not, then why not? If it is, then why? Will you read for someone who is intoxicated? Will you read when you’re intoxicated? Or even if you’ve just had one little glass? Where are your boundaries? 

Now, in the Biddy Tarot Certification Program, we make sure that all of our certified Biddy Tarot readers have created their own code of ethics because this is so important in being an authentic Tarot reader. 

OK, so be professional, but do it with authenticity. Be an authentic professional. It doesn’t mean trying to put on a certain part of you that’s not you, if that makes sense, and focusing on those expectations, honouring expectations, and having a code of ethics. 

#5 CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT 

Now, finally, becoming that authentic Tarot reader is about continued improvement. We’ve talked already about the self-improvement and continually becoming a better person, basically, and continually being committed to your journey of the soul and honouring your soul purpose and so on. 

You can also invest in things like training. Now, I certainly recommend taking a course in Tarot, and of course, at Biddy Tarot, there are plenty of courses available, including our certification program. 

But I also recommend that you take courses in other areas. As I mentioned, I’ve done neurolinguistic programming and hypnotherapy, hypnobirthing, and even shamanic journeying, and all of these aspects have now integrated into how I work with the Tarot. 

I recommend that you also do similar things. It might even be in life coaching or counselling or energy work or Reiki, crystals or even something like executive coaching or speaking in ways that you could then integrate Tarot. 

Tarot Certification 

Now, of course, with training, you can become a certified Tarot reader if it appeals to you. There’s all sorts of debate around whether you should be certified as a reader or not. I think you need to tune into what’s important to you. 

Now, when I was first starting to read Tarot, becoming a certified reader was very important to me, and that helped me become confident in what I was doing. 

And something like the Biddy Tarot Certification Program is not just about that piece of paper; it’s also about the training that comes with it and the opportunity to practice your skills and get that experience. So, consider becoming a certified reader if that feels in alignment. 

Mentoring 

You might also think about mentoring. You can get a peer mentor, someone who is also reading Tarot, where you can share your experiences and ask questions of one another. As an example, we have Rebecca and Maddy who are inside the Biddy Tarot Community, and we have a Study Buddy assignment system, so we can link you up with another Study Buddy. Rebecca and Maddy now meet every week on Skype. They talk about their readings. They ask each other questions. It’s absolutely fabulous, and they have grown together. It’s beautiful. 

Now, mentoring can also come through a teacher to help you learn more, and even to become a teacher yourself, to mentor others. You don’t have to have 20 years’ experience! You could simply be someone who has taken a few steps on the journey and is now helping people who are a few steps behind you. That’s a really beautiful way to become an authentic Tarot reader. 

Practice 

Now, of course, you also need practice. This is part of your continued improvement. You need to have a ton of different experiences with different people to really work out and establish your boundaries as a reader and to discover “Well, who really am I as a Tarot reader? What makes me genuine and not a copy? How do I access my unique skills and talents to offer value for my clients?” 

Having that practice is really important, and again, it’s why we include our Free Tarot Readings inside of the Certification Program. You’re taking the training, and then you can take what you’ve learned in Master the Tarot Card Meanings and Read Tarot with Confidence and then go and do a few free readings for people, and it all falls into place. You have this unique experience that shows you, “Wow, I actually can do this, and people do value what I’m doing.” Practice is incredibly important. 

WHEN YOU BECOME AN AUTHENTIC TAROT READER 

Here’s the thing… 

If you do these things, if you really step into that place of being an authentic Tarot reader, here’s what’s possible for you… 

It becomes such a rewarding and enriching experience. Not just for you, because you’re focused on improving yourself and becoming more authentic not just in readings but in all aspects, but also think about the impact that you’re having on other people. You’re helping more people. You’re having a much bigger impact. In fact, for some of you, it might even be going forward and becoming a leader in the Tarot space by teaching or sharing what you’re learning along the way.  

From a more financial perspective, you can certainly charge more when you’re being more authentic in what you are doing, because you understand your value, and you have aligned with that value—that unique set of skills and talents that you have to offer. 

So, being an authentic Tarot reader is certainly something that I always strive towards. Basically, it’s not just for me. It’s not just about being an authentic Tarot reader now, because my focus has expanded in so many ways. But just how do I be more authentic in all things that I do? How do I bring all these parts of myself into full alignment so that what I’m offering the world is a true expression of who I really am? 

WRAP-UP 

I want to invite you now to think about what one action you can take today to become an even more authentic Tarot reader. Just think about that. What’s the one action you’re going to take today to increase your authenticity as a Tarot reader? 

Now, of course, if you do want to take this further, and you want to step into a place where you can get training, practice, experience, and certification, then I certainly invite you to check out the Biddy Tarot Certification Program. If you’re listening to this now as it’s come out live in April, know that the doors are opening later this month in April 2018, and you can find out more at BiddyTarot.com/Certification. 

Now, if you jump onto that page and see a waitlist, no worries. Just sign up for the waitlist, and we’ll let you know as soon as the doors open again. 

Inside of the Certification Program, you get access to our two best training courses. You get 7 months of access to the Community, which means you can connect to a thousand other Tarot lovers just like yourself. Plus, you get to practice your Tarot readings inside of the Community. You’re doing free readings in exchange for experience and for feedback from those you are reading for. Plus, there are Masterclasses inside of there and other training to support your learning journey. 

And then, of course, at the end, you can apply to become a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader, which simply means handing in a few sample readings, a log of your readings, your code of ethics, what you see Tarot as, who you are as a reader, all of this good stuff. All things to support you in becoming a more authentic Tarot reader. 

Check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Certification. 

Now, next week, we’ve got a really special guest. Her name is Melanie O’Rourke, and she is another Aussie but a really special kind of Aussie because she is a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader. Mel is going to share a little bit about her journey from being an ad executive, experiencing a bit of burnout, knowing that there was something more for her, and now stepping into a new career that involves Tarot and Reiki and creating her own business. I think you’re going to love that call. 

All right, that’s it from me for today. I hope you have an awesome, awesome day and week ahead, and I’ll catch you next time. Bye for now! 

 

The post BTP120: How to Be an Authentic Tarot Reader appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

Monthly Tarot Forecast for April 2018

https://youtu.be/SZNO5nJoR6s

In April 2018, you might find yourself wrestling with an emotionally manipulative person, but this will pass through, leaving you in a bit of a “Debbie Downer” space. If you find yourself feeling “Meh” about the opportunities presenting themselves to you this month, you might want to ask yourself, “Why am I turning this down?” You’re being called to pay attention to why you might be feeling emotionally disengaged from opportunities coming your way. You might be feeling conflicted about a particular issue. Battle it out within yourself to figure out what your true opinions and values are. 

Watch the Tarot card forecast to learn more about what’s coming up in April 2018 and how to make the most of the month ahead. 

Tarot deck used in this video: Lumina Tarot

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

 Hi, I’m Brigit, Founder of Biddy Tarot, and this is the Monthly Tarot Forecast for April 2018. As always, we’ll go through: 

What is passing through your life right now? What energy can you let go of? 
What energy is emerging in your life? Where are those new opportunities? 
What action can you take to make the most of what’s going on for this month? 

Let’s dig in! 

WHAT’S PASSING THROUGH? 

Passing through your life right now, we have here the King of Cups, reversed, and this is from the Lumina Tarot deck. With the King of Cups, reversed, he can be quite emotionally manipulative. He knows how to use his power and his emotions to affect change that, basically, suits himself. 

This can also represent someone that is a little bit moody and uses emotions to hold power over people. I don’t know if you can think of anyone right now in your life who kind of uses “I’m getting really grumpy right now, and that’s your fault,” or “I’m really angry because you did this,” but you might find you’ve got a bit of this energy happening in your life, perhaps with somebody else… Maybe even a bit of yourself if you’re really honest. 

But thankfully, this is what is passing right now. If you’ve got someone in your life right now that you find a little bit emotionally manipulative, this is the sign to let that person go and let them move on and resolve their own inner conflicts, in their own time and space. You don’t have to put up with their emotional B.S. Let that stuff go! 

WHAT IS EMERGING? 

Well, we have the Four of Cups here. Now, I wish this was a super positive message, but I feel that this is a little bit more about a truth talk. With the Four of Cups, we can sometimes take things for granted. 

We’ve got all of these opportunities that are being presented to us, but we’re feeling a little bit “Meh, I don’t really think that’s for me,” or “Whatever,” or not really allowing ourselves to engage emotionally in those opportunities. You might be in a bit of that “Debbie Downer” space, where you think, “It’s just not for me—I just don’t like it,” but without having any real reason for that. 

I really want you to check in this month. If you start feeling that “Meh” every time you are given an opportunity, really check in and say, “OK, what am I actually feeling here? And why am I turning this opportunity down when maybe there is actually something here for me?” 

You’ve got to question what it is that’s truly going to make you happy and how you can create more happiness and emotional stability in your life right now. You’re really being called to pay attention to this, particularly in this month of April. 

WHAT ACTION CAN YOU TAKE? 

What action can you take this month? Well, we have the Five of Wands, reversed. When you look at it upright, it’s two stags with their antlers locked in together. This is often a sign of conflict. Now, in the reversed position, it’s a sign of inner conflict. 

You might be finding that, even though you’re getting some opportunities, and you’re feeling a bit “Blegh,” with the Five of Wands, reversed, you need to actually go through a bit of this inner conflict to say, “Why am I feeling this way? What’s really going on underneath the surface?” You might actually be feeling conflicted about a particular issue, and you might not be clear yet about what your true opinion or values are. With this card, you’re being asked to have that inner conflict and battle it out with yourself. Figure out “Why am I feeling this way when I’m getting a new opportunity, and I’m just not excited about it? What’s really going on here?” 

If you’ve got an inner critic, an inner “mean girl” or some aspect of yourself that is that “Debbie Downer,” have a bit of an argument with that inner person. 

“What’s going on? All right, Debbie Downer, what is going on here?” 

WRAP-UP 

Be ready to battle it out on an internal level, and that will help to tease out what’s really going on. Find the true source of happiness. Find the colour back into your life, and bring that back in because that’s where you’ll find your joy, your happiness and your bliss. Battle it out, and you’ll get to that place eventually. 

I hope you have a really wonderful month ahead, and I look forward to sharing the Monthly Tarot Forecast with you again very, very soon. Bye for now! 

The post Monthly Tarot Forecast for April 2018 appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

BTP119: From the Archive: 5 Ways to Build Your Reputation as a Tarot Reader

Download the Free PDF: 5 Ways to Build Your Reputation as a Tarot Reader

There seem to be a lot of Tarot readers out there—both offline and online! How do you set yourself apart (and still get paid well for your energy and time)? In Episode 119 of the Biddy Tarot Podcast, we’ve dug into the archive to bring you a favourite episode, sharing 5 ways you can build your reputation as a Tarot reader. 

Additional Resources:

Download the Free PDF: 5 Ways to Build Your Reputation as a Tarot Reader

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 119: From the Archive: 5 Ways to Build Your Reputation as a Tarot Reader. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

Well, hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. Today, we’re going to be digging into the podcast archives to bring you one of my favourite podcast episodes, and this is all about how to build your reputation as a Tarot reader. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of people offering Tarot readings out there. Whether it’s online, on Etsy, just out on the street, there are Tarot readers everywhere, and you might start to think, “Well, maybe anyone can

just pick up their cards and say, “Yep, I’m a Tarot reader!” And where does that leave you if you’re wanting to perhaps build a business around your Tarot readers, or simply build and grow your credibility and reputation. 

Well, in this episode, I go through 5 different ways that you can really establish your reputation as a Tarot reader. 

I’ll talk about: 

The essential must-haves to make your Tarot business a cut above the rest 
How to make a stellar online web presence 
How to get those to-die-for testimonials 
How to do your own branding on a dime 
And the key investment to take you to that next level 

I think you’re going to really enjoy today’s podcast episode, so without further ado, let’s get started! 

5 WAYS TO BUILD YOUR REPUTATION AS A TAROT READER 

Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot podcast. I am so excited to have you here. 

If you jump onto Fiverr or Etsy, it seems like every man, or woman, and his dog will read your Tarot cards for five dollars. Or walk down the streets of Manhattan, and on every corner, you’ll find a “Psychic Tarot Reader” with a bright neon sign out the front. 

In fact, it’s becoming more and more difficult to truly stand out from the crowd as a reputable Tarot Reader that your clients can trust. 

So how do you do it? 

How do you stand out as a credible Tarot Reader? 

How do you build and create that solid reputation? 

In this podcast episode, I’m going to walk you through the 5 ways that you can build your reputation as a Tarot Reader. 

#1 ACT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL. 

So, let’s get into it with our very first way for you to really stand out as a reputable Tarot Reader, and that is to act like a professional.  

What do I really mean by this? 

If we’re going to call ourselves professional Tarot Readers, then we need to be professional—and that means being consistent. 

When I say consistent, that’s like if you’re going to have a blog as part of your shop front, or a newsletter, then please, please don’t write that newsletter that says:  I’m so sorry I’ve been away.  I haven’t been doing this for long and I’ve been on holiday. I know I haven’t been talking to you for a while… 

This just really gives a kind of negative perception of you as a business owner, and as a professional. 

It’s really important! If you say you’re going to do a weekly newsletter, do a weekly newsletter.  If you say you’re going to do a weekly blog, then do a weekly blog. 

All of this is sending a really strong message to your prospective clients about: 

Can I trust this person? 
And are they going to do what they said they were going to do? 

Because if someone wants to have a Tarot reading with you, and yet you’re sort of in and out in terms of connecting with them with newsletters, or being on your blog or on social media, they’re just going to be like, “I’m not sure if this reader really is legit, because she’s not turning up when she says she’s going to turn up.  And how do I know that she’s actually going to turn up for my Tarot reading?” 

So, really important: be consistent. 

And talking about turning up, make sure you turn up on time, and deliver as promised. 

If you’re going to say to your clients, “Yeah, I will do an instant Tarot reading, and you’ll get it in two hours,” have a think about that, because I don’t know about you, but I sleep eight hours, and there’s no way I would be waking up in the middle of the night to do a Tarot reading in two hours. 

Or even making the promise of 48-hour delivery – that’s awesome if you can actually do it.  For me, I can’t because I have other commitments in my life, and it’s just not possible for me to follow through on a 48-hour turnaround. 

Think about what you’re promising to your Tarot reading clients, and make sure you stick to it. And if you say that you’re going to meet your client at 9am on Monday morning, make sure that you are there at 9am. 

A little bit more about how do you act as a professional: 

Have a clear Code of Ethics. 

If you think about professionals in other industries, most of them will have that clear Code of Ethics and clear policies about how they operate. You expect a doctor to prescribe to a certain Code of Ethics that’s part of a Medical Association.  A lawyer certainly has a very clear Code of Ethics. 

So, as professional Tarot Readers, we also need to have that clear Code of Ethics and, again, Policies, and Terms and Conditions about: 

What can they expect from you as a Reader? 

And finally, treat your Tarot business like a business. Again, if you want to be professional, then be professional. 

This is all about how you can build your reputation as a Tarot Reader. Take it seriously! It might be a fun hobby that’s for sure, but if you want to really build up your reputation, it’s so important that you really give it the attention it deserves and you do act like a professional. 

#2 CREATE A PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING WEBSITE OR SHOP FRONT. 

Number two, create a professional looking website or a shop front. 

Maybe ten or fifteen years ago, you could have gotten away with a dodgy looking website, as long as it had the right content on it.  These days, it is so easy to create a beautiful looking website just using a free theme and adding a little bit of content to it. 

I don’t think that there are any excuses these days for having a dodgy-looking site. 

When you do have a more modern or professional looking website then, again, it sends a clear message to your clients that you care about your work, and that they can trust you.  They are sharing a lot of deep personal information with you, so they want to know that you will treat them with respect, and you are not just going to take their money and run and all those horrible things, because we know that’s not who you are, and we know that you want to do a great, great job, so having something like a professional looking website or shop front can be really beneficial. 

All you need to do if you want to have a nice website is select a clean, modern website theme, and I highly recommend using WordPress. 

It’s also important to have your own domain or URL – and so what I mean by that is have like BiddyTarot.com… Obviously, don’t have BiddyTarot.com—that one’s taken! But, as an example, have BiddyTarot.com and not biddytarot.wordpress.com. It’s very important you have your own domain.  They cost 10 dollars a year from GoDaddy.  It’s a very minimal investment. 

And, please, don’t set up your business on Facebook as the only place that you’re doing business.  Facebook can take away your account at any time, so imagine if you’d built up your whole business on Facebook and they took away your page and said you can’t access it anymore. 

Please set up your own website if you want to be operating online, and have your own domain and URL. 

Now, of course, if you’re not so much an online reader but you love reading in your local community, then make sure you have a really nice shop front. 

There’s a place down the road here, near where I live in Melbourne, and it’s a beauty therapist place. They have their sign out the front, and it’s obviously where someone lives.  It’s part of a house, and it’s just sort of attached to the house. But in the front yard there’s a broken cubby-house; there’s broken glass out the front of this house; the fence is in disrepair. It just looks shabby.  

And I tell you what—I do not want to go to a beauty therapist that has things like broken glass out the front, because I am worried about: 

Are they actually caring for their clients? 
And if they’re giving me a facial, what are they using in that facial? 
And how do I know that I’m not going to end up with a rash or something like that? 

It’s the same for us as Tarot readers! We want to make sure that our shop front, or our website, looks really nice and professional, and conveys that trustworthiness. Make sure you have a nice clean and tidy shop front, that you have clear signage, that signage wasn’t made by your 14-year old daughter, unless she’s like a super-star graphic designer, that it just looks nice. 

It’s also really easy to create a bit of a brand for yourself, too. 

Now, of course, you can go down one path, which is the path that I’ve taken, and invested in a huge amount of money and time in getting a brand, but you do not have to do that. 

It’s easy to think about: 

What do I want my main two colours to be? 
And what font do I want to use? 
And do I want to have a logo, or should I just use my name as the logo? 

…and then just stick with that, and have that branding on your shop front or your website. 

And really that’s all that you need.  You don’t have to go overboard with this.  You just want to make sure that when someone is thinking about engaging with you as a Tarot Reader, they have somewhere that really resonates with them, and has just a nice look and feel to it. 

So that’s it: Create a professional looking website or shop front. 

#3 PUBLISH TESTIMONIALS AND CASE STUDIES FROM YOUR BEST CLIENTS. 

Number three for building reputation as a Tarot Reader:  Publish Testimonials and case studies from your best clients. 

Now Step 1 to this is, go reach out to your clients that you’ve worked with already, and ask them if they could write you a testimonial. Now many people (your clients) will probably write a gorgeous testimonial to say, “It was amazing.  The reading was amazing.” 

That’s cool, that’s good. That’s kind of like Step 1. 

But if you’re going to ask for a testimonial, I suggest asking a couple of specific questions that they could respond to.  And that might be: 

What was life like before you had a Tarot reading with me? 
And then what was life like for you after the Tarot reading? 

You’re kind of digging around for a bit of story that says, “Maybe my Tarot reading was about a job that I didn’t really enjoy. Before the Tarot reading I felt really unclear about my job and if I could stay in it; and what are my other options?  And then after the Tarot reading, I felt immensely clear. I had a clear action plan. I had understood what the thing was that was underlying the issues to begin with.  And once I knew that thing, then I felt amazing and everything just started to move after that.” 

So, just having those two simple questions for your clients… 

What was life like before the reading? 
And what was life like now after the reading? 

And even, “What’s been possible for you since the Tarot reading with me?” 

That will give you much better testimonials and responses that you can use on your website or promotional materials. 

If you want to take it even a little bit further than that, then you could try out doing a case study. 

Now case studies are a little bit different to testimonials.  Testimonials are that little writing that you have on your website, it’s in nice little quotations, it says, “Jane says this…” It might have a photo as well. It’s really good if you can have a photo with that testimonial. 

But the case study takes it that little step further, and it tells a story about what happened for the client as a result of the Tarot reading. 

You might even (again, with your client’s permission, of course) create a video with your client and have your client talking on that video about how life changing that Tarot reading was, orr if they’ve had many readings with you, how many things have changed as a result of being connected with you as a reader. 

You could get it done professionally, or you could just do it yourself. Make sure you’ve got a tripod and nice lighting and all that kind of stuff, and then just edit it down into a short one-minute Case Study. 

Then other people can come onto your website and see: “Oh, wow, this person actually had some really amazing outcomes as a result of the Tarot reading.”  

That is way beyond, “Yeah it was really good – 5 stars!” That’s great, but telling the story around what was different, or what changed, for your client is way, way better. 

Of course, if you’re ever going to be publishing testimonials or case studies, make sure you have permission to publish from your client—and you want to have that in writing.  Also, I think it’s a good idea to be clear about where these things will be published.  Particularly for Tarot and people sharing information about themselves, there may be that concern. 

“I don’t really want you to share it on social media.  I don’t mind you sharing it here.” 

Or “I don’t want to you to share my full name—just my first name,” or photo or not photo—whatever it might be, You just want to make sure that your client is 100% comfortable with how you’re using their testimonials. Very, very important. 

Now, just a quick note about star ratings.  You can also have star ratings on, say, your Facebook business page, or in Yelp, or in other online review websites.  Star ratings are great because it’s sort of a quantifiable measure of your success as a Tarot Reader, or, more accurately, how people are perceiving your Tarot readings, but you do need to be prepared if you do get one-star ratings, or if someone has a secret vendetta against you and wants to put in these fake one-star ratings. I hope that doesn’t happen to you because that kind of negative feedback will also display, so just be aware of that. 

I think it’s nice just presenting testimonials and case studies, because you do have a little bit more control over which stories you can share with your prospective clients. Wonderful! 

#4 TAKE PART IN AN ACCREDITED TRAINING PROGRAM. 

OK, number four in terms of building your reputation as a Tarot reader: Take part in an accredited training program, particularly for Tarot, counselling or life coaching—whatever it might be. 

It’s really important that you train with a teacher that you trust, and who really inspires you. You want to find out, particularly with, say, a Tarot teacher:  Is the way that they read with the Tarot similar to the way that you read with the Tarot, or want to read with the Tarot? And make sure that it aligns with your personal values and the way that you kind of see the world. 

If you’re more of a coaching style of reader and you start training with a teacher who is all about predicting the future, and timing, and things like that, you might feel some misalignment there and not a great connection.  But maybe that teacher’s a little bit more fluid and flexible, and more into the intuitive side of things, and that’s good fit. 

If you’re selecting a teacher, then also think about:  Is this person well known and respected in the Tarot world? The thing with the Internet these days… I think the Internet is such a good enabler, but what it has meant is that almost anyone can jump online and go, “Hey, I’m a Tarot teacher.  I’m going to teach you how to read Tarot.” 

And, in fact, sometimes you can see those websites where it’s like: “Read Tarot – Make Money!!!” 

It’s kind of a little bit off-centre, I think.  Of course, you can make money reading Tarot, I fundamentally believe that, but it’s how you go about it; versus, “Do this, and you’ll be making a thousand dollars a day in six weeks.” It’s crazy. 

Just make sure that you’re training with a Tarot teacher who you respect, and who is known within the Tarot world as well.  And make sure that they are reputable, that you’ve heard good things about that person. 

Just do a little bit of research. Facebook is great these days because you can always jump onto a Facebook forum and say, “Has anyone else trained with so-and-so? How did you experience it?  Was it good?” 

You also want to think about for, say, a Tarot training program: Has it been accredited by a third party? Again, it’s very easy to get a Tarot course up online, and start teaching Tarot, but it’s another thing to have a Tarot course that has been accredited by another reputable organisation. 

For example, with Biddy Tarot, all of our training programs have been accredited by the International Institute for Complementary Therapists. 

Now we needed to submit a whole bunch of information from our course schedules, to how we make sure that our students are learning along the way, and it’s reviewed by the organisation.  And not everyone gets accreditation who applies for it, but we did, so we’re very fortunate in that respect. 

But it shows that the Biddy Tarot Training Programs are very solid and reputable. 

As you’re thinking about, “How do you improve as a Tarot reader?” think about, “How do I find a training program that is accredited and run by reputable Tarot teachers?” so that you can start to emulate a little bit of that success as well. 

And just remember that there are a lot of free Tarot training programs online.  Some are really valuable, and some… Well, they might give you some good insight into one particular area of Tarot, but they’re not necessarily going to give you an end-to-end experience.  Look for those Tarot training programs that are going to take you from “Here’s your new deck of Tarot cards,” to, “Wow, you are now reading for yourself and others, and feeling awesome about it!” 

Think about also:  Is there an opportunity to practice Tarot in a supported environment? It’s one thing to learn how to read the cards, but getting the practice is incredibly important in terms of becoming a reputable Tarot Reader.  You need that experience so that you can get that feedback and testimonials, and so you can feel really confident, no matter what the situation. 

And maybe is there an opportunity to be paired up with a mentor or a study Buddy? Again, having that one-to-one contact with somebody as you’re learning to read Tarot can be incredibly helpful to really build up your skills. 

For example, in the Biddy Tarot Community you can get access to our Free Tarot Readings platform, which is where you practice free readings until your heart is content, and we have it set up so that you get feedback from your clients as well. 

We also have a study buddy inside the Community, so you can connect with any one of the 500 members inside the Community and really grow and develop your Tarot skills; plus, we’ve got a Forum for the extra support. 

Overall, think about taking part in an accredited training program, where you do get that extra experience; you get one-to-one support; you know that you’re training with the Tarot Reader or teacher that you trust and respect; and, even better, if it’s been accredited by a third-party organisation to say, yes, this is a legitimate training program and it will achieve results. 

#5 CONSIDER BECOMING A CERTIFIED TAROT READER. 

And then finally to build your reputation as a Tarot Reader, consider becoming a certified Tarot reader. 

Typically, to get certified as a Tarot reader, you often go through a training program, and then through an application process or an exam or a test of some kind, and that ensures: “Does this person know what the Eight of Sword means?  And can they put together a Tarot reading?” and so on. 

For example, with becoming a certified Biddy Tarot Reader you need to complete our two signature training programs, which are Master the Tarot Card Meanings and also Read Tarot with Confidence. 

We have a series of quizzes for each of those programs to make sure you know you’re tracking, learning the material, so you need to pass those quizzes.  And then at the end there’s an exam. It’s not really because Tarot is never an exam—it’s too fun. But, basically, you submit a number of different Tarot readings so that we can assess: 

Does this person know what the cards mean? 
Are they able to pull together a story? 
Can they create a coherent and succinct message in the cards? 
And can they create that engagement and connection with the client? 

And that is actually assess by me personally, and then we have feedback given back to the person who’s applied. 

And the thing, particularly with us, with a Certified Biddy Tarot Reader, is not everybody passes. 

Of course, we want everyone to pass, but if you don’t make the cut, I’m not going to certify somebody who I think is just not quite there yet, because it’s not right.  I want this to be a reputable program.  It’s not right to send someone out who hasn’t quite made the cut. 

That’s why I always provide personal feedback and the opportunity to re-submit as well.  Just go back over the class materials, come back, re-submit, and, hopefully, the experience level has just gone up that little extra notch. 

Now, there is some debate about getting certified, and if you posed a question in the Tarot community about getting certified, you always are going to get a bunch of people who go, “Ugh, certification—it’s absolute rubbish. Who needs to be certified?” 

And even: “Who’s got the power to certify someone?” 

Particularly with Tarot, it is quite subjective, that’s for sure, and, as Tarot readers, we each have different styles and reading methods.  So, it’s pretty hard to say, “Yes, you’re either 100% right or 100% wrong.” 

There is definitely a grey area, but that’s something that I’ve found as I’ve certified Tarot readers—I’ve always been respectful that we each have a different reading style.  And I do have clear criteria about what it is that I’m looking for in a reading, and then there’s a little bit of room around that to be who you are as a Tarot reader. 

I get it. I get why people think, “Who are you to certify somebody?” and “How are you going to certify someone?” but these things can be easily addressed when setting up a good certification program. 

Ultimately, becoming a certified Tarot Reader is a personal choice, but it does give you a stronger reputation with your clients.  Imagine if you could have “Certified Tarot Reader” as something that you could share with potential clients.  I think that gives them a sense that “You know what? This person has invested in their training; they are taking their business seriously; they have a Code of Ethics in place, those kinds of things.” And that’s what can really, really build your reputation as a Tarot Reader. 

Now, in Episode 48, which is coming up soon, I’m going to go into a lot more detail about certification as a Tarot Reader, because there is a lot to think about in terms of certification, and if it’s the right fit for you.  But, for now, I want you to know it is a possibility, and it does help to build up your reputation. 

It can be really personally satisfying and rewarding as well, and it sort of acknowledges, again, all of that commitment and investment that you’ve had with Tarot, and how much you’re going to invest in your clients as well. 

So, there you have it. Those are the 5 ways to build your reputation as a Tarot reader: 

Act like a professional. 
Create a professional website or shop front. 
Publish testimonials and case studies from your best clients. 
Take part in accredited Tarot training programs. 
Become a certified Tarot reader. 

I hope that’s been helpful for you.  Again, it doesn’t really matter if you’re going yet full-time into your Tarot reading career, or if you’re just thinking about “How can I be a reputable Tarot Reader even if I’m not reading for other people for payment just yet?” 

This is all really helpful advice to set you up to be that reputable, ethical and competent Tarot Reader that I know you can be. 

WRAP-UP 

Now, if you want to build your reputation as a Tarot reader and become a certified Tarot reader, then make sure that you check out the Biddy Tarot Certification Program. 

I am so thrilled to be able to offer this to the Biddy Tarot Community, and really raise the level of professionalism in the Tarot community and in the street. 

So, in the Biddy Tarot Certification Program I’ll teach you how to master the Tarot card meanings and read Tarot with confidence, via my signature accredited training programs.  And while you’re learning, you’ll be able to connect with a Tarot Study Buddy, and get Community support within our private forums in the Biddy Tarot Community. 

Plus, you’ll be able to put your skills into practice by offering free Tarot readings to the public in exchange for feedback.  This part of the program is so valuable. Just being able to practice your Tarot readings in that safe learning environment just sends people’s confidence through the roof.  It is absolutely amazing. 

And the best part is you can also become a Biddy Tarot Certified Reader and get listed on our website.  Becoming a certified Tarot Reader is so helpful for building your reputation, and really showing your prospective clients that you’ve taken the time to learn Tarot, to invest in yourself and invest in what I really believe is a profession. 

So, for more information, head on over to biddytarot.com/certification, and you’ll be able to get all the details about our Biddy Tarot Certification Program. I can’t wait to share it with you. 

Now, thank you again for listening today. It’s my absolute pleasure to be in your earbuds talking about Tarot, and I can’t wait to chat next time as I bring on a really special guest next week.  And I reckon she must be one of the most popular authors in Tarot! She’s written so many different little white books for Tarot decks, and she’s going to be talking about Tarot Made Easy. 

Now, I’m not going to give away who it is, so you’ll have to check in next week.  But make sure you do because it’s bound to be a bumper podcast episode. 

Alright have a great week and we’ll connect soon. 

Bye. 

The post BTP119: From the Archive: 5 Ways to Build Your Reputation as a Tarot Reader appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

Mercury Retrograde in 2018: How to Survive Astrology’s Most Dreaded Transit by Liz Worth

Note from Brigit: These days, hearing “Oh, it must be because it’s Mercury Retrograde!” when a computer fails, a flight gets canceled or when someone from your past pops up unexpectedly is becoming increasingly normal. But what it is about Mercury Retrograde that sets us so on edge and how can we actually thrive during it?  Well, I’m thrilled to have our good friend and Tarot and astrology expert Liz Worth here again to share her insights with us! Enjoy!

If the term “Mercury retrograde” makes your heart sink, don’t fret: Your guide to one of astrology’s most dreaded transits is here.

Out of all the astrological activity that happens throughout the year, Mercury retrograde steals a lot of the spotlight. But why, and what does it even mean?  

What is Mercury Retrograde? 

Retrograde periods occur when planets begin moving in an opposite direction for a temporary period of time. Planets typically move in a westward (prograde) motion. But when they go retrograde, they move eastward (retrograde) temporarily.

All of the planets have retrograde periods, some lasting for months at a time depending on the speed at which a planet travels. As a faster moving planet, Mercury has three to four retrograde periods a year, lasting about three weeks at a time.

Overall, Mercury has a cerebral energy that connects it to writing, conversation, technology, and our thinking. It’s the messenger planet of ideas, communication, and strategy. Mercury is the ruler of Gemini, which likes to talk, connect, socialize, and network. It also rules Virgo, a sign of efficiency and organization.

So, in keeping these themes in mind, it makes sense that things seem to go haywire during Mercury retrograde. Plans might fall through more often than usual. People are suddenly hard to get a hold of. Projects get stalled. Ideas dry up. Writer’s block sets in.  

It seems like there are so many rules about what to do, and not to do, during these periods: Don’t sign any contracts unless you have to. Do triple-check every email you write. Don’t buy any new devices or book any travel.

It can be hard to know what to do with so much information out there. 

The reality is that Mercury retrograde doesn’t mean catastrophe every time. There’s been a lot of hype built up around Mercury retrograde periods as being inopportune times to make any major decisions, launch a product, or start a new project.

Be careful about getting superstitious about astrology, no matter what kind of transit we’re looking at. Travel delays, misunderstandings, and scheduling snafus happen all the time, no matter what Mercury is up to. You might not always be able to postpone a major decision.

If you are feeling stuck in Mercury Retrograde in 2018, remember that astrology is here to help us.  

Astrology is here to bring awareness to the energies and opportunities that we are moving through personally and collectively.

A golden rule with Mercury retrograde is to pay attention to the first two letters of the word – re.

Think: Review, reflect, revise, revisit, redo, relax. Sometimes, Mercury retrograde slows things down because we need ebbs and flows in our lives. Things can’t be go, go, go all the time.  

You might feel confused or unclear during Mercury retrograde. Or you might realize that a project you’ve been working on needs some serious revisions. Or you might just need a good, long rest.

But don’t let Mercury retrograde stop you from living your life. Just as the planets sometimes change direction, our lives do, too. Think of these periods as times to check-in and reflect on where you’re at.

No astrological event will be entirely good or bad. It will work in tandem with many other forces, including free will, and can affect everyone in different ways.

Remember, too, that whatever sign Mercury is in at the time of a retrograde period will reflect the themes or areas of your life it will connect to.

In 2018, there are just three Mercury retrograde periods to keep track of. All of them occur in fire signs, challenging us to examine our relationships to creativity, drive, leadership, freedom, and more.  

Keep track of all the Mercury Retrograde periods with the 2018 Biddy Tarot Planner.  Get your copy here. 

March 22 to April 15, 2018: Surviving Mercury Retrograde in Aries  

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, making it a natural leader. Themes of motivation, authority, confidence, leadership, and assertiveness can all come up for review at this time.

If Mercury retrograde brings things up for reassessment, consider this to be a period where you might need to examine how you stand up for yourself, or whether your own authority is feeling threatened somehow.

Aries is not shy. Mercury retrograde in this sign can prompt you to explore how you want to show up in the world. This can be a time to listen, tune in, and recalibrate so that you can forge ahead with newfound courage and confidence once Mercury stations direct on April 15.

Want to connect with tarot at this time for additional guidance? Ask the cards, “What kind of trailblazer can I be?”  

July 26 to August 19, 2018: Mercury Retrograde in Leo  

Leo is generous, social, and creative. It can be fun, bold, expressive, and proud. Ruled by the Sun, Leo can aim to have a “sunny disposition.”

Mercury retrograde in Leo can bring up questions around pride and ego, both of which can move us forward, or hold us back. You might have to ask yourself: “Do I need to be seen and heard more often?” Or, “Do I have to let someone else share the stage once in a while?”

These same questions can come up within your social circle, as Leo is so community-driven. You might find yourself re-evaluating a friendship or two, especially with anyone who dims your light.

Leo is also very creative, so pay attention to any old ideas or projects that come back around for you. Mercury retrograde has a way of bringing things out of the past, so if you’re inspired to resurrect a project that’s been shelved for a while, this period might bring you the inspiration you need to pick it up again.

Want to connect with tarot at this time for additional guidance? Ask the cards, “What is it time to shine the spotlight on?”  

November 16 to December 6, 2018: Surviving Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius  

The final Mercury retrograde of 2018 spends most of its time back spinning through Sagittarius, but it lands in watery Scorpio on December 1st and spends its final days there before stationing direct on December 6th.  

First, let’s look at that Sagittarian energy. This sign is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of luck, opportunity, and expansion. Sagittarius does not like to be boxed in. You could find yourself seeking out new forms of freedom in your life.

Given that this retrograde comes so close to the end of the calendar year, it can be a great time to start planning for the New Year. Pay close attention to what you feel resentful of at this time, especially if you’re feeling restless for travel or new learning opportunities.  

Sagittarius is all about new horizons, but that also goes for spiritual and philosophical pursuits. This Mercury retrograde might have you craving mind-expanding activities in a big way.

Once Mercury shifts back into Scorpio, that need for freedom might become even stronger. Scorpio connects to power, so be ready to examine any commitments that are keeping you from reaching new heights. You might feel called to reclaim a part of your life that has gone stagnant.

Want to connect with tarot at this time for additional guidance? Ask the cards, “How can I create more freedom in my life?”  

Mercury Retrograde can be a tricky time to navigate. There are so many things that are out of our control. But what we can control is how we react to any road blocks we may encounter this year. In 2018, try approaching Mercury Retrograde as an opportunity for growth and you might just find that surviving the transit is easier than you thought. 

About the Author: Liz Worth 

Liz Worth thought her one and only career would be as a writer, but she started reading tarot in 2008 on the advice of an astrologer and her life has never been the same. Today she uses tarot and astrology as tools of truth, power, and clarity. She also continues to write and is the author of six books and counting. She has also written horoscopes for Flare Magazine and Spiral Nature, and has contributed to Little Red Tarot, Biddy Tarot, and the Numinous, among others. Her tarot book, Going Beyond the Little White Book: A Contemporary Guide to Tarot, is now available. Reach Liz at lizworth.com 

 

The post Mercury Retrograde in 2018: How to Survive Astrology’s Most Dreaded Transit by Liz Worth appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

BTP118: The Truth About Money & Spirituality

You may have wondered at some point or another: “Can you be spiritual and still make money?” I’ve created a business out of my love for the Tarot, and I do generate a profit. It’s for this that I’ve been criticised, and I wanted to devote a whole episode of the Biddy Tarot Podcast to talk about the truth about money and spirituality. In Episode 118, I talk about why I think it can be spiritual to earn money in a spiritual way! 

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 118: The Truth About Money and Spirituality. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. Now, I’m actually recording this during a bit of a rain/thunderstorm right now, so if you can hear a little bit of background noise, maybe even the rumble of thunder, you know why. We are getting an absolute soaking. 

And I tell you what—there is also never the perfect time to record a podcast! Let me tell you that. Every time I go, “OK, I’m going to wait until I get this perfect half hour,” it never happens. There’s always a bird or some kind of interruption, or maybe the rain, whatever it might be. So, I hope that you can put up with just a little bit of background noise. 

THE TRUTH ABOUT MONEY & SPIRITUALITY 

Today, we are talking all about money and spirituality, the truth behind money and spirituality, and how these two go together. 

Now, my goodness me! I have been in the position where I’ve been personally criticised for creating a business out of Tarot and creating a business that does generate a revenue. It does generate a profit. It helps to sustain our family. It also helps to sustain another 13 people who are part of my team. And yet, it’s something that does get criticised. 

“How dare you use your spiritual gifts to actually earn money?” 

And “How can you commercialise something that is so spiritual and so part of the universe? It should be a gift!” 

Yada yada yada. 

And probably a few years ago, had I been exposed to some of that criticism then, then I might have had a different response—I’m thinking tears in a bathroom somewhere. 

But what I’ve learned over the years is to really stand by my choice to have a business—a profit-generating business—that happens to be in Tarot. I want to talk about this topic today of money and spirituality, because I bet you’ve been in a similar situation. 

If you started either thinking about creating a business with Tarot, or maybe you already are charging for your readings, maybe you’ve come up against this too, where people say to you, “You shouldn’t be charging money for your spiritual gifts,” or you have an inherent feeling within yourself that maybe there’s something wrong with the idea of making money from a spiritual place. 

The sad thing is that so many people end up holding themselves back from earning money because of this belief—either conscious or unconscious—that it just isn’t spiritual to earn money. 

Today, I’m saying phooey to that! 

I just want you to take a moment right now and think about your beliefs about money and spirituality. 

I want you to just check in right now: What is your relationship with money? 

Is it something that feels good for you? Or does it feel a little bit dirty or a bit messy? A bit complicated? What is your relationship with money? 

And if you had a lot of money, would you still be a good person? 

Would you still be a spiritual person if you had a lot of money, an abundance of money? 

And what would others think of you if you did have a lot of money? 

I just want you to check in: Do you personally think it’s right or it’s fair to earn a lot of money using your spiritual gifts and helping others? Does that feel right to you? 

And, ultimately, should you be paid to work whilst helping people? Should that be something that you receive an income for? 

Just check in with your answers on that. Again, there are never any right or wrong answers, but it will give you an indication of where you’re at right now in terms of money and your spiritual gifts. 

Perhaps you might have uncovered some unease. Perhaps even feelings of shame or guilt or dirtiness around money. Or maybe you’re a little bit more like me, and you’re like, “Hell, I’ve got a great relationship with money, and I welcome more and more of it”? 

I’m going to talk with you a little bit about why that is my belief, but for now, just check in with where you’re at. 

Here’s the thing… 

Many people really struggle with this idea or this question of “Can you still be spiritual and make money?” 

My personal opinion is hell yes, you can! In fact, I strongly encourage you to consider… If you do have spiritual gifts, and you want it to be your main focus for this time in your life, then I encourage you to welcome money into your life. 

Now, of course, I want to be so clear up front… 

If you’re sitting here, going, “Brigit, I do not want to earn money for my spiritual gifts,” that’s absolutely fine! Please, don’t think that what I’m saying here is that you have to earn money if you want to be a spiritual practitioner. You don’t. We all have choices. 

But what I do want for you is to have a healthy relationship with money and to see that there is a healthy flow of energy between money and spirituality, that the two can coexist quite beautifully together and that they do not have to be at loggerheads with one another. 

So, that’s what we’re going to talk about today: Can you still be spiritual and make money? 

WHY SOME PEOPLE THINK YOU CAN’T MAKE MONEY AND BE SPIRITUAL 

I’m going to start with why some folks say no, you cannot be spiritual and make money. The reason I want to share this with you is, well, one, to give a bit of a balanced point of view, but two, because it’s important to understand where people are coming from and what it is that’s driving the opinion that you can’t make money and be spiritual. 

I did a little bit of research, and do you know what? To be honest, I could only find one blog post… I’m sure there are many more, but I could really only find one that was against making money and being spiritual, whereas the large majority were around “You can actually do both.” Anyway, interesting! 

When people are saying, “No, you just should not be making money out of your spirituality,” some of the arguments, I suppose, are: 

“This is a gift from the universe, and you shouldn’t be messing around with a gift! You shouldn’t be charging money for that gift!” 

Further to that, “Spirituality is about personal sacrifice, and it shouldn’t be about commercialization. It should be about making a sacrifice for God, for universe and so on, and it should not be about profit!” 

One of the examples I saw was: 

“What if Jesus charged a fee for people to hear him speak?” 

I understand that point of view. I thought, “OK, well, fair enough. What if Jesus started charging $1,000 an hour to come and hear him speak?” 

Well, it might shift some of the dynamic, but I suppose it’s an interesting point. 

Now, the other thing is, if you’re making a business out of something spiritual, it’s not the “real thing,” and the argument is that “if you’re genuine about being spiritual, then you wouldn’t make it into a business, and as soon as you make it a business, it’s not the ‘real thing,’ because you’re motivated by money and not by spirituality.” 

I disagree! But anyway, these are the arguments. I’m trying very hard to hold my tongue! 

Another piece is that—and I guess it’s to follow up with that: “Business people are using spirituality to sell their products, and they’re using it to manipulate people purely to make a profit, and they’re not actually using it to further our spiritual development as a collective.” 

I get this. There’s that worry or fear or anxiety that, once we turn to money, we start turning into “scammers,” or we’re solely driven by profit, and therefore, we use our connection with spirituality. 

But again, I argue so strongly against that because I so believe that you can bring the two in together in a really beautiful way. Anyway, I’ve got to bite my tongue. 

And the last piece to why people say you can’t have money and spirituality together is that there’s this idea that it starts to dumb down spirituality, and spirituality becomes more about a marketing message than it does about a spiritual message, and you start using spirituality to manipulate people into buying a product. 

Look, here’s the thing… 

With anything, you can take it too far. There are always going to be bad eggs in any industry who will do things that are not necessarily ethical. But does that mean that the whole concept of money and spirituality cannot exist in a harmonious way? Absolutely not. 

If you’re a spiritual practitioner, and you’re looking to create a profitable business, does that mean you’ve suddenly just let go of all of your spirituality? I don’t think so! That’s not my opinion. 

So, anyway, it’s just interesting to understand where some folks are coming from when they say, “You know what? You shouldn’t be making money out of spirituality.” 

But I believe something quite different, and I want to talk a bit about why I believe that money and spirituality can go together beautifully. In fact, I think when we combine spirituality with money, we become much better custodians of money. Also, when we combine money with spirituality, I think we can spread our spiritual message much further, in a much bigger way, when we’re leveraging money as part of that, and I’ll talk a bit about why that is. 

WHY IS IT ACTUALLY SPIRITUAL TO EARN MONEY IN A SPIRITUAL WAY? 

So, why is it actually spiritual to earn money in a spiritual way? 

#1 MONEY IS AN EXCHANGE OF ENERGY. 

Number one, I strongly believe that money is an exchange of energy. Now, in our society, we are a typically capitalist society, and it’s a tangible representation of an exchange. It’s money. 

Maybe back hundreds of thousands of years ago, you might have had the shaman who did a spiritual practice for somebody, and maybe they swapped a chicken, right? The shaman helps a person get better; they get a chicken, right? Nice exchange. Or maybe eggs if they’re vegetarian! There’s an exchange. 

Now, in these days, we actually have money as a representation of that energy. Really, money, in this society, is a way of acknowledging that exchange. 

“I do this for you; you do this for me.” 

We’re beyond those days of where we could do a literal trade or barter. Some people still do that, and that’s absolutely fine, but money is typically the way that we honour this exchange of energy. Even in a spiritual practice, there still is that exchange of energy, and that is marked with an exchange of money. 

#2 MONEY IS A REPRESENTATION OF THE VALUE YOU DELIVER OR RECEIVE. 

Here’s another thing that’s very close to my heart when it comes to money and spirituality: I strongly believe that money is a representation of the value that you deliver or receive. And I think this really came through in my management consulting days, where we learned very much about creating value for our clients, and that became a huge part of our vocabulary. 

“How do we create value for our clients right here?” 

Not so much “How do we make lots and lots of money?” but “How do we create value?” 

Now when we’re launching, say, a product, I get super excited when we have a really successful launch, and the money is flowing, because I see it as an indication that we are delivering value to our customers. If we weren’t delivering value, we wouldn’t be receiving this money, right? So, for me, money is that representation that you are adding value to somebody’s life. 

And I suppose it goes an extra step in that, if you want to increase your prices or raise your rates, you think not just about “How can I make more money here?” but “How can I increase my value?” To me, that’s a win-win, and I think that’s incredibly beautiful and spiritual. When you look at money as a representation of value, you’re serving your clients in a much better way, and it’s, again, that indication that you are delivering value. 

And here’s the other thing… 

When I set prices for our programs, our products, our services and so on, I need to feel confident that I’m delivering on the value of that product, so I’m not going to charge $1,000 for a certification program if I’m not confident that it’s going to deliver value! It’s incredibly important to me that I can stand by a $1,000 program; otherwise, I’m not going to charge that amount of money. It might be that it’s possible for me to earn $1,000 per enrolment, but I can’t do that with an integrity if I don’t believe in the value that is going into that. Myself and my team, we’re constantly looking for ways that we can increase our value, and how we can go above and beyond. 

Right, so that’s number two, that money is a representation of value. 

#3 MONEY IS AN ENABLER. 

Now, here’s number three: Money is an enabler. Like it or not, money makes the world go around. It allows us to do this, and when it comes to a spiritual business, money allows you to manifest on your vision. 

If my vision is to reach 10,000 people through our training programs, money will help me do that, because money is what gives me, say, money to do advertising, to do marketing campaigns, to nurture our Community and our tribe. And ultimately, it’s what will help me get my vision out there. 

Now, is it the only thing that’s going to help me get the vision out there? No. There are many other things, but money is an enabler of something much bigger. Again, it’s not just the money itself, but it’s what it facilitates and what it creates and what it means that you can do as a result of having that money. 

#4 WHEN YOU PAY, YOU PAY ATTENTION. 

Thing number four is when you pay, you pay attention. So, what does that mean? Well, when did you last take action on something that you received for free? Or maybe you’ve bought something at a low cost, and then you’ve just done nothing with it. You buy it, but you don’t do anything with it. 

Here’s the thing… 

When you invest good money—a decent amount of money—in something, you actually invest your energy and your commitment into that thing. 

I had it recently where I offered, actually, a free business coaching session to somebody. 

He said to me, “I really appreciate the offer, but if I’m going to get business coaching, I’m going to pay for it, because I know that if I pay for it, I will act on it.” 

It’s the same with Tarot readings, right? When you offer a reading for free, it’s a different exchange, and it’s a different setup to when you might offer a reading for $100. 

I know that as a client, I have seen a psychic reader who is well-known, and I think I paid maybe $500 for a session, and I’ll tell you what: I listened to every single word she said to me. I recorded it. I went back through it. I wrote down action plans, because I thought, “You know what? If I’m going to pay $500 for this, I’m going to get something out of it. I’m going to get value out of this.” And I made sure of that. Now, had that been a free reading, I might have just listened and gone, “Oh, yeah, that’s interesting.” Take it or leave it. 

So, think about that with your clients. If you’re offering your services for free or at a really low rate, are they paying attention? If they’re not paying, are they paying attention to you? Maybe not. 

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that every time you give something away for free, no one is going to value it, and they’re not going to take any action. There are certainly some cases where people do amazing things with free things. I put all of our Tarot card meanings, being in Google… That’s all down to a free e-book that I got in 2009, and I actually did something with it, right? So, it is possible. But what happens for many of us is that we just tend to not take action unless we have put some money down. 

In some ways, having a higher rate for your Tarot readings means that your clients are more invested in that reading, and people who pay for their sessions tend to have more success with their work. Like it or not, that tends to be the thing. 

So, when you pay, you pay attention, and you need to have those higher rates so that people will be more inclined to be more invested in that session. 

#5 SPIRITUAL PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE A LIVING, TOO. 

Now, the last piece to this is spiritual people need to make a living, too. I put this last. I know this is an argument that often comes up. It’s like, “Well, we can’t offer our services for free, because I’ve got to still put food on the table,” which I totally get, but I actually think this is a less important piece to the puzzle. 

What’s more important is that you are creating value, and money is a representation of value. I think that is first and foremost in your mind when it comes to money and spirituality. It’s more of a secondary thing about needing to earn an income. 

But it’s still important, because check this out… 

I was reflecting on this because I thought, “OK, well, what would happen if I didn’t earn any money from Biddy Tarot? Would I still do it?” And in all honesty, my answer would be no. It might be a side hobby, but ultimately, the answer is no. 

Now, is that because I’m not actually truly passionate, and I’m not really genuine and whatever? No, definitely not. It’s because I’m the primary income earner for my family, and I need to earn some kind of income. Now, if Biddy Tarot earned no income, I can tell you I would not be able to dedicate 40 hours every week. I would not be able to support our team of 15 in creating this company. I would not be able to give all of the free content that we do if there was no income. Ultimately, we do need to generate some kind of living income from our spiritual work if it’s going to be our main focus, and I think it’s kind of ridiculous if we’re not generating an income from this work, because what it will mean is that there will be much fewer spiritual practitioners out there if we said, “You know what? Don’t earn any money. You can’t do it.” It’s just not sustainable. It is not sustainable! We do need to earn at least a decent living to make it sustainable. 

So, that’s why I believe that having money and having a spiritual business can go hand in hand. There is nothing dirty about money and spirituality. In fact, I think both just coexist beautifully when you have a really positive relationship with that money. 

Brilliant. So, I want to focus in this last part of today’s podcast on: 

HOW DO YOU STAY SPIRITUAL AND PROFITABLE? 

Look, I get it—you can go off track with money and spirituality. You can get into a place where you lose the idea of… It can just be about making money and making lots and lots of profit, right? I get it. You can go off the rails. 

But as with anything, this is all about keeping things in moderation and keeping things in balance. 

So, how do you stay spiritual and profitable? 

#1 FOCUS ON VALUE. 

Well, number one, focus on value. When you focus on value, it’s a win-win situation, right? The more value you deliver to your client, the more that they get out of it. The money is the representation of that value. In some ways, by increasing your rates, you’re increasing your value, so long as you’ve got that relationship going on there, that you’re aware: “When I’m increasing my rates, I’m increasing my value,” and you’re making a conscious effort to do so. Then that will increase your money flow, right? 

#2 LIVE IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR VALUES. 

Number two is live in alignment with your values. When you’re creating a profitable spiritual business, don’t do dumb stuff to make a quick buck. Don’t fall into those sleazy marketing techniques that are designed just to make a ridiculous amount of money in a short period of time whilst screwing everybody over. That’s not the idea of a spiritual business. In fact, it’s important that you’re doing what feels in integrity with your own personal values. 

I mean, I do it in the Biddy Tarot business. I am constantly checking in with my intuition: “OK, are we heading in the right direction here? Is this in alignment with my values? How do I fundamentally feel about my pricing? How do I fundamentally feel about the value that we’re delivering and what we’re putting out into this world?” And I always make sure that it’s in alignment with my values. 

I’ve had a number of times where maybe we’ve had some copywriting done, and I read through it and go, “Ugh, not me. That’s not me.” I change things around, because yes, it might work in other businesses, but it’s not in alignment with my values or my style. So, to have a spiritual and profitable business, then make sure that you are living in alignment with your values. 

#3 BE THE CUSTODIAN OF THE MONEY. 

All right, thing number three is be the custodian of the money. Be the custodian of your money. 

What do I mean by this? 

Stu McLaren, the Founder of WishList, is a millionaire. He’s got a lot of money, and he has this… Actually, when he was running WishList, he had this realisation that, for every license of WishList… Sorry, WishList is a membership software that you can use on your Wordpress site and what have you. 

Now, he was selling that at $97 per license, and he quickly realised that $97 would pay for a teacher in Africa for a year in a school. I think it was something like that. So, he started to get very motivated about making as much money as possible so that he could then sponsor teachers in Africa. 

He is now working towards the goal of not so much tithing just 10% and keeping 90% but flipping it. He wants to tithe and donate 90% of his income and keep 10%. 

Now, does he live in a tiny apartment flat? No, he lives a very comfortable lifestyle, but he’s so motivated to create as much money as possible so that he can direct it in the right ways. 

We do something similar with Biddy Tarot. We are actively donating our profits and sponsoring certain things. For example, we sponsor three schoolchildren here in Australia. We often invest in Kiva and the microfinance deals at Kiva. And there’s also a group called Opportunity Australia, where we make donations, and they set up either microfinance deals for women in developing countries, or they’ll also setting up health leaders in India. They’re setting up women to be health leaders in their local communities. 

So, I love it because it means that we’re creating this beautiful gift of money, and I get to send that money to something that I know is worthy and valuable, right? The creation of money becomes exciting, because I know that I can put it into awesome places, and I become that custodian of money. 

All right, and now, the second to last one for how you can stay spiritual and profitable. 

#4 BE GENEROUS. 

What I mean by that is give away free content, and you can also do charity events. You could do scholarships. Whatever it might be, having those opportunities where there’s also free alongside paid is a good thing. 

Now, we’ve made a conscious choice not to do scholarships. We did do a few at the start, and some of them worked really well. Others we just didn’t get the commitment. But yes, we’ve made a decision not to do the scholarships, because when you pay, you pay attention. That’s been quite important. 

But what we do do at Biddy Tarot is this podcast! This podcast is absolutely free. We also have the Tarot card meanings pages, which we are effectively giving away for free, and over 4 million people every year are taking advantage of those pages. 

So, what I love about our business model is yes, we’re profitable, and we’re generating an income, but we also have this capacity now to give free content as well, and to create those free opportunities, because we have the income as well. Again, that money is an enabler. It enables you to do really awesome things. 

#5 LOVE YOUR MONEY. 

Now, the final thing is to love your money. You don’t have to pat it and whatever, but when you pay your bill, bless that bill. Bless the money as you send it off. Look at your bank accounts every day. Send all that good juju and love into your finances, and you’ll find that your really positive energy starts to filter through into your money, and that, I believe, is where spirituality and money come together. 

Now, finally, I just want to end on this… 

Do you have to make money from spirituality? Am I saying that you must be making money for you to be adding value and so on? Absolutely not. You have a beautiful thing called free will and choice, and you can choose exactly whether you want to charge for your Tarot readings, or you don’t, and whether you want to charge a lot or a little. It’s completely up to you. 

But what I do want you to really think about is: 

Are you making a conscious choice about your relationship with money? 
Or are you letting fear and anxiety get in the way, preventing you from charging what you feel that your services are truly worth? 

And here’s the other thing… 

After being at the brunt of a lot of criticism around being a profitable business, I think it’s important to also not judge or criticise others, and we need to accept and respect the choices that people make whether they do want to make money from a spiritual business, or whether they don’t. 

The thing is that it is a free market, and if you’re delivering value—even if you’re charging high prices—that’s going to be great, because you’re going to attract the right people into that space. Yeah, I think that’s what I wanted to say! 

WRAP-UP 

Beautiful. So, I’m going to wrap it up there just because I’ve kind of lost my train of thought for a second. But really, I want you to have this clean and clear relationship with money, particularly if you’re a spiritual practitioner, and you are charging money, or you’re about to start charging money for your readings. 

I want you to know that there is no judgment. You can do whatever you feel called to do, but I want you to do it in a way that is with love and with openness and with a really good feeling. You can make money from a spiritual business, and it can be a very ethical, clean practice—that’s for sure. 

All right, I’m going to wrap it up here before I just keep rambling on. I hope you have an awesome week. If you are a professional Tarot reader, maybe you might be inspired to look over your prices again. If you’re thinking about becoming a professional, you might think about it a little bit more. But in the meantime, I hope you have an awesome week, and we will connect again very, very soon. Bye for now! 

The post BTP118: The Truth About Money & Spirituality appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Combinations

Did you know there are over 3,000 different two-card combinations in the Tarot? I am not kidding. And do you know what this means? Rote learning 3,000 meanings is NOT an option! Instead, it’s essential that you learn how to interpret Tarot card combinations, not what all 3,000 combinations mean. 

Download your FREE guide to the Tarot card combinations here:

10 Killer Techniques to Interpret Tarot Card Combinations 
1. Keywords 

If you’re a Tarot beginner, start here! Creating Tarot card combinations with keywords and phrases is the simplest and easiest method. 

Here’s how to do it… 

Choose either one word or one phrase for each card. Put these together and voila, you have a meaning for the Tarot card pair. 

Example:

The Eight of Wands (travel) + Six of Cups (childhood friendships) = travelling to meet childhood friends. Or, the High Priestess (intuition) + Eight of Pentacles (skill-building) = developing your intuitive skills.

You can also mix and match the keywords and phrases that you typically associate with each card until you find a combined meaning that truly resonates. 

2. Numerology 

All cards in the Tarot deck have a number associated with them. Look at the two card numbers within the pairing to discover the numerological significance of this combination. 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both cards share the same number, the significance of that number is enhanced. 

Example 1:

Two of Cups + Two of Wands reveal a focus on partnerships. In this case, it might be a couple (Two of Cups) planning a future together (Two of Wands), based around their relationship together. 

If both Tarot cards are numbered +/- of each other, then the cycle stage is important. If both cards are within the range of 1 to 3, it reflects the beginning of a cycle. If the cards are within the range of 4-6, it is the middle of a cycle, and if they are within the range of 7-10, it is the end of a cycle. 

Example 2:

The Ace of Swords (1) and the Empress (3) signifies the beginning of a cycle. Specifically, an idea or a thought (Ace of Swords) is coming into being (Empress). The Empress is ‘pregnant’ with this new idea or thought and is about to ‘birth’ it into the world.  

If the Tarot cards are not close in number, then it may indicate movement from one phase to another, either in terms of progress (an increase in number) or regression (a decrease in number). I tend to read this from left to right in order to see if the number is increasing or decreasing. 

Example 3:

The Two of Cups + Eight of Cups show the development of a relationship. Despite a promising beginning to the relationship (Two of Cups), both parties may decide to go separate ways (Eight of Cups). 

Change the order of the cards and you get a different story. The Eight of Cups + Two of Cups show a developed relationship (8) turning into a newer relationship (2). This might be a sign that the end of one relationship opens up the space for a new one to blossom. Or, it may be a sign that a struggling relationship is about to take a turn for the better. 

3. Symbolism 

Finding common symbols within a Tarot card combination can alert you to important themes associated with those symbols. 

Here how to do it… 

Look at both Tarot cards together. Is there a common symbol? Perhaps a castle? Clouds? Even a common colour? (If you don’t see a common symbol, then don’t worry! Use another one of the techniques outlined in this guide instead.) 

Now what does this symbol mean to you? And what new information does it give you about the Tarot card combination?

Example:

Temperance + Judgement both feature archangels. This may be a sign that your angels are looking after you and offer a sign of hope and faith during a difficult time. 

Remember that symbols have common meanings and personal meanings. Common meanings are those that you find in books, websites, courses, etc. Personal meanings are those that are generated from your past experiences, your subconscious mind and your intuition. 

4. Elements 

The elements are most meaningful with the Minor Arcana. Each card in the Minor Arcana belongs to one of four Suits, and each Suit is associated with an element. 

The Suit of Cups represents the element of Water. The Suit of Pentacles represents Earth. The Suit of Swords represents Air. And the Suit of Wands represents Fire. 

When the Tarot card combination features two Minor Arcana cards, then the elements can help you interpret that combination. 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both Tarot cards share the same element, the energy of that element is enhanced. 

Example 1:

Three of Pentacles + Eight of Pentacles = a focus on work, money and/or material things. 

If each Tarot card shares a different element, combine the meanings of the elements. 

Example 2:

Swords (Air) + Cups (Water) = balancing the head and the heart. Or Swords (Air) + Wands (Fire) = dominant masculine energy (both Air and Fire are masculine) and bringing ideas (Wands) into action (Swords). 

5. Majors & Minors 

Major Arcana cards tell a different story to Minor Arcana cards. So, look to see which group the two cards belong to in order to reveal whether you’re dealing with a temporary issue or a major life theme. 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both Tarot cards are from the Major Arcana, then you know that this is about a karmic lesson or a major life theme.

Example 1:

The High Priestess + Hermit = a period of deep introspection and soul-searching to connect with a Higher Power. 

If both Tarot cards are from the Minor Arcana, then you know that this is about a temporary issue, situation or event.

Example 2:

The Page of Cups + the Three of Pentacles = mentoring a young and creative person. 

If one card is a Major Arcana card and the other is a Minor Arcana card, then the Major Arcana card tells you ‘what’ or ‘why’ and the Minor Arcana card tells you ‘how’.

Example 3:

The High Priestess + Three of Wands = connecting deeply with your intuition (what) by creating a vision for the future (how). 

6. Court Cards 

The Court cards often leave many Tarot beginners stumped. Are they people, personalities or situations? And if they are people, who are they? The client or someone else? (My advice? Keep it simple and see Court cards as personalities or characteristics of a person. Sure, you can layer up other ways of interpreting the Court cards, but this is the easiest place to begin.) 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both Tarot cards are Court cards, then it’s likely that this combination represents two people who are in relationship with one another. Each Court card represents the most dominant personality that is being expressed within the relationship.

Example 1:

The Queen of Wands + King of Swords = a confident, self-assured woman interacting with a dominant male in a position of authority. 

 Also, look at the Court position. That is, is it a combination of two Pages, or a Page and a King. This will give you insight into maturity, balance of power or stage of development.

Example 2:

The Page of Wands + King of Pentacles = a young apprentice partnered with an experienced businessman. 

In some cases, the two Court cards may represent different aspects of the one person. You’ll need to use your judgement and intuition to know when this is the best approach to use!

Example 3:

The King of Swords + Page of Cups = a person who is ready to take action on their newfound creativity. 

7. Strengthening / Weakening 

Some Tarot cards are very polarising. They either scream “Watch out!” (think, Devil, Tower and the bad boys of Tarot) or they ooze with positivity (think, the Sun, Star and the good guys of Tarot). It’s important to look out for these seemingly negative and positive cards in a Tarot card combination, as they will either strengthen or weaken the combination. Remember though, Tarot cards are neither wholly positive or wholly negative and there is always light and shade within each and every card. 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both cards are mostly positive or mostly negative, the energy is strengthened. 

Example 1:

he Sun + Star = huge success. Whereas Devil + Tower = dire outcomes as a result of addiction. If one card is mostly positive and one card is mostly negative, the energy of both is weakened or, more accurately, balanced out. This kind of combination is showing you the light and shade of a situation. 

Example 2:

he Sun + Tower = a blessing in disguise. 

8. People Interactions 

This is where things get fun! If both Tarot cards feature people, look at how they interact with each other for a new layer of insight. Are they facing towards each other or looking away? What might this tell you about their relationship? 

Here’s how to do it… 

First, look for the people in both cards. How are they interacting with each other? 

If they are looking away from each other, it may be a sign of tension or disengagement in the relationship.

Example 1:

The Queen of Cups + Page of Wands = a teenage son ignoring his mum!  

If both are looking towards each other, it may be a sign of a balanced and connected relationship.

Example 2:

Page of Wands + Queen of Cups = a healthy relationship between mother and son. 

If both are looking to the right, it may be a sign of a combined focus on the future. And if both are looking to the left, it may be a sign of reflecting on the past. 

Looking forward can be a sign of dealing with issues head on while standing with one’s back turned can be a sign of ignoring the ‘now’ or wanting to escape. 

Play with the different combinations and see your Tarot cards come alive with this fun technique. 

9. Upright / Reversed 

If you use upright and reversed Tarot cards in your readings, then you’ll find some interesting insights from these two-card combinations. 

Here’s how to do it… 

If both cards are upright, the energy is flowing easily and there’s more activity happening in the outer world.

Example 1:

The Nine of Cups + Queen of Swords = making decisions for the benefit of all. 

If one card is upright and the other is reversed, there’s a focus on both the inner and outer worlds.

Example 2:

The Nine of Cups + Queen of Swords reversed = expressing contentment with personal decisions. 

And if both cards are reversed, the energy may be blocked or there’s more activity happening in the inner, more private world.

Example 3:

The Nine of Cups reversed + Queen of Swords reversed = discontentment with personal decisions, or feeling privately content about the personal decisions you’ve made. (Reversed cards a little out of reach at the moment? Learn how to interpret reversed cards without the doom and gloom.) 

10. Flow 

Looking for the flow between Tarot cards is one of my all-time favourite techniques. I’ve left it until last because it is also one of the more advanced techniques that requires a little ‘free flow’ on your end as the reader. Flow is all about finding common symbols, people or themes within the cards and observing how these change or evolve from one card to the next. 

Here’s How to Do It… 

First, find something that’s common between the two cards. It might be a shared symbol, object, person, background, or even overall theme. Next, look at how it changes from one card to the next. What new information does this give you about the Tarot card combination?

Example 1:

In the Ten of Cups and the Six of Cups, one common element is the pair of children. In the Ten, the children are happily dancing next to their parents. In the Six, they are still happily playing, but now they are on their own. I might interpret this as “kids growing up” or an increased level of independence, yet still a sense of playfulness. 

Example 2:

The Page of Cups and the Sun. One common element is flowers. In the Page of Cups, the flowers are on the Page’s tunic, and in the Sun, the flowers are towering above the wall and around the young child’s head. This could be a sign of taking something that you have previously held close (the Page of Cups) and now making it more public (the Sun). Layer it up with the meanings of the cards and it may be a sign that this combination represents taking your art into a public space, perhaps in a gallery or an exhibition, with lots of success. See – you can have a lot of fun with this technique once you start to get into ‘flow’! 

 

So, there you have it – ten ways to interpret Tarot card combinations. As you become more familiar with the techniques, you’ll find yourself combining techniques to get multi-layered interpretations of the cards.  

But how do you become so comfortable with Tarot card combinations that you could do them in your sleep? 

How to Become A Tarot Card Combination Expert 

The key to becoming really good at anything is to practice. So, here’s a quick and easy activity you can do each day to become a Tarot card combination expert: 

Set aside 5 or 10 minutes for your Tarot practice. 
Split the Tarot deck into two piles, each with the cards face down. 
Turn over the card on top of each deck and you have your first Tarot card pair. 
Use any technique above (or a combination of techniques) and come up with a Tarot card combination meaning and write it down. 
Work through the other techniques for the same pair and see how your interpretations change or build up on one another. 
Circle 2-3 interpretations that make the most sense to you. 
Now, rinse and repeat. 

And if you want to keep it short and sweet, simply flip over the cards, come up with one combined meaning, then flip over another pair and keep going! The benefit to doing all of this practice is not only will you master the Tarot card combinations, but you will be laying down the foundations for being able to tell the story in a Tarot reading, because you now know how to find connections between the cards.  

Download the Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Combinations 

In this FREE guide, I will to save you time, energy and tears by giving you my very best techniques for interpreting Tarot card pairs. These techniques will not only help you master Tarot card combinations, they will lay the foundation for highly accurate and insightful Tarot readings by giving you the skills to find meaningful connections in your readings. 

 

Download your FREE guide to the Tarot card combinations here. 

The post The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Combinations appeared first on Biddy Tarot.

BTP117: The Secret Life of Pamela Colman-Smith with Susan Wands

Long finding inspiration in the artist behind the famous Rider-Waite Tarot deck, Susan Wands (writer, producer, actress and Tarot enthusiast) shares the story of Pamela Colman Smith and how she came to co-create the deck that many of us know and love. 

Additional Resources 

Find out more about Magician and Fool at MagicianAndFool.com or Magician and Fool, the Series on Facebook. 

Order Susan’s book Magician and Fool on Amazon. 

WELCOME 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 117: The Secret Life of Pamela Colman Smith with Susan Wands. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you’ll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

INTRODUCTION 

BRIGIT: Hello and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. As always, it’s such a joy to be able to talk with you about Tarot. 

Today, I have a really special guest. Her name is Susan Wands. Susan is a writer, producer and actress that has written plays, independent films and historical novels. She’s also a Tarot reader and Tarot enthusiast. A graduate of University of Washington, her career as an actress has spanned from Broadway to television to regional theatres throughout the United States, and she finds special inspiration in the lives of women artists, especially Pamela Colman Smith, as she created what’s now known as the Rider-Waite Tarot deck. 

She has a new book called Magician and Fool, and it’s the first book in a series based on the life of the previously unknown artist of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, which is, of course, Pamela Colman Smith. 

Now, in this interview with Susan, we talk a little bit about Pamela Colman Smith and why she was kind of wrapped up in the Tarot, how she got involved, and also a little bit about why she doesn’t have her name in the deck. I think you’ll be as fascinated as I was to understand a little bit more about the times that were happening then. 

And we also talk about how we take something like the Tarot, which is so steeped in history and historic connections, and how do we bring that into the modern world in a way that respects and honours the history as well? 

Now, I do have to say our internet connection wasn’t too good during this interview, so there will be times where the sound isn’t the best quality. I ask you, though, please stick through it because what Susan has to share today is really powerful, and she’s such a wonderful storyteller. So, when it does get a little bit crackly, just hang in there and keep listening because I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this interview. 

Without much further ado, let me welcome Susan Wands. 

THE SECRET LIFE OF PAMELA COLMAN SMITH WITH SUSAN WANDS 

BRIGIT: Welcome, Susan Wands. It’s such a pleasure to have you here on the Biddy Tarot Podcast. How are you doing tonight? 

SUSAN: I’m doing great! Thank you so much for having me on your show, Brigit. 

BRIGIT: Oh, it’s my pleasure. And I have to say: What a great name for someone who loves Tarot as much as you do to have “Susan Wands.” 

SUSAN: Well, it was a bit of a torment growing up, as you can imagine, because you don’t know quite what to do with it. My Grandmother Wands is Scottish. She grew up in upstate New York, but she was somewhat psychic. She loved to have a go at the Ouija board and all that sort of stuff, but I have an identical twin sister, and she and I grew up a lot at my grandparents’ farm with Goldie Wands, and she would tell the most wonderfully eerie, occult-based ghost stories about the Wands family and what was happening. I think we got our love of the occult and things from the other side from her. 

BRIGIT: Oh, how fabulous! I love it. Tell me a little bit more about your own journey with Tarot. And how did you start to play with the Tarot cards and then bring them into your life even more so? 

SUSAN: Well, my twin sister, Cynthia, actually reminded me just recently that when I was a teenager, I had a blue cloth-covered book of black-and-white drawings, which must have been Pamela Colman Smith’s Tarot cards. Now, I have no idea what happened to this book, but she remembers that, at 13, 14, 15, I was sketching in the colours of these Tarot cards. 

I completely forgot about it, but when I moved to New York as a young person, I had always been fascinated with the Rider-Waite deck, and I had had my own cards read at a restaurant here in New York City, in the Greenwich Village, and the Tarot reader told me that I was supposed to do something with Tarot cards, not just read them but to bring them out into the world. At the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. 

I was reading cards for people on the weekends, and sometimes I would do them for a party or a bar mitzvah or a wedding shower or something, but I never thought I was supposed to be doing anything more with that until when one of my friends had bought me a deck of the cards, Pamela’s biography was in this little brochure that came with it, and I was completely obsessed with finding out about who Pamela Colman Smith was, why her name wasn’t on the cards, why the cards weren’t called the “Pamela Colman Smith” cards, why they were called “Rider-Waite.” 

I must have carried this little paper brochure in my purse for about three or four years. I just felt like I wanted to carry her story with me. About eight years ago, I had done a primary rough sketch of a play about Pamela called Magician and Fool, and Stuart Kaplan of U.S. Games, who owns the patent and copyright to the cards, very kindly came down from Stanford on my invitation to see it. He thought it was OK. 

It wasn’t the best we thought we could do with it, and I really said a play was too small for Pamela’s life because her life is so huge and so interesting that I thought, I’m going to write a series of books about her and who were the inspirations and the characters for each one of the Major Arcana. Who was the Magician? Who was the Fool? Who in her lifetime was the Devil to her? 

I took a lot of writing classes and went through a lot of rough drafts of it. I had a lot of wonderful editors and copyeditors and line editors and developmental editors, and after about eight years, this past year, I found a publisher in England, in Manchester, called Eye to Eye Publishing. The first book in the series, Magician and Fool, was published in October of this year. That’s the long story of it! 

BRIGIT: Fabulous. Well, congratulations on the publishing of your first book. It sounds like it will be one of many, so that’s very exciting. Tell me a little bit more about what you have discovered around Pamela and her involvement in the deck and why she hasn’t been featured. I’m so curious! 

SUSAN: I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that she was approached by Waite of the Golden Dawn. He wanted to have these flashcard Tarot cards to show the Golden Dawn that he was a mover and doer, too. He was primarily looking at Pamela as a work-for-hire. If you read his book, you can see that some of his descriptions of the cards, especially in the Minors, have nothing to do with what Pamela designed. 

He sort of gave her marching papers about how to design these cards, but Pamela worked in a different world. She went to Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, where she got some formal art training, but she never completed the courses there. 

The same thing with the Golden Dawn. She studied the Golden Dawn in Level 1, but she never graduated the developmental Degree 1 studies because Pamela was an amazing person. 

She was born in London, lived in Manchester, grew up in Jamaica, went to Brooklyn. She assimilated all these different art forms from her childhood onwards: Jamaican fairy tales, Japanese art, theatre posters, touring with the Lyceum Theatre—what makes a good picture? 

Pamela, in addition to being clairvoyant and having second sight and having synaesthesia, where her brain crosshatched and had different relations with her senses…. She could, supposedly, hear music and then see it and feel it. She felt colours. She just was an amazingly textured person, so for her to bring these Tarot cards to life was such an amazing combination of her life story. 

One of her first jobs was the Anansi folk tales that she did from Jamaica, and that she had published before she was 20. She had her first art show in Fifth Avenue with Stieglitz before she was 20. She toured with Sir Henry Irving and Dame Ellen Terry, and she designed sets and wallpaper and book plates and costumes. She was just amazing at what her prodigious artistic talent did. 

The fact that Waite got her to design these Tarot cards was catching lightning in a bottle because she was the perfect person to understand what a simple, dramatic form can convey without words, and I think that’s why her deck of cards has sold over 100 million copies in 20 different countries. You don’t need to know English to look at her cards to understand what she’s trying to convey. They’re really the same and completely different because they touch the primal archetypes of what we look for in all the great religions and all the great symbols. She really was able to incorporate all of them in her cards. 

BRIGIT: Yep. And I often say with other readers that it’s amazing that these 78 cards feel like the Book of Life, and it’s amazing that so much of what we experience in our lifetimes has been captured by these cards. I love hearing your take of how Pamela has been such an important part of that. 

I’m curious, then: Why do you think Waite was in a position where he was looking just for work-for-hire? And why might there have been a disconnect in terms of, perhaps, balanced or equal credit for the cards? 

SUSAN: I think that Waite did not find the respect that he was looking for in the Golden Dawn, so as he was sort of trying to show this group that wasn’t quite respecting him, he wanted to make sure with all of his other writings that he had ownership of these cards. 

The cards were first published by [inaudible 00:11:06] & Son, and they didn’t sell very well, so then they went to another publisher named Rider, so that’s why they were called the Rider-Waite cards. 

Now, Pamela, her contribution to the cards were done in this wonderfully sly way with her signature because her signature, when you first look at it… When I was first looking at it, I thought it was Egyptian, but in studying her art background, I realised that when she went to Pratt, she studied Japanese art, and one of the things that the professor there that was extremely influential with her, Arthur Wesley Dow, wanted each one of the students to understand Japanese wood blocking, and the sigils that they did for the Golden Dawn when they would have their saying and their personal motto and this and that, their sigil, their initials were very personal. 

But Pamela did this very intriguing thing where she stacked her letters in a very Japanese style, and she put this dot. Now, in England, it’s called a “full-stop,” and in America, we call it a “period.” They mean basically the same thing. There is just a slight difference in the Oxford Dictionary, as opposed to the American Dictionary, about what that dot means, but I think, in so many ways, Brigit, that that dot in Pamela’s initials is Pamela’s way of saying, “I have completed. This is my full sentence. I’m completing it. It’s a full-stop.” The Latin word periódus means “complete sentence,” so I think that that’s Pamela’s way of claiming her artwork, even if the deck is not named after her. 

BRIGIT: Yes, beautiful. I don’t know, I’m just feeling like, “Yes, more power to you, Pamela!” because I imagine, in that time, it wasn’t necessarily a balanced female/male kind of setting. Do you think that also played a role that female artists weren’t being respected in general? Or do think it was something else? 

SUSAN: That’s a very good point, Brigit. I think that women in Victorian/Edwardian times, there were still issues about women voting, women owning property, women having a bank account. Pamela was [inaudible 00:13:16]. She was negotiating these terms herself, and she wasn’t brilliant at money keeping, so it was very easy to tell a woman, “Listen, we’re just getting your artwork. We’re naming it. This is just a job.” 

In fact, Pamela herself, when she [inaudible 00:13:35], looking for more money for her artwork to be sold, “I’ve just done a big job for very little cash.” So, she knew that her effort into the job was a lot more than what she was paid, but still she did it full out, but as [inaudible 00:13:49] for the times, she wasn’t about to get equal billing with this. Unfortunately, I think she was… I don’t want to say [inaudible 00:13:57] because there are many things about Pamela that are not a victim, but she was a creature of her times where she would not have been given equal billing for this. 

BRIGIT: That’s interesting, yes. You also mentioned about some of the cards and “Where did the Magician play in her life?” What have you discovered? What are some of the stories that you’ve discovered about the cards and Pamela’s connection to those? 

SUSAN: Well, I just love the fact that Pamela came from a theatrical background and that Bram Stoker was such a big part of Pamela’s life. She called Bram Stoker her “Uncle Brammy,” and in some ways, you can look at the story of Dracula as being a Tarot story. Jonathan Harker is the Fool, and Helsing is the Magician. Mina is the Empress. The Lovers are Lucy and her partner. 

But I think that the way that Pamela came to design the Tarot cards and her distinct style is a combination of theatre poster, which she had done for her mother’s cousin, William Gillette, when he was playing Sherlock Holmes, and the Japanese style that she learned at Pratt, which was primary lines in the beginning, four primary colours, and then fine lines in the back, without necessarily a vanishing point. 

She had the stage that the characters of the cards are set on, so they’re enacting the story and the history of these cards, and she’s brought with them all the symbols that she could that would signify, like an actor in a play, that the Magician would have been, maybe, Sir Henry Irving because his stance as the Magician is exactly like his posture as King Arthur in the posters for King Arthur at the Lyceum Theatre. 

The Fool was very much William Terriss, who was the matinee idol of his day. He was the Arrol Flynn. He was a handsome Don Juan, and he was robust and always jumping off things. He jumped off cliffs. He jumped off bridges to save people. He was a swashbuckler, and when Pamela was quite young and writing to her cousins, there were lots of letters going back and forth about how dashing all these actors were. 

In my mind, Sir Henry Irving was the template for the Magician, and William Terriss was the Fool. 

BRIGIT: Yep, fabulous. And I’m sort of curious… We have this beautiful appreciation of history and what was happening at that time. How can we now start to bring this into the modern times as well? Obviously, Pamela has put in a lot of thought and has been influenced by something from a long time ago, but how do we make this more modern now? 

SUSAN: I think the thing that’s so universal about her cards is the saying that “What is specific is universal.” In the Magician card, the fact that the magician has the tools of his trade on his table, which is the Minor Arcana (swords, wands, stars, cups), and yet he’s still holding the lemniscate above his head with the [inaudible 00:17:03]. 

I think that today, to make Tarot reading relevant and current, one of the best ways to look at Tarot is the way that Mary Greer does it, especially the Smith-Waite cards. They tell you exactly how your body is responding to the images. Oftentimes, people are saying, “Well, I’m not sure what I’m getting,” and she would just say, “Well, what do you see in the card? Look at the Magician card and just tell me what you see.” 

And people would say, “Well, I see a sword,” and of all the things on the table to see, that’s the thing that they would see, and Mary would say, “And what does that mean to you?” 

It was fantastic, the way that she was saying the way that Tarot was so modern, it’s therapy. It’s a Rorschach test. It’s symbolism. Your brain is looking at these cards and responding like [inaudible 00:17:53] saying, “I’m responding to this happening in my life now.” 

And the same with the Fool. When someone would be looking at the Fool card, she would say, “So, you see the Fool. What is the Fool doing? What is it?” 

And they would say, “Well, he’s jumping off the cliff,” or “He’s falling off the cliff.” 

And the thing that was so brilliant about the way that she had people do their own interpretations is that your body gets to respond to the images, and that’s universal, and it’s never-ending. It’s just the best way to do the cards, I think. 

BRIGIT: That’s the way that I love working with the Tarot, is from that more intuitive space and what stands out to you at this present time, and what’s the personal meaning that it has for you. I think where a lot of readers can sometimes get a bit tripped up is that they start to worry. 

“Maybe I need to know what this traditional symbol really means, and maybe I’m getting it wrong if I see a lion and actually feel comforted,” versus scared or that sort of thing, so I’m really glad to hear from you, particularly given your appreciation of the history of Tarot, that being intuitive with the cards and leaning into what feels right for you personally, that’s linking up for you as well. 

SUSAN: Oh, I do have to say that I have many [inaudible 00:19:08] that are studying Tarot for the first time, and the thing that’s so helpful for them is, especially—just to give a shout-out to your website—how you have the images of the cards there with very simple, succinct definitions of what these images are. When you’re first starting out, you can really worry. 

“Well, what does a [inaudible 00:19:15] mean with the four things in the corners? And why is there water everywhere?” 

It can really take you away from what you’re responding to because you’re so worried about the symbols, but I think if you just start off and learn what it means to you, that’s the best approach to do it. 

BRIGIT: Yep, absolutely. Again, having such the appreciation for Pamela’s journey, do you think that would make Pamela proud if she was here in this lifetime? Do you think that’s what she intended for her cards to be used as? 

SUSAN: You know, I have mixed feelings about it, Brigit, because just this summer, we were at the church where her remains were supposed to be, and we did a lovely ceremony where we all thanked her for her contribution to the world. We had so much to say to her. 

And later that night when we were in the King Arthur Camelot Hotel in Tinitagel, we found out later on that she had actually been there with Sir Henry Irving, showing him her touring theatre, and they were actually in the bar, having drinks and all this stuff. 

We were sort of freaking out to Pamela in this séance-type thing with Linda Marsen, who has had a terrific sense of being able to contact her, and I think that Pamela’s to us was “Yes, the cards are very important to me,” and she was thrilled that we all know about them, but life is big, and it’s not just about the cards. Moving on with your life seems to be the bigger message, acting your life and taking action from what these cards were. 

We sort of got a kick out of that because we were all, “We’re so thankful for your cards and everything you’ve done,” and she was like, “Drink in life and have a good time! That’s what we’re here for, the communion of this,” so that was fabulous. 

BRIGIT: Yep. Oh, that’s wonderful, and what a beautiful way to connect with her spirit and to do that in such close proximity to where she had spent her time. 

I’d love to hear a little bit more about The Magician and the Fool. What’s coming next with that? Does this mean that you’re writing books all the way through the Major Arcana? 

SUSAN: The first book is really Pamela as a young girl with her special gifts and realising she’s not your typical young, Edwardian lady. She’s got many intuitive things happening, many gifts, and she finds her prototype in Sir Henry Irving, the celebrity of his day, the Magician of this day, and Ellen Terry, who became a surrogate mother to her. 

Actually, the journey that the cards are going to take are very union in that each card teaches Pamela something she needs to learn before she can go on to the next card. So, in some ways, this sequence of books is Pamela’s coming-of-age and learning how to claim her artwork as her own, even though there were others in the Golden Dawn going, “What? This young strange woman from Jamaica is designing the cards? She’s going to be the person who carries on the Tarot message through the ages?” So, there’s a little bit of a power play about “How can that be? This was not created so that she would be the interpreter of this whole Golden Dawn.” 

Which, I think, Pamela’s cards have gone on beyond the Golden Dawn, and especially to women, she’s found a way to communicate through symbols about “What is essential to us in our relationship to ourselves and to others in the world?” 

Magician and Fool is her relationship with her surrogate father, Sir Henry Irving, as the Magician, and the surrogate bon vivant lover/life force person, William Terriss, and that’s Magician and Fool.  

In the High Priestess and Empress, it’s Florence Farr and Ellen Terry, and they’re two women who really shaped Pamela in terms of standing up for herself, and where did this signature initial come from, and how did she learn to do this. The women of that era were fantastic, so I’m thrilled to be writing about them. It’s been such a pleasure. 

BRIGIT: Wonderful. When will the next book be released? 

SUSAN: Well, we’re in the midst of edits now, so I’m going through the last parts to make sure that it adds up. I had a wonderful development editor, Jennifer [inaudible 00:23:44], who used to work at Harper-Collins, work with me on Magician and Fool, and we’ll be going through to make sure that we make the same kind of sense and journey for Pamela. It gets a little more otherworldly as it goes on. The other side comes through quite a bit more as the books go on, so I want to make sure that they’re rooted but not strangled by history. 

BRIGIT: Yep, wonderful. I take it those are available on Amazon and in bookstores as well? 

SUSAN: Yes. Magician and Fool is now available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. High Priestess and Empress is in final edits, and I hope to have it out by the beginning of next year. 

BRIGIT: Beautiful. I’m sure there will be many people that will just love reading the first book and then the many more to come, absolutely. 

SUSAN: Thank you, Brigit. 

BRIGIT: So, where can people find out more about you? 

SUSAN: Well, I have a huge Facebook page dedicated to Magician and Fool with all sorts of photographs of everything from all the Golden Dawn chiefs, all of Pamela’s artwork, the Lyceum Theatre, so you can check it out at Magician and Fool, the Series on Facebook, or you can go to the website, MagicianAndFool.com. 

BRIGIT: Fabulous. We’ll make sure that we also post those in the show notes. 

Now, so that we can feel that this interview is complete, is there anything else that you would like to add? 

SUSAN: Well, I would like to say, having just come from Kim Arnold’s U.K. Tarot Conference in London, that I am so pleased to see so many women that are taking on the role of Tarot reading. I think this is an essential part of our village that we’ve been missing for a long time. It’s the village of therapist and storyteller and confidante, and I think Tarot fills a huge need in our tribe about connection with each other. When we can’t say something, and the Lovers card comes up, so much is said between us. It was so thrilling to see so many women (and some men) come forward and learn this, or relearn, or fine-tune this art of Tarot. I think it’s going to be essential to moving forward with what’s happening in the world. 

BRIGIT: Yeah, absolutely. Yes. it is beautiful, and I just love seeing the bigger movement, I think, that’s happening right now around Tarot and more people coming to use this tool to connect with their inner wisdom and intuition. It’s very, very powerful. 

Excellent. Well, thank you so much for today, Susan. I’ve really enjoyed listening to you and hearing more about Pamela Colman Smith and her journey as well, so thank you so much. 

SUSAN: You’re quite welcome, Brigit, and thank you for having me on your podcast. 

BRIGIT: My pleasure. 

WRAP-UP 

BRIGIT: Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Susan Wands. Now, if you want to get the transcript for the interview or the links to Susan’s website, go to BiddyTarot.com/117, and you’ll find all of the show notes there. 

For now, I hope you have a fabulous week, and maybe you’ll start looking for little special somethings in your Tarot cards if you’ve got the special Pamela Colman Smith stamp on it, so enjoy, and I will check with you again next week. Bye for now! 

 

 

 

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