About My Tarot

Why Rider–Waite

“It’s the classic. It’s the most popular deck. It’s the classic and the foundation.”

I have a Thoth deck too. But to study Thoth, you first need to know Rider–Waite really well.

Why no upside-down cards

I don’t use upside-down cards, because tarot is built so that every upright card already holds the full range of its meanings — the constructive side and the shadow side.

I’d rather pick up those nuances from the context of the reading and the situation. Hidden motives and obstacles show up clearly through the combinations of cards and how they play off each other.

I read cards, I don’t tell fortunes

I read cards. I don’t tell fortunes. I read the cards, I study each card on its own. I study how cards work in pairs. I study how they work in threes. I study the cards in depth, through signs that have come down to us from ancient times and still work today.

Each card answers different questions in completely different ways, and you need to know and study that too. A pair of cards can change the answer. Three cards read completely differently — not as one card, but as a set of three.

How I prepare for a reading

First I read the client’s question. Then I tune in: “I clear my mind completely, shut out all the noise. I need to be quiet and still.” I shuffle the deck and say the client’s question out loud. I draw the cards at random from different parts of the deck: three, four or seven, depending on the spread.

Before reading single cards, I look at the whole picture. How many Major Arcana came up: the Major Arcana always show the overall energy a person is living in right now. If there are lots of Minor Arcana, the situation is fluid and can shift easily. Whether positive or negative cards win. Which card jumps out first. Which elements dominate.

Then I read in layers: first each card — what it says about this question. Then the cards in pairs. Then all of them together. Then I line up the chain of events, the timeline. I write everything down as I go. If questions come up, I message the client directly and ask. And only then do I record the video.

I believe tarot is a great tool for working with the subconscious. For finding the answers inside yourself.