“Help people. Give back. Do good shit for humanity.”

Can there even be a better card for a new year? Spark fire in yourself to help others and do what you can do to help others. Sometimes that’s just reblogging a post and other times it’s donating time or money to help others.

This year is stepping outside of yourself and into your community. This can be difficult, especially after so many of us had such monumental changes over the last few years.

This doesn’t mean you need to fork over your cash. Things are expensive right now everywhere, so don’t be afraid to hoard your coins like Smaug and instead focus on acts of compassion and love. 

Embrace helping and loving others. Teach a skill to someone. Hold the door for a stranger. Distract a crying baby so a stressed parent can breathe. Give your pet an extra cuddle. Give something homemade, such as cookies or even a card, to someone who needs a bit of cheer.

Make new friends. Join a club or just pick a new place to frequent, like the library, park, or a coffee shop. Find someone new to talk to.

This is also the year to find love. Being in love often softens people so they are willing to help others and give more. Giving love means you’re granted more love. It seems like nonsense at first, but it really does work. 

Bettering yourself also helps your community. Spend time focusing and loving yourself and you’ll find that you’re able to recognize more easily who is struggling and how you can help. By setting yourself up in a good place means that you’re more willing to give to others. Your cup isn’t empty, so you can offer some of your water to others.

So try to do more for others this year. We’ve been isolated and self-contained these last few years. Spend 2023 reaching out. Discover who and what reaches back. Open your heart.

Happy new year!

Featured decks: Rebel Deck (I drew several others, but this is the one that actually said “yes, me!”)

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This is a simple spread intended to reveal things like false idealizations, illusions, and so on. Sometimes we idealized people or put them on pedestals. This reveals what’s behind the curtain. This spread would also reveal what’s they’re fooling themselves with.

1 – What is the dream or (false) idealized version of the person or situation?

2 – What are the unintentional illusions of the situation or person? What falsehoods have been unintentionally perpetuated?

3 – What intentional illusions is this situation or person hiding behind?

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Ever pull the same card again and again? No matter what deck you use, that card finds you and haunts you. It shows up unannounced, unwanted, and uninvited. It ruins the party and sometimes even other people’s readings. It is the worst.

Mine stalker card has been the Eight of Wands. It’s been the Eight of Wands for years. Why? Well, I’ve got a few ideas, but largely because I’m not doing what the card wants me to do. Because I don’t want to do what it wants me to do and I don’t take orders from fancy paper.

OK, maybe that’s a bit aggressive, but the facts are this: sometimes you’re being told in a reading to do something that you have no interest in doing. You get to say “yes, well, that’s nice, but no thanks.” That’s one of the nice parts of divination. You don’t have to heed the advice given.

But let’s talk about stalker cards and what they really mean.

The general message when this happens is that you need to pay attention to this stalker card. There’s a particular message it’s trying to convey that needs your attention.

Whenever a stalker card appears, you need to figure out what it means and how to do what it says to do (and make it go away). There’s a couple of ways you can do this.

Check lots of different interpretations of that card. Check the card’s symbology. Just research alternative meanings to that card to see if it creates a revelation on what it means.

You can also meditate with the card and see if there’s some message the card need to express that you need to know that comes to you through intuition and meditation.

Use a stalker card spread like this one. Or you can use the one I made up for you below!

Is that still not working? Then you’ve two options:

1. Draw the card and then a clarifying card. You probably already do this and you’ll have to keep doing it until the message become clear. A nuisance, perhaps, but you do what you have to do.
2. Draw the card and then ignore it. Use whatever cards you draw next for the rest of the reading. Is this the best policy? Not really, because you might be missing a different meaning for that card, especially if you’re reading for someone else.

Why does this happen?

Generally, it happens because we need to hear the message and we aren’t doing what the message says to do.

But what if it’s suppose to be part of the message?

Then include it. Does it make sense to the rest of the reading? Include it. When this happens for me, I include it in the reading but as an extra card (like a jump card). I don’t count it as a part of the spread I’m using.

Stalker cards are a pain in the butt. Sometimes, they can stalk you for YEARS because you don’t move fast enough for them or because you still haven’t got the message (even though you probably DID get the message, but can’t do anything with the message yet). You can try to resolve the card, but sometimes, you just have to sigh, give the card a good glare, and move on with your day.

Hope that helps folks!

Here’s a sample of what a reading using my personal divination method known as the King’s Divination looks like.

Note, all photos for your readings are personal and never shared on social media.

The King’s Divination reveals that your most immediate concern should be getting organized. You’ll want to review your schedule and make sure that you’re getting back on track. Not just because you have stuff to do but because you want to. For personal empowerment and to be able to cleanse yourself from the muck and negativity you’re surrounded by right now.

The most important aspect right now to consider is yourself. You are your most powerful tool. Your instincts, intuition, and self is key to your whole future right now. You are your best motivation and best friend. Remember to listen to yourself. Listen to your heart and spirit. It will guide you where you need to go.

Your relationships with others are very important right now. Allow yourself to trust your heart to others. Don’t lock up your heart tightly. Allow yourself to meet people and befriend those around you. In doing this, you’ll gain great personal power and enrich your life. It will make things much more vibrant and pleasant for you.

Success is possible for you, just avoid making mistakes. Allow yourself to be confident. Modesty and humility won’t help you right now. Embrace what you have and show it off.

Delusions rule over you right now. Get rid of the false illusions you allow and cleanse your spirit. You’ll want to be ready for what’s coming and separating yourself from toxic and negative things will only help you move forward.

Your life is rather split right now. There’s the relationships section of your life which is entirely separate from your success section of your life. Both hold importance to you but you are slightly leaning towards needing more people in your life. You’re probably feeling lonely or isolated right now. You’ve allowed yourself to get into that position so don’t be surprised that it’s happened. You’re responsible for your heart so take responsibility for it. Conquer those people-related fears and move forward.

The first step is with the self and on the mundane level. Follow that up with being true to yourself and you can’t go wrong.

The King’s Divination is an additional option to my etsy readings (the “cards + divination” option) and adds a different perspective on things.

The King’s Divination is also largely impersonal so it doesn’t get sassy like other divination methods do. It tells the truth as it sees it, firm and sincere but not unkind.

You want your own divination reading? Head over to my shop!

When you get a tarot reading you’re asking someone else to sit down and read your most intimate parts of yourself. The reader might not know all the nitty gritty details, but they’re still involved with something personal, something private.

This is why I hold my client’s tarot readings (and purchases in general) as private and under the most strict confidence. It’s also why I don’t show my client’s readings or give context such as spread names or full photo shots for the rare photo I do show. Because it’s not my business to share and sharing client readings (especially without permission) is considered a faux pas for me. Your readings are yours and they are private. The same way that your purchases are private and your emails and convos are private. Asks are a little different as often their asking for advice or commenting on a community discussion but nine times out of ten I’ll reply to an ask privately if I’m able to. Because that’s a private interaction.

It’s a rather common practice to see tarot readers show off spreads or client readings. It’s a great way to get your services out there and it’s a great boost of confidence for those who are learning to read to see the readings in practice. And that’s exactly why I’m all for showing my own personal readings or the readings of clients who give the OK. Because showing off your readings and skill can be such a great boon for both you, your readers, and your clients. I share my own personal readings fairly often. I’ll share client posts, reviews, photos, and videos because they’ve shared them first.

I think the crux of the situation is that clients aren’t often even asked if their readings can be shared. As mentioned above, tarot readings are personal to the person so not asking is kind of like snooping through someone’s mail to me. You might not know the context of the bills or letters but you can make some pretty educated guesses just from the names on the envelopes. It’s one thing if you decide to tell someone what’s in the envelope (or the reading) and you’re welcome to share that with the world as the client but for the reader to share your private reading publicly without your permission first… I would see that as a breach of trust personally.

It’s not uncommon for people to forget that their clients are people too. You see this startlingly often in the medical field where doctors and nurses forget their patient’s comfort because to them it’s just another case or just another flu or broken arm. They forget that to the patient, to you, this is a big deal. And that carries over with readers as well. To you this might be just another reading but to the client, it could be vitally important. To forget that and share the reading reduces them to just another person and makes their interactions with you less personal and important.

Not sharing readings means that you have more work on your hands to get your name and business out there however. People can’t see how you read and don’t know what environment they’re in. Testimonials and sample readings can help alleviate that burden as can social media promoting. Simply sending an email to someone and asking for their permission can give you a great response. If a client says yes they’ll probably be exceptionally pleased that you even thought to ask and that might even be a talking point for them when they recommend you. You can also say something like “hey, I had a few great client readings today now here’s one for myself!” And then show a reading you did for yourself or something similar. It still gets your services out there but it doesn’t share your client’s privacy.

I was pleased to see this discussed by Freya Ray in her book The Ethical Psychic (review to come at a later date). Her opinions strongly mirror mine and I know a few other readers who also hold their client’s readings as private first. I know it’s been discussed before but I haven’t seen it come up recently. I think this is a discussion the tarot community should be having as we live in a world of instant gratification and it’s so easy to snap a shot of a client’s reading while at a coffee shop and post it to six different social media sources at once.

I think asking a client if you can share their reading should at least be an industry courtesy if not an industry standard. What do you think?

Let’s say you want a reading. Be it tarot, divination, oracle or whatever and you’ve even found a diviner you want to use. But what do listing you choose? What’s the best choice for you? How do you word your questions? What can you expect?

Let’s first talk about what divination can do for you. Divination can do a lot of things but mainly it falls into two camps: telling the future and introspection. These two purposes often coincide (for example, you might get a reading about your career but also glean some advice on what to work on so you can be the best for said career). Some readers specialize in just telling the future and others will only use it for introspection and will go so far as to say telling the future is impossible. I’m of a mind that both are good and can be useful depending on the kind of question you have. My own readings tend to be a mix of both future insights and suggestions, advice, or warnings on what you can change to help yourself or change a future foretold that you didn’t like.

I know what you’re thinking. “Wait? Change a future?” Yup. I believe and operate that for the most part you have the power and ability to change your future. Channel your inner Merida and change what you don’t like. That being said, I also believe that some things are bound to happen give circumstances so unless you wildly deviate from course they’ll happen. xxxHOLIC and CLAMP fans might recognize a term called hitsuzen which is similar. The end result is the same: by and large, you can take advice given to you by the cards and use it to help alter things to your liking. The future is not set in stone.

I’ve already written on what to expect once you purchase a reading insofar as my specific process but you can help your chosen diviner by ensuring and understanding the following things:

1. Be ready to hear what’s being said. The answer might not be good or what you’re hoping for so you have to be ready for that too. Listen to what the reader says. If you’re asking for a reading, there’s an expectation that you want to be told what’s being read. If you’re closed to the idea that nothing can change or be helped then the reading is probably going to be useless for you. Going to several readers isn’t going to change what’s been read unless you change it yourself. If you’re not ready to hear what has to be said, then don’t ask.
2. Readings are usually only good for six months and specific dates are hard to pinpoint. While some readers can divine far into the future and narrow down futures to the an exacted time and date for something to happen, many readers prefer not to go that route so you won’t be disappointed when something doesn’t happen. Many readers will only read six months out at most and many times only a few weeks in advance. I tend to use three to six months as an average time frame and give suggestions of a couple of months when dating things.
3. Accept that the reader may get things wrong. Most of the time the diviner doesn’t know the details of your life so they speak in non-specifics or try to get as specific as possible without knowing those details first hand. Many readers can get some amazing details but there’s going to be times where they’re just off. It happens.
4. We are interpreters of the cards not advice givers. While many of us can and do serve in a mentor position and some readers are even counselors, we are by and large not advice givers. While some readers will make suggestions or give advice, many readers do not. We just read the cards. That’s what you’re paying us for.
5. We are worth our rate. It’s just rude and insulting to try and bargain with us. Don’t do it. We work hard to learn the cards and spend many hours crafting spreads and learning how to read for others. Many of us study for years to be able to read professionally.
6. Every reader is different. Some readers will focus on the metaphysical or pretty imagery. Others will work on empowering you towards your goal. More still want to help you help yourself. There’s lot of different reasons to read and divine and every single reader uses their own experiences, personal symbolism, and knowledge to read the cards or divination tool different. No two readers will read exactly the same way. It may take some time to find a reader that matches up with your style.
7. Know your questions. Sometimes you don’t know what you want. That’s OK but having specific questions to be answered can help cut down wasted time for both you and the reader. You might even want to write the questions down in advance. Check with the reader to see if they’ll even read for those specific questions. Some readers won’t read for health related issues or for a third party.
8. Ask questions. If you don’t understand what the reader is saying or what a card means, ask questions! Ask them to clarify what’s going on so you really understand.

OK. Now you know what to look forward to, now to pick a divination style. There are hundreds of thousands of ways to tell the future. I’m not kidding there. I personally use a couple of dozen and have actively tried at least fifty or more. There’s so many different and awesome choices out there to pick from! Cards are a classic so when in doubt, it’s probably your best choice. Tarot is the best known system but oracle and lenormand cards can work just as well. Pendulum readings are excellent for yes or no questions. Scrying techniques, like crystal ball reading, water gazing, and so on give the diviner mental and/or psychic images and information. This can be very informative or very vague, depending on the reader and the question. If you’re a book lover and want some general fun advice, a stitchomancy/bibliomancy reading using a favorite book might be a good way to go. Lots are divination systems where the diviner tossings or randomly selects from a collection of objects and uses the correlations, associations, locations to one another and possibly even a metaphysical map layout to divine the future. These are usually highly individualized but that can lead to some pretty amazing results. (And yup, I do all of the above and more).

Now to determine how long or how many cards are needed. Traditionally, a reader has a timer set and you pay for their time (often by every fifteen minutes or an hour). There’s another method out there that I actually prefer: card number. You pay for the amount of cards drawn. I generally recommend selecting between five to seven cards for a reading. If a particularly complicated question, go up to ten. For me, a five to seven card reading is equivalent to fifteen or twenty minutes. Ten for me is about half an hour (therefore 20 cards is around a hour’s time). Too few cards and you don’t get enough information to do anything with and too many cards can become overwhelming or begin to repeat the information already said. It’s a careful balance and sometimes it’s better just to ask.

Some readers even let you pick out what deck of cards or divination tool to use. They might let you shuffle or touch the cards and others won’t. It depends on the reader or the sometimes even the tool itself. Ask first before touching. When picking a deck or tool to use the best advice is to pick the one you’re drawn to the most. Maybe the deck has some specific energy or the art style really appeals to you. Maybe you like dragons or the color purple. Whatever you decide know that while the tool chosen might have some influence on how the information is relayed (a gentler voice versus a brash voice with cards, for example), it’s probably not going to change what information is given.

So now you’ve set up a time or purchased a reading and now it comes to the part where you ask your questions. As mentioned above, be sure to check with the reader to see if there’s any questions they won’t answer. (I’m liberal when it comes to the questions asked of me whereas some others aren’t). The best way to word a question is to be clear and concise but to focus on what you can do. Here’s some examples:

“Am I going to die?” Well, yeah. We all do. This is a pretty rough question for a diviner to get and many won’t even attempt to answer it. A better way to word it is “I’m seriously worried about my health. What can I do to reduce my chances of serious illness or death?”

“Is Avery going to ask me to prom?” Yes/no questions can be difficult to divine. It may depend on the tool chosen or the reader themselves. A better way to ask this question is “What can I do to encourage or raise my chances of Avery asking me to prom?” This gives you information that you can do something with.

“I hate my co-worker. Will they get fired soon?” While worded appropriately, a better question would be “What can I do to get along better with my co-workers?” Again, this put you in a position to change things rather than just information that might not help in the long run.

“[Insert paragraphs of life story here] So what can I do?” Cut down on the background information. Often times having some information is useful so the reader can get specifics but many times too much information is just confusing and you may not get the question answers at all. I tend to reword long stories like that into useable questions for the reading.

Now that you’ve done all of that you just have to sit back and wait for the reading. As mentioned above, I’ve already described in an earlier post what my reading process is like. If in person, give the reader a second to really look at the cards and understand what’s going on. Ask questions but let them speak too. You might want to bring a notepad and pen or break out a note-taking app on your phone to jot down some information as it’s relayed to you. Online reading are by far easier for you. Simply wait until the reader sends the reading your way. Often times it’s sent through email with photos attached or in an assembled .PDF file. If you have questions, email the reader but be sure to check their policies. They may only allow a certain number of questions or clarification cards drawn before a new reading is required.

And that’s it! That’s how you prepare for a reading! Not too hard is it? So go out there and learn your future!