Tarot Behind the Scenes

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Hello, Hedge Mystic readers. I’m popping into your inbox for the second time in a week, which is unusual for me as I like to respect your time. We all know that Substack, social media, and emails constantly flood us with information, and I only write to you when I have something valuable to share.

I’m a seven-year cycle person, meaning that my endeavors and life/business focus change about every seven years. This year is the end of a cycle, and I’m already feeling the pull into the next seven-year cycle.

Over the winter, I’ve examined how I spend my time and where I feel I am being called to focus. I’ve considered who my people are, what my natural abilities and training are suited for, and how I might best serve the largest number of people. I’ve been led to a decision, and the spring equinox is a perfect time to make the shift.

I will still write a weekly Hedge Mystic article and offer personal 1:1 depth coaching. I will also continue to make personal art for my spiritual, psychological, and creative growth, which I occasionally share on Notes (Not on Notes yet? Head to substack.com/notes or find the “Notes” tab in the Substack app.)

This shift will turn my attention, time, and resources to expanding my Tarot Readings and Tarot Coaching Sessions.

Perhaps you’ve never had a Tarot reading with me, or maybe you have but are not aware of what goes on behind the scenes when I give one. Today, I will pull back the veil and let you see how I prepare for a reading with you.

First, I’d like to say that Tarot is not magic, fortune telling, or a parlor trick. It is simply a piece of cardstock with images printed on it that reveal concepts, patterns, and correspondences. Its power comes from the archetypal nature of the images that, over the centuries, have accrued a vast depth of wisdom, meaning, and psychological power that we encounter in our collective and personal unconscious. Its relevance for you, the querent, comes from the working of synchronicity. You can already see that I engage with the cards from a psychological perspective, specifically Jungian, and secondly as a tool or technology of the Soul.

Working with the Tarot as a spiritual or soulful technology requires me to proceed with humility and reverence. I listen to the concepts, ideas, patterns, and symbolism offered each time a card is drawn and discern the dialogue between the cards when laid out in a spread.

There are many gifted Tarot readers out there, but there are also quite a few charlatans and others who draw their power and insight from the cards using dark and dangerous forces. This is why I wanted to share my ceremonial preparation for giving a reading.

When you engage me for a Tarot reading either on Zoom or in person, immediately before we meet, I go through some steps to ensure that I, as the vessel of information and wisdom and the deck itself, are consecrated to delivering information that is true and beneficial, offered in the spirit of support and love for you.

The deck itself is grounded and cleansed using selenite and black tourmaline. Crystals have interesting properties of frequency and molecular arrangement and, I believe, can align nearby energies to their resonance; in other words, the energetic field of the cards is co-regulated with the cleansing field of the selenite and the grounding field of the black tourmaline. This may sound like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, and I admit only some of the principles here are actually “scientific” and provable. Still, intuitively, I sense that something important happens when I intend to ensure that the cards are ready to convey only what is trustworthy and helpful.

Next, I prepare myself and the room using botanical sprays I purchase from a talented craftsman who creates artisanal handmade incense, ritual oils, and botanical sprays. I begin using the Mist of Dispersion (palmarosa, fir, juniper, cedar, and birch.) This is designed to disperse noxious spirits and flocculum abomini. At this point, I verbally expel, via the power of the Holy Spirit, all spirits that distort, desecrate, mislead, lie, deceive, disrupt truth, and that are demonic. I hope this doesn’t sound frightening. The reality is that spiritual and psychological work happens in an imaginal and liminal space where the material world and the spiritual meet, and not all beings in the spiritual realms are good, helpful, or holy. There is such a thing as evil, and I am careful to protect myself and my clients from their influence.

Once a clean atmosphere is established, I use two additional botanical sprays. The first is the Mist of Illumination (citrus and spearmint), which is created to amplify the powers of the mind so that one can see clearly and shine the light—exactly my intention when giving a reading. The second botanical is the Mist of Hypnos (clary sage, lavender, bergamot, and sacred elemi), which amplifies the powers of sight (insight) and devotional praxes.

This preparation ensures I am ready to be as truthful, insightful, and helpful as possible during your reading.

When you arrive on Zoom or in person, all of this will have been accomplished, and we will be ready to explore your questions and concerns in a spiritually clean and healthy space.

Once we are together, we devise a question that will elicit the best information possible, making your experience with the Tarot profoundly personal and meaningful.

There is always so much more I could say about Tarot, and I will write more about this subject in the coming months. Meanwhile, you can browse all the Tarot articles I've published in the Hedge Mystic Library HERE.

My Tarot business is called Red Book Tarot, and you can connect with me there to book a reading or email me to schedule a date.

Over the years, giving Tarot readings has been one of the most fulfilling ways to share my natural abilities and training with others. In a world of virtual social networks where others surround us but we can’t seem to make a meaningful connection, the personal, human aspect of a Tarot reading is a blessing. To be able to offer insight, clarity, support, and for a while, walk beside you as you struggle to understand a situation, make a decision, or gain a clear vision of yourself and your life is truly an honor.

If you have questions about Tarot in general or how I practice Tarot, ask me in the comments. I’d be happy to chat with you.

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