Kat and the Moon Tarot

I have been seeing an influx of readers and psychics claiming to be able to identity things like spirit guides and deities lately. And if it was just targeted confirmation readings, I would think that this would be just fine, or if they were doing a general type of reading on this entity’s energies towards the querent. However, they’re more often than not claiming to be able to blindly identify otherworldly beings using things like a simple tarot card spread. Personally, I have a lot of qualms about these types of readings, and I’m just going to be sharing some food for thought before you purchase one of these readings from someone on sites like TikTok or Etsy.

What is a blind identification? A blind identification is being given some basic qualities and then immediately drawing cards and identifying the entity. If I were to say “Hey a deity is reaching out to me, can you name them?”, that would be a blind identification. If I were to go to a reader and say, “Hey, I think Isis is reaching out to me, can you confirm?”, that would be more of a targeted identification, and in my opinion targeted identifications have a much higher rate of being accurate than blind identifications. A blind identification is not just providing a reading of “This deity has a very motherly energy” or something along those lines, it’s reading a couple cards and going “Aha! This is definitely Persephone!” when you’re not aware of any options your querent might be thinking of…or all of the options that are available.

Why differentiate? There’s a vast ocean of an accuracy spectrum between a blind identification and a targeted identification. When you’re confirming if something is a specific entity or type of guide, you’re much more likely to get a more concrete answer than if you were going in blind and using tarot to pick a name out of a hat. Think of it like a Guess Who game. Asking if the card is Mr. Brown only leads to a yes or no answer. Asking if it’s a person with brown hair will leave multiple possibilities and your chances of an accurate guess are much lower. Think of how many types of deities fall under things like parental figure, warrior, healer, etc. Think of how much overlap there is between all of these characteristics between deities. Now I want you to think of a card combination that can only be used for one specific deity. Chances are, you won’t be able to. That isn’t to say a blind guess can never be accurate, but it’s more of a matter of luck versus having a solid, concrete answer. Can intuition help? Sure, but then that brings me to my next point of contention.

Scope of Knowledge Another vastly limiting factor is the reader’s scope of knowledge. Nine out of ten times I see the same Greco-Roman deities being identified. I will also see a lot of the same entities being identified. Loki seems to be a hot guess, especially when Marvel movies are popular. So why are these same deities dominating the charts? Well, it’s because the readers who are blindly identifying these beings are only familiar with so many of them. And normally that’s fine! As practitioners, we really only need to know what we want to incorporate in our practice. But when you’re claiming to be able to pick a deity from all of the pantheons out there, then you would need to be intimately familiar with each and every deity, every entity, every kind of guide…and that’s simply impossible. Deities will also have different sides they show to different followers. If you’re trying to identify a deity with Empress energy, your mind probably goes to Gaia, or Persephone, maybe Hera, perhaps Rhea. But would you ever think of Kali Ma? Santa Muerte? Most people definitely wouldn’t because they haven’t seen those sides of these deities. So how do you expect to blindly identify a deity when they’re so multi-faceted? Once again, if you do, it’s most likely by luck versus skill.

The Risk of Taking Blind Identifications At Face Value When you take these readings at face value, at best you’ll simply be ignored by the deity or they may decide they’re open to having a relationship with you even if they didn’t reach out to you first, but at worst, you run the risk of a nasty surprise. Most deities have rules of engagement to be followed. Some are more strict than others. Angering deities because you’ve been convinced that they must be reaching out to you is always a risk you take, especially if you’re a newbie at deitywork and immediately start petitioning them for favor. You could end up just wasting your time on a being that doesn’t want a relationship with you. You could be petitioning the wrong guides and then this is why your petitions fail. You will more often than not find yourself trying to open a closed door. All of this can be avoided if you just take the time to properly identify your own guides or deities.

So What the Heck Do I DO? Spend your time putting in work. Identify and ask for signs that are specific to things that the deity or guide in question is associated with. Keep a running list of everything you attribute to this entity. Use divination tools to confirm these are truly signs. You can also fully do readings for the general energy of the entity and then cross-reference to see if there are any beings with those energetic vibes that are also associated with the signs you have been receiving. Ask for more information through meditation or petition them to visit in dreams. Once you’ve narrowed down your list of possibilities, then do a targeted confirmation reading. If none of the entities pan out, try the ones you ruled out or return to the drawing board. I can promise you this entity will help guide you to their identity. You’ll also be starting your relationship on a better foot because they will see you putting in effort and not just settling for a quick fix. Identifying entities takes time and work. There simply is no quick solution to identify an entity if you want accuracy. So take your time, do your due diligence, and most importantly, once you believe you have a proper identification, ask for a specific uncommon sign within a specified timeframe that is within your deity or guide’s wheelhouse. If that works out, then you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re working with who you believe you are.

But What About Tricksters?! If, during your research and narrowing down phase, you end up finding glaring inconsistencies or the vibes just aren’t vibing, it’s possible you’re dealing with a trickster. They’re more rare than believed, so to start, make sure you’re simply not overthinking it. Vibe check yourself. Make sure it isn’t your own nervousness or anxiety getting the better of you. The next thing is to double check your work. Are there truly inconsistencies? Is there an entity that fits these criteria in a way that you may have overlooked? Are these different sides of a deity that maybe you just don’t normally think of? If not, research and test methods to verify a trickster deity versus trickster beings that are only trying to mess with you.

First thing’s first: How do you identify a counterfeit deck? At some point in your deck buying journey, you’ve probably stumbled across a counterfeit deck. It doesn’t matter how reputable the platform itself is that hosts the listing, anywhere that third-party sales listings are permitted might have people using that platform to scam. The quickest and easiest way to identify a fraudulent deck is when it comes with a QR code instead of a LWB or guidebook. Sure, some decks don’t come with any form of a guide at all, but I have not seen any legitimate creator release a deck with a QR code in lieu of a LWB. Why? Because it’s sketchy. You can’t verify what you’re downloading or viewing until it might be too late. Links might have questionable redirects, so even if you think you’re going to the site RandomTarotGuidebook.com, it might be a false domain that redirects to malware. Another good way to tell is by the boxes. Most fake decks come in a tuck box versus whatever the original packaging was. If the original deck came in a clamshell box or a box with a magnetic closure and suddenly this edition is a plain cardboard tuckbox, it’s a fake deck. Still not sure? Is the price too good to be true? If you’re finding a $90 deck for $10, it is fully a fake deck (And honestly, half the time these scammers won’t even ship out an actual product!). And the last way is to check the seller. If it’s a deck on Amazon, is it sold by the actual creator, sold and shipped by Amazon, a reputable shop, or publishing company? Or is it sold by RandomUser234987? If you don’t recognize the seller name or if it’s being sold on a platform not listed in a creator’s promotion links on their verified pages, don’t buy the deck.

In today’s economy, it’s understandable why people are purchasing counterfeit decks. The price is often cheaper, and if the deck actually arrives, well, you got something for your money. You’re getting a “bargain”, but at what cost? Is buying counterfeit decks a victimless crime? And the answer is no. Not only are you receiving a shoddy product that doesn’t reflect the quality of the original, but you’re also harming artists. It’s important to take an active stance against these types of decks, because quite frankly, they’re art theft, and that’s not okay. You can’t want artists to produce decks and then refuse to pay them for it because a deck is currently out of your budget. That’s absurd.

Imagine that you’re an indie artist. You’ve spent countless hours producing the perfect deck and spent money on all of those materials to produce these drafts. You’ve spent days researching what publisher/printer you want to use. You’ve done so many cardstock tests and made sure the images were sharp, clear, and colored just right and then placed the order you paid upfront to produce the deck. All of this takes time and money. You finally get your product to the market, priced as fairly as you can . . . and then some no name located gods-know-where steals your entire product just to reprint it on the worst cardstock they can find that might as well be standard printer paper. Now you’re getting flooded with messages and reviews calling YOU the fraud and condemning YOU. But you have done nothing wrong! That doesn’t change these people’s perceptions of you and the negative feedback is now spreading by word of mouth. So now what? Not only are these criminals taking money out of your pocket for the loans you’re probably paying back to print this deck in the first place, but you’re left taking responsibility for THEIR art theft from customers who fell for their scam. And then when you raise valid concerns about it, you get people kicking you while you’re down and saying they’re going to support the art thief instead of you. How would you feel? Is that an industry you would want to stay in?

Many artists either have already decided or are strongly considering leaving the tarot industry because of this problem. The reason these thieves are still going is because people are actively supporting this illegal market. Everyone wants these beautiful decks from these artists, but if this keeps up, no artist will produce another deck again independently because of this issue. The only way to stop it is to stop supporting art theft and to support the artists themselves. I understand that it is not always financially feasible for everyone to get the decks they want when they want them, and that can be disappointing. But by trying to save a quick buck, you are actively harming regular people who are trying to have an independent business, many of whom are the only ones behind their company and their product. Is that really what you want?

So why don’t tarot deck creators just price their decks like mass market decks? Here’s some reasons. Large worldwide publishers like Lo Scarabeo or U.S. Games can afford to place print runs of 20k decks at $15 per deck. Obviously when you are ordering in bulk, you will often get discounts and this allows you to sell your product at a cheaper price. You have the force to market these decks worldwide. You know you can sell all 20k decks at $20 per deck and make a substantial profit. Now imagine you have the manpower of one single person. You’re working a regular 9-5 job to try to fund your project. Maybe you crowdfund it, but also risk paying taxes and/or fees from the crowdfunding platform, so while a deck would cost $40 to produce, now you have to charge $65 to cover those added costs. If you produce it yourself, you might have to take out a loan or use what you have saved, which is a substantially less amount of money than LS or USG have. Now, you go to a publisher. You can only afford to print 1k decks, meaning that instead of the $15 bulk price USG or LS might get, you can only get them to lower the price to $30 per printed deck. Now, you as a creator need to make a profit. So you charge $45 for each deck since you have a smaller number of decks and need to pay your bills. Marketing is expensive if you pay for promotions or features, and you don’t have the same reach as big companies. Now we come to the shipping differences. LS or USG most likely have a bulk mailing program they’re enrolled in with their carrier of choice, meaning that their shipping costs are only $5 per parcel. The independent artist most likely does not qualify for those programs, meaning their packages ship at the standard rate of $12 per parcel. Factoring in the costs of good quality cardstock, any special foil details or gilded edging, a higher quality box, and all the other things that a creator wants for their deck to make it feel special and be a product they’re proud of, and the price easily goes up. These are all of the things that are factored into the prices of indie decks. This is why they are more expensive. Not only are you paying for quality, but small creators do not get the perks that major companies get as well. And if you think you’re getting any of the original deck’s quality with a $5 knockoff deck from Wish.com, you have another think coming.

So what can you as a consumer do? Raise red flags when you see these fake decks. Report them, alert publishers and creators, and that way they can take action, either legally or alerting their audience. Call out these fake decks when you see them and hold people who support buying fakes responsible and don’t support them. If a platform will not remove the fraudulent listings, leave reviews notifying people of the art theft. Support the artists who are creating these decks directly and avoid third-party sellers selling new counterfeit decks. If you truly want a deck and you really can’t afford it, look for used decks. Some Facebook groups to check out are Just Tarot Marketplace and Tim and Allen’s Tarot Marketplace. You can find a ton of like-new used decks that can fit your budget. If all you can afford are mass market decks, that’s okay too! As long as we are not giving these art thieves money, they won’t stay in an industry where they make no profit.

Everyone is used to the image of a mysterious stranger with a pack of tarot cards telling you your future or some variation of the trope. And while tarot is a very useful spiritual tool, you can use the tarot fr anything from deciding what to eat for dinner to performing ceremonial high magic. The cards are a multi-purpose tool that can aid you in your craft and your mundane life, beyond the standard fortune-telling or introspection. Some people might think this “cheapens” the tarot, but why shouldn’t a tool be used for all parts of your life? The mundane and magical are more intertwined than you might think.

Using the cards for purposes other than the usual divination can help you see the cards in new ways. Let’s say you ask the cards what you should eat and you get the Ten of Pentacles. Perhaps that means to eat-in and save the money since the card is associated with family and financial stability. Or maybe you get the Knight of Wands. This could mean that you should order from wherever has the fastest delivery. Reading the cards in a new context is a great way to exercise your reading muscle without the fear of a heavy situation or any pressure to be correct. This can help you loosen up and shake some fear while also testing your associations and knowledge of a card (and you’ll never get stuck in the loop of not knowing what to eat again!).

If that’s too mundane for you, then try using the tarot to inspire your creative arts. For writing, draw cards to describe a scene, develop a plotline, or flesh bout a character. For art, use the tarot to focus on a bigger message for your piece, or utilize the color symbolism in the card in your piece. Why were the colors chosen for the card? How can you incorporate that into your art? You can use the tarot to inspire a makeup artistry look. If you make clothing, make a piece inspired by what the figures wear in the cards. Think about why it was chosen for that card and study the movement of the garments to create something of your own. The list of creative options in a tarot deck are just as endless as the meanings themselves.

Still too mundane for you? What about using tarot in spellwork? Use 3 selected cards to form the basis of a manifestation working. Use the astrological correspondences of a card to aid in your planetary magic workings or to form a timing spell. Keep a card on your altar to channel that energy for a day. Sketch out a card and burn it to release energy of its nature from your life. Put a card in a spell pouch to add its energies to the mix. Use the symbols of a card in a sigil to help activate the energy you want. Use a dynamic tarot spread to shift the energies in your life. Put your deck in a pentagram and summon the demon of your choice (Okay, that last one is a joke).

So your services have been requested for an event to read cards, charts, lots, or any other kind of divination that you see fit. You know it’s going to be in a party setting, and you might be wondering: Well, how do I do this? It’s normal to feel nervous when reading for your first event.

The first thing that you should do is determine your pay rate. Some venues will give a hourly or a flat fee for appearances, and some will allow tip jars if you are being paid hourly or under a flat fee. Some venues will allow you to charge what you want, however depending on the venue, some may request a commission percentage of your earnings if you are the one renting out the space. Make sure that you’re charging a rate or fee that makes the event fairly compensated for yourself. It is a good idea to get an idea of how many people are going to be attending the event in addition to how long the event will be, which will bring us into our next step.

Once you’ve determined your pay rate, then you have to determine how you’re going to conduct your readings. This is where the size of the event comes into play. If there is going to be a high demand, it might be better to try to keep readings relatively quick and simple. You may limit readings to one or two cards for example, or set a time limit for how long you want to conduct each reading per person. Make sure you’re bringing a deck or decks that can help you maintain these time constraints. A big event is not when you want to try out a new deck and have to worry about getting stuck on the cards you draw. Make sure you’re selecting a deck or decks that you know inside and out, that can quickly hit with your intuition. It is also your choice on whether you want to bring a couple decks for the querent to choose from or if you want to just stick with one deck.

I find that it’s better to select decks that may appeal to a wide range of people. It’s a good idea to avoid any decks that have overly triggering imagery, especially when there’s alcohol or other substances involved because that can make it more difficult to determine what might upset your clients. People can be more sensitive or emotional and react in ways that may differ from their sober reactions. Some readers choose to remove cards like the ten of swords from their decks when they read in public settings, so that is also an option. I tend to leave all the cards in the deck, but this is a personal decision that varies from reader to reader. Decks with more light-hearted imagery may be more preferable. Or, if you want to bring a dark deck, then bring some lighter decks and let the querent choose what imagery they can handle.

When it comes to the readings themselves, keep it light and keep it moving. Parties aren’t the times for heavy, hard-hitting readings. This is a time where readings are more like games or party tricks, so you don’t want to kill the mood and leave every querent crying on their way out. Sometimes some deep things come up regardless, and that is where you want to make sure they have a support system in the room. Again, you never know what someone’s mental health situation is like and especially when there’s alcohol or drugs involved. If you get any vibes that someone might be in crisis at the time they are requesting the reading, I would STRONGLY recommend AGAINST reading for them, regardless of whether you want to help. When reading for someone in that state, you never know what can set someone off, even if it seems to be incredibly positive. Refer them to a specialist and make sure they have someone who can support them there at the event. If someone is too sloshed or out of it, it is also a good idea to skip reading for them (And honestly, most of them won’t remember anything you say anyway once they’ve hit that threshold).

Events are also a good time to have any business cards or contact information cards to hand out for repeat clients. They’re a great time to network and expand your clientele. If you have an email list, this would be a good time to have people sign up (But always make sure there are unsubscribe options in the emails per any legal guidelines). This is also a good time to determine if you want to give your clients anything to remember their reading, whether it’s a picture of the cards or a recording of the reading. Just always make sure you have your client’s permission to record before recording the reading (and it’s always a good idea to get this in writing as well).

So lately I’ve been seeing an influx of people saying that you shouldn’t use tarot for yes/no questions because that’s not what it was meant for! My friend, if you knew tarot history, tarot started out as a card game and was never meant for divination, but here we are. Dictating what a tool can and can’t be used for as if you’re an underlying authority is tiring. Just because it didn’t work for you doesn’t mean it can’t work for someone else. Tarot can absolutely be used for basic questions and can answer them concisely if you develop a method or use someone else’s method that speaks to you.

So what are some of the methods? One of the most popular methods if you incorporate reversals is that an inverted card is a no, an upright card is a yes, and the card you draw will tell you why the answer is what it is. So let’s say that you ask if you should go to a gathering and the card is the Two of Cups reversed. The reversal would indicate a no, the reversal meaning may indicate that you’re feeling socially drained, maybe an ex will be there and it will ruin your night, etc. Use your standard intuitive methods to interpret the reason. Another popular method is using the number of the cards. An odd number is a no, an even number is a yes. A court card would indicate that your answer is dependent on someone with the traits of the card, and the Fool would indicate that there is no clear answer. This method is more cut and dry, but I have also found it to be pretty accurate. This method usually doesn’t take into account reversals, so in this case a reversed Two of Cups would still be a yes because the number of the card is even. My personal method is going off the card I draw and determining whether the card would be a negative or positive in the situation I’m asking about to see if it is a yes or a no, and then using the meaning of the card to indicate the reasoning behind the answer. So in the earlier example, if I ask if I should skip a social gathering and the answer is the Two of Cups reversed, I would take that as a yes and then use the same reasoning in the first example, i.e. I’m feeling too socially drained to deal with the gathering in question.

Why do people struggle with using the tarot for yes/no questions? I think the biggest reason is that it requires you to really look at a single card for a concise answer. It’s not like an introspective spread where you can draw 15 cards to get the answer you’re looking for and a complete story for the highest understanding. With yes/no questions, there’s really not a story to be told. It’s also a different way of reading the cards since they’re much more highly contextualized and cut and dry and most tarot readers prefer readings that are more intuitive. Most readers will read the tarot in the context of an open-ended question and either can’t or don’t know how to switch the mindset and the way they read the cards.

Should I use the tarot for yes/no questions? This, like everything else in tarot, is a personal decision and one only you can answer for yourself. If you don’t feel comfortable with it or don’t enjoy using tarot this way, then don’t do it. But don’t then tell other people what they should or shouldn’t do with their cards. Tarot reading is an art, not a science. There is no one way to do things. If the methods above don’t work for you, try developing your own yes/no methods or simply don’t incorporate those readings into your practice.

I have been going through tarot guidebooks lately to clear out my library of books that no longer serve me, and I have been noticing a common trend with a lot of them: They discuss briefly about becoming a professional tarot reader, but they never offer any insight or guidelines of what a professional needs. Instead, it’s often “Go pro when you feel ready!” Honestly, there are a LOT of readers on the market who, in my opinion, are not quite ready to become professionals. I have gotten readings from people that have been quite sub par and while there’s no governing agency of tarot readers, I thought I would lay out my guidelines of what I would expect from a professional reader. Obviously, these are my opinions, and you’re more than welcome to disagree.

While definitely not the norm and I want to emphasize that fact, these are just some basic scams that I have seen from people who are claiming to be professional readers. I just want to cover these briefly because if you see any of these red flags, RUN: – Using tarot as a gateway to other services (Spell removals, “curse” or “hex” removals, reiki services, etc) – Making bold and questionable claims about “attachments” the client may have – Advertising purely based on whatever is trendy at the time (i.e. FIND YOUR SOULMATE NOW!) – A sense of urgency in their advertisements – An inability to explain tarot in their own words

Now I want to cover the milestones in your tarot journey that, in my opinion, should be reached before reading for others and requiring payment: 1. No longer using the guidebook to look up cards for a reading. This is definitely absolutely key in being a professional reader. For starters, reading from the guidebook will most likely cause your credibility to take a hit with your clients. When people pay for readings, they are not paying for a bedtime story of someone else’s interpretation of the cards. They’re paying for you to have your own unique take on the cards. You should have a personal relationship with whatever deck you’re using to read for other people. You should not be depending on someone else’s voice, even if it’s the creator of the deck, to dictate your intuition and your relationship with the cards. You should be able to offer an in-depth reading with different perspectives, know how to reword clients’ questions so they get the most of their reading, and have a spread arsenal ready or know how to create your own tarot spreads. 2. Know how to properly address “negative” cards with your clients. When Death, the Tower, etc. show up in a reading, you should not be discouraging to your clients if they’re paying for a reading. I have had some readers pull these cards and their interpretation was just “Well, guess you’re fucked.” These people thought they could be a professional reader. I can wholeheartedly assure you that, if you give a client a reading like that when they’ve paid you, you’re going to have one unhappy client. When you’re in an informal setting, reading for friends, a reading like in the previous paragraph would be fine. But when you’re addressing someone who is most likely a stranger, who is coming to you for help at a vulnerable time in their life, you cannot conduct a reading like that. You should have a game plan for what to say if a “negative” card comes up in a reading and a way of addressing your clients’ fears about the card. 3. Know how to set boundaries and handle different personality types. I compare professional reading to customer service jobs. Those same people are the ones you’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis, the context is only slightly different. You need to know what boundaries you are setting as a professional reader and how to enforce those boundaries. There are also going to be people you may not vibe with and you need to know how to handle those situations. Will you still conduct the reading? If not, how are you prepared to turn down the client? Can your actions be viewed as discriminatory? Do you have a code of ethics for yourself and the readings you conduct? How will you enforce your code? If a client becomes explosively angry towards you, how will you handle that situation? If they are reading on something where they really need a professional or where you are concerned for their safety and well-being or they become obsessive with readings, how are you going to approach that situation? 4. Know your local laws and required disclaimers. Sure, adding a disclaimer to your readings may make you feel fraudulent. But not only can that save you in the event of a lawsuit, it may be required depending on your state or local laws. Especially if you will be doing in-person, public events, you need to make sure that you are following your local laws. Also, some types of readings are most likely illegal in your locality. Examples of this would be readings making decisions regarding legal advice, medical or mental health advice, or financial investment advice. These fields require degrees and licensing to advise people accordingly as there are ethics codes and strict laws that need to be followed. Make sure the readings you conduct do not go against any malpractice laws. Reading for minors without parental consent may also be illegal in your locality. Additionally, if you make over a certain amount annually, you may be required to pay taxes and possibly register as a business. Failure to adhere to these laws can result in hefty fines, civil lawsuits, or worse, jail time. 5. Know your niche and method of delivery. What sets you apart from other readers? What makes your reading style unique? Have you even developed a reading style? These are important questions to ask yourself before setting out into the world of professional tarot readers. With the rise of tarot in popularity, readers are a dime a dozen, especially online. What makes you different from other readers on the market? What can you offer that other readers may not? How will you advertise yourself? Will you be doing in-person events or strictly long distance reading? If long-distance, will you be offering phone calls, Skype sessions, email readings, etc? What platforms will you use? Who is your target demographic? When will you accept payment and via what methods? These are important questions to ask yourself when establishing a business.

So I’m sure if you’ve been around the witchy communities, you have heard of moon water. But what is moon water? Moon water is water that has been charged with the moon’s energies. Usually moon water is left on a window sill or outside to charge with the moon’s energy on full moons. The charging process is pretty simple, just let it charge in the moonlight overnight and take it in before the sun rises. Moon water is used in spellwork and it is somewhat a multipurpose tool: You can use it for most types of rituals, cleansing, sealing, and adding some extra oomph to a working.

What are reversals? Reversals, simply put, are cards in a reading that are upside down as opposed to right side up. Reversals can be created when you’re putting cards back in the deck or while shuffling. Reversals are normally created intentionally, however unintentional reversals can be especially important. Reversals are shuffled into the deck by turning over some chunks of cards while shuffling or by splitting the deck in two and riffle shuffling half the deck right side up and the other reversed. This is typically done intuitively. Most cards come with reversible backings to allow for a blind shuffle and this helps prevent any mental biases while shuffling. Reversals can be read to show factors that are weakened, negated, internal as opposed to external, or delayed forces at work in a tarot spread. You can use the context of the spread position and surrounding cards to determine which one is the most likely. For example, a reversal may indicate extremely weakened or negated energy if the other cards surrounding it affect its dignities negatively. A reversal may indicate internal forces if the spread position is an action or situation affecting the querent. If the question is a timing question, a reversal may indicate a delay and the card provides the reason for the delay.

Why should I use reversals? Reversals can be used to add more context to a card or spread. You can use reversals to see where there may be energies being blocked or the amount of internal vs external forces at play. Some readers will read the reversed imagery to add a layer to their understanding of the upright version of the cards (For example, the reversed 3 of Swords may indicate the Swords “falling out” and that the influence of the card may be negated or internal). Sometimes this method of reading works for a reader, sometimes it does not.

What are the possible cons to reading reversals? Reversals can add extra confusion to a spread, especially if someone is new to tarot. I would not recommend working with reversals until you have a solid working knowledge of the upright cards. If you are not familiar with the upright cards, reversal will be like doubling or tripling the learning workload. Think of it like being new to tarot and starting with a ten-card spread. You might be taking on too much too quickly. Reversals also might not feel necessary or they may feel superfluous to you. Some readers see reversals as bringing unneeded energy to a spread. Some readers believe changing the card’s orientation does not affect the meanings. Some decks, like the Thoth, were not designed to be used with reversals. Other readers have issues with reversals blocking the energy in a spread and affecting their reading.

Do I need to use reversals? At the end of the day, using reversals is a personal choice for each individual reader. Some readers refuse to use them at all while others use them all the time or only with certain decks. If you’re wondering if you should use reversals, check if your deck incorporates them. Practice with reversals and see if it feels right to you. You won’t know if you love or hate them until you try them. At the end of the day, do what feels right to you.

Getting or considering your first tarot reading? Then this post is for you. Tarot readings can seem mysterious or scary. After all, how can a total stranger, or sometimes worse-a friend or family member, be able to dig up your secrets and know things you haven’t told them? How does tarot work? What should and shouldn’t your reader do?

One of the most frequent misconceptions about tarot readings are that all readers are mind-reading psychics. I have some bad news for you: most readers are not mind readers. “Testing” a reader by staying silent will result in the Universe giving you the message it thinks you need to hear…and if you’re sending telepathic signals to your reader that they can’t pick up on, this may not be what you were expecting. Does this make your reader a bad tarot reader? Absolutely not. Not every reader is psychic, period. Some readers simply read the cards and that is okay. Make sure you’re finding a reader that fits your needs. If you want someone who has more of a psychic connection, be up front.

The other thing to know about tarot readings is that they are not always love and light. Sometimes tarot can open up some heavy-hitting topics. The cards can indicate mental illness and sometimes even death. While you should never ask a reader to give you medical or legal advice, sometimes these topics do show in the cards. Your reader may give you general advice on the topics or ways that these topics may be affecting you emotionally, but again, do not accept any medical or legal advice from a tarot reader at face value and remember to consult with a licensed professional.

Another misconception is how a tarot reader presents themselves. Sure, some readers play into the stereotypes with their appearance or their shop appearance, but the majority of readers look just like you and me. There’s no wild costumes or anything crazy. Many readers now conduct readings in plain street clothes. So don’t be too surprised or disappointed that they might look “average” or be lacking the appearance of a “mystique.” They’re still perfectly valid readers.

So what happens when you get into the chair or video call from your reader? Your reader may ask you some basic questions to help get a better context for your reading, such as your relationship status if you’re looking for a love reading. Some people get defensive about this, but again, not all readers are psychics and need this information to read your cards in the correct context. For example, the 2 of Cups for someone who is single might indicate meeting someone new, whereas if you’re in a relationship it can symbolize being closer with your SO.

Your reader should be up front about pricing before the reading starts. Most readers charge by their time and these rates should be presented to you before you begin the reading. Many readers have you prepay before you sit with them, even if it is just a partial amount. But you should be clear on the price and how it’s measured. Your reader should never charge you for additional services such as curse removals, spell supplies, or anything along those lines. Those readers are scam artists and should be avoided at all costs. Your reader will never tell you things such as “You have a dark aura that needs cleansing” or “You have a generational curse on you that needs to be removed!” These people are not interested in helping you or giving you an honest reading. They just want to take your money. If a reader asks you to do anything along those lines, leave the reading.

If something negative does come up in a reading, your reader should have the tact and ability to broach the subject without being overly blunt or hurtful. Unless you’re paying for a tarot roast, your reader should be respectful towards you and treat these topics carefully.

Every tarot reader has their own tarot rituals. Some readers want their clients to shuffle the cards while other readers don’t allow anyone else to touch their cards. Some tarot readers cut the deck a certain way while other readers don’t cut the deck at all. There is no one right way of doing any of these things and they are personal to each reader. Do not worry if you sat with one reader who set up their rituals one way and then sit with a different reader who has set up their rituals another way. This should not affect the reading that you are being provided.

If you are paying for a reading and they do not tell you up front that they will be using a guidebook for your reading, I would be extremely wary of this. Some readers may reference the book for an oracle deck, but if they are reading verbatim from the guidebook, I would avoid these readers. In order to be a successful reader, you need to know your working decks inside and out. Not only is this unprofessional, but it shows a lack of experience. If you as a reader need to use a guidebook to conduct the reading, in my opinion, you are not ready to be a professional reader and need to obtain more practice before charging for readings.

Sometimes readers will give you homework after your reading. If you’ve been given a shadow work reading especially, your reader may give you things to do after your reading. These should not cost you any money to complete. Maybe they suggest journaling about experiences that are currently affecting you. If a tarot reader gives you homework, it should be something along those lines. Not “do this spell and it will fix your problems, and pay an extra $200 to buy the supplies!”

Some readers will record your reading. This can be an audio recording, video recording, or a written recording. This helps readers keep track of the readings they’ve done and enables them to go back and see how things have played out if you are a returning client or allows them to keep readings on record in the event that you want to request a copy of your reading at a future date. If you are receiving an online reading, most readers will email you a copy. Check with your reader before the reading.

These are some common misconceptions and practices for tarot readings from the client end. Always communicate with your reader and ask what their practices are as every reader has their own way of doing things. Don’t be afraid or feel like you’re bothering your reader by asking them about how to prepare for your reading and what to expect. Your reader should have a clear answer for these things. If they do not, don’t be afraid to cancel your booking or ask for a refund.

Tarot readings can require a certain headspace for a reader. Some readers can just throw down cards wherever, but for other readers it may be more difficult or they might want to maintain the spiritual aspect of reading the cards. Setting up a tarot ritual is something that can definitely help readers who are in the second camp.

Why create a tarot ritual? Tarot rituals can be a way to snap into the reading mindset. It can be something as simple as putting on a certain garment or piece of jewelry, but by doing this, symbolically and subconsciously you are preparing yourself for a tarot reading. This is what signals to yourself and the universe that yes, you’re ready to read your cards and you feel more in your power to do so. Rituals can also help enhance the spiritual aspect of working with the cards, depending on your viewpoint on how the cards work. Setting a ritual and inviting your deity or Spirit into the reading can be very beneficial for readers who follow that path.

Do I NEED to create a tarot ritual for myself? If you don’t feel the need for one, you definitely don’t need to include this in your practice. But for a lot of practicing witches that I know, having at least a basic ritual for reading has been extremely beneficial.

What kinds of rituals are there? You can create any kind of ritual you want. It can be something as simple as using your favorite incense scent. It can be as elaborate as a full ritual, complete with candles, meditation, casting a circle, and cleansing of the reading space. Ultimately, it is up to you regarding what you want to include in your ritual.

What are some common aspects of setting a tarot ritual? Some of the common things included in creating a ritual for tarot include but definitely is not limited to: – Lighting a candle with the intent of aiding in the reading – Cleansing the reading space (Some popular methods of cleansing are using sound like a bell or singing bowl, incense, holy water) – Casting a circle like you would with spellwork – Mindfully clearing out the space of any clutter – Playing certain music (I prefer music without vocals that’s more soothing than a dance party mix) – Putting on a specific garment or piece of jewelry – If you own more than one deck, selecting the deck that you want to use – Meditating before the reading – If you work with deities, calling on the deity for aid or guidance – Making a cup of tea or coffee before settling with the cards – Pre-shuffling the cards before reading

What are the keys to a successful ritual? The key to a tarot ritual that works is consistency. It is making sure to always do the same thing before a reading so that it tricks your brain into snapping into reading mode once you’ve done it enough times. It is not necessarily that you become dependent on your ritual, but it eases the process of getting into “reading mode.”

What is Nicewashing? Nicewashing is when the darker elements of a tarot deck are removed. Cards that normally scare people, like the 10 of Swords, Death, the Tower, etc. are changed to a more "light" version. Some of the darker imagery might be removed or modified and the creator of the deck might offer a different, gentler perspective for the card.

Why is Nicewashing Such a Hot Topic? Some tarot practitioners believe that by removing the heavy imagery from the deck, it creates an imbalance with the deck. Some people feel that the shadow aspects of a tarot deck are an important building block and by removing them, you are ruining the integrity of a tarot deck. Some people believe it's spiritually bypassing and tricking a reader or querent into thinking that there is no "negativity" in the reading.

Is there ever a time where nicewashing might be appropriate? Nicewashing can be appropriate in certain situations. If someone has just lost a loved one, for an example, you're not necessarily going to want to break out your heavy-hitting decks by default. If a querent is going through it, sometimes they need a more uplifting message. For some clients, some imagery like in the 10 of Swords can be triggering, especially for someone who was or knew a victim of violence. And other times, you might have a client who is afraid of tarot and you don't want to feed into that fear and scare your client. Is this "babying" your querent? Not necessarily. The core meanings of the cards are still the same, but sometimes a gentler perspective or visual is needed. As long as you are taking into account the core meaning of the card, you can still read perfectly well with a nicewashed deck.

When is a nicewashed deck problematic? The only time a nicewashed deck is really problematic is if someone is purely using it to spiritually bypass and ignore any negative aspects in their lives. But truthfully, these types of people don't need a nicewashed deck to accomplish this. You can give this type of person the darkest, grungiest deck on the market and they still find a way to apply toxic positivity to all of the cards throughout the deck. Using a deck with a gentler visual perspective does not automatically put a person into this camp.

An essay on the absolute lack of self-awareness and staunch refusal to better oneself in the spiritual community by a frustrated and tired Kat who has had enough of your excuse bullshit

PART ONE: BASICS

What is shadow work?            Shadow work is taking responsibility for and dealing with your shortcomings (Yes, everyone has shortcomings, welcome to being human). It is addressing the shadow self, things that we have repressed or things that have resulted in internalized negativity, and identifying and making changes to our behaviors and reactions by using cognizant behavioral techniques.

What isn’t shadow work?            Shadow work is not spiritual bypassing, removing responsibility from yourself for your actions, pretending you don’t have anything to work on, making excuses, using toxic positivity to avoid facing your shadow self, etc.

Who is shadow work for?            Literally everyone. There is no limit. Are you cognizant of yourself? Congratulations, you qualify for shadow work! Take a medal and start putting in work.

What does shadow work entail?            Shadow work can be done in many different ways. Journal prompts, guided meditation, therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques and exercises, pretty much anything that enables you to look at and honestly assess traits in yourself, where you need to change, and ways to apply those changes. It entails actively working on yourself. It is an on-going process that does not end. You are never perfect. But you are better than you were and that is what matters.

PART TWO: SOCIAL CONFORMITIES AND SHADOW WORK

Over time, I have seen an absolute lack of work in shadow work. Excuses range from “ableism” to toxic positivity to refusal to admit a fear of change to overcome it. People are so averse to shadow work that the thought of taking a look at your actions and changing is considered “negative” and not allowed in people’s “safe spaces.” The current social trend seems to be coddling people from change because of toxic positivity or the groupthink of “If they change, I should be changing, and I don’t want to,” whether people will admit it or not. People get comfortable in their misery, want other people to be miserable, and/or even manipulate their lack of change to milk sympathy from others and refuse to look in themselves and see it for what it is. However, that’s still toxic, and whether they lack the self-awareness to see it doesn’t change what their behavior is. They want to change, but they just can’t. Well, I can’t with the excuses, period dot amen as my old religious studies teacher would say. The bottom line is, if you want change, you need to put in work. If toxic negativity is affecting you, it is not enough to go to a therapist, cry for an hour, and then go right back to the same behaviors that got you to that therapist in the first place. Does this mean that shadow work is instantaneous? NO. It is a lifelong process. But what matters is that you are constantly making progress. You can have bad days. You can have slip ups. We are human. But the overall trend of the graph should be upwards. I am not perfect. None of us are. Shadow work is not a safe space for you to hide from your responsibilities, negative traits, and negative behaviors and quite frankly? That safe space shouldn’t exist. Shadow work is 100% necessary. Now we’re going to break down excuses people like to cling to as if they’re lifelines while nope, they’re still drowning.

PART THREE: COMMON EXCUSES AND WHY THEY’RE BULLSHIT

“Ableism”/Victim-Blaming I can’t count how many times the word “ableism” has been thrown around as an excuse for not doing shadow work or working on yourself, along with “victim-blaming.” To start, you’re using the word ableism wrong. Shadow work does not require you to be physically able. Shadow work does not require you to be neurotypical. Shadow work does not require anything except the ability to know yourself. Mental illness, while it can add additional challenges, is not an excuse to avoid shadow work. If you are cognizant of yourself, once again, congratulations! Shadow work is for you. Shadow work is for people who have been victimized too, folks. You know what’s disempowering? Perpetual victimhood. You know what’s empowering? Giving people who have been victimized tools to establish healthy boundaries, recognize toxic behaviors, and provide ways to heal and break the cycle of perpetual victimhood. Looking at what part your own actions may have played in allowing people who are toxic to stay in your life is not blaming the victim. It is helping them realize where they should have drawn the line, how to draw that line, and how to maintain healthy boundaries for what they deem to be toxic in their lives. Does that mean it was their fault they were targeted by a toxic person? NO. But it allows them to find ways to keep the toxic people at bay. It is protection. It is giving them their autonomy back in being able to decide who and what they want in their lives and to heal from their trauma. To call that disempowering or blaming the victim is honestly stupid as fuck.

LALKs and Toxic Positivity            What is a LALK? A Love and Light Karen/Ken/Other-K-name-here. What do LALKs love more than anything else? Toxic positivity. What is toxic positivity you ask? It’s like a team of soccer parents who will never tell you you’re wrong, coddle you, and say things like “It’s fine, sweetie, you’re doing great drowning! Keep it up! Love and light! Spiritually bypass like your life depends on it!” while their eyes twitch and they’re one negative thought away from a total mental breakdown but won’t admit it. Leave this shit at the door. Always being positive is not genuine, it does not help you, and just adds pressure on you that you wouldn’t otherwise have. It can cost you relationships and just lets the shadow grow until it consumes you like some whack horror movie and lets it destroy your life like a town in a superhero movie. Don’t do this.

BUT MUH TRAUMA            “But Kat! I have trauma. Doesn’t that mean I can coddle myself and not put in any work?” Sure, you can take some time to recover but guess what? Shadow work is still necessary for you, too. Some people would argue that trauma makes it more necessary. You may have to take it slower than others because trauma shadow work can involve facing triggers head on, but does that make you exempt? Nope. What would you rather, to integrate and heal your trauma when you’re ready for it? Or keep repressing and denying it until you’re absolutely forced to deal with it and haven’t readied yourself?

NO WAIT I AM TOO SCARED TO CHANGE! DON’T MAKE ME DO THINGS!            Fear is normal. Not wanting to face the uglier parts of ourselves is natural. Letting that fear hold you back is never going to benefit you. Ease your way into it. Fight the fear. Take it a step at a time. Once again, this is a process and not an instant fix. You can take this journey at your own pace. The important thing is you keep moving forward and keep putting in work. Never working on yourself out of fear is just going to force you to do so when you hit rock bottom. Choose your adventure: Go quietly and at your own pace or get dragged through the shadow work spike pit kicking and screaming. I think we both know what the better option is.

PART FOUR: CONCLUSION           Avoiding shadow work is just going to harm you. Perpetually allowing yourself to engage in repetitive behaviors that are toxic to yourself and others because you don’t want to put in work should be illegal (I would say punishable offense, but you’re going to get punished by alienating yourself, etc. when you’re forced to face the consequences of your own actions and how your own toxicity affects others). Holding yourself back out of fear is not going to make you happy in the long run.

Sometimes you want to use another deck with your working deck, whether to do dual spreads or gain more clarity from the cards that you’ve already laid down. But you’re not sure where to begin or how to find decks that might read cohesively and visually. So what are things you should look for?

The first thing I would consider would be what purpose you want the sibling deck to serve. If you want something that will just add some further clarification or supplement the information of the cards of the original spread, then I would choose an oracle deck as the sibling deck. If you want to do a mirrored relationship reading and gain both (or more) partners’ perspectives for each spread position, then I would choose another tarot deck for each perspective. These can be layered and your spread can have as many sibling decks used as you please, but I would choose a deck based on those two criteria.

Now that you’ve narrowed down the type of deck you want to accompany your working deck, what should you look for?

One of the things I would look for is the color palette. If you want a deck to provide basic supplementary information or provide another perspective, I would look for a deck with a similar color palette to your working deck. But if you want a deck to show the shadow side of a spread’s positions, then you may want to choose a deck that has a darker or contrasting color palette to your working deck.

Another thing to look out for is the art style. Most of the time you would want to choose a deck that has a similar art style as your current deck (Unless you want to go for another contrast, however sometimes with contrasting art styles, the decks become too jarring to read cohesively together). Look for decks that have similar line weights, mediums, and shading.

You might also want to consider the size of the cards. If you’re looking for a different perspective deck, I would suggest choosing a deck that is a similar size to the deck you are using. If you want a deck that is providing supplemental information, then you may want to choose a smaller deck to accompany your current deck. I would recommend against a deck that’s larger than your main deck because then that card can steal the focus of the reading for each spread position.

I have noticed an overwhelming amount of tarot readers who support different reading styles, even if they're not by the book. I've also met many tarot readers who can provide their encyclopedic knowledge of tarot respectfully to aid in the studies of others. This post is not about them.

This post is about people who are rigid in their ways and believe their way is the only way and attack others who don't agree or read cards in an identical style to them.

This post was inspired by an individual who thought it wise to make a post bashing people who read reversals with the Thoth and then getting downright disgustingly rude in the comments about it. Yes, the system does not take into account reversals per the Book of Thoth. However, if someone chooses to adapt the deck to their reading style, I do not see the need to bash them. If this individual had simply stated their personal belief and called it a day, that would be fine. But to actively push to put others down by pulling an intellectual superiority kick is what I found unacceptable and left a nasty taste in my mouth.

Do I believe in reading reversals with the Thoth? No, it's not my style. But I'm not going to bash someone else for choosing to incorporate reversals in their practice.

Here's the thing about tarot: It's an art. It evolves. There are no set rulebooks. Sure, many people use the BoT as a rule of thumb for using the Thoth deck. But this isn't the only way to utilize a deck.

Like most tools, decks are there to work with the reader. They can take on many hats and forms and do not have to be used as directed to be effective. The RWS was designed to be used with reversals. That doesn't mean reversals must be used to work with the deck. What's next, every card can only mean one set thing?

If you want to follow a set of guidelines for yourself, by all means! Practice as you see fit. But under no circumstances should your reading method be forced upon others (The only Golden rule that's universal to tarot is to not be a scam artist who preys on people by giving deceitful readings, imo).

Let people enjoy things, even if they don't enjoy them the same way you do. Tarot is not here to be your crutch to prove your superiority over others. It's one thing to teach and guide, it's another to bash and force new readers out of the community by belittling them.

And for those of you who have been bashed for being new, for not reading "correctly," etc., I am sorry for that. The world of tarot should be a welcoming community, and for those who have felt unwelcome, please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions. Unlike others, I won't judge.