Category: announcements

Welcome to the Equinox: Reiki & Relaxation

It makes me feel a little Dr. Doofenshmirz – ish.

Maybe not the take over the world part (much) but more the buy a doctorate off the internet for $14.99 part.

Remote work is normal now. 2020 basically happened online, including every level of school and nobody batted an eye. Back in the day, before lockdowns put us all on the webbernet, remote study was viewed with suspicion. Especially for those of us who started in the days of paper, photocopies and actual snail mail submissions. Back in the REALLY old days they called it ‘correspondence school’ …. cue the the Owl Correspondence School song from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

Knowing this, I actually checked their accreditation when I enrolled in CCNH. It was apparently fully legit at that time. Always was as far as I know, and was a well estabolished 20 years old when I was through the program. All I wanted was a piece of paper to prove I knew what I already knew anyway. It cost a bit more than $14.99 and, owing to a medical leave, took over a decade to complete. After reading, writing, testing, and much postage I worked my way through holistic nutrition,herbology, history of naturopathy, energy medicine, iridology (THAT was ridiculous laughable nonsense, I grant you) homeopathy, business management for professionals, research theory and thesis writing, overviews of Ayurvedic medicine, overviews of Traditional Chinese Medicine and probably several I’ve forgotten *deep breath* then I began the dissertation process. Dissertation was the real education. That process, even working remotely, included written proposals, IRB proposals, reviews and supervision, and supervision by actual people with actual Ph.Ds from actual universities.

Reiki & Relaxation is my 2011 dissertation with a shorter title. I tweeked the formatting and cover to make it e-book friendly, but inside is all the dry, repetitive, academic writing of anyone else’s dissertation. My ego is just over inflated enough to think that it is still easy to read for anyone. It may not be up Ivy League standards, but it might convince the local community college that Reiki is demonstratively effective in reducing stress which in turn improves wellness and quality of life.

As part of our slow stroll down the hall of equinox newness, Reiki & Relaxation is available for inexpensive and immediate download.

All of my book(lets) are available for easy download in the new Ko-fi shop and in the Etsy shop.

Reiki & Relaxation is available for download in the Ko-fi shop

Welcome to the Equinox: Zombie Cat Shambles 2021!

READ THE POST THAT STARTED IT ALL: MEET ZOMBIE CAT

Intention is everything in subtle energy work. Anything that isn’t covered by intention is usually covered by symbolism.

The YouChoose post this morning talked a little bit about liminal energies and transitional spaces. Some transitions are sharp and out of the blue, like walking through a narrow doorway. Others are slow and build gradually, like walking down a long hallway. At first I’d thought about making this post as a ginormous list of everything I’ve been working on, posting them today to honor the equinox and the beginning of my favorite season and that would be that.

That’s not today’s energy

I feel nudged to go with a slow roll-out instead of a terse list. That will let me give full attention to the intention and symbolism behind these things such as they are. Today….

ZOMBIE CAT IS BACK!

Zombie Cat is an alter-ego sort of character that came from the old blog, when I working under the name Modern Oracle Tarot, inspired by the famous Schrodinger’s cat experiment and an episode of Menage A Tarot podcast. Zombie Cat lives all year in the special & lower cost readings section of the no appointment email readings page. During Halloween, ZC comes out to play on the home page.

I enjoy Zombie Cat. I enjoy doing short, fun, anything goes yes-or-no readings from that slightly snarky frame of mind. Frame of mind and fun both count in this kind of work. That is why when I do a cutesy pants promotional price reductions anymore unless it has some sort of symbolic meaning for me. In this case, I’m reducing the price of Zombie Cat readings to give energy to all the fun that Zombie Cat gives and all that Halloween and Autumn mean for me.

But I’m hoping it will entice a bunch of you to get these holiday readings, too.

Zombie Cat yes/no readings are $5 off until Halloween. Get yours HERE

Zombie Cat

Meet Your Reader page updated

If you follow the blog, browse the website or read the ebook “TaoCraft Portfolio”, a Tarot reading with me can only meet or exceed your expectations because you’ll know exactly what to expect in advance.“

With all of the scams and stereotypes out there, people on both sides of the Tarot table are understandably wary. Putting all of the policy and philosophy cards on the table before we pick up the Tarot deck builds trust. Then we can go into the reading itself knowing we are OK with each other and with the Tarot process.

I don’t want this page to sound like some sort of defacto resume. Tarot is much more human and one to one than that. I don’t want this page to be a bunch of jazzed up marketing sizzle. I want to earn your trust with this. If you really want to meet me before a reading, the ebook and the blog is the best place to do that.

When an artist interviews for a job, they bring examples of their work in a portfolio so the potential employer can see if they are a good match for the company or project.

I want to show you the art of Tarot and this website is my portfolio. – Ronda

Tarot

  • Tarot Reader since 1992
  • Worked online as “Baihu” on AllExperts, Advice Tradeer and Keen
  • Professional readings in the Pittsburgh, PA, USA area since 2003
  • Current: Owner/Artist TaoCraftTarot.com (was Modern Oracle Tarot 2003-18)
  • Current: Owner/artist TaoCraftTarotShop on Etsy (was Quirk & Flotsam)

Writing

  • Self – published PeaceTarot and Triquetra: The Dance of Worlds (poetry collection) on Kindle
  • Poetry in Kindred magazine, ICP anthologies Natures Echoes and Quicksilver Moon and Sparrowgrass Poetry Forum 1994
  • Non-fiction natural health article “Herb in Plain Sight” Point of Light magazine

Education and Certification

  • Bachelor of Science, Medical Science (physician assistant) (1987).
  • Clinical work as nationally certified physician assistant in psychiatry and interventional cardiology (1987-2000)
  • Ph.D Natural Health from Clayton College of Natural Health, unaccredited (2011)
  • Reiki Master-practitioner, traditional Usui style (2000)
  • Retired Tai Chi instructor
  • Esperanto beginner (komencanto)
  • U.L.C. ordained preceptor (spiritual teacher) 2005

25 August 2021

How did the summer go so fast? I guess traveling between pandemic spikes will do that. Speaking of which, transmission is still in the red zone, so the no in-person services policy is still in place. Distance readings by phone, zoom, skype or email is OPEN (no appointment needed for email readings.) Staying home in the AC doesn’t seem like a bad idea anyway with this hot as stinkballs weather we have had lately. Not a fan of sun and humid. Not going to stop me from binge swilling pumpkin spice coffee for the next six months though.

Still scheming up some things for fall. Got one more done: Formatted, updated the cover and uploaded Reiki & Relaxation which is basically my doctoral thesis reworked into .pdf format. You can order it along with PeaceTarot and Triquetra on the Ebooks page. Plus have a couple of youth/small adult “Mindful Moments” bracelets in the shop. (6.5 inch around, but stretchy)

But it WILL be September soon, which means I have to stop being aghast that I first picked up Tarot and oracle cards in the 1991-ish era. I know for sure it was well before ’93 because I changed jobs and moved to a new apartment that year. Still, 29-30 years is a long time. It’s making me feel old just talking about it so moving on….

In celebration of this astonishing realization, 7 card email readings purchased here on the website are $1 for each year of card reading….$30 is a $10 discount and will only last until the Autumnal Equinox on September 20. Then it’s back to the no cutesy pants promotions policy.

Zombie Cat is still in a mood: free Tarot reading for the first person to follow these instructions correctly

  • Free Yes/no reading in the blog for the first question in the comments on this webpage.
  • Yes – it’s really free. It’s really for you. I’ll write it so redacted that only you will know for sure that its you.
  • No….social media replies, email, messages or any other damn thing. ONLY the comments ONLY on this page ONLY until midnight eastern time usa August 17, 2021
  • your reading will post in the blog, so keep it somewhat civil, k?
  • all policies and disclaimers apply
  • Get vaccinated, wear a mask when you go out and wash your damn hands.

Cartomancy is back

Tarot is cartomancy.

Cartomancy is just a fancy name for an intuitive reading with cards. Any cards. RWS Tarot, Lenormand Tarot, gaming cards, oracle decks, anything. I suppose you could use baseball trading cards or greeting cards if you want. The key part of it all is intuition. The important part is you, your heart, your mind, your imagination and your spirit. Cards in any style are just a tool to help us access our intuition more easily and communicate it better. As Tarot and oracle cards have become more popular and well known, the term cartomancy has become a more specific term. Cartomancy has come to mean a reading with the modern game playing deck in particular.

Tarot and the gaming deck have a long history together, albeit a fuzzy one. Some sources say the modern gaming deck is a pared down poor man’s Tarot that used only the minor arcana ostensibly to make it affordable and portable, especially for soldiers. Other sources say that the gaming deck is far older, and Tarot is an expanded gaming deck embellished to appeal to the wealthy who could afford the more intricate printing, the extra paper and had the leisure time to use it. Over time, it seems both stories carry equal weight, but personally I don’t think either story really matters.

Either way, the real upgrade in Tarot came with the Waite Smith Tarot deck in 1909. Waite Smith is the first, it seems, to put detailed unique images on the numbered cards of minor arcana.

The well-known Tarot de Marseille, dating to the 17th century, didn’t have intricate artwork on the numbered 1 – 10 cards. Instead they only showed the given number of suit symbols. The two of coins had two coins drawn on it and so on. The minor arcana of the Marseille deck is styled just like the pips of the gaming deck. Or vice versa. The “face” cards of the game deck are very akin to the “court” cards of Tarot’s minor arcana.

A modern game playing deck is, basically, an old-style Tarot deck without the major arcana or the knight cards. Do you need the major arcana to do a good reading? Not really. People do major arcana only readings all of the time. In the early days of computers and the webbernet, computerized Tarot programs would often give major-only versions for free or low cost with full price full decks – kind of like in-app purchases.

Major arcana only, minor arcana only, classic Tarot or dollar store playing cards, all cards serve the same purpose. They are just the springboard and projection screen for our innate intuition.

So why do do game-deck cartomancy at all?

Kindness, gentleness, and a light touch.

As silly as it may seem to those of us used to Tarot, the occult, and pagan aesthetic, some people are genuinely nervous about Tarot cards. Usually it stems from some old, long held religious indoctrination. Those are not easy things to overcome. Cartomancy is a kinder gentler way to explore intuition and spiritual exploration and personal growth for those who are nervous about Tarot for whatever reason.

Cartomancy is like intuition training wheels. Gaming decks have been used as a beginner deck, just like the ‘student’ line in musical instrument. Once you’ve learned your art, you can upgrade.

Personally, I think it is the exact opposite. Teaching someone to do readings with playing cards is kind of like teaching someone to swim by throwing them in the deep end of the pool. Having primaily only pips to work from, you have no choice but to rely on pure intuition.

Luckily the deep end is a good way to train in Tarot and intuition even if it isn’t so much for swimming. It’s a little like swinging a weighted bat. To mix sports metaphors, throwing a student in the deep end of the card-reading pool makes reading image laden Tarot cards seem like a breeze by comparison.

If you take Tarot lessons with me, we will learn cartomancy first. Bring your snorkle.

And yes, that is a big tease for the Autumnal Equinox roll-out announcements.

Meanwhile….

I’m bringing cartomancy readings back. If you would like a taste (or if you know someone who is interested in exploring card readings but is worried about Tarot’s oogie boogie reputation) they are available for purchase HERE . Get a three card cartomancy pathway for $10 (instead of $15 for the Tarot three card pathway reading)

An no, it isn’t a cutesy pants promotion. That’s the permanent price.

Update August 2021

Just few quick thoughts:

First and foremost, thank you all for reading the blog, following the socials, listening to the podcast and being so supportive. It means a lot. I hope all the goodnesses and more come back to all who give them

Was in a store yesterday, when there was a giant thunderclap and brief downpour outside. Afterward, for a moment, even that public place was silent. For a while longer it was very quiet. Not a lot of people where there, but there was still an oddly quiet, subdued, almost serene few minutes.

The energy has been a little weird lately, but it feels a little less so today. It feels like a moment of silence, a holding of breath and a turning of moments between seasons. It isn’t quite the drudgery of summer ending but not quite yet the excitement and festival atmosphere that Fall can bring. It is a moment of silence and motionlessness between the thunder and the aftermath. May it be the silence after the storm, and not before yet another.

********

  • Just checked the CDC and Mayo Clinic sites. Community transmission and new case rates in our area are still listed as “substantial” so in-person and party Tarot remains on hold.
  • YouChoose Interactive Tarot posts and the podcast are on on break for a couple of weeks. Distance readings are OPEN. No appointment needed for email. TaoCraftTarot@gmail.com is the fastest way to reach me to schedule a phone or online video call Tarot reading.
  • Because I’m still moderately mind blown over realizing I’ve been reading Tarot for a hot minute that’s lasted 30 years, 7 card email readings are still at a REDUCED PRICE through the website here only. It’s $30 instead of $40, one dollar for each year of Tarot experience I bring to your reading. Offer ends 20 September 2021 (the Autumnal Equinox)
  • TaoCraft Tarot / Clairvoyant Confessional virtual tip jar supports the blog and future podcast episodes. This helps me keep the blog ad-free and open to everyone. Please visit the ko-fi page and see the new membership tiers before they are announced next month too!) #kofimemberships

Dressed for work

“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Page cards in Tarot are about learning. Swords can denote several things: the element of air, taking action, our relationship with culture, society and authority, or they can symbolize the mind and intellect. My attention is drawn to a combination of intellect and action. It reminds me of that quote where Emerson describes common sense as “genius dressed in its working clothes.”

Genius at work is our learning mode, which can apply to anyone, anywhere, in any stage of life. Learning is a lifelong thing whether we are running particle accelerators or poking something with a stick to see what happens. Mind and body are one whole, so learning and action are an integrated whole as well. Even if big genius ideas drop into our head seemingly out of nowhere, something triggered it or some unique set of material experiences hit critical mass and turned on the proverbial light bulb over our head. However they happen, genius insight doesn’t help us much unless we do something with them. Physical realm interacts with the intellectual realm which prompts action in the physical world and so on in an unending dance of learning and experience gathering. It is about figuring out a method and trying something, admitting failures and trying again. That applies to all sorts of learning. Science is a way of learning about the outer, tangible world. Tarot is one method of learning about the inner, intangible one. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, far from it. If anything they are bound together as intimately as space and time, locked in the complex dance of our humanity.

Today’s card is asking us to use what we know, and fearlessly learn what we don’t.

In the spirit of learning and doing, I have a quick announcement.

As you know, I don’t keep an office or any sort of brick and mortar location, primarily to cut my overhead and keep my prices lower than they otherwise would be.

Since that means bringing people out into the public sphere for an in-person session I’ve decided to use CDC reported community transmission rates for Allegheny county as the guide for in-person sessions. The rate is on the rise, and we have been upgraded from low to moderate. Due to that, starting Sunday July 25 in-person services are on temporary hold again until community transmission rates drop back to low.

Distance Tarot is my specialty

I say that because I’m just as good at writing and doing readings by email as I am doing them in person. I know a lot of psychics and Tarot readers who do both in-person and distance readings equally well, but several of them have commented to me that they don’t enjoy working by email as much as they do in person or by phone. I do both equally well and I enjoy both too.

So PLEASE – while we all endure these last hills, bumps and turns of this roller coaster ride of a pandemic, don’t hesitate to make use of the email version if you are interested in getting a reading. I promise you will get the same information as you would if we were meeting face to masked up face.

Plus don’t forget the cutesy pants promotional $1 TAROT SALE where 7 card email readings are $1 for each year of Tarot reading experience that I bring to your reading (AKA – $10 off the usual price). Offer ends 20 September 2021

Order email readings 24/7 on the home page or HERE

Something Completely Different

Dammit Jim, I’m a writer not a…..

At this point, low production value sucky YouTube videos and awkward podcasts are practically my BRAND in the social media Tarot world. This is no different.

But it IS different in base content. This shows you how I do my yes-or-no readings. The layout came up in conversation with a client and ever since it has been niggling at my attention.

Sooo….

After all these years (30 of them, remember?) I’ve learned to listen to the niggles when the capricious muses hit me over the head with a cosmic shillelagh if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor.

I think Zombie Cat wants a summer shamble. The paws are itching to do some yes or no layouts for you good folks. No, this isn’t a cutesy pants special offer, this is something straight up NEW.

I’ve added a yes/no Tarot THREE QUESTION bundle in the special layouts section of email distance Tarot that is available to you to order 24/7/365.

Individual results and delivery times may vary, all policies and disclaimers apply, no lifeguard on duty, swim at your own risk, wash your hands, eat your vegetables and ffs consult with your doctor and get your friggin’ vaccine.