Basically, it’s a day to just do normal stuff. Grind it out. Get it done. There are no big spiritual or aspirational energies around the card today. It’s all about just building a life brick by brick, step by step, moment by moment.
Even in Tarot, not everything is a big spiritual revelation. Not everything in life has a big symbolic purpose. Like Freud said, “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.”
Come back tomorrow for the spiritual stuff. For now, at least for today, go grind the cigars.
I’m a clairvoyant and I have a confession. I’m not lame – I mean lamé. I won’t wear gold lamé.
Scratch / Oneip
Hi. I’m Ronda from TaoCraftTarot.com. I read Tarot, write stuff and make things. Welcome to season two of the Clairvoyant Confessional podcast.
What comes to mind when you think of a Clairvoyant?
Do you expect gold lam’e outfits, 1-800 numbers and exotic accents? Or do you just start checking for your wallet? If that’s your first thought, you are not alone.
No one likes stereotypes, but they do exist. Assumptions and stereotypes are a big problem for anyone interested in psychics, Tarot, clairvoyance or ANY sort of non-mainstream spirituality. That’s true on BOTH sides of the Tarot table.
There has been no end of psychic scams and fakes and grifters over the years…centuries really. It’s no wonder that people think psychics are all either a scam or some kind of supernatural evil.
That historical criminality casts suspicion on any legitimate advertising that a spirituality oriented business might use today. Personally I approach Tarot as a folk art as much as anything else.
Art has a business side – just think about all the money you’ve spent on tickets for movies or band concerts.
If a psychic is professional and business-like, then half the people think they are not genuinely spiritual. If a psychic focuses on entertainment or spirituality, then the other half of people think they are a scam. Doing professional psychic readings is not for the feint hearted.
BUT – neither is finding a good psychic. Readings are fun. They really are art & entertainment. Intuitive readings are also stress management because they can help you sort through difficult times and get your head around life a little bit. Art or self-care, either way, finding a psychic you can trust is important.
So how do you do it? How DO you find a psychic who is both authentic and trustworthy?
That’s why I call the ebook I’m writing “TaoCraft Portfolio”. When an artist interviews for a job, they take examples of their work in a portfolio so the potential employer can see their skills …AND their style… to decide if they are a good match for the job.
I created this podcast, the blog, the youtube channel, and the social media…all of it…to act as my portfolio. I’m hoping you’ll see all of this behind-the-scenes stuff and decide my style is a good match for your Tarot reading. Or not.
That’s all well and good for you and me, but it doesn’t solve the larger problem. There are a LOT of psychics out there but no spiritual better business bureau or billboard top twenty Tarot.
As I see it, if you want to find a good reader you have to do the very thing you are paying us to help you do. You have to use your instincts. BUT for the find a psychic part, common sense and due diligence are the doorway to your instincts instead of cards or runes or palm lines and such.
You wouldn’t hesitate to ask friends, family or neighbors for a referral if you need a plumber or a mechanic, right? Why should this be any different? I mean, I wouldn’t suggest asking your super religious mother in law if she knows a good psychic, but asking like-minded people you know is a pretty reliable way to find someone.
Barring that, you might have to dig a little. Read ads, visit websites, ask at indie bookstores. Those of us on this side of the reading table are a little underground for all the same reasons that you need to be on your guard. We have to protect ourselves from bigotry, other people’s bad reputations, and people trying to scam us. We have to deal with the age old psychic stereotypes just as much as you do.
Once you get a recommendation or find an ad or website that you have a good feeling about, talk to them.
I’m not suggesting that you pour out your heart to some rando stranger that you found online. Ask common sense questions that you would ask any business. Ask about hours, prices, locations – stuff like that. Normal business questions create a safe space for you to get a sense of things.
Whether it is by phone or by email, you can get a better feel for the psychic’s professionalism and trustworthiness from this kind of neutral conversation than any other way.
If they are patient and open with your questions that is a good sign. If they rush right in with promises of 100% accuracy or guarantees to fix your love life, you probably want to keep looking. If someone approaches you with a reading without you asking for it first, run the other way.
A trustworthy reader will never demand that you believe certain things or demand that you see them regularly in order for their reading to “work” Any situation that makes bigger and bigger demands on your time and money should absolutely be avoided.
But if it seems legit, and it feels right and if you can afford it, try a session. If you and the psychic are a good match, you’ll know right away. Real Tarot readings are about inspiration, empowerment and validation of what you already kinda knew.
If that first session doesn’t go well, that doesn’t mean anyone did anything wrong. Style and personality play a huge part in these things. If you are hoping for gold lam’e and a sense of drama, then sneakers and yoga pants might disappoint – and vice versa. Just because your personality doesn’t vibe with theirs doesn’t mean the psychic is a criminal or that you did anything wrong. If a trial session doesn’t feel right, it is perfectly OK to just move on and keep looking for someone else.
Fortune teller booths and party entertainment are just that…all fun and giggles, no harm done even if it is terrible. But when it comes to a one to one individual reading, if you have an uneasy feeling, you should absolutely listen to it. There are about a bazillion psychics out here in the world. Never settle for anything less than a feeling of confidence in the person who is going to do your reading.
With the Internet, you have a whole world wide web to choose from. It is chock full of ridiculous scams but it’s also chock full of incredibly talented and compassionate people.
We’ll talk more about online vs in person readings in another episode, but for now, just use your head and listen to your own instincts and you’ll find the right person with the right style for you.
If you want sizzle, drama, and gold lam’e, it’s out there.
If you want a calm, relaxing, coffee in the kitchen style – I GOT you. There’s not a scrap of gold lam’e anywhere around here.
Short dimension
Thank you so much for listening!
Do you have a question for the clairvoyant? Send it to the contact in the episode description and it might be answered with a tarot reading in a future podcast episode.
The music you hear is Dimension by Pittsburgh band Dinosoul, all rights reserved. It’s used here with their written permission.
Thanks again, and I’ll see you next time in the Clairvoyants Confessional.
The Ace of Pentacles could be called the essence of things.
On the top layer you have success, abundance, and all the positive top-line meanings.
For all the attention that is given to court cards, the aces fascinate me. They speak to that simplicity that is so near and dear to Taoism’s heart. They are about the essence and nature of the minor arcana suit, in this case pentacles (coins in some decks.)
Pentacles are associated with the earth element. They are our relationship with the physical realm, tangible, practical things. Which begs the question of what is the essence of those things? What is the nature of stuff?
I’ll leave that to physicists, which is fascinating as heck, especially once you start getting into the whole Schrodinger, Heisenberg quantum thing. Especially for someone like me who can’t even explain why its bad if the lights dim when the refrigerator comes on.
For our purposes, let’s look at the role stuff plays in life. Of course, now my mind is stuck on the old George Carlin bit…
I’m talking functionality. We want stuff. It pays to know what you want. Achieving, manifesting (however you want to look at it) works better when you have a specific and clear vision of what you really want. If you get to the essence of it, then window dressing and expectations are less likely to get in the way. When you work from a place of simplicity and essentials, the things you REALLY want can take a multitude more forms, and have a multitude more ways to find a way into your life.
That’s wants. Today’s card is, energetically, talking about needs. Physical need is the example, but the energy idea can be extended to mental, emotional and spiritual needs too.
This feels like a moment in time, but possibly an important one. Just for a minute, just for today, what is a literal need. An immediate, pressing, life-depends-on-it need.
Your next meal.
Your next drink of water.
Your next breath.
Now give it your full attention and gratitude as you meet that need. Try it. Just once. Just for today.
How does that feel?
Today’s Tarot card is available as a blog post, a Clairvoyant Confessional episode, and on YouTube Shorts.
Your feedback is always welcome on any of these platforms.
And a special thank you to everyone who has supported the blog and podcast on ko-fi!
It’s not a day for high flying ambition. That kind of day will come. Some days are for stepping on the gas, other days are for coasting a little. Today’s energy is a little bit of a drift. DO, it isn’t a vacation day – but DO things without a big push, without ambition or high expectation. Be productive, but not tied to the outcome. Do the best you can with what you got and be happy with the result whatever it turns out to be. It is a day for low expectation and ample simple pleasures.
With these videos, let’s flip the #interactive script. Instead of you choosing the card, and I give you an interpretation, this time I’ll choose the card….but YOU choose the meaning that best fits you: Today’s Card is Strength from the major arcana
Be strong – someone around you needs somebody to lean on
Be strong – Take the high road. The best way is almost never the easiest
Be strong – “just do it” is sometimes the best way to discover just how strong you really are.
LEARN TO READ TAROT
Think of these Sunday videos as a way to strengthen your relationship with your own intuition. If you want to improve your Tarot skills watch these “Tarot Turnovers” every week and practice the techniques and exercises in my ebook PeaceTarot available for download HERE
Reminder
New stuff announced on the equinox includes: “Reiki and Relaxation” (my doctoral dissertation) is available for download is the newest item in my NEW ko-fi shop. Watch form more updates to come. ZOMBIE CAT IS BACK on the home page and yes/no readings are $5 off until Halloween ’21.
There is no substitute for time. You can’t fool Mother Nature – or gluten. There is no such thing as microwavable enlightenment.
Even if enlightenment seems to happen in a flash it took some amount of time to build the lightbulb that come on over your head. It takes some amount of time to build up to the tipping point, or reach critical mass or any of a dozen analogies you could use here.
Personal growth and our spiritual journey is like a good brisket – it takes time. Microwaving the same cut of meat just isn’t the same no matter how much liquid smoke you use.
No-knead bread is just another name for biscuits. You can’t shortcut a good knead and rising time on a warm kitchen counter.
This card is reminding us that you can’t rush repose. Some things unfold in their own time. The best things take as long as they take.
Stay tuned for one more “equinox” announcement later today.
The Tower card is usually associated with sudden chaos, a surprise big event. It makes a sort of practical, real world sense. Tall buildings and trees are more prone to lightning strikes, so it stands to reason that a tower would be a good symbol for a bolt from the blue, literally and figuratively.
Tarot doesn’t predict the future any better than it can predict where, precisely, lightning will strike during the next thunderstorm. But, like life, Tarot can suggest what to do when it does.
Towers are tall. You can climb them to get big picture understanding of the landscape around you.
Maybe during the lightning strike, a tower isn’t a great place to be. But if you re-climb the tower and get the biggest picture possible, it can help you get your head around the chaos afterward.
Happy National Coffee Day! Of course, EVERY day is coffee day around here. Luv the stuff. Will sip a spiced cup in your honor while I type when you order a distance reading by email.
Don’t forget that Zombie Cat yes/no Tarot readings are $5 off until Halloween.
All coffee love put into the virtual tip mug supports the blog and podcast
I’m Ronda. I read Tarot, write stuff and make things.
I’m also a clairvoyant, and I have a confession.
I didn’t learn a darn thing about making podcasts over the break.
So you are stuck with the super villain style monologue unless and until you send in some questions or comments. The contact information is in all of the episode descriptions. Ask anything. Who knows? You might get a Zombie Cat Tarot Reading in an upcoming episode. What is Zombie Cat Tarot you ask? Stay tuned to the Clairvoyant Confessional podcast to hear more. Send your questions for the Clairvoyant to ClairvoyantConfessional@gmail.com
Take a listen to season one on Spotify, Anchor FM, sketcher and googlepodcasts
This time, if you want to hear the more detailed card interpretation, it’s in the video. I’m not telling you which meaning is which card, so I hope you’ll watch at least the first bit of the video to choose your card and see the reveal. If you want to spend a little time and feel it out, just pause the video then restart to see which one you picked.
Nothing in Tarot is 100%. The card might not feel right. That’s OK. Claim one of the others if it feels more helpful. Or find another video / blog post and try again to find guidance that resonates with YOU – here, now, today. It doesn’t matter when the video was made or the post was written. The right message has a way of finding you sooner or later.
I hope you’ll follow the blog if you haven’t already – that way you get ALL the new content, video and print-only, right in your inbox or WordPress reader.
The Heirophant: How are you being too much (or not enough) of a people pleasing rule follower. Thank you to all activists who speak for us whenever we’re not sure what to say.
Nine of Swords: Is the thing that’s keeping you up at night really worth losing sleep over? What are you making bigger than it is? Let go what needs to go and get some real sleep.
Eight of Pentacles: Just do it. Set aside any high minded spirituality or over-intellectualizing and peel the potatoes, chop the wood and carry the water.
******
The Equinox announcement list so far:
Zombie Cat yes/no Tarot readings by email are $5 off until Halloween. Get yours HERE
the ko-fi shop is open with ebooks available for purchase and instant download
The virtual tip mug is open, which supports the production of this blog, podcasts and YouTube videos
Clairvoyant Confessional season 2 begins soon, such as it is. Evil villian monolog style still applies. Send your questions for a free on-air Tarot reading to ClairvoyantConfessional@gmail.com
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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