Confession #8: It’s October

Transcript:

 Confession #8: It’s October

I’m a clairvoyant and I have a confession: It’s October

scratch/oneip

My name is Ronda. I read Tarot, write stuff and make things.

It’s October, 2021 right now. Count me among the zillion and one witchy tarot readers who love this time of year, cinnamon spice and all. 

This October is the third anniversary of rebranding my work from Modern Oracle Tarot to TaoCraft Tarot. It seems like this is the time of year for re-naming things. 

You can talk about thinning veils and shifting energies all you want. All I know is that October has always been a creative inspiration for me. This year, autumn and the internet has treated me to a whole basket full of new tools. This year, instead of one big name change, I have a little one and a whole grocery list of small tweeks and innovations.

Have you ever heard of wabi sabi or kintsuki? I hope I’m pronouncing those correctly – I don’t speak Japanese. As I understand it, wabi sabi is a way of looking at life that accepts or even celebrates imperfection and impermanence. Part of that is the art of kintsuki. Instead of making something “good as new” it elevates the act of repair and the process of preservation and accents the broken places with precious metals. In this episode, I’m splashing some gold on cracks in the confessional walls. There is wonderful freedom that comes from accepting  imperfections yourself – and everyone else too. 

***

I know I’m not technically proficient as a podcaster. As a point of unpaid admiration, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fact that anchor fm is incredibly easy to use and has seamless text to speech conversion from wordpress. Even with tools like these, I knew coming into it that this podcast wasn’t going to be perfect.  

What I didn’t know was how much work the vocal performance was going to be. And yes, as if you couldn’t tell, this is a scripted performance. Dammit jim, I’m a writer not an improve actor. If I don’t get my thoughts organized before recording, I would sound like a babbling idiot instead of the pirate radio dj  persona I’d hoped to create.

BUT  I am just evil-villain enough to not give up on the idea quite yet. 

Instead, I’m changing up the format a little bit. Not the name, because I’m still hoping you all will finally confess that you like psychics and will send me some questions for Tarot readings. Those episodes will always be personally recorded, no script, no plan, just me and my cards and a microphone recording a Tarot reading for you. 

In those episodes that you would hear if you were sitting across the table from me. So be brave! Send some questions, let’s make some magic together.

The thing that’s changing is I’m not going to do very many of these monolog episodes 

Cheer effect

Instead, I’ll be posting a metric ton of what I’m calling “nano-episodes” under the episode title “A Sip of Tarot.”  These will be one card meditation readings the same as I’ve always done on the blog and have recently added to youtube shorts. I expect they will last a minute or so…juuuuust long enough to take a slow, thoughtful sip of your morning coffee. These meditation style readings are just that…a thought to ponder for your day, your night, your weekend – whenever you happen to listen to podcasts. 

For example….

Hear that? That’s me actually shuffling actual Tarot cards as I record this. THAT’s what a question episode will sound like.

Now let’s cut the cards at random and grab a card from the middle-ish somewhere of the deck. 

Today we have….

One card reading (please listen to the episode to hear the card reading)

That’s what the sip of tarot episodes will generally be like, except they will be automated text to voice because dammit jim, i’m a writer not a voice actor 

For the record, I’m leaving voice acting to the real talent in this world, you know, like David Dear of Ninth World Journal – 

Why YES, yes I am shamelessly fangirling for one of my favorite podcasts  – outside of this one. 

I have lots of other things up my sleeve for October, but they are all blog related. 

If you like to listen to things, you are in the right place because most of the blog content will be echoed here.  If you like to read too, come over to the print side sometime. We have Zombie Cats!

Stay tuned. We start sipping some Tarot tomorrow. 

Short dimension

The music you hear is Dimension by the Pittsburgh band Dinosoul, all copyrights reserved, used here with permission. The applause sound effect is courtesy of free stock music .com

 See you next time in the Clairvoyant’s Confessional

Long dimension

A Sip of Tarot: The Struggle Is Real

A pyrrhic victory is a win at enormous cost. You win, but there is absolute carnage everywhere by the time you are done. The name comes from ancient history. I’m not sure, but I think elephants were involved (cue Eddie Izzard – I love her sketch on Latin)

The five of swords tend to be, ultimately, a positive energy card, hinting at likely victory (the dude on the card looks kind of smiley) but you still have to consider the cost. One of the meanings I’ve seen for the card is ‘stubborness’

One of my favorite internet memes is paraphrased G.K. Chesterson quote, “A [warrior] fights not because he hates what is in front of him but because he loves what is behind him.” I think the meme’s substitution of “warrior” for Chesterson’s “true soldier” speaks to the essence of a warrior. It speaks to the difference between defense and blind violence.

There will always be challenges in life. There will be times we have to defend our limits and boundaries. The struggle is real, but what price victory? Are you fighting to project (your idea) or protect (those you love)?

A Sip of Tarot: For the First Time

Apt title for the renaming fest that always seems to happen in October. I hope you’ll give Clairvoyant Confessional podcast “Confession #8” a listen to hear what this “sip of tarot” thing is about.

Today’s card is the Six of Cups.

It is most often associated with innocence, nostalgia, childhood, simplicity.

As you can guess, the simplicity thing resonates for me.

But today it is the childhood/child-like aspect that is most energy forward.

A long time ago, I read an interview with Luc Bessom, the director and writer for The Fifth Element, one of my favorite movies. When it was released in ’97 I was training and teaching both tai chi and kung fu, so the scene where Leeloo takes out a room full of Mangalores was high on my list of reasons to like the film. The interview with the director was talking about casting and why he chose Mila Jovovich to play Leeloo. He said she captured that sense of innocence, the feeling of seeing things for the very first time. At the same time, the character required that she have a sense of strength and competence and the essence of the “supreme being” that she was. Star Man and Dr. Vanderspeigle from Resident Alien are other fiction characters with this quality.

That is the head space that the six of cups is pointing toward today. A fresh, child LIKE look at a problem or a situation doesn’t have to abandon your hard earned competence and knowledge in the process. Brain bleach doesn’t exist. There are some things you can’t un-see, but you can always re-see for the first time.

Experienced eyes can be innocent eyes again.

Your Very Own Seat at the Tarot Table

The October announcement included the NEW membership tier on K0-fi. This blog is STILL 100% free, will contain everything in one place, including reminder links to the memebers-only content. Of course, only members can view the post at the end of the reminder link.

There will STILL be blog-only content here that you can’t get anywhere else on the web. What I’m trying to say is be a member & follow this blog and you get EVERYTHING, every scrap of Tarot content I create. The monthly premium is the same cost of a one card meditation reading except that you get a three card reading per month plus all the rest. Since domain and web hosts won’t take Tarot readings in barter, there is a nominal fee to support the blog, the podcast and the time put in to creating it all including the YouTube shorts (almost) everyday.

*infomercial voice* That’s right folks! For the low, low cost of $5 a month, you get a three card member’s reading each month PLUS random special offers and giveaways PLUS a private, personal “Year Ahead” reading by email when you join.

Here is an example of what the “month ahead” members only reading look like each month, with each card serving as a them for about 10 days or so in the first, middle and last thirds of the month.

As I type this,* that sounds way more complicated than it actually needs to be. Come to think of it, I’m going to do “pathway” style readings instead…your path through the month.

Either way, bottom line, you get a THREE card member’s reading for the price of ONE card meditation reading.

Witches Tarot used with permission

October is the anniversary of TaoCraft Tarot’s “grand opening” in 2018. It fits that October is our first members-only monthly reading. 

Just for this first layout, I’ll open the reading up to everyone on the main website in a few days, to let them know about this new feature. After that, you’ll have to be a member or supporter to see the three card “month ahead” readings. ONLY monthly members get a free “year ahead” reading by email when you join.

October has a regal energy. I’m no astronomer or astrologer, but I get the mental image of Saturn. I don’t get a general – energy sense about what that could mean, but let’s just mention it in case it resonates with someone…a birth month or astrology association would be my guess.

The early part of the month has a practical get-things-done sort of feel. The energy reminds me of when I was young and my grandmother canning everything under the sun from their garden. Things may be busy, but it seems short lived and will pay off later. Like the soup she would make in the winter. Don’t wait for someone else to lead the way. It’s up to you to decide what to can and what soup to make later, to extend the analogy.

Pages are learning, swords  are mind and intellect. The middle part of the month is time to feed your mind, to free your mind. New ideas are important. Curl up with a good book

Wands are fire and passion. Toward the end of the month, take what you’ve done, take what you’ve learned and light it up, metaphorically speaking. Apply the ideas that the page part of the month brought to you.

This month, the reading is mostly an example of what to expect in the months to come. You can roughly apply each card as a theme for 10 days at a time or just follow your intuition and sense the shifts in energy as the month goes on.

As an extra celebration for TaoCraft’s anniversary month, I’d like to offer a free Zombie cat yes/no reading to the supporters and members who claim it before October 31, 2021 – my Halloween treat to you! Just email TaoCraftTarot@gmail with your question. Ask anything and Zombie Cat will have at it! The usual disclaimer of a 50% chance of being dead wrong applies.

Who’s Zombie Cat? My slightly snarky feline alter ego inspired by Schrodinger’s thought experiment and an episode of Menage A Tarot (a 2015 podcast I did with David Dear, of “Ninth World Journal”  and Kate of “Daily Tarot Girl” You can read the original Zombie Cat blog post here.

* “No plan survives first contact with implementation” – Adam Savage, I think.

photo: Witches Tarot, art by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans used with permission  http://llwellynpublishing.com/permissions

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I’d like to announce -it’s October.

image via picsart free app

I’m saving the best – or what I think is the best – tidbit for Halloween. But for now, here is a few other era-of-the-equinox, slow-roll-out things I’d like to share.

This month is the third anniversary of re-branding from Modern Oracle to TaoCraft Tarot. It seems to be the time of year to rename things. October always has been a magickal, creative, energetic time of year here. Over time I’ve learned not to question why, but just roll with it. It is a good time of year for things to change: leaves, postings, podcasts – you name it.

Three things:

The “Today’s Tarot” short format daily one card readings are re-titled “A Sip of Tarot” because that is about all they are, a little sip of tea (or coffee) sized touch of Tarot to start your day.

I’m spilling that tea (or coffee) all over the place. After being on Menage A Tarot with David and Kate, following a variety of podcasts over the past couple of years (Ninth World Journal is still top of my list) and creating Clairvoyant Confessional solo – I’ve come to appreciate audio communication more than ever before. “A Sip of Tarot” will be here on the blog, on YouTube Shorts, on the Clarivoyant Confessional podcast, and on the ko-fi public blog.

Speaking of ko-fi, THAT is the biggie announcement for tonight. “A Seat at the Tarot Table” Memebership is now open. Members on Ko-fi get a “seat at the tarot table” which includes a members-only monthly tarot reading (similar to the year-ahead layout only focused on a single month) AND a private year-ahead reading by email at no extra charge when you join. I’ve packed up all the cutesy pants special offers and moved them over there. From now on any special offers and giveaways are off of social medial and only on the tarot table in ko-fi memeberships.

It may be October but one thing is NOT changing: You are already at THE place to get it all. Follow this blog and you’ll get it all of the free Tarot that you get now: Sip of Tarot, YouChoose Interactive Tarot, plus print-only posts that won’t appear anywhere else. Links to new membership posts will be here too along with all of the podcast transcripts.

OK – business is out of the way. Now go enjoy your October Friday.

Here is some thing to get the party started: updated the TaoCraft Halloween playlist on Spotify for 2021. Enjoy!

Today’s Tarot: A Layer of Mystery

Today’s Tarot card is the High Priestess from the major arcana.

In physics, or at least in popularized science shows, they say higher dimensions are in contact with us. The fifth dimension and higher are described as being impossibly close to each and every object, each and every cell in our bodies. The mysteries of the universe are literally close at hand. Magic lives within the mundane.

Arthur Clark famously said that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” To my limited education in the matter, higher dimensions and quantum physics more than sufficiently advanced to seem that way. I wonder if all the sturm and drang about writers connecting advanced science to esoteric philosophy being “pseudoscience” is really just a matter of semantics. If a person is untrained in physics and calculus but adept at philosophy and spirituality, of course they are going to default to non-scientific language to communicate difficult ideas. It isn’t “pseudo” any more than English is a pseudo language compared to Swahili or vice versa.

Arguably saying “the apples fall off trees” has more real life value than saying “gravitational force is equal to the mass of two objects multiplied together, divided by the distance between their centers then multiplied by the gravitational constant” Both are true, both are valid and both have their own kind of importance.

Whether you call it higher dimensions, universal life energy, the Force, the Tao, or just plain magic, the mystical parts of life are integrated within the mundane. Mystery is a close layer beneath everything.

Thank you for reading and listening.

Today’s Tarot short format card readings by Ronda Snow of TaoCraft Tarot are available on multiple platforms starting in October 2021. Find these sip of tea sized Tarot readings on YouTube Shorts, Clairvoyant Confessional podcast, the blog page on Tao Craft Tarot .com and on the Tao Craft Tarot’s ko-fi .com blog.

The main blog contains print-only content not available anywhere else.

The ko-fi blog contains members-only content not available anywhere else.

Today’s Tarot: Grind the Cigars

Today’s Tarot card is the 8 of Pentacles.

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.

Clairvoyant Confessional: Styles and Stereotypes

Transcript

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.

Want a private reading with the Clairvoyant? Email readings are OPEN – available to order 24/7 no appointment needed.

Phone/online readings require an appointment and schedule a minimum of 24 hours in advance.

Polices have been updated and are listed here. Contacting me indicates you agree with all policies and disclaimers.

In-person and Party Tarot in select South Hills areas of Pittsburgh PA: email for details. Service area and covid-19 policies apply.

Today’s Tarot: meet a need

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!