Kat’s Guide to the Court Cards

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

When we think of the court cards, usually we just think of the standards: pages are young and immature, knights are action-driven, queens are intuitive wisdom, kings are authority, they usually always represent people. But the courts are so much more than just that. They aren’t just combining those keywords with the suit correspondences, in my experience. They represent so much more. This guide is not meant to give you the basic rundown; I’m assuming at this point most readers would have Court Cards 101 in their handbook. This is more the common nuances I’ve seen while reading court cards for other people, and ones I have not seen talked about all that much.

One of the biggest pitfalls I see with the court cards is when they represent what the querent needs to be versus where they currently are. “That doesn’t sound like me” they’ll often say. And girliepop, that’s the point. It’s the energy you need to be embodying right now, but you’re not currently channeling it. And it’s always helpful to look into why, but oftentimes when a single court card shows up in a reading for someone who is not asking about other people, that card is more likely meant to represent the querent. Sometimes it’s a radical change from where they are, and in those cases it is also often a good idea to look into ways to transition into that energy if the spread doesn’t provide that information.

Another case of two court cards representing the querent is best described by an example: I had gotten a reading about my career moves. Two of the cards that appeared where the Queen of Swords in the past position and the Queen of Wands in the future position. In this particular deck, they happened to be facing each other. In this particular reading, they didn’t represent two other people. They represented my need to transition from the Sword energy into the Wands energy. I’ve often seen this nuance missed with a lot of newbie readers, and it’s worth pointing out here as well. Usually, Tarot 101 books would describe multiple queens as gossip or a group of women, however in the context of a reading involving a singular person and their actions, this would instead be more likely to represent the transition of energies versus other people, especially when the courts are the same rank but different suits.

A third nuance I often see with court cards in readings is that when a King or Queen shows up with the Page of the same suit, this can often represent parent/child relationships in readings. I have seen this happen often in general readings when family is a major influence in their life at the time as well as in readings asking about parents or children. This has happened to me often enough that I do feel it is worth mentioning here. When this happens, the suit will often provide insight into the type of relationship between the parent and child: Cups and watery energy shows that the emotional connection is strongest; Wands and fiery energy shows that they may have a clashing relationship or very strongly support each other in their endeavors; Swords and airy energy would show that the emotional connection may be lacking but they could be on the same page or struggle with each other intellectually, politically, or in the way they process logical reasoning for solving issues; Pentacles and earthy energy would show that they have a strong, practical bond but perhaps not the most emotionally fulfilling (whether these are positive or negative relationships will often be determined by the surrounding cards in the spread and the context of the question asked).

One of the most common questions I see is “What do I do with court cards when I’m asking a question about timing?” In this particular case, I usually always see the court cards as an outside person. When a court card pops up about a timing question, this would mean that in order to move forward, you need the contributions of the particular person that the court card represents. Sometimes this can indicate the energy that the querent needs to embody, but in this particular context, it often instead indicates waiting on someone else to do what they need to do to make a project or plan go forward.

There are always more instances where the courts may surprise us, but in my experience, these are the most common that I’ve seen. Don’t be afraid to trust your intuition! Tarot guidebooks and beginner books are good places to start, but they are not the end-all and be-all of tarot reading. Keep taking notes, keep noticing patterns, and most importantly, listen to yourself. If you’re being called to a specific meaning or context and the book may not agree, don’t be afraid to at least ask your querent if your inkling is possible. Most likely, you’ll find it resonates. Don’t let the courts discourage you; the more you work with them, the more they’ll sing.

My Journey in Tarot Decks

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been a tarot reader for quite some time. A good part of that journey has also meant collecting decks. Needless to say, I’ve amassed a giant collection of decks, but I started to think about which ones were more novelty decks and which ones were actually significant to my tarot journey. I pulled the ones that were most important to me, and laid them out, one by one, in chronological order from when I obtained the decks and started using them heavily. I then realized I had unknowingly made a timeline of not only my tarot journey, but also my life.

A link to the images is here.

The first deck in my collection was the Thoth. I stuck with it for a couple years before eventually branching out into other decks. The imagery was always something that struck me, the esoteric correlations were not apparent to me at the time, but the more I studied the deck, the more I realized that it was a deck that spoke to me on so many levels. I honestly do not think I would have stuck with tarot if I had to start with any other deck. The Thoth Tarot is singlehandedly responsible for my becoming a reader, and its place in this list was more than fitting.

The next deck that entered my collection in any meaningful way was the Deviant Moon Tarot. This was my first exposure to a deck being more on the “darker” side, though it had such a jovial feel to it as well. I bought this deck when it had first come out, and I was around sixteen at the time. This deck fit in perfectly since this was a time I was experimenting with darker styles and coming into my identity as someone who was more alternative. The deck fit my life at the time, and still does. While it has a bit of edge, it also has a lot of humor, and if that doesn’t describe me, I don’t know what does.

A deck that followed was the Ceccoli Tarot. This one had a feminine but slightly unsettling vibe to it. Her art was delicate, but with teeth. When this deck came into my collection, I was graduating or had just graduated college. My femininity was something I had struggled with at this time, after surviving an abusive relationship and trying to reconcile that what had happened wasn’t inherently my fault, that my being a woman wasn’t to blame, and this deck helped me immensely with getting through this process. It perfectly encapsulated that feeling of having to keep a perfect outward appearance but wanting to go absolutely feral on the inside. It spoke to me in a way that only a few decks have been able to, and in a lot of ways, I can credit this deck for my being here today.

The next deck, a classic, was the Tarot of the Vampyres, one that is sadly going out of print from what I last heard. This was an older deck at the time, but one I hadn’t had the luck to come across. The book it came with was fundamental in my getting into the RWS tradition, since it went in so much depth and detail and was honestly a very good beginner book. Even though the imagery wasn’t RWS clone, it helped me connect more to the RWS than the decks before, though whether that was due to the book or the deck is up for some debate! But this was also during a time when I was in my über goth phase, so of course, the deck du jour had to reflect that. It was on the darker side, it was on the romantic side, and this was a deck that just spoke to me. I was in a new relationship, I was a Creature of the Night, and this deck just came together perfectly to represent me. Even now, using the deck always has a bit of that nostalgia attached to it, and I love it even more for that.

The next deck on the list is the Shadowscapes Tarot, for a couple of different reasons. One, this was when I discovered that knockoff decks existed, and for another, it reminded me that tarot can be whimsical and still effective. This was a deck I received as a gift from a friend, but we both didn’t know at the time that there were counterfeit decks on the market. She had got it for a low price and thought it was a bargain, but the deck came and the printing was completely off, the colors incorrect, and the cardstock was abysmal (while the Shadowscapes has thin cardstock, it was never that thin). We then put it together and realized she had gotten a counterfeit after some extensive searching online. Luckily, she was able to get her money back and a legitimate copy, but it was definitely a lesson to be learned.
I was always thankful for this deck, even using the fake version, because the art spoke to me in a different way than I had come to expect tarot decks to do. The art was more whimsical, more fantastical, and it was beautiful. There were so many details that every time I drew a card, I would notice something else. The art also felt vaguely Asian and for that reason, I felt like I could culturally connect to the deck, something that I hadn’t had before. This deck definitely made me a better reader because it taught me not to treat it as such a heavy thing, that tarot can be lighthearted as well.

The next deck on the list is the Lumina Tarot. This was one that I had purchased before and didn’t particularly use, but after the revelation of the Shadowscapes, I felt ready to tackle this deck. I loved the contrast between the black and white outlines and the bursts of color throughout the deck. It was uplifting, it was pretty to look at, and it had such a playful energy to it that it reminded me that tarot can be fun! I started using my deck for more unserious questions, and enjoyed it. The answers were still accurate, but it was a good time. It developed my reading skills by being able to recognize when sometimes the meaning may be a bit more unconventional when a card pops up, and by reading cards in these contexts, it definitely helped me as a reader.

The next deck on the list is the Slow Holler Tarot. This one was an impulse buy simply because I saw the Death card and had to have it. The limited color palette made the deck feel much more cohesive to me than other collaboration decks, and it shuffled like a dream. It came with a spreadcloth, which was my first exposure to such a notion, actually. Somehow it had never occurred to me to use a dedicated cloth to lay out space for reading my cards, and instead I would just use napkins or my jacket, whichever made sense at the time. This deck taught me that aesthetics may be important in a deck, but the deck had to work as a whole to be useful. I did struggle with it a bit, just because sometimes the card imagery felt a little disjointed between the cards, but as I used it more, I was luckily able to overcome that. It then became a staple in my collection.

The next deck is the Pagan Otherworlds. This was when I was in my “art hoe” phase. Medieval art especially had become a fixation for me, and this deck fit in perfectly. This was one deck that read especially sassy for me, and learning how to navigate that was definitely a time, but I love this deck for it. It was the first “fancy” deck I had bought in my opinion, since it came in a beautiful embossed box with a seal and then a bag on top of it. This made it stand out, but the imagery and depth the cards had were what kept it in my regular use.

The Spolia Tarot, while chronologically later in this list, came into my collection in a similar way. I found the art to be simplistic but effective, and the added extra cards had worked perfectly as significators. I actually use this one quite frequently in combination with the Pagan Otherworlds, which was a major reason why it made this list. Though they’re two completely different styles, somehow they have similar vibes, and just work perfectly together.

The next deck is the Flux Arcana, or as I like to call them, my Sassy Skeletons. This deck always kept me on my toes. I never knew what I was going to get from the readings from it. This deck helped connect me to the deity I work with, and I am forever thankful for that. It also happened to read like a dream regardless, even if it was never afraid to deliver a casual tarot roast to whoever was on the receiving end, thus really making me hone in on my bedside manner when reading for others, a skill that I still utilize to this day.

While the Marigold Tarot was later in the list, it pairs with this in a similar way in that I use it primarily for deitywork. However, it has a much more maternal vibe to it, so these decks have become mirrors in a way. When I need to be called out on my shit, I’ll reach for the Flux Arcana. When I need comfort or more serious guidance, I will reach for the Marigold. They have both worked perfectly in this tandem together.

The Japaridze Tarot was another gift I had received from a friend. This deck blew me away with the art style and the energy of the deck just fit my vibes. This was received around a time when I was really coming into myself and my own identity. I was a young adult, still navigating the world and unsure of most of the rules, but I was learning to be bold, brash, and unapologetically myself, and this deck matched that energy perfectly, making it inseparable from me for awhile.

The Tarot of the Sweet Twilight came into a deck I kept in regular rotation when I was a bit older. I had gotten the deck before, enjoyed it, but never fully connected to it until later. At that point, I had been out of school for awhile, running through the hamster wheel of life, and this deck was the embodiment of the nostalgia for the younger, punkier days of my youth while also capturing the adulting blues I was going through at the time. The side of the box says “Growing is like dying,” and that’s exactly how I felt at the time.

The Neon Moon came into my life around 2018, which was right about the time I would argue I became revolutionized. The Orange was already in power, Republicans were gaining hold, human rights were being questioned more and more, and I was tired. This deck perfectly encapsulated that energy, and it was my most-used deck for quite a time while all of this was going on. It was a deck that came along with me on my political journey, and I still use it for similar readings to this day (and boy howdy, are there a lot of them lately…).

The Star Power Tarot joined my life during the height of the pandemic. The trippy artwork mirrored how I felt, and it stuck with me throughout most of the lockdown. I felt like I was losing my mind, the deck definitely looked like it had lost its mind, and we were besties until things started opening again, although I do still adore this deck. I do love the artwork, but it does sometimes remind me of shitty times, so I don’t reach for it as often as I should today, but maybe I will make more of an effort to use it more to erase some of those associations.

The Slow Tarot and the Tarot of the Unknown came into my life at around the same time and took over as my two most-used decks. They symbolized both a return to normalcy (the more traditional artwork of the Slow Tarot) and nostalgia (Over the Garden Wall was, and still is, one of my favorite series and a comfort watch). The pandemic had been lifting, the tides were shifting, and I was slowly recovering into a better place.

The Lubanko Tarot, Tarot Obscuro, and Road to Equilibrium Tarot also came into my life at a similar time, and that was when I was struggling pretty severely with my own mental health. I felt like the art styles reflected that and though they were on the darker side, they helped to uplift me out of that darkness, and I still reach for them quite regularly as a result.

Lastly, there is the Deleted World Tarot. This has been my most-used deck of the past twelve months. As I’m still struggling to reconcile the current and future destruction of the human workforce as a result of AI and the nefarious ways technology is being utilized in the world, this deck has spoken to me more and more. I think that a big reason for my reaching for this deck is because it not only has images that reflect technological nostalgia (think vaporwave aesthetics) but also indicates the future. Will all decks become AI generated? Will people still have a place in the world when technology takes over? I’ve been imagining several possible futures, and this deck has definitely reflected that to me.

Seeing them all laid out like this has made me not only reflect on myself as a reader, but also myself as a person. I’m surprised that in all of my cataloguing my tarot journey online, this was something that had never occurred to me, but I am so glad I took the time to do this and reflect on the decks I chose.

If you’re a tarot reader, doing something like this might be worth a shot! You might learn something about yourself that you hadn’t thought of before.

My Thoughts on Blind Entity Identifications and Tarot

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

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.

If you enjoy doing or receiving blind identification readings, then by all means, you do you. My purpose in writing this is not to attack, but simply to provide my own opinion and food for thought before you take the plunge into a blind identification reading. They can certainly be accurate, but no matter what, always ask for a confirmation in a sign before you proceed. Make sure to thoroughly research your chosen entity and look into any preferences they may have. And above all, make sure to develop your own relationship with your deity or guides. Don’t just use prepackaged rituals or prayers, get creative! Make your own. Trust me, your deities and guides will appreciate anything that comes from your heart.

Let’s Talk Spiritual Therapists

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

We’ve all seen them. Sometimes they spam your Instagram messages. Sometimes you see advertisements for them out in the wild. Maybe you have a friend who wants to market themselves as a spiritual therapist. Maybe you want to market yourself as a spiritual therapist. But should you?

The short answer is absolutely not if you do not have the license to practice as a therapist or any other medical professional. For a refresher, a therapist is a licensed medical professional regulated by a board of authorities for the location they are practicing in. This is not something to take lightly. In most areas, schooling to become a licensed therapist requires a master’s degree or a doctorate. In order to practice, you are also required to undergo a certain hefty number of hours to complete your licensing requirements. Any average person who has not undergone this schooling and training cannot claim to be a therapist. Period. That carries a charge of medical malpractice and impersonation with fines in the tens of thousands of dollars and prison sentences, some as severe as ten years per offense. All it takes is for one person to report you and the investigative boards can and will subpoena all of your records and proceed accordingly. In addition, if you do not have the proper disclaimers on your websites and social media accounts, you then risk having fraud penalties tacked on.

People will often add this title to their social media accounts or websites because it gives them an inflated sense of authority that quite frankly, they are not entitled to. It is incredibly irresponsible and deceptive to advertise yourself this way if you do not have the proper licensing to do so. That being said, there are licensed therapists who incorporate tarot into their practice. The best thing to do to vet the people claiming to be therapists is to inquire regarding their license. A real professional therapist will be able to provide you with that information. Simply having an office is not enough to verify that someone is a licensed therapist. Simply having that title or “Dr.” in their social media accounts or websites is not enough to verify that someone is a licensed therapist or medical professional, especially when their primary adverts are for spiritual services.

But Kat, what am I supposed to call myself then? Well, I’m glad you asked. Aside from titles such as spiritualist, psychic, or medium, there are alternative titles available to you. “Spiritual advisor” is one. “Spiritual life coach” is another. Anything that does not impersonate a medical professional is available to you. You can even create your own. Just make sure it doesn’t include any copyrighted titles or characters in your title. It’s as easy as that.

But if they can do it, why can’t I? Because it’s only a matter of time before the regulatory boards become stricter and impose penalties on these people. You can try to get away with it for as long as you can. But is that really worth risking everything just so you can deceive your clients? There are already so many fraudsters and predators in the spiritual community. Do you really want to partake in the same advertising techniques that most people will recognize as a scam? Do you want to risk being reported?

Oh, but it’ll never happen to me! Never say never.

If you want to run a legitimate spiritual practice, then it’s important to comply with the laws and regulations of where you choose to do business. Whether that’s online or offline, being open and honest will get you a lot further in the game in the long run. You’ll never have to worry about your sites being shut down every other week because you’ve been reported for spam and being an imposter. You won’t have to worry about people outing you as a fraud. When you approach your business with honesty and integrity, the customer base will follow.

If you’ve read the risks and think you’re going to just go ahead and claim a title that’s illegal for you to use, that’s your life and your choice. Just prepare yourself for the consequences, both worldly and karmically.

Let’s Talk Counterfeit Decks

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

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.

The bottom line is that if you want creators to continue making these gorgeous decks, then you need to support them when you can and not the people actively scamming tarot readers.

Ways to Incorporate Tarot Into Your Practice & Your Life – Beyond Divination

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

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 for 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 out 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).

These are just some of the many ways you can incorporate tarot into both your mundane and magical worlds that go beyond the standard practice. Are they tools for introspection and even prediction? Absolutely. But they also have the potential to be so much more. Every tool we have can be used beyond its intended purpose or main function. What are some ways for you to use your cards that are off the beaten path?

Let’s Talk Reader Responsibility: Why Asking the Right Questions Matters

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

So you’ve started reading for other people, be it tarot cards, oracle cards, dice, runes, or Lenormand. They come to you with all kinds of questions, everything from the winning lottery numbers to when they’re going to die. How do you approach these questions? Do you always read them as asked, or do you reframe the questions?

The most important thing to remember is that people are vulnerable when they come to you as a reader. Even if you’re not completely responsible for their actions after a reading, let’s be real: Your words matter and have an impact. This is why it’s so important to remember your bedside manner when reading for other people. It can be more of a responsibility than it seems.

If someone asks something like “Will I find love?”, sure, you can answer that at face value. But if you simply tell them no, what have you done for your client? You’ve completely disempowered them. Saying that the future isn’t set in stone won’t stop people from being fatalistic about your negative reading and you’ve possibly taken their confidence and shattered it. So then what? Do you repair the damage you’ve done and try to resolve the issue? Or would it have been better to have asked a better question in the first place?

Reframing the question in the first place avoids reading pitfalls, fatalistic thinking and self-defeating self-prophecy, and gives your client actions they can take freely. You give your clients options and a workable plan, not slamming a door in their face just to go back and need to reframe the question anyway. You give the client a way to change their trajectory (or encourage them to stay on the same path), without risking your client closing themselves off and withdrawing because you just confirmed their worst fear. You give your clients hope.

Being a reader does mean accepting some responsibility for what happens to your clients after a reading. This is why reader ethics and choosing the right question are so important. We as readers need to recognize our effect on our clients, choose our questions thoughtfully, and help our clients not only have an answer, but giving them the tools to help them find their path. Whether you like it or not, reading for others bears some responsibility, and how you handle that makes all of the difference.

Reading in a Party Setting: Some tips and tricks

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

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 there you have it, some tips and tricks for reading for a public event as a diviner. I hope this helps you gain a little confidence and formulate a game plan for your event! Best of luck to you!

Tarot for Yes/No Questions, Let’s Discuss

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

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.

How do I know if using tarot for yes/no questions is for me?
The only answer, and one that it seems a lot of the younger “experts” in the field hate, is practice. You can’t know if a spread, method, etc is for you unless you practice it. And I don’t mean trying it once or twice. I mean using it repeatedly in your practice with a plethora of different people and situations to see if it works for you. Trying it once and having it not work for you doesn’t count as practice, nor does trying it once and receiving one positive count as practice. It is only through gaining experience that you can determine what should and shouldn’t stay in your practice. Think of it like a video game. You don’t level up after beating one enemy. The same thing applies to tarot.

At the end of the day, not everyone can use the tarot exactly like someone else. However, just because something doesn’t work for you doesn’t give you the right to dictate to other people what they use their cards for. There’s plenty of things in the tarot world I don’t agree with (see: past blogs) but the end of the day, how someone uses their cards is their choice and it is hopefully to the best of their ability. While I disagree with quite a few things, I’m not going to go out of my way to publicly invalidate the way someone reads their cards (with the exception of frauds). If their reading style speaks to you and you receive accurate readings from that person, great, they’ve done their job. And I don’t think it’s asking a lot for people to expect the same courtesy back.

Unsolicited Mediumship Readings: Stop Doing This Shit

~ Celestial Violence ~ Leave a comment

Let’s say you’ve just lost a loved one or someone you care about has gone missing. You’re already being flooded with false tips and struggling to keep hope alive. What’s the last thing you want? Someone sending you unsolicited “mediumship” readings. It doesn’t matter if you’re a public figure or it’s a high profile case. It doesn’t matter if you or the families of the victims have been open to spirituality in the past. No one wants that, especially when it’s people making very public “predictions” and channeled message claims on the Internet.

Every day I see videos on YouTube, IG, Facebook, Tiktok, you name it doing this exact same thing. And quite frankly? It’s abhorrent. It’s disgusting. You are profiting off someone else’s pain and suffering for clicks/views and ad revenue and that is deplorable. Here’s why I’m not buying the whole “I’m doing this to channel messages for the benefit of the families” bullshit: You are posting it publicly, you are not sending it to these families in private. The messages are oftentimes NOT accurate and many families have requested that this type of content be stopped. Yet it is still rampant and growing.

“But they’re public figures!” I hear people crying in the distance. Just because someone chooses to make part of their life public does not excuse you inserting yourself into their personal lives as if you have any kind of relationship with that person. You are not their loved ones. You are not in a friendship with these people. You do not have any kind of relationship with them. Therefore, what makes you think you are entitled to cause harm to this person with your so-called readings? And if you DID have this kind of relationship, what kind of person are you to post these messages publicly instead of sending them to the person in private? Be honest with yourself. You’re just looking for attention in all the wrong ways.

“But I’m showcasing my spiritual gifts!” No. Find another way. This is the worst excuse I’ve heard defending this type of content and yet people still try it.

What especially enrages me about these types of content creators is that there has been multiple instances of the families of victims demanding that this type of content be removed or stopped, and yet people will leave this content available publicly or continue to cause harm to these families. And truthfully, not enough families sue these people.

You are absolutely no one to be causing further harm on people who are already down. If you want this to be your legacy on the world, you need to take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror and figure your life out. Because this isn’t it. Part of being a spiritualist is knowing that boundaries exist in the world and just because you have gifts, this does not and will not give you permission to cross those boundaries. Consent is especially important when posting public information to the world, no matter how you claim to have obtained that information.

Remember this.