Get witchy with me
How I consult the tarot for wisdom and clarity
Last summer, I was in Ibiza celebrating a friend’s birthday party.
As the sun set and partygoers trickled in, one guest in particular was getting curious looks and attention.
He was in a mask, like the Lucha Libre masks worn by Mexican wrestlers.
The party theme was ‘Jungle Boogie,’ so he wasn’t entirely out of place.
As he set up a private seating area under a large tree, we realized he was part of the evening entertainment.
He was a tarot reader.
When he was ready, I was first to have my reading done, among an eventual long queue of curious partygoers.
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After my reading, several people approached me, asking me how it went, and if it was scary.
“Not at all!”
I was actually surprised by how many people were apprehensive about it.
In fact, I’ve never been afraid of tarot; I’ve always found it fascinating in its capabilities and what it can tell us about ourselves.
I consult on personal questions, life questions, money and finance dilemmas, business and investment queries — and just general moods and check-ins.
Now, before you roll your eyes, I’m not getting all woo-woo on you.
I’m Chinese, after all, and we are mostly a common sense and pragmatic people.
But I do love a juicy tarot reading. It’s mystical, weird, and wonderful.
It taps into my inner witch, and clarifies feelings, hunches, and instincts.
I, like you, seek answers to life’s major and minor quandaries.
And I know that many of us may be so clear in certain parts of our life, and utter train wrecks in others.
Which is why, in addition to all the ways I seek counsel, I also consult the tarot.
Tarot is…
Tarot is fun, enlightening, and wise.
Tarot is not dark, menacing, nor scary.
Although Hollywood may try to convince you otherwise, by lumping it in with astrology, dark arts, and witchcraft, which may or may not include paranormal elements.
For hundreds (thousands) of years, humans have looked to the stars and beyond for inspiration, guidance, and stories.
The concept of tarot (the name would come much later) is said to have originated in ancient Egypt, with the individual cards taking more shape and being named in 15th century Italy, even making their way to the courts of Louis XIV and XVI, where it was seen as a beguiling connection between science and mysticism, to today.
It’s on us to figure our shit out
As we get older, I believe we are largely responsible for figuring out our shit: our present and past, personality type, love language, leadership style, our behaviors, reactions, emotions, and problem solving and coping skills.
I’ve done some work here: I’m an INTJ, an Enneagram type 3, and I’m a Manifestor in my Human Design chart.
I have bi-monthly sessions with a longtime therapist.
I see family and friends regularly.
All of this keeps me grounded and self-aware, but I also seek metaphysical answers, including a spiritual or religious practice to see a way forward and be led in the right direction.
People want to hope and believe in something greater than themselves, to be part of a larger energy or force at play, and that’s what makes us quintessentially sentient humans.
Tarot 101
If you’re not familiar with tarot, it’s simply a deck of cards that signify the path of life (the Major Arcana) and its daily intricacies (the Minor Arcana).
While some may view that certain cards are more favorable than others, I like to think there’s no hard and fast rule about the cards you pull, rather everything is up for a positive interpretation.
Significant tarot readings
Back in 2021, I was attending a retreat in Mexico when a small group of us decided to pull tarot cards for fun.
At that time, I was in an exciting place in my professional career.
I was fresh off of selling my company, but the hard work was also just beginning because I stayed on as CEO to maintain growth and profitability.
I pulled the nine of Wands, which was prescient in confirming self-doubt about my skills, but also reaffirming in my confidence to get the job done:
In Ibiza, I sought advice for how to choose between two distinct paths.
I pulled The Chariot, which signified naïveté but also determination to get going in hopefully the right direction:
Recently, I’ve hit a stride in writing this newsletter, and I’m also finding balance in editorial consulting work, and travel and food writing for leisure.
I pulled this three card spread: The World, the three of Wands, and The Star, which can represent a past, present, and future, but also a 1) situation, 2) what lies beneath, and 3) advice, respectively:
These were all super favorable cards in my opinion.
A word to the wise: Please don’t get scammed in the real and virtual world.
If you wander into random tarot or psychic boutiques, then expect to be asked to return to spend even more money.
Start with your own online research; best to find people with solid reviews, through referrals, or even with simple readings to determine whether you like certain readers.
Here are some resources:
Annabel Gat: I’ve known Annabel since her days as the daily astrologist at Vice Magazine and also had a reading with her back in 2017
WTF is Tarot, Bakara Wintner, a fun primer by a modern voice
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness, by Rachel Pollack
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook: If you’re looking for a beautiful set of cards and book, then look no further
Are you witchy like me?
Do you pull tarot cards? Don’t care for ‘em?
How do you seek clarity or answers for what to do next?
Zeitgeist-y
Watching:
I started the newest season of The Great British Baking Show because it's just lovely and wonderful and this season’s bakers are a fun lot; I’m rooting for this guy because he’s so young and talented, is crazy creative, and has great eyebrows.
I sped-watched the newest season of Love is Blind (like ~15 minutes of Episodes 1, 2, and 6) and boy is it equal parts cringe-y and icky.
If you’re an American history Wild West nerd, then this documentary about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, narrated by Ed Harris, is easy and educational.
Reading:
A few weeks ago I picked up my battered copy of The Untethered Soul, just to get back into some chapters. This is not a book you read front-to-back in one sitting. It requires reading a chapter, sitting with it, and then moving on. I’m savoring it. My take: your inner voice can be annoying. Acknowledging when you’re disturbed or disquieted and then also acting to let it go is freeing.
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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