Episode 36: The Dirty Thirty-Six

V, Hilary, and Jaymi take a divinatory tool detour into Lenormand. We get down and messy with the dirty 36 card deck that gets to the meat of the reading. We talk about the cards, how to read using them, share some stories, and give some cool tips to go deeper.

Get started with Lenormand with these links of readers, creators, and instructors we love:

V from Red Light Reading http://www.redlightreadings.com

Melissa Hill of the Sassy Sibyl https://melissajohill.com/lenormand/

Kendra Hurteau deck designer and author of Under the Roses Lenormand and the Lenormand: Step by Step book

Rana George https://ranageorge.com/home-page

Jamie Sawyer https://jamiesawyer336.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=lenormand

Black and the Moon pre-order their Memento Mori Lenormand Deck

Emily Rose https://emilyrosedivination.com/learn-to-read-lenormand

Maree Bento https://www.divinemuses.net/shop.html

Carrie Paris https://carrieparis.com/

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 35: First Time Jitters

Getting nervous before reading for others is a thing that does happen. Today’s episode discusses the jitters, nerves, and anxieties that can happen when you read for others or get readings. It happens to the best of us, even professionals. Remember to have compassion for yourself, don’t let the brain weasels (negative self-talk) get in the way. Setting expectations helps calm the nerves down. Using an in-take form is one helpful tool to navigate the nerves. 

We also love and recommend Psychic Tarot by Nancy Antinucci (aka nucc) as a good resource for cultivating sacred amnesia. 

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 34: Wheel of Fortune, A Constant Evolution

We have a guest host this week, Hilary and Jaymi welcome V from Red Light Readings (http://www.redlightreadings.com) to the show. She’ll be one of the instructors for this year’s Kitchen Table Gathering happening in person this fall in St Louis. “Let go or be dragged,” as we get deep in with the Wheel of Fortune. 

Save the date! November 6-7, 2021. The 3rd Kitchen Table Gathering in St. Louis, MO is coming. Join the Cardslingers and V for two days of learning, laughter, and in-person shenanigans. Registration and the unveiling of the other instructors coming soon.

Decks mentioned:

V: The Housewives Tarot by Jude Buffun and Paul Kepple

Hilary: Mary El Tarot by Marie White

Jaymi: Fantasy World Tarot by Vera Petruk, sold by Make Playing Cards (black and white, color, and plastic color editions available). Apparently, the Spirit Halloween Store-bought the images to print their own version, go figure.

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 33: CSI Tarot, Stalker and Jumper Cards

Sometimes tarot does funky things. Today we’re going to talk about two of those strange phenomena that happen a lot. Get ready for an episode of CSI, Tarot edition where we discuss stalker and jumper cards.

Stalker cards happen when the same card gets pulled over and over again. It can be drawn in succession, or others can pull it while they’re reading for you. What are they? Why do they follow us around? How can we get them to go away? Identify what situation is going on for you. Examine the card and its meaning, and then do the work it is asking you to do. Once you figure it all out and do the work, it’ll go away.

Jumper cards happen when you shuffle a deck. This card (or cards) pops out from the deck and can be examined in several ways. Melissa goes all CSI: Tarot on it, Jaymi views the jumper as an extra message saved for later, and Hilary reads it immediately because it is important.

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 32: Rumor Has It

Melissa thanks you all for the outpouring of support with her Go Fund Me account over the past weeks. Hilary and Jaymi also thank you for listening in. We think you’re all great!

Today we’re taking on a bunch of tarot myths and rumors which have been passed around for YEARS. Many of the rumors and so-called “rules” are gatekeeping techniques that bar the curious and new seekers. Here’s a rundown of the rumors and rules we have.

• You cannot buy your first deck
• Tarot is a closed, or Romany, practice
• Wrap it in black silk
• Sleep with it under your pillow
• If you damage your deck you’re cursed
• If you lose, or damage, a card, you can’t use the deck
• Tarot is precious and you must treat it as a divine object
• Don’t let others touch your deck (consent is sexy!)
• You have to read reversals/Can’t read for yourself
• The fate revealed in the tarot is unavoidable

Beware of these rumors and “rules” and the readers who use them to take away your personal will. 

Yes, Melissa is STILL pissed about the loss of her first Shadowscapes Tarot deck. And do NOT touch her cards without asking her. She will not be polite.

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 31 Cards and Stars: tarot and astrology

This episode was recorded while Melissa was dealing with her health. Hilary and Jaymi reached into the listener bag and grabbed another topic from one of our seven listeners. They wanted us to know how we use tarot and astrology together. For the most part Hilary and Jaymi experiment and play with astrology while reading the cards. 

There is so much out there and you can find a lot more people and books than we have time to cover.

Hilary’s Tarot Raps on Tarot and Astrology: 

Part 1: https://twitter.com/i/events/948363574501617665?s=20

Part 2: https://twitter.com/i/events/953431936663506944

Part 3: https://twitter.com/i/events/955969898685059072 

Sally Phillips from tarot.com listing: https://www.tarot.com/astrology/tarot-cards 

Natal Chart Sites and Apps

Astro.com

Cafeastrology.com

Time Passages Pro for iOS ($30)

Books and Decks

Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti

Moonology Deck by Yasmine Boland

Tarot and Astrology by Corrine Kenner

Astrology for Real Life by Theresa Reed is a fantastic beginner’s book

Queer Cosmos by Colin Bedell for queer astrology knowledge

You Were Born for This by Chani Nicholas

36 Decans by T. Susan Chang (in-depth info on the astrological correspondence of the minors)

Tarot Coupling: Resources & Resolutions for Relationship Readings by Gina G. Thies for relationship readings

Follow These Astrologers

Theresa Reed

Amelia Quint

Tarot for Writers list by Jeanna Kadlec 

The People's Oracle Dayna Lynn Nuckolls (@PeoplesOracle on Twitter)

Homework: Look at your sun, moon, and rising (or any other three astrological elements you want to compare) and pull out the corresponding cards and see what you think. Do you agree with the info, or not, and what do you think of it all?

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 30: Tarot By the Numbers

This episode was recorded in December 2020 when Melissa had a birthday. Strap in everyone, we get nerdy this week. Listener Chuck K reminded us to talk about the birth card stuff that Hilary and Jaymi use in their readings. So, we did, and Melissa got to be the primary test case. She was kicking and huffing as we gladly analyzed her from this tarot by the numbers perspective. 

How do you calculate birth cards? Well, it’s easier than you think. Add the numbers together. Keep adding until the number is between 1 and 22 (this is your Personality Number). You may then add the digits of that sum to find your Soul Number.

[birth month, birth day, birth year]

____ + ____ + ____ + ____ = ____ [birth number]

“Since we are looking for twenty-two possible results for a Personality Card, then a method of adding dates that maximizes these results will serve us best. That is why [Mary K. Greer] recommends[s] the addition method.”

—Who Are You in the Tarot?, p. 36

If you get a single-digit or a sum greater than 22:

Since there are only 22 cards in the Major Arcana, reduce the number to 22 or less (to result in a single-digit).

In cases like these, it results in the same Personality and Soul Card (in Melissa’s case, she is a Single 9 Hermit; in Hilary’s case, she is a Single 4 Emperor; and Jaymi reduces her 21 World card to a 3 Empress).

If you get 19, you have three cards: The Sun/The Magician/The Wheel of Fortune (MLK is a 19, for example)

If you get 22, Emperor/Fool: combine great impulsiveness and mastery/22 is a master number in Numerology

The constellations of the tarot run through the Magician to the Hermit card. For example, if you get a 16, you’re not the Tower alone! You’re in the constellation of the Chariot (Mastery through Change 16/7) because 16 reduces by addition to 7 (1+6=7). 

Homework: Test out the Birth Card systems and see what they have to say for you.

Resources:

Tarot for Your Self, 35th-anniversary edition by Mary K Greer

Who Are You in the Tarot?: Discover Your Birth and Year Cards and Uncover Your Destiny by Mary K Greer

The Tarot School’s Birth Card Calculator

Want to go deeper? Take the Amberstone’s Birth Card course

Donate to St Louis Metro Trans and make Melissa happy 

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 29: You First, Don’t Read When You’re Not at Your Best

Help Melissa out! Share or donate what you can. Visit the Go Fund Me here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-melissa-and-joe-out.

Thinking about doing readings while you’re not at your best? Spoiler alert: it’s not a good idea. Hilary and Jaymi talk about their stories and practices for reading while ill. Put your mask on first before you help someone else. Understand your capacity, manage expectations, and hold integrity for you and the others you are reading for.

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 28: The Hermit, A Box We Can’t Check

This one’s for you Stewart Kaplan. Thank you for shining your light on tarot and the Rider Waite Smith deck on our community and coming off the mountain to do so. We are all in your debt.

The Hermit is not the single, lone wizard everyone makes him out to be. He is a trailblazer, the visionary, and always comes back to share their thoughts to the masses. He is the one who knows themselves so well that they can handle the challenges life throws at them. “As close to the sacred as we can get, but not really.” There is a hint of self-care, and self-love, and knowledge and awareness with this card. How can you work and deal with others if you cannot be comfortable with yourself first? 

Homework: Understand your love language. Find the light that pulls you forward and keep working with it. Melissa wants you to read Tom Robbins Tibetan Peach Pie.  

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.

Episode 27: Strength, the Annoying Gym Teacher

It’s been a while since we’ve shared our thoughts on a card. So, in this episode, we’re chatting about Strength. We’re not asking you to buck-up and keep on moving. Instead, we see this card asking you to lean into the title where you find trust, faith, and hope. There is the capacity to help others and heal ourselves in this card. It’s a personal choice on what Strength means to each of us. We also share our favorite cards from several decks.

Note: Sometimes, a tarot deck switches Strength and Justice in their majors' story. So if you are using a deck with Strength as number 11, the information here still applies.

Homework: Figure out what strength looks like to you. Where does it show up in your life?

Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.