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Welcome to 2025, everyone! As the new year kicks off, the cardslingers talk about what they are doing and where to find them. Also, if you have products that you want us to review, please email us at cardslingerscc @ gmail.com. We'd be happy to write and do a review. Thanks to you all for listening, providing questions, and sticking with us through all these years. Melissa Cynova: bookings, Instagram pop-ups, and maybe events? Jaymi Elford: bookings, blogging, daily draws, backup reader for Portlandia Fortune Tellers. Hilary Parry Hagerty: does Friday live streams, private events, more tapping, and readings. Shoutouts Panda Kendra Gala Darling Madame Adam You! Do you like what you hear? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cardslingerscc. We also have a YouTube channel at youtube.com/@cardslingerscc. Eventually, we will back up the episodes and have more live content. Support our podcast with books or decks. We're adding all the books from each episode to our Cardslingers CC bookshop.org store. Each purchase from this store gives us a percentage to cover our costs! www.bookshop.org/shop/cardslingerscc. Reminder: We will NEVER DM you for a reading on any social media site. We schedule all readings and conversations through our personal websites.
We love you all! And because life got crazy for us all, we've decided to clean out the inbox. Here are our quickfire answers to some of your earlier messages. From revisiting meanings in the little white booklet to ethical questions on reading cards for people we know; to learning which decks are good for clients or other situations; we're eternally thankful for your patience and your questions. Connected Episodes Episode 76 When Tarot Come for Me Recommended Tarot Disassembled by Jennifer Steidley Rider Waite Smith Tarot Reflective Tarot from US Games Simple Tarot by Angie Green Scorpio Seas by Melissa Cynova and Maggie Stiefvater The Black Violet Tarot by Heidi Phelps Do you like what you hear? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc and now on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cardslingerscc. Reminder: We will NEVER DM you for a reading on any social media site. We schedule all readings and conversations through our personal websites. Support our podcast with books. We're adding all the books from each episode to our Cardslingers CC bookshop.org store. Each purchase from this store gives us a percentage to cover our costs! https://bookshop.org/shop/cardslingerscc.
Is tarot the answer to everything? Life, the universe? Short answer is no, tarot is a tool just like any other, and cannot be the be all end all. Get your towels ready for this episode of Tarot by Hilary with guests Melissa Cynova and George “Bag O' Noodles” Cynova. Special guest: Melissa Cynova https://melissacynova.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Sophia https://benevolentcorvus.com/ Sirens' Song Lenormand and Kipper Deck https://bookshop.org/a/96344/9781578638062 Cardslingers Coast to Coast podcast https://cardslingerscc.podbean.com/ The Gift (movie) Tapping (EFT) http://tarotbyhilary.com/eft-tapping/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hilary-parry-haggerty/message
Tarot is a language. Like any other language, speaking and understanding the components takes time. Today's listener question asks, Are there any cards you straight-up disagree with the description listed in the “little white book”? How did you discover the meaning it has for you? We recommend that you take in the info when you are new and then branch out and question the experts. Read the cards how you want because you are the master at reading tarot in your style. Homework: Look at your deck (or decks) and compare the images. Where are the synchronicities, where are the differences? Keep a list of these meanings and add your own. Resources The Complete Guide to the Tarot by Eden Gray Legend: The Arthurian Tarot by Anna-Marie Furgison, Out of Print Scorpio Sea Tarot by Melissa Cynova and Maggie Stiefvater Tarot Inspired Life by Jaymi Elford Triple Goddess Tarot by Jaymi Elford and Franco Rivolli Do you like what you hear? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc and now on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cardslingerscc. Reminder, We would NEVER DM YOU for a reading on any social media site. We schedule all readings and conversations through our personal websites.
This is an episode inspired by our reluctance to record the Tower card deep-dive on the Cardslingers Coast to Coast podcast. It's also an article from the Tarot by Hilary blog archives. You can read it here: http://tarotbyhilary.com/dont-shoot-the-messenger/ You may want to also check out the Cardslingers Coast to Coast podcast that i cohost with Jaymi Elford and Melissa Cynova, specifically our card deep dive series. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hilary-parry-haggerty/message
This week, tarot author Melissa Cynova and I got down to business with the Emperor card. Often seen as strict and rigid, we learn a little bit about his softer side and the ways this card can be the exact advice you needed but didn't want to hear. Join me on our journey to learn the tarot, card by card! Each episode's notes and all resources mentioned in the episode can be found here: https://bit.ly/tarotheroes Find us on social media: @tarotheroespod on Instagram Erin's Twitter: @erinstagram Melissa Cynova's Instagram: @melissacynova Song credits: music under license from Shutterstock.com Bite Your Tongue by Mark Walloch Starry Drive by Tom Deis
NEW 2023 MAY SPEAKER SERIES! LEARN FROM TOP ASTROLOGERS THIS MAY! SIGN UP BEFORE APRIL 30TH AND PAY AS LOW AS $5 A CLASS WITH CHOOSE YOUR TUITION RATE! Learn more and sign up at https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com Natalie Levin - Cultivating curiosity and kindness when working with clients Franco Soulbody - The Music and Chart of Charles Manson Helene Cierzo - Venus Retrograde July 2023 Melissa Cynova - How to Pick Your Tarot Deck Dustin Cormier - Friend/Enemy Aspects between Planets (Lajitaadi Avastas) REMEMBER! SIGN UP NOW BEFORE APRIL 30TH AND PAY AS LOW AS $5 A CLASS WITH CHOOSE YOUR TUITION RATE! Learn more and sign up at https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com
Choose your questions and get ready to read the tarot for yourself and others. Melissa will take you through crystals and incense, tarot spreads and vibes. What do you need to do a reading? How do you begin? Let's figure it out together. NEW 2023 MAY SPEAKER SERIES! LEARN FROM TOP ASTROLOGERS THIS MAY! SIGN UP BEFORE APRIL 30TH AND PAY AS LOW AS $5 A CLASS WITH CHOOSE YOUR TUITION RATE! Learn more and sign up at https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com Natalie Levin - Cultivating curiosity and kindness when working with clients Franco Soulbody - The Music and Chart of Charles Manson Helene Cierzo - Venus Retrograde July 2023 Melissa Cynova - How to Pick Your Tarot Deck Dustin Cormier - Friend/Enemy Aspects between Planets (Lajitaadi Avastas) REMEMBER! SIGN UP NOW BEFORE APRIL 30TH AND PAY AS LOW AS $5 A CLASS WITH CHOOSE YOUR TUITION RATE! Learn more and sign up at https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com #astrology #astrologyclass #astrologyclassonline #astrologer #nadiyashah #horoscopes #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces #astrologersofinstagram #astrologytalk #horaryastrology #astrologyschool #synchronicityuniversity Thank You for watching! ♥️♥️♥️
Melissa Cynova is owner of Little Fox Tarot, and has been reading tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. She can be found in the St. Louis area, and is available for personal readings, parties and beginner and advanced tarot classes. You can Look for her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot, from Llewellyn Publishing in January 2017. Melissa lives in St. Louis with her kiddos, her partner, Joe, and two cats, two dogs and her tortoise, Phil. You can reach Melissa at lis@littlefoxtarot.com. She is on Twitter and Instagram under Little Fox Tarot. Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. www.littlefoxtarot.comTo listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv.The current edition of The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper is available at www.xchronicles.net.This episode of The ‘X' Zone with Rob McConnell is brought to you by BEAUTIFUL MIND COFFEE - For the coffee that your brain will love, visit Beautiful Mind Coffee, www.beautifulmindcoffee.ca. It's Brainalicious!
Hilary and Jaymi revisit some listener questions focused around spreads. This episode revisits and expands information from episode 53. Which is “what spreads do you guys use, and how to determine which to use for each client?” We recommend you have a small stockpile for various topics. We also like to create our own spreads from scratch and often use a spread creation deck. Hilary has a formula for reading spreads which is “card interpretation + positional meaning + interaction of cards = interpretation within a spread.” Homework: think about spreads you use, and dig deep into thinking why you have them and use them. Good Books and Decks for Spread Creation: Tierney Sadler's Deck of 1000 Spreads Kimbery Tsan's Spread Crafter's Oracle Go buy Hilary's book, How to Read Tarot. Also, go buy Tarot Elements by Melissa Cynova to get a whole spread program to help fix your shit. And, Jaymi's book, Tarot Inspired Life, also has a chapter on spreads with using and creating them. Listen to these Past Episodes 37– for Celtic cross information 50– Cardslingers weigh in on significators 53– To Spread or Not to Spread Do you like what you hear? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc and now on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cardslingerscc. Reminder, we would NEVER DM YOU for a reading on any social media site. We schedule all readings and conversations through our personal websites.
we were tired and sad cuz it's winter and holidays are weird so we did a tarot reflection of 2022. enjoy! for reference, the book v was using is called "Kitchen Table Tarot" by Melissa Cynova
Corn Fed Review of Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova
✨NEW! 5-Week Course "KITCHEN TABLE MAGIC" WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR MELISSA CYNOVA! LIMITED TIME! Sign Up Before April 30, 2022 & Pay Just $5 a Class! https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com/melissa-cynova Schedule 1. Kitchen Table Magic 2. Quiet Space and Ritual 3. Magical Stuff! 4. Hearth and Home 5. Personal Blessings and Protection Magic has been used by people from many religious or spiritual backgrounds for thousands of years. This 5-weeks course is suited for everyone. Melissa will teach you how to make simple prayers, spells and rituals that can make a major difference for your own healing, self-love and protection. She will also tell you when you should and shouldn't use magic. Classes will be interactive and will all have Q&A's! Melissa Cynova is an award winning author and tarot reader from St. Louis, MO. She spends her days writing around five black cats, two dogs, and a tortoise named Phil. When she's not working, you'll find her hanging out with her husband and two kiddos, trying to find the best diner ever, completing ridiculous jigsaw puzzles, and trying to figure out how SHIELD got the tesseract from the Ice Demons. www.melissacynova.com https://www.facebook.com/mcynova/ https://twitter.com/MelissaCynova https://www.instagram.com/melissacynova/ REMEMBER! Sign Up Before April 30, 2022 & Pay Just $5 a Class! https://www.synchronicityuniversity.com
Tässä jaksossa Ella ja Ida juttelevat tarot-pakan vitosista, jotka merkitsevät erikokoisten prosessien puolivälin kriisejä – tilanteita, joissa tähän asti huolella rakennettu harmonia rikkoutuu tavalla tai toisella. Vitoset jatkavat Tarot-salongin ensimmäisen kauden pieneen arkanaan keskittyvää sarjaa, jossa kortteja käydään läpi numero kerrallaan. Tervetuloa kuuntelemaan!Aikamerkinnät:5:35 vitoset yleisesti23:10 vitoset tulkinnassa käytännössä26:15 sauvojen vitonen37:25 maljojen vitonen48:25 miekkojen vitonen57:55 pentaakkelien/lanttien vitonenJaksossa mainittua:Tarot-pakat:RWS, Thoth, Holy Spectrum Tarot, Wild Unknown Tarot, True Heart Tarot, This Might Hurt Tarot, Spolia TarotKirjallisuus:T. Susan Chang 2021: 36 Secrets. A Decanic Journey Through the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.Melissa Cynova 2019: Tarot Elements.Rachel True 2020: True Heart Intuitive Tarot. Guidebook.Podcastit:Between the Worlds -podcast (www.betweentheworldspodcast.com)Henkilöt:Lindsay Mack (@wildsoulhealing, www.lindsaymack.com)Mary K. GreerLöydät Ellan ja Idan löydät myös Instagramista:@tarotwisdomii (Ella)@idaniittyleinikki (Ida)sekä heidän omilta verkkosivuiltaan:tarotwisdomii.comidaniittyleinikki.com
Bex welcomes and reintroduces the show to listeners, new and old. Explains what happened that prompted the hiatus. Promotes the upcoming Instagram Live episode of the podcast on October 15th at 8:30p CST featuring Melissa Cynova; doing tarot reading for donors of Ivis's Gofundme. Additionally, suggests the movies Malevolent & Malignant. To enter the raffle and get a reading live on Instagram, email proof of donation and the question you want to be answered to this email. Coco Vera created the Tu Tía Bruja theme. Check out their Youtube, Instagram, and Spotify Kriselle Gabriel created the logo for Tu Tía Bruja. Find her on Instagram. Sponsors: Check out Temperance Home and Bar and follow Melissa's Botanica on Instagram. Check out Levo Oil my Kitchen Witches! Keep up with Tu Tía Bruja on Bex's website. Help Fund Tu Tía Bruja: On Patreon Cashapp Paypal Venmo. Support Tu Tía Bruja by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/tu-t-a-bruja
Today marks our 10 year anniversary of podcasting! From the Fool to the World and back, Story Through Stone founder and teacher Cyndera Quakenbush and Archetypal Consultant, Julienne Givot have been dishing out thoughts, ideas, interviews and wise cracks about the Tarot, archetypes and provocative mythology for the 21st century for a decade. This episode is a rare opportunity for the two to be together in person discussing the past, present and the future. email us TarotPodcast@gmail.com We're in Instagram & Facebook @TarotPodcast This episode is sponsored Freerange Priestess on Etsy - you'll find unconventional rosaries, prayer beads and more. freerangepriestess.com / https://www.etsy.com/shop/FreeRangePriestess BIG Thanks to our patrons: Peter, Janet, Richard, Juniper and Rash of Stay Woke Tarot. We appreciate our Patrons and their support! You can find out more about the fabulous benefits of being a Patron at http://tiny.cc/tarotpodcast The podcast is produced by Both/And Media Theme music by: The Lunar Group Podcast guests over the years: Melissa Cynova, Gregg Levoy, Rashunda Tramble, Nancy Hendrickson, Ke'oni Hanalei, Richard Cox & Nicole Schnackenberg, Theresa Cheung, Barb Kurkas Lee, Ste McCabe, Shawn Nygaard, Weston of Root Lock Tarot, Tim Freke, Angelo Nasios, Jim Curtan, Lupa Greenwolf, Craig Chalquist
Melissa Cynova is owner of Little Fox Tarot, and has been reading tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. She can be found in the St. Louis area, and is available for personal readings, parties and beginner and advanced tarot classes. You can Look for her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot, from Llewellyn Publishing in January 2017. Melissa lives in St. Louis with her kiddos, her partner, Joe, and two cats, two dogs and her tortoise, Phil. You can reach Melissa at lis@littlefoxtarot.com. She is on Twitter and Instagram under Little Fox Tarot. Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. www.littlefoxtarot.com Thank you for listening to this XZBN Show episode. XZBN radio shows archives and programming include: A Different Perspective with Kevin Randle; Alien Cosmic Expo Lecture Series; Alien Worlds Radio Show; Connecting with Coincidence with Dr. Bernard Beitman, MD; Dick Tracy; Dimension X; Exploring Tomorrow Radio Show; Flash Gordon; Jet Jungle Radio Show; Journey Into Space; Know the Name with Sharon Lynn Wyeth; Lux Radio Theatre - Classic Old Time Radio; Mission Evolution with Gwilda Wiyaka; Paranormal StakeOut with Larry Lawson; Ray Bradbury - Tales Of The Bizarre; Sci Fi Radio Show; Seek Reality with Roberta Grimes; Space Patrol; Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka; The 'X' Zone Radio Show with Rob McConnell; and many others! To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com
Join us this week on Knowing the Unknown as we interview our guest this week Melissa Cynova. Melissa is a multiple award winning author for her books like NEW Kitchen Table Magic, Tarot Elements, and Navigating the Scorpio Seas. Melissa is a tarot card reader and has her own podcast called Cards Slinger Coast to Coast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/knowingtheunknown/message
Join us for a discussion of Maggie Stiefvater's standalone fantasy novel inspired by mythical Celtic horses. V does a goal-setting reading for the new year, Karen does a mini-review of Stiefvater's Scorpio Sea Tarot (guidebook by Melissa Cynova), based on the novel and other Celtic mythology, and some of the characters get a tarot reading too. V dishes on the special bonus content in the audiobook, and Karen talks about her favorite horse charity, the Kentucky Humane Society's Equine C.A.R.E. program. Visit our Instagram @fabulousfoolstarot for images from this episode, for information on our next book, and other fun stuff. Thank you and happy new year!
Jaymi Elford is a tarot author, reader, and podcaster. She has truly created her own life inspired by tarot. She has written an award-nominated book about how you can do the same. You might be surprised to learn that Jaymi has written a number of the little white books that accompany your tarot decks. She is also the author of the new Heaven and Earth Tarot. Jaymi shares her wisdom and philosophies with us in this exciting episode of StaarCast. -- Jaymi Elford – Tarot Reader, Deck Creator, Author and Podcaster Jaymi Elford discovered her first deck at 13 and has been reading for others since then. You can find her slinging cards at parties, events, or in one- on-one sessions with clients. Tarot is Jaymi's personal inner compass. She reads the cards for herself to seek guidance and gain insight. When it comes to living a tarot inspired life, Jaymi has a simple philosophy: clear the clutter, locate your anchor, and allow magic into all aspects of your world. Not only is Jaymi an accomplished reader, she's a respected member of the international Tarot community. She has taught at Readers Studio, BATS, and the NorthWest Tarot Symposium (NWTS). Jaymi also produces various other tarot media — writing and editing books on Tarot, crafting innovative essays for magazines, and she has an addiction to producing little white books for other decks. Lo Scarabeo published her first deck, Triple Goddess Tarot in 2017. Llewellyn Worldwide released her first book, Tarot Inspired Life, in 2019. She is the co-host of two podcasts Tarot Visions, with Rose Red, and Cardslingers Coast to Coast with Melissa Cynova and Hilary Parry Haggerty. Follow Jaymi online: Website: https://www.innercompasstarot.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/innercompasstarot Twitter: https://twitter.com/jaymi_elford Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaymi_elford YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoC4QAIiyACHDJhF9EKDs2Q Register for StaarCon: tickets.staarcon.com
We are getting all kinds of Witchy this October episode - we're excited to share this conversation with Tarot bad @ss Melissa Cynova.
Melissa Cynova is owner of Little Fox Tarot, and has been reading tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. She can be found in the St. Louis area, and is available for personal readings, parties and beginner and advanced tarot classes. You can Look for her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot, from Llewellyn Publishing in January 2017. Melissa lives in St. Louis with her kiddos, her partner, Joe, and two cats, two dogs and her tortoise, Phil. You can reach Melissa at lis@littlefoxtarot.com. She is on Twitter and Instagram under Little Fox Tarot. Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. www.littlefoxtarot.com
Holy cow, not just one marriage but *two?!* The newly legitimate Wickhams make a visit to Longbourn before retiring to what's sure to be a humble, quiet existense in the north, but not before dropping the knowledge bomb that is Darcy paying for the wedding, the comission and Wickham's debts. More importantly, though, Jane is marrying a man worth £5,000 a year! Meanwhile, Elizabeth mourns for the man who got away.### MENTIONS**Charles Yu's *Interior Chinatown***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44436221-interior-chinatown](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44436221-interior-chinatown)**TJ Klune's *The House in the Cerulean Sea***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea)**Gaby Dunn's *Bad with Money***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38532177-bad-with-money](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38532177-bad-with-money)**Melissa Cynova's *Kitchen Table Tarot***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30268362-kitchen-table-tarot]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30268362-kitchen-table-tarot]**Kazuo Ishiguro's *Never Let Me Go***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_Me_Go][https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6334.Never_Let_Me_Go]**Matt Ruff's *Lovecraft Country***:[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country)**Alexis Daria's *You Had Me at Hola***: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52886627-you-had-me-at-hola](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52886627-you-had-me-at-hola)If you want to join in on the conversation, join us in reading **chapters 56 to 61 of Pride and Prejudice**Talk to us! We'd love to hear from you.[https://thedailyknightley.com](https://thedailyknightley.com)Twitter: [https://twitter.com/knightleypod](https://twitter.com/knightleypod)Instagram: [https://instagram.com/thedailyknightley](https://instagram.com/thedailyknightley)Email: [thedailyknightley@gmail.com](mailto:thedailyknightley@gmail.com)Goodreads: [https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/995555-the-daily-knightley](https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/995555-the-daily-knightley)Music from [https://filmmusic.io](https://filmmusic.io): “Improbable” by Kevin MacLeod ([https://incompetech.com](https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY ([http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
We love tarot! We also love other systems. So we’re going to talk your ears off about all the other items we're all into! Tarot Scorpio Sea Tarot by Melissa Cynova and Maggie Stiefvater Tarot Nova Dark Wood Tarot by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson Oracles Awakened Dawn Oracle by Ethony Ethony Empty Cup Oracle Nature’s Portals Oracle by Jamie Sawyer I Ching (Jaymi's currently using Benebell Wen’s deck) Opal Oracle Cards by Heather Agosta Work Your Light Oracle by Rebecca Campbell Starseed Oracle by Rebecca Campbell Magpie Oracle Kit by Carrie Paris Tessera Oracle (affirmation/reading/talisman) Spirit Boards (so many out there, try the ones we linked) Do you like what you're hearing? Send feedback to us at cardslingerscc@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter at https://twitter.com/cardslingerscc.
Story Through Stone founder and teacher Cyndera Quakenbush along with her co-host Julienne Givot, Archetypal Consultant and Free Range Priestess discuss the surprising fact that they have been publishing the podcast for 9 years, the Lovers card - internal wholeness - relationships - weddings - prayer - Julienne's role as a Free Range Priestess and Cyndera's deepening into her work with her Story Through Stone Cards. Big thanks to this episode's sponsor, Melissa Cynova! Melissa is an award winning author and tarot reader from St. Louis, MO. Her latest book, Kitchen Table Magic is out September 8th. Check out her website melissacynova.com and follow her on the socials for authentic, wise, big hearted goodness. You can thank us later. Melissa on Insta Melissa on FB References: The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary https://wayoftherose.org/ Check out Julienne's Instagram exploration of beauty on https://www.instagram.com/revjulienne/ Cyndera's Insta also has some beautiful imagery with her billion year old stones with naturally occurring imagery. https://www.instagram.com/story.through.stone/ Cyndera on Your Tango: https://www.yourtango.com/experts/cyndera-quackenbush
That one time I got to interview one of my favorite people and something went horribly awry. But only on my voice, thankfully! My guest is Melissa Cynova, the best-selling author of Kitchen Table Tarot, Tarot Elements, and the upcoming Kitchen Table Magic. We had a super fun, animated conversation about her books, her tarot style, making the best of the worst year of her life, her forthcoming tarot deck Scorpio Sea, and we said the fuck-word a LOT. There's a very special treat for those who listen all the way to the very end! Book an appointment for a reading with Melissa Cynova here on her website Follow her on Facebook Buy her books Kitchen Table Tarot and Tarot Elements Pre-order her upcoming book Kitchen Table Magic Learn more and donate to the Metro Trans Umbrella Group Find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/molly-dyer/message
Episode 175. Reading tarot for loved ones seems like a great idea, right? After all, who knows you better than a close friend or family member? While there are benefits to getting a reading from someone you trust, there are challenges for both the reader and the querent. In this episode of Tarot Bytes, I'm joined by Melissa Cynova, author of the upcoming book Kitchen Table Magic and cocreator of The Scorpio Sea Tarot, for a frank discussion on what it's like to read tarot for those who are near and dear. We talk about the pros and cons of getting a reading from someone who knows you well - and what both reader and querent need to do to ensure the reading is unbiased and helpful. Learn when we think you shouldn't read for a loved one too.
(edit: I definitely say Susan Coleman Smith instead of Pamela Coleman Smith - PAMELA is the artist of the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck)... In this episode, I give a very general overview of all things tarot, astrology and meditation. We mention how the universe can show you signs if you're open to it. If you listen to the end you get to hear Brian realize he already has his own form of meditation. Side note: our show is not one based on current events so we don't mention the newsworthy current state of the world. As always, we both want everyone to err on the side of being a good human. Do things that resonate with your soul. I am going to link my Instagram where you can find important links to donate or educate yourself in my bio - https://www.instagram.com/tarotwithtux/. I am also offering readings with a special emphasis on today's current events (info on Instagram). You can email us at guidanceformovement@gmail.com. Until next time... keep an open mind and an open heart. Listen to someone talk about their life experiences. I guarantee you'll learn something. • Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova is one of the books I recommend to all people wanting to start to learn tarot. There are so many incredible options out there... Find what resonates for you. Don't feel like you have to start with the Rider Waite Smith deck if you don't like the imagery. It is all white and incredibly gendered. Feel free to connect with me on Instagram to talk about other options - there are so many decks and it's incredible. I also have my own Podcast where I talk to my magical friends... Mer's Net. Check it out. If ya want. Much love!
Cyndera & Julienne discuss the the Corona Virus pandemic through the lens of the archetypal stories of the tarot. Keeping in mind that we drew The Strength card as our focus for 2020, we pull in a few more that we see in evidence during this crisis and discuss how this archetypal view can guide and possibly bring something new to the world during the darkest time. Tarot Cards / archetypal stories discussed are: STRENGTH, HANGED MAN, HERMIT, TOWER, DEATH-REBIRTH We are careful in our discussion to honor what unfolds with compassion (and especially self compassion) and not castigate people for not approaching the hardships with a purely spiritual view. All of our capacities are needed at this time even if it means standing in the closet and screaming obscenities to re-set ourselves for the road ahead. We also discuss ways to use time away from regular routines to re-connect with friends, spend time in nature, bring life to new projects and observe the process of creativity as fomented by BEING (Yin/Feminine) and then brought to life by DOING (Yang/Masculine). References: As usual we recognize our podcast friends, colleagues and sheroes for their thoughtful contributions and ideas. ✨ Rash of Stay Woke Tarot reminds us of compassion for ourselves and not feeling ashamed of a less than spiritual approach. ✨ Award winning author, academic and bad@ss goddess, Naomi Klein ✨ Cyndera's first ever certified Story Through Stone Reader, Desiree Ammons of Sukha Self Care. ✨ Ke'oni Hanalei of Pohala Hawaiian Botanicals references the lessons of Hawaiian Fern Medicine, particularly Laukahi - Divine Magnetism. ✨ Author, card-slinger and all around bad@ss of tarot, Melissa Cynova turned us on to The Lightseer's Tarot by Chris-Anne which are the images we focus on.
What's up Witches!? This weeks episode is all about my favorite books that I've read in 2019. This pod covers: My favorite books for this year on spirituality, astrology, developing intuition, and self-improvement ———— Book List: **some links may be affiliate** “Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics” by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel https://amzn.to/35zl8Ue “Kitchen Table Tarot” by Melissa Cynova https://amzn.to/2sCdGtb “Psychic Navigator” by John Holland https://amzn.to/2Z0OjNu “Clear Home, Clear Heart: Learn to Clear the Energy of People and Places” by Jean Haner https://amzn.to/2YWfxFe ”No Mud, No lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering” by Thicht Naht Hanh https://amzn.to/35xTJSH “Your Microcosm: The Astrological Planets” by Marina Kuhn https://amzn.to/2YYzz1K “Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life: How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness” by Karen Rauch Carter https://amzn.to/34xf79B “How to Meet and Work with Spirit Guides” by Ted Andrews https://amzn.to/2sHGRL9 “Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.” by Brene Brown https://amzn.to/35sSrIJ “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi https://amzn.to/2M71Qhl -------------------- My Website: www.spacewitchastrology.org Instagram: @spacewitchastrology Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spacewitchastrology/ E-mail (business inquiries ONLY): spacewitchpodcast@gmail.com
Melissa Cynova has been slinging tarot cards for 30 years. Enjoy this interview complete with turtles, dogs, cats, & probably a host of other spirits. The post Coming Out Of The Tarot Closet With Melissa Cynova appeared first on Coming Out Tarot.
Another recovered episode thanks to CRED's Seth Hodgeman and his tech support! In this episode, Tabatha and Bellaboobug talk about reading tarot and some powerful readings Bellaboobug has done, and Bellaboobug reads for Tabatha live on the air. Need your cards read? Give us a shout on IG @friskytalk_bellaboobug or find Bella Boo Bug on Facebook. Resources for reading tarot: Biddy Tarot, Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova, and Tarot for the Green Witch by Ann Moura. Tarot Decks: Shadowscapes Tarot Cat Tarot The Forager's Daughter
Rose Red and Jaymi spend time with fellow reader and aptly named, Jamie Sawyer. Jamie is a wonderful creative spirit: she designs tattoos for people, creates wonderful decks, and crafts many wonderful tools. Listen in as we geek out about her art and where her passions lie.You can find Jamie Sawyer at the following:Sacred Space Tattoo: https://www.sacredspacetattoo.comHer Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/jammerdesignzPersonal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamiesawyer_336Professional Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sacredspacetattooCongrats to the winners of our first Tarot Visions Giveaway. Gwen Ruskamp Bye won a copy of Ethony Dawn's Your Tarot Court; while Pati Holmes won Melissa Cynova's Tarot Elements. Thanks to everyone who entered. We enjoyed seeing the variety of decks everyone selected.As always, we enjoy hearing your feedback and comments so send emails to tarotvisionsshow@gmail.com, or follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/tarot_visions, or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TarotVisionsUS.
Melissa Cynova is BACK!!! Today we talk aobu there new book and...well you know me when I get together with one of my "Bettys" (Bettys are besties) ..we talk about everything! https://melissacynova.com Subscribe on Apple podcasts Watch Paranormal Karen Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rontowski Contact Karen: karenrontowski@gmail.com Please also enjoy Karen and Kira Can Read! https://www.karenrontowski.com Produced by Mike Flinn https://twitter.com/Unorisingmedia
Rose Red and Jaymi chat it up with the wonderful joy seeker, Arwen Lynch Poe. She writes, she edits, she designs decks, and she produces The Cartomancer magazine. Listen in as Arwen tells us stories about her tarot career, her success in writing, and how she sees her practice in helping clients discover their life's purpose and personal growth with tarot.Arwen and The Cartomancer are actively looking for new voices for articles and reviews. Contact her at http://thecartomancer.com/contact/ if you're interested in writing for the magazine. You can also visit Arwen's website at http://tarotbyarwen.com.Some of the goodies we chatted about this week include:The Cartomancer magazine: http://thecartomancer.com Secrets of the Mystic Grove Oracle: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Mystic-Grove-Deck-Book/dp/1572818387 (not an affiliate link)Arwen's wonderful tarot and writing book Mapping the Hero's Journey: https://www.amazon.com/Mapping-Heros-Journey-Tarot-Finish/dp/1546969454 (also not an affiliate link)Indie Deck Review by Amanda: https://indiedeckreview.comScrivener, the best writing app ever (in Jaymi's honest opinion): http://literatureandlatte.comChristopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Journey-Mythic-Structure-3rd/dp/193290736X (still no affiliate link)Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR): https://covr.orgThe Tarot Visions Giveaway is currently underway. We've got many awesome deck ideas, both familiar and new. There is still time to enter. Just go to our Facebook page and enter a comment on the giveaway post with the name of your favorite tarot deck. You'll get one of two chances to win a paperback copy of Melissa Cynova's Tarot Elements, or Ethony Dawn's Your Tarot Court. We'll randomly draw TWO winners on September 15, 2019. Winners will be contacted via Facebook for their addresses; and publicly announced via the September 20th show. The official giveaway post is at https://www.facebook.com/176458515866699/posts/1209322619246945/As always, we enjoy hearing your feedback and comments so send emails to tarotvisionsshow@gmail.com, or follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tarot_visions, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TarotVisionsUS.
Rose Red and Jaymi draw cards for September using The Fool's Dog Steampunk and Shadowscapes deck apps. Check them out at http://www.foolsdog.com; purchase their deck apps through the Apple and Android app stores.We are doing our first giveaway! To enter, respond to the giveaway post on Facebook with the name of your favorite tarot deck. Enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Melissa Cynova's Tarot Elements, or Ethony Dawn's Your Tarot Court. We'll randomly draw TWO winners on September 15, 2019. Winners will be contacted via Facebook for their addresses, and publicly announced via the September 20th show. The official giveaway post link is: https://www.facebook.com/176458515866699/posts/1209322619246945/We'd also like to extend a huge thank you to Kender of Transistor Generation once more for providing us with the excellent new intro and outro sequences. Go check out her albums at https://tg.enkode.me.As always, we enjoy hearing your feedback and comments so send emails to tarotvisionsshow@gmail.com, or follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/tarot_visions, or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TarotVisionsUS.
In this episode, I am joined by the incredible Melissa Cynova, author of Kitchen Table Tarot and Tarot Elements. We discuss stigma around practicing tarot, some of the myths around Tarot and why it's not true, plus so much more! The post TRA TV And Podcast #9 Making the Tarot Work for You With Melissa Cynova appeared first on Ethony.
If you are a regular listener you will know our guest for this episode. Melissa Cynova is first and foremost a bad ass of Tarot. She been slinging tarot cards for 30 years - her first book from Llewelyn press Kitchen Table Tarot is a must read for noobs and experts alike. This is her 3rd time on the podcast because we love her so much (did I mention she is a bad ass?) and we are celebrating the publication of her new book, Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life. Just get it. You can connect with her on the Instagrams or her website: melissacynova.com And here is my conversation with Melissa. ***WARNING*** We swear a lot in this episode. Some stuff we talk about: Melissa's new book, Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life. Ghost Dog the Way of the Warrior Cheryl Strayed, Brene Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert Gen X whininess We know you could have done something else with the last 40ish minutes of your life but we are SO glad you spent it with us. We highly encourage you to connect with Melissa on Instagram and yes, get her book! Available at fine stores everywhere -but the vandalized copy available from her website is the best. MelissaCynova.com If you are listening to this in March of 2019 look for a post on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to win a copy. Big mahalos to our Patrons: Sara, Geneva, Richard, Peter, Rash, Alli, & Yvonne! Thank you! your support makes all this happen & you make us smile every day! Produced by Both/And Media Theme music by: The Lunar Group
Melissa Cynova has been reading tarot cards for 30 years and has a refreshing, honest attitude and perspective on the cards. If your old, new or completely clueless to tarot cards, you'll love this interview. Melissa is unfiltered, tells it like it is and has great stories about her experiences with tarot. Melissa's first book, “Kitchen Table Tarot”, provides a down to earth, common sense approach to reading tarot cards. It also won the Independent Publisher Award for Best First Book. Her second book, “Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life”, which is coming out in the spring of 2019, gives the reader five readings to help you unstick yourself in the home, heart, mind, body, and soul.
2019 Predictions from Paul Jacek, Terrie Huberman, April Eckfeld, Melissa Cynova Subscribe on Apple podcasts Watch Paranormal Karen Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rontowski Contact Karen: karenrontowski@gmail.com Please also enjoy Karen and Kira Can Read! https://www.karenrontowski.com Produced by Mike Flinn https://twitter.com/Unorisingmedia
Dave King starts a new segment with me where we learn about astrology a little at a time until you can do your own chart and my death!!! Yay, second I am joined by Melissa Cynova, tarot reader and psychic! We dish on the business, all the superstitions you thought you knew and the wonderful book Kitchen Table Tarot! Subscribe on Apple podcasts Watch Paranormal Karen Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissacynova https://twitter.com/Rontowski Contact Karen: karenrontowski@gmail.com Please also enjoy Karen and Kira Can Read! https://www.karenrontowski.com Produced by Mike Flinn https://twitter.com/Unorisingmedia
Episode 89: The Elements with Melissa Cynova. The elements - Fire, Earth, Air, and Water - are an essential part of tarot. In this episode, Melissa Cynova, author of the upcoming book, Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life, teaches the element basics.
Our first ever triple header - super extra bonus size podcast - all about the High Priestess! Over 2 hours of wisdom from some of our favorite people, Rashunda Tramble and Melissa Cynova. What in the world does this mysterious figure have to do with these crazy times we are living in? How do we hold things as sacred in daily life? We ask two very wise women their take on this and more. Part 1 is Cyndera and I starting things off. Pop culture references abound! Who knew that this stoic character could be seen in The Matrix, Too Wong Foo, Star Wars, The Dark Crystal, Never Ending Story and more... Part 2 of the Low Down on the High Priestess is a conversation with Rashunda Tramble of Stay Woke Tarot. Rash is an African-American immigrant living in Zurich, Switzerland . If you haven't already, check out her website and blog at staywoketarot.com, where you can book mp3 audio file and in-person / video readings. Follow her on Instagram @StayWokeTarot. Part 3 is a dialogue with author and card slinger Melissa of Little Fox Tarot. She been slinging tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. She can be found in the St. Louis area and online for personal readings, parties and beginner and advanced tarot classes. Her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot was released in 2017. Her next book Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life will be out February 2019. You can find her at LittleFoxTarot.com Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. We know you could have done something else with the last 2 hours of your life but we are SO glad you spent it with us. Be sure to check out our guests Rash at StayWorkeTarot.com and Melissa at LittleFox.Tarot.com and Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. If you would like to become one of our most favorite people in the world become a Patron! just visit tiny.cc/tarot and you too could be like these awesome humans: Richard, Sara, Talia, Hilary, Peter, Rash, Christine, Cat, Alli, Geneva & Yvonne! Thank you guys! you make us smile every day! Produced by Both/And Media Theme music by: The Lunar Group
The Hermit's Lamp Podcast - A place for witches, hermits, mystics, healers, and seekers
In this episode Rosered and Melissa join Andrew to talk about the roel pop culture has played in shaping and nurturing their spritual practices. They talk about Pop figures as altar items, movies and characters that shaped them, and explore what something being sacred to them might mean. If you are interested in supporting this podcast though our Patreon you can do so here. If you want more of this in your life you can subscribe by RSS , iTunes, Stitcher, or email. You can find Rosered on Twitter here and Instagram here. Tarot Visions Podcast is everywhere but you can start here. You can find Melissa on her website here. Planet of the Ape and other cool buddha hybrids are here. Thanks for listening! If you dig this please subscribe and share with those who would like it. Andrew If you are interested in booking time with Andrew either in Toronto or by phone or Skype from anywhere click here. ANDREW: Welcome to another instalment of The Hermit's Lamp podcast. Today, I have got on the line with me, Rose Red Robinson and Melissa Ceynowa, and we're here to talk about pop culture, and the ways in which pop culture and movies and stories and all these wonderful things can influence us and be a part of our understanding of who we are and our journey. That's the official reason. The unofficial reason is, I really wanted to hang out and talk about Big Trouble in Little China a lot … [laughter] ANDREW: And I'm not saying if you haven't seen that movie yet, that you should stop listening right now and go and do so, but I'm not saying you shouldn't, you know, cause really, if you haven't seen it yet, I don't understand. You should go see it. You should go check it out. It's on Netflix. So, but, for, you know, people who don't know who you are—let's start with you, Rose. Give us a quick introduction. ROSE: Okay, I've been doing tarot off and on for 20 plus years. I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful podcast of my own that I do with Jaymi Elford, called Tarot Visions, that was started back in 2013, with the lovely Charlie Harrington, and he decided to pass me off to Jaymi. I've worked in … with Tarot Media Company for many years, back in the day, studied tarot for off and on forever, and am now kind of exploring Celtic Hanlon at the moment, and, am just a general happy reader. And I've been lucky enough to present at various conventions on the west coast, PantheaCon and Northwest Tarot Symposium, being the two, as well as running some successful meet-ups in my local area that I have also passed on to other people, because I'm not the only one who knows everything. So, it's awesome to be able to share, and engage other people to be teachers as well, cause then I can be a student, so that's fun. So that's me! ANDREW: Cool. Awesome. And Melissa? MELISSA: I can't really follow that. No ... [laughter] ANDREW: Pretty impressive, right? MELISSA: No, I've been—next year, I figured out, I've been reading for 30 years, and it occurred to me that I might be able to teach people, like only five years ago. So, I wrote a book. It came out last year; it's Kitchen Table Tarot, and my way of teaching the cards is really similar to Rose's, cause we both grab onto what's around us. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: As kind of a pathway to what the card means, and... I don't know, I'm a mom, and trying to figure out how to have, you know, three jobs at a time and still pursue tarot, which is my favorite sweetheart in the whole world, is challenging but worth it, so. Yeah. ROSE: [whispering] Her book is awesome! MELISSA: Thank you! ANDREW: Sure. It's a good book. MELISSA: Thank you. I like it. ANDREW: We have it in the shop; you can get it on ... everywhere. So, check it out. MELISSA: Thank you! ANDREW: So, tell me about pop culture. You know? What is it about pop culture that intrigues you or interests you? You know? Cause I mean, like, growing up, I always heard, “TV's going to rot your brain, blah blah blah, it's all a waste of time,” right? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: You know? But for me, it's certainly ... I guess I'll leave it up to the dear listeners to see if my brain is rotted or not, but, you know, to me it always seemed like a way of understanding, a way of connecting, a way of making sense of things, you know? At its best, I mean, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But like, what is it about pop culture stuff that's interesting to you two? ROSE: Okay, well, it was kind of one of my first experiences of finding spirituality, ironically enough, cause I grew up when we could watch, you know, Bewitched, and you could talk about the Greek gods on the different Hercules shows and all of those things, back with Harryhausen, and all of that. And it was just like “Oh! Wait! These aren't just crazy movies and TV shows, there's, like, stuff that they're based on?” And then going and finding out that, you know, there's Greek mythology, and going and studying that … And then, of course, when you're in school, they're like, “Oh, you're interested in that, here, let me give you more stuff!”, cause teachers want you to learn … And so, that was really how I incorporated the two, and I'm like, well, “Isis is amazing! I love that TV show!” And then, “Oh! It's a real thing!” And then learning more about that as a child, I mean, with the wonder that we have as children, and then, you know, Wonder Woman being, you know, the princess of now, Themyscira, but then, Paradise Island, and incorporating that with the Greek mythology, and going, “Oh, wow, this makes sense!” You know. So, that's kind of where it came from for me. I don't know, your mileage may vary. But that's … I didn't see it as pop culture at the time, I just saw it as “Oh, cool TV show, talking about something real,” air quotes on the real, cause again, TV is not the real part, and just blending, and that's how I built it up, cause okay, now I've got this connection, and yeah, it made sense. MELISSA: For me it was kind of finding connection, cause I was a lonely nerdy little child, and I would watch Wonder Woman and I would watch, even Mother Goose, you know, with her pointy hat riding a broomstick with her familiar, you know? Like, I was always drawn to the witchy kind of stuff, but I didn't know what to call it, and I loved Uncle Arthur, and, you know, all of the things that had pieces of them that also fit pieces of me, and so I've always been really drawn to pop culture because it kind of helped me identify who I am. And, like I just saw A Wrinkle in Time, and I sobbed through the whole thing, because Meg was the only person I'd ever met who was like me, when I read those books … ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And finding somebody that could like, reach through pages, and say, “Honey, you're normal, you're just like me,” was just amazing. And that was very spiritual for me, to find somebody who said, “You're not aberrant, and you're not a mistake,” you know? So pop culture's been really important to me because I was lonely. And the weird kids all over, The Girl with the Silver Eyes, or the X-Men, or all of these outside kids, they were me. And finding somebody that showed my face back to me was really important. So. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. Yeah. ROSE: What about you, Andrew? ANDREW: When I was growing up in the 80s, all those bad ninja movies were coming out? I was so fascinated with them, you know? And what ended up happening was, me and my friends started trying to learn how to meditate because of it, right? Because we'd see, you know, these things that were really cool and exciting, but then they'd be like sitting there and meditating. And we were like, “Oh, we should meditate. What do we do? How do we do it?” You know? And that led to me getting involved in martial arts and learning how to really meditate, you know, when I was like 10 and 11 and stuff like that, and, you know, it's one of the things that really became a through line for me. You know? And, it's funny, when I met my partner Hanlon, they hadn't seen Big Trouble in Little China, or they certainly didn't remember seeing it, you know? And, I'm like, “You haven't seen this? We need to fix this right now!” Right? Cause this is like one of the best movies of all time. And after watching it, he was like, “Wow! You're like all three of the main characters in one person. You're like…?” You know? Jack Burton, the dorky, kind of adventurous, like outgoing kind of person … You know, I was doing a lot of martial arts at the time we met, so, you know, Wang and sort of all of this Kung Fu stylings and stuff, right? And then I was into all these magical things, like Egg Chen, you know? And it was like this very funny thing, to have this reflected back to me, you know? Like you were saying, Melissa, it's like there were elements in this character or in the story that fit my sense of who I was, you know? And it wasn't quite as clean cut as like, “I feel like just this one or that one,” but the story and interactions between all three of those sort of fit that sense of who I was and how I wanted to be in the world, you know? As well as my struggles and other things, you know? So. MELISSA: Yeah. And I think, going into adulthood, because I've always been, like, completely into any kind of pop culture, fairy tales, fantasy fiction, like whatever. But I could put myself in different characters. So, I'd read Madeleine L'Engle and I would be Daniel, because I loved Daniel. And I would read Charles de Lint, and Julie Coppercorn and I are right here, and it kept ... Seeing the depth in the character taught me to see the depth in myself. Almost. Or that there were other options than being depressed, being quiet, being small. And, since I didn't have really an example around me of an adult who was like me, I would base my behavior on the characters that I read who did things that were honorable and kind and ... They kind of were examples to me. You know, I grew up without a mom so seeing Wonder Woman was huge for me. That was like communion. I would watch her every week, and I identified with her and Princess Leia. That was like my mom character, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And it filled a void. And it was ... And, the beautiful thing about it is, Rose and I are both Wonder Woman crazy, and we have a connection, and we'll always have that connection. ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: And it's so great to meet somebody and go, “You dig that thing? I dig that thing too!” ROSE: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, there's a whole other world where you reach outside of yourself and say, “Oh my god, I went to, you know, Comic Con, and met three women dressed like Wonder Woman and it was the best day of my life,” you know? ROSE: Oh, yeah. MELISSA: So, that level of outside connection is super important too. ROSE: Well, and, as you just mentioned, it's meeting other people. I think the rise of the Internet has really helped all of us with that because of the “I thought I was the only one who loved this thing,” and in a group where you might have been at school the only one who loved this thing, so you didn't know how to share it with your friends, and now, as you've gotten older, and the Internet exists, you're just like, “Oh my god! I can find people who love my thing!” And I get to talk to people about it. I mean, one of the things that connected myself with tarot, and gaming, cause that's where my tarot also blends, is the fact that one of the games out there had a tarot deck made for the game, and I'm like, “Oh my god! There's a game! And a tarot! And I can play both!” And I was always the one that wanted to play the tarot character, cause that's who I was. And so, I was always playing the Fate Witch in the Seven Seas game. And then they came out with spreads to do with it, and it just, that built that spiritual connection for me, but it also was, like, reminding me that I'm not the only one who sees that or feels that or connects to that thing that I love. And then, you know, meeting all of you guys at different events has been awesome, because it's like now I can talk to somebody else who also loves Wonder Woman, tarot, and five billion other things that are like, “Oh my god, I never knew that people like all those things that I liked,” and I think that's kind of the thing for me, is watching how that has happened over the years, and how pop culture has become stronger for other people as well, because they, who are younger than us, had, have always had Internet, have always had pop culture as a thing, and we watched it grow. And I think that was kind of what made me feel like more and more connected to the magic of it, not just the beauty of connection with people. I'm babbling. MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ROSE: But it's true. It's how we can turn something we love into a connection with our world, if that makes sense, and the spirits around us. Okay. I'm going to stop. I don't know, I just— ANDREW: I think that's really interesting, you know? And for me, I think partly because I almost died when I was 14— ROSE: Oh! ANDREW: I really didn't carry that stuff through in a lot of ways, you know? So, like, I was 14 and after that, like after being in a serious accident, I was like, “All right, I need to understand everything,” and so although I still read, you know, like Shannara books … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And like some of that stuff, and I was definitely reading and consuming pop culture things and so on, I was also reading Nietzsche and … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Like, I was just, like, “All right, what is this all about?” Right? And so, for me, I enjoyed those things as a sort of through line of entertainment, but I felt like the answers were elsewhere. And then sort of later on, and you know, certainly sort of more in recent times, I've sort of seen how much is, how much, you know, answers and sort of sense of meaning can come from these other places, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: To my sort of teenage self, they just weren't serious enough, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: Yeah. ANDREW: Like I wanted to know the answers, and therefore, if a book wasn't hard to read, then it probably wasn't really helpful, was kind of a thought that I had at one point, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. And yet—I'm going to interrupt and say, but see … ANDREW: Yeah! ROSE: One of the things that I always come back to mind … We, specifically in pop culture items, there are levels, so there's the level for the kid who's reading it, and then if the parent is reading it, there's more in there that we as adults could see, but when we're that young age we might miss something. It's … What comes to mind right now is the Harry Potter books. You know? They were written, and as they progressed, the child/reader gets older, but so does the characters, but that very first book—it looks like a kid's book, but it's really not, and I think that that's the kind of thing that people miss sometimes, is that there's underlying elements for the adults as well, and so there's something that is being put into motion at first. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: The next thing that just came to mind while you were talking about this is Steven Universe. It's a kids' show, but it's not. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And that's the beauty of bringing in the myths and legends around, you know, people and connection. But parents are like, you know, “Oh, my kid can watch that, it's a cartoon!” ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And yet, there's more there. ANDREW: And I definitely don't think now that those things are missing, right? ROSE: No. Oh, no, no. ANDREW: Yeah. I've read all the Harry Potter books, I don't even know now, cause my kids keep rereading them and we keep rereading them to them, right? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: So, you know, you keep going through that stuff, and there's all sorts of wonderful things in there, you know, for sure, right? But yeah, definitely, it was a concept that I had when I was younger about that stuff for sure, right? Yeah. MELISSA: I always found them too as kind of a gateway. So, like the Madeleine L'Engle books, one of them uses Patrick's Rune, which is a Celtic prayer, and I went to the library and asked the librarian, “Where did this come from?” And she handed me five books on Celtic mythology. And then I wandered out of there and read everything I could about Celtic mythology. And I went back and she gave me Egyptology. And then I went back the next week and I had Chinese divination books. And so, it all kind of fed from each other, and it made me curious about everything, about all of it. And so, I love that within the story is another gateway to another story. I think that's why I'm a big gigantic nerd, if I'm honest, so. ANDREW: So. ROSE: You've surrounded yourself by nerds, Andrew. Just so you know. ANDREW: I know! It's great. I love it. It's perfect. I was looking at my collection of pop figures this morning before leaving, and thinking about recording today … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Because I have ... Pop figures, if anyone doesn't know them, are these little large-headed representations of, you know, most of the cartoon and movie and TV show and pop culture stuff. And you know, I was looking at my pop Jack Burton, I've got Gracie Law, and I've got the glow in the dark Lo Pan … [laughter] ANDREW: And then I've also got General Voltan from Flash Gordon ... ROSE: Ah! ANDREW: Which is another of my sort of favorite childhood movies. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But, it, unlike Big Trouble in Little China, doesn't stand the test of time as well. [laughs] It's a pretty horrendous movie when I look back. MELISSA: But the music does. ROSE: The music's amazing. ANDREW: The music does, and Ming the Merciless is a tremendous bad guy and a wonderful look, you know? ROSE: Oh yeah. ANDREW: But yeah, lots of that movie is definitely really pretty horrendous, though, the last time I looked at it, yeah. ROSE: So. ANDREW: There's nothing wrong with being surrounded with nerds. ROSE: Something that ... So, I took a class at PantheaCon last year on pop culture and magic, cause that's what you do, and Emily Carlin was talking about how you can, because of the connections with the pop culture and magic, you can use some of those Funko pop characters in your practice, if you don't, you know ... So, you don't want your friends to know what you're doing, but you want to honor your gods. There's a lot of ‘em out there that exist, and you just mentioned Lo Pan, and I'm wondering, you know, would you consider using that as part of your practice, if that were something you were trying to ...? Or that energy. Or even the energy of Jack Burton, I mean, because I mean, the man's the adventurer kingdom, you know, he's before we even get Indiana Jones! MELISSA: He never drives faster than he can see. ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: I mean, the man's got skills. ANDREW: [laughing] ROSE: And he knows what he wants out of life. He wants to drive, he wants to adventure, you know, and that's, you know, so what do you think about that? ANDREW: I think that that's entirely possible, you know ... I mean, I ... So I'm sitting here recording, and I'm looking at my shelf of things, and, you know, there's a picture of Aleister Crowley, there's a painting I did of St. Expedite, you know, there's like some self-portraits that I've done for magical reasons, and in the middle is my Dr. Zaius Buddha. So, Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: The science person who believed that sort of religion and science ought to be the same and not at odds with each other, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And somewhere on Etsy, I found this person who was making Buddhas with different heads on them, like Star Wars ones and Yoda ones and whatever, and I reached out because I was looking for something to kind of use as a magical anchor for my sort of joyous relationship to my work life … ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And sort of do some prosperity work with. And so, I reached out to the person, and I said, “Your stuff is amazing; what I really would like is a Dr. Zaius from the Planet of the Apes.” And his response was, “Dude, I'm working on them right now, I will email you as soon as they are done,” right? ROSE: That's brilliant. ANDREW: And so, I got one, you know? (photo in show notes) In gold, and ... ROSE: Oh my gosh! That's amazing! ANDREW: It sits up here with some other stuff, and it's definitely ... It was, for a while, the focal point of a bunch of work that I was doing. Now less so, you know? But ... ROSE: Different work now. ANDREW: Yeah, but, you know, but for me, I feel like I use the pop stuff as tools for psychological sort of inner self explorations ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I'm, I mean, because I practice a traditional religion, I don't really feel drawn to use them in sort of my more religious or devotional kind of stuff, because those things already have their own avenues? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: But I could see how ... And also, when I was younger, if people didn't like what I was up to, I would be like, “Well, screw you, you're dead to me.” ROSE: Okay. ANDREW: So. Whoever that was. You know? So, the idea of obscuring things has never been a part of my process. You know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But I can see how that makes a lot of sense, though, if it is? Right? And I understand that for a lot of people the sort of notion of flying under the radar, right, is important. MELISSA: We have ... Sorry. We have a family altar in the middle of our living room, and the kids help me. We clean it off at the end of the month, and the kids help me kind of build it over the month, and it gets covered with incense dust and whatever rocks we like, and then we start at the beginning of the month again. And any given month, there is a statue of Mary, some fox fetishes from a Zuni tribe, and a couple Wonder Woman Funko pops, and whatever the kids want to throw on. And it's, you know, if my son is feeling particularly, you know, sad or feeling small, than he'll put his Thor Funko Pop on the altar, and that's his way of kind of reaching out and connecting. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And I've never made anything ... I've never disallowed them from putting anything, whether plastic or, you know, any kind of rocks or whatever, on the altar, because it's not really the antiquity or the ceremony around the object, it's what it means to you. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And if Thor needs to be on the altar this month, cool, let's do it. You know? ROSE: Well, and one of the things that I have in plenty is, I'm a Lego nerd. So, I have this, which is, I'm showing to you, Andrew and Melissa, it's a Lego minifig of the Tarot Reader, who is holding a Sun card and a Tower card. And when I first got one of these ... and I've got like three of them now ... I carry ‘em with me in my tarots, when I do readings out, and people kind of go, “What is that?” “It's a tarot minifig! See? This is not scary!” And ... but it's also, you know, a representation of me sometimes, when I need to focus, and so it's again how pop culture and how pop stuff crosses over with my spirituality. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, it's just a thing, I think that we all need to just grasp what works for us and build our practice around that part of it, and honor the traditional, because that's important. It's finding out what the traditions really are. But then, when it makes it work for you, if connecting that with Wonder Woman for example, or getting the Funko Pop of Hercules, cause, you know, that was kind of cool, works for you, to represent that, you know, or the Athena one, do it, I think that's great. But I also, you know—be aware of what you're connecting with, too, because you're not, it's not just surface stuff. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. Yeah. I also think that it's certainly possible with a lot of these things to start opening up in directions, and making connections with things, and then, you know, and then you can kind of go off and explore the spirituality and come back around and sort of revisit the pop culture layer with new eyes as well, right? It's a way in which we can, you know, continue to see deeper layers and maybe even sort of write extra layers on top of it, even if they're not there, right? ROSE: Mm. Yeah, I could see that. MELISSA: During my classes, I think Rose does this too, we both teach tarot classes, and we both use pop culture in them ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And so, I have this feature that, the name of which I accidentally stole from Jaymi Elford—sorry, Jaymers!—called Pop Goes the Tarot, and I take a fandom like Firefly, and I match it with a tarot card ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And, I've found the response to those has been really huge. Because if you're having a problem figuring out what the Hermit card is, or what the Emperor is, and if I say the Emperor is Erich Hartmann dressed up as a police officer saying, “Respect my authority!” I mean, that is a pretty strong connection to the archetype of the Emperor ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And if they start there, and then move on to like, Benebell's gigantic book, or, like, another book that has like spiritual historical symbolic meanings of the cards, then they'll already have that first step into it and what it means—what it could mean for them. You know? And I think that if people do that with their own particular fandoms, they'll have an intimate connection with what that card is. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: So, it's been really fun, and I keep getting emails about ideas of fandoms to explore, but if they're not mine, I don't have the confidence to assign the cards to them, so ... ROSE: I'm still waiting for your Brady Bunch tarot. MELISSA: Oh, that would be a good one! Okay. I know that fan, I got that. ROSE: [laughing] And I think that's the beauty of pop culture and connection with spirituality is that you are making it a little bit more understandable for yourself. And as you said, yeah, taking the cards, “Okay, this is the Emperor,” well, what's the Emperor do? You know? Is it Emperor Palpatine? Or is it, you know, the … I can't even think right now, Dumbledore, let's just put it that way, that's not even right, though. But the point is, you're figuring out which one matches up better for you. You know, I mean, the Devil might be Voldemort, he might be, you know, Darth Vader, but he also might be, you know, the little girl from The Bad Seed, which is a 1930, 45, something, I don't know, 50s movie about a bad kid who personifies as beautiful and happy and lovely and she does really horrible things for a pair of shoes in one point. But anyway. The point is that you just connect these things. And then you can figure out what your personal connection is to either cards or to spiritual path. And also, the fact that that's part of the collective unconscious as well, because all of these people … also … the moment you say, Lord Palpatine, to a group of people, most of them, I'm not going to say all, but most of them know what you're talking about. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, you know, you're doing something with a group, and you want to go okay, pull a card, “Oh, and this reminds me of Lord Palpatine,” and the rest of the audience knows what you're talking about. And that's the beauty of the pop culture. Of course, it is also needing to be aware that it is country-sometimes-specific or fandom-specific, because there are people that haven't seen Star Wars. ANDREW: Well, and also, I think that each of these worlds has varying stories and ideas around power and around, you know, who's the Emperor or the Devil, right? You know? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: You know, is the Emperor positive, you know? Is it really like great and endearing and lovable figure? Could be, you know? ROSE: Could be. ANDREW: Right? Is it somebody nefarious and controlling, you know? As I was organizing this, Aidan Wachter resurfaced something he had done previously where he had put Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon as the Emperor card. Right? ROSE: Ooh. ANDREW: The guy's an Emperor, a horrible Emperor, but, you know? And I think that there's this level at which, you know, we can start to understand the ways in which we or people view lots of different ideas. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: As we look at those, you know, what is the notion of justice in Firefly or in, you know, this, that, or whatever, right? ROSE: The Justice League. ANDREW: Justice League, yeah. How good are the Greek gods, right? You know? If we're looking at Watchmen … ROSE: Oh, yeah. ANDREW: It's a whole different matter, right? You know? MELISSA: Batman has been a total a-hole lately, so? ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: He always was! That's why I liked Batman! You know? I mean when I got into Batman Comics, I was reading them when like the Dark Knight starts, like the comic books start coming out, and Arkham Asylum and the Joker and the Killing Joke and all that kind of stuff, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Batman was this pretty sort of amoral, you know, fairly dark character, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And it was interesting, right? ROSE: You needed a counterpoint, though, to Superman, so yeah. ANDREW: Right? You know? So, I think that yeah, again, it's always, it depends on what we're looking at, right? Are we talking about Adam West as Batman, that's one thing, right? Are we talking about, you know, Christian Bale or, you know, these other comics and stuff, I think that that also becomes quite interesting, and then how do we reconcile sort of what's behind all of those things, you know? What is that? Right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: That carries through all those through lines, you know? Yeah. ROSE: Well, and being able to reconcile which versions you're using, as you're pointing out. Cause they all have different flavors. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: But that doesn't mean they're different characters, cause they're all parts of Batman, they're just highlighting different facets. I mean, everybody, what, freaked out when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, and my first thought was, well, he'd make a great Bruce Wayne. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: Not—And I didn't even think of him as Batman, I just thought of him as the Bruce Wayne part of the character, because I think that he has the gravitas for that part. I don't know about his Batman. I'm not going to talk about that. But the point is that I didn't lose my cool over it, let's put it that way, as other people did, because they felt that Batman needed to be darker. Da. And— MELISSA: Well. ROSE: Christian Bale really pulled off a very strong Batman, I think. But it depends on who's writing it. Go ahead. MELISSA: I think that's an important part too, is that people take these very personally. I always think that people, you know how you're not supposed to talk about religion and politics and stuff. I think that's because people hold their beliefs so close to them, they become integrated with who they are, so if you question the belief, you're questioning the person. So that's my base belief. And I think that people take fandoms to that level too. Like I was in an elevator one time with my Wonder Woman lunchbox, and somebody was like, is that your kid's? And this was a stranger and I said no. And she goes, aren't you a little old for that? And I, you know, wanted to say, shouldn't you go, whatever ... ROSE: Yeah. MELISSA: But I almost started crying. Because it was so personal. ROSE: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And such an intimate thing for me, and I was like, I can't fix what she picked on. I can't make that different. It is part of who I am. So, it isn't something that I can like hide it behind my back and pretend that it never happened. She picked on something that was really intimate with me. And I think that that's why, like people get really upset if their identity of who Batman is, is picked on or it's shifted from who they say it is. It's very personal. ROSE: Yeah. By the way, the response to that should have been “Um, no,” and “Where's your sense of imagination?” But anyway. ANDREW: Well, and so, one of the other fandoms that I quite enjoy is Doctor Who, right? ROSE: Yes! ANDREW: And Doctor Who is an interesting one in that regard, because Doctor Who is always changing, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And, you know, I think that it's kind of, it's one of the things that makes it fascinating for me, right? You know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I certainly have my favorite and less favorite iterations, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But yeah, I think it's really interesting, you know? And I think that this notion that we end up at, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I think that it's one of the reasons that we like fiction so much, right? In its various forms. Is fictional characters or stories or whatever: they're allowed to change, right? But if we walk through the world, it's easy to end up in places and around people where it's much harder or maybe sort of unofficially not permitted to change, right? ROSE: Mm. ANDREW: All of those social constructs of our job and our relationships and our friends and stuff can sort of exert this force that seeks to keep us in a constant relationship, right? We always have to be Ben Affleck, or we never can be Ben Affleck, or whatever it is about that Batman, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And yet these stories and the way in which both are reinvented as the worlds get rewritten, but also as they go through their journeys, they get to become different people, which I also think is very fascinating, you know? Yeah. I think the ... I think that, you know, bonking someone in the head with your Wonder Woman lunch bag is probably a good time. [laughter] ANDREW: I endorse that. The Jack Burton in me said “Do it.” [laughter] ANDREW: Yeah. MELISSA: It's all in the reflexes. ROSE: Well, and I ... it sounds like you were surprised by the commentary too. MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ROSE: Cause that is kind of surprising, it's like, why would you say that to someone that you don't even know? ANDREW: Yeah. Well, it's ... Yeah. And I know lots of people who complain or make comment about people doing cosplay or people doing ... I'm like, “Why on earth are you peeing in someone else's Cheerios?” ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Just let them have their fun and do whatever they're doing, like, what does it matter to you? Why do you care, right? MELISSA: That is such a visual, thanks! ANDREW: You're welcome. But why on earth would anyone care what you watch or don't watch or carry or all these things, right? Like just, you know. MELISSA: And I've gotten emails from people who said that, like I've had four or five, actually, in the past couple years that said I'm making light of a sacred tradition, and I'm like, if you don't like my book, cause my book is pretty light, I connect things to the publisher, I connect them to stories in my life, I connect the cards to pretty much anything that I find relatable, as a form of teaching. If you don't like it, don't fucking read my book. That's fine. Don't read my stuff about pop culture. Don't. Go find something else that you relate to. If you find yourself wanting to send that email, also don't do that, because, you know, blocked and deleted, as my kid says. It's just, why would you do that? Why would you take the time to try to impress yourself on another adult who already has their ideas? And it just seems so futile. And self-promoting and crappy. ANDREW: Well, why do people do these things? What do you think? MELISSA: I think they feel small. and they want to feel big. That's … I think it's sad. Well, I mean, it pisses me off. But I also think it's sad. And, you know, it's a way for them to feel big. It's a shitty way to do it, but it's a way, you know? ROSE: Yeah. And also, it's a way to say, “Hey, see, I'm smart, I know this thing, and maybe you don't, and here, let me explain it to you so that you see the error of your ways.” MELISSA: Well, actually ... ROSE: And that's, I think, a big thing that's going on is, you know, as the older guard, if you will, starts passing on, unfortunately, the younger guard is going to take what they've learned and they're not going to ignore the sources, but they're also going to make it their own. And I think that's what you do, is that you remind people, yes, there are these big things and sacredness to everything and please honor that, but while you're learning that stuff, to be able to use your tools now, here's a way to connect it to what you're going through with your everyday life. I mean, part of, okay, James Wanless, cause I talk about him a lot, in general, is him, he created the Voyager Tarot. If you look at his courts, they're not knight/queen/king/page, they're child/woman/man/sage, because it was like, okay, in the 80s, we don't know, anybody, really, not in America, who are knights, queens, kings, and pages, really. Yeah, if you go to England, you can find them, I know, but I know a child, I know a woman, I know a man, and I might even know a sage, who is someone who knows a lot of stuff, so [sigh]. That's like … And it's modernizing something. That didn't mean he threw out the past. He just brought some stuff up to the future. And I think that's what you, Melissa, are doing with your work, is that you are taking this sacred knowledge that you learned, and then applying the stuff that you love and connecting them and making them more palpable for a modern view. Again, not ignoring where it came from, but not saying, okay, we can ONLY talk about it in that fashion. Because you need to have something that you can connect to, or it's not going to stick. At least that's been my experience. MELISSA: My biggest hope about this book is that it is completely irrelevant in 30 years. I would love that. Because I want everybody to just kind of get involved, and I want ideas to change, and they're already a couple of things that I put in it that I'm like, damn it, I kind of want to fix that, but it's too late. And, because I think that, you know, my kids think different things than I do, and they're 12 and 14, and their kids are going to have a whole different perspective. And I think that tarot lends itself to being whatever you need it to be, and so I think that what people will need it to be in 30 years is going to be something entirely different. I think that's beautiful. You know? ANDREW: So, I kind of, I agree, and I disagree with you. ROSE: Okay. ANDREW: I want to, I'm going to throw out some other options here. And I'm going to start by framing it in a different context and then come back to tarot. Right? ROSE: Okay! ANDREW: So, as you both know, and as people who listen probably know, right? I practice the Orisha tradition in a very traditional way. Right? And, so, for me, this is a very sacred thing, you know? And certainly in my practice, I endeavor to follow the traditional ways of doing things and work with my elders and all of that kind of stuff. And, so here's this thing that I identify and hold very sacred and not immutable, and not that I think there aren't a few things that might benefit from changing, but in general, I'm very like, this is it, these are the things, this is how it's done, and these are the beliefs within that structure about how these spirits work with people, and so many things, right? And then, I run a store, and I go out in the world, and I do things, and people do all sorts of other stuff, right? And that stuff ranges from interesting and sort of regional difference, to like horrendous, in my opinion, misunderstandings and appropriation, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And, so, for me, there's this practice where I have my own structures, and beliefs, and structures in which I work, and I look out from that place into other things that people are doing, and all, so much of it I don't understand what's going on at all ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: Or, from a traditional point of view it's problematic or inappropriate. But I recognize that everybody's free to do whatever they like, and so I just largely ignore, or just don't engage people when they're doing other things, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: When it comes to tarot, I think that it's very challenging, you know, and Mary Greer just had a big post on this on her Facebook. If you're a follower of hers, you could probably scroll down a bit and find it. About this sort of, can we just do anything with tarot, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And I think that to me, while it's not as clearly defined as my religious practice, which is a very clear and sort of longstanding traditional structure, I think that with tarot, there's this sort of central core of things, which to me encompasses what tarot is, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And as you migrate out from those sort of pieces, and depending on which sort of pockets you choose to work with, right? Are you a Rider-Waite person and falling kind of in that line? Are you a more esoteric person and fall in that line? Are you reading in a more sort of European style with, like, Marseilles cards and so on ...? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: But to me, there's a place at which it loses its cohesion as we start doing anything with it, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: There's a place at which the absence of what I sort of perceive as coherence starts ... I again … I have a similar feeling, although it's in a different way, where I just stop understanding what's going on. You know? I just don't understand, what is this? What's happening here? How does this work? So. Anyways. That's my response to what you said, Melissa. MELISSA: That was a lot. And I do agree with you, but I think what I was trying to say, and maybe didn't do a good job, is that my opinion is not the only opinion. And that there is going to be a core. It can't be tarot and be 10,000 different things at the core, but it has to be basically the same thing for everybody. But I'm not teaching the core of anything, I'm teaching what I think, and I'm teaching what's relatable to me, and, like, I learned to read on this Eden Gray book, and I read it so much that it's held together by duct tape and prayers, I mean, it's just, it's really beat up. But she didn't speak my language. And it took me a long, long time to figure out what the hell a Hierophant was, how to say it, I'm still not sure if I'm right, I couldn't relate to it at all. It wasn't until I found Rachel Pollack and Mary Greer, that I went, “Oh! They're speaking my language!” And Barbara Moore spoke my language, you know? And those three women taught me tarot. And Eden Gray tried to for like 15 years, but I ... It was so far removed from who I was and my understanding, that I had to read it with a dictionary in one hand, you know, to try to figure out what the hell she was talking about. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: So, when I say that I hope that my stuff becomes irrelevant, it's going to, I'm not going to be relatable to a 14-year-old in 30 or 40 years. It's just not going to happen. And I think that's great. You know? ANDREW: You never know, you'll have a syndicated tv show at that point, and ... MELISSA: Yeah... ROSE: A couple of books, and movies, and people will be following you on the Internets, and ... ANDREW: Manga and reinterpretations of your books, and reinventions, and ... [laughter] ROSE: You will be then flown to China, many times! And! But no, seriously. And I think I agree with Melissa on this, but I also see what your point is, Andrew, and I think what I ... I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater if you will. Because again, if you're following a tradition, that's very different. In my opinion. Because, again, like you said, your Orisha has a structure. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And tarot has a structure, true. And adding pop culture won't—shouldn't, let me be more specific—shouldn't take away from the underlying structure. But as— ANDREW: And I don't think that pop culture is at all an issue in relation to tarot— ROSE: No, no, no, no— ANDREW: I wouldn't be having this conversation if I did, right? ROSE: No, no, no, no—no, no. No, what I'm saying is I think that the way that I may have phrased it is like, it does not apply to everything. You cannot apply ... You can't take the Orisha tradition and then apply pop culture to it ... They're two very different things. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: And there is a foundation in tarot that is being something you can move and mesh with. But it doesn't, the foundation doesn't go away, even when you apply the pop culture. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And I wonder if—oh, I'm sorry. ROSE: No, go ahead. MELISSA: If the difference between the two is that Orisha is sacred and when tarot is sacred to someone, they don't really want pop figures in their tarot. ROSE: Right. MELISSA: So, it's how close you hold it to who you are and your faith. And tarot to me is a tool, it's a stack of pretty cards that help me do my thing, that's fantastic, and I'll be really pissed if ... ANDREW: Pop culture is sacred to you, right? MELISSA: It's a tool, it's a tool that I love, but I ... you know, I don't have it on my altar, I don't worship it. I don't think that. ... They're a tool that I can use really well, but that doesn't mean that they're sacred to me. You know? That might be the difference, you know? ANDREW: For me, with my tarot cards, right, I'm a huge fan of the Joseph Peterson reproduction of the Jean Noblet Tarot de Marseilles. That is basically the only one that I read with right now. And so like, when I realized that they were going to go out of print, I just took three and put them in a drawer, cellophane-wrapped, so that when the one that I'm using now wears out, which it is starting to kind of get a bit worn, I can just be like, yeah, I don't need to be sad about this, they're just ink on paper, I'll go get another one from the drawer, you know? MELISSA: Yeah. I did the same thing with the Uusi Pagan Otherworlds Tarot. I saw one picture—Ryan Edwards posted a picture of it, and I bought two. And I was like, this is for me, and this one is for future me. And future me is going to thank me, because I'm going to read with this about ten times a week forever, and then I'll need a new one, because they speak to me so much. But it's just like a really good chef's knife. You know? If you find the knife that fits your hand, that's the one that you're going to want to have around. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: Not that I can cook. I really can't! But I know that knives are expensive. ROSE: Knives are important, knives are important, good to know, I agree. But again, it's kind of like, you're honoring the basis, you're not changing it. And you're adding a layer to understanding, I don't ... [sigh] It's just, oh gosh, that's just two very separate things for me. Cause again, I do put tarot cards on my altar, and I generally use the Rider Waite Smith just because it's simple for that. I don't read with one of those very often, unless I'm at an event where I don't know if people are going to know it. I bring in one with me, but my cards always vary, I'm either carrying around the Everyday Witch Tarot, which just recently came out in the last two years, or the Druidcraft, which I've cut the borders off of, which was a thing you didn't do back in the day and now you do if you want to, and I've got like three copies of that particular deck cause it spoke to me. I've got my Robin Wood because again, my mood changes, I mean I've got three different copies of the Voyager, and I have one that I've cut in fours so that I can like, have a focus, I need to have something focused, pull that corner of that card and go, okay that's the thing I need to look at, then go get the bigger image and figure out what that was, and … But again, I don't think I'm getting rid of the sacredness that the tarot, air quotes, is founded on, cause again we're still, there are still arguments about how that's been founded, but anyway. But I wouldn't necessarily take pop culture and put my religious aspects on it, cause like I said I'm trying to study Celtic recre- recreation- bleh. Ah, talking! Celtic reconstructionism, that's the word, and I'm trying to find out that by reading their actual text. And that's not … But again, now how do you talk to people who are studying Norse mythology right now? And, you know, all the love of all of the Thor movies, and all of that, you know, and what about Loki and those movies, cause people are now making their version of Loki look like Tom Hiddleston. Lovely as he is, that's not the Norse mythology Loki. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. ROSE: So, but they're blending that a little bit. And is that going against the sacred text, because that's their image of it, even though they may be reading the actual text, they're still visualizing Tom Hiddleston? I don't know. ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: I'm always a fan of visualizing Tom Hiddleston, just to be on record, I have no problems with that. ROSE: [laughing] ANDREW: I think few people have a problem with that, very very few people. Yeah. ROSE: He's lovely, but, do you know what I'm saying? ANDREW: Yeah, absolutely. MELISSA: Yeah, absolutely. MELISSA: But I think it again goes to, how close do you hold it to you? If that's something that you hold very close to you, then that's not okay, and I think that we have to be really mindful of that, with other people, of how close they hold something, before we go goofing around with it, you know? For sure. ROSE: Did that answer your question, Andrew? ANDREW: Did I have a question? ROSE: Well, I want to make sure we spoke to the ... cause again, you said you agreed and disagreed with our statement, and I'm thinking, well, yeah, I get both of what you're talking about, and I want to make sure that we responded. ANDREW: Yeah, I think that there's a couple things, right? One is, people get really upset about the tradition of tarot. Right? And what they mean by the tradition of tarot depends on who that person is, right? ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: Do they mean, you know, Arthur Waite, and Rider-Waite-Smith, and sort of the various things that come from that? ROSE: [whispering] The Golden Dawn! ANDREW: Do they mean, you know, something different, like ...? And to some extent, I think that there's this sort of ... It's a ... It's a fake argument, right? Because ultimately there are at least a handful of branches of tarot from a big perspective, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: You know, but you can go down and then there's all those sort of branches that come from these things, and if you're in one and looking at the other, they're always kind of challenging, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: I mean I started reading tarot initially with the Mythic Tarot but really focused on Crowley's work, right, and so I basically just read The Book of Thoth, right, over and over and over again ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: And people would say to me, like, well how do I learn Crowley's Thoth deck, and I'm like, “He wrote a book, you read it, like, I don't understand the question,” right? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: And, it's kind of unfair, cause the book is complicated and obtuse and difficult to read and you know, all of those things, right? But again, it was the only thing I could get my hands on and, back in the 80s and 90s, as far as I knew, it was the only thing in print. There was nothing else to get. So, I was like, I'm just going to keep reading this thing until it makes more sense. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: So, there's that, right? But I also think that … I think there is the challenge where people layer other things like well, maybe like pop culture, certainly like their own intuitive or self-derived meanings, and then assert those as like, you know, universal or inherently true or all those kinds of things, right? Because there ... I think that one can do anything you like with tarot, and I think that you should do everything that you like and feel like you want to do with tarot. And associate those meanings and all of that kind of stuff ... ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: The challenge is where people sort of erase the rest of the branches of the trees, right? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: You know, I've met a bunch of people who were very good psychics who used cards, but I would never really consider them card readers because what they do has no bearing on anything that I've ever understood to be reading the cards. ROSE: Hmm. ANDREW: They lay them out and they start talking, and they're like, “Oh yeah, this one, and blah blah blah blah blah,” and I'm like, “Why is the Ten of Swords getting a new job?” and they're like, “I don't know, that's the message I get,” and I'm like, “Okay.” And their readings are true ... ROSE: Right. ANDREW: But they literally have no bearing whatsoever on anything that anybody would agree upon who has studied cards at all. Right? So, I ... ROSE: Huh. ANDREW: But those people—the couple of people that I've met that way—asserted what they were doing was traditional, was reading the cards, and I'm like, “It's not, it's something else, you know?” And not that it's invalid, but it's where things get confusing, right? MELISSA: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: So. Yeah. So that's my mix of things. ROSE: Now I want to meet some of those people and see how they read. Cause that'd be interesting, cause the Ten of Swords as a job ... Huh. Interesting. ANDREW: Yeah. ROSE: Interesting. ANDREW: It's easy. You just like, deal out like 20 cards on the table in some random ever-changing pattern every time you do it, and then you just look at them and say things, and that's it. That's what it looks like, so. ROSE: Okay. All right. I will have to find somebody who does it that way, then. That's interesting. Yeah. Hmm. I don't know. ANDREW: Uh-huh. Were you going to say something, Melissa? I saw you like, lean in there. MELISSA: Yeah, I, you know, I think that I've read like that before, when I've just done the readings intuitively and the cards don't matter. I don't … I hardly look at them, and if I need them to make a point, I'll find the card that makes that point with what I'm saying, but it becomes like a connection psychic reading or whatever, and I'll glance at the cards and just do the reading, and I'll pull stuff out of wherever it comes from, and the cards … Basically shuffling them helps the person relax, you know? Handling them helps me get in the place that I need to be, and then the reading just happens. And, should I see something in the cards that pushes forth what I'm getting, then I'll be like, “Oh, yeah, this thing here, right, yeah, this is what the sword is doing,” and it kind of ... I did it more when I was first starting out, because I didn't know what the hell I was doing. And I was like, “Oh, well, I'm thinking about your mother, and here's a lady sitting in a chair, so clearly those two things are related.” But now, if I'm not paying attention to the way that I'm doing readings, I'll just start reading for somebody while they're shuffling, before they've even put the cards, like, down, and I'll start the reading, and then I'll be like “Oh, crap! I was supposed to wait. Sorry, my bad!” And that's just how my readings have evolved. So, it's strange, but, you know, it is what it is. I'm not everybody's cup of tea. ROSE: But you are someone's shot of whiskey. It's fine. MELISSA: I'm a bit weird in that way, but I think that it's just kind of merging two different styles of reading, because I can read just the cards, and I can read without them, and when I merge the two, sometimes one way is stronger, and sometimes the other one is. So. ANDREW: Yeah. But you're not ... it doesn't sound like you're confusing the two. MELISSA: No. They're definitely different. ANDREW: Yeah. MELISSA: And. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. ANDREW: So. For people who want to play with pop culture, what should they do? ROSE: What do you mean? ANDREW: Well, people listening to this and maybe this is a newer idea, or they've been thinking about it, but don't know where to start? If you're, like, going to start, like, incorporating or thinking about pop culture as a thing that could overlap and intersect with spiritual practice, like reading the cards or something else, where do people start? MELISSA: I always like, when I have students, I ask them to start a tarot journal, and I ... One of the first things I ask them to do is to find their favorite fandom and match the major arcana to as many characters as they can, and then we talk about why they came up with those answers. ROSE: Mm. MELISSA: The other thing I do is ask them to find a song for each card. And a song that kind of speaks to the meaning of, like there's a song called “Pendulum Swinger,” and I'm like, this to me, by the Indigo Girls, is the High Priestess. And, so, they listen to the song that I pick, and I say, “Why do you think that I picked that?” And it just gives us like, an hour's worth of conversation based on a song in Firefly about cards, that it helps them connect to them in a way that they didn't know that they could, and it's fun. It's really fun. So, that's what I do. ROSE: I generally try and have people just look at the cards and see what they see. If they're new, and they're like, “I'm not ... This makes no sense!” The first thing I tell them and, sorry people who write the Little White Books, or the LWBs, I tell them to put that away. And to just take time with, you know, tarot journal, every day, pick a card, write what you see, tell me what it feels like to you, find a word, just one word, to describe that card. And go through all the cards. And then, is there something in your community, your stuff you love, the interests that you have, that comes up for you when you see that card? Write that down. And then, when we meet, we talk about what it is you saw, why did you see it, and how does it connect? And sometimes it's pop culture, sometimes it's just, you know, something they read, but, and that's still something that's going on around them, and then we talk about it. And then, you know, it might be—cause most of my friends are Star Wars fans—we talk about Star Wars connected to the tarot. Or we'll talk about Star Trek cause that's the other fandom, cause we're old school like that. ANDREW: Well, when I ... ROSE: In that way. ANDREW: Was studying Kabbalah the first time, Star Trek Next Generation was on the air, right? So, the conversation was, all right, Tree of Life, which one's the Captain? Which one's Worf? Which one's, you know, whoever, right? ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: Kind of running through that. And making those parallels and sitting in a room of people and discussing that. ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: That's such a wonderful, like, I think that one of the great things about these kinds of ideas is the dialogue about where they can get ascribed to is tremendously educating, you know? ROSE: Mmmhmm. ANDREW: There's no right or wrong answers, you know, depending on the angle or the lens we use, they could be a variety of things, right? You know? I mean, Jack Burton can be the Fool, right? But they can also be a variety of other things depending on where they are in that journey. Right? ROSE: Right. ANDREW: But, yeah. ROSE: Well, and who would you make—I would say Wang might be more the Fool, and Jack is the Magician. MELISSA: I don't know. I put Wang as Temperance, and Burton as the Fool, cause Wang balances mind, body, and spirit a lot better than anyone else. ROSE: Ah. ANDREW: Yeah. I think, I mean. You think about Jack Burton, you know? Especially that scene where like, all of the scenes with him that machine gun, right? Like he's there and he's got this machine pistol thing, right? ROSE: Yeah. ANDREW: He jumps out and he tries to shoot it and he's like, “Oh, it doesn't work.” And then he goes back and tries to fix it, he comes back, and all of a sudden everything's whatever, he drops it, or he shoots the bricks over his head, they hit him in the head and he falls down, you know like, there's this constant set of things. To me, Egg Chen would be the Magician. Right? You know? He's got his potion, right? ROSE: Yeah.... ANDREW: That helps him see things nobody can see and do things nobody can do? ROSE: Yeah... ANDREW: And he's got his bag and ... ROSE: But I would make him the Hierophant. ANDREW: Hmm. ROSE: I'd make him the Hierophant because he's the teacher, even though you might not want to learn the lesson, or you're not ready to see it, he's got the answers. But that's me. MELISSA: Yeah, I think that Gracie would be that, because Gracie has all the back story and the information that they're missing to go on their adventure, so Gracie Law basically jumps in to say, “Oh, by the way, you need to go to this place, this is who that guy is, here's what he's up to, here's who these guys are, and in that way he hands them the keys to their adventure, right?” ANDREW: Mmmhmm. MELISSA: And the cool thing about this conversation is, all of us disagree, and nobody's being an asshole about it. [laughter] MELISSA: Which I think is really cool, and that more people should probably do when they're talking about tarot. ANDREW: Perfect. ROSE: Yes! No matter what the lens that you're talking about it with, I would agree. ANDREW: Absolutely, absolutely. All right, well thank you all for hanging out and indulging my ridiculousness around this conversation. I deeply appreciate it. Rose, where should people come find you online? ROSE: You can find me on Twitter @RoseRedTarot, and also on Instagram @RoseRedTarot, or you can find me at Tarot Visions podcast, on iTunes and Pod Bean. ANDREW: Nice! And links in the show notes. And, Melissa? MELISSA: If you Google Little Fox Tarot, you'll find me. I'm out there! ANDREW: Perfect. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, and yeah, it's been really fun and ridiculous, and thanks for agreeing and disagreeing but certainly for showing up, so, awesome!
This episode features a high voltage conversation with Julienne and Melissa Cynova, owner of Little Fox Tarot. Melissa has been slinging tarot cards and teaching classes since 1989. Her first book, Kitchen Table Tarot was released this year, and her next book is underway. We are giving away 2 copies of Kitchen Table Tarot! The next Patron to sign up at a $2 a month or higher level will get a copy of the book! More info an to sign up visit Tiny.cc/tarot Or find our entry posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram . The conversation ranges from tarot in current events, pop culture and let me tell you we filled the swear jar in this episode. If you are sensitive to expletives this might not be the episode for you. More about Melissa: She lives in St. Louis with her outstanding kids, her sweet husband, Joe, two cats, two dogs, and a tortoise named Phil. When she's not slinging cards, she's enjoying her tribe and probably watching a superhero movie while reading a book. She is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Go ahead and schedule a reading – she already knows you want one. LittleFoxTarot.com Topics include: The Moon Trump Politics The Fool Heros journey The Outsider The World The Heirophant The Tower 6 of swords Miss Cleo
Sacred Signs & Symbols with Sherri Dillard Psychic since childhood, Sherrie Dillard has been a professional psychic, medium and medical intuitive, for over twenty-five years. She is the author of the best-selling, Discover Your Psychic Type, You Are a Medium and four other books. Sherrie has been featured on television and radio for her work as a psychic detective and medium and is a frequent contributor to Om-Times magazine. Sherrie’s love of service combined with her intuitive ability has catapulted her intuitive practice around the globe. She has given over 50,000 readings worldwide. Embrace your authentic self and let your soul’s light shine forth with guidance from 150 lessons meant to inspire, motivate, and teach. This empowering book helps you shed what is false and come to know, accept, and express your true self. http://www.sherriedillard.comKitchen Table Tarot with Melissa CynovaTarot is a journey that we take together. Just the two of us. You lead the way, and I'll point out the troublesome spots or the things you might miss if you're looking in the wrong direction. (Forward. Always look forward.) I'm a tarot reader because I like to listen and help people listen to themselves. I'm a reader because I'm a little bossy and a lot pragmatic. I'm a reader because I can't NOT be a reader. I've been doing readings for about 27 years, reading for nearly 5,000 people. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, I give in person readings to folks in the area, and if they're not, I do it by phone or email. Wherever you are, it doesn't matter - I can reach you, and we can work together. http://littlefoxtarot.com
Llewellyn's Little Book of Psychic Development with Melanie Barnum. Melanie Barnum is a psychic intuitive, medium, hypnotist, reflexologist, and Reiki master and author of eight books on spirituality and psychic development. http://www.melaniebarnum.comKitchen Table Tarot with Melissa CynovaMelissa Cynova -Tarot is a journey that we take together. Just the two of us. You lead the way, and I'll point out the troublesome spots or the things you might miss if you're looking in the wrong direction. http://littlefoxtarot.com
On today’s podcast, I chat with Melissa Cynova, author of Kitchen Table Tarot. When Melissa was 14, a kid in her class gave her a deck of tarot cards for unknown reasons. She's been reading ever since. In addition to being a prolific tarot reader over at littlefoxtarot.com, she teaches classes at her kitchen table and at tarot conferences. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri. Her book, Kitchen Table Tarot, was published by Llewellyn and came out in early April. In this podcast episode, you’ll learn: All about Melissa’s book Kitchen Table Tarot Melissa’s style of Tarot reading, which is accessible and real, and approaches it from where we are right now How Melissa found her Tarot Tribe Additional Resources Check out Melissa Cynova at Little Fox Tarot Purchase Melissa’s book, Kitchen Table Tarot Learn how to become an intuitive Tarot card reader with my signature program, Master the Tarot Card Meanings
Rose Red and Jaymi interview Melissa Cynova. Listen in as they discuss Melissa's Kitchen Table Tarot, her tarot philosophy, and quiz her on who she'd put on the first ten cards for a "Harry Potter" tarot deck. You can find Melissa at www.littlefoxtarot.com, Facebook, and Instagram. Note: this episode does have some slight cussing in it!