Incandescent Tarot Podcast

We’re back at long last with another installment of “Ask a Tarot Reader"! Listen in as I dive into two excellent listener-submitted questions. The first touches on the tens of the minor arcana:

“Why do you think the 10’s are so different from each other (or not)? The 10’s of pentacles and cups are so abundant, joyful, and triumphant, while the 10’s of wands and swords are overwhelming, burdensome, and a real bummer. I know there’s a range of what they can represent, but I’m curious about how you’d explain the apparent contrast.”

and the second brings us to the world of the Major Arcana:

“How does the Star card relate to the star in the Hermit’s lamp?”

Submit your own question .::. https://www.incandescenttarot.com/askatarotreader

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

What a fascinating group of cards for April! This month is animated by the call to move towards peace and fulfillment via the Six of Swords, and it seems as if our environment card, the Ten of Cups, isn’t just giving us a green light, it’s giving us a full-on, resplendent rainbow. This is a long and poignant journey, however, and we’ve been preparing for it for some time. The World from last month gave us a peek at the landscape we’ll be traversing and now our job is to wade into it and stay the course, trusting in our emotions, intuition, and deeper wisdom. Our challenge will be to resist the urge to turn this moment into one of practicality and caution like the Knight of Pentacles. This is not a month to reason away our joy, wishes, or values. Luckily, the Knight of Swords is rising to the challenge and shows us using or words, wit, and conviction for good; choosing what matters to us, trusting in the meaning we make of our lives, and defending our dedication to connection, sweetness, and community.

Listen in for the full forecast, including an enthusiastic deep-dive into these two knights, rapturous explorations of the swords suit done right, and lots of impassioned musings on spring as a season for new beginnings.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

This month we shift from the analytic, sharp swords and into the feeling world of the cups. The Two of Cups sees us reaching out and being received by others. What insights can we gift to those close to us? What can be revealed to us in turn? The Hierophant suggests that there’s profound wisdom to explore in this space and the energy to make headway in areas of our life that give us a sense of meaning and purpose. Our challenge card, the Two of Wands, shows a desire to turn away from all this and keep things light, but in doing so we’d just be hiding in our actualization, healing, and self-expression as shown in our opportunity card: The World.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

February’s reading features a bevy of swords cards. We’re poised to step into the shoes (and throne) of the discerning and stoic King of Swords while struggling against “Knight of Swords impulses” in ourselves and others to rush to conclusions, have the first and last word, and figure it all out. Yet underneath it all, we’re undergoing a slow and steady journey away from ideas and expectations we’ve outgrown. The Six of Swords shows a deliberate choice to take responsibility for ourselves and remain open to input from the world around us. Think sailing across the river vs. sweating to build a whole bridge. All this complexity, if we choose to engage with it, steers us towards the fertile shore of The Star where wisdom and peace await. Sounds alluring! And well worth the pointedness of the rest of our reading.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

Listen in as we explore the cards for the first month of 2024! But first, a look at our transition from a Chariot Year (2023) to a year animated by Strength (2024). It’s been a wild ride, and this jump seems both exciting and grounding. The year starts out with a serious and zesty batch of cards. January’s theme is The Hermit, where we travel inward to uncover animating truths that give our lives meaning. The environment is supportive of this quest along with many others touching on themes of romance, connection, and spiritual meaning. The Knight of Cups shows our enthusiasm and more than a little potential to be “extra.” We’ll be challenged to resist the assumption that we have to go it alone like the Eight of Cups, yet the gravitational pull of The Lovers reminds us that life is sweet and exciting when we find people who support, understand, and expand what really matters to us.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

Listen in to the latest edition of “Ask a Tarot Reader,” a segment where we explore two listener-submitted questions: one about how to read tarot and the other a personal question or issue to invesitagate with a two-card tarot reading. This month, we’re starting with a reading about how to survive/endure/thrive in the challenging holiday season, and we finish with a perennial concern: reversed card. To read with them or not?

To submit a question // Click here

More on Reversals // Click here

A few quick podcast annoucements:

* I will no longer be sending out emails for each new episode. This is a spam-free space! To stay up to date, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (and while you’re at it, do leave a rating and review ;)

* In case you missed it, transcripts are available for all episodes. Simply click the transcript bar below the audio player to read the episode in its full glory. (Caveat: the transcript is AI-generated and sometimes I miss ridiculous mistranslations. I hope they’re entertaining!)

Our Cards from the Mini-Reading:

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

December is here! In this last forecast for 2023, we’re visited by the introspective, questing Hermit who invites us to go inward to find authentic, actionable, and realistic ways to navigate tradition, structure, and lineage represented by The Hierophant (and the entire holiday season). We may find ourselves tempted to overindulge and distract ourselves with celebration and socialization through the Three of Cups; however, healthy expansion can be found in recognizing the meaningful actions we’ve been taking individually and collectively so that we can continue to practice them moving forward. Listen in for the entire reading and be sure to leave a rating and review or share if you found this forecast helpful.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to the latest installation of “Ask a Tarot Reader” where we dive into listener-submitted questions about 1) how to read tarot and 2) personal questions for an answer via a two-card tarot reading.

This month, our question about tarot comes from a listener who asks:

“How do you read challenging cards without falling to either 'they are good/bad'? Some cards can be seen as so challenging (from knowledge or past experience), yet you seem to be able to read each time with curiosity and openness, without your intuition being cluttered by challenging experiences with the cards. Would you say that comes with practice with the cards/self-care routines/personality trait? What would be your advice(s)? (I ask because I can sometimes feel 'overwhelmed' by certain cards when I read to myself, and it can take away my initial enthusiasm and intuition.)”

The question for our tarot reading comes from a listener named G, who asks:

“Will I ever feel fulfilled by my professional career again?”

Listen in as we discuss their card: The Eight of Cups and The Tower.

To submit a question // Click Here

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

I had several moments of pause when recording this episode. 1) To reshuffle or not reshuffle? This spread has a wild repeat, but after a busy event, I knew the draw was thoroughly random, and as much as I’d have loved to not talk about this card again, I do believe that the reading in front of you is exactly the reading you need. And 2) should I re-record? I may not have reacted so elegantly to our repeat visitor! Again, I decided no: this podcast is all about authentic, live tarot readings, including incredulous pauses, hemming and hawing, and all. So listen in for the whole reading where we grapple with the Five of Pentacles once again, yet are joined by the tender and intrepid Page of Cups who asks us to practice positivity and some joyful creative thinking. We may be tempted, however, to distract ourselves from tough spots with newness, achievement, and a full schedule via the Page of Wands. Ultimately, we have the opportunity to retreat into a place of deep knowing - the Two of Swords - where we’ll be able to approach a long-held decision with poise and clarity.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to a new segment of the Incandescent Tarot podcast, Ask a Tarot Reader! These used to be snuggled in at the end of regular episodes, but they’re too much fun to keep in the corner.

In Ask a Tarot Reader, I’ll answer two listener questions each month about:

* Tarot! how to read, troubleshooting issues, anything that’s been nagging you as you explore this wonderful and, let’s be real, often-confusing practice.

* Life! Submit a personal question for a mini-reading at the end of each episode.

To submit a question of either stipe visit incancescenttarot.com/askatarotreader or send an email to [email protected].

This month, we explore a question about intuitive readings and advanced decks:

I read intuitively using a RW deck. The Prisma Visions Tarot deck draws me. I worry, though: is a deck with such sophisticated imagery too advanced for me? Perhaps I will not be able read intuitively with such a deck? How can I tell whether the deck is too advanced for me?

To take a gander at the stunning Prisma Visions Deck // Click Here

…and answering a question from lovely subscriber, Lisa, who asks:

what should I expect through the end of the year? Will I close any business or find any love interest?

See her cards below:

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com/subscribe