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I am often asked, “How in the WORLD did you become a Tarot reader after being a committed Christian?”
It was a long and convoluted path, which meant that it took more than one book to unpack how I left the church and eventually become a professional intuitive. These things are not so distant from each other — intuition is intuition — but there were so many voices that said the two cannot co-exist. They were right.
I was afraid for a long time of dipping into the magical pond — but seemed unable to avoid the many crazy teachers, including a Catholic nun, who placed Tarot cards into my hands. Or they’d say, You’re a healer, you’re special, you’re an old soul, etc.
It would make me deeply angry, too — this crafting of my future, as I had already imagined myself as a professor, writer and traveller. I was done with people, especially those in the church, imposing their will on my trajectory. Those voices fell away as I began the process of claiming my identity as a gay woman, which meant that I would lose my entire community that was bound to the idea of church. There was no place for me there; my earliest lesson of the Death card.
Things end.
That still didn’t stop others outside of the church from attempting to control me — and I had to learn that that only person who creates my world was / is me.
Didn’t happen overnight.
That earlier world of Christianity was meant to be left, the younger self who strived to hear and believe “God” — I was a very good Christian — as another road awaited my decision. It took years and years before I ever considered being a Tarot reader because not only did I fear hell, I thought it was corny as shit. That certainly wasn’t me.
Yet here I am, down that road, a Tarot reader / healer / writer / whatever you want to call me — with two new books on . . . you guessed it! Tarot reading. Leaving the church. Remaining healthy and successful as an entrepreneur for decades now.
So, let me introduce my two new books!
The Reluctant Tarot Reader: 21 Years. 78 Lessons. are the best of my Substack essays on life, love, soulmates, Tarot and how to integrate your intuitive/telepathic abilities in everyday life (short take: be normal.) Many of you may be familiar with the essays in The Reluctant Tarot Reader: 21 Years. 78 Lessons but I have arranged and edited them into a pleasant meander through 78 lessons — yes, a nod to the Tarot there. You can download the Kindle version on any device — and listen to the audiobook, as well.
Your Words Remain: 22 Essays are quick bites of Tarot wisdom that touch upon leaving fundamentalist Christianity and reshaping our faith, how to negotiate a private Tarot event and drawing in the ideal clients. It dips into the pervasive fears that psychics can have over punishment, exposure and shame. It also discusses how and if you should leave your day job, whether a Tarot reader can actually read themselves and how to appreciate psychic children entering this world. This is a shorter book of essays but contain all sorts of helpful suggestions on how to grow your practice — and remain happy, healthy and optimistic in what seems like a very chaotic world. And yes, 22 is another nod to the Tarot.
The hardest lessons make the greatest books.
{A note regarding AI: None of my books are imagined or written using any form of AI, though I am quite happy with the AI version of virtual voice that Amazon offers for my audiobooks. There was a time that Audible audiobooks were a nightmare to craft, taking months of back and forth with an actress. Now it literally takes less than a minute for AI to insert virtual voice into my already written book. I still need to listen / edit pronunciation but I am impressed by the speed and clarity. And I’m a sucker for a British accent . . . }