Let’s Talk Spiritual Therapists

We’ve all seen them. Sometimes they spam your Instagram messages. Sometimes you see advertisements for them out in the wild. Maybe you have a friend who wants to market themselves as a spiritual therapist. Maybe you want to market yourself as a spiritual therapist. But should you?

The short answer is absolutely not if you do not have the license to practice as a therapist or any other medical professional. For a refresher, a therapist is a licensed medical professional regulated by a board of authorities for the location they are practicing in. This is not something to take lightly. In most areas, schooling to become a licensed therapist requires a master’s degree or a doctorate. In order to practice, you are also required to undergo a certain hefty number of hours to complete your licensing requirements. Any average person who has not undergone this schooling and training cannot claim to be a therapist. Period. That carries a charge of medical malpractice and impersonation with fines in the tens of thousands of dollars and prison sentences, some as severe as ten years per offense. All it takes is for one person to report you and the investigative boards can and will subpoena all of your records and proceed accordingly. In addition, if you do not have the proper disclaimers on your websites and social media accounts, you then risk having fraud penalties tacked on.

People will often add this title to their social media accounts or websites because it gives them an inflated sense of authority that quite frankly, they are not entitled to. It is incredibly irresponsible and deceptive to advertise yourself this way if you do not have the proper licensing to do so. That being said, there are licensed therapists who incorporate tarot into their practice. The best thing to do to vet the people claiming to be therapists is to inquire regarding their license. A real professional therapist will be able to provide you with that information. Simply having an office is not enough to verify that someone is a licensed therapist. Simply having that title or “Dr.” in their social media accounts or websites is not enough to verify that someone is a licensed therapist or medical professional, especially when their primary adverts are for spiritual services.

But Kat, what am I supposed to call myself then? Well, I’m glad you asked. Aside from titles such as spiritualist, psychic, or medium, there are alternative titles available to you. “Spiritual advisor” is one. “Spiritual life coach” is another. Anything that does not impersonate a medical professional is available to you. You can even create your own. Just make sure it doesn’t include any copyrighted titles or characters in your title. It’s as easy as that.

But if they can do it, why can’t I? Because it’s only a matter of time before the regulatory boards become stricter and impose penalties on these people. You can try to get away with it for as long as you can. But is that really worth risking everything just so you can deceive your clients? There are already so many fraudsters and predators in the spiritual community. Do you really want to partake in the same advertising techniques that most people will recognize as a scam? Do you want to risk being reported?

Oh, but it’ll never happen to me! Never say never.

If you want to run a legitimate spiritual practice, then it’s important to comply with the laws and regulations of where you choose to do business. Whether that’s online or offline, being open and honest will get you a lot further in the game in the long run. You’ll never have to worry about your sites being shut down every other week because you’ve been reported for spam and being an imposter. You won’t have to worry about people outing you as a fraud. When you approach your business with honesty and integrity, the customer base will follow.

If you’ve read the risks and think you’re going to just go ahead and claim a title that’s illegal for you to use, that’s your life and your choice. Just prepare yourself for the consequences, both worldly and karmically.

“Nicewashing” Tarot Decks

What is Nicewashing?
Nicewashing is when the darker elements of a tarot deck are removed. Cards that normally scare people, like the 10 of Swords, Death, the Tower, etc. are changed to a more “light” version. Some of the darker imagery might be removed or modified and the creator of the deck might offer a different, gentler perspective for the card.

Why is Nicewashing Such a Hot Topic?
Some tarot practitioners believe that by removing the heavy imagery from the deck, it creates an imbalance with the deck. Some people feel that the shadow aspects of a tarot deck are an important building block and by removing them, you are ruining the integrity of a tarot deck. Some people believe it’s spiritually bypassing and tricking a reader or querent into thinking that there is no “negativity” in the reading.

Is there ever a time where nicewashing might be appropriate?
Nicewashing can be appropriate in certain situations. If someone has just lost a loved one, for an example, you’re not necessarily going to want to break out your heavy-hitting decks by default. If a querent is going through it, sometimes they need a more uplifting message. For some clients, some imagery like in the 10 of Swords can be triggering, especially for someone who was or knew a victim of violence. And other times, you might have a client who is afraid of tarot and you don’t want to feed into that fear and scare your client. Is this “babying” your querent? Not necessarily. The core meanings of the cards are still the same, but sometimes a gentler perspective or visual is needed. As long as you are taking into account the core meaning of the card, you can still read perfectly well with a nicewashed deck.

When is a nicewashed deck problematic?
The only time a nicewashed deck is really problematic is if someone is purely using it to spiritually bypass and ignore any negative aspects in their lives. But truthfully, these types of people don’t need a nicewashed deck to accomplish this. You can give this type of person the darkest, grungiest deck on the market and they still find a way to apply toxic positivity to all of the cards throughout the deck. Using a deck with a gentler visual perspective does not automatically put a person into this camp.

Where do you stand in the debate of nicewashed decks?
Personally, it doesn’t bother me. There are such a variety of decks on the market that there are decks for everyone. There are still darker decks being produced. There are still neutral decks being produced. And there are more light-hearted decks being produced.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think nicewashed decks read any differently for me. I’ve used the Happy Tarot here and there, and while it looks like a cutesy, lovable deck, it reads like an absolute savage that is roasting my entire existence. On the other hand, my copy of the Tarot Restless, which looks like an absolute eldritch horror, reads like a gentle baby to me and highkey has “pls protecc” energy to it.
The idea that you can’t get nitty gritty readings from a deck with light-hearted imagery is flawed, in my opinion.
That being said, if you’re using a deck to just spiritually bypass and pretend like everything is fine in your life, maybe don’t. See my post on shadow work. This is an important part of yourself to face if you want to grow as a person.
So at the end of the day, to me it’s not a deck issue. If a nicewashed deck is going to be problematic, it would be more on the reader’s side and how they use the deck. If you’re drawn to “nicer” decks, then by all means have at it. Just make sure you’re taking into account all aspects of the cards contained in the deck.

Lumina Tarot Deck Review

The Lumina Tarot is a gorgeous deck created by Inner Hue. The deck features a watercolor feel and blends both greyscale and watercolor effects in its card composition.Some cards are filled with color, some are not.The imagery is very much animal totems, sacred geometry, and blends in traditional tarot symbolism as well.The Lumina Tarot retails at $70 AUD (Roughly $56 USD), which tends to be an average price for an indie deck. Worth noting is that it comes with a guidebook (Not a LWB; an actual guidebook) and a tarot bag as well (So if you factor in the cost of buying a separate guidebook as quite a few brands do and a tarot bag, usually that would be around $20-$40 extra, depending. So subtracting the cost of the accessories from the deck, the deck itself would come in at around $20, which is the traditional price of a mass market deck). The tarot bag is a black cloth with the Inner Hue logo. It’s a sturdy cloth that almost feels like canvas, so it’s most likely durable. The deck also comes in a very sturdy box. Personally, I don’t keep the boxes, but it is a larger sized box but it’s durable. When it arrives, the box containing the cards comes wrapped in black tissue paper like an envelope in the outer packaging. Shipping from Australia to New York wasn’t too bad and took roughly a week to arrive. If you need the deck urgently, it’s worth noting that the shipping times may be anywhere from a week to two weeks for international shipping, if not longer depending on the customs of the country you’re in.An Instagram post showing the unboxing process can be found here.The card size is slightly taller than the average tarot deck, but not large enough that someone with small hands would have difficulty shuffling the deck. The cardstock is thicker than usual, matte, and smooth. The deck shuffles well. The only negative to the cardstock is that there is a line at the top of the cards that’s almost like a perforation from the printing. This doesn’t affect the cards and doesn’t damage them, but there is a line of a tiny bump of uncut cardstock along the top. Personally, this doesn’t bother me, but if you’re picky about such a thing, you may have to use an Xacto knife and cut the tiny piece off.The printed images on the cards are sharp and while the colors have the subdued effect of watercolor paint, the colors are still vibrant. This deck is a wonderful deck if you want one to Instagram with (Trust me, I’ve photographed it extensively for my Instagram account). There is a very tiny copyright on the bottom right of the cards in the card border. The backs of the cards are simplistic (3 Inner Hue logos, the one in the middle is slightly larger) and fully reversible. The black printed backs are fully opaque and there is no printing inconsistencies as there are in some other printed decks.As for reading, I find that the deck lends itself very well to intuitive reading. If you’re a fan of the Linestrider and Wild Unknown tarot decks, this deck essentially combines the two into one cohesive deck. The deck is very animal-centric and it certainly helps to have a working knowledge of animal totems and symbolism if you intend to work with this deck. The pips are slightly illustrated, with the pips being simplistic in that it’s simply the suit symbolism and an animal/insect or the suit symbolism and one additional symbol. There are a few pips that incorporate traditional RWS symbolism, but the Minor Arcana is somewhat like a blend of RWS and TdM. I don’t believe a lot of prior knowledge is needed in order to work with this deck and this deck is one of the easier decks to learn. It’s perfect as a beginner deck or an advanced tarot reader’s deck.All in all, this deck gets a solid 10/10 from me. It reads beautifully, the artwork is gorgeous, the cardstock is perfect in that it’s thick enough to not have damage and doesn’t stick, and the deck is the perfect size for shuffling. If you’re looking for a deck that has a very ethereal and almost hippy-like feel, then look no further. This deck is a lovely choice.

My Thoughts on “Negative” Readings

I feel like I see this so often in tarot communities.

“My tarot reader said this negative thing is going to happen, so that reading can’t be legitimate.”

Have we as a tarot community forgotten that tarot works with both shadows and light? The good and the bad? Have we become so worried about “negativity” that we’ve washed out the Death card, wiped any traces of negativity in a reading to “empower” a sitter, and believe that life is only rainbows and glitter?

 

That being said, I don’t agree with the delivery of blunt, negative readings. I do think a reader has an obligation from an ethical standpoint to state what’s in the cards, no matter how “negative” it may seem (Otherwise, in my opinion, it’s nothing less than lying by omission), but I think that where the “empowering” part comes in is exploring options and actions that can alter that outcome. For example, if in a reading you see that someone is going to get divorced, you would do a reading to see how that person can improve the relationship with their spouse. Life isn’t a Doreen Virtue deck where everything can be solved by positive affirmations and there can’t be any darkness. No human goes through life without experiencing difficult situations. If the cards are delivering a message, then they’re delivering that message for a reason.

 

As a reader, it’s our job to interpret the cards, not decide what the sitter can’t hear. Delivery of this information is everything, as stated above, but to ignore a card’s message just because it seems scary is absurd to me. When you seek to obtain a tarot reading, the Universe gives you the message that you need to hear.

 

If, for an example, you’re reading for a client and truly believe that the cards are showing that someone in their life is going to pass (And yes, I’ve had accurate readings where such a thing came into play), then I do believe you’re obligated as a reader to deliver that message, albeit with extreme tact, emphasizing the fact that no future is set in stone and no reader is infallible, etc. But I don’t believe withholding information is benefiting your Seeker. For some of us that come to the table seeking a reading, that information is vital to make choices for our futures and how we handle relationships with others.

 

While not every example will be that extreme since most of the time, as most readers will not see death in the cards terribly often, sometimes the major mundane things are important for Seekers to know as well.

 

I know there is a lot of controversy with this subject, but I figured I’d put an alternative opinion and option out there instead of feeding into a falsely positive community mindset. As a reader, it’s up to you to decide what your ethics are regarding any subject that you read for. But I hope that this will at least make you think about the topic, as opposed to just being convinced that “negative” readings are “invalid.” I do believe that the boundaries for a reading should be discussed with every Seeker prior to conducting the reading, and I do make them mindful of the above instead of just blindly going into the reading, but you may be surprised at how many Seekers have wanted to hear everything in a reading, no matter how scary it may seem.

The Mini Rosetta Tarot – A Review

The Mini Rosetta Tarot

When I saw this deck on AT, I had to get it. There are so few Thoth-based decks out there that I actually enjoy the art for, but this deck really caught my eye. The vivid colors, interesting and reversable card backs, and imagery that stays true to the Thoth tradition without being a carbon copy to Crowley’s and Lady Frieda’s Thoth deck was really quite refreshing. Unfortunately, the full-sized deck was sol out…Although there is hope on the horizon as the creator has been talking about making a second edition with a papyrus border instead of the black (Personally, it’s not my thing because I feel like the black is ab better contrast to the colors, but a link to the post about it can be found here.)

The mini version is a “pocket sized” edition and comes in a small tin. It’s a basic metal tin with an image of the card backing on the front. The inside is lined with a satin-like fabric in either red or blue. It comes with a black card stating what number of the limited 555-deck run you received as well as a separate significator card with your name written in Egyptian hieroglyphics. I thought this was a nice touch as it allows you to use the full deck instead of having to select a significator card from the deck and working with a 77-card deck instead per reading. Of course, if you don’t want to use it for a significator card, you can use it as a little piece of art.

The images are beautiful. The cardstock is a little thin, but I don’t mind it. It shuffles well with minimal wear. The colors are all bright and vivid and really pop against the black borders. The Major Arcana has the Roman numerals and the card title on them while the minors have the card titles and a keyword for the ace-10 and the court name for the court cards.

I have been testing the deck for about two weeks now. The deck works very well. I have to say it reads very intuitvely for me and so far the readings have been dead-on. It gives solid advice and it’s an easy deck to jump into while also having deep layers of symbolism.

I would highly recommend this deck to anyone who wants to try a Thoth-based deck or who enjoys the Thoth tradition.

A Comparison of the Deviant Moon and Trionfi della Luna (And Tarochi della Luna) Decks

As some of you may know, Patrick Valenza, the creator of the beloved Deviant Mon Tarot, has recently released the full deck of the Trionfi della Luna as the Tarochi della Luna. Some similarities exist between the decks as they are created by the same author, however I personally believe they are different enough to warrant buying both.

For the purpose of this demonstration, I’ve picked two majors that are different and one that is similar.

The original Deviant Moon deck is a mixture of traditions, however I find that it most closely resembles the RWS. Some imagery is slightly different however so it definitely cannot be considered a clone. The art style is more modernized in this deck in terms of textures and stylizing. While the Tarochi della Luna often depicts demon-like figures, the Deviant Moon sticks consistently with the moon-faced characters. Additionally, the “mask” effect of the faces of the Deviant Moon characters is very diminished. The contrast is lessened a bit, making the characters seem a little more human.

Both decks read very intuitively. The outline of the figures are all very similar, however the Tarochi della Luna has more of a hand-drawn feel to it than its predecessor. It’s slightly more cartoonish and has more of a whimsical feel than the Deviant Moon. Additionally, the Tarochi della Luna deck follows the Marseilles tradition, as shown in the Fool depiction. Because of this, the deck has pips that are NOT scenic, unlike the Deviant Moon. Additionally, the Tarochi della Luna will be printed in Italian as opposed to English, however both the Trionfi della Luna and Deviant Moon decks are printed in English.

All della Luna decks have been available in both the regular and “paradoxical” versions (Where the image colors are negated or as shown in the image above, negated and tinted with a certain color). The Tarochi della Luna has had a traditional paradoxical print, whereas the Trionfi della Luna (The Majors-only version of the Tarochi della Luna), has had paradoxical purple, blue, and rose editions. The Deviant Moon has not, to my knowledge, been printed in a paradoxical version. The Deviant Moon is also the only one to have a borderless edition. Both the Trionfi della Luna and Tarochi della Luna also come with oracle cards, and the Tarochi comes with an additional Tower variation.

While created by the same author, the decks have enough differences between them to justify buying both. Orders for all decks (Assuming the version you are looking for is still available, i.e. the paradoxical versions of the Trionfi della Luna may be sold out) and additional images can be found on Patrick Valenza’s website if you are interested.

Hopefully this comparison helped you decide which deck suits you best! (Get both, you won’t regret it.)

Tarot vs. Oracle Deck-Where do we draw the line?

Nowadays, tarot decks and oracle decks are so intertwined that it’s difficult to tell one from the other.

You have decks like The Wild Unknown that changed the traditional art for cards and decks like the Dreams of Gaia deck that change the entire structure but still claims to be a tarot deck.

What makes an oracle vs. what makes a tarot deck?

To me, a tarot deck needs to do one thing: Follow the traditional tarot structure of 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The suits can be titled differently, the art can stray from traditional art, and that’s okay. But it follows the traditional tarot structure since, after all, that’s what makes it a tarot deck. A few bonus cards still make a deck a tarot deck, but too many of them may make me consider it an oracle deck.

As much as the Dreams of Gaia calls itself a tarot deck, to me it’s an oracle deck. There is nothing in the deck that follows any tarot card structure. Not even the titles of the cards are the same. It’s broken into a major and minor arcana that doesn’t follow a regular tarot structure of 22 and 56 cards, respectively. I refuse to call it a tarot deck.

An oracle deck to me is any other deck of cards used for divination that doesn’t follow the 22/56 structure. Oracle decks can be tarot-inspired, but that doesn’t make them a tarot deck, in my opinion.

I’m curious to know what you all think. Where do you draw the line between tarot and oracle decks?

A Small Pet Peeve

I’ve noticed that, from reading pots from fellow reader about giving decks as gifts, some people will write things like “Well so-and-so doesn’t really like oracle decks but I want to buy them an oracle to show that they’re really great” or “So-and-so uses oracles but doesn’t really like tarot, do you know of a good tarot deck to buy them?”

These posts really confuse me. Are you trying to force them to like the same divinatory tool that you do? Because honestly, that’s not right.

If someone states that they don’t like a certain system, that doesn’t mean buy them decks or tools in that system to change their mind. It’s perfectly fine for them to not like a certain system. If they have tried it and don’t like it, why would you insist on purchasing a gift for them in that system? It seems like a waste of money and honestly doesn’t sound to me that you’re really looking out for the person you’re buying the gift for, but trying to validate a system that you use to someone else who doesn’t.

Not everyone has to like tarot. Not everyone has to like oracle decks. Not everyone has to like runes. Etc., etc. Repeat this to yourself until it sinks in.

Buying someone a deck is an incredibly personal thing. You want to get someone a deck that resonates with them, something they can use. If you buy someone a deck as a gift, you should not buy something that reflects yourself, but the person you are buying for.

“But they like faerie tarot decks so I bought them a faerie oracle even though they stated they don’t like oracle decks! That reflects them, right?”
No, because you only put half the thought into it.

In a way, that’s a terrible disrespectful thing to do. You’re telling that person, “I don’t care that you don’t like this, I’m getting it for you anyway.” If the person isn’t open to that type of tool, please don’t try to force it on them.

/rant

Why the hate on intuitive tarot readings?

Everyone reads tarot differently. Some people use a strict set of keywords for each card, some people reject keywords entirely, and most of us fall somewhere in-between. Every card can say something different to every reader. The cards that are drawn for each reader are based on those interpretations. There’s no set rules, restrictions, etc. and they’re not necessary to be able to provide an accurate reading to a Seeker.

So why does there seem to be so much hate on people who read purely intuitively?

Personally, I’m a partially intuitive reader. We all are to some extent. But I’ve seen fellow readers dismiss intuitive reading as just “saying whatever pops into their head about a card” and worse…going so far to call someone who reads intuitively a “joke” and “not a real reader.”

Guys and gals, it’s 2k16. Everyone has a different approach to tarot. This is why it’s an art and not a science. There’s no absolute law saying that one card HAS to mean y or can ONLY represent x. Not everyone is going to have the same approach to a card or reading tarot as a whole as you are.

While this might sound like some PR crap, the fact of the matter is that there is absolutely no reason to discount someone’s reading style unless it’s outright fraudulent. Even if someone has an entirely 180-degree take on a card, if they’re giving it their all for the benefit of the Seeker and providing a service without taking advantage of the Seeker, stop bashing them.

If everyone read tarot cards the same way, there would be no need for all of us. Let people be themselves and read how they want. You are more than welcome to disagree, but there’s no reason to attack someone just because you don’t see things the same way as they do.

Thanks.

Zombie Tarot Review

Today’s deck review is with the Zombie Tarot. I find this deck to read extremely well. The art carries a vintage feel and looks like a collage style as well. A good deal of the art seems to take place in the ’50s or ’60s.

The pentacles have been replaced by hazards, which are marked with the biohazard symbol. The other suits remain the same as far as terminology.

The card stock is a little thicker but still easy to shuffle. The cards can stick just a bit, but it’s nothing detrimental to conducting a reading. If you have small hands, as I do, you will have absolutely no problem shuffling the deck, which is great.

The one thing I have an issue with is that the backing isn’t reversible. It shows a zombie fortune-teller’s head as well as the name of the deck.

The box is a little bulky. It has a plastic casing to hold the cards and the book in place that’s coated in almost a velvet-feeling fabric. It’s a lot of packaging for a relatively small-sized deck. and book. So don’t be fooled by the size of the box. The cards are still the traditional tarot size and not oversize.

But the LWB is better than most. It’s written in a lighthearted manner with references as if you’ve just survived the zombie apocalypse. The art also follows the same style. The LWB does not contain any information regarding reversals, however. It also is better quality than most LWB as it has an actual cover and is a small, bound, booklet.

The cards tend to have similar meanings to a RWS deck, however the imagery has been quite altered. It doesn’t follow traditional RWS imagery in the slightest.
For examples:
The Devil is not personified in a traditional devil figure or even a human. It’s shows as an old-fashioned cigarette machine with the word “Vice” emblazoned on it with a small devil figure.
The Ten of Swords does not show the traditional “stabbed in the back” imagery but rather a man who has been dismembered by zombies.
The Magician is not shown as a figure with the symbols to represent the suits but rather a scientist brewing a solution in a cauldron.

I would definitely recommend this deck to anyone who wants a deck with a little humor in it but that’s also great for serious readings. It’s also perfect for Halloween and Samhain readings, and we all know that’s right around the corner! If you’re interested in the deck for Halloween-themed readings, definitely order it early and start practicing!