Halloween is my FAVORITE time to do a Tarot reading for myself (New Years and my birthday are close seconds). They say the veil between this shitty, mundane world and the magical world of spirit is thinnest at this time. I don’t know for sure if that’s true but I like the idea!
So I really wanted to create a new, shiny Halloween Tarot spread for you to try out but every time I tried to create one I ended up with a slightly crappier version of the Halloween spread I made way back in 2014. So I thought you know what? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
So I present to you my Halloween Tarot spread….yes, it’s the same Tarot spread I gave you four years ago (but I’m hoping you won’t really remember)…
Have a happy Halloween and as always, happy Tarot reading!!!
xoxo
Kate
PS – I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the lovely and talented Ethony Dawn for her new Tarot Readers Academy TV show/podcast! Join us as we chat about intuitive Tarot reading (and smutty paranormal romance novels!). Bonus: this interview includes a link to a free e-course with me 🙂
For some reason I always love doing Tarot readings around Halloween and this deck (the Druidcraft Tarot) always makes me think of Autumn and Halloween…
*Just a friendly reminder that I’ll be doing a free one-card Tarot readings on Facebook on Sunday at 12noon. To participate, just check out the events page.
The Hip Chick Tarot is a fresh and diverse Tarot deck for the modern woman. Created by Maria Strom, this deck is based on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck structure but with the suits, courts and some of the Majors renamed (I’ll talk more about this in a sec).
The deck comes in a beautiful, sturdy box (pictured left) with a companion book. The book features all the card meanings (including the “spiritual” and “practical” meanings) alongside images of each card. Also included in the book is 4 Tarot spreads.
Likes:
The fresh twist on the four suits, courts and some of the majors
Sturdy cards with a nice, matte finish (feels like grade A goodness)
Simple artwork that is easy to relate to and understand
Dislikes:
I kind of miss the dudes! (This is an all female deck)
The first thing I noticed about the Hip Chick Tarotwhen I took the cards out of the box was the super cool card backs. They’re simple, pretty and remind me of those rubbery flower stickers people used to put on the bottom of their showers so they didn’t slip – which kind of sounds like it’d be a bad thing, but it totally isn’t!
The second thing I noticed was the way they felt in my hands. This is a sturdy deck that means business – Maria Strom wasn’t messin’ around when she created this deck. This deck is built to last! The cards have a lovely matte finish and they make a nice sound when they rub together.
The cards are the perfect size – wide enough to really showcase the beautiful artwork, but just short enough to shuffle comfortably (I have little hands). The cards have a nice, matte finish and are a decent thickness – overall, the Hezicos Tarot has a really good feel.
Now onto my favorite part – the renaming of the suits! In this deck, Wands are Create, Cups are Feel, Swords are Think and Pentacles are Earth. I like this. It makes the suits more relatable and makes readings feel more practical and down to earth.
The court cards have also been renamed. Kings are Boss, Queens are still Queens, Knights are Teens and Pages are Children. Some of the Major Arcana have been renamed as well – for example, The Empress is Nature and The Emperor is Structure.
The only downside to all this renaming is that if you’re a beginner whose just started learning, you may get a bit confused here and there. But overall, I feel that the renaming makes the deck easier to understand and not harder.
The Hip Chick Tarot is a fresh, diverse deck that features a variety of women of different races, ages, religions, sexual orientations, etc. There’s even a chick in a wheelchair! This makes this deck different from the vast majority of decks I own, which mainly just show white people (who aren’t in wheelchairs).
This is an all-female deck with a bit of a feminist, 1970’s vibe, which I like. However, I kind of miss the dudes! I like dudes. I like them a lot. But I’m not complaining. Complaining about the lack of dudes on this deck is kind of like complaining that there aren’t enough dogs in a cat themed deck. Not that men are dogs. You know what I mean!
So by now you might be wondering buthow does it read? Let me tell you – it reads as easy as apple pie. So far I’ve used this deck in a couple of my weekly reading videos on Youtube as well as for a few personal readings and each time it is a delight to read with. A delight! There’s something about this deck that just feels easy and uplifting – I can’t help but feel happy when I’m working with these cards.
But this deck isn’t just a bunch of good vibes and strong, independent women swinging their handbags around – this deck actually makes you think a bit differently about certain cards. For example, The Tower helps you see the freedom/elation side of this card (I discuss this in the video above).
What I like most about this deck is that it feels fun, down to earth and easy to understand. Characters feel relatable, like you just know them, colors are bright and cheery and my favorite part…the cards make this eargasmy whoosh-whoosh noise when you rub them together. It’s the best.
Buy this deck if…
You resonate with the deck’s artwork and message
You’re a Tarot beginner looking for a deck you can relate to
You’re looking for an empowering, feminist deck
You want a deck that’s fun, down to earth and uplifting
So this video was probably my fifth or sixth attempt after having been relentlessly video-bombed by cats! If they weren’t leaping onto my backdrop they were meowing in the background. But they behaved for this one…
The deck I’m using here is the Everyday Witch Tarot.
Rules exist for a reason, but some rules were made to be broken. I’m going to give you 8 Tarot “rules” that you can feel free to ignore (and 4 that you should consider following) – but first a little story about a threesome, because who doesn’t love a good threesome-gone-wrong story?
A good friend of mine was recently invited to take part in a threesome with a married couple.
At first she was hesitant but then she though what the hell? I’m not getting any younger and this seems like an interesting way to spend a Friday night!
Three days before the event was to take place, she got a text from the couple, outlining all their “boundaries” and ground rules for the threesome. The list was exhaustive. No kissing on the mouth, no prolonged eye contact, no cuddling, no perfumed or scented products, gluten free lube only, sex toys must be phthalate-free and vegan friendly, etc, etc. The word boundaries appeared several times.
After mulling it over for five minutes, she felt like this event sounded more 3rd Reich than 3-way and so she gracefully declined.
And I don’t blame her! Rules can wreck things, but they also have their place. The yoga studio I go to has a strictly enforced no talking rule and honestly, thank fuck. Otherwise you get people piping up during class about all their injuries and health problems. No thanks!
But too many rules can kill something. Like Tarot. Tarot is a wonderful thing to explore and have fun with, but there are all these weird beliefs and “rules” floating around, most of which are complete crapolla.
What I hate about this is that newbies come across these “rules” and get caught up and worried about whether or not they’re doing it right. It makes people feel uptight about Tarot and that’s just wrong!
So here are 8 Tarot Rules for you to completely ignore….and yeah, I know that whole threesome story didn’t really have much to do with this, I just wanted to share it 🙂
Rule #1: You must be gifted your first Tarot deck
This is the most impractical rule of all. If I waited for someone to give me a deck before learning Tarot, I would still be waiting. I’m not sure where this idea originated or what the supposed consequences of buying your own Tarot deck are, but this is definitely a rule to ignore.
I bought my very first Tarot deck – The Secret Tarot – on Amazon many years ago and my Tarot journey has been filled with light, joy and discovery. In other words, I didn’t drop dead immediately after buying my first deck 😉
Rule #2: You shouldn’t let others touch your cards
I suspect this rule was dreamed up by some Purrell packing germaphobe who sees everyone as members of the great unwashed. But I think the real idea behind this rule is that others will energetically contaminate your deck and then all your readings henceforth will be a wee bit fucked.
I don’t really buy into this line of thinking and I wrote a blog about it. Basically, you should be clearing your deck between readings anyway, which takes care of all those energetic boogers and whatnot.
Rule #3: You MUST have the querent shuffle the cards so their energy is incorporated into the reading
Personally, I like this idea. But I don’t often let my clients shuffle because most people are 100% spazzy at it and cards end up flying all over the place! I do the shuffling and then I invite them to choose their own cards – so you get the best of both worlds.
However, when I do distance readings (like over skype or email) my client can’t choose their own cards, so I do it for them. Does this mean their energy isn’t sufficiently infused in the reading? No. Of course not. Setting the intention to connect with your client’s energy is more important than them being physically present (in my opinion).
Rule #4: You must wrap your deck in a silk cloth when you aren’t using it
I think what this rule is really all about is treating your cards like they’re special and not just tossing them on your coffee table and using them as coasters and bookmarks. But some Tarot peeps take it way too far….
I’ve heard a few Tarot authors suggest throwing out the original box your deck came in because it just isn’t special enough to house your cards. Whaaaat? I love organizing my decks on my bookshelf and keeping them in their original boxes helps me locate them. So no. I won’t chuck the box.
You don’t need to wrap your deck in silk or even skanky polyester for that matter. Just treat your deck nice. Here’s how I store my cards and maybe it will give you some ideas.
Rule #5: You must memorize all the Tarot card meanings before giving someone a reading
Nonsense! I think you should have a good understanding of all the Tarot card meanings before calling yourself a professional Tarot reader, but you can start giving readings at any point in your Tarot studies, even on day one (provided you make it clear to the person your reading for that you’re just learning).
This obsession with memorizing all the Tarot meanings before you can do anything with Tarot is just plain silly. It’s also the wrong approach to learning Tarot, which I bitched about in this blog post: 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Learning Tarot.
Understanding the Tarot meanings is an important part of Tarot study, but don’t get too hung up on it. And don’t let it stop you from diving in and giving readings to lucky friends and other willing victims!
Rule #6: You should never read Tarot for yourself
This is like saying you should never masturbate.
I guess the concern here is that you will be too biased to give yourself an objective reading, seeing what you want to see and letting your emotions get in the way.
It’s a valid concern and something to be aware of, but don’t let that stop you from hopping on the non-stop fun train that is self-readings. Tarot cards and self exploration go hand in hand and anyone who says otherwise is a total killjoy.
Rule #7: You have to be “spiritual” to read Tarot or be born with “the gift”
Well I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to love crystals, yoga or meditation or any of that stuff to be a great Tarot reader. Reading Tarot isn’t really about being “spiritual” but you do need to have an open mind.
Before I started studying Tarot I remember assuming that you had to have some sort of innate psychic gift or be a member of a special group to be able to read the cards. When I figured out that anyone could learn Tarot, my mind was BLOWN!
Rule #8: Never use a second hand Tarot deck
My Mystic Meg Tarot – a second hand deck
The worry is that the previous owner’s energy will be so powerfully embedded in the cards that it will mess up all your readings and bring bad ju-ju into your home. But guess what? You can cleanse your cards!
I have a couple second hand decks and I did a little extra energetic clearing when I brought them home – I saged the crap out of them, placed them on the windowsill overnight to let the moonlight bathe them and then placed them in a bag with a handful of quartz crystals. I’ve never had any issues with second hand decks – and neither should you!
Some GOOD rules…
Just like the no talking rule at my yoga studio, some rules improve things. Here are the four Tarot rules I actually follow:
Good Rule #1: Clear your deck between readings
It’s a sage stick – not a doobie!
I put this in the same category as brushing my teeth before bed and washing my hands after I use the bathroom.
I typically clear my deck by knocking on it once or twice with my knuckles and then shuffling it with the intention that the shuffling is clearing the deck of any old energy. You might want to do something more elaborate, but that’s your fish to fry!
Good Rule #2: When choosing cards for a reading, choose with your left hand
Your left hand is connected to your right brain, the seat of intuition and creativity. So using your left hand to pick a card is like letting your intuition take charge for once.
Do you have to do this? No. Lightning bolts won’t spring out of the sky and strike you down if you choose with your right hand. But just choose with your left – trust me!
Rule #3: If a card flies out of the deck while shuffling, you must include it in the reading
Jumper cards are special cards – they’re like messages from the universe. Or an indication that you’re a shitty shuffler. In any case, I like to give them the red carpet treatment and not only include them in the reading, but pay extra close attention to them.
Rule #4: Don’t read for yourself when you’re really upset
Strong emotions scramble the brain and I can say from experience that giving yourself a reading when you’re all in a flap about something will be as helpful as a teenage grocery boy when you ask him what aisle the chutney’s in.
But what if you really, really WANT to do a reading? Then do this – it’s my special reading technique that helps you get peace and wisdom from your cards, even if you’re all shook up.
What do YOU think?
Which silly Tarot rules have confused you in the past? And are there any Tarot rules/guidelines that you follow? Tell me all in the comments below 🙂
