Liz Worth ~ Tarot

For simplicity’s sake, I am using “spirituality” throughout this post as an umbrella term to encompass a range of practices, tarot to astrology to religion and everything in between.

Someone asked me recently, “How do you deal with skeptics?”

I shrugged. “I don’t, really.”

I don’t, as in: I don’t argue with them, or try to change their minds.

But I also don’t let it get to me. I don’t own tarot, or other spiritual pursuits. I can defend my beliefs, but there is no threat to them just because someone doesn’t participate in the same things I do.

I also remind myself that skepticism is a belief system itself, too. So no matter where we are coming from, we must be mindful to cultivate acceptance of other viewpoints.

Meaning that I don’t expect everyone to think the way I do. Each of us has the right to choose the path and perspective that feels best.

Skepticism has a spectrum and comes in...

There are tons of tarot myths out there.

But don’t believe everything you hear.

Because it’s not all true. And not everything you hear about tarot is helpful, either.

You want to know which myth I wish would disappear?

The belief that tarot readings have to complicated in order to be accurate.  

There is something within our human nature that likes it when things feel hard.

So we go for the really complex, multi-layered tarot spreads.

Or we search for overly complicated tarot techniques, believing that that is where the answer to life’s mysteries exists.

Life is complicated enough.

Tarot doesn’t have to be.

I truly believe – no, I know – that the most powerful tarot readings don’t come from complicated techniques or approaches.

In fact, I think that the more convoluted tarot gets, the harder it can be to get to the heart of the answer you’re seeking.

I always come back to three main principles in my card readings:

• What is the...

Please allow me to go on a little rant for a minute.

The spiritual industry has a problem with instant gratification.

I see it all the time in courses and workshops that lure you in with quick certifications, or that promise you spiritual attainment or mastery over a specific skill set in just a matter of days.

What am I talking about?

Beginner tarot programs that promise to give you the basics of tarot and teach you how to start charging for your readings…

Reiki classes that fast-track students through levels 1 and 2 within the span of a single weekend…

Priestess trainings in a matter of hours…

The list goes on.

Before I start to sound like a gatekeeper, I’ll say this: Taking a quick class or weekend workshop to get a taste of something is fine.

If you don’t have the time to commit to a longer training, or you’re not sure you’re ready to make a long-term commitment to a divination practice or spiritual path, there is nothing wrong...

What is intuition? What does it feel like? What function does it have?

When we are asked to define intuition, to articulate where it comes from, or how it manifests, responses vary:

Some say that intuition is instinct. That it is physical, visceral. That it sometimes comes in the form of a mistake. That it can remain an undefined, unformed relationship, perhaps being a function that is always slightly out of reach.

When I’m connecting with others through a tarot reading, particularly when I’m teaching others how to use these tools, the word intuition often gets connected to the act of divining, of picking up on underlying messages or energies based on a blend of symbols, images, patterns, and archetypes.

Intuiting messages through a divinatory practice – whether you are doing predictive readings or self-reflective ones – is often a creative, interpretive process. It causes your mind to work in a different way, as you are actually reading things that...

If you know my backstory with tarot, you’ll have heard me tell this one before:

When I got my first deck of tarot cards in the mid `90s, I pulled them out, gave them a shuffle, turned a few over and…nothing happened.

And boy, did I have high expectations that something would happen.

As a kid, I’d grown up with a ton of imaginary friends. Some of them were black cats that I imagined to be my familiars. I’d sit on the ground at recess pretending to host séances while the other kids ran around and played games.

My mom had a ton of wild ghost stories – real ghost stories – that I’d grown up on and I knew there was more to life than what we could see in front of us.

So when I was finally old enough to go out and buy my own deck of tarot cards I thought that it would finally be my turn to see something others couldn’t.

I wasn’t sure exactly how it would happen, or what kind of vision I would get.

But what I hadn’t...

There’s a pervasive belief in the tarot community that you attract the friends, lovers, opportunities and clients you deserve. 

The idea behind this is that there is a lesson for you: That everyone sent your way is a teacher. Which is fine if things are going great.

On the surface, it’s a way to make sense of your experiences and use them as learning opportunities for your own spiritual growth.

Beneath the surface, however, is an idea that can easily turn into martyrdom, people-pleasing, leaky boundaries, and toxic relationships.

It can feel like it’s your fault that you’re a magnet for problems. The Law of Attraction is working against you and you’d better start thinking more positive thoughts.

I first started noticing this belief when fellow tarot readers would share struggles they were having with clients. There is a massive issue with entitlement in this industry – people shamelessly shop around for free readings, demand discounts, and...

When I launched my tarot business in 2015, I was excited.

And really, really determined. So determined, in fact, that I deleted my resume to send a message to the universe (and myself) just how serious I was about making this business work.

But I was also really, really scared.

And I learned how helpful fear can be as an emotion: It kept me out of complacency and pushed me to work hard enough to avoid failing.

This was important, because it wasn’t my first venture into self-employment. In another time in my life, I’d worked as a freelance writer, and that experience immersed me in a starving artist mentality where I was surrounded by peers who believed that if they could make just enough to cover their bills, that was good enough for them.

Which often meant that many of us were breaking even in our businesses, settling for low expectations and precarious financial situations.

I realized that as a tarot reader, I’d have to grow out of those limiting beliefs...

One thing that tarot readers have in common is how much time we’ve spent developing our skills.

It’s not unusual for spiritual practitioners of all types to spend years training. Many of us consider ourselves life-long students of our craft, always learning and going deeper into esoteric studies.

It’s also not uncommon for us to invest heavily in programs, courses and trainings over the years. If we can’t always afford to take a class, we make up for that in books, blogs, podcasts, and more.

Of course, we know it’s not really about the monetary investment behind a skill set that adds value to their work.

That comes from practice, experience, and ability. Which often is gained from the sheer amount of time, energy, and practice that goes into learning and then integrating acquired knowledge.

There are a lot of amazing tarot readers out there who are walking around with priceless spiritual knowledge within them.

But when it comes to getting their work...

When I started my tarot business, I was determined never to go back to the 9-5 I’d left behind.

After working for eight years in the charitable sector, and hustling my days away as a freelance journalist in the years before that, I was tired.

It wasn’t just the nature of the work I was doing that had worn me out.

It was everything else on top of it, too. Errands and chores felt like they were chasing me. As soon as I finished one thing, something else needed to be done.

I was also pursuing a career in creative writing at the time and working on my writing as often as I could.

And I was doing tarot on the side, reading at parties and for friends, and starting a newsletter to build my network.

Instead of feeling like I had evenings and weekends to relax, my downtime became just as busy as my workdays.

I was always trying to catch up to myself. While my friends and family were getting together on weekends, I was sitting at my computer, writing.

Which doesn’t sound so...

Sometimes the projects I take on keep me in knots.

Again and again, I questioned myself:

Is this wrong, or right?

Am I making a huge mistake?

Am I deluding myself?

Is this a complete waste of time, or does someone actually need to hear what I have to say?

This is the emotional rollercoaster that comes with talking about money.

And in spiritual work, money gets weird.

Why?

The roots can run deep and stem from a range of beliefs and feelings. Some spiritual practitioners, including tarot readers, feel guilty for charging for their work. They aim to help as many people as possible, burning themselves out in the pursuit of their labour of love rather than creating a fair exchange of energy.

It doesn’t help that in this industry, there are plenty of potential clients who are happy to take advantage of guilt-ridden, people-pleasing practitioners. Have you ever heard someone say that it’s wrong to charge for tarot readings because diviners have been “given a gift from...