Liz Worth ~ Tarot + Astrology

A few weeks ago I had a copycat on Instagram.

Someone had started an account under my name, stole my profile picture, and lifted several of my photographs and posts, copying my content word for word.

Then they started following people who already followed me, ensuring they were targeting individuals who were already familiar with me and who might be used to seeing me on Instagram.

I had no idea this was going on until someone tipped me off that they had been followed by an account that looked just like mine. When I went to search for it, I found out this imposter had prematurely blocked me – a further sign that they knew full well what they were doing was wrong.

As much as copying and copyright theft can be an issue, what really bothered me about this was that this person was contacting people online – people who, once again, already follow me and might be familiar with my work – trying to sell them readings.

I’m not the only one this has happened to:...

How much tarot is too much tarot?

There’s shared advice among tarot readers that readings need room to breathe:

Messages need time to unfold. Life has to happen. And there can be many factors and influences involved in a situation.

Is it always easy to wait? No. But like anything else, tarot requires balance.

But what happens when tarot becomes a crutch – something you’re relying on so much that you’re afraid to make a move without consulting the cards first?

Or maybe it’s not just tarot. Astrology and other types of divination or rituals can have the same effect.

At what point does a tool or spiritual practice become superstition, or even dependency?

Finding a balance here isn’t always easy. If tarot is so accurate and useful, why not use it all the time?

I wouldn’t say it’s common that someone develops a dependency on tarot, but it does happen.

This is one reason why many tarot readers have guidelines and policies for their clients...

A few people have asked me my thoughts about tarot certification programs in recent months.

This conversation can get quite heated in the tarot community.

I have shared thoughts before about certification here, and still feel the same way by and large. To sum up some of my earlier thoughts, my main reason for being wary of “certification” is that there are so many ways to read tarot, and different systems and correspondences.

While I have come to sense that tarot card meanings tend to be shared knowledge among readers, tarot techniques stand apart from that – and are not universal.

Some readers will swear by the esoteric correspondences of the Golden Dawn and teach that you must use astrology, Kabbalah and more to truly read tarot.

Others, like myself, will tell you to leave all that stuff to the side and just focus on the cards.

Some tarot readers focus on intuitive and psychic development, others don’t.

And then there’s the question of what happens...

Realistically, going from beginner to pro in tarot typically takes longer than that. Though classes can show you what to do and how to perform professional-quality readings, it can take time to practice and make those skills your own.

And that’s actually okay, because there’s a lot of responsibility involved in reading professionally.

So I think it’s always important to set those expectations from the start: Tarot takes time to learn, and reading for paying clients is quite different from reading casually for friends or family.

There are a lot of considerations to keep in mind before deciding to go pro as a tarot reader, because you’re not just going to be reading tarot all day. When you have a business to run – even if it’s a part-time side hustle – there are lot of other skills involved than just tarot.

And obviously, knowing how to execute a reading is still a top priority. If you don’t know how to do that yet, keep practicing and...

When you look out in the divination community, it’s common to see a lot of multi-disciplinary practitioners.

Even some books (particularly books on witchcraft, it seems) will encourage you to develop your skills by learning a bunch of different divinatory systems, including tarot.

I grew up on books like that and used to think I would have to learn everything under the sun just to be read cards: Tarot, astrology, tea leaves, palmistry, herbalism…

You know what? You don’t have to learn a bunch of different things to read tarot.

Just because some readers have varied skills and practices doesn’t make it a rule that you should, too.

If a path calls to you, cool. But don’t force yourself to take on way more occult studies than are necessary, and don’t dilute yourself by learning a little of this and a little of that without getting deep into any one practice.

Everything takes time to learn and skills need time to develop.

Focus is cool. And while we...

I have been reflecting a lot on my own actions lately.

I have been having really amazing conversations with a very-wise high school friend I reconnected with this year.

He said something that stuck with me:

“No one should assume that their advice is SO AWESOME that everyone needs to hear it.”

I know this is true because I have been on the receiving end of unhelpful, unsolicited advice a lot in my life. Especially throughout challenging times, like the illnesses and deaths of my parents.

But when I think back about my side of certain interactions, I realize I am just as guilty of offering unwelcome or uninvited advice.

Instead of just listening to my friends, I used to find ways to make myself useful. I couldn’t just let them talk about their day jobs or creative ambitions, or whatever they were sharing with me.

I always had to assume the role of a coach, consultant or therapist, whether they were asking me to be that for them or not.

Ironically, learning to...

There are a lot of narratives in the spiritual, self-help, and motivational spaces that can lead you to believe that if something is meant for you, it will come easily.

It doesn’t help that it seems like everyone online these days is flouting six-figure businesses overnight successes: With the promise that if you buy into their secret formula or take their action steps, you can have that, too.

And we tell ourselves that if we start living our purpose, or find more fulfillment through our work, business or relationships, then everything will just fall into place.

No more struggle. No more pain. Just all easy, all the time.

And if we’re not experiencing ease, success, or alignment? Then something must be wrong.

The universe is conspiring against you NOT ‼

Life is not without effort. The universe is not bound by binary thinking that there is only one way, or one path, and if something isn’t coming easily then it’s not meant for you.

Most things are rarely easy...

I received a great question on Instagram a little while back: “What’s your feeling on clients recording their tarot readings?”

The first tarot reading I had was in the late `90s at a psychic fair. The reader recorded it on cassette tape (hellooooo nostalgia) and I went back and listened to it several times in later years.

Because that was my first experience with a professional reader, I always just assumed everyone recorded their readings, too.

But I soon learned recordings are not universal among readers.

In fact, a tarot reader who I have had numerous readings from never recordings their readings – and they’ve been in the business for decades.

I’ve also learned there are pros and cons to recording your readings. And logistically, it’s not always a feasible offering.

So here are some thoughts and learnings on the subject:

“Do readers have to offer recordings?”

NOPE! It’s always up to the reader to make this...

Red flags are a hot topic these days.

And there a lot of good reasons for that. I bet we all have at least a handful of regretful or painful experiences that, in hindsight, could have been avoided if only we’d paid attention to the signs.

In service-based work like tarot reading, coaching, or other one-on-one offerings, there’s a lot of advice out there on how to attract your “ideal client.”

Because no one wants to sit down to read tarot for someone who turns out to be a less-than-stellar client, right?

Afterall, you don’t go into business for yourself just to feel like you’re being bossed around by a bunch of pain-in-the-butt customers.

Before I go further, I will say there’s a big difference between choosing “ideal clients” versus feeling like someone is a potential threat to your safety. Obviously, if you feel unsafe, that’s a red flag to watch for.

Outside of that, there are a lot of other recommendations out there...

If you've been following my blogs for a while, you might have noticed some big changes around here since 2020... 

I used to write about astrology. A lot. Maybe you used to check in for new and full moon tarot spreads from me, or to learn about upcoming Mercury retrogrades... 

But not anymore. Why? 

I’ve been concerned about the impact of online content and social media on practices like astrology for some time now. As a result, I decided to re-evaluate my role and impact as an astrologer who also shares information online.

I discuss why I decided to step back from astrology over on Refinery29. You can read the essay here.

Until next time,

Liz xo