In Search of Tarot

Zo Jacobi is a Jewish practitioner working to create spaces for Jewish mythology, mysticism, and practice online. Born in Los Angeles, she grew up surrounded by magic and now runs Jewitches, a blog, social media community, podcast and shop dedicated to making magic accessible. Zo resides in Los Angeles with her partner and their two very spoiled cats. In this episode, Zo shares some of the history surrounding the label of "witch" and its roots in anti-semitism and misogyny. We also discuss the Jewish Kabbalah and Christian Cabala systems, and why their integration into the Tarot by non-Jewish people is complicated.  Follow Zo on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok Visit the Jewitches shop and purchase Zo's Lilien deck Listen to the Jewitches podcast Read the Jewitches blog Browse the Jewitches library --- Support this podcast on Patreon Follow Nick on Instagram Visit Nick's website The In Search of Tarot theme music was written and recorded by AJ Ackleson.

Happy Pride, Queers! As a way to honor and celebrate a month that should NEVER end, I'm dropping my first ever LIVE episode featuring the panel discussion "Expanding Sex, Sexuality & Gender in the Tarot" with Charlie Claire Burgess and Cassandra Snow, which took place this month at the 2021 Searcher's Solstice Tarot Conference. This recording begins with my opening remarks and then moves into a deeply vulnerable dialogue between the three of us on what it means to navigate this life as queer, non-binary people, and how we each live in constant interrogation and exploration of the Tarot and its ability to depict our lived experiences. Whoever and wherever you are, I hope you can receive this as a parting gift of sorts as we struggle to say goodbye to this beautiful month of Pride.  @manofthecards manofthecards.com Support this show on Patreon

Liza (She Her Hers) is a life long Witch who works as Reiki Master Teacher, Tarot Educator/Reader and Ordained Minister. Acting in this way as community servant, she is  committed to both ecological and community healing on local and global levels - and with that, deeply committed to social justice and the healing and reparation of BIPOC communities and to the decolonization of wellness. It was truly an honor to hear Liza speak about the magic of the body, and the power of being embodied in human form, particularly in relation to child-carrying and the act of giving birth. She also explained to me how meeting her biological father and reconnecting with her indigenous heritage led her to serve Crow Mother, and together we found space for goddexx in everything, even social media. Above all, Liza's story reminded me of the innate power we all inherit through the simple, yet profound, act of being alive. Visit Liza's website Follow Liza on: Instagram Youtube TikTok --- Register for the Summer 2021 Searcher's Symposium Support this podcast on Patreon Book a Reading with Nick Follow Nick on Instagram "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson "Forbidden Desire" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson and Erika Conaway

Cassandra Snow is a tarot card reader, tarot & witchcraft teacher and writer operating out of Minneapolis, MN. They have two books out from Weiser Books: Queering the Tarot and Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft From the Margins. Cassandra's work focuses on making the tarot & witchcraft accessible for those who are marginalized or struggling to connect. They teach on topics like Tarot for Empowerment for Fat People & Sex Positive Tarot in addition to unique & fun 101 style classes and their work on queering these mediums. You can learn more & see their blog at cassandra-snow.com or support their ongoing writing at patreon.com/cassandrasnow Our conversation touches on the topics of what it means to queer the Tarot, the importance of staying aware and open to the critique of even our most beloved of magical traditions, and some of the specific ways that Cassandra likes to approach the cards in order to make them more inclusive and accessible. --- AS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Searcher's Solstice Tarot Conference June 18 - 20, 2021 Virtual Tarot Study Groups June 22 - July 29, 2021 May Tarot Hang May 20, 2021 Support In Search of Tarot on Patreon "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson "Forbidden Desire" written and performed by AJ Ackleson & Erika Conaway

Rashunda Tramble of Stay Woke Tarot is a writer and tarot reader originally from Memphis, Tennessee now living in Zurich, Switzerland, who has been working with the cards for over 20 years. She has a BA in Film and an MA in Creative Media Practice, and is also a member of Mensa. She has worked in radio and television in the US, and marketing and communications (art, luxury and finance) in Europe. IN THIS CONVERSATION, Rashunda and I discuss where the line between honoring past interpretations of Tarot elders, and continuing to move the practice forward to be more inclusive and representative of all identities and experiences, resides. Follow Rushanda on Instagram and Twitter Book a Reading with Rashunda --- Register for the Searcher's Symposium Support this podcast on Patreon ---- Follow Nick on Instagram Book a Reading with Nick

Nicolas Bruno is an artist based in Northport, New York, where he photographs and fabricates props for his compositions. Bruno weaves together his terrifying experiences of Sleep Paralysis with surreal self portraiture in a therapeutic translation of night terror to image. His constructed worlds of uncertainty exist on a plane between waking and sleeping, where he is tormented by a physical embrace of the subconscious and its perils, all while being paralyzed in bed. Influences of 19th century Romanticists, historical texts of occultism, and dream symbolism lace each composition with various visual dialogues of the macabre. In this conversation, Nicolas and I talk about his artistic process and his newest creation, The Somnia Tarot, which channels his nocturnal experiences into a stunning 78-card deck. Pre-Order The Somnia Tarot Follow Nicolas on Instagram Visit Nicolas' Website --- Support this Podcast on Patreon Register for the Searcher's Symposium Follow Nick on Instagram "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson "Forbidden Desire" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson and Erika Conaway

Danielle Park is a Tarot reader and teacher who lives in Austin, TX. She explores the Tarot through many lenses, which include the Enneagram, poetry, Christianity, parenting, and queerness. Tarot has helped her navigate a divorce, grief, and find solid footing in God and magic. In this conversation, Danielle and I discuss the ways in which the Tarot can be used to help us discover, clarify, understand, and visualize our identity. She also teaches us about the Enneagram and how it can help unlock new depths of meaning within the cards. Follow Danielle on Instagram: @oakmoontarot @contemplativechristiantarot Visit Danielle's Website --- Follow Nick on Instagram: @manofthecards Sign up for Nick's Mystic Missive newsletter Book a Reading with Nick Support the podcast on Patreon "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson "Fire in the Spring" written and performed by AJ Ackleson and Erika Conaway

Cedar McCloud is a queer artist and author living in southern California. They are the creator of the Numinous Tarot and other divination decks which feature vivid watercolor illustrations of queer and marginalized people enjoying their own brand of magic. The power of storytelling to heal trauma is central to Cedar's work, along with a focus on compassionate honesty. In this conversation, I talk with Cedar about the ways art allowed them to discover and express themself, how they created the magical, inclusive world of their novel and decks, and the ways in which the gender binary harms and limits all of us. Visit Cedar's Website Back The Numinous Tarot on Kickstarter Follow Cedar on Instagram Follow Cedar on Twitter --- Support In Search of Tarot on Patreon Book a Reading with Nick Follow Nick on Instagram

Brittany Muller is a New York-based writer and tarot reader. Her interests include old churches, medieval and Renaissance art, and the mystical and contemplative traditions of Christianity. She loves exploring the intersections of Christianity and the occult, and she’s currently writing a Christian interpretation of the tarot for St. Martin’s Press. In this conversation, Brittany and I discuss the more mystical, contemplative sides of Christianity and the way Tarot can create a space for reflection and prayer. Brittany also talks about upcoming book, her expansive readings of the court cards as saints rather than gendered hierarchal figures, and why it can sometimes feel harder to talk about the "easy" cards. Follow Brittany on Instagram Follow Brittany on Twitter Visit Brittany's Website --- Follow Nick on Instagram Book a Tarot Reading with Nick "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson "West" written and recorded by AJ Ackleson and Erika Conaway

zaneta (they/them) is a queer, multiracial Brooklyn-based sound ritualist, listening educator, nature recordist, creativity activist, tarot reader, and podcast host. At the core of their work is a deep desire to remember how to live in interconnectedness.  Whether that is through meditation and connecting with the self, or in community rituals to connect to the land, zaneta weaves sound and ritual to create experiences that transform the way participants hear and connect to the world.  In the spirit of an interconnected world, zaneta focuses on supporting folx to make their art and express themselves fully, knowing that interconnection and interdependence are rooted in our individual wholeness and that our authentic creative expression is at the heart of that wholeness. It’s towards this collective vision that zaneta offers channeled tarot readings for creative liberation, and offers readings to support artists in navigating their careers and projects.  Visit zaneta’s website Follow zaneta on Instagram  Listen to the Art Witch podcast ----  Book a Tarot reading with Nick  Follow Nick on Instagram ---- "In Search of Tarot Theme" written and performed by AJ Ackleson "West" written and performed by AJ Ackleson and Erika Conaway Field recording of crickets courtesy of zaneta sykes