The Tarot Diagnosis

This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, we tackle a big one - boundaries. And, as with all things mental health (and tarot) related, we find that this topic has so many edges to explore. Fortunately for us, we had some really wonderful listener participation ahead of time this week that pointed us in some really interesting directions. We give tons of shout outs this episode to some awesome followers and tarot therapists. This episode took us from the Nine of Wands to The Lovers; zipping past the Emperor to Queen of Swords, and several other pitstops along the way. We found so many ways to talk about how boundaries do (and don’t) work in our lives. We also have a transcendent moment of reflection on Dirty Dancing (thanks to the wonderful Candis Green from Many Moons Therapy), we mentally visit an idyllic picket fenced yard and think of Peter Rabbit, and discuss how we have much to learn about boundary setting by visiting Disney World. Shout out to some of our really awesome listeners/followers for contributing to this episode. Check them out on Instagram: @ManyMoonsTherapy @Trivia_Tarocchi @WitchWayKelly @AngelCityHolisticTherapy @MissMegan_Marie If you're struggling with drug or alcohol use, please know you are not allow and help is available. SAMHSA National Helpline offers confidential, free help from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information. Contact them at 1-800-662-4357. Be sure to check out our Summer Solstice Retreat!  We designed this retreat to be self guided, and really you can do it any day you want- not just on the Summer Solstice. Head over to our website to sign up today! Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, we call bullshit on self-care. Not that we’re not in favor of self-care (we are, we really, really are), but we think that the way self-care is talked about in our culture, and held up on social media is all wrong. Join us as we talk about real-world ways to care for yourself, why it’s important, and what nobody says about how hard it actually is. Because, the thing is, self-care is about caring for your whole self.  Social media (and a lot of therapists) only talk about the parts that are about rest and nurturing - and yes, those parts are super important. Don't get us wrong - we love some quality yoga and a walk in nature, but caring for anyone- especially yourself, requires much more than that. Essentially- you can’t be all Four of Swords and think that covers self-care.  There's a lot more to it. You’ll get to hear a very serious conversation about the importance of  “the cuddle couch” and get a behind the scenes look at cringy parenting moments for Luna. In the mean time, if you are looking for something a little self-careish that is about lovely nurturing, be sure to check out our Summer Solstice Retreat!  We designed this retreat to be self guided, and really you can do it any day you want- not just on the Summer Solstice. We are so excited to hear what you think of all the goodies we have waiting for you- and are really looking forward to seeing your tarot spreads and content with us tagged on IG! Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

When we first started talking about doing a podcast, Shannon was really into the idea of doing interviews. Luna… not so much. But then, Luna came across Nicolas Bruno and his stunning Somnia Tarot deck on Instagram and immediately sent it to Shannon saying, “This is the person we have to interview.” Luckily for us, Nicolas was kind enough to agree. Nicolas Bruno is an artist based in New York. He works in the mediums of photography, sculpture, and costume design. Nicolas uses art as a therapy to combat his experiences with sleep paralysis. Over the pandemic, he created “The Somnia Tarot,” a 78 image series that tells the tale of the classic tarot through his dreams and nightmares, which you have without a doubt seen all over social media. It was Nicolas’ haunting images and the diagnostic component of sleep paralysis that captivated us and made extending an invitation to be on the podcast inevitable. As we prepared to interview Nicolas, we discovered that his creative journey with The Somnia Tarot was not just a story of sleep paralysis, but also a display of resilience. Once we started learning more about Nicolas, we became equally enthralled with his story and experience with sleep paralysis and how it lead to him becoming an accomplished artist. During our interview, Nicolas emphasizes that The Somnia Tarot, along with his other artwork documenting his experiences with sleep paralysis, were a personal way of turning something profoundly negative and terrifying into something positive and beautiful. And this embodies our own work as therapists, and in this podcast. We seek to help people build something meaningful and beautiful, even out of life’s hardest moments. We have been deeply touched by Nicolas’ story, and his personal character.  His story is one worth listening to- even for people who don’t care at all about Tarot.    We hope you enjoy our first ever interview with this truly extraordinary artist and human being. Side note: Since this is the first time we have interviewed someone on the podcast, there may be moments where minor technical difficulties are apparent. To learn more about Nicolas Bruno, his artwork, and The Somnia Tarot, please visit the links below: www.somniatarot.com www.nicolasbrunophotography.com Instagram: @nicolasbruno, @somniatarot Facebook: Nicolas Bruno Photography, The Somnia Tarot

As therapists, one of the most enigmatic questions we struggle with is “How do I do that thing people talk about where I learn to love and accept myself?” It’s one of those questions that we sort of know the answer to, but we can’t say it directly- just point people in the right direction (or, really, directions). This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, we start to peel back some of the layers of this question- talking about why this is a hard question to tackle, and how it’s a question that needs to be answered in more than one way. Yes, we talk A LOT about shadow work! Inner child shows up, too. And, of course, we get super nerdy talking about the theories of psychotherapy and which therapy rockstar we think is unnecessarily mean. Join us as we pull cards throughout the conversation, to help deepen our understanding of the concept of self-acceptance through the lens of Tarot and psychotherapy. Find more information about topics we discuss by visiting the links below: Terry Real - www.TerryReal.com Jungian Tarot Deck - https://amzn.to/3wbBpvw Gloria videos - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFT89grAUOI Myers Briggs - http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp Enneagram - https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

When we first came up with the idea of doing this podcast, we said we were going to do 12 episodes and just see how it goes.  We knew we had some interesting things to say, but we weren't quite sure how people would respond. Well, today we are dropping episode 13 (Luna’s daughter’s favorite number), so as you can see- it’s going really well - all thanks to you super cool people who are enjoying what we have to say! We are so incredibly grateful and excited to see that so many of you are enjoying the content we're creating. We have lots of exciting things coming up for you all in the very near future to express our gratitude! So, stay tuned... As a form of a mini-celebration, we decided to do something a little bit different and talk more in depth about our own experiences with Tarot (and therapy).  This was one of the most fun and fruitful conversations we’ve had (and, we’ve had a lot of conversations- so that’s saying something!). We reminisce with Shannon about her favorite haunt as a teenager (you can practically taste the ice coffee and smell the incense), and hear Luna have a virtual dance party with the Death card. We hope that you’ll join us by listening in and perhaps playing along with some of the spreads we do for ourselves in this episode- Life Lessons though Tarot. Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, Shannon and Luna get into the weeds with the question- when does positivity become toxic? We thought we were going to have some disagreements getting into this one (and frankly - were kind of hoping we might get some sparks flying). Instead, it’s a conversation about how positivity and happiness are seen in our culture - and how it has both light and dark sides to it. As always, we talk about this through the tool of The Tarot, loving how this simple deck of cards can give us ways to think deeply about the wide range of emotions we all experience as humans. Spoiler alert - Shannon can’t stop referencing Parks and Recs, so if you don’t want to know what happened in season 7, save this one for later! Luna and Shannon peel back the veil on their own lives this week, by pulling cards about themselves and asking what is blocking happiness and positivity in their own lives. So here’s a question to ponder (which, btw- you will be seeing on Instagram later this week).  Is it possible that The Sun is one of the most difficult cards to work with in Tarot, because although we all say we want to be happy- we actually have a very weird relationship with that desire. We also invite you to participate in the Mental Health Awareness Daily Tarot Challenge on Instagram! Final note- if you have a moment, it would mean so much to us if you could rate and review our podcast on whatever platform where you are listening.  We are stunned and humbled by the response we continue to get from our listeners and feel honored and privileged to be able to share bits of our knowledge, experience, and passions. Studies and Assessments explored in the episode: https://www.viacharacter.org http://thehowofhappiness.com/ https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/ https://positivepsychology.com https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-years-harvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/ https://positivepsychology.com/happiness/

Luna and Shannon have a lot to say about a topic that seems to be really taboo - money. In this episode, our tarot cards are plentiful and our therapist brains are on fire because there is SO. MUCH. TO. SAY. about our relationships with money. How comfortable are you when it comes to talking about money? This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, Shannon and Luna have the first (of probably many) conversations about the ultra-taboo topic of money.  It’s so weird to us that 72% of Americas experience some sort of financial stress every month, yet most of the therapy world is *crickets* on the topic.  Likewise, the extended tarot community tends to talk a lot about abundance- but little about the realities of money stress and anxiety. But we are willing to go there…and we do. We talk about some of the work being done in the budding (yet, very quiet) field of financial therapy, including what some common money thinking habits are - and how they can become a problem.  We take it a step future by talking about ways to work through some of these thinking pattens to come into a more positive and proactive way of engaging in a money relationship - all through a conversation about some of the most challenging cards we can face in Tarot. As with all things, the stories we tell ourselves color our experiences in the world.  This is ridiculously true when it comes to money - and we love beginning the conversation of how that works. We also happen to go long with a ham sandwich metaphor and “Daddy issues.” It’s all relevant, we promise – and somewhat hilarious. We also offer some acutely helpful resources at the end of the show. Deep breath - take a listen, and please let us know what you think - or if you have a question you would like for us to explore in future episodes let us know! Check out the links below to resources mentioned in the episode. We may make a small percentage of the fee of the products listed on Amazon. This goes towards podcast production fees so we can keep talking about Tarot and Mental Health. :-D Dave Ramsey https://www.ramseysolutions.com https://amzn.to/3gCGPLC- The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness https://amzn.to/3vipX0L- The Total Money Makeover Workbook: Classic Edition: The Essential Companion for Applying the Book’s Principles Bari Tessler https://baritessler.com https://amzn.to/32MT2Fr- The Art of Money The Financial Gym https://financialgym.com You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life https://amzn.to/3dVvSD3

Every once in a while, we will hear a story that goes something like this: “I know this might sound a little crazy, but there’s this person (fill in cute meet story here) and even though nothing ever happened (or we ended things a very long time ago), I can’t stop thinking about them.  Maybe they were, like, you know, the one I’m supposed to be with or something…” This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, Luna and Shannon dive deep into this topic.  Is this a question of the red string of fate being tragically tangled in this life time?  Or maybe this is stalker situation?  Is this maladaptive daydreaming, or a reasonable developmental coping skill in a hereto-normative, overly sexualized world? Perhaps a little bit of all of the above? As always, The Tarot offers us imagery and a framework to talk about how our minds work, and Shannon and Luna hop from The Devil and Seven of Cups to The Emperor and Six of Swords, and a whole bunch of cards in between to help between understand this uncomfortable situation- as always, through the lens of a therapeutic perspective. Sneak peek - There may or may not be a weird left turn half way though the episode that deconstructs the icon of the boy band- and Shannon and Luna tell about about their middle school obsessions (*NSYNC, Hanson, and Duran Duran anyone?) If you’re struggling with a situation like this, we’ve created a mildly complicated spread for you, for a very complicated set of feelings, which you can find on our Instagram or when you sign up for our mailing list on our website. Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

“People use dating apps the same way I use Zillow…” This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, Luna and Shannon get super real about the what it’s like to enter the dating scene after a long hiatus (or- ever). We are so grateful to the listener who submitted a question to the podcast this week - a single mom who has been raising two kids while building a career, and now wants to restart her love life.  The conversation around this question (and the cards that were pulled) was so dynamic and really was more about facing our inner fears than about dating or single motherhood (but, there was a lot of dating advice in there, too). Come take a deep dive with us into the realms of the conflicting desires, and vulnerable, (sometimes) annoying needs us humans have to constantly evolve. Sneak peek - our discussion about The Hanged Man and 8 of Cups gets pretty raw. Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com

“In many ways [the Two of Swords] is the ultimate therapy card.” – Luna This week on The Tarot Diagnosis, Shannon and Luna dive into the two cards for each suit. Through the lens of a fictional client, they explore the ways each two card relates to Chelsea- a 26 year old woman stuck in a dating and career rut. In numerology, twos represent balance, harmony, duality, and choices- all of which our fictional client Chelsea seems to really be struggling with. Luna is lamenting not talking about the role of twos in the Enneagram typology - but is just going to have to save that idea for the future. Noted in this episode are the following: "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi If you want to explore the two cards more after listening, check out our Instagram for a spread specific to this episode. Subscribe to our email list to get all kinds of free mental health related tarot goodies on our website www.TheTarotDiagnosis.com Follow us on TikTok and Instagram @TheTarotDiagnosis Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of Deep Resonance Sound Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.com