Has this ever happened to you? You find that you have a number of options, but don’t know which to take, which is best for you? Or, you look at your life and you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything worthwhile, or found anything that speaks to your soul? Or, you go online and see influencers living their best lives and you feel empty because you don’t even know that your own best life would look like.
Many years ago, when I was in high school and college, I used to read tarot cards, mostly for myself. More often than not, the card spreads were meaningful, sometimes deeply so, but I didn’t take the time to understand how they worked, and why the information they were imparting was so relevant to my life and situation. Of course, I read the books on tarot that were available (the internet was not yet the research tool then as it is now), and accepted that there was something “mystical” or “spiritual” going on, but I was more involved in being a young woman in college than in studying occult mysteries or figuring out a practical use for the cards.
Flash forward to recent times. About fifteen years ago, I began keeping journals as a way to figure myself out and to make sense of my life and circumstances. I also began to keep journals for my work. I’m a writer and artist. At any given time, I have 5+ books in progress, and innumerable art projects. I also have 7 online shops to keep track of. Journaling keeps me organized and offers a space where I can discuss (with myself) my many ideas and plans. It offers a place that I can return to when I lose my thread, or forget what I meant to accomplish.
As the years went by I began to notice a growing sense of discontent. I hadn’t accomplished the things I set out to do. I couldn’t always remember why I set out on those courses, but I noticed I hadn’t reached their conclusions – worse, I started to realize I didn’t necessarily even want to conclude them. Thankfully, tarot came back into my life.
Do you know how life keeps presenting you with the thing you need just when you need it? Or you bump into someone who completely changes the direction of your life? That happened to me. I needed to drag myself out of my funk, but I couldn’t figure out how, and one day when I turned on my computer, there was an image of a beautiful new deck of tarot cards that I had never seen before. I immediately knew I needed them, and so I returned to tarot, and tarot returned me to me.
Introducing The Tarot Project
As I said, I’m a writer, and when I’m writing, especially non-fiction, I become obsessed with my subject. I became obsessed with tarot, it’s history, its meaning, the people who have brought it into being, and who continue to explore its practicality, and its possibilities. I have read every book – and explored every website – that I could get my hands on. And, I practiced.
What became abundantly clear to me early on, is that tarot aligns perfectly with my other pet project – developing a line of prompt journals that help people discover themselves, and to live their best lives. You see, tarot cards embody human history and experience, both physical and spiritual. They incorporate symbolism, iconography, numerology, archetypes, synchronicity, as well as serendipity. A tarot reading is both a transformative and an interactive experience that merges the ancient wisdom of tarot with modern aspirations of self-awareness.
That is a lot of words to say, I’m writing a book about tarot and its use as a practical tool of self-discovery. I am also developing an accompanying journal that anyone can use to cut through all the distractions of life to discover what they are meant to do and who they are meant to be.
The “project” part of the book comes into play with how I’ve decided to conduct my research. Yes, I have the book knowledge, and the practical practice, but I’d like to refine my ideas – and that is where YOU come into play.
I would like to do a Tarot card reading for you.
A Kickstarter (TM) of Sorts
My background is in Psychology (Tufts University) and Creative Writing (MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University). I believe that Tarot is the perfect tool for self-discovery and I’m writing a book about it. My research includes giving hundreds of blind Tarot readings and asking for brief feedback from those who wish to offer it. I will then use that feedback to improve upon my thesis and to offer improved practical suggestions for improving one’s life and circumstances.
I’ve already offered a number of readings and am well into writing the book, but with each reading I learn more, and with each feedback, the recommendations offered in the book improve.
To fund the research and my time away from my other work, I’ve decided to run a sort-of Kickstarter on Etsy. I’ve set up a shop where I’ll sell my books and journals, but where I’ll also offer a variety of Tarot card readings. The shop is Authentic Kate Journal.
The readings I’ll be offering are “blind” readings. That means that you don’t have to tell me your name, age, interest or question. You simply have to be clear in your own mind of the question(s) or concern(s) you have, and then you have to tell me which numbers, 1-78, you’d like me to pull from my very-well-shuffled Tarot card deck. That’s it – you choose the cards, and I tell you what they mean. All for a very low fee, which will help fund my research.
Interested in your very own reading? Then please visit my Etsy shop and sign up!