Sign in Subscribe

Tarot & TTRPGs

Tarot is a mirror.

There's so much more to tarot than stereotypes.

Our brains are wired to notice patterns and make connections. The images in a tarot deck are evocative, and the meanings drawn from those images will be different each time you approach them, because the context in which you’re viewing them is constantly changing. No two readings are alike, because no two readers, no two seekers, and no two moments in time are exactly alike.

I find in my own life tarot is most useful for bringing me back to myself and my story, for helping me to remember the resources I have, and for bringing clarity when my brain has been spinning so loudly that I start to feel disoriented.

I have been using tarot as a means of self-discovery since 2014. It is one of my favorite tools of discernment, and I have amassed a diverse collection of decks to choose from. I currently offer tarot readings via email—please see below for more information.

FAQ and Logistics

What is tarot?

A tarot deck is, more or less, an expanded playing card deck, and in fact started out as a game. As a tool of divination, each card in the deck has a set of associated traditional meanings, which are interpreted in reference to the question being asked and in relation to the surrounding cards that are drawn, as well as whatever stands out to the reader and/or seeker in the cards that are drawn.

There are 78 cards in a tarot deck:

  • 22 Major Arcana—these cards deal with larger themes in life and are generally illustrated with evocative images.
  • 56 Minor Arcana—these cards deal with the day-to-day, are divided into four suits (which can correspond to the suits in a standard playing card deck), and are sometimes fully illustrated and sometimes just depict the symbols of the suit. The four suits are as follows:
    • Cups (Hearts): this suit is associated with emotion and intuition.
    • Swords (Spades): this suit is associated with thought and communication.
    • Wands (Clubs): this suit is associated with passion and creativity.
    • Pentacles (Diamonds): this suit is associated with material things, such as the body and finances.

What is a typical tarot reading like?

Just like with a spiritual companionship session, no two tarot readings will be exactly alike. For an email reading:

  • You will submit your email address and the question or what you're looking for clarity on at the time that you purchase the reading.
  • I'll choose a deck and a spread that I feel will provide insight into your question.
  • I will take a photograph of the spread and type up my notes on what I'm seeing in the cards, and email those to you, typically within 48 hours of receiving your request (if it will be longer than 48 hours, I will let you know as soon as possible after I receive the request).

Everything that comes up in an email reading will be kept in strict confidence.

What sorts of questions can I ask in a tarot reading?

In my experience, tarot is a great tool to help reflect what’s been happening in your subconscious and bring it to the foreground. I generally believe that tarot isn’t going to tell you anything you don’t already, on some level, know. It’s great for answering questions about the energy around a situation, possible paths forward, or what might be getting in your way, for example.

As a general rule, I won’t do readings about other people beyond the person I’m doing the reading for (consent is important). It’s also important to note that a tarot reading is not financial, legal, or medical advice—those things are best left to professionals in those respective fields.

If you’re not sure how to frame your question, that’s okay! We can work that out together.

How long is a typical tarot reading?

I currently offer email readings in three tiers:

  • Brief: 1-3 cards, best for quick gut-check questions.
  • Standard: 3-5 cards, a good choice for most questions.
  • In-depth: 5-10 cards, when you really want to dig deep.

How much does a tarot reading cost?

I currently charge $45 for brief readings, $75 for standard readings, and $105 for in-depth readings.

You can order an email tarot reading here.

Games can help us imagine better worlds into being.

I believe that role playing games have tremendous potential for helping us to develop deeper empathy, connect with parts of ourselves we often ignore, and imagine new ways of being in the world. Play can teach us things about our “real” selves that we might otherwise miss, and experiences of play can be steered in a transformative direction if approached with intention and attention. Approaching "heavy" topics can also feel less threatening when viewed through a playful lens; it can give us permission to be vulnerable in a safer container than our everyday life might provide.

I also firmly believe that, through play, we can imagine better worlds into being. Yes, building a better world takes hands-on, hard work, but imagination and play can guide that work in exciting new directions. And, as Terry Pratchett's iconic, anthropomorphic personification of Death says in the book Hogfather, "YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?"

Toward that end, I am developing contemplative journaling games that can be played on your own time, as tools to help you reconnect with yourself and your world. Any games that I develop can be found and downloaded (for free) below or by going to my itch.io page.

insight checks

insight checks is a collection of five meditative, introspective games, to be played alone or with a friend, that aim to help strengthen your connection to yourself, your community, and the world around you.

the games in this collection are as follows:

  • the other you: a game that uses biofeedback (body sensations) to guide you through various prompts imagining what your self in an alternate universe might be facing and bearing compassionate witness to that alternate self.
  • wayfinding: a game about discernment, where you will write a letter from your future self who has made a decision you’re facing to your current self, telling you about the outcome of that decision.
  • attendant spirits: a game about the power of belief in shaping reality, wherein you will take on the perspective of an “attendant spirit” witnessing your real human self and offering wisdom and encouragement to your human self in various scenarios.
  • true voice: a game about recognizing your own true voice, the voice of your inner knowing, through self-reflection and noting how it feels to state facts vs. falsehoods.
  • sacred: a game that takes the form of a small ritual to explore what is sacred to you.

each game begins with a brief introduction, which includes some framing for the purpose of the game, notes on how to bring a friend into the game with you if you wish, a list of any suggested materials for play, and some notes on safety. at the conclusion of each game is some space for reflection and an invitation to potentially integrate something you may have learned or gained from the game experience into your everyday life before you are gently guided back to the here and now.

listen

this is a game about listening. it is also, on some level, a game about animism, a philosophical/theological/spiritual framework that allows for the possibility that everything we interact with or come across in existence has at least the potential for sentience and agency. whether you consider yourself an animist or not doesn't matter in the context of this game, but being open to the possibility that the beings and objects you interact with might have some underlying personality, whether innate or imbued, will make this experience more interesting.