The Magic of Leaving Social Media

Do you ever complain about something so often that you catch yourself and wonder, “If I rant on about this so much, why on earth am I still doing it?”

That was me with Facebook and Instagram. Why was I using it? What was I doing on these apps if all it took was one drink to get me to wax poetic about how disconnected, envious, and distracted I felt while using them?

This isn’t to say that Social Media is some unmitigated and absolute evil. Some people have a wonderful time on these platforms. Many use them to gather and cultivate an audience for their businesses and creative work. I, however, found myself being swept away - mired in distraction, green with envy, and disconnected from my personal source of inspiration.

I’d lost the magic.

This wasn’t for lack of trying. I did so many of the little tricks to curb my use, optimize my time (just that phrase is soul-crushing!), and create boundaries. Doing this awakened me to the wily, addictive nature of social media. Even with a black and white screen, app limits with password access, and designated downtime, my brain immediately adapted.

Screen time limit reached? I didn’t even stop to think, I simply got used to entering my four-digit password to ask for more time.

I was simultaneously impressed and repulsed. Clearly, this wasn’t an issue I could reason through.

When I made the decision to stop my full-time tarot reading business one of the most alluring byproducts was that I could finally delete my accounts. I’d stopped using both platforms for personal use years ago and, in all honesty, used my Incandescent Tarot platforms with the regularity of someone who’s deeply conflicted. I posted sporadically, questioned myself into awkwardness, and tried to avoid it.

In other words, I didn’t use these spaces to their full potential. Now, I wonder if all the pressure to be on social media as a business owner of my type is rooted in truth. This is a very “hot take” and I’m speaking on a very personal level, here. The last thing I want to do is shame or pressure anyone into judging their social media presence. To each their own, and I’m full of admiration for people who can use these platforms to inspire healthily. I’m just not one of them. Off social media, however? I’m much more clear, inspired, and motivated.

When I finally hit delete, I felt like I had just walked out of an overwhelmingly loud room. Suddenly, things felt clear - I could see the horizon, hear my own heart beating. Spending so much time gazing at images from other people (and, most insidiously, brands) had dulled my own creative and spiritual perspective. Now that I’m spending more time looking out my window, reading books, and writing from this place of calm, I’m finding a huge surge of creative energy. I wonder how much I could’ve created without torturing myself to fit in and interact healthily on social media. That was, to use a tarot reference, a Fool’s errand for me. Now, however, I’m able to hear myself and create from a place of authenticity. I’m getting a lot more done.

Most importantly, however, I’m feeling the magic come back into my life. One of the main reasons I felt the need to leave social media was that my focus was becoming at once narrow and diffuse. I was gazing into a small screen and being catapulted into a big, colorful, artificial, and in many cases, manipulative world. (Remember when Instagram was just photos from friends and cool artists, but then it segued into jazzy brands and influencers?)

So much of my magic philosophy centers around awareness, love, and stewardship of our world. How could I practice this while my focus was overwhelmed by imagery from afar? Now that I’m detached from these sources, I’m astounded by how much I used them to escape from my here any now, and how much my here and now grounds and sustains me.

The magic slowly returned as I put down my phone and laptop and started tending to my everyday: writing, doing all my favorite kitchen witch cleaning spells, cooking, actually reading tarot for myself… This is what I want to fill my life with.

I’m a bit shocked by how much of myself I’ve found in the wake of my decision to leave Facebook and Instagram. So much of my decision to end Incandescent Tarot the business was because of burnout. I didn’t know at the time how much of this stemmed from the pressure to constantly market myself on social media. Now that’s gone, I wonder if there’s another way to be present as a business offline. Regardless of what form it takes, you’ll certainly see a lot more from me here and on my Mighty Network - I hope you’ll follow along for the ride.

---

What do you think about social media, modern life, magic, and business? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below, so please share.

Insights into Running a Tarot Business

I have to admit that I’m reluctant to dive into the oversaturated world of “business content.” There’s so much information out there about running & starting your own spiritual business, not to mention the fact that each of us does things differently: What works for me may not resonate with you or even work for you.

We all come to starting our own business from different places and will be operating them under different conditions.

So there’s my little caveat out of the way! I’ll be sharing my insights and experiences about the business side of my tarot life here.

Reading tarot professionally is wonderfully gratifying, creative, and fulfilling work. That is, if you like reading tarot, which I’m assuming you do since you’re here.

It’s also, however, emotionally draining, even with the best self-care practices and a tough sell in an oversaturated market. You can read more about my major lessons and ideas in this post; now, buckle up, and let’s dive into the nitty-gritty.

10 Tips for Starting & Running a Successful Tarot Business

1. Make sure you’re ready for the other 90% of the work: Reading tarot takes up very little of your time as a professional. You’ll be creating content, marketing, engaging on social media, taking photos, cleaning your space, buying supplies, and so much more.

2. Be consistent :It’s easy to start a million offerings and projects, but if you don’t follow through on them it looks unprofessional. Start small and stick to it, whether it’s a bi-weekly newsletter, weekly free tarot reading, or regular instagram posts. People want to hear from you and will be impressed by your dedication.

3. Don’t overextend yourself: With the following point in mind, don’t put too much on your plate to the point where you can’t do it all. It’s far better to post one freebie regularly than it is to do five different things sporadically. Plus, it’s much easier for you.

4. Remember, you make the rules: I spent a lot of time trying to push through stale ideas, adopt weird inauthentic marketing plans, and doing offerings I didn’t actually like out of a false sense of obligation. Of course, it’s good to stick with things, but if something simply isn’t working, you can make a change! This is the beauty of being your own boss.

5. Have a clear brand and marketing strategy: This doesn’t have to be as stuffy as it sounds. Long story short, make sure you know who you are and what you’re selling, then make sure that your website, posts, copy, and branding reflect this message. Clear, straightforward, and easy-to-process material is the best. Once people get confused or oversaturated with text/information, they’re out.

6. Market yourself more than you ever thought possible: People won’t get readings from you if they don’t know you exist. It’s easy to set up a website and print some business cards; getting people to book appointments with you is an entirely different story. Marketing doesn’t have to be soul-crushing (though this has been a LONG journey for me!) Get creative and have fun with it. Can you get interviewed on podcasts (or host one)? Contribute to online publications, blogs, social media accounts? Join Facebook groups, forums, and meetups? Be active and get your name out there, and don’t be afraid to hand out business cards and let people know what you’re offering.

7. Value your time and stand behind your prices: There are a lot of people who offer readings for free online, but not you: Your’e a professional. Giving away readings is often an ineffective business strategy. Don’t feel pressured to give into pushy people. Once you begin your business, you are a pro reader and people should pay you for your time.

8. Do the math!: Before you start your business, consider how much you’d like or need to get from it. This will be different if you’re starting part-time (which I heartily recommend) or full-time. Tarot is not an intrinsically lucrative career path. If anyone is telling you that you can make three figures in a month (and ESPECIALLY if they’re asking you to pay for a class) they’re lying. It takes a lot to get consistent booking and, even so, you only have a finite amount of time. Look at your goals, map out how many clients you’d need to book to meet them, and plan accordingly.

9. Diversify your offerings: If you just offer one-on-one readings, you’re limited to an income stream that requires your active time and presence. Add other ways to make money that don’t require as much labor like group classes or events, and, even better, can give you passive income like online self-directed courses.

10. Get engaged with the community: Collaborating with, supporting, and connecting with other business owners and members of the tarot community is a wonderful way to stay inspired. Look for facebook groups, meetups, or reach out on social media. Tarot people are quite lovely and it’s so healing to have a sense of belonging and support.

3 Things I've Learned as a Spiritual Professional

I got a wonderful question on my Instagram announcement about phasing out of reading tarot full-time at Incandescent Tarot:

What advice do you have for people stepping into this role?

When I think about all I’ve learned during my 3 year tenure as a professional tarot reader it’s difficult to distill it into concrete advice. My first thoughts careen through so many categories: spiritual components, business strategies, ethics and boundaries, and more. I’ll likely touch on some of these later, but for now I’d like to focus on the major lessons I’ve learned and approaches that have helped me:

Stand by your Style

Each person reads tarot, does reiki, or teaches meditation differently. When I started out I spend so much time researching the current “pro-tarot scene” that I lost sight of my unique approach. The more time I spent interacting with different readers’ business approaches and tarot philosophies the easier it was to unconsciously adopt their attitudes. This led to a lot of needless tension! Plus, it was almost comical how resoundingly successful I was when I embraced my true voice vs. how awkward and stilted things came out when I tried to be a calm, “enlightened” style reader with a soothing whisper voice. (Definitely not my natural way of being!)

I found that the more time I spent “researching” (aka comparing and drowning out my creative voice with other information) the more muddled and confused my marketing became. In a sense, I spent a lot of time running away from my authentic voice as a tarot reader and, delightfully, my voice won by a landslide.

So, to sum it up here, my advice is: Trust your abilities and work as your true self.

Be Professional!

Lest you think my advice to be yourself includes wearing your sweatpants to appointments! Truly, being professional from the beginning has been one of my best decisions as a spiritual business owner. Well, actually, as a business owner period.

Having your ducks in a row - that means terms & conditions policies, a code of ethics, local permits, cancellation policies, ironclad boundaries, and much more - is one of the best things you can do for your business. I’ve found that having all this ready from the get-go has done so much to ensure that I’m ready for whatever happens AND that I attract clients that are a good fit and know what’s expected when they work with me.

There’s a lot of misinformation and, sadly, disrespect for spiritual businesses that can sometimes lead to difficult situations. I’ve been fortunate enough to avoid most of the sticky situations I’ve heard about, in most part because I feel I’ve set up all the infrastructure to make sure people know what they’re getting and that they’re interacting with a legit professional.

Have Beautiful, Clear Boundaries

Ah, boundaries, how I love you!

This is somewhat of an offshoot of professionalism, but one that’s particularly important in any healing modality. When doing spiritual work you’re entering into a deep and often vulnerable relationship with your clients. A lot can come up in this space, and it’s your job as a professional to hold it for whomever is choosing to work with you. It’s a huge honor to do this work, and stepping outside your boundaries as a professional is a huge breach of that trust.

Where I think this gets tricky is that often people doing this work are extremely empathetic with a strong desire to help. Having a strong sense of self - knowing the boundary between where you end and another complex, sovereign being begins - is absolutely essential. This means having a healthy detachment from your client’s emotions, problems, and reactions. They belong to them alone and it’s not your job to fix or interject with unwanted advice.

Caring for yourself and your mental health is a great way to bolster your boundaries. Have an identity and life outside of your practice! Make time to be a weird, wiggly human being so that you can bring your clearest self to your time with clients.

All sorts of ethics come up here, which is why I think it’s key for each practitioner to spend time really thinking about what they will or will not do, how they approach their sessions, and how they’ll enact their boundaries in real life. For me, this means keeping our interaction within the bounds of our session together, respecting my client’s free will, and not giving prescriptive answers or solutions to problems, no matter how much they may want them.

I’ve written so much here, but there’s still a lot left unsaid!

Let me know if you’d like to hear more about the business side of the equation and, as I continue to process and navigate my gradual shift towards a more muggle profession, I’ll keep you updated on what insights and observations arise. And, as always, thank you for following along on this journey - I’m so grateful to have you here.

A Big Announcement

Hello Dear Readers,

It’s time for me to share an important change:

As of January 2020, Incandescent Tarot will no longer be operating as a full-time tarot business.

What does this mean? No more tarot readings, in-person or online, as well as some other shifts I’ll outline below.

So why this big change?

I’ve been running this business for 3 years and it’s been quite the magical journey, yet about six months ago I found the magic waning significantly. Blog posts were coming as slow as molasses, and my drive to market, promote, and be active on social media was almost nonexistent.

I’ve always loved reading for other people - to this day, it remains one of the few things that consistently energizes and inspires me - but, as any entrepreneur knows, running a business means you end up doing what you love about 10% of the time.

Although I love tarot, I found that making it my sole source of income was sapping it of its vitality and magic. Truth be told, I’m eager and excited to stretch my wings in a new direction and relieve tarot and spirituality of the pressures of being my professional identity.

I can always tell when I’m making a good decision by the feeling I get immediately after sharing it with someone close. When I first told my husband, I experienced a state of elation. Finally! This was what was weighing on my conscience and spirit.

And, with almost comical intensity, I found my inspiration rushing back. I had ideas for new podcast episodes! Blog posts! Newsletter topics! Tarot, spirituality, and intuition seemed exciting again.

In all honesty, this is the best part of my decision. I was feeling so disconnected from tarot and I can’t express how happy I am to find that my block was around creating a living out of it, not the act of sharing it with others.

Nothing has filled me with as much joy as seeing how tarot has lit up the lives of the people I’ve worked with. Sharing it as a practice, teaching it to others, and being invited into the process of so many special people in one-on-one readings has been a priceless gift.

You can still find me posting here on my website, sharing my card meanings and resources, and speaking about these topics on my podcast.

And now for the goodbyes

I’ll be phasing out services as follows:

• In-Person readings, excluding pre-booked appointments, will stop on October 15th, 2019

• Remote readings will stop on December 31st, 2019

• Mentorships will stop meeting on December 31st, 2019

• Events will stop on October 31st, 2019

• Classes will stop December 2019

• Weekly Forecasts will stop December 31, 2019

Needless to say, this is the last call for readings if you’ve been meaning to get one. I’m leaving space to offer occasional readings in the future if my inspiration/schedule allows, but that won’t be for quite some time.

Join the Newsletter to stay in the loop and book one of my last appointments here.

What’s going to stay?

• This website: I’ll continue to run incandescenttarot.com and keep up my card meaning dictionary, tarot spreads, and resources.

• The blog: I’ll post occasional tarot reflections and more. If my newfound energy is any indication, I’ll be more active here than I’ve been recently!

• The Newsletter: My more personal tarot musings and announcements will still go out here.

• The Podcast: Open Magic will continue to be a space where I share about tarot, spirituality, and intuition.

A Parting Offering

My last offering as a professional reader will be my annual Year Ahead readings for 2020. These are my favorite thing that I create, and this year’s format will be the best yet: A full tarot reading with a card for each month and extras for the big themes in your life, I put my all into these beauties and will be opening orders up on November 1st - December 3rd.

Stay tuned for more announcements

I’ll be posting more here about the ins-and-outs of this change and sharing my experience throughout. For now, thank you so much for reading along and for all your support: Whether you’re a casual reader of this site, a podcast fan, client, or general well-wisher, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the energy you’ve brought to Incandescent Tarot. I can feel it, and I’m so grateful and honored to have been a part of your tarot experience.

If you have any questions, thoughts, or more please share them in the comments below or drop me a line here

Summer Solstice Tarot Reading on Open Magic Podcast

A delightful spread from Spirit Speak’s Apparition Tarot Deck

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling transformed after the Summer Solstice this past week.

And, in case you missed it, I did a special tarot reading looking at the energy and opportunities springing from this time of the year.

This far reaching reading looks at the next half of 2019 and dives in to the archetypes we’ll be leaving behind and the opportunities for growth and celebration emerging in the future.

Give it a listen below or find it wherever you get your podcasts. (And do leave us a review if you feel inspired, it helps more than you know!)

All the Best,

Gina

The Best Way to Read Tarot is as Your True Self

Photo by Anna Carson-Dewitt

Someone once asked me at a dinner party if I acted differently when I read tarot for clients.

It took a minute for that to sink in. Differently? How?

I quickly realized that this lovely person, a math teacher, was wondering if I put on an act for my readings. You know, the classic turban and crystal ball schtick.

I could only laugh.

For those who know my personally, I do not fit the outdated stereotype of a tarot reader, fortune-teller, or psychic - at all. I’m effusive, warm, curious, and open. And I can’t read tarot any other way.

What’s more, in my many years reading and teaching tarot, I’ve found that people give the best and most insightful readings when doing them from a place of deep authenticity.

Think of it this way: could you recite a poem more comfortably using your own voice or with a theatrical stage accent?

Oftentimes, we assume we have to change or edit our personalities when trying something new. But doing so only makes things more awkward. It just doesn’t flow when you’re trying to be something you’re not, and tarot is an intuitive art that works best when we’re tapping into our personal power.

So, what is it about you that’s unique? How do you talk when you get excited about something or are speaking a deep truth?

This is different for everyone which I find infinitely beautiful. You may be more poetic, serious, goofy, scientific, or mystical. The world needs tarot readers of all stripes, so celebrate your unique perspective.

And, another fun secret: when getting readings from other pro readers, one thing is resoundingly clear - they all read as themselves, too. Each reader has a unique voice, outlook, and style. Embracing it will only make your readings better. Neglecting it will just feel awkward.

I’ve been told by many new clients that they’ve never had a reading like mine before. I love tarot so much and find each set of cards to be such an adventure that I often make exclamations when I turn them over. Like, “Ooh, this is fascinating!” or “There’s so much magic happening in your life right now!” You could say I have no chill when it comes to tarot.

If I were to try to tamp this down in the interest of appearing more serious or mystical, my clients would miss out on a huge part of my talents as a reader. I see each reading as a unique and fascinating adventure and expressing that only amplifies my insights.

Whatever facet of your reading style makes you feel alive, engaged, and deliciously you, keep at it.

It’s an intrinsic part of your tarot magic, and something to celebrate. Plus, it makes your readings all the more powerful, energetic, and intuitive.

Embracing Down Time in Your Tarot Practice

While teaching a beginner class the other day, I got to thinking about frequency and dedication in tarot.

A question I get often, especially from people just starting out, is how to use tarot in everyday life. And the most common practice by far is a daily draw. I’ve also seen, however, that this practice can get overwhelming fast. Same goes for daily readings.

With so many cards coming at you, how do you know what they truly mean or even have time to digest their message?

My tarot philosophy centers around its use as a system to reflect the entirety of the human experience. The cards are always there, ready to tell a story, but if we’re constantly reading - our noses deep in the cards or a book - we don’t have the experience of real life to back things up.

In other words, I actually think that taking breaks between reading and studying tarot is just as important as all the research and practice in the world.

Why?

Because if tarot is a reflection of the human experience, it’s best learned when we can connect it to our actual human experience!

So if you’re feeling burnt out with the cards or wrestling with a trickier reading, give yourself time. Take a break. Get outside and see what happens in your life. You may be surprised to see a hidden meaning in a card emerge in a conversation with a friend or a symbol you never resonated with pop up on your commute to work.

Sometimes people get a bit shy when taking these tarot leaps. They’re not written in a book somewhere, at least not verbatim, so they must be intrinsically sketchy or wrong. That’s not the case at all, and finding tarot in your real life is, in my experience, the quickest way to make the cards sing in your readings.

How have you incorporated periods of rest, pause, or reflection in your tarot practice? In what ways have the cards evolved or appeared in your own experiences? I’d love to hear your stories below.

Vulnerability + Tarot Readings

One of the surprising parts of attending the Readers’ Studio tarot conference this past week was that it involved lots of hands-on tarot practice. During each master class we’d all swap readings with each other, testing out our new techniques.

As a professional tarot reader, I don’t often find myself on the other side of the table. If I need a reading, I’ll often give one to myself (hey, it’s quite convenient!), so it was humbling and eye-opening to be on the receiving end.

And here’s what really struck me:

Getting your cards read by another person is a very vulnerable experience.

Your questions, dreams, issues and more are all out on the table. And how often do we find ourselves the sole object of attention in our lives? You certainly do in a tarot reading! The space is all for you to unravel and explore whatever’s on your mind.

It’s healing, powerful, and much different that our usual mode of communicating “in real life.”

As the conference progressed I touched on many of the central questions in my life right now with multiple people. It was fascinating to see how this contact - getting ideas that are normally trapped in my head - transformed my thinking. Stuck areas started feeling ligter. My brain was moving in interesting new directions, and my emotions and body, too.

So if you find yourself receiving a tarot reading or are curious to try one, know that while it might feel intense at first to be on the spot, doing so with a trusted friend or expert is a beautifully transformative experience. It certainly was for me.

My Experience at the Readers' Studio Tarot Conference

Certificate & Treasures from the Readers’ Studio

Hello, tarot friends! It’s been a whirlwind past few weeks and, as you may have noticed, I’ve been a bit silent here on the blog.

One of those reasons? Lots of travel, and the most exciting journey was to the Readers’ Studio tarot conference this past week.

My “chill professional tarot reader” face

If you haven’t heard of this gathering, it’s the foremost in the tarot community. Hosted by the amazing RuthAnn and Wald Amberstone, founders of The Tarot School, it’s been meeting for 13 years and features the luminaries of the tarot world. People like Rachel Pollack, Mary K. Greer, Barbara Moore, Robert M. Place, and so many more have attended in the past. My 12 year old tarot self was over the moon to finally be going! Let’s just say nearly all of my tarot heroes - the people who wrote the books I learned with - were going to be there.

I also love to travel, something I hadn’t done much of since buying a house here in Durham two years ago. Hopping on a plane by myself to hang out with likeminded tarot lovers in New York? Sign me up!

And so I set off in the wee hours of Friday to take the quick flight up North. The conference was in the LaGuardia Marriott, so it was easy-peasy getting there. I can be pretty stubborn about traveling (having done a lot in my late teens and early twenties, I’m a bit obnoxious about packing light and timing things perfectly) and for some reason thought it would be the best idea to arrive the morning of the first day, waltzing into the conference on 4 hours of sleep and “fresh” off the plane.

In retrospect, I wouldn’t do this again, since my half-asleep self sat down at the first available seat only to realize that, as the crowd filtered in, I was sitting at the “big girl’s table.” It took all my limited energy not to fangirl too hard as modern greats like Benebell Wen, Ethony, and Theresa Reed sat down around me! I like to think that, with a little extra sleep, I’d have been the paragon of dignity and professionalism… but, probably not.

Ethony’s master class

A little note about how the conference is structured: Each day features several master classes from notable tarot professionals. During these presentations everyone pairs up to swap readings using the new techniques. So, on day one, I ended up reading with Benebell Wen AND Theresa Reed, aka The Tarot Lady. Wow.

Some of the typical tarot-reading wildness at the conference

What a way to start things off! I’d like to say it calmed down from there, but a general state of euphoria, delight, and overwhelm permeated the entire three days. Not wanting to miss anything, I attended several deck showcases (the incredible Herbcrafter’s Tarot and Chakra Wisdom Oracle), a very mysterious late-night class on mediumship, and a lengthy browse of the merchant’s fair, and so much more.

It was also quite emotionally overwhelming to be in a group of people who all practiced the same intuitive art and understood so many of the issues, challenges, and joys of the craft. I didn’t realize how much awareness I bring around with me regarding what’s “too much” to share regarding tarot and the sometimes stressful act of navigating less tarot-friendly circles. The professional camaraderie was deeply healing.

A major highlight was dressing up as The Empress for the Costume Ball

The only thing that didn’t seem to get healed was my bank account as silly “pre-Readers’ Studio Gina” had boldly decided not to purchase a single thing. Decks? I’ve got plenty! Books? They’re too heavy! Foolishly thinking that if I only brought a small tote bag carry-on I’d stick to my resolve, I found myself lugging home about 20 lbs of loot. And I have absolutely no regrets! Plus, how was I to know that my favorite eBay source for historical reproduction decks would be there??

After three days of presentations, readings, and mingling I was near-bursting with inspiration and exhaustion. The crowd itself was delightful, a fascinating mix of tarot greats (Rachel Pollack! Be still my heart!), newcomers, deck creators, witches, teachers, and more. I left with so many new friends and acquaintances (and even got to be in a video for a South Korean tarot school!).

And, most surprisingly, I got to receive so many tarot readings about my life during the workshops. As a tarot reader I’m so used to being on the other side of the table and getting these readings was so healing and tender and reminded me of the recipient’s perspective, so stay tuned for some more posts about that facet of tarot soon. These readings really cemented my goals and values as a reader, making me all the more grateful to be on this path and excited to see it grow.

So for those of you considering attending, please do! It’s a magical gathering celebrating tarot in all its forms. Just be sure to take a day off afterwards to catch up on sleep…