Coming Out Of The Tarot Closet

Demitri bears his soul when it comes to the relationships in his life. And he’s a strong advocate for issues directly affecting the queer community. Tarot has become a part of that journey.

It’s Time To Meet Demitri Wylde

Demitri (Demi) Wylde is an author, podcaster and entrepreneur from Los Angeles, CA. He is the CEO of Wylde Heart Media company, author of two poetry books “Bitter Blue Pill” (2020) and “All Was Nothing in the Time of Champions” (2021). Both books can be found on Amazon.com. 

His essay series “Hookup Horror Stories” –  true tales of sexual encounters that seeks to dispel shame and heal the trauma surrounding sex, and “A Deviant’s Guide to Sex” – a how-to guide on navigating sex, love, and interpersonal relationships and an in-depth look at the history and culture that surrounds the topic, are all found on Medium.com.

He also hosts the podcast “A Cosmic Journey with Demi and J.,” – a comedy podcast about science and spirituality, where they discuss things like aliens, witchcraft, technology, astrology, space, nature, psychics, and the law of attraction.

Connect with Demitri

Twitter | Instagram

La Chiva is a magical being who is experiencing their place in this world in the moment. 

It’s Time To Meet La Chiva

Neo-pseudo Shaman, Anarchist Queer, Expressionist Spiritual Artisan, Witch and Diviner (They/Them/It)

I, La Chiva was born in the middle of the so-called united states-of-somebody-else’s america; and I grew up white and middle class, and queer. As a young queer kid I was told that I was possessed by a daemon. My queerness or so-called ‘same sex desire,’ my feminine identifications (all of it goes together, really); was the sign of daemonic possession.

Now, well…

La Chiva Is the Daemon in Me and I am La Chiva.

I moved to New York City, where I made experimental performance pieces, taught preschool, attended some universities (BA Art History/Early Childhood studies, MSW Social Work); took a lot of dance and yoga classes; engaged in psychotherapy; provided psychotherapy to others; lived in an ashram and took a lot of drugs and alcohol; not necessarily in that order, but sometimes all of it at once, sometimes even all on the same day!

I have trained in psychotherapy/psychoanalysis, social work and art, and I am a self-taught mystical spiritual artisan. I have worked for the past 20+ years in some of the poorest and most diverse communities in both NYC and London (Divided Kingdom); in jails, family centres, psychiatric hospitals and the court system.

When I turned 30 and moved to England, I attended some more universities (MA performance art, MA psychosocial studies), did more drugs and drinking; engaged in 10+ years of Jungian psychoanalysis; went to a lot of recovery meetings; did more work helping the government control its poor and marginalised people; made more performance art pieces, and adopted a child. Again, not necessarily in that order, but sometimes all at once and/or all on the same day!

After I became a parent to a dependent human child through bureaucratic legal processes of adoption; and once I reached middle age, I became disillusioned with both addiction and the State; and I came to the conclusion that contemporary capitalist culture and the neo-liberal institutions that support it are all a bunch of bullshit. And that goes as well for many or most of the charitable and clinical institutions that are meant to support people, but usually just end up categorizing, blaming and basically pushing them around, if not plainly abusing them outright.

So I started reading Tarot cards professionally and getting up to my old performance art theatrics; this time infused with a deeper spiritual commitment to the actual magic of ecstatic ritual performance as a tool for healing. Because, after all – along with the love of my Sasquatch-Rhinoceros-Child – it was the incorporation of faith in ancestral and household magic, and the soul wisdom gleaned via the magical hermeneutics of Divination, that ultimately saved me from addiction and suicide.

Magic is healing and healing is magic; caring for each other is craft, like making something with your hands. Making something with your hands is healing; taking care of yourself and the collective, through making things with your hands, your heart, your mind and the materials of your life story; is magic.

Connect with La Chiva

Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Fish Story Gallery Too | Website

Tom Benjamin (Ben Jolivet)

Ben is a passionate change maker who puts his own growth on display while inviting others along the journey.  Here’s a bit more about them from their bio:

Tom Benjamin is the nom de tarot of writer, reader, and teacher/instructional designer Ben Jolivet. He has been reading for 20 years and has created content for his YouTube channel since 2012. Through his videos, courses, and books, Tom aims to help you discover more powerful, practical tarot readings — as well as avoid the pitfalls he experienced during the early years of his reading. His first book, Tarot on Earth: A Practical Approach to the Cards is an exploration of reading pip-style and Marseille decks. He created a popular Tarot de Marseille class for the Tarot Readers Academy. He also runs Tom Benjamin’s Good Time Tarot Jam, small-group master classes focused on topics such as third-party readings, the courts, and reading for yourself. You can find him, his classes and books, and more information at tombenjamintarot.com

Connect with Ben here:

Instagram | YouTube | Website

If you liked this episode, have you heard the one with Auset Gypsy?

Get to know more about James from The Auset Gypsy. He’s entertaining and deeply knowledgeable. There’s a lot of experience behind what comes off as ease and simplicity. 

More about James Jacob Pierri, The Auset Gypsy

Current and Previous Experience Includes:

* Author / Creator of The Auset Gypsy Tarot deck & Book set published worldwide by REDfeather MBS Publishing.* Proprietor of Auset Gypsy Metaphysical Emporium located in Frenchtown NJ* Published Astrologer for Fashion/Style Magazines Z!nk & JACQ, entertainment magazines Next! & What’s Happening* Host & Presenter of Ask The Gypsy LIVE Instagram Show, Four Of Cups Podcast Show, The S’Copes Pod Cast Go Network* As Seen On TV – HGTV What’s Your Sign Design, MTVs House Of Prophesy, PIX NYC News Morning Show Psychic Friday’s, Bravos Real House Wives Of NJ, LaFleur de Mai

James Jacob Pierri is an award winning professional Reader, Astrologer and Tarot Rockstar since 1999.

Early beginnings started on the streets of Greenwich Village NYC than lead him into world renown entertainment destinations and venues, but it was Universal Studios Orlando where he was handpicked as a “lucky few” to perform Tarot Readings at the opening of Mystics Of The Seven Veils Psychic venue inside Lost Continent, Islands Of Adventure. A momentous occasion being the first psychic attraction opening in a Major theme park in 50 years. This opportunity launched James into the public eye due to all the national and international media and press the story received.

After that AusetGypsy was created and he branched off on his own being picked up by Major entertainment agencies and traveled nationally and internationally reading Tarot and Fortune Telling at public and private celebrity events including MTV Music Awards Show,NFL Super Bowl and Launches for reputable companies like L’Oréal, Saks Fifth Ave and Thierry Mugglar. All the while in between touring Metaphysical centers and shops, festivals and events teaching classes on Tarot and other Metaphysical subjects such as Astrology, Palmistry, diverse uses of Magic & meditation and especially Isiacism, The Modern Devotion to the Goddess Isis.

In addition James attended Cherry Hill Seminary and studied Neo Pagansims and Pagan Research, became an legally ordained Priest in The Temple of Isis Geyserville Ca., completed certification as a Yoga instructor. Studied and Graduated from The Florida College of Natural Health and Holistic Sciences where he studied aromatherapy, herbalism, anatomy & physiology and Ayurvedic medicine.

Today AusetGypsy is it’s own leading brand in the metaphysical world which offers a wide range of Auset Gypsy merchandise and spiritual products.

The Auset Gypsy Tarot Deck published by REDfeather MBS Publishing and is distributed and available worldwide.

Auset Gypsy Metaphysical Emporium retail location in scenic Frenchtown NJ where clients can book Tarot consultations with James Jacob Pierri both in person or via teleconference.

You can find Auset Gypsy at ausetgypsy.com

More About Stella + Patrick

Stella Boheme is a force to be reckoned with.  Not only will she read you to filth, her whole body can embody a tarot card. And seeing her may just be the advice you need.

Patrick has been a performer since the age of 6 and a Tarot reader since the age of 12. He has performed as a singer all over the United States and in Europe with various traveling groups. He holds a Bachelor’s and Masters of Music. In 2012, through a series of events, he turned to the world of Drag and created his alter Shego, Stella Boheme. 

His Tarot reading career ran alongside his performance career. He didn’t form his Tarot and Spiritual Life Coaching business until 2017 when he came out to the world as a Tarot reader. With the pandemic and relocation to Central Florida in 2020, the two worlds of Drag and Tarot combined when Queen Of Glam Tarot was brought into the world, bringing Tarot into LGBTQIA+ spaces.

Connect With Patrick Here:

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Website

Martyn is a calming force who’s sharing his journey and his best life with his friends and followers. His honesty, openness, and drive to leave the world better than he found it is inspiring.

Martyn is a 50 year old gay tarot reader who’s been reading for over 30 years. He follows an ‘eclectic’ spiritual path and loves crystals, books, learning. Martyn loves to bring out the best in people.Looking to get in touch with Martyn? You can find him on Instagram @tarot_in_the_city

If you liked this post, check out the one with Mattarot!

Matt is one of the most exuberant and yet grounding forces I have come across. His energy is engaging and his sincerity is comforting. I think you’ll know exactly what I mean after listening to this interview. Enjoy!

Mattarot is a Creative Arts Therapist (MA), Certified Crystal Healer (CCH), Tarot Card Reader, Sacred Intimate and Men’s Tantric Healer. His main goal is to help you shine light on your path and encourage your own spiritual practice. He has been practicing the esoteric for over 10 years and is guided to help others with Courage and Compassion.

Mattarot.com has multiple services to offer. From Zoom Tarot Readings, Distance Crystal Energy Healing, and Crystal Candles to support your personal spiritual practice. Check out Mattarot.com for more!

You can also find Mattarot on instagram with the handle of the same name.  @mattarot

Thomas is one of those readers you could talk to about tarot for hours and keep going. His curiosity will lead you down a winding road of discovery. And he’s got you covered for new tarot approaches too.

More About The Hermit’s Mirror

Thomas uses the tarot as a mirror to redirect light back into the hidden corners of the mind, guiding querents through the wilderness of life and helping tarot readers find their own way more easily. He’s been reading tarot for more than twenty years, but he’s not too proud to admit that he’s been reading it well for only the last four or five. Thomas is the host of an Instagram series of tarot talks and the author of Tarot Tableau: The Fool’s Journey, which introduces a new method for reading the tarot that incorporates cartomantic techniques from the Lenormand. When not tarot-ing or training, he loves to read, write, and draw.

Connect With Thomas

If you’re interested in learning more about his Tarot Tableau method, you can find out more from his website. There you’ll also find free tarot teaching resources, tarot and oracle deck interviews, tarot spreads, and links to book private tarot lessons, a month of personal coaching through tarot, and a heavily discounted 30-minute live reading session for first-time clients.

Website | Instagram

If you liked this conversation, check out the one with Asim

Join PAtreon NowSupport these stories, monthly readings, and more!

Asim is someone that I’m enjoying getting to know better. His activism and his wry sense of humor are only a couple of reasons to find out more about them.

Asim

Asim (they/he) is a tarot reader with over ten years of experience. Asim combines the collective meanings of the cards with each client’s unique situation in order to channel the messages that come through.

When Asim is not reading tarot cards, he is usually writing plays, poems, fiction, blog posts, or listening to a Christina Aguilera album for the 15 millionth time. When there isn’t a global pandemic, you are sure to catch him working on theatre projects and exploring the world- which are his favorite things of all.

Get In Contact With Asim

Instagram and Twitter: @ZoomTarot

Website 

Emilio has a great energy and a fascinating story. This generational Brujo de casa has been an outsider for most of his life. I’m sure that feels familiar. I hope you enjoy this conversation as we explore Emilio’s sense of self, awareness of his gifts and talents, and how important ancestral work is. All with a dash of humor.

Emilio DeLuna

I’m a Leo with a moon in Scorpio and an ascendant in Scorpio. I’m an emotional mess and then some. I was born in a Mexican-American family. My mother was from Mexico and my father born in Texas.

I’m the eldest of four. Folk magic has always been apart of my life: knot magic, tossing coins, cloud-cutting, etc. It was pretty much a housewitch life that I was born into.

Though being born in the states, I was still born into a conservative family; gender roles were defined and not strayed from; for example, boys played football and girls cleaned, cooked, took care of the kids, and obeyed. I was the “freak”; I broke the rules when I started to just read and stay inside. That cause chaos as a butterfly’s wing.

Since then, I was already defined as the Unusual One. I was called when a family member needed a dream interpreted, an energy cleanse, a house-exorcism, babysitting, or what-have-them. When I told my paternal gramma that I was seeing ghosts, that’s when they believed that maybe I wasn’t just acting out but that I was truly different.

During middle school and high school was when I started to actually get into my gifts and started to actually respect and honor the path that I was on. Middle school though was more darker and more sinister while the more older and (somewhat) mature high schooler was more chilled and more relaxed.

I was still practicing my knots and my charms in secret but in plain sight. I made baby blankets with loving intentions and scarves for protection; I never gave away the reason for my projects because that would in a sense, “unravel” the spell.

Follow Emilio

You can follow Emilio on Instagram @edeluna13

If you liked this episode, check out the one with David Davis!