Divination using found objects or collected trinkets is a fun way to use your intuition and also add to your knowledge of tarot.  There are many ways you can add the use of dice alongside your readings or even as a separate system.  Playing cards are inexpensive (also highly collectable), but work very well for reading the cards.   There is a cool system of reading fortunes with Dominoes as well, your creativity is the only limit!

Decks Used: Halloween Dreams Playing Cards - Paulina Fae
                           - The Illuminated Tarot - Caitlin Keegan
                            - Dragon Age Inquisition Dread Wolf Dice
                                                       
Practice What You Learned:
- Be on the lookout for playing cards you find outside as a spontaneous mini reading
- Find a set of DnD dice (these don't have to be expensive)
- Curate a collection of charms
- Try a reading with dominoes (check link below)
- Try out some cool shuffling techniques with playing cards

Resources
- www.instagram.com/tarot_aesthetic
- Sunnessa Spirited Tarot YouTube Video “How to Use DnD Dice for Divination
- The Hillybilly Oracle 2nd Edition webzine “Divination with DnD Dice Sets”
- Simply Witchery YouTube Video “Dice Divination 101”
- The Book of Ordinary Oracles – Lon Milo DuQuette
- https://www.serenapowers.com/dominoes.html
- http://www.domino-play.com/Games/FortuneGypsyAdvanced.htm
- Fifty-four Devils: The Art & Folklore of Fortune-Telling with Playing Cards - Cory Thomas Hutcheson

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Both are excellent tools for strengthening one’s intuition and both unlock the door to hidden realms of insight, meaning and self-discovery in the unconscious. Since our unconscious can speak to us through dreams and Tarot, we can use one to strengthen our relationship with the other. Using Tarot images and dream symbols together seems to open a dialog between the conscious and subconscious mind that is normally closed, creating a powerful synergy.   Symbols, words, people, and environments are very personal and there is no one meaning for them. This is where working with a magical tool like the Tarot can help bring some more clarity.

Decks Used: Tarot Disassembled - Jennifer Cooper Steidley
                            - The Muses of Tarot - Ethony Dawn
                            - Pamela Coleman-Smith's Rider Waite Playing Cards
                            - The Cosmic Slumber Tarot - Tillie Walden    (not used in this podcast but is a deck created to evoke images recalled from collective dreams and the depths of the subconscious)
                                       
Practice What You Learned:
- Start a Dream Journal
- Create your own dictionary of symbols
- Study a card before bed and then place it under your pillow
- Learn and try lucid dreaming
- Try out this tarot spread:
               - https://ethony.com/dream-interpretation-tarot-spread/

Resources:
- A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics by Tuccillo, Zeizel & Peisel 
- The Key to Tarot - Sarah Bartlett  
- The Essential Guide to Tarot - David Fontana 
- Tarot at a Crossroads - Kooch & Victor Daniels 
- The History of Last Night's Dream - Rodger Kamenetz 
- The Inner World of Night Dreams - Marc J Gian

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Tarot spreads are a great way to give your readings context and stay focused on the inquiry.  They help you see patterns and make connections.  Creating your own spreads helps with active self reflection and problem solving and allows you engage in your practice creatively.

Decks Used: Spread Crafter's Oracle - Fables Den
                                   Quest Expansion Pack - Fables Den
                                   Change Expansion Pack - Fables Den
                            - Spreads Deck - Holly Oddly
                            - The Citadel Oracle Deck - Liminal 11
                            - Wandering Star Tarot - Cat Pierce

Tarot Zines  - Made by Me :)
                                       
Practice What You Learned:
- Craft your own spread by understanding your goal, clarifying the circumstances, targeting the underlying problem, finding the solution.
- Be creative in your layout
- Use a deck designed with spread prompts for layouts (listed above)
- Create a special spread to use in your tarot services (or even if you are reading at a market have a show special spread)

References & Resources:
Holistic Tarot – Benebell Wen
www.labyrinthos.co

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

If you are looking to begin a year long deck or tarot study, I share some of the ones I have come across and others I've used myself.  These can help you learn aspects of the tarot such as astrology and the elements or they can help you immerse yourself in a particular deck like the Wildwood Tarot.  There are a few things I get out of doing these myself such as aligning myself to the cosmos, and seeing how they really do correlate to specific energies throughout the year (As Above so Below).  Connecting myself to nature and the seasons to understand myself a bit better as well as making the most out of the natural cycles we all go through.  These studies also help you connect the meaning in your cards to everyday happenings which in turn, really help you live and breathe the lessons in the tarot.   

Decks Used:
Wildwood Tarot - Mark Ryan, John Matthews & Will Worthington
The Witches Wisdom Tarot - Phyllis Curott
Druidcraft Tarot - Philip Carr-Gomm & Will Worthington
Cantigee Oracle - Rae Diamond

Books Discussed:
A Year in the Wildwood - Alison Cross
- A Year in the Wildwood Facebook Study Group
Wild Magic - Mark Ryan, John Matthews & Will Worthington
The Moon Book - Sarah Faith Gottensdeiner
Moon Magick - DJ Conway
The Spirit Almanac - Lindsay Kellner & Emma Loewe
The Tarot Almanac - Bess Matassa

Resources:
Great place to buy books & decks: Book Outlet
Decan Walk YouTube Videos: Marlene Theresa Decan Walk 2023
Moon Dips Candles - Made in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Moon Cards - Guide to Moon Magic Kit - Aurora Kane

I have a version of this podcast upon YouTube as well

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Believe it or not, you can use tarot to find things like keys, wallets phones, jewellery, documents and even lost pets.  The main idea is to use your cards to find out clues about the lost item’s whereabouts and if it is possible to find it or not.   Using the elements in the suits, the zodiacs associated with the Major Arcana and even reversals you can glean a lot of information to help in your cause.

Decks Used: Penumbra Tarot - Ethony Dawn & Eris Elizabeth
                         
                         
Practice What You Learned:
- Choose a deck with more imagery (not a pip deck), and try out these spreads
- Find an image of an astrology wheel to help with direction (even use a deck that has the astrological sings on the cards to help)

I have a version of this podcast upon YouTube as well

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

Resources: Thanks to https://twitter.com/Scottteaa/status/1146463189779001344 for some helpful hints

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Your inner child is a part of your subconscious that has been picking up messages way before it was able to fully process what was going on (mentally and emotionally). It holds emotions, memories and beliefs from the past as well as hopes and dreams for the future.  It consists of what a person learned and experienced in the earliest years of their lives (birth to age 8 or 9). While for some this is a happy and exciting time, for others this can be quite the opposite.  Our inner child holds onto memories of our childhoods which include times of learning, comfort, and processing information before our brains were developed enough to understand. .  When we connect to our inner child, we are inviting joy, hope and play so they come out of hiding.  We make ourselves vulnerable and this welcomes healing.   Using tarot is a perfect way to connect with your inner child because it speaks to us in images and symbols and by doing so it bypasses our conscious mind and can get to the root of emotions, memories and trauma. 

Decks Used: Light Seer's Tarot - Chris Anne
                             Modern Love Tarot - Ethony Dawn
                             
                         
Practice What You Learned:
- Identify and embrace your inner child
- Use words of affirmation
- Make time for play, be creative, colour, enjoy the outdoors
- Try out these spreads

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

I also have a version of this podcast on YouTube

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Tarot is not only a great tool for guidance and working with your subconscious but have you ever used tarot in your spell work?  In this episode we will look at different ways you can use tarot for manifestation and creating change where you need it most.  How's that for taking your path into your own hands?

Decks Used: Modern Spellcaster's Tarot
                             
                         
Practice What You Learned:
- Choose a deck you'd like to use with spell work
- Try the Blessings & Activation Ritual
- Create a spell using your cards to manifest what you need
- Check out these ideas for which cards work well for specific spells
- Download some free decks to use in your spell work

Book Recommendations:
The Modern Witchcraft Book of Tarot - Skye Alexander

The Magic of Tarot - Sasha Graham

365 Tarot Spells - Sasha Graham

Magickal Tarot – Robyn Valentine

The Key to Tarot - Sarah Bartlett

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

I also have a version of this podcast on YouTube

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

The Magpie Deck (or Patchwork Deck) isn't a new concept but it became popular after The Alleyman Tarot came out on Kickstarter.  It is the highest backed tarot deck in Kickstarter history.  Made up of over 130 mismatched cards by many different artists.   The Alleyman themselves (Seven Dane Asmund) curated another 3(!) decks recently on Kickstarter called The Alleyway Oracles which include the Alleyway Tarot, The Oracle of Play and the Oracle of Secrets.  I was very lucky to have a card chosen from my Unraveled Oracle to be included in the Oracle of Play!! Once these decks have been shipped I will have some for trade (early 2024). 

"Every city has an alleyway. Rat plagued, garbage strewn, back doors, and odd neon signs. There are people you know, people you've forgotten, boxes and tents, faces and hands. The hourly workers on their breaks, drinking out of to-go containers, gathering by the dumpster on milk crates. You see a fastfood bag full of trash. You wonder who will pick that up. You see a man, curled up on two flats of cardboard. You wonder who will pick him up. 

But you never think about this. You never really wonder after you see it. You never imagine a life behind anyone there. It's not a place meant for people to stay. So you don't linger.  Schedules to keep.

...But what if you did? What if you deigned to imagine a momentary lapse of judgement? What if the man inside the alley was looking at you, I mean really looking at you? And what if in that shared moment you stopped walking, stood beside him, noticed he had something in his hands. A set of cards. Strange, mismatched, worn, and rotten. And no matter how much you do or don't believe, you still want to know. What will the cards say? 

You enter the Alley." - The Alleyway Oracles

                       
Practice What You Learned:
- Join The Alley on Facebook and start trading and compiling your own magpie deck.
- Create a Google Drive to upload all you cards for trade/sale.  I organize mine by deck name than each suit as its own folder. I also take a picture of each card individually.  You can see my drive here.
- Listen to the Alleyman Podcast

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

I also have a version of this podcast on YouTube

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Using the energies of the moon each month is a great way to connect with the natural world.  Much like tarot it also helps us to connect with our subconscious.  We can use both in conjunction to gain insight and clarity with our emotions, fears, shadow aspects and more.   When we track the moons movement in the sky and sync the phases within our daily lives, we can see a lot of correlation. 

Decks Used: The Northern Animal Tarot
                              Pagan Otherworlds (Moon Cards)
                              The Moon Oracle
                         
Practice What You Learned:
- Go through your deck and pull out which cards you see aspects of the moon.
- Try to create a regular practice of drawing 4 cards (one for each phase) at the new moon and see how they correlate to your life that month.  You can ask “how will the phases of this new lunar cycle affect my mood?”
- Try out these spreads based on the current moon phase
- Use the moon's cycles to for guidance on specific topics
- Try using your cards for manifesting with the moon's energy

Book Recommendations:
The Moon Book – Sarah Faith Gottediener

Holistic Tarot – Benebel Wen

The Ultimate Guide to Tarot – Liz Dean

The Magic of Tarot – Sasha Graham

Tarot by the Moon – Victoria Constantino

Magickal Tarot – Robyn Valentine

Tarot Disassembled – Jennifer Cooper Steidley

Tarot: Your Personal Guide – Steven Bright

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

I also have a version of this podcast on YouTube

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)

Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or defeat.  It is being able to adapt to highly stressful situations or crises and being capable of overcoming adversity.  Developing resilience is important for protection against overwhelming circumstances and allows you to bounce back after things don't go your way.  It helps you to learn from your mistakes but no dwell on them and to focus on what you will do differently next time.  Ways to build resilience include maintaining positivity, keeping things in perspective, accepting change, trusting you can overcome problems, and staying flexible.  You can't always control what happens in life but you can control how you respond, and resilient people get back up when life knocks them down.

Decks Used: The Zombie Tarot
                         
Practice What You Learned:
- Go through your deck and pull out which cards you feel belong with the characteristics of optimism, confidence, humor, expression, focus, connections & devotion.
- What do you think are characteristics of resilient people?
- Try out this spread I created for building resilience
- Write out your own positive affirmations for each card (or check out p 609 in Holistic Tarot)
- Benebell also has created a spread similar to the celtic cross structured for a resilience reading (p 604 in Holistic Tarot)

Book Recommendations:
Holistic Tarot - Benebell Wen

Join my FREE Tarot Circle and get in on the discussion!

I also have a version of this podcast on YouTube

Questions or Comments:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.susiegourlay.com
Instagram: @handsontarot & @woolly_witch

Thanks for tuning in. I see tarot in your future ;)