Tag: trustworthy

Meet Your Reader 2020

Meet Your Reader 2020

Hi. This is me from (mumble mumble) years ago. I still use this photo because it is the only one of me I’ve ever really liked.

This is me now, in Bitmoji form which is as good as it’s going to get because the website, blog and socials are mostly about Tarot, a little bit about spirituality, with a sprinkle crystals, meditation, spirituality and just enough off-topic things to keep it interesting. I want you to feel confident and comfortable ordering a reading here, so please let me tell you a little about the bitmoji-fied face behind your email reading or the voice on the phone.

I started reading Tarot cards around 1990 or so. Early 90s anyway. I was still in my 20s, had left my parent’s religion and was finding my own spiritual path. Tarot & oracle cards played a crucial role in helping me find a healthy way out of a fundamentalist evangelical upbringing .

I started reading for myself because, honestly, who could afford to use those phone psychics that were so popular back then? It took a little effort to find authentic readers and teachers in those pre-internet days, especially in an a conservative area where good psychics were still mostly underground. Eventually, I was very fortunate to have readings, workshops and intuition development classes with talented, brilliant people like Sallie Christensen, Gina Hiller, Joy Star, even meeting Ted Andrews once at his Animal Wise workshop.

It turned out that I’m actually really good at doing Tarot readings too. A good friend encouraged me to work online, so I started with Keen, Advice Trader and AllExperts under the handle Baihu. When dissertation expenses came along, I started working for myself and Modern Oracle Tarot was born. In 2018, Modern Oracle and Tarotbytes blog were expanded to include Reiki, meditation tutorials, and my Quirk & Flotsam Etsy shop. I renamed it all that Fall to create the TaoCraft Tarot that you see today.

I’m a Reiki Master-practitioner (2000)

I’ve been doing folk arts and crafts since my Grandmother taught me to embroider when I was 6 years old. Making handcrafted meditation beads was a natural extension of everything else at TaoCraft Tarot. The meditation beads are in the TaoCraft Tarot Shop along with ebooks like PeaceTarot and a few other handmade odds and ends that find there way there.

I’m a retired Tai Chi instructor (Chinese Martial Arts, Mount Lebanon PA 1998-99) but still love playing taijiquan. I’ve studied meditation, Taoism, Zen / Chan Buddhism and other spiritual traditions on my own from various sources through the years. In magick, you might call me a solitary eclectic.

In “real life” I have a Bachelor of Science in Medical Science and worked as a physician assistant in psychiatry and cardiology. When motherhood came along, I went back to school to be able to work independently, completing a Ph.D. in Natural Health. Although the school’s accreditation has since been withdrawn, my work and dissertation stands. The dissertation is available to view on RondaSnow.com. Needless to say, this is a science, logic and reason friendly Tarot style.

That’s pretty much all of it. It’s all Tarot and the good stuff from now on, at least until I get the urge to re-introduce everything next year at anniversary time. I’m really grateful to all of you, new subscribers and old friends alike. If nothing else, I hope this lets you know I’m nice, normal, nonthreatening kind of person who just happens to be able to read Tarot. I wish you all the best and hope you feel confident getting reading because there is nothing to fear here.

You Choose Interactive Tarot 17 March 20

 

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Left: The Empress. Breathe. Get in the literal outside if you can (viruses don’t like sunlight as I understand it). When are you going to get another chance like this to give yourself some judgement-free alone time to really, deeply connect with nature? That includes your own inner nature which is vitally important too.

Middle: Trapped at home with your family? Good! Pretend it’s Thanksgiving and e ither enjoy each other’s company or try to not get too much blood on the carpet as your individual situation may be. Either way apply shared pleasures and noise cancelling headphones liberally.

Right: Page of Swords. All the page cards reflect learning. Swords resonate with air and intellect as well as action. Long story short, read a book. Catch up on those podcasts. Fire up those Ted Talks you’ve been meaning to watch. Learn something. Learn anything. Things will change, they always do. Embrace your intellect and time on your hans becomes your friend.

Q&A: What’s the difference?

Q: Why get a distance reading? What is the difference between that and a live reading?

A: Inside my head the two are identical. From where I sit, the process and the message is identical. As a writer at heart, I express myself through a keyboard as easily as through my voice. Not all psychics likes to write, which is why I say that distance is my specialty. It’s easy for me and I enjoy the daylights out of it. Write, speak…same thing. It’s the same message coming in from energy and spirit no matter which way I give that message back out to you.

The only real difference is how you experience the message. Deciding between a distance or in-person session is entirely up to you. Which is more meaningful to you? Which do you enjoy more?

Both have advantages.

In-person readings are set apart, special and social. The process of making the appointment and traveling to the reading sets the time apart, gets you away from your schedule, and makes it clear to you and to everyone that this is your time. In-person sessions are private, but a little social too. You are welcome to jump right in with any questions you might have. We take care of any questions right there, no waiting. Also, a little bit of visit-y small talk at the beginning and end of an in-person session makes it more relaxed and fun for me. I get the feeling that clients feel the same way. A little social friendliness is pleasant, even between strangers, because we aren’t by the time its done.

Distance readings can be very powerful things. I love to read and I love to write, so I have a serious bias in favor of written distance readings.  When you read, it is like spirit and energy are speaking directly to your heart and your intuition without the filter of my voice and your ears. In that way, distance readings are intensely private. They are externally the most private readings, too. No one sees you go to see a psychic. You choose the time and place to read the document. Even if you are reading your phone in a train station, it is still just you and your spirit message. In my opinion, there are a better value because you can go back to them, see how they have unfolded. You can take your time with the message and re-read it as many times as you need. And they are hella convenient. Like I say about the 12 Second Tarot readings in the blog and on social media “The Tao in TaoCraft is about being in harmony with the nature of things. If the nature of your life is busy and hectic, then 12 Second Tarot is for you.” Same here. If you are busy, then you can’t beat a distance reading for convenience. Order when you want. Read it when you want. No appointment, no travel, no need to change out of your yoga pants, you know? The only down side I see to distance work is that you can’t ask questions on the spot. Every distance session includes a follow up email if you have any questions about the reading. We still answer all of your questions. It just takes a little longer to go through the email process. I keep a pretty close eye on my inbox, so it won’t be a huge wait, but it won’t be immediate, real time interaction.

So to answer your question: Why get a distance reading? Because they are private, convenient. If you like to read, they can be more powerful, emotional and direct without the social filter that is a natural part of voice, hearing and conversation.

Do they have advantages? Yes. Both distance and in-person readings have things that are special about them. If you like social interaction and the chance to ask questions immediately, then in-person may be better. If you want convenience and extra privacy, then distance is the way to go. If you want fast, then distance is your only option with me. I can do distance readings much more quickly than my in-person schedule allows.

They both share one important advantage: price. I don’t keep an office or work in a storefront. Without that overhead, I can keep my prices low. Without an office, I have to set some common limits that also help me keep my costs down, your access up, and both of our stress at a minimum. That is why in-person sessions schedule at least 24 hours in advance and why I have a clear service area for parties and in-home individual readings. Tarot may be a spiritual thing, but being a professional reader has a business side. Transparent business policies and a high degree of professionalism are an advantage to BOTH my in-person and distance Tarot readings.