Tag Archives: Tarot card reading

That Time I Went To A Psychic

About 6 years ago I had my first experience with a psychic medium. If she was any good she’d be called a psychic large. Am I right? A winery near me had a psychic medium doing tarot card readings every weekend. For $25 you’d get a glass of wine and your reading. Below are my cards. Truth be told, if she really is psychic she’d know that the flower print table cloth is a terrible background for people who want to take pictures of their cards.

wpid-img_20140706_142827_900-1-1.jpg
I’ll tell you my mind set approaching this. I believe that psychic phenomena does exist, however, I am skeptical of those who claim to have psychic abilities. I take a “prove it to me” approach. I went into the reading determined not to give the psychic any information that would lead her into general statements that I would then interpret through my point of view and believe she was psychic.

As soon as my psychic, Maren, dealt the cards I shouted “Blackjack!” which she didn’t even laugh at.  Interestingly, just now as I typed “dealt” I accidentally added an “h” on the end of it, making it dealth which is only a letter away from death.

Yes, I did get the death card. I didn’t panic because first of all, I’m Phil, and secondly, in writing a good novel your main character can be faced with three types of death: physical, romantic, or occupational. Think about novels you’ve read and you’ll see one or more of those themes in all of them. For me the psychic surmised that the death card was related to a work situation. She was right. I hadn’t lost my job, but had recently found out I wouldn’t be getting a highly coveted promotion. That was one in favor of the psychic.

RWS_Tarot_13_Death

To start the reading, I was asked to choose an identity card. She explained the traits of each and asked me to choose the one that I felt reflected my personality the best. I wanted to choose the Knight of Swords but was told that I was too old to be a Knight, so I had to be a King. Obviously she wasn’t taking mental age into account. The knight definitely is more my mindset.

Of the Kings I chose the King of Wands. Maren laid this down and flipped over a card that completely covered my identity card. She paused and looked up at me. The card was the High Priestess card. “Are you psychic?” she said. “You’re either psychic or very intuitive.”

high priestess

I didn’t admit if I was psychic and allowed her to continue. She had laid out the cards in the Celtic Cross formation. I was pleasantly surprised that she was spot on accurate on a bunch of things and happily the final card of my reading was the Three of Cups card seen below, which indicates a happy ending that apparently has nothing to do with a massage.

basic_3cups

As far as the last card being the celebration of some accomplishment, you’d think if her goal was to make her customers happy she would give that card to everyone.

I went with my wife and two friends who also had readings and none received similar interpretations in their readings. In our discussion after, we discovered that everyone’s readings were different and everyone felt she was surprisingly accurate, even the two of us that went in as skeptics.  My verdict: I think Maren really did have some psychic abilities.

At the end she handed me her business card which said “Maren’s Messages. ” I was disappointed it didn’t say Maren’s Massages.” A massage and a psychic reading in one? How awesome would that be?

I know this isn’t as funny as most Phil Factors, but here’s my idea:  If I’m psychic or intuitive, in addition to the fact that I have a Master’s in Psychology, I imagine that I’d be pretty good at this process.  What if, as a party entertainer I did humor infused psychic Tarot card readings? “What? The Death card! Ummm….no I don’t take credit. You’ll have to pay cash. Right now.”  Or maybe, if someone gets The Three of Wands “Oh sorry. Your co-workers like you….the way Ukrainians like Putin.”  I’m pretty sure if I studied the cards and put some thought into it I could come up with a bunch of smart ass lines. What do you think? Should I go into the psychic party entertainment business?

Thanks for reading! I knew you would ; ) And keep coming back for the rest of this month for more

Do Tarot Cards Really Tell The Future? Interview with an Expert!

Picture Courtesy Parade.com

In keeping with my paranormal theme this month, I thought it would be interesting to hear from a soothsayer. The popularity of tarot cards and tarot reading seems to have exploded over the last decade. More people are doing it and more are looking for skilled tarot readers to answer their questions and give them a glance into their future. Not understanding how a deck of cards with spooky pictures could give us information about our lives, I found an expert on Instagram who was willing to volunteer her wisdom and experience.

Andrea -Tarot reader extraordinaire

Hi Andrea, and thank you for visiting The Phil Factor. How did you first become attracted to reading tarot and oracle cards? Curiosity mostly.  Since childhood, I have been interested in esoteric or metaphysical subjects.  I was particularly interested in Witches since I have an ancestor who was burned in the Salem Trials.

Does a person have to be psychic to read cards? Anyone who wants to learn the basic meanings of the cards can do simple readings.  However, I believe it is very beneficial if you are a very empathetic person and understand human emotions/relationships.  That way you aren’t just reading the definition of each card to the client.  There can be a lot of nuances in the cards.  Like symbols and how each card interacts, not only with the other cards, but also with what the querent may have asked originally.

Should someone be worried if the Death card comes up in a reading?Death is like a transformation in your life or emotions.  Example meanings for the Death card could be:  a birth, a divorce, a new job, the beginning or ending of relationships.  Or even a catalyst in thinking.  It’s about change and a possible transition or regeneration. 

Picture Fine Art America

Does it really mean someone is going to die? I’ve flipped the Death card over many times and that has never been the outcome.

Are predictions in a card reading absolutely going to come true? I don’t typically do ‘predictive’ or ‘yes/no’ readings.  Everyone has free will and can change the course of their day by one simple alteration.  Maybe they typically go to Starbuck’s on the corner, but that day, they decide to turn left instead of right and end up at Tim Horton’s.  In my opinion, absolute predictions need to be taken as fluid thoughts.  You continually have the ability to change how your life is directed.  ((free will)) And you can’t assume your will can change someone else’s. 

What advice do you have for someone going to their first reading? Be open and willing to hear what is being said without too many preconceived ideas or desires.  Take a pen/notepad and jot down your own thoughts on the cards.  Write down anything your reader says that captures your attention.  What may not make sense now, may come back to you later.  Or you may notice similar messages being repeated to you in different manners, by different people or situations.

As a final thought: I absolutely love reading tarot and oracle cards.  I do it almost daily.  It’s so interesting to see what thoughts the cards have on the questions that are asked and how pertinent they are to the person.  Reading tarot makes me realize how connected everything and everyone is to each other.  Everyone lives an interdependent life, and we all affect each other, just like the ripple a stone makes in a pond. 

Andrea, thank you for visiting The Phil Factor. Hopefully the cards will tell us that this interview will get lots of views in the future! If you’re interested in learning more about tarot readings from Andrea you can follow her on Instagram as TarotWytch.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms reading and to everyone else, I hope it’s in the cards for you to have a great day! ~Phil

Do Tarot Cards Really Tell The Future? Interview with an Expert!

Picture Courtesy Parade.com

In keeping with my paranormal theme this month, I thought it would be interesting to hear from a soothsayer. The popularity of tarot cards and tarot reading seems to have exploded over the last decade. More people are doing it and more are looking for skilled tarot readers to answer their questions and give them a glance into their future. Not understanding how a deck of cards with spooky pictures could give us information about our lives, I found an expert on Instagram who was willing to volunteer her wisdom and experience.

Andrea -Tarot reader extraordinaire

Hi Andrea, and thank you for visiting The Phil Factor. How did you first become attracted to reading tarot and oracle cards? Curiosity mostly.  Since childhood, I have been interested in esoteric or metaphysical subjects.  I was particularly interested in Witches since I have an ancestor who was burned in the Salem Trials.

Does a person have to be psychic to read cards? Anyone who wants to learn the basic meanings of the cards can do simple readings.  However, I believe it is very beneficial if you are a very empathetic person and understand human emotions/relationships.  That way you aren’t just reading the definition of each card to the querent (client.)  There can be a lot of nuances in the cards.  Like symbols and how each card interacts, not only with the other cards, but also with what the querent may have asked originally.

Should someone be worried if the Death card comes up in a reading?Death is like a transformation in your life or emotions.  Example meanings for the Death card could be:  a birth, a divorce, a new job, the beginning or ending of relationships.  Or even a catalyst in thinking.  It’s about change and a possible transition or regeneration. 

Picture Fine Art America

Does it really mean someone is going to die? I’ve flipped the Death card over many times and that has never been the  outcome.

Are predictions in a card reading absolutely going to come true? I don’t typically do ‘predictive’ or ‘yes/no’ readings.  Everyone has free will and can change the course of their day by one simple alteration.  Maybe they typically go to Starbuck’s on the corner, but that day, they decide to turn left instead of right and end up at Tim Horton’s.  In my opinion, absolute predictions need to be taken as fluid thoughts.  You continually have the ability to change how your life is directed.  ((free will)) And you can’t assume your will can change someone else’s. 

What advice do you have for someone going to their first reading? Be open and willing to hear what is being said without too many preconceived ideas or desires.  Take a pen/notepad and jot down your own thoughts on the cards.  Write down anything your reader says that captures your attention.  What may not make sense now, may come back to you later.  Or you may notice similar messages being repeated to you in different manners, by different people or situations.

As a final thought: I absolutely love reading tarot and oracle cards.  I do it almost daily.  It’s so interesting to see what thoughts the cards have on the questions that are asked and how pertinent they are to the person.  Reading tarot makes me realize how connected everything and everyone is to each other.  Everyone lives an interdependent life, and we all affect each other, just like the ripple a stone makes in a pond. 

Andrea, thank you for visiting The Phil Factor. Hopefully the cards will tell us that this interview will get lots of views in the future! If you’re interested in learning more about the tarot readings from Andrea you can follow her on Instagram as TarotWytch.

I hope it’s in the cards for you to have a great day! ~Phil

That Time I Went To A Psychic

About 5 years ago I had my first experience with a psychic medium. If she was any good she’d be called a psychic large. Am I right? A winery near me had a psychic medium doing tarot card readings every weekend. For $25 you’d get a glass of wine and your reading. Below are my cards. Truth be told, if she really is psychic she’d know that the flower print table cloth is a terrible background for people who want to take pictures of their cards.

wpid-img_20140706_142827_900-1-1.jpg
I’ll tell you my mind set approaching this. I believe that psychic phenomena does exist, however, I am skeptical of those who claim to have psychic abilities. I take a “prove it to me” approach. I went into the reading determined not to give the psychic any information that would lead her into general statements that I would then interpret through my point of view and believe she was psychic.

As soon as my psychic, Maren, dealt the cards I shouted “Blackjack!” which she didn’t even laugh at.  Interestingly, just now as I typed “dealt” I accidentally added an “h” on the end of it, making it dealth which is only a letter away from death.

Yes, I did get the death card. I didn’t panic because first of all, I’m Phil, and secondly, in writing a good novel your main character can be faced with three types of death: physical, romantic, or occupational. Think about novels you’ve read and you’ll see one or more of those themes in all of them. For me the psychic surmised that the death card was related to a work situation. She was right. I hadn’t lost my job, but had recently found out I wouldn’t be getting a highly coveted promotion. That’s one in favor of the psychic.

RWS_Tarot_13_Death

To start the reading, I was asked to choose an identity card. She explained the traits of each and asked me to choose the one that I felt reflected my personality the best. I wanted to choose the Knight of Swords but was told that I was too old to be a Knight, so I had to be a King. Obviously she wasn’t taking mental age into account. Of the Kings I chose the King of Wands. Maren laid this down and flipped over a card that completely covered my identity card. Her eyes got big and she looked up at me. The card was the High Priestess card. “Are you psychic?” she said. “You’re either psychic or very intuitive.”

high priestess

I didn’t admit if I was psychic and allowed her to continue. She had laid out the cards in the Celtic Cross formation. I was pleasantly surprised that she was spot on accurate on a bunch of things and happily the final card of my reading was the Three of Cups card seen below, which indicates a happy ending that apparently has nothing to do with a massage.

basic_3cups

As far as the last card being the celebration of some accomplishment, you’d think if her goal was to make her customers happy she would give that card to everyone.

I went with my wife and two friends who also had readings and none received similar interpretations in their readings. In our discussion after we discovered that everyone’s readings were different and everyone felt she was surprisingly accurate, even the two of us that went in as skeptics.  My verdict: I think Maren really did have some psychic abilities.

At the end she handed me her business card which said “Maren’s Messages. ” I was disappointed it didn’t say Maren’s Massages.” A massage and a psychic reading in one? How awesome would that be?

I know this isn’t as funny as most Phil Factors, but here’s my idea:  If I’m psychic or intuitive, in addition to the fact that I have a Master’s in Psychology, I imagine that I’d be pretty good at this process.  What if, as a party entertainer I did humor infused psychic Tarot card readings? “What? The Death card! Ummm….no I don’t take credit. You’ll have to pay cash. Right now.”  Or maybe, if someone gets The Three of Wands “Oh sorry. Your co-workers like you….the way Ukrainians like Putin.”  I’m pretty sure if I studied the cards and put some thought into it I could come up with a bunch of smart ass lines. What do you think? Should I go into the psychic party entertainment business? Also, would anyone be interested in me interviewing a psychic (besides me) for a Phil Factor post?

As always, if you enjoy #ThePhilFactor I’d love it if you’d share it by the Facebook or Twitter buttons below. Also psychic readings are now available on The Phil Factor for $25. Have a great Thursday, and stay tuned for my psychic predictions for the Oscars on Saturday! ~Phil