Welcome to The Tarot Table, the podcast where we explore the mystical world of tarot, delve into the secrets of the cards, and talk about all things spiritual with a no-nonsense, no-BS lens.

I'm your host, Miriam Rachel, psychic medium and tarot reader, author of Overcoming Echoism with Tarot: Using Tarot for Boundary Setting and Stopping People-Pleasing, and freelance writer. I am so glad you are here as you are listening to the pilot episode!

What to Expect From the Tarot Table

What will you expect from The Tarot Table? Well, I have a lot of cool stuff planned. You know you will get so many goods on tarot!

Yes, I will sometimes talk about individual tarot cards, but not in order, and they will be randomly chosen based on significant events or life themes that are relevant at a time.

So, I will not discuss all 78 cards for 78 weeks in their order. So, don't expect me to talk about the Fool next week, the Magician the week after, and so on.

I will, however, be writing about that on my Substack soon, which I will announce at the end.

I will also cover a lot of mystical content, in general, and I will constantly point out the problems with the New Age community, the harsh realities of spiritual bypassing, and toxic positivity.

Oh yes, and I will also talk a lot about mental health! Because that is one topic that needs to come up often nowadays, the stigma of mental illness keeps getting smashed.

Eventually, likely not long after the New Year, I will start interviewing awesome guests while tying their connection to the tarot card that best fits them!

Like anything else, this podcast will evolve the way it is meant to evolve over time, which will be exciting to see!

Now that I have that covered, why should you even listen to anything I say? Hey, you don't have to listen to a thing I say! That is your choice.

Only know I am the Queen of Swords because I tell you how it is! I don't tell you what you want to hear.

As I said, I only share a no-BS approach to spirituality. As someone who has faced a lot of scapegoating, bullying, and other trauma throughout most of my life, I have been forced to dig within and stop people-pleasing and become authentic.

A Little About Me

I came into this world with a lot of karma to balance, and I see that now, but the energy I came into this world was highly sensitive, and that is why I was a bully and scapegoating target.

Because of that, I became an echoist, which is a pathological people-pleaser. I explain much of that in my book, but I did reach a point where I had no choice but to shed my echoism.

And here I am, speaking the truth and calling out the BS that needs to be called out in the New Age community regarding societal problems.  

However, I have always been drawn to life's spiritual aspects and mysteries. After the birth of my daughter in 2002, I began learning astrology and tarot, and it all grew from there!

In 2006, I received my astrology certification through Samuel F. Reynolds, who has an astrology school. However, I do fewer astrology readings today than I did back then.

Though, at times, over the years, due to burnout and poor mental health, I did break from it, it is very much a part of me now.

Now you know a  little bit about what to expect with this podcast and a little bit about me, let's dig into the world of tarot! Since this is the pilot, let's go over the history!

The History of Tarot

Did you know the tarot started in 15th-century Europe, mainly Italy and France? Theories suggest that tarot cards were initially used as playing cards in various card games.

The earliest known tarot decks were hand-painted and consisted of four suits, similar to modern playing cards, with additional trump cards.

These trump cards eventually evolved into the major arcana, the most recognizable and symbolic cards in a tarot deck.

However, from their inception around the 17th century in France, tarot cards were used for divination purposes.

It is believed that the cards were used by fortune-tellers and occult practitioners to gain insight into the future or to provide guidance and advice.

In the late 18th century, tarot cards gained popularity among occultists and esoteric societies, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

These groups developed elaborate systems of interpretation and symbolism for the tarot cards, greatly influencing the modern understanding and use of tarot.

During the 20th century, tarot cards became more widely known and used for divination and self-reflection.

The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, created by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith in 1909, is one of today's most influential and widely used tarot decks. This deck introduced new imagery and symbolism, becoming standard in many tarot decks.

Since then, tarot has continued to evolve and gain popularity, with countless variations and interpretations of the cards.

I have my Penguin deck based on Rider-Waite, which I created in 2020 since I have always loved penguins. Today, tarot is widely used for self-reflection, personal growth, creativity, and divination by individuals from various spiritual and esoteric backgrounds.

Now you have it! I will talk to you again next Friday. Don't forget to subscribe to my Substack! Follow me on Medium at msmir.medium.com, and check out my site at miriamreadstarot.com and my Instagram.

Next week, I will discuss tarot cards with similar meanings but subtle differences, such as Lovers and Two of Cups! I will have you thinking of that one! Until then, ciao for now.