I share this belief about Tarot: “I don’t believe in “divination” methods and I don’t think Tarots can be used to predict anybody’s future. I use the cards as mirrors and with their wealth of symbols and suggestions, I find they can be a powerful source of self-reflection. As Alejandro Jodorowsky put it, “I can’t tell you if you will find the love of your life. But together we can find out why you haven’t found it already”.
from the Carminerodi Blog
On an earthly plane I am known by another name. It will not take sleuths long to find my online history and identity. I was an early adopter and ran an award winning site.
I retired from the workforce many years ago. Until they were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, I ran writing courses such as ‘The Great Escape – Intensive Journal Writing’, ‘Writing for Wellness’, ‘Travels With A Donkey’ at a local Community House.
In the first session of the course that has just been cancelled, I asked participants to take a moment to name themselves using only three words. They couldn’t say what their vocation had been, how they had been educated or refer to family.
Who are you I asked? In addition I insisted that they explain why they had come to the class and prepare to introduce themselves as someone they could have been. We partnered up and interviewed one another, taking notes because we were going to have to introduce our partners to the group.
It was an unbelievably successful session and perhaps this was the moment I decided to come out and introduce myself as The Tarot Midwife, even if some eyebrows might be raised, or I could smell wafts of smoke coming from the pyres where millions of witches, who dared to work creatively, were tortured and burned. Frankly, I decided, I am too old a crone to be worried about any such prejudices now.
Having said this, it goes without saying that transforming and becoming The Tarot Midwife did not happen overnight. It grew from an old seed that had never been nurtured. It grew by delay. Many years ago, in one of my lifetimes of this lifetime, I participated in a Jungian course where the Head of English demonstrated the power of the Tarot. At the time I was intrigued and I acquired some decks and books on symbolism but, as happens, they lay on a shelf gathering dust. It was during our long, torrid, devastating Australian summer, when the whole country was burning, that I discovered just how comfortably Tarot sits alongside my interest in psychology, art, expressive arts, art medicine, history and literature.
From the beginning I have made it clear that I never read cards predictively and that I have no intention of offering readings for anyone any time soon. I am adamant about this. I am doing this primarily for my personal well being and if others benefit, well that is a bonus.
However, having said this, I am willing to share my work. Over recent months I have demonstrated my willingness to sit alongside other creatives, pay attention, listen, randomly pull a deck out of my magic hat, and dialogue about creative projects and serious subjects like one’s life purpose. I will do this because I have witnessed the transmutation that takes place when participants in my writing classes respond to the symbolism shown on Tarot and Oracle cards. I have been awed by the rich information that can be drawn from the unconscious when some cards are laid on the table and excited to see journals filled with responsive stream of consciousness writing and creative projects birthed.
This site features my work as The Tarot Midwife. As the The Tarot Midwife I take joy in dabbling in the art of alchemy and witnessing the transmutation that takes place when individuals are empowered to explore the layers and layers of information that can be gained from things like a simple deck of cards.
The Tarot Midwife – March 2020
The Tarot Midwife 