Tell us a bit about your background and what drew you to work with Tarot and to do Past Life Readings.I was raised Mormon and had little to know exposure to tarot cards. It was something that I was aware of and interested in, but I had no real exposure to it. I wasn’t exposed to any negative ideas about tarot as far as it being evil. It was more like, *eye roll* how could people believe in that? After I left the Mormon religion my family moved from Texas to Florida. Which is where I had my first real exposure to tarot! I met some ladies in my new neighborhood who I told about some off feelings I got in my house. They convinced me to have a friend of theirs who is a Psychic to come to my house to check it out.
Afterwards she did a card reading for me. She used angel cards. She said that most people have a negative idea of tarot and she didn’t want to scare me off. Ha! In fact I was a little disappointed because by that time I was incredibly curious about tarot. The woman who came to my house also gave me a past life reading. It was such an interesting day! At one point she stopped the reading and said, “They’re telling me that you need to be given a deck.” Then she backed up her box of angel cards and handed it to me! I remember being amazed like whoa!
I can’t believe someone thought it was important enough that I have a deck that she gave me hers. So I actually learned to read angel cards first and then I bought myself a traditional tarot deck. I still have that deck, but I don’t use it very often. I taught myself how to read from books and youtube mostly. I think the past life reading I was given is what drew my interest so much to doing past life readings. The story she told me about my past life made so many things fall into place for me and I wanted to know everything I could about it. The deck that I prefer to use I had a bit of a hard time clicking with at first. It took a while working with it to understand it fully. Now I use that deck to investigate any time I think there could be a spirit nearby, and of course for past life readings. The mass readings I offered the other day was really my first time giving out so many past life readings to other people. It was really, really enjoyable for me to experience these slivers and small taste of everyones past lives.
I practice several forms of divination now. Once I was given that first introduction I really just fell completely in love with divination in all of its forms! I know my guide helps me out a lot. I don’t have a set ritual or something I do every time I read, but I do generally have some incense burning. Occasionally I enjoy playing energy clearing music in the background while I work. Especially if things feel extra chaotic in the house! I have three kids and four animals in the house, so there is always a bit of chaos going around! I think the main thing that is a constant for me is breaking the cards down by their meanings and writing them down. Since I was self taught that’s how I learned, and it’s how my brain processes it all still! I used to keep a journal with them all written down, but now that I am running thevillagetarotwitch instagram I only write the ones that I don’t post down. My mind is always going a million miles a minute and writing it out helps me focus and slow my thoughts and let the message sink in fully. So if anything that is the biggest tool in my toolbox as far as readings go. That and my guide! He’s always got my back and sometimes helps me see things clearer if I’ve gotten a particularly rough reading.
3 Your chalk boards are a very distinctive signature on your Instagram account. Tell us about what inspired you and how you birthed this approach.
The chalkboards were a happy accident. Before I ran this account I had a page that was a combination of my art work and tarot readings. Somehow I ended up using my chalkboard on a painting surface. When I decided that I wanted to focus on tarot full time I was trying to think of a way to set up my readings differently than what I was seeing other people use. Then the spark of outlining the cards with the chalkboard markers came and the rest is history! Now I am so used to working at my chalkboard that I do my readings there even when it’s not for Instagram.
More with Karly
As a part of Memoir Work with the Popess of the Legrande Circus Tarot Karly does a past life reading
The Tarot Midwife 