Liz Worth ~ Tarot + Astrology

As I've been promoting my new book this season, I've had a few people ask me about using tarot for creative purposes. This is one of my favourite ways to use tarot, especially when I get to read for clients who are emerging or established artists. 

Talking about the ways in which divination can generate ideas or crystallize obscure concepts is something I would love to share more about in the future. There is so much tarot can do when we get curious about our lives and creative with our questions. 

One question I've had recently is whether I use tarot to help me decide which creative projects to pursue. 

The answer, for me at least, is no: I don't base my inspiration against the tarot, at least when it comes to whether I should pursue a new idea or not. 

No matter the topic, there can be a tendency to want to ask whether something will work out or be worthwhile. Everyone wants to write the next bestseller or hit single. 

We all like to wonder, "What if...

Ever since the start of the year, I’ve been hearing more and more tarot readers talk about their struggles with imposter complex.

Imposter complex is something that gets all of us at one time or another. No matter how much work you put into your craft, and no matter how much positive feedback you receive on your readings, there will be days when you question whether you’re cut out for this.

One of the things I think is important to do when doubt creeps in is to sit within the awareness of it. Ask yourself: “Why is this feeling coming up? Where might it be coming from?”

Sometimes imposter complex rises up when readers are trying too hard to do something spectacular. That might look like an attempt to make a wild leap of a prediction, or it might come from pressure to impress a querent by knowing something they haven’t revealed.

When we try to force the uncanny, or when we assume we have to perform omniscient feats, doubt is often in the corners, waiting...

The concept of manifestation bounces around in New Age circles so much that I barely notice it anymore.

I became aware of the idea of manifestation – or at least the language around it – when I was first starting out on my spiritual journey and was deep into astrology. There were a handful of astrologers whose work I followed religiously, and during certain moon phases or important transits they’d send out missives encouraging us to use these energies to “manifest” our goals.

I’m not opposed to spellwork or vision boards. I love burning intention candles and writing my own spells.

But I see these things as icing on the cake to the true magic that makes dreams manifest.

What is that magic?

Action.

Acting upon a dream will give you the best odds of it becoming a reality.

Knowing where you want to go is the first step: What is that you are aiming for?

If you can be clear on that – whether it be a new job, an artistic career, new love, or...

This is the time of year when general, look-ahead readings become really popular. 

Everyone wants to know what’s coming up in the New Year:  

“Do you see love in my future?”  

“Do you see my changing jobs?”  

“Do you see if I will receive any unexpected opportunities?”   

Overall, these are pretty common questions that people bring to tarot readers all year round – regardless of the calendar date. But there’s something about the turning of the calendar that really ramps up these questions. 

Everyone wants something to look forward to. A New Year inspires fresh hope and optimism that a turning point is around the corner.  

And predictive readings can help to build that hope and anticipation for what’s to come.  

But there’s also something very passive about these types of questions. Predictions can keep people waiting and wondering when and how...

How are you? October was a big month for me. After the stillness of the last few years, this autumn has felt like life has really come roaring back in so many ways.

I had the opportunity to read tarot at some great Halloween parties, and also at the closing party of Likely General, a shop where I read every Sunday for two years. I loved having that residency and loved part of the community that had grown around that store.

Likely General closed its doors at the end of October, and I’m glad I could be there one last time to offer a few tarot readings as we all said goodbye to the space.

One of the things I found myself reiterating throughout my readings in October was that we have choices in life.

Whenever I read at events, I know I am going to have some nervous sitters on my hands. People are often curious about tarot. When they see a tarot reader in the corner at a party, they might decide that today’s the day they’re going to finally give tarot a try.

But...

I’ve been knee-deep in one-on-one readings this month and it’s been a wonderful state to be in.

Reading tarot isn’t always easy, though: It takes a lot of concentration and care. Readers see and hear a lot. We help to move energy in people’s lives. It takes a lot of time to sit with it all, but there is also great gratitude that comes with this path.

One of the things I have come to learn through my work is that tarot isn’t always pushing you towards a big change.

Often, clients come in for readings expecting to hear that something major is about to occur. Or that they have some kind of big opportunity on the horizon.

And there’s nothing wrong with wanting change, or working towards it, especially if you feel like you’re ready for a new experience in your life.

But sometimes we have to remember that things might be OK just as they are right now.

Our lives all go through different seasons. Sometimes there are seasons of change, and others of...

When you start reading tarot for other people, you quickly realize that a lot of questions people have revolve around the same few categories:

Work.

Relationships.

Money and security.

Focus and contentment.

And just as often, we can find ourselves asking variations of these same questions when we’re reading on our own.

It’s something that I’ve been asked about a lot over the last few years:

“How can I take my readings deeper? What else should I be asking about?”

And, “What can I do to get my querents thinking differently, too?”

I used to feel the same way.

But I’ve come to appreciate these “mundane” questions, and I encourage you to try to, too.

Because one thing I have come to realize is that these questions are what life is about: No matter what it is we are trying to achieve in our personal lives, many of us share common fears and desires at the end of the day.

Everyone wants to feel love, and be loved.

Everyone needs a...

Before I get into this week’s newsletter, let’s take a moment to check in:

How are you doing?

There is such a whirlwind of energy in the collective right now that it’s been feeling hard, for me at least, to pinpoint where a lot of us are at. It seems many of us are cycling through contradictory bursts of feelings and thoughts moment by moment: Optimistic one minute, worried the next.

Life feels brimming with possibility in so many ways. As people return back to more in-person events and community gatherings and travel plans, there is a sense of gaining momentum. And when there are things to look forward to, life feels OK. Even if the days in between aren’t always easy, anticipation of good things to come is a strong remedy.

But as the pace of life is picking up for many, there are so many stressors, too. I won’t list them all: We are all capable of naming our own worries and fears.

But I wanted to check in. To say hello. To let you know that I am a real...

I don’t know about you, but I have been caught up in a flurry of activity these last few months. When life feels like it’s just go, go, go, it’s easy to forget to check in with yourself. When there is a lot to do, we can end up in reactive mode sometimes, just going through the motions in order to check off our to-do lists.

But I get out of sorts in all kinds of ways if I don’t take – or make – a little bit of time to get back to my inner compass and see how I’m feeling about my present moment.

Taking that time allows me to reflect on whether I’m spending time on what I intended to. Outside of my tarot business, I’m a writer, and if you do anything creative you’ll know what I mean when I say that writing is (unfortunately) often one of the first things that falls off the radar when life gets hectic.

We owe it to ourselves to pause and ask: Am I forgetting something as I rush throughout the day?

I don’t mean forgetting...

 Whew! If you are following the astrology of the moment, there is a lot going on.

First, we are in eclipse season: The Aries new moon and solar eclipse occurred on April 20th (or April 19th, depending on your location).

And Mercury is retrograde from Friday, April 21 until Sunday, May 14.

If you’ve followed my work for a while, you might have noticed that I try to bring some balance into the usual planet panic that takes place during notable astrological events.

Horoscopes used to play quite a big role in my life at one time. But the increasing popularity of astrology, coupled with the pressure for content creators to compete with a culture driven by clickbait and merciless algorithms, has led me to a different relationship with astrology.

It seems like every month there is a new astrology column telling people to “buckle up” or “watch out.”

And I know that that the kind of language gets people’s...