The Tarot Diagnosis

Episódios

• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: An Archetypal Reflection with Tarot 14.06.2026 37min

  Personal note before you listen: To be honest, I sat on this episode for weeks. I almost didn’t share it - mainly because it felt too honest, too personal, too vulnerable. And I think there was a part of me that felt guilty. Despite the hesitation, here it is…In this episode of The Tarot Diagnosis, I explore what it means to be an adult child of emotionally immature parents and how tarot can help us understand the roles, defenses, wounds, and longings that form in emotionally unpredictable homes.This conversation was inspired by my recent re-read of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson, as well as my own lived experience. I talk about the painful developmental moment when we realize our parents are not all-knowing, all-capable figures, but full, flawed, historically shaped human beings. When moving through the deck, I realized this experience mimicked The Hierophant (reversed) - that unsettling, yet necessary unseating of a caregiver from the archetypal throne of perceived perfection and safety.From there, I explore how tarot became a safe, symbolic language for me and a tool that helped me piece together fragments of my upbringing, access unconscious material, and create a more coherent personal narrative…without overwhelming my nervous system in the process.I explore what feels like all the cards in this episode:The MoonThe Hanged ManThe Devil The StarThe Five of CupsThe Nine of Cups The Seven of Wands The Eight of PentaclesI also spend time with the court cards as family roles and survival strategies. The Kings and Queens become emotionally immature parent archetypes: the rigid parent, the volatile parent, the misattuned sensitive parent, and the practical caregiver who confuses provision with emotional connection. The Knights and Pages become the children shaped by those dynamics: the fixer, the family therapist, the old soul, the strategist, the overachiever, the silenced creative child, the emotional caretaker, and the overanalyzer.Ultimately, this episode is about how tarot can help us see the patterns we inherited without making those patterns the end of our story. If you felt love was conditional, your emotional needs were too much, or that safety depended on managing everyone else’s moods and feelings, this episode offers a gentle but honest reflection on what you endured and what you are still allowed to become.Want more of this type of tarot experience?Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TAROTPOD15 to get 15% off! https://www.thetarotdiagnosis.com/summersolstice📚 Check out my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Collective Reading: What are you hiding from? 31.05.2026 37min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I’m pulling for June’s collective tarot reading where I explore a Summer Solstice inspired spread designed to help us step out of the shadows and into the growth of the sun. As we move toward the longest day of the year, I wanted to create a spread that examines what we've been avoiding, the fears keeping us stuck, and the growth that becomes possible when we're willing to move forward anyway.Pulling the Two of Wands, Eight of Swords, and Seven of Pentacles, I explore the psychology of indecision, analysis paralysis, self-doubt, boundaries, and the often unavoidable and uncomfortable reality that growth sometimes means we need to release expectations.The reading begins with the Two of Wands, a card that challenges us to examine the difference between planning and stagnation. How long have we been researching, preparing, contemplating, and waiting? At what point does preparation stop being helpful and start becoming a means of avoidance, or a false refuge from uncertainty?From there, the Eight of Swords invites a deeper question: what is actually keeping us stuck? Rather than viewing this card solely as self-imposed limitation, I explore the possibility that some of our hesitation may be rooted in inherited narratives, unconscious loyalties, relational dynamics, or systems that benefited from us staying exactly where we are. It’s unlikely this person blindfolded and binded themselves afterall. Finally, the Seven of Pentacles offers a different relationship with growth altogether. Instead of demanding immediate transformation, this card reminds us that meaningful change often unfolds slowly through patience, repetition, and sustained effort. This card reminds us to “trust the process,” be present during the awkward growth phase, and be willing to see what transpires on our way to the outcome.Deck used: Joi de VivreWant more of this type of tarot experience?Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTDPOD to get 15% off!https://www.thetarotdiagnosis.com/summersolstice📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Pillars in Tarot: The Psychology & Space Between Stimulus and Response 17.05.2026 30min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore a question that has been lingering in my mind for months: What do the pillars in tarot actually symbolize on a deeper psychological level?Using Viktor Frankl’s famous quote - “Between stimulus and response there is a space…,” I reflect on how the pillars in cards like the High Priestess, Justice, the Hierophant, and even the Moon might represent more than just duality or balance. I explore the possibility that these pillars symbolize psychological thresholds or liminal spaces where uncertainty, intuition, morality, projection, fear, and meaning live.I dive into the symbolism of the flowing/airy tapestry behind the High Priestess and contrast it with the heavy, obscuring curtain behind Justice, exploring how these archetypes reflect the tension between flexibility and rigidity. Through a Jungian, somatic, and trauma-informed lens, I discuss how the body often senses something before the mind can, and before the brain can organize it into language, as well as how our desire for certainty can sometimes become a defense mechanism against our discomfort with ambiguity.From there, I turn toward the Hierophant and explore the psychological impact of inherited systems rooted in religion, morality, culture, authority, and collective meaning-making. I reflect on what happens when external structures override internal knowing, and why the space between the pillars matters so much when it comes to identity, autonomy, and self-trust.I also explain why I believe the Moon belongs in this conversation, despite its “pillars” technically being towers. For me, The Moon represents what happens behind the pillars: the unconscious terrain we enter when certainty becomes hazy and we are forced to navigate ambiguity without reassurance.Toward the end of the episode, I create a brand new three card tarot spread inspired by Frankl’s quote.Pulling the Magician, Six of Pentacles, and Three of Wands, I explore themes of hyper-independence, receiving support, and what becomes possible when we stop trying to survive entirely on our own.This episode is part tarot symbolism analysis, part Jungian and therapeutic exploration, and part philosophical reflection on what exists in the space between instinct and action.Want more of this type of tarot experience?Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTD15 to get 15% off!📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠ and get access to episode announcements, episode created spreads and photos from the episode!👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Collective Reading and Tarot Spread Workshop 03.05.2026 34min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I walk you through one of my favorite creative tarot practices: building a tarot spread in real time and then using it for our collective month-ahead reading for May!Instead of starting with a pre-made spread, I decided to let the cards guide the questions. As a therapist, I’m used to being a professional question asker, so this felt like a natural way to show you how tarot spreads can emerge directly from tarot and the human experience. I pull cards one at a time, listen to what questions they seem to ask, and slowly build a cohesive spread that reflects themes many of us are navigating right now.The spread that emerged centers around the Ten of Wands, exploring the tension between what we carry that is necessary and what we carry that is unnecessary. From there, the reading moves into questions about avoidance, hyper-independence, emotional curiosity, and the challenge of allowing others to support us. What unfolded was a powerful reminder that many of us have learned to carry everything alone and that learning to receive help can feel just as uncomfortable as letting go of control.As the reading develops, themes of urgency, over-functioning, emotional avoidance, and survival-based independence show up, but so do strengths like resilience, adaptability, and the ability to move forward even amidst ambiguity. The reading closes with imagery that reflects gradual change and the slow movement toward balance, reminding us that growth is gradual.This episode is part workshop, part collective tarot reading, and part reflection on what it means to shift from doing everything alone to learning how to give and receive support in healthier ways.Spread created:Card 1: What am I carrying that is unnecessary?Card 2: What am I carrying that is necessary right now?Card 3: What questions do I need to ask myself about these burdens?Card 4: Where did I learn to carry everything alone?Card 5: What strengths or skills have I developed through carrying all of this?Card 6:  What would balance look like if I allowed myself to both give and receive?Deck used: Mystic Storyteller TarotWant more of this type of tarot experience? Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTD15 to get 15% off!📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Archetypal Moon & the Psychology of Perception through Tarot 19.04.2026 31min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore the Moon archetype through the lens of perception, ambiguity, and psychological insight. I also get super personal about my early experiences as a therapist.This episode was inspired by pulling The Moon after not seeing it in my readings for quite some time. That experience opened the door to a flood of memories from my early days as a therapist and the powerful lessons I learned about perception, symbolism, and uncertainty from a very dear, late supervisor of mine. I reflect on how working with ambiguous images, sand tray therapy, and expressive modalities shaped my understanding of tarot as a projective and deeply personal experience.I also share the lasting influence of this former supervisor who taught me the phrase, “the back is always bigger than the front,” a reminder that what we see first is rarely the full picture. This idea mirrors the Moon archetype perfectly: we only see what is illuminated, while so much remains hidden in shadow. When used therapeutically, tarot invites us to slow down, question our assumptions, and sit with uncertainty rather than rushing toward answers or rigid interpretations.Throughout the episode, I walk through how perception shifts depending on emotional state, personal history, and nervous system regulation. I explore how two people can look at the same tarot card (or ambiguous image) and have completely different experiences, both of which are valid. Using the King of Wands as a live example, I demonstrate how slowing down and noticing small details can unlock deeper reflection and insight.Ultimately, this episode is an invitation to work with tarot as a reflective, therapeutic tool - one that helps you explore what lies beneath the surface, honor ambiguity, and stay curious about what you don’t yet understand.You're Invited!Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTD15 to get 15% off!Want more of this type of tarot experience?📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Celtic Cross: A Collective Reading 05.04.2026 38min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I continue my monthly collective-reading tarot series with the classic Celtic Cross spread for April, using the truly stunning and special Earth Magick Tarot. This month’s reading felt intense from the start with multiple Major Arcana appearing throughout the spread (six in total omg), the themes that surfaced centered around uncertainty, systemic instability, collective exhaustion, and the deep craving for clarity and truth. The Hanged Man set the tone immediately, reflecting the liminal, upside-down feeling many of us are navigating as we find ourselves caught between the world we knew and the world that is still taking shape.As the spread unfolds, archetypes like The World, The Emperor, The Devil, and The Sun paint a layered picture of global tension, power structures, and the psychological toll of overstimulation and instability. At the same time, cards like The Lovers and the Two of Cups remind us that our individual choices, relationships, and values still carry meaningful influence, even when the larger systems feel overwhelming and make us feel powerless.This reading ultimately ends with the Four of Swords as the outcome, which felt like an important reminder: we cannot move forward with strategy or clarity if we stay locked in cycles of chaos, urgency, and overstimulation. Sometimes the most radical act is rest, reflection, and stepping back long enough to regain clear perspective.In this episode, I explore:A full Celtic Cross tarot reading for April’s collective energyWhy The Hanged Man reflects collective liminality and uncertaintyHow nostalgia and longing for the past show up in times of instabilityThe role of power, control, and overstimulation in modern systemsWhy personal choice and alignment still matter in chaotic environmentsHow the Four of Swords points to rest, clarity, and nervous system regulationWant more of this type of tarot experience?Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TTD15 to get 15% off!📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Psychology of the Court Cards: A Psychosocial & Psychoanalytic Tarot Discussion 29.03.2026 33min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I share what happened when I found myself in a creative slump and did what I often encourage others to do…just shuffle the cards and follow what shows up. What surfaced were court cards, which led me back to a recent workshop I created on understanding the Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings through the lens of psychosocial development and Jungian Psychoanalysis.This episode offers a glimpse into how I move beyond seeing court cards as simple personality types and instead view them as developmental archetypes that mirror real psychological stages across the lifespan. Drawing from Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, I explore how each court card reflects key human questions like identity, intimacy, contribution, and integration, and how we revisit these stages throughout life rather than moving through them in a linear fashion.I also introduce Jungian concepts of transformation, showing how the court cards can represent the unfolding of awareness - from early insight to full integration. Along the way, I demonstrate practical exercises and tarot spreads that help translate these theories into meaningful self-reflection.In this episode, I explore:How court cards connect to Erikson’s psychosocial stages of developmentWhy the Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings reflect evolving life themesHow Jungian transformation stages deepen tarot interpretationWhat court cards reveal about identity, relationships, legacy, and personal integrationSample tarot exercises using the Ten of Swords (reversed) and the High Priestess and the Knight of Swords and Three of Pentacles Ultimately, this episode is an invitation to see the court cards as more than static figures, and instead as living psychological archetypes that mirror growth, change, and the ongoing process of becoming.You're Invited! Join us for a rare opportunity to learn from therapists, witches, tarot practitioners, and divination experts during an immersive three-day virtual summit.​The Summer Solstice Summit is designed to explore tarot, spirituality, and intuitive practices through thoughtful workshops, creative exploration, and meaningful conversation.​What You’ll Experience:✨ 14 immersive workshops led by therapists, witches, tarot readers, and divination practitioners✨ Conversations that explore tarot and witchcraft through psychology, ritual, and creativity✨ A welcoming virtual community of curious and thoughtful practitioners✨ Live Zoom sessions with recordings available for 90 days✨ A chance to win one of three tarot gift bundles Get your ticket here!Want more of this type of tarot experience?📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Why is Everything F*cked? - A Collective Tarot Reading 01.03.2026 23min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I’m kicking off March with a new series for the pod: a monthly collective tarot reading. A lot of you asked for more frequent check-ins after my 2026 year-ahead reading, and honestly… I don’t know why I didn’t think of doing this sooner. So, thank you for the suggestion!If you’ve been around my work for a while, you know I don’t read predictively. My relationship to tarot is rooted in its therapeutic components and how archetypes help us access unconscious material, think outside the box, and get curious about what’s happening inside us and around us. So, these monthly readings are meant to offer an invitation for us to think deeper, feel inspired, and spark conversation.For this first collective reading, I’m using one of my favorite spreads: “Why Is Everything F*cked?” Because…well, everything is f*cked.The spread:A card to represent the current chaosWhat have we not considered about this chaos?What role do I play in the resolution of the chaos?What might await on the other side of the chaos?In this episode, I explore:How the Ace of Pentacles can represent systemic instability and liminalityWhy Death is the card we tend to resist when change is necessaryWhat legacy actually means in times of cultural and institutional upheaval with the Ten of PentaclesHow the Page of Swords reflects collective reframing, discernment, and new languageIf you want to see the cards I pulled and the spread laid out visually, make sure you’re on my email list (those subscribers get the images and spread first), or subscribe on Substack.Want more of this type of tarot experience?📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Anatomy of a Good Tarot Question: How to Ask Better Questions for Deeper Readings 22.02.2026 35min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore why asking better questions might be the most important tarot skill you can develop.As a psychotherapist, I often joke that I’m a “professional question asker.” It’s half joke, half truth because the arc of a therapy session (sometimes even the arc of an entire therapeutic relationship) can hinge on one well-timed, well-crafted question. And I’ve come to realize the same is true in tarot.We spend so much time mastering card meanings, memorizing spreads, studying symbolism, and refining interpretations, but if the question we bring to the cards lacks depth, precision, or courage, even the most technically impressive reading can fall flat.In this episode, I explore:Why poorly crafted tarot questions limit insightHow to stop outsourcing your authority to the cardsHow Socratic questioning can deepen tarot readingsHow vertical arrow questioning (a cognitive therapy tool) applies to tarotI also walk you through a live exercise after pulling the Nine of Swords and the Three of Cups, to show how a surface-level question can evolve into something much more layered, reflective, and transformative.For example:The Nine of Swords goes from “What thoughts are plaguing me?” to “What story am I telling myself when I can’t sleep?”The Three of Cups moves from “Where do I feel supported?” to “What feels vulnerable about needing other people?”And we explore something that often goes unnamed: tarot is inherently projective. The questions we ask are never neutral. They reveal our fears, our defenses, our comfort zones, and our blind spots. Sometimes, the most powerful question isn’t the one we oh-so-confidently as…sometimes it’s the one we hesitate or even refuse to say out loud.Ultimately, when we move beyond surface-level meanings and begin crafting deeper, open-ended tarot questions, we shift into deeper states of consciousness - and that’s where tarot becomes not just a tool for “answers,” but a collaborator in our journey towards self-actualization.If you found this episode helpful, you’ll love The Symposium - my membership community where we practice therapeutic tarot together in spaces like the Reading Room, the Book Club, monthly workshops, and meet ups.Want more of this type of tarot experience?📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Poisoning the Tarot Well: How Fear, Bias, and Conditioning Shape your Tarot Readings 08.02.2026 20min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore a concept called “poisoning the well” and how it can inconspicuously shape the way we interpret tarot, often before we’ve even given the cards a fair chance to speak, or ourselves an opportunity to be curious about the card. Poisoning the well can happen when we learn to fear a card before encountering it in its specific context, which makes anything that follows feel threatening, prophetic, or untrustworthy.In tarot, this shows up when cards like The Tower, Death, The Devil, or the Three of Swords are immediately labeled as “bad” or “painful,” which shuts down curiosity, nuance, and the ability to experience deeper reflection.I walk through the three psychological patterns that tend to fuel this kind of tarot bias:First impressions: Where early fear-based meanings stick even when a card’s position or context suggests something more layered, or not so literal (e.g. Death).Confirmation bias:  Where we unconsciously look for evidence that supports our fear while ignoring nuance or other contextual factors in a spread.Emotional reasoning: Where anxiety or discomfort becomes “proof” that something bad is going to happen, rather than just useful data about what the card is activating in us. From there, I explore how poisoning the tarot well reduces a card’s meaning, turns tarot into rigid labels instead of reflective tools, and leads to avoidance behaviors like reshuffling, pulling endless clarifiers, or abandoning readings altogether. While these reactions may feel protective in the moment, they ultimately reinforce fear and limit growth. Many of the cards we fear most are the ones pointing directly toward the work we need to do: attachment patterns, boundaries, grief, shame, power dynamics, necessary endings, etc.I also share a personal story (aka I talk about reading for my very religious sister) about how religious and cultural conditioning can shape tarot fears - poisoning the tarot well, and how rigid narratives around certain cards can feel genuinely destabilizing if they’re never questioned. From there, I offer concrete ways to un-poison your tarot well, including identifying where your card meanings came from, working with somatic reactions instead of avoiding them, asking more specific and grounded questions, and expanding your language around difficult cards through techniques like free association.Ultimately, this episode is an invitation to let tarot challenge you. When we stop deciding what a card means before we pull it and get curious about it instead, tarot becomes what it’s meant to be: a mirror, an opportunity for philosophical dialogue, and a tool for a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you. I love when you all leave comments on Spotify or YouTube about your own thoughts on the topic discussed - so let me know your thoughts!📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Stop Mothering the Tarot: Part tarot analysis, part cultural critique 25.01.2026 23min

  In this episode of ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I'm exploring something that’s been stirring in me since a recent book club event inside The Symposium: the way we unconsciously project motherhood onto tarot’s female figures. After an insightful conversation in the book club (shoutout to Darcy for naming it so clearly: “Tarot doesn’t need another mother”), I couldn’t stop thinking about how often cards like Strength, the Empress, and all four Queens get flattened into maternal archetypes.And of course, we’re not just doing this in tarot. We’re doing this everywhere, all the time. In this episode, I explore:Why the Strength card has become one of my least favorite cards (for now)How projection and cultural conditioning shape our interpretations of female-presenting figures in tarotThe dangers of turning all gentleness and emotional regulation into compulsory/female/motherly careWhat it might mean to view Strength as discernment, regulation, or even female rage instead of caretakingI also talk about the psychological cost of maternalizing every act of compassion and why it limits not only women, but all people across the gender spectrum who wish to express care, leadership, or emotional depth.This episode is part tarot analysis, part cultural critique, and part personal reflection on how we assign meaning to caretaking and why it matters.I close the episode by offering a question for your next reading:In what ways does this card validate me and in what ways does it confront me?Book Referenced: Talismans and TarotDeck used: Tarot Vintage📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Collective Effervescence & the Three of Cups: The Emotional Power of Shared Experiences 11.01.2026 22min

  In this episode of The Tarot Diagnosis, I discuss an epiphany I had after pulling the Three of Cups. It led me to reflect on the feeling I have when I’m in the middle of a crowd at a concert. Or, back in the day, when I’d wait in line for hours to be front and center of the stage at the barricade. It was such a euphoric feeling, everyone sharing in excitement and joy at the same moment in time for the same reason. And then it hit me…the three of cups is collective effervescence. I explore the psychology behind collective effervescence and why shared experiences feel so much more intense than solitary ones. Research shows that in group settings, our nervous systems synchronize (so our heart rates align, attention focuses intensely, and emotions amplify). The Three of Cups just so happens to capture this perfectly because it marks the point in the Cups suit where emotion becomes a shared social experience, where our feelings spill out into the collective container and move through a group. I also talk about why this experience isn’t necessarily universal because some people feel energized by crowds, while others feel depleted.I then turn toward the shadow side of collective effervescence: like when shared joy can actually become weaponized, when belonging becomes conditional, and when emotional highs replace healthy discernment. For example, social, religious, or spiritual groups that rely solely on emotional intensity can confuse euphoria with safety, truth, or moral superiority making it hard to question what’s being expressed or leave the group entirely. In tarot terms, this is the Three of Cups reserved.Finally, I offer a reframe: tarot itself can act as a catalyst for collective effervescence, even when we’re alone. Which, I know, may sound contradictory because I talk about how this experience is specific to shared socialization (hence the term “collective”) But when we shuffle the cards, despite engaging in a solitary act, it’s not entirely isolated because we are often tapping into the collective unconscious. Tarot embodies shared symbolism, collective meaning, and centuries of human emotional investment. So, in that way, every reading becomes a sort of communal experience, even in the privacy of our own space. Which feels like a lovely reminder that even in solitude, we’re participating in something deeply shared by the collective.Research Mentioned:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689412https://sociologicalscience.com/download/vol-6/january/SocSci_v6_27to42.pdfhttps://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/30621134/Buehler-libre.pdf?1391824300=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DThe_Twenty_first_century_Study_of_Collec.pdf&Expires=1767414020&Signature=QVl3sp8hBIw4IAWZMvUjReIHHUdhLD9atRDQxOESXJNMrhjjFh6K3vspnJD4Y31hwZdP8AvHeeOaGAzR7lyZz0-sl3lj13YUo9Rkjg24~24Khhy9HzGnrYgyt71ByUzRBO2SUYF37JAA6lji9dJ2QYJABEw~IJYDm6r8VX5R4SSEhcF82s1p3OBMFNizKjY6E50qJuqQL3S3vo8Q24YGnrFCcitUn~amfqPtI-CXV7jUi698jCFU71hX-iuJApC1hysJuHZZwdwskW2KE9Mc3r0p7eX0WZdBvCWxBEClQGNsU4KaTjxfdLc6MLqC2sKvl2rK-Fng0UddvqPbdWznvw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZAhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9473704/https://journalofsocialontology.org/index.php/jso/article/view/8732/9552📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• A Collective Tarot Reading for 2026: Nervous System Wisdom 28.12.2025 23min

  In this last episode of 2025 for ⁠The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, and I’m offering a collective reading using my annual New Year spread. This reading is for all of us - a shared reflection on what we’re carrying forward, what we’re releasing, and how we can meet the coming year with more awareness, regulation, and intention. At the center of the spread is our 2026 collective year card: The Wheel of Fortune, an archetype that speaks to change, movement, uncertainty, and the reality that life keeps turning whether we feel ready or not.Throughout the episode, I walk through each card in the seven-card spread and explore it through a therapeutic, nervous-system–informed lens. We begin by looking back at 2025 and naming something to be proud of, which arrives in the form of the Four of Cups which I realize feels like emotional discernment and learning where our energy no longer belongs. From there, the Two of Wands invites us to continue exploring curiosity, vision, and expansion in 2026, especially by gently stepping into our stretch zone rather than pushing ourselves into panic.As the reading unfolds, the Four of Swords emerges as a key lesson from the Wheel of Fortune itself: sometimes we need to tune out in order to truly tune in. This card becomes the Wheel’s nervous-system companion, reminding us that rest, reduced stimulation, and intentional pauses are what allow us to survive constant motion without burning out. The Five of Pentacles reversed encourages us to stop chasing closed doors and opt out of spaces (social, creative, spiritual, or relational) that no longer offer genuine care or belonging.We then turn toward what to release as we enter the new year, with The Hanged Man reversed highlighting the trap of endless waiting, over-intellectualizing, or disguising avoidance as patience and spirituality. This card asks us to notice where reflection has turned into bypassing and where it’s time to act, even without perfect clarity. The reading closes with a collective affirmation drawn from The Strength card, which I explore through the lens of titration and nervous-system regulation. Rather than brute force or pushing through, Strength becomes a reminder to manage activation with care and intention.The affirmation I offer for 2026 based on the Strength card is: “I will move at a pace my nervous system can handle.”I also talk about turning this affirmation into a sigil-based ritual - a practice I use regularly to anchor insight into daily life. If you choose to pull this spread for yourself using your personal 2026 year card, or create your own sigil or affirmation, I’d love to see what emerges for you!Thank you for being here, for listening, and for allowing me to hold space at the intersection of tarot, psychology, and mental health. I hope this collective reading supports you as you step into 2026 with more ease, clarity, and self-trust.Deck used: Tarot Vintage📚 Order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Year of the Wheel of Fortune 14.12.2025 23min

  This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore 2026 as a Wheel of Fortune year, with The Magician as its companion archetype - an invitation to step into the new year embracing change, adaptability, resilience, and meaningful participation. I keep returning to the idea of finding the center of the spinning wheel: not perfect stillness like we’re often led to believe we should be finding, but nervous-system regulation that allows us to observe, reassess, and respond with intention rather than react. I also unpack key symbols from the Wheel of Fortune that feel especially relevant for the year ahead. Clouds represent the liminal space between the known and unknown, reminding us that not seeing the full picture is often just the nature of change. The snake speaks to shedding skin and renewal, framing downward cycles as preparation rather than punishment. And at the heart of it all is the center of the Wheel, which I liken to the eye of a hurricane - a place of presence and regulation where we learn to stay with discomfort without being consumed by it.As always, we will go on both a psychological and esoteric journey as we talk about stepping into the year of the Wheel of Fortune.If you enjoy this episode and are looking for a gentle, creative, and self-reflective tarot journal for 2026, I invite you to explore my latest tarot journal A Year with the Wheel of Fortune.📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Time, Tarot, and the Nervous System 07.12.2025 33min

  I’ve had “Timekeeper” by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals stuck in my head, and it sent me down a rabbit hole about how we experience time - psychologically, somatically, and through tarot. In this episode of The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore why time isn’t a single, objective thing we all live the same way. Instead, our nervous systems, mental health, creativity, grief, and even neurodivergence shape how fast or slow life feels. Plus, tarot gives us language and imagery to work with that reality. I explore how time is deeply subjective and shaped by the nervous system, noting how ADHD, anxiety, trauma, grief, and even creative flow can dramatically alter our felt sense of time. I also look at how capitalism, calendars, and the constant pressure toward productivity hijack our internal rhythms and distort our perception of urgency.  Through a tarot lens, I consider how the cards function as mirrors for our temporal experience: the Wheel of Fortune becomes a symbolic clock that reflects cycles, seasons, turning points, and the timelines we fear we’ve “missed” or been redirected from; The Hanged Man teaches us the value of a purposeful pause, choosing suspension to gain clarity; Death and the Six of Cups speak to endings, nostalgia, and the bittersweet grief of what we cannot return to; and Judgment paired with the Eight of Pentacles invites us to ask, “Whose timeline am I serving?” - guiding us toward value-aligned efforts and a more conscious relationship with time. Resources & goodies I mentionGrace Potter & The Nocturnals - “Timekeeper” listen here.Time affluence vs. time famine. Inspired by Dr. Laurie Santos: feeling like you have enough time is a better predictor of happiness than “free time” alone. You can watch her talk here.My 2026 Wheel of Fortune Year Journal (monthly essays, daily prompts, and exercises to work with cycles and timing). Grab a digital and physical copy here. 🎴 If you enjoyed this tarot talk, subscribe to The Tarot Diagnosis, follow me on Instagram, and join The Symposium, our tarot + psychology community, for workshops, book club, and reading rooms. 📚 P.S. My new book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow blends psychology, tarot, and therapeutic self-reflection to help you move from shame to awareness and integration. It releases December 8th and is available wherever books are sold.🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Shadow of Being Seen: Tarot, Psychology, and Writing My First Book 16.11.2025 35min

  This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing my new book, Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow (available for pre-order now, out December 8, 2025!).In this deeply personal episode, I share what happened the day I received my author copies: yes, including the moment I froze and couldn’t open the box. But more than that, I offer a director’s cut of the book itself - reading passages aloud, reflecting on what surprised me as I wrote it, and unpacking the emotional and psychological process behind writing about the shadow being an act of personal shadow work.Together, we explore:What it really feels like to be seen, exposed, and publishedThe existential terror of transparencyHow magical tools like crystals became sacred support in therapyThe Queen of Swords as persona and protector (hello, favorite archetype)A real-life case study of shadow integration in therapyWhat Sartre, Jung, Brene Brown, and tarot have in commonAnd yes, I do a bit of spontaneous exposure therapy by reading straight from the physical book instead of my digital copy (gulp). Spoiler: I also spill the behind-the-scenes tea on publisher recommendations, imposter syndrome, and what it's like to hold your life's work in one trembling hand while clutching herbal tea in the other.Whether you're a longtime listener or just discovering the podcast, this episode offers a vulnerable look into the creative process, the messiness of being seen, and the transformative power of shadow integration.📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Roots of the Shadow: A pre-release chapter read through of Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow 09.11.2025 25min

  This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, in honor of my upcoming book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow, which releases on December 8, 2025, I’m reading a portion of chapter 2 (Roots of the Shadow) right here on the podcast.In Roots of the Shadow, I dive into the foundations of shadow work through a deeply therapeutic and psychologically grounded lens. I explore how Carl Jung’s original concept of the shadow intersects with Internal Family Systems (IFS), Freud’s ideas of the id, ego, and superego, and even Brené Brown’s research on shame. Throughout this chapter, I explore academic theory, personal reflection, and practical exercises, because shadow work is just as much about theory as it is about application.You’ll also get to experience one of the tarot spreads from the book, the Psychoanalytic Shadow Spread, designed to help you explore your inner world using tarot as a reflective tool. I walk you through each position in the spread and provide an example interpretation using cards like The High Priestess, Ace of Cups, Nine of Swords, and more.We also take a deep dive into the Pages of the tarot and how each one can represent developmental moments where your shadow may have started to form. Whether it's being told you're “too emotional,” “too much,” or “not enough,” these early messages get internalized and shadow work gives us the chance to revisit and reclaim those parts of ourselves.🎧 Listen in, grab your tarot deck and journal, and join me in beginning (or deepening) your own shadow journey.✨ And don’t forget: Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow is available for pre-order now wherever books are sold. Pre-ordering not only supports my work, it enters you into a giveaway to win a free shadow reading with me. (Just send me proof of purchase and you’ll be entered to win!)Deck Used: Tarot Vintage🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Celebration to Corruption: The Shadow of the Six of Wands 02.11.2025 32min

  What if the real root of evil isn’t money, but power?This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I take a deep, psychologically grounded look at the Six of Wands, a card typically associated with success and recognition, and reframe it through the lens of shadow work, power and control, neuroscience, and social dynamics.Inspired by a spread I pulled during a recent shadow workshop and influenced by current global events, I found myself asking: What happens when power becomes addictive? When does celebration become complicit? How does unchecked power erode empathy, justice, and even our sense of self?Throughout this episode, we will explore:Why the shadow side of the Six of Wands reveals themes of envy, domination, and the intoxication of being celebratedHow power alters the brain, impacts empathy, and mimics addiction, which is supported by neuroscience researchWhat tarot archetypes like The Devil, Queen of Cups Reversed, The Hierophant Reversed, and The Tower teach us about the darker side of social influence and powerHow power dynamics appear in relationships, institutions, spirituality, and social mediaWhy Lane Smith’s concept of "Move Up, Move Up" (from 78 Acts of Liberation) and Mary K. Greer’s caution about the Six of Wands in The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals both invite us into more collective awarenessIf you’ve ever struggled with your relationship to power (either craving it, fearing it, or unconsciously abusing it), this episode offers a powerful mirror and invitation. Through therapeutic insight and tarot symbolism, we reflect not only on how power can corrupt, but also how it can be shared, checked, and transformed for good.Deck Used: Tarot VintageReferenced: 78 Acts of Liberation by Lane Smith The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals by Mary K. GreerOn power and its corrupting effects: the effects of power on human behavior and the limits of accountability systems https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10461512/🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• Blindfolds and Closed Eyes in Tarot: What Obscured Vision Really Symbolizes 19.10.2025 28min

  What does it mean when tarot archetypes are blindfolded or their vision is obscured? In this week’s episode of The Tarot Diagnosis, I explore the often over-looked symbolism of obscured vision in tarot - where sight is blocked, avoided, invited or even denied. Inspired by six cards (Two of Swords, Four of Swords, Eight of Swords, Nine of Swords, Ten of Wands, and Strength), I take a psychological and symbolic deep dive into what it means when our eyes are closed.Together, we’ll unpack:Why blindfolds might represent clarity over confusion (Two of Swords vs. Eight of Swords)The difference between chosen vs. imposed limitations on sightHow anxiety and panic (Nine of Swords) make us unable to see clearly, even if our eyes openWhat closing our eyes can teach us about nervous system regulation and rest (Four of Swords)How over-functioning and burnout distort our ability to see what’s truly happening around us (Ten of Wands)Why Strength might be less about control and more about titration and sensory inputThrough the lens of psychology and tarot symbolism, we uncover how visual obstruction in the cards can indicate increased internal knowing, emotional overwhelm, or even power dynamics. And how sometimes seeing less allows us to feel and know more.If you’ve ever pulled the Two of Swords and said, "just open your eyes and deal with it," this reframe might change the way you see the cards forever.Deck Used: Tarot Vintage🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay
• The Shadow of the People Pleaser: A Tarot Exploration 12.10.2025 31min

  This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, we’re exploring one of the most commonly misunderstood behaviors that exist in many of us: people-pleasing. Inspired by real conversations in the therapy room and the archetypal patterns of tarot, I explore people-pleasing through a trauma-informed, psychological, and tarot-based lens.While people-pleasing is often viewed as a virtue and praised as kindness or empathy, the truth is way more complex. From a clinical perspective, people-pleasing is often rooted in early childhood conditioning, or what therapists might consider as part of the “fawn response,” as well as the development of what psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott refers to as the false self. I shed light on how people-pleasing is actually a survival skill - a way of staying safe by tending to others' needs, moods, and perceptions, often at our own expense.In this episode, I explore how tarot archetypes reflect the nuance and shadow of this survival style. Drawing from both psychological theory and tarot symbolism, I unpack this behavior pattern as a form of emotional manipulation born from a deep need for control, approval, and connection, which might be difficult for many of us to hear.I also guide you through a therapeutic, three-card spread designed to help you explore your own patterns of people-pleasing along with what’s underneath it, what it protects, and what it might feel like to step outside of it.For the collective, I pull…Card One: What emotion am I attempting to prevent or manage by people-pleasing? → The TowerCard Two: What would it mean to allow another person to feel disappointed, angry, or uncomfortable without taking responsibility for it? → Two of CupsCard Three: How can I tell the difference between being kind and giving so much that I lose myself? → Nine of CupsDeck Used: Tarot Vintage🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay