Intuition and Personal Meaning - November Newsletter
Beautiful Beings,
I have a deep love of tarot.
My mother handed me my first deck, Tarot of the Cat People, when I was 13 or 14 years old, and the box was dinged up by time as I shoved it into book bags and backpacks, opened and closed for personal readings and for folks who asked that I share what I saw. What they needed to know. What I interpreted.
Some of this was sitting there with the LWB (Little White Book) that came with the deck, noting that in the 1985 printing of the deck The High Priestess read as:
Wisdom. Sound judgement. Knowledge. Learning. Serenity. Objectivity. Penetration. Education. Foresight. Intuition. Perception. Hidden emotion. Purity. Virtue. Apparent emotionlessness. Lack of patience. Platonic relationships. Teacher.
Other times I saw the genderless/femme individual between two cat pillars and was struck by different parts of the graphic - the portal they came from or that something might come through. Their poise. The flow of their sacred garments. I used these as cues as to what the card might mean based on the question that might be asked. Sometimes it was about which other cards the priestess' face was turned towards or away from.
And other times still, I listened to my gut and quick response of intuition to "feel" into the question as each card came up. As a tarot and oracle deck collector (with over 150 decks currently in my collection with 50+ having found other homes), I note that each artist's interpretation of the same card also holds a different energy to it (decks shown starting at top left).
In Tarot by Carot, the star goddess robes flowing with intertwining black and white waves frame her heart as she looks to the left instead of the right. In The Rosalarian Tarot, the artist makes Persephone's pomegranates into peace signs and the priestess holds tarot cards making it self-referential. For The Revised Gassman Tarot Marseilles c. 1860, La Papesse holds a bible instead of the scroll shown in many decks, and their soft smirk notes the story of Pope Joan. Meanwhile, The Erotic Tarot continues the playful smirk combined with self-adoration and self-relating while looking into the mystic. The last shown here is the much-loved Light Seer's Tarot where trance leads to the stars from her crown, framed by 4 runes instead of the pillars, and a tranquility within the breeze. No two decks are identical, thus, do I read identically pulling from the LWB, or do I read from the graphics, or from something else.
Benebelle Wen has a critical theory that breaks down this question that I look forward to investigating as part of my debut Patreon-Only class about tarot intuition reading vs. classical reading styles on November 22nd, along with issues like building intuition, system comparisons, the issues of intuition, and more. This is distinctly different from the class on Choosing and Connecting with Divination Decks offered on November 13th, where we will be looking at how we find the perfect deck for each of us, and once we have it, helping connect to them... including in-class exercises. I hope folks can join me for both, making your November a chance to move into this magical new year (post-Samhain/Halloween) with a tool for self-reflection, magic, connection, community, and divination.
Much love,
Lee
Lee's Resources
Please enjoy additional resources for inspiration, joy, and possibility:
Enjoy Tarot Study Guides from Benebell Wen
Get post-read advice from Jade T. Perry
Explore your intuition from a Harvard Professor's perspective
“Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”
-Brené Brown
What you're missing over on Patreon
In the past few weeks, I have had a chance to connect with my Patrons regularly through:
Tarot Spreads for Self-Love and Joy (collection of spread ideas)
Stories for Kink and Healing (video interview)
Upcoming Appearances
I have a number of exciting upcoming classes and events!
Choosing and Connecting with Tarot and Oracle Decks
We have entered into a renaissance in the world of divination decks. Whether home-made or high-production, classical or reinterpreted, tarot and oracle decks have come to be lifted up as powerful tools for divination and inspiration alike. How do you choose which is right for you? In this workshop we will explore these questions together while being exposed to a variety of different examples. From symbolism and art style to card size and quality, it's important for you to connect with the cards emotionally and energetically. Attendees will leave with inspirations and specific techniques to try with their first, current, potential, or future decks. Bring a deck or two of your own if you want to play along!
Intuitive Card Details vs. Classical Card Defining in Tarot and Oracle Readings
For many people, we have a belief that to read tarot cards, you had to memorize the LWB (Little White Book) that came with your deck. Maybe you've memorized rote, mapped out numerological meanings, or decided tarot is a bad fit for you because you don't need a white bearded Emperor on a throne mirroring the oppressions you see around you. Others just say throw the LWB out, ignore all the historical interpretations, and read it all from your gut. In this class we will look at the pros and cons of intuitive vs. classical reading approaches, as well as examine Benebell Wen's critical theory techniques for interpreting tarot and oracle cards, while looking at our tools for building the muscle that is your intuitive capacity. Let's help you find the path that will help you thrive in your practice.
Your Ordeal Is My Thursday: Living a Life Others Find Unusual or Extreme
Has someone thought you were making up either your life or what you got up to on Saturday? Have you been told that you are being over the top just for existing or that it must be amazing living a life others consider grandiose? In this facilitated discussion, we will look at how to navigate the perspectives and projections of others, how their outside lens makes us feel, how we truly live, and find peership amongst others whose lives exist outsider of societal expectations. Whether you are an “edge player,” live 24/7 power dynamic relationships, follow immersive religious journeys, live with complex medical realities, or have careers that others believe “must be so spectacular/horrible being you,” let’s find comradery amongst others for whom other people’s extremes match your regular existence.
Additional upcoming classes for 2025 include:
December 9, 2025 – Teaching “Self-Love is Not Enough: Building a Relationship with Yourself” – Karada House – Online Worldwide
December 13, 2025 – Teaching “The 10 Sides of D/s” – Wicked Grounds – Online Worldwide
December 18, 2025 – Teaching “Mourning More Than The Dead: Relationships, Identities, and Other Losses” free to all Patrons – PassionAndSoul Patreon – Online Worldwide
December 29, 2025 – Teaching “Crotch Ropes and Butt Bondage” – Arizona Power Exchange – Phoenix, AZ
To check out all my further scheduled classes and intensives throughout the year (and more being added regularly), visit my Upcoming Appearances page to learn more. I also have upcoming events in Arizona, DC, and on an array of online platforms and conferences. To enjoy further free material from me, consider joining me on Patreon where I share weekly resources, monthly classes, and more :)
Much love to you all and see you soon!
Yours in Passion and Soul,
Lee Harrington
http://www.PassionAndSoul.com
