Talkin’ Tarot With is a monthly feature designed to introduce my readers to different tarot readers from our wonderfully diverse community! Each month, I’ll be asking various tarot readers 3 questions about their tarot philosophy and style, plus pointing you to their websites and blogs so that you can learn more about them! I like to hand pick tarot readers that I feel are talented and interesting.
I’ve been a fan of Chloë McCracken’s work ever since I became acquainted with her many years ago over Twitter. Her site, Inner Whispers, is one of the better tarot places on the web – and one that I highly recommend for tarot lovers of all levels. Into Lenormand instead of tarot? You’re in luck because she’s also a Lenormand expert and author of the Celtic Lenormand. (Psst…she’s a fellow Gemini – we’re versatile like that.)
Chloë’s writing is intelligent and personable – reading her blog, you feel as if you’re sitting with an old (and super-smart) friend who happens to know a lot about tarot, magic and Lenormand. Her work is centered around transforming lives through what she calls Magical Life Coaching – a mix of card reading, magic and counseling. This is deep, powerful stuff – instead of just “getting a reading”, a client walks out with a plan on how to move forward along with a magical boost. If you are looking for a reader who is going to help you make true, lasting change, Chloë is the person you might want to get to know.
Based in England, she teaches workshops on tarot, Lenormand and Practical Tarot Magic. She’s also working on an online class for Lenormand newbies called Learn Lenormand, which should be dropping soon (get on her newsletter to stay in the know). Her YouTube channel is another hot spot for learning. With videos on everything from unboxing decks, to magical weight loss, and Lenormand tutorials, this channel has it all!
For me though, the real magic lies in her prolific blogs. I feel the best way to learn tarot (or anything for that matter) is by seeing real life examples of readings. Chloë delivers a lot in that regard with examples of her own personal readings on both her tarot site and the Celtic Lenormand blog. If you want to expand your skills, take a look at her work and you’ll get schooled right.
So whether you are into magic, tarot, Lenormand…or all of the above, Chloë’s brilliant homes on the web might be the first places you need to visit.
Bio:
Chloë was taught to read coffee grounds and use a pendulum as a child, and has an eclectic academic background, having studied law, social anthropology, and psychotherapy. She has been reading tarot professionally since 2006, including a stint on a psychic telephone line. These days, she is more likely to be found reading one-to-one, teaching, and blogging, focusing on tarot and Lenormand and their use in creating a more magical life. She is currently working on a series of workshops and webinars around using tarot magic to break negative patterns and to manifest abundance. You can find her at innerwhispers.co.uk and celticlenormand.com. (Be sure to check out her reviews on different decks and tarot products.)
You can follow her on social media:
Because I’m NOT adept at Lenormand at all, I asked Chloë a few additional questions just to give you an idea of what it’s all about.
Check out her fabulous answers to my questions below:
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Q: What is your philosophy about tarot reading?
Chloë: For me, tarot is a tool for generating new understanding and awareness, and for figuring out solutions to the situations that arise in life. It is also excellent to help create and support change. So, when reading with a client, it’s a real conversation, rather than a monologue.
On top of that, I like to help people create spells with tarot cards, to foster change. Pictures speak so much more clearly to your unconscious, or to your Higher Self, or however you conceive that part of you. And so they are the perfect way to tap into your creativity to resolve issues, and to cement new ways of being that will ripple out from there into your everyday life.
Q: How do you feel a client might get the most out of a reading with you?
Chloë: How I can help best is if you come with an open-ended question, or an issue you want to resolve. We explore this together through the cards, and look at what outcome you want and what you can best do to achieve that. You’ll leave the session with cards to use in a spell or meditation, or just to look at, to keep the ideas present in your focus as you move towards your desired outcome.
Q: What is your best piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader?
Chloë: Reading regularly, for yourself or for others, is great – practice, practice, practice. While I don’t feel right about reading for celebrities (they’re people, too, with a right to privacy), I do recommend reading for fictional characters or for people from the past, if you want to try something where you have a bit more objectivity. Journalling about your readings is also great, as something different often comes through when you have to actually put things into words. Plus, it’s a great resource to look back over!
Q: In addition to reading tarot, you’re adept at reading Lenormand. Can you tell me how a Lenormand reading might differ from a tarot reading?
Chloë: Unlike some readers, I don’t see that much of a difference between tarot and Lenormand readings in terms of what you can read about. Sure, the Lenormand cards are designed to be more everyday, but then again, you can find spirituality in the mundane, and there are always psychological reasons behind what people choose to do. So for me, either way you’re reading about life. I’ve known people who read tarot as a way to predict whether their kid is going to catch a cold, and people who read Lenormand to open up communication with the divine. It doesn’t seem to me that either deck is limited to a particular kind of subject or a specific way of reading.
Q: You’re also the creator of the Celtic Lenormand. Tell me the inspiration behind your deck.
Chloë: Back in 2012, I suffered a miscarriage. In the aftermath, it was like all that creative energy had to go somewhere and I had this flood of inspiration. I’d been reading with Lenormand cards since 2007, and had been really focusing on them since 2011 when I discovered the huge number of books on the subject in German (which I am fluent in). Somehow, that was where all my energy went, and over quite a short period of time I wrote the briefs for all the cards, wanting a naturalistic deck that would have a pagan theme to it, while respecting Lenormand tradition.
As soon as I had the idea, I knew that Will Worthington’s art would be perfect for these cards (the DruidCraft Tarot is one of my all-time favourite decks, and I have all his others, too). Alison Cross (current co-chair of the Tarot Association of the British Isles – TABI) is a friend, and also Will’s web person. So, I emailed her asking how I could get in contact with him, as I had this lovely idea. She forwarded my email straight on to him and, after discussing it, he was up for doing the paintings, which was just amazing!
Q: What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to learn the Lenormand?
Chloë: Once again, practice makes perfect. With the Lenormand, on top of that, I’d say that playing around with the keywords, coming up with all kinds of sentences and compound words, is a good exercise. It’s a way to stretch your Lenormand vocabulary, rather than getting locked down into set patterns, because life isn’t that fixed. Having a variety of meanings at your fingertips helps you connect with meanings that will be helpful to lots of different people – a stock broker might need different messages to a stay-at-home mum or a student or a hairdresser.
Caitlín Matthews, author of The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook, reads for a lot of theatre types. And that influences the kind of meanings and combinations she sees. For example, she associates the Rider to an agent or opening night, the Clover to a lucky break or talent spotters, the Scythe to a sudden closure, and the Birds to singers and performance anxiety. So, try seeing the Lenormand meanings through the filter of different areas that interest you or your typical clients 🙂
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Big thank hugs to this busy mum of two for taking time out of her busy schedule to chat with me! Get to know more about Chloë at Inner Whispers or Celtic Lenormand Oracle.
Blessings,
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2016
I’m Theresa Reed (aka, The Tarot Lady). I’ve been a full-time tarot reader for 30+ years — which, in my industry, makes me pretty badass.
I’m definitely not your average Tarot expert — I drop the F-bomb, I quote rappers, and I’m obsessed with pop culture + reality TV. Folks come to me for straight-talk + tough-love — without the woo-woo fluff. 
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