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.
One of the joys of the online world is discovering fellow tarot readers. Through Twitter and Facebook, I have met some marvelous people and talented readers. I’m really pleased to introduce Dixie Vogel to you today. What initially caught my eye when I first began noticing Dixie was the pink hair (I know, superficial!). That shock of bright plumage told me that she was certainly not afraid to be herself! In fact, the more I have seen Dixie in action, the more I see a bright spirit – a strong personality that is unique, kind and fun.
Dixie has been reading tarot for over ten years. Before she went pro, she was working as a counselor for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses, suicide and crisis intervention, domestic violence intervention and substance abuse treatment. When she left social work, she went into web development and eventually found her way towards becoming a full time tarot reader.
She has written for a popular astrology website and she also authored a book, Everyday Tarot Archives: A Daily Dose of 78 (Living the Whole Deck). When she’s not busy writing, she is happily serving her clients and helping them to transform their lives with tarot.
Learn more about Dixie here:
Web – http://www.afoolsjourney.com
Email – dixie@afoolsjourney.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/afoolsjourney
Twitter – http://twitter.com/goddess_dix
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/goddessdixie
Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Vogel/e/B008VIOU0O
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1. What is your philosophy about tarot reading?
Dixie: I am a huge believer in self-determination and free will! I see the very act of picking up a Tarot deck as a clear expression of free will. So while most initially seek out Tarot to predict the future—knowing the future is sexy, after all!–I find straight prediction to be one of the least useful applications of Tarot. What’s the point of knowing the future if we don’t have power to impact it?
I do find Tarot predictive. But I consider its greatest strength is serving as an energetic snapshot of a moment in time, always subject to change based upon the free will of all parties involved. I don’t aspire to tell fortunes; I aspire to help individuals determine their own fortunes!
Now, once a situation has hit critical mass, it may be all but impossible to change direction. But at the very least, a skilled reader can work with Tarot to find options and coping strategies, so even challenging situations can handled with grace and serve as a mechanism for growth. If we must have strife, we should get something worthwhile out of it!
I don’t believe in looking to any tools, however magical, to make our choices for us. That’s a personal responsibility! But the cards can help by providing perspective and insight. Therein lies the power of a good reading: it leaves the questioner feeling MORE powerful, MORE in control, and better able to cope.
I also find the cards a particularly useful tool for self-development, accessing that spark of divine wisdom that lies within each of us. This is an often-overlooked but incredibly powerful use of Tarot.
2. How do you feel a client might get the most out of a reading with you?
Dixie: Many seek readings when under significant stress. I understand! However, once you’ve arranged a reading, getting calm and grounded makes a huge difference in the depth and quality of information I can access. Anxiety can act as static, making it far more difficult to get helpful messages.
Being clear on goals is also extremely helpful—knowing exactly what you look to accomplish makes it much easier to zero in on the best, most productive questions.
And I strongly encourage people to check what ANY reading provides against their internal sense of truth. Be prepared to take responsibility for your own choices—I will not make decisions for others. I don’t need the karma! But I’m glad to help consider options. Those that approach our relationship as a partnership, where I provide support and perspective to aid the personal decision-making process, will be the happiest with our work together.
3. What is your best piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader?
Dixie: Find your personal “Tarot voice.” Readers may become competent copying others, but to be a gifted reader, you must go beyond what others do and develop a connection to the cards that’s as unique as you are. Never stop studying and seeking! But don’t just accept what you see as fact, applicable to your practice. Experiment, adapting and adopting what works for you personally. Discard what does not without worry about what is “right” or “wrong.” Focus instead on what’s right for YOU. This is how you develop a personal relationship with the cards, and learn to trust them and yourself as a reader.
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Major gratitude to Dixie for sharing her wisdom with us here today! Learn more about Dixie at her site, A Fools Journey.
Blessings!
Theresa
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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