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 enjoy meeting and learning from tarot readers who work with the cards differently than I do. It’s all too easy to get quite fond and comfortable with our own methods – getting a different perspective can help a reader to grow and bust out of their own self imposed “tarot ruts”.
Recently I took a class with James Wells called “Tarot Counseling“. This month long course delved into using tarot in more of an interactive counseling format which is quite different than how I tend to work with the cards. James is an incredible teacher – wise and compassionate and infinitely patient. I thoroughly enjoyed everything I learned in that class and have been able to put some of his techniques to good use with my own clients.
The best part of the class is that I received a reading from James which helped me to get a clear feeling of how tarot counseling actually worked. Using deep questions and a custom made spread, James helped me to get to the root of a situation that I had been struggling with for some time. His reading gave me the advice and tools I needed to liberate myself from the problem. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for the experience. This was exactly the reading I needed!
Readers like James offer their clients the opportunity for deep personal healing, which takes tarot from a simple divination tool to something more profound. If you are looking to connect with tarot in a whole new way, a reading (or class) from James may be just what you need.
James Wells makes his home is Toronto, a vibrant and tree-filled city in Southern Ontario. As a motivational listener, consultant, teacher, facilitator, and circle host, he is dedicated to merging soul and strategy. For him, contemplation and insight must be grounded in practice.
From James’ childhood until the present day, He has been curious about what makes people and the universe tick. This curiosity has inspired him to try out a variety of wisdom ways, some of which no longer resonate with him and some of which are helpful long-term resources. Through tools and processes such as circle methodology, tarot, Reiki, and journal writing, James is invited to remember his creativity, resourcefulness, and wholeness. The people who choose to work with him as clients and students also report that these ways are fruitful paths to their full authentic humanity.
Whether at home or abroad, whether in personal sessions or in workshop settings, James always aims to provide an experience of council mind, a way of deep witnessing and self-expression that respects the Whole.
In his “me time”, James enjoys reading, writing, music, walking, close friends, and good food. He’s also nourished by regular attendance at a shamanic journeying group and a circle-based spiritual community of healing and peacemaking, both in Toronto.
You can find James at his website Circle Ways. He also teaches classes in Reiki, tarot and more as well as leading events. Check out his EVENTS page if you wish to study with him.
He is also a published author – his recent book, Tarot For Manifestation is currently on the shelves and is a must-read for all tarot lovers!
James will also be one of the main presenters at Readers Studio 2012, the biggest tarot conference in the world.
Check out his answers to my questions below:
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1. What is your philosophy about tarot reading?
James: A tarot consultation, for me, is simply another form of feedback. It can give us a look at what’s happening within us and around us in the moment so that we can become more aware of the options that are available. Awareness of options can lead to empowerment because we realize that there’s more we can do about a situation than we originally thought. I think of each card as one of 78 possible viewpoints on one’s situation, so it doesn’t really matter which card gets chosen about an inquiry. A person’s imagination and capacity for projection make a card relevant to any situation. A tarot session, at its best, liberates us from our habitual patterns.
2. How do you feel a client might get the most out of a reading with you?
James: A client will get the most out of our time together (whether on the phone or in person) if s/he works collaboratively with me. I ask a series of questions when someone makes their initial contact with me. A person’s responses to those will assist her/him and me to focus on what we’ll explore through the tarot. During the consultation itself, a client can benefit by being open to dialoguing with me. If s/he remember that it’s a conversation rather than being “read at” by me, s/he’ll go deeper into his/her own wisdom and become more aware of the answers and richer questions that reside within. I suppose that all of this sugars down to clients suspending their notions about what a tarot session should be and going along with the processes that I offer. It’s a journey of meeting each other where we are.
3. What is your best piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader?
James: Don’t try to be right, just do your best to be helpful when asked. Also, cultivate a capacity to ask relevant, open-ended questions.
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A big thank you and hug to James for taking time to talk with me – and for the awesome reading. It really was one of the most profound readings that I have ever had.
I can’t wait for his presentation at RS12!
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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