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.
When I heard the rumor that there was an upcoming Game of Thrones Tarot, you can bet I was jumping out of my skin to find out more. Who was publishing it? More importantly, who was the author? It didn’t take long to discover that info. The author was none other than Liz Dean, the brilliant woman behind The Ultimate Guide to Tarot: A Beginner’s Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Revealing the Mystery of the Tarot – one of the most popular modern books on tarot.
I’ve had the good fortune of spending some time with Liz and I can tell you this: she’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Genuine, caring, and completely down to earth. She’s also one prolific author. In addition to the works mentioned above, Liz has authored or co-authored over a dozen products. Not just tarot related either – she’s also written about angels and “Switchwords” which she describes as “power words that speak directly to our subconscious mind, helping clear blocks to success and activating our ability to manifest love, money, creativity, self-healing and success.”
Her background is in illustrated book publishing and she also worked as a copy-writer for publishers and the BBC. Now she’s busy writing her own books as well as reading and teaching tarot at Psychic Sisters in Selfridges, London.
Liz says “I’m currently working on a Tarot Switchwords book, the follow-up to Switchwords: Say One Word to Get What You Want. Tarot Switchwords will be published as an ebook later this year.” I will be first in line to grab that when it hits the shelves. But first…that Game of Thrones Tarot. I cannot wait!
Bio:
Liz Dean is a former commissioning editor who reads and teaches tarot at Psychic Sisters within Selfridges, London. She has authored fifteen books and tarot decks, including HBO’s Game of Thrones Tarot (November 2017), The Ultimate Guide to Tarot, The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Spreads, The Art of Tarot, and Switchwords: How to Use One Word to Get What You Want.
Twitter: @lizdeanbooks
Check out Liz’s answers to my questions below:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What is your philosophy about tarot reading?
Liz: For me, tarot’s all about insight, interaction, and manifesting. Connecting with archetypes aligns us with the subconscious, that storehouse of powerful knowledge; through the cards, we access our own wisdom and connect to the collective unconscious, and the consciousness in other realms. So the cards are portals, taking us wherever we need to go – showing us, instantly, what we need to see at any given moment.
Then there’s the interactive element: those amazing, unexpected conversations a tarot-reading sparks. Of course, we all get those clients who don’t expect to interact in a reading – that, ‘Well, you tell me’. And yet, those readings can be interactive in a different way; the client may appear defensive, but their powerful, unconscious, higher self wants a reading, wants to interact. And so, they are more present, energetically, than they perhaps realise. I’ve had some truly insightful readings with this type of client, because they still, at some level, bring themselves to the reading. They have taught me much about deep listening, presence, and trust.
Manifesting is the empowerment aspect of tarot, so in a reading, we look at what a client can do, going forwards. I encourage clients to read for themselves, to trust their intuition, and to connect with their creativity (to me, intuition, creativity, and spiritual connection live in the same space; creative work often helps a client reconnect with their intuitive knowing). I also give clients Switchword mantras to help people manifest what they want. (Switchwords switch on the subconscious mind – chanting them helps align your subconscious wisdom with your conscious knowing, so you are one within yourself, and from this position, can effectively clear blocks and manifest.) A favourite is TOGETHER-DIVINE-BE – “Let me experience oneness, divine connection and miracles, peace and wellness.” I’m currently writing Tarot Switchwords (see below), which help us connect even more deeply with the potential gifts inherent in each card.
Q: How do you feel a client might get the most out of a reading with you?
Liz: Relax! Your higher self has guided you here. Let go of any agenda and be open to what might arise. Agendas can block the flow of a reading; so, let go of expectations, and trust that the cards will show you what you need to know.
Q: What is your best piece of advice for an aspiring tarot reader?
Liz: Working with tarot is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. We’re all highly intuitive, and tarot helps develop and acknowledge this precious knowing that we all share. Trust your intuitive response to the card images, and you’re learning to trust yourself. To begin, seek those decks that really speak to you. Yes, read the books – they are there to get you started – but when you’re practising, reading for yourself or friends, for example, put the books aside. Go with your personal response to the cards’ imagery. Look at the card, and see what attracts you: one time you might be drawn to a certain symbol, another time, it’s all about the cards’ colour. See what you get, and explore: there are no rules!
Tarot-reading is fluid and creative, and in over 30 years of tarot-reading, I am still discovering new layers of meaning within very familiar cards. When I tried Theresa’s brilliant tarot colouring book recently, I realised there’s a horizon line behind the pillars on the High Priestess. I’d never seen that before – and that got me thinking: there’s a boundary here, a line, and it’s very subtle; maybe this is the dividing line between earth and spirit that tarot takes us across, time and again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Big hugs to Liz for making time to speak with me! Learn more about this lovely lady at her website.
Blessings!
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2017
Check out the whole Talkin’ Tarot With series here.
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. 
You must be logged in to post a comment.