Interview with Tarot Goddess Sky
Sky is not only a wonderful new addition to our team at Gaia, but she is also a skilled tarot reader & talented visual artist!
Please enjoy our interview with Sky as she discusses why she reads tarot, how she got started, whether it's bad luck or not to buy your own tarot deck & how she incorporates her interest in the metaphysical realm to her artistry.
Gaia: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Your background, where you're from...
Sky: I grew up in Northern Ontario in a small town called North Bay. I started my art journey being an intern for a graphic design firm and from there I designed podcast covers for Astrologers & Witches and in New York City. One of my most recent projects I created was a cover for Aliza Kelly's "Stars like us" podcast. This year, I also designed a 64 ft. mural that is currently in my hometown of North Bay.
"Stars Like Us" podcast cover for Aliza Kelly designed by Sky
Art Mural in North Bay designed by Sky
Gaia: Can you tell us about you became interested in tarot?
Sky: On Valentine's Day, when I was about 3 or 4 my mom and dad were having a fight. As a result she was pulling tarot cards for some guidance and left her Morgan Greer deck on the coffee table. I asked her what they were and she told me that they were tarot cards! I didn't really start reading tarot until I was in high school and at that time it was only casual and out of personal interest. It was actually my dad who sat me down and taught me everything I know about tarot. A little later in life, my dad and I started reading tarot professionally online as a father-daughter team!
Gaia: Why has tarot become your main practice of divination?
Sky: The reason it is my main is practice is because of my mother’s influence. After she passed away in 2015 her spirit visited me and I just felt the urge to find her original Morgan Greer deck (from the 70s). Unfortunately we realized it was burned in a fire, so I ended up buying a new version of the same deck. This is the same deck I use to this day. It connects me to my mom. It keeps me connected to the spirit world and my art. Being an artist and an intuitive, using tarot speaks to me in pictures and art. Reading tarot is formed on intuition and telling a story through the pictures you see… as a visual artist it just makes sense.
"Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck" by Kim Krans
Gaia: I know you read tarot professionally now. What are some of the most interesting things about reading for others and some of the most challenging things?
Sky: The most interesting thing about reading for others professionally is connecting with complete strangers. There is a trust formed between a reader and a client like no other. I am allowed to see deeply into their spirit which can be a very vulnerable experience for most. This makes the reading relationship VERY personal. I view my professional practice as “spiritual therapy” the more I don’t know about you the easier it is for me to form a non-biased reading. The most challenging thing I find in reading professionally is the anxiety that happens before sessions. I attest this to being a highly sensitive person. I pick up energy around me and if a client is super closed off it makes it extra difficult to do an accurate reading. Sometimes the cards just say “nope” and you gotta trust your intuition when that happens. It is also challenging when a client has no idea why they are getting a reading or have skewed ideas of what tarot is. I like to remind people who are new to the tarot experience that it isn’t like the movies and I won't tell you when you are going to die or that you are cursed ! (that tends to ease the anxiety I feel off of others who have never been read) However I do enjoy educating skeptics & new comers on how my practice works! It helps ease us both!
Sky reading a daily tarot card for our Instagram @gaia_rising_metaphysical
Gaia: What kind of impact does reading tarot for other people have on your psyche and energy? What kinds of things do you do to energetically protect yourself and re-fill your cup?
Sky: It is either extremely exhilarating and gives me energy, or reading completely depletes me. It depends reading to reading. Before each reading I douse my hands in Florida Water. I believe your hands are very magical as they were the first tools we used ever! When reading tarot you have to trust your hands and this ritual helps me to remember that while pulling cards. I also like to set the mood with candles / incense ect. to ensure I am in a calm peaceful space and that I am able to clear my mind and give good readings. When it comes to “protecting” myself while reading other people I wouldn’t say I have much of a ritual other than being aware of what are my energies and what aren’t …a good salt bath after works wonders !! just envision the water rinsing off all the stank energy or other energy from the day and you are good to go!
Gaia: Do you do your own tarot readings?
Sky: When I first started reading tarot I pulled a card for myself everyday and would do the occasional big spread for myself. This helped me connect with my decks and to the card meanings. However as the years went on it became harder and harder for me to read my own energy / cards without being extremely biased, so I find other readers to read for me now!
Gaia: What other tarot decks do you have in your collection? What are your top 3 (besides the Morgan Greer one) and why?
Sky: I am a classic kind of gal! I enjoy traditional tarot imagery and the art of the past. The rider-waite borderless has a vintage vibe and keeps to the traditional imagery which I love and is less “bright” than the original rider waite. I have a HUGE collection of cards but stick to usually only those two decks while reading, as the others I’m more drawn to as more of an art collection! Like Kim Krans 'The Wild Unknown' is one of those “pretty decks” in my collection but I just don’t connect with it intuitively for reading! The Morgan Greer deck I use is the most is based of the rider waite imagery and originally came out in the 70s. It is also borderless and nostalgic for me as it was the same tarot deck my mother read growing up, it's also the deck I used to learn tarot. Oh and I can't forget the Mythic Tarot! It is of course based on mythology and has fascinating mythological lore tied to each card! My dad also reads those cards and they have a nostalgic feeling for me as well. Turns out its in my blood to be attracted to these certain decks!
Gaia: Do you have other spiritual & divination practices? Do you care to share some of the things you do and what other paths or practices you are interested in?
Sky: I do! I have an online coven with whom I do full moon and new moon rituals with every month. I believe very deeply in moon magick and manifestation as I’ve witnessed it in my own life very powerfully! I do use tarot as a mediumship tool, as well a way to connect with passed on loved ones. I also work with pendulums, runes and I am dabbling in palmistry as of late! I truly am attracted to all things occult, magical maybe its my 12th house moon in my astrological chart or maybe its because the Moon card is my tarot birth card! Either way you never truly stop learning the tarot and I plan on continuing to add new practices to my life!
Gaia: Is it true that it is bad luck to buy your own tarot deck & that someone should gift it to you?
Sky: I love this question because I love busting myths! This is so far from being true and I hope that one day this myth disappears. It is not bad luck and no you will not be cursed if you buy your own or first deck! In fact, I recommend it! Find a deck that YOU are drawn to and do whatever the heck you want!
Gaia: What is something you are working on in developing yourself to be a better human being ?
Sky: I believe the key to becoming a better human being is to practice self awareness and courage everyday. Being self aware is extremely difficult at first but it helps you heal past traumas and grow from those experiences. You have to get uncomfortable once in a while to grow and the human experience is all about growth spiritually, emotionally and physically. I think in order to start living as your true authentic self you have to start to act with courage in everything you do! Whether that’s asking for a raise or taking that risk ! That is something I am continuously working on because the more authentic I feel, the happier I am and the energy I exude is more confident. The more content I am within myself, the more energy I have to share with and work with others. That is my goal! To be able to have the energy to help other people!
Gaia: What would be in your bag at Gaia Rising?
Sky: The Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling deck, Classic Rider Waite tarot deck , every single Lumerian Quartz I could afford! Nag champa oil & incense, Tektite (for grounding), Chani Nicolas's book "You were born for this" (astrology book) "Astrology for the soul" by Jan Spiller, Sacred Rebel Oracle Cards by Alana Fairchild and every colour of spell candle x 10 !
Make sure you check her out on Instagram for her art, tarot & other occult practices & content! @skywytch_
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