Tarot Talk: Meet Danielle

Originally from California, I have been residing in the Pacific Northwest for over a decade now. I love being a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from the forest and rivers and mountains and snow and lakes and the ocean. I’m a Witch— not by choice per se, but by... default? Birth? I was born this way. I talk to, and commune with animals (they’re funny; pretty much all of them, even the standoffish, grumpy, curmudgeonly, or seemingly terrifying ones). I also commune with the departed (they however aren’t always funny. Sorry, it is what it is). I heal via touch and pure tenacity of thought. I’ve sat with the dying and the birthing. I’m most comfortable in those liminal spaces between this world and the next. I have always viewed this comfort and ability as a boon. Some call me a hedge(witch) for that reason, though I try to avoid too many labels.

I teach about the moon, and magic, and how to make time to meditate, and why that’s probably a good idea. I teach which herbs to use when you’re dressing a candle, or making spaghetti for someone with a hurting heart, or brewing tea to soothe anxiety or to call in wealth. I teach about energy, how to recognize it, and harness it, how to project and move and manipulate and heal with it. I teach about boundaries and grief and communication and patience and why bones should be revered more. I teach about shadows and darkness and why fixating on love and light isn’t doing anyone any favors. And? I teach about Tarot. How it’s more than just a deck of cards or a fortune telling tableaux. I teach how Tarot is an archetypal tool for introspection, reflection, and yes— storytelling. I teach how to use it as such, and how to cultivate a relationship with these captivating and enigmatic cards.

When I was 13 years old I wandered into a bookstore, bee-lining for the metaphysical section. There I found a Rider-Waite Tarot Deck in a beautiful navy blue box, and a book: “How to Read Tarot in Five Minutes”. (I don’t recommend that approach!). I had no familiarity with the tarot— having only seen glimpses of it in a James Bond movie. But I was mesmerized, and quickly purchased them. Needless to say, I got nowhere, quickly. And they began collecting dust.

Through a series of fortunately unfortunate events I met a woman a few months later who agreed to teach me to read them, after much cajoling and back-and-forth-ing with my quite strict, Roman Catholic father. For the next four years, whenever she was in town, we met once or twice a week, for hours at a time. I learned far more than tarot from her, but that’s another story. So many years, so many books, written papers, tests, assessments, philosophical discussions, and introductions to other readers... so many critiques. I was trained thoroughly, rigorously, and conscientiously to BE a professional tarot reader. To be able to read in any setting, and for any caliber of client, from the most formal to the most relaxed. I now have just-shy of 30 years of experience as a tarot reader, and an international client base that has spanned across six continents.