Recently I have introduced you to my 18+ section of my tarot and oracle deck collection and one of my favourite decks is the Tarot of Casanova. I like to use it, it’s very intuitive and resonating for me and my readings, whether I use it to get an insight for myself or for querents.
I also mentioned several times that one of the rituals I like to do with a new deck is to interview it. Well… I was so eager to start doing readings with the Tarot of Casanova that I forgot to interview it when I got it.
It’s not a problem at all. Anyone can interview any tarot or oracle (or Lenormand, Kipper, Runic, etc.) deck at any point. You can interview a deck you have for many years. It’s supposed to be a sort of a bonding experience, a little check up on how you click with your deck, how it resonates with your personal vibe, and what kinds of readings it can assist you most effectively.
In my psycho-analytical stream of tarot, the interview can tell me what kind of information the deck can best bring to my attention.
Anyway! I have decided to correct my mistake of not doing the interview with the Tarot of Casanova and at the same time show you how it can look like.
There are many spreads that can be used for interviewing your deck. I personally used the three below in the past.
What is Your Nature?
What are Your Strengths as a Deck?
What are Your Weaknesses as a Deck?
How will You challenge Me?
What do You require from Me?
Our Relationship as a Whole
How will You help Me to grow?
What are some characteristics of your personality?
What qualities do you find most important in a tarot reader?
What are you most determined to reveal?
What types of readings are you most confident about?
What types of readings do you prefer not to answer?
What will our relationship be like?
How can I earn your respect?
What is something I should know about you?
What is your energy like?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
What will characterise our collaboration?
How can I best learn from you?
What types of readings best suit you?
What guidance can you offer me right now?
As you can see, they are pretty long and detailed but for my purposes, I have come up with a shorter version of a deck interview.
What is your general vibe?
What kind of readings suit you best?
What do you think about me as a tarot reader?
How can we best collaborate?
Any message you have for me right now.
The last one is completely optional. Well… The whole interview is optional, I mean, nobody is going to force you to do a reading you don’t want to do. 😀
I’m going to use this last shortened version of the interview with my Tarot of Casanova.
It’s an erotic themed deck and I will include the pic of the cards.
If you feel in any way uncomfortable with it, please do not read any further.
For the rest of us who actually like cards with naked people depicted on them -
IT’S SHOWTIME!
Tarot of Casanova Deck Interview
What is your general vibe? - 8 of Wands, 9 of Wands
This tarot deck is both easy-going, getting straight to the point and a mature type of a tarot deck that fears nothing. No matter the reading, this deck will get to the bottom of the matter fast and furious, drilling through the layers of nonsense to discover the bare truth. This deck takes no fuss, it comes without a filter. It’s not going to sugarcoat the reality, it’s not going to pat anyone on the shoulder. It’s more of a shining-a-lamp-into-your-eyes-and-yelling-at-you type of a deck. It surely is a sexy deck but at the same time it never stays silent about possibly problematic aspects of interpersonal relationships or about the darker desires, especially if they are shared among the subjects of the reading.
What kind of readings suit you best? - III The Empress, VIII Justice
I’m gonna refer you to the part above. This is a straightforward deck and it really likes readings that encourage individuals to own their power, their desires and become more confident about themselves. I mentioned it in the short deck description that I get the women power type of vibe from the deck and it shows here, too. This deck likes readings which show the beauty and joy of sexual desires, destigmatize sexuality as such, and help to feel better about anyone’s fantasies. The BHS tarot readings clearly suit it well, this is the deck to bring more balance into the life by pointing out that women (or anyone) are allowed to also feel horny, thirsty, have naughty thoughts, undress attractive people in their mind, feel hot and bothered. It’s okay for anyone to experience sexual desire, to enjoy sexuality in any form (consensual, of course). Nobody is less of a respectful person if they experience sexual desire.
What do you think about me as a tarot reader? - Knight of Wands, King of Pentacles
Lol! Knight of Wands is somewhat my significator card. Sometimes it's the Queen of Wands, sometimes the Knight, it depends on the mood. Anyway! Casanova clearly sees me as someone both quick witted and fun but also very responsible and well grounded. I’m clearly a tarot reader who doesn’t take myself too seriously but at same time I have a certain quiet and deeply rooted confidence when it comes to my practice due to my hard work and considerable experience in the field. I’m open to new ideas but I don’t just jump on any boat, I always thoroughly consider how it fits into my personal philosophy.
How can we best collaborate? - XIX The Sun, 3 of Wands
It all looks sunny, I’m gonna tell you that! 😂 It seems like we still have a lot to unpack with my Casanova deck and it’s gonna be a pleasurable ride. It has managed to seduce me perfectly by now and we can really have meaningful relationships and collaborations together now. This deck is likely to encourage me to seek more pleasure in readings. All the insights are likely to come with a blinding glare, so clear and shining, as direct and to the point as Casanova’s hand on that 3 of Wands card. 😜
Any message you have for me right now. - XI Strength, II The High Priestess
And the final message talking of personal power and wisdom, how nice. I really love my Casanova deck. 💋 I think the message here is for me to never lose courage and passion when it comes to tarot and gaining wisdom. It’s likely to encourage me to further deepen my knowledge, possibly even use the Casanova deck in combination with other techniques that help to peek behind the veil of the unknown. The High Priestess is just oozing a total confidence and comfort here, pretty much a guardian of the secrets behind the curtain but at the same time a sensual and self-aware woman, knowing that person standing in front of her is as much eager to lift the curtain as they are eager to pull the sheets she’s wrapped in away from her and reveal her beauty. I guess there are simply multiple mysteries and levels of unknown, some bring instant gratification and some might be only the first step on a journey. None of them is more or less important in life, both kinds are needed.
What do you think about this interview? Do you interview your tarot cards? Let me know your thoughts!
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Yes, I know this is a large spread! If it’s too big for you to do at once, you can do it in sections, or only pick out the questions that are most important to you.
If a particular question doesn’t apply to what you do (i.e. if you do not work with spirits or deities) then simply skip over that question!
It’s my birthday today and my partner got me the Welcome to Night Vale tarot deck!! Once I’ve worked with a bit, this deck will be an option in my readings. He also commissioned a witchy portrait of me but it wasn’t quite finished yet, so hopefully I’ll be able to share that soon too!
Of course, I started off with a quick deck interview!
What is your most important characteristic? - The Hermit
Introspective guidance.
What are your strengths as a deck? - Two of Cups
Connections and reconciling choices.
What are your limits as a deck? - Knight of Cups
Dealing with unpleasant situations or melodrama.
What are you here to teach? - Ten of Pentacles
How to best seek permanence, stability, and work within convention.
How can I best learn from and collaborate with you? - Ace of Pentacles
Proceed with trust and be grounded in the real world.
What is the potential outcome of our working relationship? - Judgement
Recognizing my true potential, and finding release.
I often put other people before myself, and that is very true when it comes to my tarot readings- I got my Soul Cards Tarot literally a week ago and still haven’t done a single reading with it, no interview reading, no nothing. After a day of tarot reading for others I just want to rest, I don’t even want to look at a deck of cards. This, of course, is no one’s fault but my own.
That all said, when I had keyboard issues earlier and finally resolved them well into the evening, I figured I may as well get on into readings-- then I think to myself, well, the days already so far gone, I may as well get into readings for myself.
So today, now, I am doing the Interview Process with the Soul Cards tarot, and that is the point of this post. I am sharing this for others in case they want to know how I bond with my cards (and have such a strong bond with my decks).
Step One: “Hello, my name is Madalynn. Would you like to be my companion?”
I begin talking to the cards. Usually, I do a lot of SilentCraft- as in witchcraft where I am silent or do not make noise. I like purposeful silence, I like feeling the energy in silence. But in the event of a new deck and an interview, I do talk to the deck of cards. Obviously the interview spread is where they allow me some communication back but I can’t dare take that step until I’ve let them know who I am.
I like to think about it this way, and this might be a shit metaphor. Let’s say I am a boss, all my lil tarot decks are my employees. I could be like “Alright, welcome to the company, get the F*CK TO WORK NOW” or I could be like “Hey, welcome, I’m Madalynn, this is how I like to do things, this is who I am, and I’m going to set you next to a few of other decks so that they can whisper to you the truths they know about me for a bit.”
My deck is like a person, they want to know who they’re working for, they want to know what benefits they’re going to get (fancy cloth? fancy box? Do they keep their box and end up with a crystal signing bonus package where I specify a few of my quartz just for sitting atop this deck and cleansing/charging it?), they want to know if I’m going to treat them right, and if I’m going to listen and respect what they have to say or if I’m only going to be using them as a Magic 8 Ball to confirm what I want to hear while ignoring all else they tell me.
SideNote: When I got my cat, Jynx, I went to the shelter and their kitten room and crawled around with the kittens saying, “Hello, my name is Madalynn, will you be my friend?” This is how I got Jynx- she wanted to be my friend and answered the ‘call’.
Step Two: Shuffle
Don’t shuffle for a reading, don’t shuffle to see the cards, just shuffle. Get the cards used to how you handle them. Now, I’m a rough shuffler, and that goes into the Step1, because I have to explain that this deck is perfect now and will continue to be perfect. Even if it gets bent, curved, or dinged. Those are just scars, humans have them and so do my decks. They grow with me, and I grow with them.
If you don’t know what a bridge shuffle is, it’s this. This is how I shuffle. And boy, do nice long tarot cards get one hell of an arc in that final step, I LOOOVE it. It feels like magic, the whispers of unknown “fwip fwip fwipping” into my hands! Small note- skip that first step where you seperate the deck when using tarot cards... the deck is over 20+ cards more than that of a playing card deck, its far too thick.... I uh... I eeehh... I have had accidents.
Also, I watch this gif thinking @just-themys (OP of gif) has some nice affffffff fingernails (unless this was gotten from somewhere else, this person has such nice hands, such dexterity, such agility, such fluttering fingers, love love love. ty for gif, its perfect for what I need)
Have fun shuffling your deck, enjoy the feel of your cards, enjoy getting to know them. Eventually, it might feel intimate and just kind of mysterious, you’ll get an intuitional tug when your cards are ready for that first reading- ready for you to shuffle, cut, and lay out your cards.
Step Three: The First Reading
I have several interview spreads I’ve slapped together depending on different vibes and tweaks that I have needed, and that is typically my first reading with any deck. You can find deck interview spreads on tumblr and on pinterest and via google- they’re literally everywhere. Find one that calls to you, and no, you don’t have to use the same one each deck-- each deck is different, and your relationship with your different decks are each unique. Feel free to show that in your “interview process”. Feel free to pull signifiers, ask “additional or followup questions”
Remember, you are the boss, this is your worker, interview them!!
Step Four: Benefits Package
In step1 I hinted at a Cards Benefit Package, like nice cloths or boxes or crystals. If you promised your deck any of this, deliver. I’m so serious. Do not make a promise that you’ll make an amazing cloth for your cards and never do it. Even if you just slap it together bleery eyed, do it. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use your cards while you’re working on it (I do all the time) but remember, this is like a person, and broken promises hurt!
For my Soul Cards Tarot, I have promised a beautiful cloth. I have it ironed, pinned, and ready to sew and honestly--unfortunately--I hate it? No, it’s gorgeous, beuatiful, and will be a great tarot cloth. But after seeing it pinned together it just.... isn’t... what I want? And that’s okay!!! I’ve talked to SCT and I have told her (sometimes decks are hims, sometimes they are thems, this is up to you and your deck!!! I have a friend who names his decks) that I am going to crochet her a cloth instead, and this will take longer but I want something delicate and yet intricate, just like her.
For the Marigold Tarot, the cloth isn’t even sewn or anything. It’s a Fat Quarter I saw in a craft shop and fell head over heels for, saved it. Then when I got the Marigold Tarot I began using it with the plan to “tidy up the edges”. The edges have never been tidied and that’s okay too, because I still gave them a cloth and it’s still a lovely cloth, and when the cloth begins to try and fray I do tidy and trim it up a bit with my sewing scissors.
Yes, I know this is a large spread! If it’s too big for you to do at once, you can do it in sections, or only pick out the questions that are most important to you.
If a particular question doesn’t apply to what you do (i.e. if you do not work with spirits or deities) then simply skip over that question!
Question 13 is aimed to be asked with a specific deity. If you work with more than one you can ask this repeatedly. If you prefer to ask in general, that works too!
Here are the questions:
ONE What is your personality?
TWO How can I best work with you?
THREE What do you think of me so far?
FOUR What do you think of working with me?
FIVE What is your strength as a deck?
SIX What is your weakness as a deck?
SEVEN What is the potential outcome of our relationship?
EIGHT What kind of readings would you enjoy doing?
NINE What kind of readings would you not want to do?
TEN How would you feel about doing shadow work with me?
ELEVEN How would you feel about being used to communicate with spirits?
TWELVE How would you feel about being used to communicate with fae?
THIRTEEN How would you feel about being used to communicate with [deity]?
FOURTEEN How would you feel about doing readings for people other than myself?
FIFTEEN How would you feel about me putting pictures of your beautiful self online?
SIXTEEN Anything else you’d like to add?
I know it’s a lot, but I hope this helps you get to know your new friend better!
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