What do you do for a living?

When I was living in Tribeca,  I was a member of Community Board 1,  a form of local government. When I interviewed for the position,  I remember being asked what my agenda was.  And I naively replied,  I just want to serve the neighborhood,  I don't have an agenda.  So I got the position.   It was far more political than I expected, but we were able to speak for public school assistance,  for restaurant licenses (and neighborly consideration) and about new residential development (always political!)  

One of the more established members (I was going to say older,  and he was older than me,  but it was more that he had been around the traps a lot longer than I had) once complimented me on my handling of these diverse and often competing claims and then he asked me what I did for a living.  I told him I read tarot cards.

"But you appear so intelligent!" he exclaimed.  

"I'm intelligent when I read the cards,  as well."  I smiled. 

The other day a new acquaintance asked me what I do and I told her,  and she said do you like it?  I said that I get to talk for an hour about things that matter to people,  and explore how to help them get the outcomes that they want - and that I liked it very much.   

I really do enjoy meaningful conversations and a sense that I can help give clarity.  

So if you want a meaningful conversation and more clarity around your life,  drop me a line - liat@albanyconsult.com or text me +61 477043555 and we can set up a time.

Looking forward to it! 

Questions

A while ago I did a reading for one of my repeat clients - a woman in her 40's with great energy, a bright smile,  but work situations had not been easy for her.  She kept drawing the Page of Cups R,  she feels out of sync,  they don't 'get' her,  she offers her quirky,  out of the box sensibility and they just look puzzled. 

So one day she comes and asks,

Should I wait till I finish my MBA before changing jobs?

And she drew 

Fool R / Strength / King wands R

The fool never means you are being foolish. Rather it is the start of a new journey,  the very first card of the tarot,  where you walk out with a song in your heart and you don't know where you are going.  But her fool is Reversed.  She is not progressing,  and she is not journeying.  Instead, she feels stuck.  

She is strong and capable,  there is no doubt about that,  but her King of Wands,  fiery, passionate,  outgoing, is also reversed,  her bright energy dimmed,  her anger growing. So I said,  no,  stop waiting.  Waiting is blocking you and slowing you down.  Rather,  turn your Fool the right way around,  and move forward,  then your king will also turn and you'll have the kingship you deserve.  

She liked that very much,  she knew her job was pulling her down,  but was scared to move with so much on her plate,  but the job was not easy and her plate was already too full,  a new job could actually energize her more.  She did change jobs and it did work out better for her. 

That's why I like repeat clients.  I get to see how the tarot was used and if the predictions worked! 

New Clients

 

Lately I've had a flurry of new client requests. New clients are always welcome! 

All my readings are virtual now, so you can do them in the comfort and privacy of your own home.  But for me, the magic of the tarot lies in the cards being shuffled by you,  getting your energy into them,  seeing where they land.  So I need you to access your own deck.  You can have one,  borrow one or buy a new one.  If you are buying,  there are so, so many out there,  but please be sure to buy one with 78 cards (some of the prettier ones don't have a full deck,  and that really doesn't work for me.)

So you've bought a new deck - I recommend Rider-Waite Radiant but any 78 card deck will do.  You shuffle them - any which way you like - for a few days before hand,  getting your energy into them.

Then we meet via facetime, skype,  whatsap, zoom at the appointed time.  I talk you through laying out the Celtic Cross Spread - it will look like this:

And then I do the 'cold reading'.  Without knowing much about you or your situation,  I tell you what the cards tell me.  I talk to you for about 7 - 10 minutes   After that,  I ask you what resonated,  what didn't,  and we go through the cards in more detail.  Finally I can answer some direct questions - usually 3.  You are welcome to record these readings.  

Tarot can't predict too far ahead - there are too many variables, energies can change.  But the cards can give a pretty good indication about the next 3 to 6 months,  and show you where your energy is strong,  and where it needs more support. 

The readings take about an hour and cost $120.  If you are buying a new deck for our reading,  I'll pay for it,  and the reading will cost $100.   If you are a new client - or an old one! - grab and deck and text or email me,  and let's see what we shall see... 

Looking forward to reading for you,

warmly,

Liat

Work Energy, Love Energy

Sometimes people come to me for a reading,  and their work cards are all great - bright and glowing,  with energy and movement.  But their love cards are stagnant, with no flow there at all. So I say,  work is easy right now, put your energy there and you will get quick rewards.  Maybe you should ease off looking for love and focus on your work.  

One of my clients said to me,  you've been saying that for three years.  Really?  I checked my notes and she was right,  her work cards are always Aces,  connecting, networking,  getting promoted,  all of that comes effortlessly to her. But love doesn't.  So I said to her,  what are you doing at work,  that you aren't doing in relationships?  And without hesitating she said,  "I know my value at work."  But with people,  with men,  she was not as confident. 

So we spent the session talking about transferring some of that confident self knowledge from work,  and putting it more into play with dating.  She can instantly recognize if a project has potential, needs nursing,  needs to be scrapped. Can she do that analysis on every 3rd date?  Maybe she is rejecting too soon,  or nursing the connection along too much,  or not scrapping it when it is clearly going nowhere. But if she gives herself this task,  go on three plus dates with anyone,  then do an analysis, and see if that gets her more of what she wants. She thought that was an interesting idea.  We'll have to wait and see if the cards get warmer once she starts doing this.

He loved her so much, and then he just left....

A women in her 50's came to me.  She had divorced about five years ago and then last year an old boyfriend from high school reached out to her,  via facebook.  It was absolutely magical for about 4 months,  but then he said it couldn't go forward and more or less ghosted her.  She was devastated and came to me to get some clarity.   

We talked about love bombing,  and the seduction but also the unreality of it.  We talked about how he had set up standards that were so high,  he could never continue meet them,  and so then ran away.  And no one person can be everything,  it's too big an ask.  We need to diversify and get our needs met from a variety of people,  not just The One.  

I gave her one of my favorite Ester Perel talks, it's about the first 20 minutes of the video. 

She loved it so much,  she asked me to share it more broadly,  so I told her I would share it on my blog.  If you can't get to see me,  you can still  hear this...  (also,  there are loads more Ester Perel talks about there,  so you can find plenty more.)  And if you want to talk one on one about your situation,  send me an email and we'll set up a reading. 

Typical Questions

The way I do a reading,  I start with a cold reading,  where I don't know you or your story,  or if you are a client I've read for previously,  I don't know what's going on in your life just now.  I do the Celtic Cross layout and tell you what I see. 

But after that discussion,  you have the chance to ask questions.

A while ago a client asked about a man she had been seeing for about a year - is it real? Does he really want a relationship.

She drew 5 cups / 4 cups / 7 swords.

We both looked at the images sadly.  No, it's not real. She feels sad,  she's dreaming, making it bigger than it is,  he is stealing her swords and she will feel betrayed.  

And she said she actually felt relieved.  She had been putting effort in,  and now she feels that her intuition that he hasn't been reciprocating is validated.  She can now develop a plan of action,  have some serious discussions,  and then,  if he doesn't want to move forward,  she can walk away.  But she doesn't want her swords stolen,  and she doesn't want to be the one doing all the heavy lifting.

It's rare that the cards tell you something you don't know at all.  Instead,  they help clarify and consolidate your situation by making explicit what you suspected. 

An interview with a tarot reader...

One of my clients interviewed me for an article she was writing about tarot and therapy.  And here it is! 

I was very pleased to be included in such clever company... 

And in case you only want to read the bit about me (but the other stuff is super interesting too!) or can't open the link,  here is her part about our discussions:-

Liat Silberman, MA, was first introduced to the tarot as a teenager. She was visiting her grandmother, a rummy player. “I shuffled like a card shark,” Silberman recalls. One of her grandmother’s friends told her, “‘You have an affinity for the cards; you should learn tarot.’ And what teenage girl doesn’t want magic powers?” Silberman laughs.

So Silberman bought a copy of Rachel Pollack’s 1980 classic 78 Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness (Weiser Books), and a deck of tarot cards. She studied independently for years, learning that “the interplay between the cards is as important as the cards themselves. You look at what’s present and what’s absent, and how the cards talk to each other.”

Meanwhile, Silberman became a psychotherapist. She worked in both England and her native Australia before moving to the U.S. with her family in 2002; they returned to Sydney in 2016. She has read tarot cards professionally on a full-time basis since 2003. (Full disclosure: Silberman is my tarot card reader.)

Unlike Goldberg and Dr. Rosengarten, Silberman never incorporated tarot cards into her psychotherapy practice, possibly because her readings are often predictive. That said, “I have done therapy sessions where I’ve thought, ‘I really wish I could pull out the cards!’” she admits. “I’ve always said, and I really feel, that a good tarot session can cut through six months of therapy.”

Silberman doesn’t think her abilities are particularly unusual. She likens her aptitude to musical talent, noting that while some people are gifted musicians and others have tin ears, “most people can carry a tune.” Similarly, “I think most people have some kind of psychic ability. I think I’m intuitive, and I use the cards to amplify that.” More importantly, she believes these abilities can be developed: “You can practice your intuition.”

“I think people are searching for stuff in their lives, generally speaking,” Silberman notes. “Some people find it in church or by being busy, and some people find it in a quiet hour… I 100 percent believe ‘one river, many wells.’ I don’t believe that one well is better, I think one well is more accessible to one person than another. That’s how I feel about psychic things—whatever enriches and nourishes you is a good thing.”