a mini reading & (re)introducing: the hermitage

hello, friends. how are you? how are you taking care of yourself these days? what's giving you hope, joy, inspiration? what's tending your grief, your sorrow, your anger? which actions or devotions are giving you the courage to keep going, the imagination to keep dreaming?

i pulled cards this morning to see how y'all are doing, and what kind of pep talk you might need. and the combination of queen of cups and seven of cups felt loud to me: a desire for control and protecting our own, ongoing efforts towards intuitive clarity and deep emotional purpose, and a rich capacity for relationship and care — paired with a hunger to dream bigger, to pursue more, to chase after something that will satisfy. the queen of cups knows what they're doing when it comes to emotional connection and intuitive clarity, but the seven of cups hovers in that dreamy place of imagination and fantasy, of trying to name what we most long for. this is the tension of care and craving, of protecting and seeking.

what are you safeguarding? what are you building? what are you dreaming of? what is supporting you? and — what are you hiding from? what are you afraid to ask for? what feels impossible to pursue? what kind of support do you actually need? what magic are you dreaming of having access to? when the world is this heavy, what helps you continue to move and dream and love and connect?

i've been asking myself a lot of questions lately. what does tarot have to offer us in times of war, of hunger, of fear? how can a modality that seems built for uncertainty help us find our footing in difficult moments? why might a richer or deeper personal tarot practice be something to cultivate, in a moment when it feels like there are so many other things we should be doing? and here's where i've landed:

tarot isn't just a tool that you can use when you have a really specific question, or when you need a way to soothe yourself in stressful moments. tarot is a mirror, a photo album, and a compass: reflecting you back to yourself, reminding you of where you've been and what you've navigated already, and helping you choose an intentional path forward. tarot is a guide, a map, and a lantern: leading the way and modeling growth, helping you plan out the next steps in your journey, and empowering you to wander off the beaten path with intention and illumination. tarot can be many kinds of friends and mentors, offer many gifts: the cards can give you a clarifying lecture, or an invigorating pep talk, or a kick in the ass, or a warm hug, among other things.

and in a world that wants us small, scared, and compliant, having a tool in our pocket that can empower us to live our values, take up space, and demand more for ourselves and our communities is wildly valuable.

we have to be brave enough to figure out what we need, what we want, and what we're willing to fight for, so that the tarot can help us make those things real. but how do we do that? how do we deepen our practice? how do we make our readings reflect us, now, here, in 2026? and how can we keep learning, keep deepening, when we're exhausted and overwhelmed?

everyone is different. but i've been there, i get it, and know what's worked for me: i started challenging my assumptions about what my tarot practice had to be. i started learning to translate what the cards were telling me into a language i could understand, instead of limiting the tarot to what tradition told me. i started living alongside the archetypes, instead of just looking at them. and started letting the tarot teach me how to trust myself, instead of always outsourcing my intuition to other people.

i've been teaching tarot and writing publicly about tarot for almost a decade now, working with hundreds of students, sharing thousands and thousands of words. and the longer i do this work, the more i realize that my entire tarot philosophy comes down to this:

knowing about the tarot is not the same as knowing the tarot. all the study in the world, all of the advanced fancy timing techniques and reversal interpretations and complicated spreads and deep symbology and whatever else we might jam in there can’t replace a fundamental ability to be vulnerable with the cards. if you don't trust the cards, if you won't trust yourself, tarot readings can only be so useful.

but if you can learn to tell your own story with the cards, if you can recognize the whispers of your intuition and truth, if you can build bridges between the cards and your own lived experience as a human being, then the tarot can change everything. this is tarot for your real life, tarot by you and for you. this is the kind of tarot practice that will help you actually live with steadiness and intention, right now and in the days to come.

there are so many ways to do this kind of work, and you can absolutely do it by yourself, for free, on your own time. but if you don't want to go it alone, if you'd love resources that push you to dig deeper, if you're eager to use some tried-and-true methods to build the personal tarot practice of your dreams, allow me to reintroduce my signature membership program: the hermitage, by 3am.tarot (formerly known as the 3am.tarot conservatory; now with a shiny new name, new branding, and lots of new additions).

the hermitage by 3am.tarot is a monthly self-paced membership program for intermediate tarot readers who are ready for consistently personal, supportive, life-changing tarot readings — without anxiety, self-doubt, or unnecessary complexity.

it’s an independent, wildly customizable, no-pressure monthly membership that includes:

• virtual access to over $2k worth of original tarot courses, lectures, and resources to expand your perspective on the tarot, help you build personal meanings for every card in the deck, and give you everything you need to establish the tarot practice of your dreams
• an easy-to-navigate directory with quick links to everything, so that you never have to scramble to figure out where something is
• monthly emails featuring downloadable audio missives, tarot spreads and exercises, and recommended resources to get you energized for the month ahead
• suggested study paths and personalized recommendations to help you decide what to explore next
• monthly co-working sessions and 24/7 accountability channels to keep your studies on track
• options to book personal tarot readings or coaching sessions with me anytime (even if i’m closed to the public!), for one-on-one support and extra insights
• access to my private discord server filled with generous tarot readers and seekers, to help you stay connected with other students whenever you like
• exclusive access to new courses, and discounts on new study containers and digital downloads to supplement your tarot studies

the program costs $66 per month for full, immediate access. sign up anytime, cancel anytime. 

everyone who joins by the end of this month also gets an invite to an exclusive meetup in may to pick my brain, get personalized recommendations, and connect with your fellow hermits!

find your path in the hermitage, and build a tarot practice that supports your real life.

got questions? want more details? i'm hosting a hermitage open house on wednesday, april 29th at 7pm EST, and you're invited! whether you're a former student, a current member, or have questions you wanna run by me, come through and let's chat. no pressure and no sales pitch — just a chance to connect and learn more about how the hermitage can support your practice.

and if you can't make the open house or live zoom meetups aren't your vibe, email me anytime at 3am.tarot@gmail.com. i'm always happy to chat with folks and help them figure out if a program or course is a good fit, whether it's the hermitage or anything else you find on my website.

if you're eager to find your path with the tarot, if you're ready for tarot readings that you can trust and understand, the hermitage is for you.