consulting the tarot
- Lana S. Price
- Jun 3
- 5 min read
lana price, death empress justice, 2026, acrylic and gouache paint on italian paper, 9" x 12"
Houston, we have a problem.
I joined a business networking group, but I don’t actually have an operating business (with Pragmagical). I have the intention of creating financially-sustainable work, and an intention of meeting new people, so a “business networking group” seemed like a great way to check a couple of boxes at once.
But then it became time for me to introduce myself to the group of business owners with an online post. Ugh. I felt naked and exposed. I had “write intro” at the top of my to-do list and right next to it in the margin: “or should I just leave this group?” Thinking I could come back when I was more ready.
I was in what Tara Brach calls “the trance of unworthiness.” The place where we constantly measure ourselves against imagined ideals and fall into self-judgment. It’s a trance because it can operate underneath our consciousness, as a pervasive underlying feeling of not-enoughness, and it distorts how we see ourselves and the world around us.
I knew that I was in the trance, because for me it’s a familiar cocktail of two parts shame, one part fear, and the real kicker: a felt sense of separateness on top.
My first instinct was to tackle this issue head-on: more striving! I will just come up with my Awesome Business Idea now, since I want to do that anyway. There was some journaling involved, a word cloud, poring through some old Google Docs where I squirrel away my precious thought-gems.
Basically, I was in my head, overthinking. And the soundtrack was running on a loop: What am I doing with my life? How am I going to make more money? What do I tell people? These are the core issues at-hand.
Can’t I just outrun this feeling of deficiency with the answer?
Deep down I know this, but the more-striving approach is not pragmagical. It is not operating from the place of possibilities. Striving is actually a part of the trance, not the antidote. Because they operate under the same core premise: you’re deficient. Something here needs fixing. The present self is unworthy, but there is some better, future, corrected self that will finally be able to … take a deep breath and relax. But until then, no way José, you can’t afford to stop.
After I exhausted myself with brainstorming, basically lots of activity but little additional clarity, I turned to a tool that helps me access messages beyond the thinking mind: the tarot.
I asked for guidance and advice, and pulled 3 cards:
Death, the Empress, and Justice. All Major Arcana cards.
The Major Arcana represent big life themes and archetypal energies. They are the capital-j Journey of transformation, while the Minor Arcana are about day-to-day details.
The odds of pulling all Major Arcana cards in a 3-card spread are about 2%. So, this felt like a “Listen up!” message.
Here’s my interpretation of the spread, written as if I was doing this reading for a friend**:
The theme of this reading is represented by Death: the transformative process. You’re riding the white horse of change, moving from one phase to the other. Before the beginning, there is an ending. Something here needs to die, to be let go fully, to be laid on the compost. Maybe it’s the idea that you need to figure this out right now. Maybe it’s the idea of a business altogether. This is the precise moment, as the tarot guide Rachel Pollack says, “to give up the old masks and allow the transformation to take place.”
Your challenge, as represented by the Empress, is receiving. Can you believe that good things can happen to you, for you, without your will? Without your constant doing? In the classic Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck, the Empress lays back on her pillowed throne, enjoying the fruits of life in a field of abundance. She is deeply connected with the natural world and the cycles of divine timing. A.E. Waite, co-creator of the RWS, said of the Empress, “she is above all things universal fecundity…” pointing to fertility. Birth as the flip side of Death. To give birth to a new idea, a new creative work, a new anything, consider surrendering to divine receptivity. Be open to the idea that life may bring you gifts that are sweeter than what you can imagine for yourself, and that you can be worthy of receiving them.
The action to take, Justice, is to see things clearly. See the situation as it is, not as you think it should be. Consider the mantra: Whatever is here is supposed to be here. As tarot guide Lindsay Mack says, “First understand that, then accept it, and maybe even embrace the fact that it is this way.” Accept that every event and every action in your past brought you to this point, and from here that process will continue. The scales are balanced between past and future. Look to see what is being asked of you by the situation unfolding in front of your eyes.
The message of this reading aligns with Tara Brach’s answer to the trance of unworthiness: radical acceptance. Simply put, radical acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and our lives as it is. Tara Brach: “There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life.”
I felt like I received a permission slip from the Universe. There’s nothing to be fixed or figured out here. Can I allow myself to loosen, to follow this process and see where it takes me? I opened my laptop and wrote my introduction to the group, paraphrased:
Hi, I’m Lana, writing from beautiful Portland, Oregon. I have a creative newsletter called Pragmagical, which is about navigating life transitions while holding the tension between what’s practical and what’s possible. I’m definitely in the early stage of business (very early, pre-business!) and I’m excited to see which seeds bloom. I’m happy to be in this space with you.
In retrospect, pretty simple. This is where I am, and I can accept it. I am open to seeing the gifts all around me, even in challenging times, and the magical events happening for me. And I know that I can take things as they come, one step at a time.
** Tarot is a great tool for self-reflection, but it is even more powerful to do with another person. I’m lucky to have my dear, wise friend, Linda Katz, trade readings with me when I need some additional perspective, and her warm insights are a genuine gift.
This got me thinking about an experiment: I'm curious about offering tarot readings as a Pragmagical service. Is this a good idea, or should it go in the Death compost pile? Would you personally be interested in tarot-based guidance, via conversation, on Zoom? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please reach out and let me know.
i'm lana price and this is my biweekly-ish newsletter. i write about navigating life transitions, bridging practicality and possibility. you can find other writing here. subscribe to get these straight to your inbox.
