October 11, 2023 • 23 mins
This week to get to know about Stephen's metaphysical passions as we discuss his Daily Tarot Card Draw, along with our hot-take on the 2023 suspense series, The Other Black Girl.
Topics covered:
- Our connection to tarot
- Turning Stephen's interest into a daily practice
- Favorite and Misunderstood Cards
- When should and how can you get a reading
- The Other Black Girl (Hulu 2023)- names and numbers behind the scenes
- Being 'The Other Gay Guy'
- Would you straightwash to achieve your goals?
- And much more!
Go to linktr.ee/risingphoenixsrq for all these Rising Phoenix and Moon Ceremonies!
Let us know what you think of this switch in format at happylifepod@gmail.com or interact with us on the socials @happylifepod
Until next time, stay happy!
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steve (00:03):
Hello, returning Happies and new listeners.
This is Steve
Stephen (00:05):
Bennett Martin.
And this is Stephen MartinBennett.
And welcome to A Lifetime
Steve (00:09):
of Happiness, the podcast where we take you on our journey
through what is helping to keepus happy while hopefully bring a
smile to your face along theway.
Stephen (00:16):
And this month, we're switching our focus from solely
movies and shows to share moreabout other areas of our life
that bring us true happiness.
And today it's all about tarotcards.
Steve (00:27):
But we also have to talk about The Other Black Girl
because that show was amazing.
Stephen (00:34):
Yes.
But first, my darling, what ismaking you happy?
Work
Steve (00:39):
life boundaries.
Do tell.
Well, I decided about a monthago that I can't care about
my...
community more than the peopleresponsible for running it.
And that's freed up a lot ofmental space for me to focus on
other pursuits.
I talked about better SRQ lastweek, and I just love that when
I, like, leave work that I havemy drive home to kind of do my
(00:59):
inventory and process it andleave it behind and that like I
can come home and have a greatnight with you.
I don't remember even like on mycrappy days at work the last
time that I've come home andbeen like a miserable son of a
bitch.
Stephen (01:11):
No.
I would honestly agree that Andyou, honestly, you don't come
home ever, being a miserable sonof a bitch.
Sometimes you would come homeexhausted, exasperated, and just
done.
But you're never a bad person tobe around.
But you've come home lighter,and happier, and not having to
(01:35):
pull yourself out of a funk.
Steve (01:37):
Yes, I enjoy it.
What about you?
So,
Stephen (01:41):
So, while you all are listening to this, I am in New
Steve (01:46):
Orleans.
And I am all alone at home withRemy, just wondering if you're
okay.
Stephen (01:51):
I'm pretty sure I'm calling you every day, so yeah,
I'm okay.
Okay.
But I am at a metaphysicalretreat that they call Witch
Camp, and I am learning how tobe...
A better practitioner to helpmyself, help my family, and help
all those people that come to myclasses or watch my tarot videos
(02:16):
and things like that.
I'm just becoming better.
Steve (02:20):
Yes.
Well, that is a theme for bothof us then.
Yes.
And one of the things you justmentioned that you've been doing
that helps me...
More people, I think, than youalso intended to, or thought it
would at first, is Tarot.
What is Tarot, or as some peoplecall it, Tarot?
Stephen (02:37):
I don't like to pronounce it that way, so we're
calling it Tarot.
Okay.
In the simplest terms, Tarot isa set of 78 cards used for
divination.
Divination being trying tofigure out things about the
future.
Yeah.
The cards are divided into MajorArcana, which are 22 cards
numbered 0 to 21, and MinorArcana, which has four suits
(02:59):
like a regular deck of cards,but these are Wands.
Wands.
pentacles, cups, and swords withthe cards going from ace to
king, like playing cards.
14 in each suit for a total of56 minor Arcana cards.
Now, there are the differentsuits, like cups are related to
water, and represent love,emotions, and relationships.
(03:23):
What are
Steve (03:24):
wands?
Do they give you magical powers?
Stephen (03:26):
Kind of.
They're related to fire andrepresent creativity, intuition,
ambition, and determination.
Steve (03:33):
And pentacles remind me of, like, devil signs, so they
must be for, like, getting moneyand stuff, right?
They are
Stephen (03:38):
re related to money, career, and achievements, and
they also are associated withEarth.
Each of the four suits, asyou've heard, are associated
with one of the four major
Steve (03:49):
elements.
Yes, and I don't know aboutswords because my deck has
stakes.
What are the swords?
Stephen (03:54):
Air, and they represent your mind and intellect.
Oh, okay.
The most famous tarot deck thatLike, if you see tarot
represented in media, you'reseeing something from the Rider
Waite Smith tarot deck from1909.
Rider being the writer companythat published the deck, Waite
being A.
E.
(04:14):
Waite, the academic and mysticwho wrote the meanings, and
Smith being Pamela ColemanSmith, who illustrated the
cards.
And these original drawings andmeanings still influence...
Modern tarot decks today,whether they go along with the
same type of drawings or not.
Steve (04:32):
Yeah, well, sounds good to me.
Now, I know that you certainlyhave collected quite a few decks
now, but did you ever have atarot practice growing up?
So,
Stephen (04:43):
at first, that so I saw this meme that was like, Tarot
is a gateway to the devil, andunderneath it it goes, no.
Tarot is a gateway to moretarot.
Yes.
And so, that's what I've foundto be true.
But no growing up in the BibleBelt, tarot was seen as
dangerous and of the devil.
It was seen as dark, but I wasfascinated by it.
(05:04):
I loved the idea of fortunetellers and magic.
And I learned more about it onceI began reading comics, because
there was an evil teen mutantnamed Tarot.
Growing up, the internet wasn'treally a thing until I was in
high school, so knowledge wasn'tas readily accessible as it is
now, you know, social media andthings.
(05:24):
You learn a lot.
We didn't have that.
So I had my first tarot readingwhen I was 18 at a metaphysical
shop.
in a nearby city where I grewup.
Steve (05:34):
Yes, and before it became part of your practice, you also
had was it a tarot reading, orwas it just a normal psychic
reading that foretold us being athing?
Stephen (05:43):
Oh, so that was an actual tarot reading, so good
memory.
It was my first month in town.
It was Sarasota Pride.
I didn't have many friends yet,but I was going anyway, because
I was like...
I loved Pride in Cincinnati, soI was like, I'll go to Sarasota
Pride.
And there was a reader there, soI had her do a reading, and I
(06:08):
asked about love.
And she said, the person you'regoing to end up with is someone
you already know.
But they are not in your liferight now.
Which is And that's me! And itwas you, because we had both
moved to town at roughly thesame time.
We met each other on the apps.
Steve (06:29):
And we were not compatible at the moment because
we were both settling into ournew lives individually.
Yes,
Stephen (06:35):
and lo and behold...
Two years later,
Steve (06:41):
we were in the right place.
Yes.
And I don't care what camefirst, chicken or eggs, because
they both are delicious, butwhat came first, tarot or moon
ceremonies?
Actually,
Stephen (06:51):
tarot led me to moon ceremonies.
I had begun taking classes atthe metaphysical shop here in
Sarasota, and one of the firstclasses I took was Skye Samuels,
who's now a close friend ofmine.
And I became fascinated, and Itook several more of her tarot
classes.
And began learning on my own.
And it was in taking the classesand meeting some of the amazing
(07:13):
women at the store that I knew Iwanted to be part of that.
And the Moon Ceremonies came tobe from that.
Steve (07:21):
Well, I am very glad you've done your practices of
both because not only do youhave your monthly Moon
Ceremonies, you have daily TarotDraws.
Except on weekends.
Except
Stephen (07:31):
on weekends.
Yeah, sorry, Ronnie.
How did that start?
So...
There are another type of cardfor divination that are called
oracle cards.
And the meanings of the oraclecards change by the deck, and so
it's kind of written on the cardwhat it is.
And that's dependent on thewriter and the artist of each
deck, but with tarot cards, themeanings are the meanings.
(07:53):
They don't really change.
So if I wanted to be able to dotarot readings for people, I
didn't want to have to look upthe meanings, or worse, try to
remember and be wrong.
So I knew the best way to learnis to practice.
And, you know, I've been takingthe Tian Terra classes with
Misha K.
Nell here in town, and she'sanother incredible reader.
(08:18):
But each day I pull three cardsusing my pendulum and the help
of my spirit guides.
And this daily work that I'mdoing is helping me to better...
Intuitively learn and memorizethe cards and it's making me a
Steve (08:30):
better reader It certainly is and it's also
turned into something thatpeople look forward to How is
that surprised you or what'sthat been like?
Stephen (08:40):
Yeah, because I don't know I guess I've always had
that feeling that what I do maybe enjoyed by a couple people,
but I never Imagine it going outthere and making people happy or
enjoying it.
Like, I love our podcast, butwhen I hear from people, they're
(09:03):
like, Oh, it just makes me smilewhen you guys talk back and
forth or when you laugh.
I'm like, wow, I didn't, Ididn't expect
Steve (09:12):
that part of it.
Yeah, and I mean, I can relatebecause You know with our
podcasting and other projectsthat we have it's one thing to
see numbers on social mediapeople who have listened or
Downloaded or played but a lotof times people don't engage
with everything that they'veconsumed with media And so so,
you know, I don't think that youprobably even realized how many
people were looking forward toit each day until you Missed a
day.
Stephen (09:32):
Yeah, I forget when it was I wasn't feeling great and I
missed two days in a row And allof a sudden I started getting
messages.
Are you okay?
What's going on?
I was like, I just took a break.
Well, you can't do that I hear.
Steve (09:46):
Yes, no you can't.
And of all the major Arcanacards, do you have a favorite or
two?
Stephen (09:51):
I have two favorites.
So, there's the Hermit card,which is all about soul
searching, introspection, andinner guidance.
And I think it's important tolearn to trust yourself and your
intuition.
I also enjoy the Wheel ofFortune card.
It is not about Vanna White,surprisingly.
It's about good luck and karma.
And I truly believe in karma.
(10:13):
But the wheel also says that ifyou're going through tough
times, it will get better.
And I find that reassuring.
That is
Steve (10:20):
reassuring.
And there's a billion minorcards.
Yes.
Do you have some in particularones that you perk up whenever
you draw?
Yes,
Stephen (10:28):
so I love the Four of Swords.
It is all about taking time torest, meditate, and relax.
Too many times we don't do that.
And I love that the universe islike, Yeah, why don't you just
go sit on the couch for a bit?
I'm like, Okay, universe.
That sounds great.
There's the King of Cups.
And that's all about beingemotionally balanced,
(10:48):
compassionate, and diplomatic.
The King cards are all mastersof their suits.
And the King of Cups has to beable to be the master of his
emotions.
That doesn't mean he doesn'thave emotions.
It means he doesn't let themrule his life.
And he's still able to becompassionate and diplomatic
with those around him.
And then there's the Nine ofWands.
(11:10):
And this is all aboutresilience, courage, and
persistence.
Important qualities to have.
And just a lovely reminder tokeep going.
Get back up.
And push through.
Steve (11:24):
Yeah.
And are there any cards that aremisunderstood?
I mean, the death card everyonesees and they're like, Oh no,
death is bad.
Exactly.
Like the one we kind of learnedin Senior Living, death itself
isn't necessarily always bad.
And also, the card itself, am I
Stephen (11:39):
right?
Correct.
Everyone gets worried becausethey think it means they're
going to die, or someone theylove will die.
And so very, very rarely doesthe death card mean death.
It means change.
And change is good.
Change is healthy.
And if you think about it, deathis honestly just a type of
change.
(11:59):
We should embrace change becausewhen the universe brings us
change...
It means they have somethingbetter for us on the way.
Steve (12:07):
Yeah, well that doesn't sound as bad as dying.
No.
And of all of your many, many,many, many, many, many, many,
many tarot decks, do you haveany favorite tarot decks?
Stephen (12:19):
So, I think everyone needs to have a Rider Waite
Smith deck.
I made the mistake of wanting apretty deck first.
It is so much easier to learn ona Rider Waite Smith deck.
So if you are thinking oflearning, get a Rider Waite
Smith deck and learn from there.
(12:40):
Because once you learn on that,you can use almost any deck at
that point.
The Awakened Tarot.
So this is inspired by RiderWaite Smith.
But it's updated for the modernworld we live in, which means it
has It's not a bunch of whitemen.
It's not a bunch of white men.
You've got some QT BIPOC inthere, so that's always nice.
(13:02):
And then there's the X Men tarotby Jeremy Innes.
You can find it on hisInstagram.
That's E N N I S Jeremy Innes.
It's also inspired by RiderWaite Smith, but it has all of
our favorite mutants.
Do we own it?
I do.
Oh, okay.
I want to see that.
I will.
I'll show it to you.
Steve (13:19):
Alright.
Well, what reasons might peoplewant to get a tarot reading
done?
Stephen (13:24):
So, if you have a question or a decision you want
help with, like a new job or abusiness, or if you want to know
more about your romantic life,or if you just want a general
reading to see where your lifeis headed in the future.
Also, they're just fun.
Yeah,
Steve (13:39):
Sky told me that Wayforth was a dead end job and the
company went up six months afterI left.
Or a year after I left,
Stephen (13:46):
so.
And thankfully our friendCassidy is starting her own with
all the wonderful things shelearned while being there.
Steve (13:52):
Exactly.
Yes, and how can people findyour daily draws or reach out
for a one on one
Stephen (14:00):
reading?
So, I'm on Facebook, Instagram,and TikTok, but the easiest way
to find me is at linktr.
ee or linktree slashRisingPhoenixSRQ.
Steve (14:12):
Excellent.
And also, as we mentioned inTeased earlier, we binged the
season of The Other Black Girlon Hulu.
Stephen (14:20):
So.
Damn.
Good.
Steve (14:23):
I am so glad that our Hulu thinks we are African
American women at risk for HIV.
Yeah! But Tristan, those are theonly commercials we get! our
commercials are, are, like,black pop culture, which
Granted, it shows us what youwatch, and you watch it, so it
shows it.
Stephen (14:41):
And, I mean, I just watched The Blackening, and I've
been watching some other things,so I get it.
Yeah, and
Steve (14:48):
with all of our gay shit, they're like, girl, you gotta be
on PrEP, and so it's just funnythe way that Hulu has like...
But we still see period and liketampon commercials randomly.
So they're still figuring usout.
They also know that we have adog
Stephen (15:01):
now.
Yep, I'm waiting for the AARPcommercials because of me
binging only murders in thebuilding with two senior
citizens.
It's all right,
Steve (15:09):
you just have to have a couple more years before they
start doing it based on youruser demographics.
You walked right into that one,my love.
But yes, the other black girl ison Hulu and was a hit for us and
the public.
It's a mystery thriller seriesbased on the book of the same
name by...
Zakiya
Stephen (15:29):
Delilah Harris.
Thank you.
Nella Rogers is an editorialassistant at Wagner Books and
the only black girl working forthe company until the hiring of
Hazel May McCall.
Following Hazel's hiring,strange occurrences lead to
Nella discovering the truthabout Wagner's disturbing
history.
Steve (15:49):
That is a very well summarized summary.
Stephen (15:53):
Thank you.
It's developed for TV by ZakiyaDelilah Harris and actress
Rashida Jones.
I
Steve (15:59):
was gonna say, I know that name.
Yep.
And it stars Sinclair Danielfrom Insidious The Red Door.
Stephen (16:04):
Which we just saw.
Yep.
Ashley Murray from
Steve (16:07):
Riverdale.
Yep.
Huter Parrish from Weeds.
Stephen (16:10):
Sorry, that was my fault.
Hunter.
Hunter Parrish.
Hunter Parrish.
I wrote that.
Bellamy Young from Scandal.
Steve (16:16):
Eric McCormack of Will and Grace.
And
Stephen (16:18):
Garcelle Bové from All Kinds of Things.
I had to look up thepronunciation of her last name
because growing up when I sawher on things like Central Park
West, I thought her name wasGarcelle Boévis.
It's Bouvier.
It's
Steve (16:33):
Bouvier.
Alright.
I was like, she starred in herlast name, but I realized what
you did there.
Yup.
So yes, what were your thoughtson just the setup and the
concept?
Like why did you hit play onthat first episode?
Stephen (16:45):
I love any, like, mystery suspense type of show in
general.
Like we've watched the...
Death on the Nile, and we'vewatched the Knives Out movies
and things.
Those are kind of our jams.
Yeah, and
Steve (17:01):
even like modernized ones like The Girl on a Train, and
Gone
Stephen (17:05):
Girl.
That, I mean, this is all rightup our alley, and so it just
seemed like a good way to go,and from the trailer it seemed
like there was maybe a littlesci fi some type of elements
going on as well.
So that just fed more into it.
The acting was so good.
(17:27):
The acting
Steve (17:28):
was so good and the writing was just, you can tell
that, like, the book, I can,like, I almost want to read the
book even though I don't alwaysread books.
I know you will probably read itbefore I do.
But I can only imagine, like,the extra layers that they
didn't have a chance to includebecause there were so many
layers in there that were sobeautifully executed.
We were guessing.
The entire entire way
Stephen (17:49):
through and we were so wrong on so many things
Steve (17:53):
Yes, but I mean, I know that we can't really talk about
the black experience, but we cantalk about being the other at
work What is your experiencebeen like being the only gay guy
at work or the token?
LGBT person
Stephen (18:08):
so when I worked for peanuts and that was strange in
such a large city Being the onlygay person at Scripps was just
so weird.
I was like, there have to bemore gay people.
Nope.
And then at Lakehouse.
Like, oh I guess he was there,but that doesn't count.
That doesn't count.
(18:29):
And, you know, it's finally nowat my current job where, like,
I'm just surrounded by gays.
Well, queer people.
Yes.
And it's great.
Yeah.
And, like...
It is, like, isolating being theother because everyone wants to
other you.
(18:50):
Yeah.
Like, I know in Senior Livingyou run into that all the
Steve (18:54):
time.
Yeah, I remember the number oftimes where I was, like, flat
out, like, just, like, told bypeople, like, Oh, you're just
one of the girls.
You're not a real guy, or blahblah blah.
And, like, You know, it wasmore, I would think, sales and
marketing, like, people wouldplay up that trope with me,
like, when I'm in the businessoffice, people don't tend to
care, they're just like, that'sSteve, he's our flaming fruit,
(19:14):
and we love him, like.
Stephen (19:16):
Now, did you, like, so, Nella has people coming up to
her, wanting to be quoteunquote, woke, with her, and
show that they are trying tounderstand her.
That happens with the gays.
Steve (19:33):
Oh, yeah.
Oh, like all the time.
They're like, oh, did you hearthat Will and Grace is being
rebooted?
How
Stephen (19:39):
many times was that the first thing somebody told us
when the news was coming out?
And yeah, so while it's not thesame, like there are parallels
and we've felt some of thosethings now.
And also the alienation becausenobody else is really
(20:00):
understanding what you're goingthrough.
Like one of the things thatfinally pulled the trigger for
me to leave my last job was justvery people talking about being
non binary or transgender as notreal and just something to do
(20:21):
because it's fashionable.
And then when I spoke up andsaid that no one chooses
Oppression, because it'spopular, I was the one that got
in trouble for making the peoplethat had been bigoted feel
uncomfortable.
Steve (20:36):
Yeah, that's not cool.
And so we've definitelyexperienced it.
Now, if there was a method thatcan make all of your dreams come
true, but you had to sacrificepart of your queerness to get
it, you had to be more like themand fit in more like them to get
it, would you do it?
Stephen (20:53):
So I thought about this like would it make me a log
cabin Republican?
Which are the gay Republicans?
Would it?
Make me okay with casual racism,or,
Steve (21:12):
We can assume it would do what happened here.
Stephen (21:15):
No, I couldn't do it.
I, that, it, I don't think, andthis may be being a little
dramatic, I don't think sellingmy soul and my conscience and my
authenticity is worth anything.
Steve (21:36):
Yeah, no, I agree, and maybe I would have done it like
a couple years ago, cause it,like, you know, now it almost
feels like a shortcut, causeI've done a lot of the personal
work.
Yeah.
But I also feel like I'm at thestage where, like, My queerness
is probably one of the most likefascinating fabulous things
about me and like what makes mesuch a unique person is Like my
ability to like live soauthentically that I wouldn't
want to change that Exactly.
(21:58):
So on that note, I think that'sa great place to end check out
the other black girl And if youdon't know what's coming next up
in your life reach out to Stevenfor it Tara reading and follow
him on Instagram So you canreach out to the podcast at
happy life pod at gmail.
com
Stephen (22:14):
Or you can find us On Facebook or Instagram at Happy
Life
Steve (22:19):
Pod.
And you're on Instagram for yourtarot draws at,
Stephen (22:23):
You can find me at, the easiest way to do it is The link
tree that you made for me, soLinktree slash RisingPhoenixSRQ
Steve (22:33):
Well my love, I hope you're having fun at Witch Camp
right now.
Stephen (22:37):
I probably am, but I'm probably missing you too.
All right.
Well, I
Steve (22:40):
hope you come home soon.
I love you.
I love you too.
And I love you listeners fortuning into another episode.
So we'll see you next time.
And until then, Stay happy.
Hello, returning Happies and new listeners.
This is Steve
Stephen (00:05):
Bennett Martin.
And this is Stephen MartinBennett.
And welcome to A Lifetime
Steve (00:09):
of Happiness, the podcast where we take you on our journey
through what is helping to keepus happy while hopefully bring a
smile to your face along theway.
Stephen (00:16):
And this month, we're switching our focus from solely
movies and shows to share moreabout other areas of our life
that bring us true happiness.
And today it's all about tarotcards.
Steve (00:27):
But we also have to talk about The Other Black Girl
because that show was amazing.
Stephen (00:34):
Yes.
But first, my darling, what ismaking you happy?
Work
Steve (00:39):
life boundaries.
Do tell.
Well, I decided about a monthago that I can't care about
my...
community more than the peopleresponsible for running it.
And that's freed up a lot ofmental space for me to focus on
other pursuits.
I talked about better SRQ lastweek, and I just love that when
I, like, leave work that I havemy drive home to kind of do my
(00:59):
inventory and process it andleave it behind and that like I
can come home and have a greatnight with you.
I don't remember even like on mycrappy days at work the last
time that I've come home andbeen like a miserable son of a
bitch.
Stephen (01:11):
No.
I would honestly agree that Andyou, honestly, you don't come
home ever, being a miserable sonof a bitch.
Sometimes you would come homeexhausted, exasperated, and just
done.
But you're never a bad person tobe around.
But you've come home lighter,and happier, and not having to
(01:35):
pull yourself out of a funk.
Steve (01:37):
Yes, I enjoy it.
What about you?
So,
Stephen (01:41):
So, while you all are listening to this, I am in New
Steve (01:46):
Orleans.
And I am all alone at home withRemy, just wondering if you're
okay.
Stephen (01:51):
I'm pretty sure I'm calling you every day, so yeah,
I'm okay.
Okay.
But I am at a metaphysicalretreat that they call Witch
Camp, and I am learning how tobe...
A better practitioner to helpmyself, help my family, and help
all those people that come to myclasses or watch my tarot videos
(02:16):
and things like that.
I'm just becoming better.
Steve (02:20):
Yes.
Well, that is a theme for bothof us then.
Yes.
And one of the things you justmentioned that you've been doing
that helps me...
More people, I think, than youalso intended to, or thought it
would at first, is Tarot.
What is Tarot, or as some peoplecall it, Tarot?
Stephen (02:37):
I don't like to pronounce it that way, so we're
calling it Tarot.
Okay.
In the simplest terms, Tarot isa set of 78 cards used for
divination.
Divination being trying tofigure out things about the
future.
Yeah.
The cards are divided into MajorArcana, which are 22 cards
numbered 0 to 21, and MinorArcana, which has four suits
(02:59):
like a regular deck of cards,but these are Wands.
Wands.
pentacles, cups, and swords withthe cards going from ace to
king, like playing cards.
14 in each suit for a total of56 minor Arcana cards.
Now, there are the differentsuits, like cups are related to
water, and represent love,emotions, and relationships.
(03:23):
What are
Steve (03:24):
wands?
Do they give you magical powers?
Stephen (03:26):
Kind of.
They're related to fire andrepresent creativity, intuition,
ambition, and determination.
Steve (03:33):
And pentacles remind me of, like, devil signs, so they
must be for, like, getting moneyand stuff, right?
They are
Stephen (03:38):
re related to money, career, and achievements, and
they also are associated withEarth.
Each of the four suits, asyou've heard, are associated
with one of the four major
Steve (03:49):
elements.
Yes, and I don't know aboutswords because my deck has
stakes.
What are the swords?
Stephen (03:54):
Air, and they represent your mind and intellect.
Oh, okay.
The most famous tarot deck thatLike, if you see tarot
represented in media, you'reseeing something from the Rider
Waite Smith tarot deck from1909.
Rider being the writer companythat published the deck, Waite
being A.
E.
(04:14):
Waite, the academic and mysticwho wrote the meanings, and
Smith being Pamela ColemanSmith, who illustrated the
cards.
And these original drawings andmeanings still influence...
Modern tarot decks today,whether they go along with the
same type of drawings or not.
Steve (04:32):
Yeah, well, sounds good to me.
Now, I know that you certainlyhave collected quite a few decks
now, but did you ever have atarot practice growing up?
So,
Stephen (04:43):
at first, that so I saw this meme that was like, Tarot
is a gateway to the devil, andunderneath it it goes, no.
Tarot is a gateway to moretarot.
Yes.
And so, that's what I've foundto be true.
But no growing up in the BibleBelt, tarot was seen as
dangerous and of the devil.
It was seen as dark, but I wasfascinated by it.
(05:04):
I loved the idea of fortunetellers and magic.
And I learned more about it onceI began reading comics, because
there was an evil teen mutantnamed Tarot.
Growing up, the internet wasn'treally a thing until I was in
high school, so knowledge wasn'tas readily accessible as it is
now, you know, social media andthings.
(05:24):
You learn a lot.
We didn't have that.
So I had my first tarot readingwhen I was 18 at a metaphysical
shop.
in a nearby city where I grewup.
Steve (05:34):
Yes, and before it became part of your practice, you also
had was it a tarot reading, orwas it just a normal psychic
reading that foretold us being athing?
Stephen (05:43):
Oh, so that was an actual tarot reading, so good
memory.
It was my first month in town.
It was Sarasota Pride.
I didn't have many friends yet,but I was going anyway, because
I was like...
I loved Pride in Cincinnati, soI was like, I'll go to Sarasota
Pride.
And there was a reader there, soI had her do a reading, and I
(06:08):
asked about love.
And she said, the person you'regoing to end up with is someone
you already know.
But they are not in your liferight now.
Which is And that's me! And itwas you, because we had both
moved to town at roughly thesame time.
We met each other on the apps.
Steve (06:29):
And we were not compatible at the moment because
we were both settling into ournew lives individually.
Yes,
Stephen (06:35):
and lo and behold...
Two years later,
Steve (06:41):
we were in the right place.
Yes.
And I don't care what camefirst, chicken or eggs, because
they both are delicious, butwhat came first, tarot or moon
ceremonies?
Actually,
Stephen (06:51):
tarot led me to moon ceremonies.
I had begun taking classes atthe metaphysical shop here in
Sarasota, and one of the firstclasses I took was Skye Samuels,
who's now a close friend ofmine.
And I became fascinated, and Itook several more of her tarot
classes.
And began learning on my own.
And it was in taking the classesand meeting some of the amazing
(07:13):
women at the store that I knew Iwanted to be part of that.
And the Moon Ceremonies came tobe from that.
Steve (07:21):
Well, I am very glad you've done your practices of
both because not only do youhave your monthly Moon
Ceremonies, you have daily TarotDraws.
Except on weekends.
Except
Stephen (07:31):
on weekends.
Yeah, sorry, Ronnie.
How did that start?
So...
There are another type of cardfor divination that are called
oracle cards.
And the meanings of the oraclecards change by the deck, and so
it's kind of written on the cardwhat it is.
And that's dependent on thewriter and the artist of each
deck, but with tarot cards, themeanings are the meanings.
(07:53):
They don't really change.
So if I wanted to be able to dotarot readings for people, I
didn't want to have to look upthe meanings, or worse, try to
remember and be wrong.
So I knew the best way to learnis to practice.
And, you know, I've been takingthe Tian Terra classes with
Misha K.
Nell here in town, and she'sanother incredible reader.
(08:18):
But each day I pull three cardsusing my pendulum and the help
of my spirit guides.
And this daily work that I'mdoing is helping me to better...
Intuitively learn and memorizethe cards and it's making me a
Steve (08:30):
better reader It certainly is and it's also
turned into something thatpeople look forward to How is
that surprised you or what'sthat been like?
Stephen (08:40):
Yeah, because I don't know I guess I've always had
that feeling that what I do maybe enjoyed by a couple people,
but I never Imagine it going outthere and making people happy or
enjoying it.
Like, I love our podcast, butwhen I hear from people, they're
(09:03):
like, Oh, it just makes me smilewhen you guys talk back and
forth or when you laugh.
I'm like, wow, I didn't, Ididn't expect
Steve (09:12):
that part of it.
Yeah, and I mean, I can relatebecause You know with our
podcasting and other projectsthat we have it's one thing to
see numbers on social mediapeople who have listened or
Downloaded or played but a lotof times people don't engage
with everything that they'veconsumed with media And so so,
you know, I don't think that youprobably even realized how many
people were looking forward toit each day until you Missed a
day.
Stephen (09:32):
Yeah, I forget when it was I wasn't feeling great and I
missed two days in a row And allof a sudden I started getting
messages.
Are you okay?
What's going on?
I was like, I just took a break.
Well, you can't do that I hear.
Steve (09:46):
Yes, no you can't.
And of all the major Arcanacards, do you have a favorite or
two?
Stephen (09:51):
I have two favorites.
So, there's the Hermit card,which is all about soul
searching, introspection, andinner guidance.
And I think it's important tolearn to trust yourself and your
intuition.
I also enjoy the Wheel ofFortune card.
It is not about Vanna White,surprisingly.
It's about good luck and karma.
And I truly believe in karma.
(10:13):
But the wheel also says that ifyou're going through tough
times, it will get better.
And I find that reassuring.
That is
Steve (10:20):
reassuring.
And there's a billion minorcards.
Yes.
Do you have some in particularones that you perk up whenever
you draw?
Yes,
Stephen (10:28):
so I love the Four of Swords.
It is all about taking time torest, meditate, and relax.
Too many times we don't do that.
And I love that the universe islike, Yeah, why don't you just
go sit on the couch for a bit?
I'm like, Okay, universe.
That sounds great.
There's the King of Cups.
And that's all about beingemotionally balanced,
(10:48):
compassionate, and diplomatic.
The King cards are all mastersof their suits.
And the King of Cups has to beable to be the master of his
emotions.
That doesn't mean he doesn'thave emotions.
It means he doesn't let themrule his life.
And he's still able to becompassionate and diplomatic
with those around him.
And then there's the Nine ofWands.
(11:10):
And this is all aboutresilience, courage, and
persistence.
Important qualities to have.
And just a lovely reminder tokeep going.
Get back up.
And push through.
Steve (11:24):
Yeah.
And are there any cards that aremisunderstood?
I mean, the death card everyonesees and they're like, Oh no,
death is bad.
Exactly.
Like the one we kind of learnedin Senior Living, death itself
isn't necessarily always bad.
And also, the card itself, am I
Stephen (11:39):
right?
Correct.
Everyone gets worried becausethey think it means they're
going to die, or someone theylove will die.
And so very, very rarely doesthe death card mean death.
It means change.
And change is good.
Change is healthy.
And if you think about it, deathis honestly just a type of
change.
(11:59):
We should embrace change becausewhen the universe brings us
change...
It means they have somethingbetter for us on the way.
Steve (12:07):
Yeah, well that doesn't sound as bad as dying.
No.
And of all of your many, many,many, many, many, many, many,
many tarot decks, do you haveany favorite tarot decks?
Stephen (12:19):
So, I think everyone needs to have a Rider Waite
Smith deck.
I made the mistake of wanting apretty deck first.
It is so much easier to learn ona Rider Waite Smith deck.
So if you are thinking oflearning, get a Rider Waite
Smith deck and learn from there.
(12:40):
Because once you learn on that,you can use almost any deck at
that point.
The Awakened Tarot.
So this is inspired by RiderWaite Smith.
But it's updated for the modernworld we live in, which means it
has It's not a bunch of whitemen.
It's not a bunch of white men.
You've got some QT BIPOC inthere, so that's always nice.
(13:02):
And then there's the X Men tarotby Jeremy Innes.
You can find it on hisInstagram.
That's E N N I S Jeremy Innes.
It's also inspired by RiderWaite Smith, but it has all of
our favorite mutants.
Do we own it?
I do.
Oh, okay.
I want to see that.
I will.
I'll show it to you.
Steve (13:19):
Alright.
Well, what reasons might peoplewant to get a tarot reading
done?
Stephen (13:24):
So, if you have a question or a decision you want
help with, like a new job or abusiness, or if you want to know
more about your romantic life,or if you just want a general
reading to see where your lifeis headed in the future.
Also, they're just fun.
Yeah,
Steve (13:39):
Sky told me that Wayforth was a dead end job and the
company went up six months afterI left.
Or a year after I left,
Stephen (13:46):
so.
And thankfully our friendCassidy is starting her own with
all the wonderful things shelearned while being there.
Steve (13:52):
Exactly.
Yes, and how can people findyour daily draws or reach out
for a one on one
Stephen (14:00):
reading?
So, I'm on Facebook, Instagram,and TikTok, but the easiest way
to find me is at linktr.
ee or linktree slashRisingPhoenixSRQ.
Steve (14:12):
Excellent.
And also, as we mentioned inTeased earlier, we binged the
season of The Other Black Girlon Hulu.
Stephen (14:20):
So.
Damn.
Good.
Steve (14:23):
I am so glad that our Hulu thinks we are African
American women at risk for HIV.
Yeah! But Tristan, those are theonly commercials we get! our
commercials are, are, like,black pop culture, which
Granted, it shows us what youwatch, and you watch it, so it
shows it.
Stephen (14:41):
And, I mean, I just watched The Blackening, and I've
been watching some other things,so I get it.
Yeah, and
Steve (14:48):
with all of our gay shit, they're like, girl, you gotta be
on PrEP, and so it's just funnythe way that Hulu has like...
But we still see period and liketampon commercials randomly.
So they're still figuring usout.
They also know that we have adog
Stephen (15:01):
now.
Yep, I'm waiting for the AARPcommercials because of me
binging only murders in thebuilding with two senior
citizens.
It's all right,
Steve (15:09):
you just have to have a couple more years before they
start doing it based on youruser demographics.
You walked right into that one,my love.
But yes, the other black girl ison Hulu and was a hit for us and
the public.
It's a mystery thriller seriesbased on the book of the same
name by...
Zakiya
Stephen (15:29):
Delilah Harris.
Thank you.
Nella Rogers is an editorialassistant at Wagner Books and
the only black girl working forthe company until the hiring of
Hazel May McCall.
Following Hazel's hiring,strange occurrences lead to
Nella discovering the truthabout Wagner's disturbing
history.
Steve (15:49):
That is a very well summarized summary.
Stephen (15:53):
Thank you.
It's developed for TV by ZakiyaDelilah Harris and actress
Rashida Jones.
I
Steve (15:59):
was gonna say, I know that name.
Yep.
And it stars Sinclair Danielfrom Insidious The Red Door.
Stephen (16:04):
Which we just saw.
Yep.
Ashley Murray from
Steve (16:07):
Riverdale.
Yep.
Huter Parrish from Weeds.
Stephen (16:10):
Sorry, that was my fault.
Hunter.
Hunter Parrish.
Hunter Parrish.
I wrote that.
Bellamy Young from Scandal.
Steve (16:16):
Eric McCormack of Will and Grace.
And
Stephen (16:18):
Garcelle Bové from All Kinds of Things.
I had to look up thepronunciation of her last name
because growing up when I sawher on things like Central Park
West, I thought her name wasGarcelle Boévis.
It's Bouvier.
It's
Steve (16:33):
Bouvier.
Alright.
I was like, she starred in herlast name, but I realized what
you did there.
Yup.
So yes, what were your thoughtson just the setup and the
concept?
Like why did you hit play onthat first episode?
Stephen (16:45):
I love any, like, mystery suspense type of show in
general.
Like we've watched the...
Death on the Nile, and we'vewatched the Knives Out movies
and things.
Those are kind of our jams.
Yeah, and
Steve (17:01):
even like modernized ones like The Girl on a Train, and
Gone
Stephen (17:05):
Girl.
That, I mean, this is all rightup our alley, and so it just
seemed like a good way to go,and from the trailer it seemed
like there was maybe a littlesci fi some type of elements
going on as well.
So that just fed more into it.
The acting was so good.
(17:27):
The acting
Steve (17:28):
was so good and the writing was just, you can tell
that, like, the book, I can,like, I almost want to read the
book even though I don't alwaysread books.
I know you will probably read itbefore I do.
But I can only imagine, like,the extra layers that they
didn't have a chance to includebecause there were so many
layers in there that were sobeautifully executed.
We were guessing.
The entire entire way
Stephen (17:49):
through and we were so wrong on so many things
Steve (17:53):
Yes, but I mean, I know that we can't really talk about
the black experience, but we cantalk about being the other at
work What is your experiencebeen like being the only gay guy
at work or the token?
LGBT person
Stephen (18:08):
so when I worked for peanuts and that was strange in
such a large city Being the onlygay person at Scripps was just
so weird.
I was like, there have to bemore gay people.
Nope.
And then at Lakehouse.
Like, oh I guess he was there,but that doesn't count.
That doesn't count.
(18:29):
And, you know, it's finally nowat my current job where, like,
I'm just surrounded by gays.
Well, queer people.
Yes.
And it's great.
Yeah.
And, like...
It is, like, isolating being theother because everyone wants to
other you.
(18:50):
Yeah.
Like, I know in Senior Livingyou run into that all the
Steve (18:54):
time.
Yeah, I remember the number oftimes where I was, like, flat
out, like, just, like, told bypeople, like, Oh, you're just
one of the girls.
You're not a real guy, or blahblah blah.
And, like, You know, it wasmore, I would think, sales and
marketing, like, people wouldplay up that trope with me,
like, when I'm in the businessoffice, people don't tend to
care, they're just like, that'sSteve, he's our flaming fruit,
(19:14):
and we love him, like.
Stephen (19:16):
Now, did you, like, so, Nella has people coming up to
her, wanting to be quoteunquote, woke, with her, and
show that they are trying tounderstand her.
That happens with the gays.
Steve (19:33):
Oh, yeah.
Oh, like all the time.
They're like, oh, did you hearthat Will and Grace is being
rebooted?
How
Stephen (19:39):
many times was that the first thing somebody told us
when the news was coming out?
And yeah, so while it's not thesame, like there are parallels
and we've felt some of thosethings now.
And also the alienation becausenobody else is really
(20:00):
understanding what you're goingthrough.
Like one of the things thatfinally pulled the trigger for
me to leave my last job was justvery people talking about being
non binary or transgender as notreal and just something to do
(20:21):
because it's fashionable.
And then when I spoke up andsaid that no one chooses
Oppression, because it'spopular, I was the one that got
in trouble for making the peoplethat had been bigoted feel
uncomfortable.
Steve (20:36):
Yeah, that's not cool.
And so we've definitelyexperienced it.
Now, if there was a method thatcan make all of your dreams come
true, but you had to sacrificepart of your queerness to get
it, you had to be more like themand fit in more like them to get
it, would you do it?
Stephen (20:53):
So I thought about this like would it make me a log
cabin Republican?
Which are the gay Republicans?
Would it?
Make me okay with casual racism,or,
Steve (21:12):
We can assume it would do what happened here.
Stephen (21:15):
No, I couldn't do it.
I, that, it, I don't think, andthis may be being a little
dramatic, I don't think sellingmy soul and my conscience and my
authenticity is worth anything.
Steve (21:36):
Yeah, no, I agree, and maybe I would have done it like
a couple years ago, cause it,like, you know, now it almost
feels like a shortcut, causeI've done a lot of the personal
work.
Yeah.
But I also feel like I'm at thestage where, like, My queerness
is probably one of the most likefascinating fabulous things
about me and like what makes mesuch a unique person is Like my
ability to like live soauthentically that I wouldn't
want to change that Exactly.
(21:58):
So on that note, I think that'sa great place to end check out
the other black girl And if youdon't know what's coming next up
in your life reach out to Stevenfor it Tara reading and follow
him on Instagram So you canreach out to the podcast at
happy life pod at gmail.
com
Stephen (22:14):
Or you can find us On Facebook or Instagram at Happy
Life
Steve (22:19):
Pod.
And you're on Instagram for yourtarot draws at,
Stephen (22:23):
You can find me at, the easiest way to do it is The link
tree that you made for me, soLinktree slash RisingPhoenixSRQ
Steve (22:33):
Well my love, I hope you're having fun at Witch Camp
right now.
Stephen (22:37):
I probably am, but I'm probably missing you too.
All right.
Well, I
Steve (22:40):
hope you come home soon.
I love you.
I love you too.
And I love you listeners fortuning into another episode.
So we'll see you next time.
And until then, Stay happy.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.