Thoughts and Musings

Photo by Vaidas Vaicuilis If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve probably encountered some version of the claim that coaching focuses on the future and empowerment while therapy focuses on the past. It’s a tidy distinction, but it’s not an accurate one…and it can lead people to make uninformed decisions about the kind of support they need. The truth is that coaching and therapy are different services with different strengths, and both have a place. But the differenc

There are a staggering number of Tarot decks out there, and trying to pick one can feel utterly overwhelming. If you’re just starting out here are the things I look for when selecting a deck, along with a few of my favorite recommendations for beginners. Look for Art That Speaks to You This sounds obvious, but it matters more than people think. It does absolutely no good to pick a deck you dislike just because someone on the Internet said it was good. If the imagery puts you

Most people learning Tarot start with a guidebook. They memorize keywords, look up cards after a draw, and try to piece meaning together from what someone else wrote. It works, sort of — but the cards stay on the page. They don't come alive. There's a different way in, one that treats the deck as something to be in relationship with rather than a system to be decoded. Here are three approaches I use in my own practice and teach in my course, all of which you can start applyin

The Smith-Waite Tarot deck that I feature in my Tarot Course As a Jungian and depth psychotherapist and a long-time Tarotist, I spend a lot of time at the intersection of psychology and symbolism. There are many tools that can give voice to the collective and personal unconscious elements the reside within each of us, but Tarot is one of my favorites. It’s simultaneously systematic yet open-ended, personalized yet universal—not unlike our own psyches. But for those who aren’t

Depression is disruptive. It can feel heavy and painful—at times downright debilitating. Within a known context, such as the death of a loved one, that heavy, consuming darkness gets named “grief.” It’s not pleasant, but we give it permission to exist despite the suffering because we recognize it as an important process in the face of loss. But when that same level of malaise settles in without an apparent “good” reason, we’re quick to label it with words implying it shouldn’

While the allure of quick fixes is understandable in our results-driven society, embracing a slower, more thoughtful therapeutic process can foster deeper and more sustainable personal growth.