Hello, Substack!
Let me introduce myself...
My name is Joe, and I am on a mission to help you unlock the secrets of Tarot using your intuition and creativity.
My Story
I can’t put my finger on when I first heard about Tarot. It’s so engrained in the collective consiousness, I’m sure I was aware of card reading and fortune tellers long before I’d even heard the word. As a teenager — like most — I started to have questions about the world and my place in it, and coming from an athiest family, that included a spiritual curiosity. Organised religions seemed to have closed doors, so I quickly found myself turning to all things New Age, and that’s when my love for Tarot was born.
My first deck was a musty, second-hand copy of the Rider Waite Smith, and as soon as I started working with it, I was faced with more questions than answers. I could tell that the cards held many mysteries, but I didn’t know where to begin. Researching Tarot threw up thousands of meanings and correspondences that I was overwhelmed. But, seeing how many different designs of deck there were got me thinking: what if I created my own cards?
I know this is not a revolutionary idea: there is an historical precedent for crafting your own cards in occult societies such as The Golden Dawn and Builders of the Adytum. Wildly, creating 78 peices of artwork seemed like an easy way of connecting to the meaning and symbolism of each card.
And it was!
Yes, it took two years. Yes, it was a huge investment of my time and energy. But by the end of it, I had learned so much about Tarot, and myself.
After crowdfunding on Kickstarter, in 2016 I published The Stretch Tarot deck and set up www.stretchtarot.com. It went on to sell out multiple print runs and find homes all around the world. Honestly, I’m still surpised by its success.
Past, Present, Future
Since my first deck, I have created other projects under the Stretch Tarot name, including my latest: DIY Deck: Create Your Own Tarot Cards.
However, it’s been almost 10 years since Stretch Tarot was set up, and in that time I’ve gained a lot of experience working with the cards, and have had plenty of time to unlock their secrets.
Now, I am ready to help guide you on the path to building a deep, meaningful connection to the arcana using the most powerful tool I know: your creativity.
You’ve met me at an exciting time!
As we embark on our Fool’s Journey together, I plan to:
explore the history and symbolism of the cards
share my personal insights and creations
teach you how to use the cards as effective prompts for writing and art
help you to strengthen your own creativity and intuition for personal growth
So, let’s get started…