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Published by Destiny Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
• Explores cartomancy as psychic storytelling, outlining techniques to develop intuition, psychic ability, and analytical questioning
• Explains how to look deeply at the symbolic pictures each card provides and open your mind to the tale being told through your intuition
• Shows how to interpret each card’s symbolism through activated prayer, spell work, and guided journeys that introduce readers to the Major Arcana as personal experiences
In this guide to the art of cartomancy, psychic medium Salicrow shows novice and seasoned practitioners alike how to read divination cards with greater accuracy and more profound insight. She shares practices to help you develop psychic ability—including empathic protection, body dowsing, utilizing sacred space, and divine timing—and how to build your own personal symbolic language. She offers techniques for developing intuition and analytical questioning, providing a clearer picture of the players, situations, and details, and thereby encouraging you to take on the role of storyteller by looking deeply into the symbols and tales that each card holds.
Expanding the concept of each card’s symbolism, Salicrow explores the meanings of tarot and oracle cards through activated prayer, spell work, and guided journeys that introduce the Major Arcana as personal experiences. She also shows how to pick a deck, cleanse and bless the cards, and properly store them, and she presents many spreads that look at relationships, career guidance, and healing.
Through her insightful teachings, Salicrow demonstrates that card reading enhances the connection between intuition and imagination. With each reading, your storytelling ability will grow, as will your inner knowing for how to ask better questions.
• Explains how to look deeply at the symbolic pictures each card provides and open your mind to the tale being told through your intuition
• Shows how to interpret each card’s symbolism through activated prayer, spell work, and guided journeys that introduce readers to the Major Arcana as personal experiences
In this guide to the art of cartomancy, psychic medium Salicrow shows novice and seasoned practitioners alike how to read divination cards with greater accuracy and more profound insight. She shares practices to help you develop psychic ability—including empathic protection, body dowsing, utilizing sacred space, and divine timing—and how to build your own personal symbolic language. She offers techniques for developing intuition and analytical questioning, providing a clearer picture of the players, situations, and details, and thereby encouraging you to take on the role of storyteller by looking deeply into the symbols and tales that each card holds.
Expanding the concept of each card’s symbolism, Salicrow explores the meanings of tarot and oracle cards through activated prayer, spell work, and guided journeys that introduce the Major Arcana as personal experiences. She also shows how to pick a deck, cleanse and bless the cards, and properly store them, and she presents many spreads that look at relationships, career guidance, and healing.
Through her insightful teachings, Salicrow demonstrates that card reading enhances the connection between intuition and imagination. With each reading, your storytelling ability will grow, as will your inner knowing for how to ask better questions.
Excerpt
Telling the Story
Now that you have started your personal path of psychic development, we’ll focus on the art of storytelling through the use of tarot cards. While our focus will be on the tarot this concept can be utilized with oracle and playing decks as well.
ETHICS, MORALS, AND REPUTATION
One of the most important questions we should ask as a reader is, Should I reveal this information?
When people come to a psychic for a reading, they are asking the Seer to look deeply into their lives. But what about the people they ask about—their lovers, friends, family, and adversaries? Is it right for us to reveal information about someone who has not agreed to having their story revealed?
This kind of inquiry most often occurs when the querent is asking about someone they are in a relationship with. In such scenarios they are often seeking hidden knowledge about the person’s actions and feelings. While it is helpful to understand where someone else is coming from—particularly when our lives are interwoven—we must ask ourselves at what point are we eavesdropping on someone else’s private life. In determining this, it is helpful to ask ourselves whether the person inquired about would want the querent to have this knowledge about them. It can be tricky, as often the question is asked with good intentions, but we all have things we just don’t want to share with others.
When I encounter such situations, I work both with my common sense, asking, "Would I want someone receiving psychic knowledge of this sort about me?" and with a simple thought that I have programmed into my higher consciousness, asking that I be blocked of seeing things the person inquired about would not want revealed, unless such things involve danger.
As psychic readers we are held to a higher level of honesty and morals, as we are dealing with people’s personal lives. We are also more likely to be scrutinized than a therapist or life coach, as our workings have a "magical" nature to them, which makes many people uncomfortable to begin with. In truth, our reputation is highly valuable, and we must do what we can to keep it on point. We must be cautious in the advice we give, recognizing that we are neither doctor, lawyer, nor therapist, and while we may clearly see the issue, it is against the law for us to claim our advice as authority!
This means, when we see medical conditions, we cannot diagnose; instead, we need to weave our words carefully, suggesting that there may be a problem in a particular area of the person’s health, and advise them to seek medical attention. The same goes with mental health issues and legal battles. I regularly advise my clients that I cannot give them such information. Some psychics go so far as to post this information on their websites and social media feeds, making it clear that they are not suggesting psychic knowledge should override that of guidance from medical and legal professionals.
Another keynote when it comes to being a professional reader is that—unlike therapists, doctors, and lawyers—it is not advised that we keep documentation on our clients, other than email addresses and other logistical things. In truth, it’s best if we put their information out of our minds shortly after the reading is done. This not only helps us keep our lives balanced, but it also means you do not have to worry about where we store and dispose of the files, and whether our client’s life secrets are being kept that way.
While I do allow recordings of my sessions, those who see me in person are advised to record on their phones, and for online readings, in which I record for them, I advise them to download their recording within one week, as I will be deleting it after that point.
Reputation is everything when it comes to developing a career as a reader, particularly for those who wish to read cards as part of their occupation! It is important that we see ourselves as a professional, which means not only developing our psychic skills but also those of consistency and composure, as it’s important to create a grounded atmosphere where the querent can feel at peace while receiving their reading, allotting them the comfort necessary to clearly hear and understand the messages being presented. It is helpful to establish regular locations and hours we are available for readings, and in this day and age to have such information available on our websites and social media feeds; this includes scheduled times we will be at psychic fairs and wellness events.
It also means taking time to set the stage, making our environment inviting and peaceful, regardless of whether we have our own reading room or a table set up at a psychic fair. If we are still in the mobile stage of our professional career, doing the psychic fair circuit, I recommend using the same props and tools for every fair, as we know that items retain a memory of their own over time. It also provides us with a small ritual to prepare ourselves every time we enter a new space, allowing us to slip more deeply into our role as psychic advisor as we lay out our table covering, and set out a few crystals.
Along with physically setting our space it is helpful to energetically set our space, something I like to refer to as "programming the empathic pool." To do this we must learn to reverse our empathic ability, so that instead of being bombarded by the emotions of each client that arrives, we create an energetic space like a calm pool in which they can feel at ease.
TECHNIQUE
PROGRAMMING YOUR EMPATHIC POOL
Psychic energy is a lot like water in that it can expand out to encompass whatever area it is placed in, filling the nooks and crannies, leaving no empty space untouched. An empathic pool is just that: filling the empty space around you with energy of your choosing—in this case, warm, calm, and grounded. But this same skill can be used to create a totally different energy if we need, such as an air of danger around us if we feel we need protection, showing that we are not easy prey!
This exercise works best if we have control of our space, such as a personal office or classroom. However, we can do this anywhere, at any time; in fact, I do it every time I get on an airplane! In such cases, it is helpful to work with a particular item, such as a ring or crystal, that we use as a trigger, remembering that repetitive use of an item creates ease and flow. In the technique below we will be creating an empathic pool filled with peaceful, grounded energy, so that our clients can relax and fully hear their reading. Note: This exercise can be done out loud or in your head, depending on your situation.
You Will Need
A talisman of some sort that can be used repeatedly, such as a crystal, pendant, ring, or lucky rabbit’s foot, and your Book of Shadows.
1. Begin by holding your talisman in your hands and taking a few deep breaths, as you survey the area (card table, office, etc.). Engage Reiki or other healing modalities currently if you work with them.
2. Call in your spiritual allies, asking that they aid you in your work of creating sacred space.
3. Focus your mind on what you want your space to feel like, speaking to the space as you do (in your head or out loud).
4. Imagine there is a pinprick of white light in the center of your heart chakra. On every inhale it gets brighter, and on every exhale you expand it. Continue doing this until the room is filled with the energy of your choice.
5. Make note of your working in your Book of Shadows, as well as the reactions of your clients and self to the space.
A BOOK OF SHADOWS
When approaching psychic ability, it is helpful to think of it as an art form, for there are multiple ways of developing psychic intuition, just as there are a plethora of paths for creating art. We may learn techniques from others, but ultimately the formula in which we do so is our own, which is why it is so important for us to track our progress.
Book of Shadows
A sacred journal used to track our psychic and spiritual development.
Unlike a journal that may contain entries regarding our personal, emotional experiences processed aloud through its pages, a Book of Shadows is more like a college notebook, containing processes and noteworthy facts. The term "Book of Shadows" has its roots in Witchcraft, referring to esoteric or hidden information—knowledge intended only for eyes that are capable of understanding. In many ways it is the most important book of knowledge we will ever possess, as it is personalized and dedicated to us!
Now that you have started your personal path of psychic development, we’ll focus on the art of storytelling through the use of tarot cards. While our focus will be on the tarot this concept can be utilized with oracle and playing decks as well.
ETHICS, MORALS, AND REPUTATION
One of the most important questions we should ask as a reader is, Should I reveal this information?
When people come to a psychic for a reading, they are asking the Seer to look deeply into their lives. But what about the people they ask about—their lovers, friends, family, and adversaries? Is it right for us to reveal information about someone who has not agreed to having their story revealed?
This kind of inquiry most often occurs when the querent is asking about someone they are in a relationship with. In such scenarios they are often seeking hidden knowledge about the person’s actions and feelings. While it is helpful to understand where someone else is coming from—particularly when our lives are interwoven—we must ask ourselves at what point are we eavesdropping on someone else’s private life. In determining this, it is helpful to ask ourselves whether the person inquired about would want the querent to have this knowledge about them. It can be tricky, as often the question is asked with good intentions, but we all have things we just don’t want to share with others.
When I encounter such situations, I work both with my common sense, asking, "Would I want someone receiving psychic knowledge of this sort about me?" and with a simple thought that I have programmed into my higher consciousness, asking that I be blocked of seeing things the person inquired about would not want revealed, unless such things involve danger.
As psychic readers we are held to a higher level of honesty and morals, as we are dealing with people’s personal lives. We are also more likely to be scrutinized than a therapist or life coach, as our workings have a "magical" nature to them, which makes many people uncomfortable to begin with. In truth, our reputation is highly valuable, and we must do what we can to keep it on point. We must be cautious in the advice we give, recognizing that we are neither doctor, lawyer, nor therapist, and while we may clearly see the issue, it is against the law for us to claim our advice as authority!
This means, when we see medical conditions, we cannot diagnose; instead, we need to weave our words carefully, suggesting that there may be a problem in a particular area of the person’s health, and advise them to seek medical attention. The same goes with mental health issues and legal battles. I regularly advise my clients that I cannot give them such information. Some psychics go so far as to post this information on their websites and social media feeds, making it clear that they are not suggesting psychic knowledge should override that of guidance from medical and legal professionals.
Another keynote when it comes to being a professional reader is that—unlike therapists, doctors, and lawyers—it is not advised that we keep documentation on our clients, other than email addresses and other logistical things. In truth, it’s best if we put their information out of our minds shortly after the reading is done. This not only helps us keep our lives balanced, but it also means you do not have to worry about where we store and dispose of the files, and whether our client’s life secrets are being kept that way.
While I do allow recordings of my sessions, those who see me in person are advised to record on their phones, and for online readings, in which I record for them, I advise them to download their recording within one week, as I will be deleting it after that point.
Reputation is everything when it comes to developing a career as a reader, particularly for those who wish to read cards as part of their occupation! It is important that we see ourselves as a professional, which means not only developing our psychic skills but also those of consistency and composure, as it’s important to create a grounded atmosphere where the querent can feel at peace while receiving their reading, allotting them the comfort necessary to clearly hear and understand the messages being presented. It is helpful to establish regular locations and hours we are available for readings, and in this day and age to have such information available on our websites and social media feeds; this includes scheduled times we will be at psychic fairs and wellness events.
It also means taking time to set the stage, making our environment inviting and peaceful, regardless of whether we have our own reading room or a table set up at a psychic fair. If we are still in the mobile stage of our professional career, doing the psychic fair circuit, I recommend using the same props and tools for every fair, as we know that items retain a memory of their own over time. It also provides us with a small ritual to prepare ourselves every time we enter a new space, allowing us to slip more deeply into our role as psychic advisor as we lay out our table covering, and set out a few crystals.
Along with physically setting our space it is helpful to energetically set our space, something I like to refer to as "programming the empathic pool." To do this we must learn to reverse our empathic ability, so that instead of being bombarded by the emotions of each client that arrives, we create an energetic space like a calm pool in which they can feel at ease.
TECHNIQUE
PROGRAMMING YOUR EMPATHIC POOL
Psychic energy is a lot like water in that it can expand out to encompass whatever area it is placed in, filling the nooks and crannies, leaving no empty space untouched. An empathic pool is just that: filling the empty space around you with energy of your choosing—in this case, warm, calm, and grounded. But this same skill can be used to create a totally different energy if we need, such as an air of danger around us if we feel we need protection, showing that we are not easy prey!
This exercise works best if we have control of our space, such as a personal office or classroom. However, we can do this anywhere, at any time; in fact, I do it every time I get on an airplane! In such cases, it is helpful to work with a particular item, such as a ring or crystal, that we use as a trigger, remembering that repetitive use of an item creates ease and flow. In the technique below we will be creating an empathic pool filled with peaceful, grounded energy, so that our clients can relax and fully hear their reading. Note: This exercise can be done out loud or in your head, depending on your situation.
You Will Need
A talisman of some sort that can be used repeatedly, such as a crystal, pendant, ring, or lucky rabbit’s foot, and your Book of Shadows.
1. Begin by holding your talisman in your hands and taking a few deep breaths, as you survey the area (card table, office, etc.). Engage Reiki or other healing modalities currently if you work with them.
2. Call in your spiritual allies, asking that they aid you in your work of creating sacred space.
3. Focus your mind on what you want your space to feel like, speaking to the space as you do (in your head or out loud).
4. Imagine there is a pinprick of white light in the center of your heart chakra. On every inhale it gets brighter, and on every exhale you expand it. Continue doing this until the room is filled with the energy of your choice.
5. Make note of your working in your Book of Shadows, as well as the reactions of your clients and self to the space.
A BOOK OF SHADOWS
When approaching psychic ability, it is helpful to think of it as an art form, for there are multiple ways of developing psychic intuition, just as there are a plethora of paths for creating art. We may learn techniques from others, but ultimately the formula in which we do so is our own, which is why it is so important for us to track our progress.
Book of Shadows
A sacred journal used to track our psychic and spiritual development.
Unlike a journal that may contain entries regarding our personal, emotional experiences processed aloud through its pages, a Book of Shadows is more like a college notebook, containing processes and noteworthy facts. The term "Book of Shadows" has its roots in Witchcraft, referring to esoteric or hidden information—knowledge intended only for eyes that are capable of understanding. In many ways it is the most important book of knowledge we will ever possess, as it is personalized and dedicated to us!
Product Details
- Publisher: Destiny Books (June 10, 2025)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9798888503232
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Raves and Reviews
“Salicrow’s Tarot as Storyteller is a luminous guide that goes beyond instructions on how to read the cards—this is about learning to listen to the whispers of the unseen, then translating those whispers into empowering guidance. This book is imbued with Salicrow’s warmth and approachable wisdom. A work that bridges the mystical and the accessible, Tarot as Storyteller is a truly inspired resource.”
– Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot and I Ching, The Oracle
“If you are ready for a new and exciting book on tarot, make sure you add Tarot as Storyteller to your collection. This book is an absolute must-read that approaches tarot as a living, breathing oracle. This book is like having a personal mentor to guide you through the seasons, lunar cycles, and life-changing moments. What truly sets this book apart is its emphasis on personal empowerment. Salicrow encourages and inspires readers to trust themselves and to think ‘outside the spread,’ guiding people in the use of original tarot card spreads and creative layouts that go beyond mundane questions. Salicrow’s Tarot as Storyteller is your portal to a world brimming with wisdom and wonder—a condensed book for beginners and a breath of fresh air for seasoned tarot readers that helps uncover the layers of each reader’s own history and future.”
– Leanne Marrama, coauthor of Reading the Leaves and Lighting the Wick
“Salicrow’s practical and accessible guide is full of techniques, spreads, rituals, and meditations for psychic and intuitive development. I especially appreciate her attention to the connections between cartomancy and the wheel of the year, such as lunar and solar cycles and celebrations, as well as other spiritual practices. This fresh new approach to tarot practice deserves a place in every cartomancer’s library.”
– Ruth Ann Amberstone, director of The Tarot School and coauthor of Unlocking the Secret Language of T
“Salicrow’s Tarot as Storyteller is an essential and insightful guide for anyone looking to integrate and expand their psychic development, cartomancy, and magickal practices. She skillfully takes the seeker on a journey through psychic unfoldment and builds on this to use cartomancy as a way to weave the story. Salicrow does this through original spreads, exercises, meditations, and spells that are powerful tools to support your work in an easy-to-follow and accessible fashion. She shares how to use your psychic insight to gain clarity on details in situations often brought up during readings. Salicrow offers an in-depth look at the meanings and symbolism of tarot and oracle cards and how to best work with your deck in divination and magick. Take your readings and storytelling to the next level with this invaluable resource—for those new to the path and experts alike.”
– Danielle Dionne, author of Magickal Mediumship and Chronically Magickal
“Salicrow effortlessly weaves in the history and intricacies of tarot reading while putting the power in the hands of the reader and supporting them through the journey. She supports the reader through the entire book in a way that instills confidence and removes doubt no matter what their goals are for reading tarot. It’s so beautiful to see that she has left no stone unturned in her quest to help people understand, trust, and use this powerful and enlightening method of divination.”
– Andrea Lovett, founder of Sweet Release Healing School
“In writing Tarot as Storyteller, Salicrow has successfully married two age-old and beloved traditions: tarot and storytelling. She bridges the gap between the two, allowing the reader the ability to analyze the cards through psychic storytelling, impelling one to use their innate abilities to tap into the mysteries of the universe. Salicrow instructs us to create our own allegorical techniques to master the cards. Tarot as Storyteller teaches us to merge our intuition and imagination, culminating in clarity and insight. Through Salicrow’s many years of prolific experience and teaching, she has provided us with the ultimate guide, suitable for experienced practitioners and novices alike!”
– Diane Champigny, Alexandrian High Priestess and witch
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Tarot as Storyteller eBook 9798888503232
