The Archetypal Tarot Podcast

In this deeply affirming episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, two Geminis (Alethea Crimmins and Cyndera Quackenbush) have a conversation that begins with a simple correction of pronunciation and unfolds into a profound exploration of boundaries, self-worth, identity, and healing.

Alethea shares the heart behind her wildly uplifting affirmation deck, Have a Good Day on Purpose, a collection of bold, humorous, and emotionally resonant cards designed not just to inspire, but to help people truly receive kindness and encouragement for themselves.

Together, Cyndera and Alethea explore the tension between humility and self-love, the struggles of people-pleasing, mom guilt, chronic overthinking, and the lifelong challenge of choosing oneself without shame. Alethea opens up candidly about living with depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD, revealing how the deck was born from her own need for compassion and support during difficult times. Rather than waiting for someone else to become her cheerleader, she became that voice for herself and then for thousands of others.

The conversation dives into why affirmations often fail to “stick,” and how Alethea’s unique format (pairing empowering declarations with deeply personal, conversational pep talks) creates a bridge between the mind and the heart. Filled with laughter, emotional honesty, and unforgettable one-liners, this episode is both a soul-level conversation and a reminder that self-worth is not something granted by others, but something we learn to claim for ourselves.

In this inspiring episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush welcomes author, speaker and creator Jason A. Benefield, the visionary behind the Essence Illuminations Oracle Cards. What begins as a conversation about an oracle deck quickly unfolds into a profound exploration of healing, self-belief, spiritual empowerment, and the limitless potential within every human being.

Jason shares the deeply personal origins of the deck, created during the pandemic as an extension of his book The Essential Pain and Peace of Life. The cards are made even more meaningful through the inclusion of artwork painted by his late mother, whose presence and creativity continue to live through the project.

 

Photo by Christina C.

Throughout the conversation, Jason opens up about his lifelong spiritual search and how personal struggles led him toward a deeper relationship with God, self-awareness, and ultimately becoming a spiritual practitioner. His vulnerability becomes one of the episode’s greatest gifts, especially as he speaks about redefining identity, trusting intuition, and embracing authenticity in a world that often pressures people to conform.

Listeners will discover the philosophy at the heart of the deck: “Commodity.” Jason’s transformative concept reminds us that each person is inherently valuable and important. He breaks the word into three powerful stages:

• Comm – Communication with inner wisdom through prayer, meditation, and reflection

• Mod – Modification and transformation based on that inner guidance

• Ity – Embodiment of one’s highest and truest self

This episode is ultimately an invitation: to believe in yourself more deeply, to honor your journey, and to recognize that your life itself is a sacred expression of possibility.

Memorable Quotes from the Conversation

• “Your journey is a testament to your authenticity.”

• “Your might grows with every step you take.”

• “You are the living manifestation of your dreams.”

 

Jason Adeniyi Ojudun Benefield is a licensed Spiritual Practitioner, speaker, published author, stage actor, and singer-songwriter who wears many hats with purpose and passion. Nearly 25 years ago, after delivering his first sermon, Jason recognized the depth of his connection to Source Energy (what many call God, the Universe, or simply the Source). He believes this greater energy dwells within all people and calls each person to evolve into their highest self.

Through discovering and nurturing this spiritual connection in his own life, Jason experienced profound transformation and clarity, inspiring him to dedicate his work to helping others do the same.

Jason is committed to guiding individuals toward embracing their inner energy, purpose, and peace through one-on-one support, intimate group settings, or speaking engagements. His work is rooted in the belief that nothing is ever truly lost or missing in the Universe; rather, it is waiting to be rediscovered.

For those who feel disconnected, uncertain, or longing for something more, Jason offers compassionate guidance on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment. Walking alongside others as they reconnect with their truth and inner power is not just his calling, it is his life’s work.

jasonabenefield.com

 

In this illuminating episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush sits down with sustainability pioneer Jaimie Cloud, founder of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, to explore how our ways of thinking shape the future of life on Earth.

At the center of the conversation is Cloud’s lifelong journey: sparked by an experimental global education program in her youth and deepened through decades of observing planetary trends. Her new book, Response-Able: How to Live Well Over Time On Planet Earth, is not just a call to action but a guide to transforming how we think, teach, and lead in an increasingly complex world.

Rather than focusing solely on environmental problems, Cloud introduces a powerful framework around mental models that are both unsustainable and sustainable. These are recurring patterns of thought—archetypal in nature—that unconsciously drive destructive behaviors, even when people have access to clear feedback. Through examples like the “Fish Game” simulation, she reveals a startling truth: people consistently make the same unsustainable choices, not from ignorance, but from deeply ingrained beliefs.

Throughout the episode, Cyndera weaves in tarot archetypes to mirror these mindsets, bridging intuitive symbolism with systems thinking. Together, they explore how patterns like “maximizing gains for self,” “control,” and “everything is substitutable” distort our understanding of interconnected systems. Jaimie gently dismantles these assumptions, emphasizing that true sustainability arises from interdependence, collaboration, and respect for natural limits.

A key insight emerges: sustainability is about alignment with how life actually works. Healthy systems thrive on diversity, mutual benefit, and dynamic balance. Attempts to dominate, control, or endlessly extract from these systems inevitably lead to collapse. Yet the tone remains deeply hopeful. Jaimie insists that the current trajectory is not inevitable. Because humans created these conditions, we also have the power to change them. The first, and most essential, step is a shift in thinking.

The tarot imagery encapsulating each mindset will be revealed in a video version of the podcast available to subscribers at archetypalstories.substack.com/

Host Cyndera Quackenbush sits down with artist and tarot reader, and creator of the Visionary Woman Tarot, Kristine Gorman. What unfolds is an intimate, wide-ranging conversation about intuition, healing, grief, and the courage it takes to live and create outside the norm.

To see card images and video of this interview (releasing 12/22/25), head over to https://archetypalstories.substack.com/

Kristine shares the soulful origins of the Visionary Woman Tarot, a deck born not from trends or themes, but from decades of lived experience, channeling, and uncompromising honesty. She introduces her unforgettable metaphor of the “healer equation,” a process of humility, self-work, contribution, and learning how to receive. Within this equation is the “rinse cycle” we all must pass through to dismantle conditioning, trauma, and what Kristine candidly calls the fuckery.

Listeners are invited behind the scenes of Kristine’s creative process, where each tarot card begins as a full-scale oil painting on wood, guided by intuition, spirit allies, and personal reckoning. Cyndera and Kristine explore how tarot can be both structure and freedom: a grounding tool for intuitive minds, a language for truth-tellers, and a way to build confidence in one’s own inner voice.

The episode also honors lineage and community. Christine reflects on her formative relationship with legendary tarot scholar Rachel Pollack, whom she calls her “tarot midwife,” and discusses the importance of knowing whose shoulders we stand on, while still forging our own path. From real women and animal guides woven into the cards, to collaboration over competition in the tarot world, this conversation celebrates inclusivity, mentorship, and shared magic.

Woven throughout is a tender acknowledgment of grief and love, as Kristine speaks openly about the loss of her husband of 25 years, and how art and tarot have offered focus, meaning, and survival through profound change.

This episode is for anyone drawn to tarot as a living, breathing practice—one that helps us tell the truth, trust ourselves, and transform pain into purpose.

You can purchase the Visionary Woman Tarot from your local bookstore or directly from the Publisher, Weiser Books.

Kristine Gorman is an overall badass professional tarot reader, artist, and writer, usually wearing overalls. A unique talent, she hosted her own FM radio show for over eight years, throwing tarot cards for folks calling in, which you can find on Apple Podcasts under “The Visionary Woman Tarot Radio Show.” Kristine has presented at many national symposiums and conferences, such as BATS (San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium), NWTS (Northwest Tarot Symposium), TIDE (The International Divination Event), and StaarCon. Kristine continues to paint, write, read for her clients, and collaborate on tarot projects with magical friends. She lives in Lambertville, New Jersey. Follow her on Instagram @visionarywomantarot.

This episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast welcomes visionary artist, mystic, and deck creator Lalania Simone for an in-depth journey into her newest creation, the Wise Earth Medicine Tarot. This rich and heartfelt conversation explores how the timeless wisdom of the animal kingdom finds expression through tarot archetypes, becoming a living bridge between nature, spirit, and human experience.

Host Cyndera’s desk, strewn with cards from Lalania’s decks, sets the tone: this is a celebration of imagery, instinct, and imagination. Together, they trace the roots of Wise Earth Medicine Tarot, a deck that intertwines tarot and oracle traditions into one accessible and soul-stirring system.

 

 

Lalania shares how her lifelong relationship with animal medicine inspired the project. Chance encounters with foxes, hawks, or even household cats can hold messages and meaning. Through careful research and intuitive artistry, she translated the habits, habitats, and mythic presence of these creatures into tarot archetypes: the bat as The Hanged One, the octopus as The High Priestess, and the bonsai tree as The Hierophant. Her entities are not static symbols but radiant beings, marked by the delicate white designs she paints onto their forms—visual whispers of connection and belonging.

Paid subscribers on Substack will attain access to the video version of this podcast. They will be enchanted by Lalania’s creative process—how she layers digital collage, hand-drawn tattoos, and sacred geometry to infuse each card with energy and intention! Subscribe now for the video version that will release next week: https://archetypalstories.substack.com/

Beyond the deck, Cyndera and Lalania dive into the deeper invitation of this work: to return to the rhythms and teachings of the Earth herself. In a world that often feels distanced from wildness, The Wise Earth Medicine Tarot becomes a tool for reconnection, for daily reflection, and for finding guidance in the fur, feathers, and roots that surround us.

Recorded in the heart of Denver, where Lalania’s shop Alchemy Ritual Goods continues to nurture seekers and creatives alike, this episode is a love letter to magic, artistry, and evolution. As Lalania says, “In every challenge, there is a gift.”

 

Lalania Simone is an indigenous artist, author, and mystic devoted to a path of personal expansion and collective liberation. She understands the power of images and words and is dedicated to using both to empower people.

Lalania’s decks feature diverse representations of people and cultures from around the world. She is also the co-owner of Alchemy Ritual Goods, a popular spiritual shop in Denver that offers Ancestral Medicine Clinic, a sliding-scale clinic offering multiple modalities dedicated to healing and spiritual liberation.

What happens when you take the tarot apart—piece by piece—to see what it’s really made of? In this lively and thought-provoking conversation, host Cyndera Quackenbush sits down with artist, author, and tarot creator Jennifer Cooper Steidley to explore her innovative deck, Tarot Disassembled, and its companion guidebook.

Born from an unexpected moment of inspiration (watching her young son take apart a sandwich!), Jennifer began to imagine what it would mean to “disassemble” the tarot—to pull apart its imagery and look closely at the symbols that make up each archetype. The result is a bold, colorful, and refreshingly playful deck that invites readers to reconnect with tarot through the pure language of symbolism.

 

Together, Cyndera and Jennifer dive into:
✨ The origin story behind Tarot Disassembled and its Kickstarter beginnings
✨ How removing human figures opens the door to a more universal, bias-free tarot experience
✨ The joy of rediscovering details hidden in the Rider-Waite-Smith imagery (yes—even the tiny eagle on the Fool’s satchel!)
✨ How “disassembling” tarot mirrors our own life process—taking things apart to understand, re-evaluate, and rebuild
✨ Ways to use this deck in tandem with traditional ones to deepen intuition and symbolic literacy

Their conversation unfolds like a creative workshop and a spiritual reflection all at once—touching on archetypes, imagination, and the art of seeing with fresh eyes. Cyndera connects the process to her own Story Through Stone deck, where ancient stone imagery becomes a mirror for intuition.

By the end, listeners are reminded that tarot—like life itself—is an ongoing process of discovery: a dance between taking things apart and bringing them beautifully back together.

 

Artist and tarot creator Jennifer Steidley has always been fluent in the language of symbols. With a background in graphic design and a deep love of intuitive storytelling, she brings a playful, insightful touch to her creations—including her innovative deck, Tarot Disassembled. Learn more at jennifersteidley.com/

Step right up dear traveler! Jump into the shoes of an ancient ship’s stowaway and discover the landscapes of the Tarot firsthand with a visionary lens!

 

In this episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush welcomes artist and deck creator John A. Rice to discuss his 5-year visionary creation, the Mindscapes Tarot. Unlike traditional decks that spotlight human figures, the Mindscapes Tarot invites us into vast, symbolic landscapes—vivid oil pastel paintings that immerse the reader in color, place, and atmosphere.

John shares how this extraordinary project began during the pandemic, when visions of celestial skies and archetypal terrains appeared to him almost fully formed. Over five years, he translated these inner landscapes into hand-drawn paintings, borders, lettering, and even unique sigils—imbuing each card with the soulful touch of lived time and experience.

 

From the High Priestess’s veiled mysteries to the evolving vistas of the Minor Arcana, the deck invites readers to step through “little windows” into magical worlds. John and Cyndera talk about art as theater, tarot as travel, and how storytelling transforms symbols into living portals. John also teases new projects—from ghost stories on autumn leaves to a fresh Lenormand deck and fairy-tale illustrations.

This conversation is a journey into art, symbolism, and the ways tarot can become a living landscape for personal and collective transformation.

 

John A. Rice is an award-winning actor, writer, and artist specializing in oil pastels. As one of the few artists working in this medium, his work has sold in more than 35 countries worldwide. He runs his art shop, J.A.R. Studio, NYC, out of his workspace in Astoria, NY.

A skilled Tarot reader, John drew upon this background to create the popular Mindscapes Tarot, featuring his signature landscape style (Hay House/Penguin Random House). Additionally, his hauntingly beautiful illustrated A Christmas Carol and October Shadows: Classic Ghost Stories of Halloween are now available as a collectible editions (Abbeville Press). His unique immersive exhibit Beyond Words, created in collaboration with psychic mediums from historic Lily Dale, is currently exhibiting.

 

In this episode of The Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush sits with Brigit Esselmont to dive deep into "intuitive manifesting." Brigit, a leading expert in tarot and personal transformation, shares insights from her newly released book Intuitive Manifesting: Align with Your Inner Wisdom and Attract Your Dream Life. She explains how manifesting goes beyond the surface-level pursuit of goals and dives into a powerful co-creative partnership with the universe. By tapping into the wisdom of tarot and other intuitive tools, Brigit reveals how we can manifest more meaningfully, authentically, and in alignment with our true desires. Whether you're seeking clarity in your desires or looking to build a deeper connection with your intuition, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on creating the life you truly want. Tune in for an inspiring chat about blending psychology, spirituality, and tarot to manifest your dreams.

I truly believe everyone has something unique to offer the Tarot world. If you’re a writer or artist or wise wanderer YOU have a unique perspective that will enrich this community. You can offer yet another bridge to self-understanding and inner illumination that no one else can.

It has been my great joy to sit with and press “record” on over 100 conversations with wisdom seekers of the world.

And then I met Mandy.

 

When I had a chance to review Mystic Storyteller: A Writer’s Guide to Using the Tarot for Creative Inspiration, I had a moment to myself where I said, “THIS is the book I wish I could have written!”

Truthfully, Mandy’s got the creds to speak thoroughly on tarot and writing. She has written over a dozen literary works and even has a couple pen names under her belt!

Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join em! And we do just that here on Substack in our latest Archetypal Tarot Podcast.

I cannot even begin to describe how much this book offers writers, creatives and tarot enthusiasts alike. This book is CHOCK-FULL of guidance as Mandy takes you by the hand, weaving in her personal experience with the timeless wisdom of the tarot. If you’re like me, you might for the first time feel capable of writing that first great American novel!

Her book covers:

• Enhancing creativity.

• Strengthening writer’s intuition.

• Inspiring ideas and composition.

• Improving storytelling proficiency through building confidence and encouraging authenticity of voice and style.

• Nurturing rich character- and world-building practices.

• Elevating plot and scene development skills.

• Troubleshooting writer’s block.

• Supporting self-discovery and wellness routines.

• Mapping out a memoir.

The companion deck, illustrated by Roz Kazaz, is inspired by Rider-Waite-Smith but incorporates the modern visages and true diversity that reflect our world. Playfully, writing paraphernalia populates the tools of the tarot characters:

 

 

Mandy’s fundraising campaign reached full support since we recorded this podcast. If you would like updates on the book’s release, join Mandy’s mailing list here: https://www.haintbluecreative.com/books/mystic-storyteller

In this episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, hosts Julienne Givot and Cyndera Quackenbush dive deep into the archetypes surrounding the current political landscape.

This podcast begins with an exploration of how the ancient Greek legend of Cassandra’s gift of foresight—and the accompanying curse of being disbelieved—resonates with recent political challenges. Julienne shares her own "Cassandra moments," reflecting on alarming agendas such as Project 2025, while emphasizing the need for collective action and community in the face of rising authoritarianism. With insights into the dynamics of modern democracy and the importance of staying engaged, this episode is not just a discussion but a rallying call for listeners to remain vigilant and connected.

Tune in for an enlightening conversation that blends mythology, politics, and the power of collective heroism!

Have you registered to vote? You can check that out in just 30 seconds here:

https://www.vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote/