The Archetypal Tarot Podcast

The Unfolding Path: Interview with Athene Noctua

If you were to walk a Tarot path and see each familiar card, Major and Minor, with a recognizable human face, you will have stumbled onto the Unfolding Path universe!

In this interview, Athene and Cyndera discuss spiritual belief and creation as well as how she makes the tarot images tangible and relatable in an intuitive way. Athene shares her journey with us, which in turn becomes a tool that can welcome communication with the beyond to inform our own paths.

The imagery included in this deck features animals, plants, and a cast of modern and diverse people—all with a mystical touch. Each suit is represented by a different color palette while characters of varying color, size, ability, and age create a beautiful community. This 78-card deck and guidebook is the perfect compass for those seeking self-discovery.

ATHENE NOCTUA is the artist and creator behind several oracle and tarot card decks. Her creative process is deeply meditative and forms a key pillar of her spiritual practice. Placing herself at the service of Spirit, she works to create divination tools that open a channel of communication between us and the Divine. Living deep in the English countryside on a renovated canal barge, her art is inspired by the energies and cycles of life in the natural environment around her.

For the Video version of this podcast, subscribe to https://archetypalstories.substack.com/

 

The Beloved Dead: Divining Ancestral Wisdom

This newly released oracle deck was created by artist Carrie Paris and writer Tina Hardt. The Beloved Dead invites us into conversation with ancestor archetypes and spirit guides. Pictures of the past from both known and unknown sources help to shed light on unconscious patterns unfolding in our daily lives.

This rich conversation between Tina and Cyndera unveils how this Oracle deck came to be (it started with a picture!) and how the collaboration between Tina and Carrie blossomed (it started with a card reading!).

Amongst these stories, Tina delves into the structure of this 81-card Oracle, tips on usage, and some ways to look at the shadow aspects of the cards. She also distinguishes between the process of divination and mediumship, both of which she has pursued and practiced in her extensive channeling of words, Spirit and ideas.

Additional collaborations between Carrie Paris and Tina Hardt include The Siren’s Song and The Relative Tarot.

Taking Back the Magic: Interview with Perdita Finn

Co-Creator of The Archetypal Podcast, Julienne Givot, returns for this very special podcast and interview with Perdita Finn!

Perdita, Julienne and Cyndera discuss the deep meaning and magic inherent in having a daily connection with ancestors, and all friends, beyond the grave.

Perdita Finn's father, a doctor, used to arrive home in the middle of the night and find his three-year-old daughter sitting in the dark in front of a broken figurine from some lost Nativity scene of the Virgin Mary. Not only was their family not religious but Perdita would not even see the inside of a church for another decade. Perdita didn't remember this...and her father would not tell her this story until just before his death. It took her almost a half century to uncover her childhood devotion and to begin to make sense of it.

A longtime Zen student, she decided she'd had enough of priests and lineages and fundraising campaigns soon after the birth of her children. She preferred to be out in the woods with her kids and caring for various wild animals they discovered that needed help. Once they rehabilitated 16 baby possums together. A pet goose marched up and down the long driveway to their house in the Catskills.

In 2011 in the events described in The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary her life changed forever. Rediscovering her devotion to the Lady freed her own voice at last. She is the co-founder with her husband Clark Strand of The Way of the Rose, an eco-feminist rosary fellowship dedicated to the rights of the earth and the rights of women. More of her writing can be found at wayoftherose.org

*This description contains content from Perdita Finn’s bio featured on Amazon.

*Julienne Givot's amazing Ancestor Hoops are available in her Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FreeRangePriestess

You can access the video of this interview by subscribing to archetypalstories.substack.com!

 

Barbie and the Heroine’s Journey

Join Cyndera Quackenbush in this special recording as she interviews Kate Farrell about the patterns and archetypes of the Heroine’s Journey and how it unfolds throughout the movie Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig.

** WARNING - THIS RECORDING INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR THE FILM BARBIE

This interview covers the differences between the more commonly known “Hero’s Journey” popularized by Joseph Campbell. With parallels to ancient myth, the world’s first writing, and fairy tales, the heroine’s journey has the power to reach and validate women in their real-world lives. A deeper exploration within this interview reveals how the Heroine’s Journey can be a transformative experience open to anyone regardless of gender.

Kate Farrell believes in the power of story. A graduate of the School of Library and Information Studies, UC Berkeley, she has been a language arts classroom teacher (pre-school and grades kindergarten through 12th), author, librarian, university lecturer, and storyteller in Northern California since 1966. 

Kate has founded Woven with the vision to enhance and elevate the feminine in 21st century culture by applying the universal archetypes of the heroine’s journey to creative works that reflect a clear awareness of the vital role of the feminine in our era. Woven’s mission statement is to provide opportunities to explore the fundamental aspects of the universal heroine’s journey through activities such as, but not limited to, talks, workshops, training, retreats, in person and online, publications, and other media.

You can sign up for Kate’s upcoming workshops by visiting her website: https://katefarrell.net/events/

The Rosebud Tarot: Interview with Amanda Lee Stilwell & Diana Rose Harper

This podcast celebrates the beautiful blooming of the Rosebud Tarot, now available from Weiser Books! Cyndera interviews artist Amanda Lee Stilwell and writer/diviner Diana Rose Harper.

This deck depicts the glories of roses in their many forms along with vintage photographs collaged with sensuous altar imagery. Each card interpretation is introduced with an individualized poem that opens and expands the image translation (this podcast features Diana reading her poem from “The Star”). Tarot titles and suits are creatively re-imagined, busting old tarot restrictions to make both a queer and BIPOC-friendly deck.

In addition to deep discussions on process and collaboration details, this podcast also unveils powerful gardening magic such as intentional tools and the use of rose stems as protective wards.

After witnessing this playful deck and its creators, prepare to have your perspective of roses - and tarot - transformed.

My Dad Story (and the Stones that Launched a Thousand Card Images)

This is the story of Cyndera's dad, the Archetypal Tarot's host and creator of the Story Through Stone Reflection Card deck. The billion year-old stones that her father Jim Quackenbush found within the Mojave desert contain rare naturally-occurring imagery that inspired not only the cards but a new process of card readings. 

This is an origin story. This is a family story. This is a story from the earth herself. 

To see additional imagery and video surrounding this podcast, please head over to Cyndera's substack archetypalstories.substack.com or to her website storythroughstone.org

 

You are the Medicine: An Interview with Asha Frost

Asha Frost, a member of the Chippewas of unceded Nawash First Nation (present day Ontario, Canada) shares with Cyndera about her Oracle deck and recently released book, You are the Medicine: 13 Moons of Indigenous Wisdom, Ancestral Connection and Animal Spirit Guidance.

When so much traditional knowledge, life and livelihood has been lost through colonization, where can we even begin to pick up the pieces? New hope is found in the great gift of Frost’s Oracle, illustrated by Steph Littlebird. Steeped in Ojibway teachings, Asha has retrieved this wisdom from ancestors and from her own bones, to share with both indigenous and non-indigenous seekers. She instructs her audience on how to approach and use this medicine respectfully, with the true belief that these teachings can guide each of us back to our own unique medicine. How might the world transform if we are to walk in our own gifts, tailored from our own healed ancestors?

While revealing traditional insights, Asha’s work is also immensely inclusive for our modern world. Asha embraces two-spirit folks in her work and introduces guides that are non-binary in both her imagery, stories and language.

A whole-hearted gift from a rainbow healer, podcast listeners will love Asha Frost and for the visionary work that lies within her words and Oracle.

ASHA FROST (she/her) is an Indigenous Medicine Woman and a member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. As an energy healer, homeopath, and mentor, Asha has guided thousands of people through profound and lasting transformation with her ceremonies, teachings, and speaking events. Asha lives on Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, and Haudenosaunee Territory, with her husband and two beautiful children, with whom she co-creates a better world for the seven generations to come. Visit her online at ashafrost.com

My Mom: A Cinderella Story

“The only question in the end is whether I can find and tell my inner story, 

which is also my inner truth.” ~ Michael Meade.

What fairy tale, myth or story most resembles what your mother lived in her formative years?

This month’s podcast is a special early tribute to Cyndera's mom for Mother’s Day! This podcast includes her story as a child, and its many parallels to the Cinderella story: absent mother, absent father, abandonment, perseverance, patience, kindness, birds, housework, stepmother, stepsisters, fairy godmother, the magic carriage, the dog, the dream come true....

A video version of this reading is available for paid subscribers on the Archetypal Stories Substack! The article and video includes pictures of Cyndera's mom and images from the Little Golden Book version that captured my her imagination and heart as a little girl. 

Enjoy and... Happy Mother's Day!

 

Melissa Townsend: A Talk on Tarot & the Sutras

Cyndera welcomes Melissa Townsend - artist, psychic and card creator - to her home in Suisun, California. Over tea, the two discuss the deep process of working with the philosophies of Putanjali through the creation of art work inspired by the yoga sutras. Townsend has dedicated a painting of her personal process to EVERY yoga sutra (Books 1-4). The work of the sutras and the art of Tarot are compared and contrasted. The vital nature of doing such deep artistic work in the age of AI is revealed. 

Melissa's work can be purchased through her website at https://melissa-townsend.com

Melissa's Bio: 

Melissa Townsend is an Artist, Author, Psychic & Astrologer, and  lives in San Francisco with her husband and son. 

She has been a practitioner of Yoga for over 35 years, and studied Sanskrit for over 15 years, now teaching the language to others. Melissa has also translated the Yoga Sutras, and has been creating paintings inspired by them since 2011. The paintings, translations, and commentary of the Yoga Sutras, Book One and Book Two, have been published in full-color, soft-bound books and as Meditation Cards. 

You can also find Melissa on YouTube videos on Astrology and the Tarot. She has created a couple Tarot Decks including The Subtle Tarot. 

The unifying force behind all of Melissa's work lie the age-old questions, the ones that push us onto the spiritual path, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” All of this is a way to engage with each other, as we all ask and try to answer those questions.

 

 

 

The Weiser Interview: A Rider-Waite-Smith Deck for Everyone

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck has been known as the preeminent Tarot deck that first illustrated the entire Minor Arcana along with a re-imagining of the Major Arcana that has influenced hundreds of deck on the market today. This podcast interviews Weiser author and editor Judika Illes and researcher/artist/designer Kathryn Sky-Peck about their recently released Weiser Tarot that features Pamela "Pixie" Colman Smith's original line art with freshly watercolor painted cards. The Weiser Tarot presents a fresh face that embraces figures on a varying spectrum of skin tone and gender orientation. The creators' process with this landmark deck inspires all of us to come to this antiquated deck with fresh eyes and to "examine each card one by one, prior to considering the interpretations of others." The 78 pieces of art, originally drawn by Smith, "open our intuition and imagination to explore our hearts and minds" (Illes 2022).

More about Judika Illes:

Born in New York City, Judika Illes is a lifelong lover, student, and practitioner of the magickal arts. She is the author of numerous books devoted to magic spells, witchcraft, saints, spirits, and the paranormal including the best-selling Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells and Encyclopedia of Spirits. Her other books include Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spellcasting, Magic When You Need It, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, and Daily Magic, a perpetual calendar of spells, rituals, and feasts. Judika is also the curator of two books of occult fiction. Someday she will publish some occult fiction of her own. Judika is a certified aromatherapist and has been a professional tarot card reader since 1988. Judika has worked as an editor for Weiser Books since 2015. Before that, she worked for The Witches’ Almanac.  She teaches about spell-casting and other topics in the US, internationally, and virtually. Her website is under construction, but Judika is easily found on-line at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJudikaIlles  Instagram: @judikailles and Twitter: @JudikaIlles

More about Kathryn Sky-Peck:

Kathryn Sky-Peck has been a life-long student of the esoteric arts. Currently Creative Director at Red Wheel/Weiser, she has been with Weiser books off and on since 1981 when she first began working with the publisher. She is an award-winning poet, a fine artist, and—when the grace of youth allowed it—a modern dancer. She sees all these art forms interconnected, finding color and movement in words and music in poetry. She has been the sole proprietor of Sky Peck Design for the last 27 years, where she maintains a select group of clients, most notably The Witches Almanac and Ibis Press. In her role as book development director at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, she authored Who Has Seen the Wind? and The Poet’s Delay, both compilations of poetry based on the museum’s art collection. She loves the anonymity of being in the background, from where she’s had the honor to work with, support, and learn from some of the occult world’s best-known authors. Not on social media, she lives at the edge of a New England wood with her cat Milo.