The Tarot Diagnosis

Personal note before you listen: To be honest, I sat on this episode for weeks. I almost didn’t share it - mainly because it felt too honest, too personal, too vulnerable. And I think there was a part of me that felt guilty. Despite the hesitation, here it is…In this episode of The Tarot Diagnosis, I explore what it means to be an adult child of emotionally immature parents and how tarot can help us understand the roles, defenses, wounds, and longings that form in emotionally unpredictable homes.This conversation was inspired by my recent re-read of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson, as well as my own lived experience. I talk about the painful developmental moment when we realize our parents are not all-knowing, all-capable figures, but full, flawed, historically shaped human beings. When moving through the deck, I realized this experience mimicked The Hierophant (reversed) - that unsettling, yet necessary unseating of a caregiver from the archetypal throne of perceived perfection and safety.From there, I explore how tarot became a safe, symbolic language for me and a tool that helped me piece together fragments of my upbringing, access unconscious material, and create a more coherent personal narrative…without overwhelming my nervous system in the process.I explore what feels like all the cards in this episode:The MoonThe Hanged ManThe Devil The StarThe Five of CupsThe Nine of Cups The Seven of Wands The Eight of PentaclesI also spend time with the court cards as family roles and survival strategies. The Kings and Queens become emotionally immature parent archetypes: the rigid parent, the volatile parent, the misattuned sensitive parent, and the practical caregiver who confuses provision with emotional connection. The Knights and Pages become the children shaped by those dynamics: the fixer, the family therapist, the old soul, the strategist, the overachiever, the silenced creative child, the emotional caretaker, and the overanalyzer.Ultimately, this episode is about how tarot can help us see the patterns we inherited without making those patterns the end of our story. If you felt love was conditional, your emotional needs were too much, or that safety depended on managing everyone else’s moods and feelings, this episode offers a gentle but honest reflection on what you endured and what you are still allowed to become.Want more of this type of tarot experience?Join us at the Summer Solstice Summit - a three day, virtual tarot conference June 26-28. Grab your ticket here and use code TAROTPOD15 to get 15% off! https://www.thetarotdiagnosis.com/summersolstice📚 Check out my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices!🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by Timmoor from Pixabay

I’ve had “Timekeeper” by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals stuck in my head, and it sent me down a rabbit hole about how we experience time - psychologically, somatically, and through tarot. In this episode of The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, I explore why time isn’t a single, objective thing we all live the same way. Instead, our nervous systems, mental health, creativity, grief, and even neurodivergence shape how fast or slow life feels. Plus, tarot gives us language and imagery to work with that reality. I explore how time is deeply subjective and shaped by the nervous system, noting how ADHD, anxiety, trauma, grief, and even creative flow can dramatically alter our felt sense of time. I also look at how capitalism, calendars, and the constant pressure toward productivity hijack our internal rhythms and distort our perception of urgency. Through a tarot lens, I consider how the cards function as mirrors for our temporal experience: the Wheel of Fortune becomes a symbolic clock that reflects cycles, seasons, turning points, and the timelines we fear we’ve “missed” or been redirected from; The Hanged Man teaches us the value of a purposeful pause, choosing suspension to gain clarity; Death and the Six of Cups speak to endings, nostalgia, and the bittersweet grief of what we cannot return to; and Judgment paired with the Eight of Pentacles invites us to ask, “Whose timeline am I serving?” - guiding us toward value-aligned efforts and a more conscious relationship with time. Resources & goodies I mentionGrace Potter & The Nocturnals - “Timekeeper” listen here.Time affluence vs. time famine. Inspired by Dr. Laurie Santos: feeling like you have enough time is a better predictor of happiness than “free time” alone. You can watch her talk here.My 2026 Wheel of Fortune Year Journal (monthly essays, daily prompts, and exercises to work with cycles and timing). Grab a digital and physical copy here. 🎴 If you enjoyed this tarot talk, subscribe to The Tarot Diagnosis, follow me on Instagram, and join The Symposium, our tarot + psychology community, for workshops, book club, and reading rooms. 📚 P.S. My new book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow blends psychology, tarot, and therapeutic self-reflection to help you move from shame to awareness and integration. It releases December 8th and is available wherever books are sold.🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay

This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, in honor of my upcoming book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow, which releases on December 8, 2025, I’m reading a portion of chapter 2 (Roots of the Shadow) right here on the podcast.In Roots of the Shadow, I dive into the foundations of shadow work through a deeply therapeutic and psychologically grounded lens. I explore how Carl Jung’s original concept of the shadow intersects with Internal Family Systems (IFS), Freud’s ideas of the id, ego, and superego, and even Brené Brown’s research on shame. Throughout this chapter, I explore academic theory, personal reflection, and practical exercises, because shadow work is just as much about theory as it is about application.You’ll also get to experience one of the tarot spreads from the book, the Psychoanalytic Shadow Spread, designed to help you explore your inner world using tarot as a reflective tool. I walk you through each position in the spread and provide an example interpretation using cards like The High Priestess, Ace of Cups, Nine of Swords, and more.We also take a deep dive into the Pages of the tarot and how each one can represent developmental moments where your shadow may have started to form. Whether it's being told you're “too emotional,” “too much,” or “not enough,” these early messages get internalized and shadow work gives us the chance to revisit and reclaim those parts of ourselves.🎧 Listen in, grab your tarot deck and journal, and join me in beginning (or deepening) your own shadow journey.✨ And don’t forget: Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow is available for pre-order now wherever books are sold. Pre-ordering not only supports my work, it enters you into a giveaway to win a free shadow reading with me. (Just send me proof of purchase and you’ll be entered to win!)Deck Used: Tarot Vintage🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay

What does it mean when tarot archetypes are blindfolded or their vision is obscured? In this week’s episode of The Tarot Diagnosis, I explore the often over-looked symbolism of obscured vision in tarot - where sight is blocked, avoided, invited or even denied. Inspired by six cards (Two of Swords, Four of Swords, Eight of Swords, Nine of Swords, Ten of Wands, and Strength), I take a psychological and symbolic deep dive into what it means when our eyes are closed.Together, we’ll unpack:Why blindfolds might represent clarity over confusion (Two of Swords vs. Eight of Swords)The difference between chosen vs. imposed limitations on sightHow anxiety and panic (Nine of Swords) make us unable to see clearly, even if our eyes openWhat closing our eyes can teach us about nervous system regulation and rest (Four of Swords)How over-functioning and burnout distort our ability to see what’s truly happening around us (Ten of Wands)Why Strength might be less about control and more about titration and sensory inputThrough the lens of psychology and tarot symbolism, we uncover how visual obstruction in the cards can indicate increased internal knowing, emotional overwhelm, or even power dynamics. And how sometimes seeing less allows us to feel and know more.If you’ve ever pulled the Two of Swords and said, "just open your eyes and deal with it," this reframe might change the way you see the cards forever.Deck Used: Tarot Vintage🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay

This week on⁠ The Tarot Diagnosis⁠, we’re getting delightfully nerdy. Inspired by a conversation with a dear friend, I explore tarot through the lens of developmental psychology, focusing specifically on Donald Winnicott’s concept of transitional objects, transitional space, and transitional phenomena.Traditionally, transitional objects are things like blankets, stuffed animals, or toys that help children move from total dependence to early independence by offering emotional regulation and symbolic comfort. But what happens when we grow up? We don’t stop needing comfort. It turns out our transitional objects just evolve…Enter tarot.In this episode, we explore how tarot functions as an transitional object, or what psychologist Mark Brenner refers to as a “sacred keepsake” that helps us self-soothe, regulate, and bridge our inner world with our external world. Drawing from both developmental theory and therapeutic principles, I unpack the psychological richness of the cards as mirrors, containers, and transitional phenomena.I also guide you through an experiential three-card “Container Spread” designed to help you hold and process what feels too heavy using the archetypes as emotional containers. For the collective, I pull… Card One – What feels too heavy right now? → Eight of Swords Card Two – What archetype can hold that heaviness? → Queen of Swords Card Three – What can I do while this is being held? → Nine of WandsDeck Used: Pagan Otherworlds🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ — my tarot & psychology membership community 📚 Pre-order my book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow for more therapeutic tarot practices! If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay

This week on The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, I pulled two seemingly contradictory cards (the Knight of Wands and the Seven of Pentacles) and found myself reflecting on the very human tension between urgency and patience. At first glance, these archetypes appear at odds: one races forward, fiery and eager; the other waits, steadies, and tends. But beneath the surface, they share a common root: passion.In this episode, I explore how both cards express passion differently - one through movement, the other through stillness. I unpack how this polarity often shows up in relationships (think of the couple where one is impulsive and driven, while the other is methodical and calm) and how both partners are often acting from the same place: care, longing, and a desire for connection. The challenge is in learning how to integrate their styles rather than battle over whose rhythm is “right.”We then zoom out into the lens of neurobiology by pairing the Knight of Wands with dopamine and the Seven of Pentacles with serotonin. Drawing on recent research from Stanford and Columbia, I discuss how these neurotransmitters operate in opposition yet depend on each other: dopamine initiates action and drives momentum, while serotonin regulates patience and long-term reward. Just like tarot, our brains need both. Without dopamine, we never start. Without serotonin, we can’t sustain.By working with the Knight and the Seven together, we can begin to honor the full spectrum of passion: the spark that ignites, and the soil that nourishes.Deck used: Tarot VintageStudies cited:https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/lack-serotonin-receptor-plays-role-aggressive-and-impulsive-behaviorshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39586475/Pre-order my forthcoming book Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow here and get an exclusive sneak peek!🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or YouTube! 🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ (my tarot & psychology membership community)If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay

This week on The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, I’m unpacking why “just think positive” advice often backfires and offering a more sustainable approach rooted in both Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and tarot. Together, we’ll explore why lasting change doesn’t start with your thoughts, and why it actually starts with your actions.I’ll walk you through how trauma wires the brain to anticipate harm, how DBT helps us hold two truths at once, and why micro-moments of safety and agency are the real building blocks of healing. You’ll learn how tarot can be more than just a tool for insight and how it can be a guide for new experiences.Along the way, we’ll explore:The problem with the phrase “Change your thoughts, change your life”Why action leads and thoughts follow when it comes to rewiring your nervous systemHow cards like The Fool, Eight of Pentacles, and Page of Cups can guide you into new behaviorsA 3-card “Micro Wins & New Paths” spread to help you notice small glimmers and create change 🌙 Stay Connected With Me💌 Follow me on Instagram:⁠ @thetarotdiagnosis⁠🧠 Sign up for my newsletter at⁠ thetarotdiagnosis.com⁠👥 Join ⁠The Symposium⁠ (my tarot & psychology membership community)If you love The Tarot Diagnosis Podcast, please consider leaving a review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is a super easy and FREE way to support my work. Plus, it helps more people discover the podcast. I appreciate you all so much!Audio Edited by Anthony DiGiacomo of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Deep Resonance Sound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Contact: DeepResonanceSound@gmail.comMusic by Timmoor from Pixabay