On Wednesday May 3rd, A+ members and members of the Autostraddle team chatted with Meg Jones Wall about her new book, Finding the Fool: A Tarot Journey to Radical Transformation. Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming book club in June with Samantha Allen, author of Patricia Wants to Cuddle in honor of the release of the paperback edition.

Nico: Hi Everyone! And welcome!

We’re gonna let folks filter in for about 15-20 minutes before we kick things off, but I’d love to know where everyone is signing in from tonight. I’m here in rainy, gray Pittsburgh — which honestly feels like the perfect cozy mood for book club.

Heather Hogan: Hi, friends! Thank you for hosting, Nico! Thank you for writing this book and talking to us about it, Meg! I’m here in New York City where the rain can’t make up its mind and one of my cats just tried to steal a piece of salmon from INSIDE MY MOUTH.

Nico: That’s some god-tier cat mischief.

Also curious if anyone brought their Tarot cards and am totally welcoming folks to share what decks they have if that is a thing you wanna do while we wait to officially get started.

Meg: your cats are geniuses and terrors heather
and i’m in brooklyn! hi everyone!

sdc (she/her): I’m joining in from Sydney, Australia. I recently acquired two decks. Smith-Waite-Tarot (Centennial Edition) and the Unofficial Adventure Time by Katherine Hillier one. I’ve not looked at them in detail yet.

Nico: Hi Meg!! Huge thanks for being here tonight!

Heather Hogan: Unofficial Adventure Time sounds SO COOL!

Meg: omg yes it does! i didn’t realize they’d done an AT deck, that rules

smita (they/she): Hi Meg! Excited for this chat! Signing in from New York as well!

Meg: thank you for having me!!

Newgirlvenus: Joining from Philly, just recently got into tarot (1 card pull every 2 days) and some oracle decks

Meg: welcome everyone! thank you so much for being here!

i’ve got a big mug of tea, the muse tarot deck, and a fake fire roaring on my television

Heather Hogan: Oh I love the fake fire!

I also just ordered that Adventure Time tarot!

Meg: hell yes

Wren: Hi y’all! I’m joining from Pittsburgh as well! I also think it’s perfect weather for a cozy book club night, but my dog disagrees. He keeps playing with my feet trying to get me to play tug.

Nico: Okay! It looks like we’ve got enough folks to get started. Thank you to everyone who came out tonight to talk Tarot and Meg’s new book FINDING THE FOOL: A TAROT JOURNEY TO RADICAL TRANSFORMATION.

As you probably know, Meg is an Autostraddle writer who, among many other things, writes the Tarotscopes column.

This is, I believe, Meg’s first book, and so in addition to welcoming her, I also want to congratulate them on this accomplishment!!

Meg: i LOVE dogs so i’m glad he wants to be part of the chat lol
and it sure is my first book! thank you nico!

Carmen: (Hi everyone! My apologies for being a little late! I lost track of time working on a post for the site)

Lmao also that’s not me, it’s Angela Bassett one sec.

Nico: Carmen your photooo
haha

Meg: okay but i love it

Nico: ❤️
same

Carmen: Sorry! I’m being a disruption! This is so embarrassing I’m sorry, carry on

Meg: not at all, everybody’s doing great

Carmen: Ok great, I’m all settled. Sorry again!

Nico: Okay so! What I normally ask is that we kind of try to stagger questions, so if you see there are like, two unanswered questions already, it works well if you wait for those to be answered before hitting “send” on your question. For the first time we also have some questions some folks sent in via email, so I’m gonna save those for closer to the end. And, Meg, when we’re wrapping up, (like an hour and fifteen from now), I usually ask the author if they have any questions for the group, so I just wanted to give you a heads up!

OKAY! I love that you all are here. Thank you so much for gathering tonight in this queer, magical space. Who would like to ask the first question?

Meg: that all sounds good! i typed up some answers in advance to the email questions because of Who I Am As A Person so i can drop those in whenever you like 🖤 and yes, ask away!

Valerie Anne (she/they): Meg, what was your favorite part about writing this book?

Meg: ooh i love that question, thank you valerie! i really loved getting to weave numerology and astrology into every single card, and working to make sure that that information felt like it was actually useful. i love having correspondences for things but sometimes they just feel… random? it was so important to me to have them woven into the descriptions, and that little challenge actually turned into one of my favorite things

i also drew all the glyphs myself and that was so fun, even though i did them all WAY too many times lmao

Heather Hogan (she/her): I love that, Meg! I’m curious about how you are able to meet people and connect with them on every step of their journey. I took your Finding the Fool class, then read your book, then did your class all over again because I felt like I had even more to learn, and I was like, “How is she meeting me here in this even more knowing space, even though she met me exactly where I was in the my less knowing space? How is she DOING that?”

Nico: I think one of my favorite things about the book (and about getting to interview you about it) was the way you discussed incorporating sensory experiences of the cards. I was wondering if you would talk a little bit about your process for discovering what those are for you? Is it meditation? Looking at the card? Is it more intuitive, linked with your understanding of the correspondences associated with a card, a combination?

Meg: Heather, that’s so sweet! thank you! and honestly, i’m not actually sure that i have a clear answer to that beyond – i want everything to be as accessible as possible! so i try to write and speak and teach from a place of inclusivity and warmth, and i don’t believe in dividing beginners and intermediate students because i think everyone is going to bring different skills to the table, and have some things come more naturally than others. i want everything that i share to feel clear and easy to understand, but also to hold as much depth as possible for anyone who isn’t hearing this information for the first time. i hope that makes sense!

i don’t think i’ve ever tried to answer that question before but i love it!

Nico, i was so happy with those sensory descriptions, and i’m really glad you love them too! it felt really important to me to have descriptions of the cards and archetypes that weren’t just lists of keywords – sometimes those can feel so cold and distant, but i think that the archetypes are so layered and rich and complex in the most beautiful way, and i hoped to capture that as much as possible. so much of my daily life is in devotion to sensory things – i love to cook (and i have a degree in gastronomy/food studies), i’ve sold and made fragrances, i am a very hands-on learner, i love to sing and harmonize, i’m a photographer, i like to run… when i can experience sensory things it really helps me understand things, so it felt like a cool thing to be able to add into my card descriptions. and i hoped that they would resonate with others too

but to actually answer your question – for me, it’s very intuitive, and very based on my own experiences. i imagine (and i hope, honestly!) that others have sensory connections that feel totally different than mine!

Nico: thank you!!

Alicia5000: I am just getting into tarot and got the Queer Tarot deck for my birthday. I don’t have any questions really as I’ve just started using them but wanted to say hi and I look forward to reading your book.

Meg: oh i love that deck! happy late birthday and thank you for being here!

Wren: seconding to what @heather hogan (she/her) said! I’ve been following your Tarotscopes for a year or so at this point but wasn’t working with or learning tarot intentionally until your Finding the Fool class and then this book. It’s been transformational. Thank you so much for writing and sharing. This is opening up a world for me, and in talking with folks about tarot and doing more research, I’ve seen things about cards in reverse. What’s your take on that?

Meg: thank you so much, it’s so nice to see you here!

Nico: REVERSALS – can’t wait to see what Meg says

Meg: reversals are so fascinating to me – they’re something really personal, and i think it’s one of those things that readers really get to decide if they want to use or not. i personally don’t use them, and that’s mainly because when i first started reading, my understanding of reversals was that they were meant to be read as the opposite of the upright or given meaning – and as a newbie who was already struggling with memorization, that felt way too overwhelming!

i think that this opposite meaning is still one of the most popular ways to work with reversals, but i actually also really love a take that i first read from carrie mallon, who reads reversals more as exclamation points. she sees them as cards to pay special attention to, that might be a major theme or important angle to consider in the reading

but truly, it’s up to you whether or not you want to read with them or not! i’ve had amazing readings from people who use reversals in multiple ways, and other readings from people like me who don’t use them at all. i think the most important thing is just to be consistent!

(meaning – don’t only read reversals when it means you can adjust the card meaning to tell you what you want to hear lol)

smita (they/she): I love the intentions that you set with your tarot spreads, they’re so thoughtful and kind! What’s your approach to designing a spread that will be helpful for you and others?

Wren: This is super helpful! Thanks! I resonate with the “way too overwhelming” to incorporate into learning tarot. Like you say in the book? in an article? (I lose track…) it is like learning a new language. You do a great job making tarot approachable to newbies though 🙂

Meg: smita what a great question! i honestly hope to teach a class on writing spreads at some point, because i think it’s such a valuable skill and isn’t quite as complicated as we think! my approach is always rooted in simplicity – i almost exclusively write 3 and 4 card spreads, unless i’m doing a big custom spread for a private client. i like to think about what i’m really hoping to get out of reading – do i want insights and information? or do i want advice on what to do (or not do)? then i write positions that will help me understand what’s happening (usually something like “me, right now” or “what am i feeling?” or “the obstacle i’m facing”), something that needs clarity or explanation (“something i’m missing” or “something i’m avoiding”), and then usually something that i can do (“something to remember” or “something to try” or “something i can do right now”)

Meg: thank you so much! and yeah i frankly hate the memorization methods because it’s so intense – learning a language (which i really do say all the time lmao) takes time! and it’s more than just rattling off words, it’s about really understanding nuance and layers so that you can weave sentences together

Carmen (she/her): I love this comparison!

Meg: i think the language analogy really adjusts expectations accordingly – learning tarot isn’t something you can do in a few hours! i get into this a lot in the intro to my book but there are so many experts out there who talk about how tarot came really naturally to them, and i found that so alienating when i was struggling even after a year of trying to learn. languages take time and many people don’t have a natural aptitude for learning them quickly, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still figure it out and use this amazing tool at our own pace!

Nico: I’m also gonna bring the email questions down because they feel relevant to the overwhelm / memorization talk right now:

Hey everyone! We had 2 questions come in via email from folks who can’t make the chat, so I’m just going to put them here.

1. Is it necessary to learn the basic, traditional meanings of the cards prior to going through your book and following your suggestions? As I feel like your book is more of an intermediate guide. Would like to hear your thoughts.

2. If we are looking at one of the cards, and our interpretation of what this card is communicating is very different to the “default” interpretation as per the guidebook/manual, then what should we do?
Would we use our own meaning, or stick with the default?

Are there certain situations where it would be best to use the default meaning, e.g. when doing readings for others?

But y’all also please feel free to keep asking q’s!

Meg: perfect! i did write these in advance so please don’t freak out that i’m secretly this incredibly fast typer lmao

both of these questions feel similar to me, in that they are both asking about sets of meanings as distinct rather than integrated, so i’m going to answer them together and then I’m happy to share more on this topic if needed! i would encourage you both (and everyone else reading) to think of it less as multiple discreet categories of meanings and more as layers of meaning for each card. i think part of what made me want to write this book in the first place is this idea that the “default” or “traditional” RWS or thoth meanings are somehow the most legitimate ones, and wanting to push back against that. this doesn’t have to be true! there is no hierarchy of meaning for tarot. it’s just about what you see and feel. you don’t have to separate out these meanings or label them differently – instead, you can think of it as all of them existing simultaneously together, and different aspects coming out at different times.

i think that if it feels good to you to start first with meanings from the book that came with your tarot deck as a guide (or my book, or any other book), and then gradually layer in more meanings based on your own studies and experiences, that’s completely fine. but i think it’s more about what resonates for you personally, and being consistent with that. if you read about a meaning for a card and it doesn’t feel right to you, doesn’t make sense when you work with the card, i don’t think you need to force yourself to use that meaning anyway just because it’s old.

i like to use a food analogy: think about your favorite dish, and all of the different layers of flavor that you have in even a simple meal. if you’re eating lasagna, for example, you can taste the tomato and the cheese and the basil and the oregano all at the same time. and one ingredient might feel more forward in a particular bite, but that doesn’t mean that the other ingredients stop existing in the dish.
tarot is like that too – for example in a reading the empress might come up and make you think generally about abundance and expression, but that doesn’t mean that other meanings like fertility, community, messiness, connection, or generosity aren’t also present simultaneously. if that reading is about your job, you might think more about growth and creativity, whereas if that reading was about relationships, you might think more about the intimacy in communication, but you’re still always going to have these ideas of abundance and expression because it’s the empress. (you might use different keywords, i’m just using my own for this example.) if you pull multiple cards, there is often a theme to that reading that can help you clarify which idea feels the most prevalent, but that doesn’t have to be the only way you interpret the card.

having a default or standardized meaning for yourself can be helpful at first, but i think it quickly becomes really stifling, which is why i prefer to pay attention to layers. if you pull a card that doesn’t make sense to you, only having one meaning to use might just end up leaving you more confused! i hope that makes sense!

sorry for the WALL OF TEXT i am so much y’all

Valerie Anne (she/they): YOU’RE PERFECT

Carmen (she/her): Or just enough!!

Heather Hogan (she/her): One of the things I loved in the interview you did with Jeanna in her newsletter is that you said when you were sad and lonely between when you’d left church and found tarot, you kept seeing tarot show up in the books and movies and TV shows you were reading and watching. I thought that was so rad. I was wondering if you remember what any of those stories were, or if there are any TV shows or books you can think of that make you glad they included tarot in their stories. I just read Astrid Parker Doesn’t Care and it was full of tarot, a major underlying theme, and I was like, “I wonder if Meg would love or hate this? I wonder if they’d think it’s accurate.” And similarly, are there like tarot tropes in stories that make you bananas?

Carmen (she/her): Hahaa Valerie did it better. ❤️

Meg: omg there are SO MANY terrible tarot tropes! but i actually really loved the way they used tarot in astrid parker doesn’t care, i found it SO fucking charming

Heather Hogan (she/her): Yaaaaay!!!!!

Meg: i remember really specifically the night circus (which i haven’t read now in a few years) and this novel called the book of speculation used tarot in such a powerful way to move the story forward, and it felt like something that i might actually be able to use too!

Valerie Anne (she/they): I loooooved The Night Circus

Meg: so often tarot readers in media are also psychics or mediums or palm readers or something else that really sets them apart, but tarot on its own felt so grounded and accessible, like something i could actually do myself. and i really loved that!

i just read the starless sea and it made me want to go back and read the night circus, i loved it so much

Wren: I saw and loved this in your Finding the Fool course! How you encouraged folks to look through different versions of the Fool and look for differences and similarities, find things that resonate (or don’t)

Heather Hogan (she/her): AGREE WREN!

Meg: yes! there are some decks that have certain archetypes that just resonate SO hard, and i think the process of looking at the same card in many decks (or finding them in characters you love, or poetry/music that feels related, or so many other things) can be such a powerful practice. and it’s just SO useful for finding new language for each card!

back to my sensory obsession lol, it just feels so powerful and helpful to me!
how many times can i say the word powerful during this book club? let’s find out

Carmen (she/her): Again I say, just enough!

Heather Hogan (she/her): powerful is your stalker card!
Wren: I was trying to find an emoji to put on Heather Hogan (she/her)’s comment above and was like ,”hmmm which emoji is most like the Fool?” and then wanted to know what you think Meg

Nico: what’s a stalker card??

Meg: omg i am obsessed with this question let me figure that out!!

so i’ve been trying to use slightly different language around this after being gently corrected by some thoughtful instagram followers, but “stalker card” is the language often used to describe a card that keeps recurring in readings, popping up over and over

Nico: aaah
yes, those

Heather Hogan (she/her):  oh shoot!

Meg: i have used that language myself! every time! and i’m trying to shift but it’s tricky!

Heather Hogan (she/her): scooby mystery card!

Meg: so much better lmao

Nico: the first card that was following me from reading to reading was THE DEVIL when I started at age 9. it was not disconcerting at all.

Meg: omg okay i think the fool is ❤️‍🔥 or maybe 👀

Heather Hogan (she/her): perfect

Meg: ah yes, the famously chill devil archetype lmao
what a time!!

Carmen (she/her): ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Heather Hogan (she/her): meg what card would you be glad to see following you around

Nico: i’m also curious about what cards have been following folks (including you Meg!) around lately

Meg: i mean i love the death card but i’m a weirdo. the four of swords has been showing up a lot for me lately which i don’t like, MIND exactly, but it’s annoying (i usually interpret it as “take a fucking break”)

when the star shows up i’m always so glad to see it!

anybody else have a recurring card that keeps showing up?

Nico: yeah four of swords is a card that i go like “EXCUSE ME NO” at

Meg: it’s eclipse season so those lessons tend to get loud lmao

Heather Hogan (she/her): well the fool has been literally following me around because i took them out for your class to put on my fool altar and then kept forgetting to put them back in their box so they’re like on my desk, on my nightstand, somehow in the medicine cabinet

Meg: omg

so like, actually following you around the apartment lol

ladyblanchester (she/her): Question about getting my first deck: should I just go for it and get one? I think I’ve been waiting for a deck to come into my life in the “right” way but maybe I need to take action?

Wren: I don’t know if it’s necessarily a specific card that keeps showing up, but a suit! The suit of swords is everywhere for me right now.

P.s. I didn’t mean to exclude all of you from the fool emoji question! would also love to see your fool emoji associations

Meg: oh what a great question! i say go for it! that’s what i did and i’m so glad i did. i think there’s a lot of contradictory advice around needing to be given a deck or waiting for a sign or something, but tarot is something that you build a relationship with – so think of it as being bold and making the first move! or if that feels too intense, as making your interest clear. if there’s a deck that you feel particularly drawn to, or keep seeing come across your social media feeds, or can’t stop thinking about, it’s probably a good one to pick up! and if not, take some time to explore decks that might resonate and choose one that you want to spend more time with 🖤

omg swords! it can feel like such a loaded suit sometimes, but whew they really do cut through the bullshit sometimes in ways we really need

Nico: oh that’s interesting. i’m curious about how you feel about people who get certain suites a lot or who go through phases of getting a lot of a suite

🌈Nic: Knight of Pentacles for me!

Alicia5000: Do you collect decks or just have a few?

Meg: i think it definitely depends! often they’re fairly balanced in my readings, but i definitely go through phases sometimes where i’ll be pulling a lot of cards from the same suit. i’ve been studying the elements for the last few years so if i’m pulling a lot of water or something, i take that as a sign to go hang out by the ocean or something similar!

Meg: oh i love that knight! so steadfast!

🌈Nic: It’s actually also my fave card so I love when it comes up; I find it really encouraging.

Meg: i guess i do collect decks, although it definitely wasn’t my intention! when i started reading i just had one deck (the wild unknown by kim krans) for the first year or so, and then gradually started working with the fountain tarot. but as i met more people in the community i kept seeing new decks coming out, and i love to support indie creators and queer decks so it started to get out of hand. and now i’m in the wonderful/terrible position of having creators and publicists send me decks to review, which means i now i have WAY too many lol

Nico: that’s really interesting! what does the knight of pentacles mean to y’all?

Meg: ooh yes i would love to hear why they’re your fav, if it’s not too personal/you’re comfortable sharing! court cards are so fascinating

Nico: Is there a card you identify with right now Meg? (MAYBE it’s the Fool and I am being a fool but idk! Wanted to ask!)

Meg: i’ve been writing about the devil/tower for the last few months for my newsletter and it feels very apt! lots of change in my life, with certain things feeling stable and others getting totally disrupted. publishing a book is weird!

🌈Nic: So I’m an editor by trade and I have Mercury in Virgo, meaning I can take a while to get things done to my satisfaction and I’m very detail-oriented 🧐 To me the Knight of Pentacles is a reminder that it’s OK to get lost in the weeds and not make progress as fast as people with a faster pace. It always reminds me of the phrase “slow and steady wins the race.”

Meg: oh i absolutely love that!!

🌈Nic: Also my absolute favorite person in the whole wide world is Cher, and when I met her she took my hand in hers and told me “keep going on your journey” so that card always reminds me of that interaction too 🤩

Nico: aaah!

Meg: OMG

🌈Nic: (Am I over that interaction, no. Will I ever be, also no.)

Meg: nor should you be!!

Since: not so much a question, but appreciation for all the thoughtful journal prompts. As someone who really procrastinates any journaling, I like that you give a lot of opportunities for more personalized correspondences to form through birth chart positions and reflection

Meg: oh i am so glad! thank you for saying that! i love journal prompts, both writing them and using them 🖤

i am wretched at just open journaling so prompts actually help me write things lol

🌈Nic: Open journaling is SO hard for me too

Nico: When reading for someone, how much, if at all, do you take into account their astrological chart? Do you feel like someone’s chart / big 3 / what-have-you affect the way cards might be interpreted?

Also we totally have time for more q’s, y’all! Don’t be shyyyy

Wren: Oh! That does make me wonder about your journey from doing self readings to doing tarot readings for other people. What was that process like for you? How did that happen?

Meg: ooh great question! i am very much not an astrologer so i don’t ever ask for people’s charts or really take that into account, although it’s not unusual for people to tell me their charts or let me know about major transits they’re going through when i’m working with them one-on-one. if i know someone has a certain astrological fingerprint and it feels relevant to mention it (like if they have an aquarius stellium and the star comes up) i will, but i usually don’t incorporate it into my readings

y’all are asking such good questions, thank you!! and it happened very organically tbh – when i got my first deck i swore up and down that i would never do readings. and for awhile i didn’t, but then friends started asking me to pull them a card, and it was good practice, and then enough people were asking that i just made a quick little website, and it all really snowballed from there 😂 it’s not a huge part of my business or practice, but i do really enjoy getting to share that language with others, and pull cards for people in a way that supports them wherever they are.

Heather Hogan (she/her): Meg who are some fictional witches you identify with? And do you think Katrina in Animal Crossing is scamming me?

Meg: katrina is a witch and i wouldn’t cross her

Nico: I love this question.

Meg: i’ve only watched the first four seasons so this might be a bad call but i always really related with julia from the magicians! (the show specifically)

Wren: I did not mean to super react. I do not know what super react means lol

Nico: And then, also, Meg, do you have any questions for us? Sometimes authors have used this to get feedback on a certain thing about their book or to ask about interest in future projects — or honestly you can ask us anything!

Meg: and i know she’s not generally labeled as a witch but i felt so connected to matilda. she feels like a witch to me! i found that book when i was a kid and related so hard to just wanted to read and be left alone to do my weird shit lol

Nico: I was just like HECK YES look at that sparkly cat.

Carmen (she/her): Matilda is totally a witch tho, right?

Meg: she’s totally a witch

🌈Nic: If Matilda’s not a witch then she at least caucuses with witches.

Meg: exactly!

Heather Hogan (she/her): Witches Who Didn’t Know It, Ranked by Lesbianism

Meg: my last one is stockard channing’s character in practical magic, just a gay auntie making margaritas and scaring the neighborhood. it’s all i ever wanted

Carmen (she/her): This is so, so good

Heather Hogan (she/her): I think those are so perfect for you!

Meg: thank you!!

questions for y’all, what a cool thing! i have so many projects percolating in my head to do next, so i guess i’ll just keep it general – is there anything about tarot that still feels really confusing, that you would welcome a class or workshop or e-book on? (it’s okay if i cover it in my book and that wasn’t enough! i won’t be offended!)

Heather Hogan (she/her): I honestly wish there was a Finding the Fool for the entire Major Arcana. I would spend a whole year doing that!

Wren: YES HEATHER

Nico: ooooh

Meg: (i’m working on a big set of email courses tied to each archetype, they’re just taking awhile! but that is totally a thing!)

Since: like Finding the Magician, the Empress, .. that’d be neat : )

Meg: yes exactly!

publishing takes forever so i’ve been thinking about classes instead!

omg these fancy reactions are EVERYTHING

Heather Hogan (she/her): Yessss! Before Finding the Fool, I was like, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself, you absolute buffoon!” And now I’m like, “C’mere and get a hug you hopeful dweeb.”

Meg: heather hogan you are perfect

ladyblanchester (she/her): I was going to save the book for summer, when my brain is better (I am a teacher) but Heather’s comment makes me want to dive right in!

Meg: you could certainly just like, read it? but most people just read the first sections and then use the rest as a reference, if that makes it not seem quite so overwhelming!

Heather Hogan (she/her): I also think it would be cool to learn about “making your own rules.” I might never have the confidence, but the way you talk about it, especially w/r/t coming from a rules church, is so aspirational.

Meg: also bless you for being a teacher, y’all are amazing
ooh i LOVE that

“live the tower: a guide to burning your life down”

or something lol

Heather Hogan (she/her): !

🌈Nic: Yess I always need confidence/encouragement around trusting myself and decision-making

Meg: i think i just renamed jeanna’s book by accident lmao

Nico: Flipping the Hierophant: a guide to setting the rules on fire

Meg: it’s a really hard thing! and i’m certainly no expert but i think it’s a little easier to stumble around when you’re not alone 🖤

OMG

my working title for that hierophant course is “the hierophant’s breakthrough” but that might be better tbh

naming things is impossible and also the best, weirdly

Nico: So with only 5 minutes left, I just wanna say thank you so much for being here with us tonight Meg. If anyone has any burning thoughts, speak now!

I was wondering, should we close out with a card pull?

🌈Nic: Omg please!

Heather Hogan (she/her): Oh great idea!

Meg: this has been so wonderful! and yes, i would be happy to pull a card! i’ve got my muse tarot right here

Nico: AND ALSO thank you to everyone for being here and bringing your awesome selves to this space.

kathryn (she/her): i’ve just been reading along and i wanted to say thank you to meg and everyone in the chat for such interesting questions and answers!!

🌈Nic: Thank you for moderating, Nico

Wren: Thank you all so, so much.

Carmen (she/her): Thank you everyone!!

This has been so great.

It’s always a joy to be in community with you all. And thank you @meg and @nknhall for leading us in this conversation. ❤️

Meg: so while i was shuffling i asked the cards what all of us gathered here might need to hear in this moment, and after shuffling i pulled the page of inspiration, which in this deck (the muse tarot) is the page of wands/fire! i absolutely love this curious, passionate student – they are someone that isn’t afraid of their own desires, who is eager to try even if they fail, who believes in their vision wholeheartedly even if they can feel it still taking form. all pages are rule-breakers, but the page of wands in particular is driven by their sense of inspiration and enthusiasm – they let their desire lead them forward, and see what they find along the way.

heather hogan (she/her): That is so beautiful! Thank you, Meg!

Nico: how perfect!

Meg: if you’re reading this, don’t be afraid to go after what you want, even if you’re still in the process of learning what that thing is! what lights you up, and what doors are opening for you? what feels exciting, in a way that has you craving more? how can you let what you don’t know serve as inspiration, instead of something to fear?

Nico: Thank you so much Meg!!

Meg: thank you all SO much for being here, and for asking so many thoughtful and generous questions! it’s been such a gift to do this 🖤

and thank you Nico for moderating so beautifully!

Nico: Alright, y’all are beautiful and awesome and I hope you take that Page of Wands / Inspiration with you into the night / day!

Heather Hogan (she/her): Thank you, Nico!

Nico: Server’s gonna poof out of existence soon, once I make sure the transcript is fully grabbed. That’ll publish on the site (in A+) likely next week!

Carmen (she/her): Poof!

🌈Nic: ✨