Tarot for the Intrepid
A Collective Reading From Venus of the Mind
Venus of the Mind is a weekly newsletter designed for lovers of beauty, culture, and magic. New to Venus? Start Here. Looking for the archives? Right Here.
Inside the Collective Tarot Reading for February 2026
~ Naming My Teachers
~ What Makes a Reader?
~ Notes on Scope
~ Our Collective Card for February
~ The Messages Within Our Card: Interpretations and Journal Prompts
~ Accessing the Energies of Our Card in Everyday Life
What is always needed in the appreciation of art, or life, is the larger perspective. Connections made, or at least attempted, where none existed before, the straining to encompass in one’s glance at the varied world the common thread, the unifying theme through immense diversity, a fearlessness of growth, of search, or looking, that enlarges the private and the public world. And yet, in our particular society, it is the narrowed and narrowing view of life that often wins.
In Search of Out Mother’s Gardens: “The Importance of Models in the Artist’s Life”, by Alice Walker
Naming My Teachers
All knowledge exists in an ever-expanding web of lineages. Often, those lineages are cross-cultural. Especially when mystic practices are involved.
Before I give us a reading, I must first name my tarot teachers. Some I’ve interacted with directly, one on one. Others I’ve only learned from through their various creative projects and study materials. All have been guiding me for some time now, one for almost seven years.
Wil — with one L. My first tarot friend who set me on the path. ❣️
What Makes a Reader?
When it comes to interpreting the tarot, I’m of the opinion that solid readers are those who know what it’s like to be cracked open by grief and who are practiced in rebirthing themselves after loss. Loss of identity, loss of loved ones, loss of home, etc. The tarot tells a story of a paradise lost, found, and lost again, all on the way to an enlightenment that lands us right back at the sacred zero — an abyss of possibility.
How can one speak to the full spectrum of the arcana without being able to hold the conflict of all the card’s shadows just as much as their light?
Grief is joy’s teacher.
Joy is grief’s mirror.
I also believe that if you enjoy looking at the moon, star-gazing, admiring plant life, bird watching, returning to the same poem, spending hours with select pieces of art, or even taking kids seriously and hearing what they have to say, then you may also enjoy exploring the tarot. Meditating on a card’s imagery is the same as close reading a select literary passage or actively listening to a loved one tell you about their latest obsession for the umpteenth time. There are layers of meaning in a card’s image waiting to be revealed through determined and studied attention.
Notes on Scope
What This Reading Practice Is Not
This reading is not prescriptive.
This reading is not about if you should text your ex. That is not my ministry.
This reading is not a substitution for your intuition.
What This Reading Practice Is
This reading is an invitation to play.
This reading is about flirting with the unseen. Maybe the Universe will wink back.
This reading is an opportunity to explore something ancient that’s always been with us.
With our scope set, let’s see what was revealed.