The Call of the Fool: How Carrie found Tarot

Here is My Origin Story…

I didn’t realize until later in life that I had always just known things. From a young age, I trusted my instincts, and they saved me from bad situations more than once. Still, I never thought of it as anything special. I didn’t grow up in a home or community where concepts like mediumship or spiritual gifts were embraced. Those kinds of things simply weren’t accessible to me.

Compared to most people I knew in my rural midwestern town, my relationship with religion was pretty unconventional, and referring to it as “spirituality” would have drawn a few sideways glances. Still, I always felt a quiet pull toward something more. I often had a strong inner sense about people, situations, and sometimes even major events that I couldn’t explain.

As I traveled in my 20s and 30s, meeting new people and teachers, I began to see patterns I couldn’t ignore. The number of uncanny “coincidences” piled up, nudging me toward embracing this part of myself I had kept quietly tucked away.

Tarot entered my life through one of those coincidences. My husband and I were on a trip when I stumbled across a Groupon for a tarot reading. Curious, I booked us each a session — just for fun. But what I received in that reading wasn’t just entertainment. The insights and messages struck me deeply. They resonated. I knew there was wisdom and connection in the cards and I was hooked.

Still, it took another year or two before I bought my own deck. I didn’t yet believe I had a gift, and I never wanted to be disingenuous or misguided. But I was drawn to the cards, their imagery, symbolism, and storytelling, and I felt a persistent pull to connect with spirit.

Around that time, I also began diving deeper into spiritual studies. I’ve trained in shamanic journeying through sacred drumming, am attuned in both Reiki I and II, and have explored numerology, astrology, quantum physics, spell work, pendulums, and psychometry. I deeply enjoy sound healing and consider myself a lifelong student of meditation.

When I finally started reading tarot for myself, it was only for me. But one thing led to another. Soon I was reading for family, then friends. After my Reiki II attunement, something shifted. I started to notice I was receiving messages. During Reiki sessions, I’d often work with bees or feel the presence of angels in the room. I began to trust the subtle nudges from spirit. And the more I trusted, the clearer the messages became. People would tell me the insights I shared resonated deeply, or that events I had described came to pass.

As I grew more aware of these gifts, I was met with equal parts excitement and self-doubt. Am I really doing this? Am I just making it up? I practiced by reading for my husband, trusting that in his safe presence, I could speak freely. Still, I was nervous to share clairvoyant messages with others, until one reading changed that.

During a session with a friend, a spirit appeared almost immediately. I told them to wait until the end of the reading if they wanted me to share anything — What if I was wrong? What if my friend didn’t know this person and I just sounded crazy? Sure enough, as I was wrapping up, the spirit returned like “we had a deal!” I took a deep breath and described who I was seeing; their appearance was distinct. My friend grew teary and quietly confirmed it was his grandmother; the woman who had raised him. It was a deeply emotional moment, and a powerful confirmation for us both.

Today, I would describe myself primarily as claircognizant (clear knowing) and clairsentient (clear feeling), though I occasionally receive visual messages (clairvoyance). Sometimes it’s a loved one on the other side, sometimes it’s a spirit guide wanting to connect. This is a gift I’m still developing, one I believe will continue to evolve as I share it more widely.

Like the Fool — the first card in the tarot deck — we are all on a journey, leaping into the unknown. Along the way, we experience great joys, deep sorrows, challenges that shape us, and opportunities to heal. I believe we each carry gifts meant to be shared. My deepest wish is that mine can support others in their own growth and healing.

It’s vulnerable to step into this role, but I feel ready. I trust that if I follow my instincts, stay grounded, and continue to serve with integrity, this path will continue to unfold in beautiful ways.

Life has a remarkable way of placing exactly what we need on our path at exactly the right moment. The Meraki Collective was born out of one of those moments. The right people showed up, and the vision became real.

So here we are. Get ready, Fool—it’s time to jump.

With deep love and gratitude,

Carrie