This post and the accompanying video are a broad topic I’ve been thinking about for months. In fact they were a precursor to considering another channel and launching this blog. What did I want to get out of the experience for myself, and how was I going to focus my output on something other than consumption? It’s also a response to conversations I’ve been having with friends who have had channels for years. The perennial dilemma of “I’m running out of things to talk about” appears from time to time when you’ve been in a niche for a while. What’s new, other than decks? Sometimes it feels like the answer is “not much”.
Walkthroughs, reviews, comparisons, and deck-parade tags are also some of the easiest and most popular videos to make, so it can be difficult to motivate to make other kinds of content. This is very much true of YouTube, but can apply to other social media platforms as well. And while I do find walkthroughs and reviews valuable when I want to see what’s new in publishing, I don’t want it to be the primary focus of my own space. So I’ve been asking myself what else I can bring to the conversation, and how to do so in a way that’s not deck-dependent.
In addition to the suggestions below I’d like to point to recent videos from @EmmaytheGrey and @Tamipie, and @LadyKaraTarot have been making their own series of tarot activities that anyone can do (channel or no-channel) to dig deeper and expand our understanding of tarot. Like theirs, some of the suggestions I’ve made here are not free, but none of them are about buying decks.
Learning Resources
Best Free Resources: Give me your favorite free worksheet or guide, YouTube channels with tutorials or sample readings, podcasts, blogs. Whether it’s reading the cards in general, or a more focused approach to specific systems, cartomancy history, techniques, study guides or series around a specific deck; there’s a lot out there and I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface.
Book Reviews: We see tons of first impressions and walkthroughs for decks, but I’d love to know more about books. If you’ve read the entire guidebook for a deck, worked with it for a while, compared it with other guidebooks and found it particularly insightful in a way that would distinguish the helpful information from the dross. Or perhaps there are more general divination books, workbooks, or tarot history books that folks have found particularly insightful or helpful. We seem to keep recommending the same 3-5 resources for the various “systems” on repeat. While I can appreciate a classic, I’m wondering what else is out there that’s good.
Stretch My Mind: Speaking of books, I want to know what folks who have been studying and reading intensively for 5 years or more have been finding helpful to deepen and expand their understanding of tarot or other cartomancy traditions. I’m thinking of authors like Camille Elias, who takes a sharp turn off the traditional tarot teachings with her stark and Zen-informed approach to reading. I’ve heard a lot of praise for Charlie Claire Burgess’ reframing of the cards in Radical Tarot, and I’m looking forward to reading Tom Benjamin’s latest book, The Modern Fortune-Teller’s Field Guide (when my mom finally returns it!). I know there are also resources that are tarot-adjacent, such as art history books, books on Renaissance philosophy and religion, folk and fairy tales, and others. What has helped you to see cartomancy, specific cards, or divination in a new light, or connect it with the culture you’re more familiar with?
Community Building
Resurrect a Tag: I did this myself recently with the #DeckRecheck. Tags are a great way for us to build community, and for those who are new to TarotTube to learn about each other and participate in some perennial conversations that crop up in cycles. One way to find these tags is to locate a favorite channel and go back a few years into their history. Look for tags they did from 3, 4, or more years ago and respond. You’ll likely inspire others to respond as well, and it’s a way to bring everyone’s opinions together. Many of these older tags include topics like ethics, reading styles, aesthetics, favorite resources, and telling our personal stories around divination.
Event Reviews: Tell us about a conference, event, or class. I’m aware of a handful of conferences and several people who offer online courses, but I don’t think I’ve ever come across a review of any of these. I want to know your experience if you’ve attended! How did the instructional format support your learning, what were the socializing and networking opportunities like, what surprised you, how was the food? Perhaps some folks feel odd “reviewing” others who also have a presence on TarotTube, as many of the well-known presenters and authors do. It’s ok to offer your opinions about how an event or class did or didn’t meet expectations, how it impacted your thoughts on reading, and who you think would benefit from attending a similar event. In fact, it could be very valuable for the person who’s seen flagging attendance at their workshops, or for the bigger events that are trying to attract consistent audiences.
Interviews: Interviews and collaborative conversations are fun and interesting and can take many forms. There are formal interviews with famous tarot thinkers, such as Justin Michael’s Titans of Tarot and special-topic series like Imogen’s (@SaplingTarot) The Cards We’re Dealt on divination and neurodivergence. The Three Girls, One Deck crew does Three Girls, One Guest where the invited person introduces a topic of discussion. I’ve seen a number of channels pair up to respond to a tag together. Taking this idea further, Sarah from Tangy Tarot interviews her off-screen friends by walking them through her #AsiansOnTarotTube prompts.
There is a lot of fertile material here. Many decks from the 1980’s, 1990’s and later were created by artists who are still alive. Many of these people have websites and would be fairly easy to reach out to; I’m sure they’d be flattered to be approached decades after their tarot limelight has faded. You could review your local metaphysical shop, and interview the owner. Or reach out to your favorite YouTube person, the one who inspired you to pick up tarot again, and ask them to appear on your channel. The worst that will happen is they will be flattered and gently say no, in which case you can approach someone else.
Reading in Practice
Favorite Spread: Give an overview and explanation of a spread, then demonstrate with a sample reading or two. I don’t see a problem sharing a spread from bigger collection; this is excerpting for the purposes of review. Better yet, make up your own spread designed to answer a specific type of question. Turn it into a tag and it serves the dual purpose of building community too.
Most Interesting Cards: Here I’m not just talking about cards you find beautiful, or that resonate with your favorite interpretation. I’m interested in imagery or descriptive writing that broke open your understanding of a particular card. Perhaps when you started you always struggled to identify with the Emperor or the High Priestess; maybe you kept mixing up Judgement and Justice. Or perhaps you just couldn’t see why the 2 of Cups was so similar to The Lovers. Then, after seeing this card or reading that description, it suddenly made sense. You could go card-by-card through the whole deck like this and have 78 video ideas.
Share Sample Readings: Yes, I know, your readings are “too personal”. You don’t have to share your personal readings! Pretend you’re reading for someone else – your past self, your future self, your relative or friend, your partner or your pet. Or make up a fake person with relatable problems and read for them. I’m not interested in the juicy details of your personal struggles, I just want to see how you read. Tom Benjamin does a lot of sample readings and I’ve learned so much watching his videos over the years. Along with this you can explore how the different factors of a reading change it. Read the same question and cards with different decks. Or read the same deck with different questions. One tag from 2025 that explored some of these ideas is #DoesTheDeckMatter.
Court Cards: This topic can be a stumbling block for experienced and novice readers alike. How do you view the court cards? Do you have a general framework of attributes that you fall back on? How did you learn them; what are techniques or resources that have helped you get more familiar with them? You could demonstrate a minors-only or courts-only spread to delve into this topic further.
New Deck Work: How do you get comfortable with a new deck, especially one with a different system, weird imagery, or additional correspondences overlayed? Do you do deck interviews? Engage in a frequent and intense series of readings? Do you read the guidebook cover to cover or consult as needed? At what stage would you use a new deck to read for others? (I’ll admit to asking friends if I can try out a new deck on them for practice. It works well!) Dawn Michelle and Tarot Magpie have provided guides for how they study a new deck and I’m sure there are other methods we can enjoy around this process.
Non-Traditional Decks: How do you use decks that are non-traditional or that have added correspondences (plant decks, symbolic decks, art decks, astrological decks). Show examples of readings (for imaginary people or celebrities if you need to). Tell us about your genre or system pairings and how that informs a reading. For example, why and how to you pair a plant deck and a crystal magic deck, or a vampire deck with a literary deck? What spreads or questions do you use when putting tarot and oracle together, or multiple tarots or oracles in one spread? This isn’t necessarily about touting one specific deck as a must-have, but showing how different styles reveal information that wouldn’t otherwise appear in a reading.
Dissecting Divination
How do you use tarot? Are you a one-card-pull in the morning person, an end-of-day reflector? Do you pull cards on specific days or for specific events, or just when the mood strikes? How do you choose which deck(s) to use? Do you use pre-defined spread positions, no spreads, a mix? If you don’t use spreads how do you decide the number of cards or layout? What types of questions do you ask, and which ones do you avoid, and why?
Reading Step-by-Step: In agonizing detail, walk me through a reading. How do you set the mood, focus your mind? If you read for others, how do you help them to relax and concentrate? Where do you sit; what’s the lighting like; is there sound? What do you think about before you read and as you shuffle the cards? How do you shuffle and choose the cards? If you read for others, do you involve them in the choosing process? How do you explain to the other person what to expect during the reading, and how do you wrap up the experience and send them on their way at the end?
Mechanics of Intuition: How do divination and intuition work? “Who” are you asking the questions to, “who” answers, and how? There was some chatter about this a few years ago and an interesting thread about psychic ability and the “clairs” started to develop. I’d like to pick up that topic and see folks expand on it.
Modes of Reading: If you read for others, what modes do you use? In-person, live video call, recorded video/audio, written? How does that work for you? Are there benefits or difficulties with particular modes, or ones that you won’t do? If so, why is that? Along with this, I’d love to hear any other observations or advice you have from experiences reading for others, especially when it’s a for-hire event (private parties, readings at shops, readings at public events, markets, or festivals). What have you learned that you wish you’d known in the beginning?
Ethics of Reading: For ourselves, how do we cut through our biases rather than enhancing and protecting them? When reading for others, how do we talk to our clients and support their needs without controlling or manipulating them? How do we think about ethical consumption, such as supporting artists who are ethical, or who support ethical causes.
Arts & Crafts
Art Project: I know many people have mentioned coloring their own tarot, but not many people have shown their fished projects. Let’s see them! Or if you are designing a deck talk us through that process. How are you making your creative decisions? Even if it’s just-for-you, it would be fun to learn from your experiments. Along these lines, Juli of Peekaboo Rose discussed making her own tarot tiles.
Perfect Accessory: If you know how to sew bags or create wraps or covers to match a deck please share. Perhaps you’ve made your own spread cloth or reading board. Or maybe you have a tarot travel kit that makes it easier to read on the go or at events.
Deck Modifiers: Show how you’ve modified a deck to enhance its aesthetics or usability. I’ve trimmed, edged, and de-silvered decks to make them easier to handle or more characterful. Some folks (including Juli, again) have added colors, altered the titles or made other modifications to certain card packs to make the readings more cohesive and intuitive.
Documenting is Fun: For all the nerds and data hounds out here, show us how you track your collection, your wishlist, your readings for yourself, your readings for others, your learning from classes, books and other resources.
I hope this list is inspiring you to think about trying some new content on your channel. I can’t promise it will be the most popular, but I think it will be fun to learn from each other in this way.
