Three Questions with Jason Ash
I think my friend, Jason Ash, is a very insightful tarot reader. He agreed to answer three questions for me. It was no surprise for me to learn that he loves the Gaian Tarot, a deck that combines magic and wisdom with everyday life, much like Jason himself. Learn more about the Gaian Tarot (it’s on sale now!) HERE.
Jason Ash is a tarot reader in the Detroit Metro area. He grew up with the cards, reading them from the time he was a teenager. He believes that the cards challenge us to see the world in new ways, creating the clarity and insight we need to make our best decisions. He enjoys working collaboratively with clients and can often be found reading at the Boston Tea Room in Ferndale, Michigan. He reads for clients in person and over the phone. You can schedule an appointment by calling 248.548.1415, or reach him directly at tarotjay@gmail.com. You can also find on twitter as @tarotjay.
1. What is your favorite thing about being a tarot reader?
I love that I get to be present with the big questions on my clients’ minds. It seems like underneath every relationship question is the underlying desire to know “Am I loved?” Underneath every question about career seems to be the question: “Am I doing the right thing with my life?” Every human being has considered or worried about these things at some point in our lives. Love and work are just two examples; the beautiful thing about reading tarot is working with people on exploring the things that make us human. Tarot is about our needs, desires and goals. Being able to help people with these questions is amazing.
2. What advice do you have for people just starting in tarot?
There is a lot of good advice out there for new readers. One of the most important pieces of advice is to journal your readings. You’ll be recording things that are happening to you and the big questions in your life. In addition, you can check and see how what you saw in the cards manifested. And that’s important as it allows you to refine your understanding of the cards. Another good piece of advice is to read as often as you can and as much as you can. Reading tarot is a skill and it takes practice. The more you read, the better you’ll get.
The last thing I would tell new readers: Don’t get too caught up on whether the tarot is a tool for fortune telling or for personal exploration. I once saw a speaker who said the purpose of scientific research is to “control and predict the future.” That quote has stuck with me as I think that is often why people see psychics, mediums and tarot readers. We all want to be able to predict and control the future. But by understanding ourselves, I believe that we see more clearly what is going on around us and where the situations and people in our lives are headed. Remember that above the Oracle at Delphi was inscribed, “Know Thyself.” Ultimately, the purpose of divination is to gain wisdom, and that wisdom can be self-understanding, understanding of the present and understanding what may come. In other words, my answer to the question on whether the tarot is used to understand the self or to tell the future is: Yes to both. By understanding ourselves and by exercising our self-control, we shape our future.
3. What is your favorite Llewellyn or Lo Scarabeo deck and why?
I have fallen in love with the Gaian Tarot Deck by Llewellyn. This deck is just brimming with love of nature and people. I really enjoy decks that weave in images of contemporary life, and the Gaian Tarot has people or places that I feel I know in real life. I really like the pip cards as I feel they are re-imagined in an original way while remaining intuitive and accessible to both experienced and new tarot readers.
