Carla Altomer provides weekly readings for Community Hubb. I sat down with her to learn a little more about this very special lady and about the art of Tarot reading.
What is it about Tarot that lead you to start dabbling in it –
I stumbled on tarot around 2015 or so, I dabbled in it just a bit, but never fully took on to its practice. At the time, it felt a little overwhelming, I wasn’t sure what I was doing or how to read the cards. I also had this stigma around the deck since I was brought up in a strict religious home. I found myself stashing my first tarot deck away, but becoming very interested in oracle cards. I used them as a form of guidance, especially when times were tough. I found immense comfort in drawing a card that would inherently resonate with me at the time. However, this practice came to a long pause once my life took a Tower moment in 2017, which came crashing down all around me. At this pivotal point, my focus was placed on how to put all the pieces back together and what or who was this new version of me going to be? My oracle cards collected dust and sat on my bookshelf, in my new home, as a newly single mother, never to be scattered out in front of me again for some time…
Years had gone by and I left that part of me tucked away. I had created this new version of myself, with my new family and although I still loved crystals and anything metaphysical or astrological, I felt disconnected and part of me worried that reopening that door would possibly welcome painful memories of my past. Then, in 2022, my current husband and I moved to Ghent, where we became property managers. I would work outdoors long hours of the day in the gardens weeding, mowing or taking care of our chickens while listening to mostly You Tube (usually daily or monthly tarot readings that I had subscribed to for inspiration). Until one day I started listening to a podcast, A Psychic’s Story, which quite literally was the game changer for me.
I felt so connected to Nichole, the podcast host, as she interviewed different “ordinary” people and their experiences touching on subjects involving angels, guides, higher self, the Universe and God. It really felt like this was the puzzle piece that had I been missing and I couldn’t get enough of listening to each podcast she recorded; it was literally the highlight of my day. At this point in my life, although I was happy and couldn’t ask for a better partner and my kid was thriving and smiling….I was personally battling with so much anxiety and felt guilty because I was feeling so lost yet had so much to be grateful for. Then, I listened to an episode on the podcast that featured Pat Longo, who began sharing with Nichole about her published book “The Gifts Beneath Your Anxiety; Simple Spiritual Tools to Find Peace, Awaken the Power Within, and Heal Your Life” which has become a manual for those seeking an understanding around what an empath really is, how to connect to your inner spiritual self and how to protect and ground yourself. After listening to her, the seed had been planted. Her story had me recounting my experiences with my own intuition, how I naturally (but not really natural since it was unexplainable) just know things out of the blue and how indeed my premonitions or these “knowing” episodes would hold true. I had been told by handful of people along the way that I was very intuitive and very sensitive, however, I wasn’t quite sure what this meant or how to even use it. It wasn’t something (and isn’t something) I can just call forward or tap into. It just happens at times, like a small voice that chimes in at any given point. I never viewed this as a large piece of myself or that it was important to recognize or respect. Pat goes on to explain in her book (which I immediately bought) how those that are intuitive or sensitive tend to suffer greatly from anxiety. This was like a light being turned on within; it made me realize that this intuitive side may be worth exploring and that I owe it to myself. This is where my journey began and this is when I started to dabble in tarot. Mainly as a tool for myself, a journey of trusting my intuition and how that might feel. A lot came up, the guilt around simply handling a deck, and the guilt that I claimed to be intuitive at all. This is how I was born though. This is how all of us were born. Each of us is intuitive after all! 
Then you started taking it seriously. Did you find any changes in your life whileembarking on learning Tarot card reading?
Oh yes! The best change is that my anxiety has nearly all but dissipated. I cannot truly put it into words how this happened with tarot or why, but it has helped me become more at peace and in tune with myself. It has also taught me to let go and trust the Universe, as well as my personal guides and angels. The tarot has quite literally become like a best friend to me. In fact I have a deck that speaks to me just like a best friend, full of insight. This journey started out as strictly a personal and private one. I still am a bit shy to share with others in person my story or to offer to do a reading. I am still learning and I am pretty sure I will never call myself a professional tarot reader since I feel this will be a never ending journey of discovery. I didn’t take up tarot initially to read for others or as a means to make money. This was an experiment of sorts to see where it would take me personally, an adventure of exploring who I was and what tarot could reveal. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I haven’t placed any expectations on it, even now. But what I do now know is that tarot isn’t about predicting the future (as much as myth might say). But it is a tool to gain instant access to our intuition. Tarot is the story book of our life, the mirror to our soul and the key to our inner wisdom.
Did you then view your life differently? Has it helped you? How will it help others?
I do view life differently and I wish I had been brave enough to take up tarot earlier than I have. However, I trust in divine timing. In 2015 I had embarked in creating an all natural skincare line with my best friend, we had no clue that handling herbs and diving into medicinal properties and working with the mother earth would lead us to the path that completely changed our way of living, thinking and embarking on a spiritual path that we had never thought of exploring. This was an awakening of sorts. But at that time, I wasn’t ready to embark the path I am on now. Subconsciously I knew tarot would somehow make its way into my life and that is why I initially fell in love with its cousin, the oracle. Have you ever noticed that sometimes it’s the things that we find ourselves opposed to or nervous around that are indeed what we need in our life? Everyone’s path is different and we enter at all different stages of our life. The seeds were planted years ago and I feel that this “new” (or old) adventure may be one that I will treasure most or amongst one of the top. It is all starting to make sense, looking back and seeing all the pieces come together. When I sit down to pull cards and really get into my space, the calm, I can most compare it to meditation. I feel centered and relaxed. I find myself more open to what life has to offer. It is in these moments, looking at the cards that come up, that I do a lot of retrospect and even mull over what different angles the cards advice could be.
Once I took the initiative to get serious about learning tarot and enrolled myself into a tarot course, simply for fun, it happened rather quickly that the Universe gave me a sign that this was the path I was meant to be on and that it was time. I felt like I was returning to a part of myself that I had missed, but with completely new energy, and on a much happier vibration. My husband knew I missed creative writing (I used to write articles for the Columbia Insider year ago) and saw a post on a Facebook group looking for someone to help with a website as well as creating articles. He mentioned the post to me and at this point I was pretty busy with running my own business, plus the new property management position, but I loved that he took the initiative to give me this gentle nudge to possibly start writing again. So I decided to respond to the post and Heather, the creator behind The Community Hubb web forum (where you are at currently) and I connected and instantly hit it off. I was tossing it out there that I loved astrology and then next thing I knew she wanted me to write collective messages for her readers! Once again I found solace in knowing that there was a much larger plan in play here, and in trusting the Universe, I knew that I was only just beginning my Fools journey. It has brought me so much pleasure to be a part of this group and the opportunity to meet new people. Writing each article I say a little intention before typing the message and sending it along to Heather in hopes that it touches whoever needs it. This has become very therapeutic for me, but in return has also forced me to come out of my shell and be confident again!
Can you use Tarot readings to help others in their journeys to “find themselves” and maybe even quit some bad habits?
My wish is that everyone might own their own tarot deck in the future. Anyone has the capability to become a tarot reader or to read tarot cards. I think that we are entering a time where finding a tarot deck on someone’s coffee table isn’t as taboo as maybe it once was and now it is almost becoming a conversational piece. Like I mentioned, tarot is a tool that has helped me find that calm I needed and has literally taken anxiety off the table. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is curious in tapping into their intuition or needing some advice around those trickier life questions. I find myself lost in the tarot for hours at a time…which I think is much better than scrolling through social media (I am totally a sucker over here). It also had connected me more deeply with the Universe, gratitude and has become such a huge part in my spiritual practice.
Every morning I have a ritual where I pull one card. I journal the card and jot down what my thoughts are regarding the card, the emotions that may come up or maybe what I think it might pertain to or what may play out. The fun part is at the end of the day, returning to your journal and jotting down how the card showed up for you in your day!
Tarot doesn’t need to be a serious faced endeavor and you do not need to adhere to some set of rules or guidelines. It has definitely brought out the childlike curiosity in me and has at times told me to lose the death grip and go have some fun!
Have you had any negative experiences during the readings? And why?
The only negative experience would be when the “scarier” cards pop up in a reading; I would get a bit like “OH NO”. But for instance:
- The Death card doesn’t necessarily mean someone dying. This could relate to the death of a way of thinking, the end to a chapter in your life or the end of an era, etc.
- Ten of Swords as scary as it may look is another ending (signified by the number 10) and maybe the situation is indeed bleak, but it speaks more so to the way we handle the situation internally or our mind set. Swords are all about the mind, the clarity or the lack there of.
- The Tower card looks crazy and dramatic. However this speaks to big life changes, it doesn’t necessarily have to be good or bad, but an upheaval. This card came up in a reading before our last big move to Chatham. It was simply a forewarning that change is in the air.
- The Devil card, as someone that comes from a religious upbringing, this card rattled me a bit. But now I know that it can mean intense passion, desires and maybe a little spice lol. But it can also mean addiction or other darker tendencies.
As I have grown as a reader, I know that there are no evil or bad cards in tarot per say. The tarot are divided into 22 Major Arcana cards representing life’s karmic and spiritual lessons and the other 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations that we experience on a daily basis. The cards together create stories and as we all know, you have to have the good and the bad to reflect reality.
Some people are skeptical of the validity of Tarot – what would you say to them?
I would encourage them to learn about tarot for themselves, if they are open to it. I do not believe in forcing anything on anyone, you have to be ready. I too was skeptical which stemmed from a combination of my upbringing, readings I had from other readers in the past and I am naturally one to be a bit on guard (I think this has to do with the fact that I am sensitive and can feel when energy is off, which I have now come to trust). One reader told me that I would need to pay her an exuberant amount of money because she claimed to have opened a “portal” and only she could close it if I paid her a certain amount. That of course left a very bad taste in my mouth and my skepticism only increased from there.
But like I said, it is all in divine timing that I became curious about tarot once again. And instead of getting readings done, I decided to teach myself and sought someone who I felt I could trust and had credible ratings and reviews to help guide the process. The only way I knew (and now know) tarot is credible is because the cards have proved themselves trustworthy in readings I have done for myself. And why is that? It is because I am simply taping into my own intuition and life source. This is why tarot is such a great tool when it comes to solidifying the trust between the two; you and your intuition. I know myself now better than I ever have!
Where can we find you in the future (Facebook? Instagram?)
Currently you can only find me here on the Community Hubb sharing my messages and now offering readings to those that are looking for that little bit of guidance. Eventually, I foresee the possibility of creating a website in the hopes to one day even teach others how to utilize tarot for themselves. I have a few ideas up my sleeve; I am a dreamer of sorts for sure. To me the opportunities are endless! But, I am definitely not selfish in this practice; I think everyone should be practicing. The best guidance you can get is from your higher self and tuning into universal truth. So stay tuned, this is only the beginning.
Do you have any experiences in life prior to embarking on Tarot reading – that
you know you would probably have never had to gone through had you been practicing at the time?
Well, let’s just say I wish I had the insight of the tarot for sure at certain times in my life. Would I have taken heed on what came up or the advice given, I am not sure. That is why tarot cannot predict the future, it can only provide guidance if we remain on the same path. It can help us foresee obstacles ahead and give insight to how to best approach a situation or give us the ability to change paths to avoid certain obstacles. But it would have been interesting to see what the tarot had to say during those rough patches in my life for sure (my divorce) and for the beautiful moments as well (the birth of my son or finding my current husband). I am grateful to have this tool now though and I do not just save the tarot for the bigger questions (changing careers, moving or large life decisions), I use it for the simple and silly stuff too! Like “should I eat pizza today or stick to a salad”, lol! You never know what may come up! That is the fun of it!