Rachel Pollack, Titans of Tarot, Interview

This is the first interview in my Titans of Tarot series featuring Rachel Pollack on Wednesday, September 2 2020. It is unedited (aside from the white screen in the begging). This is our entire conversation from start to finish.
A Special Thank You to Rachel Pollack who is my hero and an inspiration to so many of us in the tarot community. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for watching!

[@kae-michaelsmith3440]

Loved the advice from Rachel:- 1. Pay attention 2. Love the cards and they will love you back.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Kae-Michael Smith great advice too! Thanks for watching💚

[@recoverbygrowing2068]

I’m currently reading “A Walk Through The Forest Of Souls” and decided to look up Rachel Pollack. This video came up and I’m so glad I came across this. Great interview!!!

[@debashisde1184]

Absolutely scintillating interview and skirts a lot of key points from a deep deep well of knowledge from the Collective consciousness. Both real and wonderful conversations. Sensing Racheal light and healing thoughts during a sifficult and testing time she is going through. Light, Life and Love

[@conradsteyn5034]

Oh my word Justin. Congrats on this stunning interview. Rachael has been a long time hero of mine, really good to hear her in person. A true validation of your great channel.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Thanks Conrad my friend.! That was kind of you to say. I’m glad you enjoyed. It was special for me. Truly humbling and special moment 💚

[@lotuswands]

what a wonderful conversation! I'm currently reading her Kabbalah Tree, miss her in the world, grateful for her work and chats such as this one, thanks Justin! 🧡

[@justinmichaeltarot]

@@lotuswands thank you. A treasure trove of memories 💙 She is a blessing to us all

[@lotuswands]

@@justinmichaeltarot Agreed! do you know that very personal slide-talk she did for some students called Transgender magic and the Tarot? Also on YT about 2 years after she came on to yr channel, it is magical 🌻

[@justinmichaeltarot]

@@lotuswands I have to look that up. I’ve never seen it. Anything she did was magic. She lived a magical life

[@MarwanElkordy]

Wow Justin, very few people bring up Sufi Islam in this context. I commend you on the open mindedness and reaching this far. What a gift this interview is!!!

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Marwan Elkordy thank you for that.. You know I had a class on “Islam in Asia” in college with a wonderful professor who inspired me to learn about Sufism.. He assigned a book on Sufism by Annmarie Schimmel though I can not recall the title.. And when I saw that she wrote the Mystery of Numbers (which John Opsopaus recommends in his Guide to the Pythagorean Tarot) I was intrigued because I remembered enjoying her book on Sufism so much... Mystery of Numbers is a fantastic book which helped me develop more of an understanding of Numbers as Archetypes, in a cross cultural sense. It helped me with pip reading tremendously.. This book draws on many of the worlds cultures and traditions. Its one of my favorite books ever. I’m really happy you enjoyed this interview. It was really special for me. ☘️

[@MarwanElkordy]

@@justinmichaeltarot Habibi Justin (in Arabic this means My Dear). Again, I love your energy and wish to connect with you, if it's not too pushy. I am a Muslim, 48 years old, Married to a Lovely Catholic, been a sufi - student- all my life , and fell in Love with Tarot in 2017, my wife and I both Love Tarot and I am sincerely wanting to do an interview with you (not for the money or monetization) to show my lovely loyal following the knowledge you have to offer. There is so much misinformation about Tarot these days! Those two interviews are such a validation for me. Please do share an email, I am very old school, so I don't have much presence on social media. Would you email me privately please? [e-mail] would love to ask you a few questions.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Marwan Elkordy oh wow I’m honored!! I will send you an email as soon as I get back from the gym.. I am [e-mail] btw. Feel free to email me anytime as well.

[@MarwanElkordy]

@@justinmichaeltarot Thanks Justin. Take your time and enjoy the gym. I am going to put some thoughts together and email you. Much appreciated my friend! Much Love to you and yours.

[@rickhencye2677]

Great interview. I found you through Vincent. I'm going to subscribe. Thanks for sharing.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Rick Hencye thanks Ricky!!! Glad you enjoyed it!! Excited to have you on board☘️

[@sotadecopas4956]

Love this interview! Nice work

[@ElementalCartomancy]

Absolutely spectacular interview. Thank you so much to you both for this i loved every second and was completely gripped. I could have sat and listening to you both speaking all day long 🥰

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Elemental Cartomancy thanks Chris!! Your support in this project was invaluable and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart my friend

[@ab-zg8pt]

Whoa THIS is THE Rachel Pollack! I have her books on the Haindl Tarot (going to be a while before I tackle it but had to get them for the deck!!!)!!! Back to watching the interview!

[@justinmichaeltarot]

the one and only.🙏 I have volume one of the Haindl tarot books. I need to get the second. Haindl is going to be my 2022 deck.Thanks for watching my friend 💙

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Be sure and watch my second interview with her as well. She recently came back to discuss 78 degrees of Wisdom

[@alephtheseeker3537]

Justin, I am late in discovering this terrific interview. Many of us are strongly inspired by Rachael's incredible books. Thanks for gaining an interview with our hero.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Ahh thank you my friend!! It’s my pleasure! I interviewed her a second time and we talk about 78 degrees!! That’s also a great interview

[@LilyGazou]

Stellar interview. I just read her 78 Degrees book and Sally’s Jungian Tarot recently. It’s very hard to get any such books on the topic through our library here. And there is always a wait list. I hope I can find 78 Degrees at a used book store.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Thank you soo much!! This interview will always be special to me. I also love Jung and the Tarot!!

[@TarotbythePines]

Wow, Justin! You handled this interview extremely well - I would have been so star struck with the legend herself! How she got into tarot is an interesting story. Thanks for sharing this iconic moment with us. Hope all is well 💚

[@justinmichaeltarot]

ReadingsWithJason thanks so much Jason.. one of the most memorable and special moments of my life for sure. She is very down to earth and a kind soul so I felt comfortable as I’m sure you would have. She has that effect on people 💚 thank you my friend

[@SueC963]

Amazing! Loved every second 🧡💚🧡💚

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Sue C. Thank you so much!!

[@WaterChildTarot]

This was a great interview, Justin. Thank you Rachel Pollack for continuing to share your tarot wisdom with us.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Thanks Sarah💚

[@vanceeiiot2403]

Very exciting to see you interviewing tarot people " thanks.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Mario Molina thabks Mario. I had a lot of fun with Rachel 💚

[@vanceeiiot2403]

@@justinmichaeltarot 💞🍁👍

[@DeeVination]

Love that she mentions tarot was originally a spiritual structure prior to being used for games and goes into a bit of the history. Totally agree that moving forward the desire to have physical decks wont change much regardless of how many apps or digital products there are available. "If you love the tarot it will love you back" great quote. Totally agree with her view on using astrology, chakras, etc... with cards. I don't like to change clients questions but I do prefer more specific type questions. I love her stories, she's a great story teller. This was so great Justin. You have the perfect voice for interviews, podcasts, radio etc... Are you planning on doing more interviews? If so, I look forward to watching and listening. Thanks for this, it was great.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

DeeVination awww thank you.. I think so.. My plan was always to do something more conversational but for multiple reasons in the past I was a bit limited.. I’d like to do it more for sure. Wasn’t her info great? I actually re-listened myself just to process it all. I’m so grateful to her for doing this!! And thank you for your kind words of support💚

[@jackiejacaranda888]

Loved this, was like a book I couldn’t put down lol. Now going to bed at 2.50 am - whoops 🤣 Good job I’m not working tomorrow 🙏🏼💜

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Jackie Jacaranda glad you liked it Jackie! She is so interesting.. She is actually giving a lecture on Tarot and the Mysteries in November 15. I put the link in my latest video chat... I got my ticket!!! Thanks for staying up and watching 😂 hopefully you can sleep in

[@DeeVination]

Aww your sleeping cat is adorable and I love that Rachel asked you if your house is always so neat, LOL. Omg that cracked me up.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

DeeVination 😂 I couldn’t take credit Hahahah

[@justinmichaeltarot]

That’s my partner who has ocd. My tarot shelf is usually organized tho. It’s the only thing I’m orderly with

[@shaneem818]

This was a great interview. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I'm guessing that, by now, you and Rachel have both discovered that there is a companion book that you can get separately for the Tarot of the Divine with short stories for each card. You conducted a really good interview that was very fluid, in fact, conversational. Great job.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Essence818 aww thank you for that. Of all the things I’ve done on KZbin I’m most proud of this. It was really special for me. The book.. I was going to mention it to her and I got caught up in the conversation. I actually had the book sitting right next to me 😂 I sent her a copy after the interview. I didn’t really know much about the book at that point. I didn’t read it until after. The book however has stories that aren’t in the deck it seems.. it’s almost like the book existed first then the deck.. Rachel pointed that out to me. The book seems to be an independent thing as well as serving as a reference to the deck. It’s really interesting. I love them both

[@tarot_by_nature]

Wow 🤩 this was amazing! Thank you 😊

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Tarot Your Truth aww you are so welcome. I really enjoyed doing it. Thanks for watching

[@jeanhenderson5293]

Love this interview! I am one of your new followers . Your questions were great, and she is just wonderful. I love that you both included great book and deck recommendations. Thank you for posting, I really enjoyed it.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Thanks soo much Jean. Rachel is really special. I loved doing this interview as well.. thank you for your support my friend💚

[@Beniffa]

Really great Justin! So enjoyed Rachel's responses.very interesting!! You sir are a natural at conducting interviews, and what an interview this was! Brilliant 😊

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Thanks Ben! That was kind of you to say. I was really happy to talk to her. I enjoyed every minute of it and I’m glad you enjoyed it.. it’s something I’ll never forget. It’ll be hard for me to match this again in future interviews because she is just amazing to talk to.

[@elledechenestudio]

A wonderful interview, so much packed into this hour. I am going to have a re-listen. And make a list of the books mentioned *and* actually read them!

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Elle Dechene thabks soo much for watching. I’m looking for Body of the Goddess as we speak

[@JensBalancedTarot]

This was awesome, Justin! It was so much fun hearing what Rachel's been up to. This must have been so fun to do. 😀💕

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Jen's Balanced Tarot thanks Jen!! It was a blast.. really.

[@musingsbymascha]

I prefer to have a clear question, when doing readings, but I do love Rachel's advice of drawing cards based on every statement that comes out of the querent (even if the querent and the reader are the same person! :)). When doing readings for myself, actually writing down statements and my concerns are a part of my process of, until a clear question appears. But it will be interesting to pull cards for those concerns and statements that I record. Love the story of Persephone and Demeter (possibly my most favourite from Greek Mythology)! I so enjoyed how Rachel spoke of Athena as her friend, Hermes as a brother, and Persephone as Rachel's hero! Gold! Wonderful interview, Justin! Thank you so much! What a treat!

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Musings by Mascha One of the most special moments of my life.. and certainly time on KZbin!! Mascha regarding your question process, you have to do what works for you. And Rachel totally gets that I’m sure..I think Rachel was speaking about clients questions also.. maybe I should have asked a follow up question about reading for yourself. Thank you for your love and support Mascha. 💚☘️

[@conjurebear]

Wow. This was an amazing interview, Justin. I really love hearing her tell her stories and talk about her perspectives. Well done! I love that she has fallen in love with the Noir. So neat.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Bearly Balanced Tarot yess thank you Brother Bear lol. Hope the family is doing well. I already ordered her a copy. It’s funny I was telling her about how it’s tough to shuffle and like the rest of us she still had to have it 😂

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Your partner and you and the rest of your family are on my mind snd I’m my heart. Stay well and thank you for watching

[@conjurebear]

Justin Michael thanks so much, Justin. He seemed to be holding up pretty good today.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Bearly Balanced Tarot good to hear 💚

[@kansasart5912]

Rest in Peace, Rachel Pollack died 2 days ago @ April 7, 2023

[@WaterChildTarot]

P.S. Justin did you find out that Tarot of the Divine does have a larger companion book? It's called Beneath the Moon and is a storybook that can stand alone but also has all the stories that go with the cards.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Yes I sent her a copy 😂 What’s funny is I meant to mention it in the interview.. I had the book sitting right there and we got talking about something else and I forgot to bring it up hahah

[@WaterChildTarot]

@@justinmichaeltarot Oh good! I can't imagine seeming so relaxed with these people the way you do. I'd be tripping over my own tongue, forgetting what I wanted to ask, and generally being a mess.

[@jenniferballswitchhouse37]

I’m late to the party, but this was a fantastic interview! By the way, Rachel and I share the same birthday. Say hello to a new Leo friend! 😃

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Aww I get along very well with Leo’s.. and you all stand out in a crowd 😂💚

[@musingsbymascha]

I’ve just began to watch! How exciting! I had no idea you had the Shining Tribe Tarot, too, Justin! Love seeing it in the background! 💓 Memoir of Rachel Pollack! I’m sure all of us can not wait for it! 😊 Ah yes! That reading with the Spiral Tarot! 💜

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Musings by Mascha Thabks Mascha I hope you enjoy💚

[@the_hermits_cave]

What a wonderful interview Justin. I absolutely adore Rachel and so this was a real treat. Thank you for asking my question. 🙏🏼

[@justinmichaeltarot]

The Hermit’s Cave Simon.. getting a late start today. Thanks for your support my friend. I’m glad you like it. You are second only to Howard Stern as the best interviewer ever lol.. so it’s a compliment coming from you 😂

[@stevenbrightuk]

‘Playing piano for Elton John’ - lol, love that! Fabulous interview! You did a great job and you were just the right person to interview Rachel.

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Steven Bright Thanks Stephen 💚

[@6driscolls]

How wonderful, Justin and Rachel! I’m looking forward to reading Rachel’s memoir, no matter how long it takes. Haha, Justin, “playing the piano for Elton John.” Yes! 😆 I love the way Rachel reads. The first time we did a reading together, she introduced a new (to me) way of looking at the cards for circumstantial meaning (in addition to traditional meaning). I have incorporated that into my own practice, and sometimes those things they come up are so eerily appropriate that they bring tears to my eyes. I am a Leo (my birthday is two days before Rachel’s) and my mom is a Pisces. I am very close to her. When we have a conflict, we air it immediately. It can get obnoxious, but then once we resolve it, it disappears and grudges do not enter into it. I love that part about “What you love, loves you” and putting in love getting love from Tarot. I have been sort of hibernating since my Sola cat died, and I’m sorry I missed hearing about this until after it was done, but I loved watching it. ❤️

[@justinmichaeltarot]

So glad you enjoyed it Jess! Sorry for the late response. Definitely will read her memoirs too 😂. Yes what she said about “seeing what there is to see” also hit me hard. Because sometimes I get hung up on the esoteric stuff and it isn’t as important as meaningful story that come from the cards.. She is an absolute poet with the cards. It’s so inspiring. I think Leo’s and Pisces are two sides of the same coin. We are both very passionate and strong minded people. Stephen and I go from 0 to 100 and back down to zero like it never happened almost daily 😂 But I’ve never had a stronger relationship with anyone.. and my dad and Stephen have the same birthday. Both Aug 2.. and they are the two closest males in my life.. my mom is an Aquarius lol. She’s an over thinker but a wonderful person. I have to do her full chart one of these days 😂 Thanks Jess

[@6driscolls]

Justin Michael ❤️

[@mysticrosetarot888]

Did you find the Noir Tarot for Rachel?

[@justinmichaeltarot]

Yes she received it and she loves it!! 💚

[@tarotcardreadinglecturadec8015]

Story tellers vs Fortune tellers