Today, I’m excited to share my recent enchanting experience as a tarot reader at the MindBodySpirit Festival in Melbourne. For three unforgettable days, I had the privilege of delving into the art and mystery of tarot with over 40 individuals.
The MindBodySpirit Festival
The MindBodySpirit Festival is Australia’s largest health, well-being, and natural therapies event. The event is held in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane biannually and features exhibitors, workshops and seminars, stage performances, and a psychic reading room. Admission was free, and visitors paid for products and services.
The Melbourne festival unfolded at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 9-12 June, coinciding with Oz Comic-Con. There were over 180 exhibitors, including healers, crystals, books, tarot and oracle decks, jewellery, essential oils, clothing, skincare, art, and foods. I also noted an aura photographer, Māori healers, a Peruvian shamanic healer, and two artists who paint portraits of your spirit guides.
Workshops, seminars, and talks were on various subjects, including candle rituals, smudging, making and using essential oils, suncatchers, pendulums, accessing past lives, coping with menopause, arthritis, and other health concerns. There was sound healing, mediumship readings, singing, and dancing on the Main Stage. The Soul Kitchen Stage aimed to show attendees how food could help them live healthier lives.
For those of us in the Pagan and Witch communities, the MindBodySpirit Festival is more of a New Age event; we will find few altar and ritual tools, deity art, or spell ingredients. Still, it’s a massive event and attracts an eclectic mix of exhibitors and attendees.
My experience as a tarot reader
I had attended the MindBodySpirit Festival in the past, so I knew it had a Psychic Reading Room with about 60 readers. A few months ago, I enquired about reading tarot there, and I was delighted when the Psychic Reading Room organiser called me. He is a lovely soul, and we had a good chat. I submitted an application, my bio, and a photo. I would have been grateful to have gotten one out of the four days, but he gave me three (from 10 am to 7 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 10 am to 6 pm on Monday).
About 44 readers from all over Australia offered card readings, palmistry, psychometry, numerology, astrology, and mediumship and channelling. Some seemed to know each other and had been reading at the festival for years; I was the New Girl.
I wondered whether the environment would be noisy or too distracting and how I would feel after three days of nearly back-to-back tarot readings, but I felt good. I had a table at the back against a wall, so there was minimal foot traffic by me, and when a person sat down across from me, I could focus on them; anything else going around us faded into the background.
I used the Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot by Lo Scarabeo, the Morgan-Greer Tarot, and the Vintage Wisdom Oracle. I also had a Lenormand deck but didn’t use it. I had a Selenite tower and a piece of raw Amethyst on my table, and two stones from my Goddess Mandala: Themis, my oracular goddess, and Oshun, who is associated with divination and success.
I did 41 tarot readings over the three days. Each tarot reading was a unique voyage. Some people sat ready to talk, and others required unveiling. I enjoyed connecting with them but especially liked the sceptics and individuals wearing armour. It is satisfying to see them suddenly burst open.
The diversity of people still strikes me. My youngest was 17, a pretty and wide-eyed Serbian girl with braces, and my oldest was 72, an Italian woman with many family responsibilities. I read for people from Japanese, Greek, Italian, Turkish, Indian, Colombian, and Dutch backgrounds, students, professionals, and entrepreneurs. A few were happy and curious about what the tarot cards might say about their futures. Many struggled with various issues, including their health, jobs, and relationships. A few stood out, like a young woman clouded by so much sadness and a man suffering physical and mental trauma following an injury. I feel privileged to have had people open up about their intensely personal and private struggles. I hope they found guidance and comfort during their tarot readings with me and that some follow up because I’d like to know how they are doing.
Being a part of the MindBodySpirit Festival
I arrived about an hour before the MindBodySpirit Festival opened to the public each day. I appreciated the quiet time to explore the exhibitors. I had two or three 30-minute breaks throughout my day, but the festival was so crowded that it was just enough time to eat or have a coffee, go to the toilets, and take a few minutes to ground and centre.
I bought a Sage Spray from Grounding From Within. Although I had brought a Selenite tower to cleanse my cards and reading space, I missed having something in the air. Incense and candles were not allowed, and the scent of Florida Water might be too intense for some. The Sage Spray has a gentle aroma and is effective. I also bought a round cushion for my singing bowl, the Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck, which I’ve had my eye on for about a year, and some chocolate-covered malt balls I later shared with my husband.
Every person I interacted with at the event, whether an exhibitor or reader, was friendly. Exhibitors are happy to chat and tell you about their products and services. Some were also curious about tarot reading. The way the festival manages the Psychic Reading Room, I never felt a sense of competition. Although cartomancy dominates, readers bring different approaches and unique styles. Attendees can choose a reader based on our bios or select the next available. You never know why someone picks you. Two people said they chose me because they liked my name, one because she thought I looked cute, and two others because I speak Spanish.
In conclusion, my time at the MindBodySpirit Festival was an enriching experience. I’m grateful I could join the Psychic Reading Room and hope to return in November.
