Meet Samantha Tate of Genesee County, Michigan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Tate

Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I had always been interested in metaphysics, the occult, psychics. I grew an interest in psychics in particular in my teen years in the 90s/00s. I called the Miss Cleo hotline when I was 16 and had my first psychic reading even though I lied about my age and I didn’t get permission from my parents. I ran up a $300 phone bill and my parents got out of paying it. My step-grandmother heard about what I did.
“Child, I read tarot cards! I could have done a reading for you!’ my grandma exclaimed.
So she read my tarot cards for me.

I received my first tarot deck (a major arcana only deck) for my 18th birthday from my high school best friend. In January 2003, I started diving into my studies.

In 2005, I bought my first 78-card tarot deck and really dived into my studies. By November of 2007, I decided to go into reading tarot professionally. I had an online only practice doing email readings. I was also working full time as a data entry and file clerk for an HVAC company.

In 2010, after being laid off from my day job, I started having mental health issues. In March, I had to step down as I was hospitalized for a psychosis breakdown. I was then diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and my psychiatrist wanted me to focus on my mental health and told me it would be best to pause my tarot reading career.

I recovered back to pre-psychosis self around April 2011 and got down my cards and woo woo books from the attic. I decided to use this time to readjust what I believed in and what I needed to stay away from. I also wanted to get reacquainted with the cards. I discovered I never lost my tarot reading gift! I didn’t resume going professional until 2013.

I had a new business called Entertaining and Enlightening. It was a mixture of email readings and doing readings at parties. I wasn’t confident in myself and was losing money. So in 2016, I shut down that business and read for just family and friends and worked on my craft.

I didn’t start becoming confident in my tarot reading until 2019. In 2020, after COVID hit, I was laid off from another data entry job, and I started pondering about starting a tarot business again (my current business Tarot By SammyBrite LLC). I felt like it was going to be difficult in finding work, especially since I was autistic, schizoaffective, and bipolar, especially finding work I could handle. So in October 2020, I purchased my website, in December 2020 I got my LLC, and in January I opened my bank account and January 8, 2021 I was officially opened for business.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. On top of the tarot reading market being not just over saturated but SUPER saturated, I wasn’t standing out. Social media has been a constant struggle, fighting with the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram, having no advertising budget, no grants or any type of funding for my business type, and living in Michigan where you are in a mix of conservative Christians, open minded liberals, and everything in between. I also struggled with part-time employment and didn’t have much funding other than my parents belief in me and my dream and their financial support and love.

I also had imposter syndrome, got caught up in comparing myself to other tarot readers on social media, jealous that my peers were getting clients and I was only getting one client every other month, if that.

And then I struggled with pricing myself. My coach, my therapist, and my own tarot reader and astrologer told me you gotta charge what you’re worth, you can’t charge the same rate as other readers because they aren’t you.

And lastly, learning the bookkeeping and what the accountant wanted for filing taxes was also another learning process. I don’t know how much I made in my first year but I do know it was a major loss. My second year, was better and I had a small net profit. Third year (this year) has had its challenges but I am surviving.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a tarot card reader. Tarot cards are usually used for fortune telling, but more recently, it is also a self-reflection tool. There are 78 cards in the deck. — 22 Major arcana (Death, The Devil, The Star, Lovers etc) which are archetypes and themes depicted in The Heros Journey. There are then 56 minor arcana cards, which includes court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King) and the numbered cards, Ace (1) – Ten. The minor arcana is all about everyday and mundane situations. They are divided into four suites (Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles). Each suite represents a part of life — Swords are thoughts, conflict, communication, and ideas, Wands are career, passions, hobbies, creativity, action/movement. Cups are your emotions, spirituality, stillness/receptivity, and your relationships. And Pentacles are finances, physical body, the material realm, and business.

I specialize in email, face to face, and virtual tarot readings. My tarot readings are known for bringing clarity, comfort, and hope as well as entertainment. I help people process situations and emotions, see potential, possibilities, opportunities, and challenges on their path, and give common sense advice along with any advice their guides or higher selves want them to know. I also specialize in birthday tarot readings, six months, and yearly readings as well as half-birthdays, long distance relationships (as I have experience with one), career struggles and guidance, singles readings, and personal development readings

Business wise, I am most proud of not giving up despite all the obstacles I have gone through and continue to go through. Tarot Reading wise, I am most proud of my email readings. And also how far I have come with my in-person readings. I think I am feeling much more confident in my skills as a tarot reader.

What sets me apart from others? Good question! I believe that every tarot reader is different from each other. My interpretations are different from other tarot readers. I tend to get straight to the point and don’t have the gift of the gab. I’m less pushy, I don’t upsell services, and also even I can be skeptical of the cards and can be amazed when a message hits home. I’m always amazed when spirit works through me to bring messages people need to hear. I’m in awe and amazed just as much as the client, if not more. I also have a calm and positive vibe and my clients laugh more than they cry with me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe we create our lives and we can shape our destinies. I do believe in being blessed and I feel that I was blessed to live in a family who supports my dream of being a tarot reader and a writer. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them had my circumstances been different.

Pricing:

• 30 minute Google Meet Tarot Reading $35.00
• 1 hour Google Meet Tarot Reading $50.00
• Yearly Email Reading $100.00
• Birthday Email Reading $70.00
• Standard Email Reading $40.00

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tarotbysammybrite.com
• Instagram: tarotbysammybrite
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/tarotbysammybrite2003
• Other: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saturday-morning-tarot-samantha-tate/1145502052?ean=9798881186265