It’s a Saturday evening and you walk into a dimly lit theater. In front of you are 22 stages, each glowing with twinkle lights.
At every station, there is an actor as a living tarot card.
The Star shimmers under metallic dust, holding a pitcher, looking peaceful and contemplative.
The High Priestess sits in soft robes, cradling a book of knowledge, an unreadable, yet welcoming look on their face.
The Fool stands on the edge of a platform, about to take a step into the unknown, their white dog in tow.
And one of these cards—one of these living interpretations—is waiting to speak to you.
This was The Living Tarot, an event in Mancos, Colorado, in the early 2010s.
How The Living Tarot works:
You choose a reading of 1-3 tarot cards, for $10 each. A reader sits at a quaint table, ready to help you formulate your question and pull cards.
Next, you step into the theater and move from station to station, meeting your pulled cards face to face. After sharing your question, they offer an answer rooted in the energy of their embodied card.
The Devil card might invite you to consider what addictive or compulsive patterns you’re hanging onto.
The Magician asks you to see what options are within your reach that you haven’t considered.
The Empress invites you to embrace your creativity and natural self-nurturance.
After you visit the living interpretations of your cards, you meander through all the actors to the Integration Tent, where another reader helps you interpret all their messages together.
(Optional: Visit the adjacent coffee shop to enjoy a croissant and process with your friends!)
What if your tarot or oracle pulls are not a puzzle–but the start of a conversation?
Try this next time you pull a card:
Look gently at the figures or creatures on it. If they were alive, what would they say to you?
Notice any thoughts or feelings that arise as you contemplate the card.
For example, if you pull the Eight of Cups:
- Do you feel relieved to see the figure walking away?
- Do you feel guilt for leaving behind the Cups?
- What do you imagine are in the Cups being left behind?
- Is there trepidation or curiosity about what lies beyond the mountains?
- Do you feel unprepared—or eager—to take the journey?
That’s where the conversation begins.
For me, tarot often feels like a dialogue, between me and my deck, higher self, or subconscious.
The beauty of framing tarot as a dialogue is you don’t have to “decide” what you believe about tarot to enjoy its benefits.
You can engage with it as deeply or as playfully as you want, leaning secular or spiritual, depending on what support you most need at that moment. (If this idea appeals to you, you might enjoy this recent podcast about tarot & self-care.)
If you’re curious about a tarot reading with me, think of me as all the players in The Living Tarot.
I’ll help you shape the best question, bring the cards to life like actors on a stage, and guide you through their meaning—so you can piece together the message and take inspired action.
What tarot or oracle cards have you been in conversation with lately?
Please hit “reply” and tell me.
-Arianna
P.S. The Living Tarot contained 22 stations, focusing solely on the Major Arcana–cards often associated with karmic patterns and major life transitions. A full Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, by contrast, has 78 cards, including 56 Minor Arcana. Learn more about choosing the right deck for you here.
P.P.S. I wanted to know if there was any digital record of this event and found a sole article from 2013 in the Durango Herald. 📰
Curious what the cards have to say?
Let's give your intuition a voice.
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