The Archetypal Tarot Podcast

Your Life IS the Manifestation

In this inspiring episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush welcomes author, speaker and creator Jason A. Benefield, the visionary behind the Essence Illuminations Oracle Cards [https://www.jasonabenefield.com/illumination-cards]. What begins as a conversation about an oracle deck quickly unfolds into a profound exploration of healing, self-belief, spiritual empowerment, and the limitless potential within every human being. Jason shares the deeply personal origins of the deck, created during the pandemic as an extension of his book The Essential Pain and Peace of Life [https://www.jasonabenefield.com/general-7]. The cards are made even more meaningful through the inclusion of artwork painted by his late mother, whose presence and creativity continue to live through the project.   Photo by Christina C. [https://voyagela.com/interview/meet-jason-benefield-of-jab-unlimited-productions-llc/] Throughout the conversation, Jason opens up about his lifelong spiritual search and how personal struggles led him toward a deeper relationship with God, self-awareness, and ultimately becoming a spiritual practitioner. His vulnerability becomes one of the episode’s greatest gifts, especially as he speaks about redefining identity, trusting intuition, and embracing authenticity in a world that often pressures people to conform. Listeners will discover the philosophy at the heart of the deck: “Commodity.” Jason’s transformative concept reminds us that each person is inherently valuable and important. He breaks the word into three powerful stages: * Comm – Communication with inner wisdom through prayer, meditation, and reflection * Mod – Modification and transformation based on that inner guidance * Ity – Embodiment of one’s highest and truest self This episode is ultimately an invitation: to believe in yourself more deeply, to honor your journey, and to recognize that your life itself is a sacred expression of possibility. Memorable Quotes from the Conversation * “Your journey is a testament to your authenticity.” * “Your might grows with every step you take.” * “You are the living manifestation of your dreams.”   Jason Adeniyi Ojudun Benefield is a licensed Spiritual Practitioner, speaker, published author, stage actor, and singer-songwriter who wears many hats with purpose and passion. Nearly 25 years ago, after delivering his first sermon, Jason recognized the depth of his connection to Source Energy (what many call God, the Universe, or simply the Source). He believes this greater energy dwells within all people and calls each person to evolve into their highest self. Through discovering and nurturing this spiritual connection in his own life, Jason experienced profound transformation and clarity, inspiring him to dedicate his work to helping others do the same. Jason is committed to guiding individuals toward embracing their inner energy, purpose, and peace through one-on-one support, intimate group settings, or speaking engagements. His work is rooted in the belief that nothing is ever truly lost or missing in the Universe; rather, it is waiting to be rediscovered. For those who feel disconnected, uncertain, or longing for something more, Jason offers compassionate guidance on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment. Walking alongside others as they reconnect with their truth and inner power is not just his calling, it is his life’s work. jasonabenefield.com [https://www.jasonabenefield.com/]

Archetypes for a Thriving Earth

In this illuminating episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, host Cyndera Quackenbush sits down with sustainability pioneer Jaimie Cloud, founder of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education [https://cloudinstitute.org/], to explore how our ways of thinking shape the future of life on Earth. At the center of the conversation is Cloud’s lifelong journey: sparked by an experimental global education program in her youth and deepened through decades of observing planetary trends. Her new book, Response-Able: How to Live Well Over Time On Planet Earth [https://www.jaimiepcloud.com/], is not just a call to action but a guide to transforming how we think, teach, and lead in an increasingly complex world. Rather than focusing solely on environmental problems, Cloud introduces a powerful framework around mental models that are both unsustainable and sustainable. These are recurring patterns of thought—archetypal in nature—that unconsciously drive destructive behaviors, even when people have access to clear feedback. Through examples like the “Fish Game [https://cloudinstitute.org/fish-game]” simulation, she reveals a startling truth: people consistently make the same unsustainable choices, not from ignorance, but from deeply ingrained beliefs. Throughout the episode, Cyndera weaves in tarot archetypes to mirror these mindsets, bridging intuitive symbolism with systems thinking. Together, they explore how patterns like “maximizing gains for self,” “control,” and “everything is substitutable” distort our understanding of interconnected systems. Jaimie gently dismantles these assumptions, emphasizing that true sustainability arises from interdependence, collaboration, and respect for natural limits. A key insight emerges: sustainability is about alignment with how life actually works. Healthy systems thrive on diversity, mutual benefit, and dynamic balance. Attempts to dominate, control, or endlessly extract from these systems inevitably lead to collapse. Yet the tone remains deeply hopeful. Jaimie insists that the current trajectory is not inevitable. Because humans created these conditions, we also have the power to change them. The first, and most essential, step is a shift in thinking. The tarot imagery encapsulating each mindset will be revealed in a video version of the podcast available to subscribers at archetypalstories.substack.com/ [https://archetypalstories.substack.com/]

Tarot Emblemata: Interview with Nitasia Roland

Step into a world where knights, mottos, mythic beasts, and phoenixes rise again—and discover how Renaissance symbolism can illuminate your readings in entirely new ways with Tarot Emblemata: Decoding Magical Symbolism [https://redwheelweiser.com/book/tarot-emblemata-9781578638963/?srsltid=AfmBOopFxcetMEWQyhQUjOE8NTdPK6BYDSneSsDiV77aCEKvAjMPIXdm]. On this episode of the Archetypal Tarot Podcast, Host Cyndera welcomes artist and deck creator Nitasia Roland for an enchanting conversation about (one of her) latest decks. Drawing from 16th-century French and Italian emblem books—particularly the 1551 collection curated by Claude Paradin—Rowland reimagines Renaissance “devices” (symbolic images paired with mottos) as a fully realized tarot system. These historic emblems, originally engraved by Bernard Salomon, explored themes of love, war, faith, philosophy, politics, and morality during the height of the Renaissance. Now, centuries later, they re-emerge as living archetypes. The conversation also explores the Renaissance world that birthed these emblems—a time of religious upheaval, artistic revolution, and humanist revival—and reflects on what this symbolic medicine offers us today. As Roland beautifully suggests, reviving these images is almost a calling: a way of bringing buried wisdom back into contemporary consciousness. In this episode, you’ll discover: * How a chance encounter with occult-flavored emblem art sparked the creation of the deck * The fascinating structure of traditional emblems—pictura (image), inscriptio (motto), and subscriptio (commentary)—and how they translate seamlessly into tarot * Why these 500-year-old images feel uncannily aligned with modern archetypes * The alchemical and esoteric currents flowing beneath the artwork (such as the powerful phoenix symbolism of rebirth and transformation) * The creative journey from black-and-gold indie edition to lush, colorized reimagining Roland shares her passion for pairing poetic language with evocative imagery, creating cards that speak directly to intuition—often without needing to consult the guidebook. The result is a deck that feels at once ancient and immediate, scholarly and mystical. Whether you’re drawn to tarot as an intuitive art, a historical system, or a symbolic language of transformation, this episode offers rich insight into how past and present intertwine through archetype and image.

Year of the Fire Horse: Interview with Vicki Iskandar

In this illuminating return episode, host Cyndera Quackenbush welcomes back acclaimed astrologer and oracle creator Vicki Iskandar [https://vickiiskandar.com/], author of the Chinese Five Elements Oracle [https://www.hayhouse.com/the-chinese-five-elements-oracle-card-deck?srsltid=AfmBOoqj2G92AAvd2kIUJ_ZGRxGV_47I1WW16EPaQJHzn4UhOK28ros6], for a powerful deep dive into the 2026 Lunar New Year [https://vickiiskandar.com/2026-ecalendar]: the Year of the Fire Horse. Building on the subtle, behind-the-scenes revelations of the Wood Snake year, Vicki explains why 2026 marks a dramatic energetic shift—from hidden negotiations and inner reinvention to bold visibility, truth-telling, and action. The Fire Horse, she reveals, is the most yang and most active of all 60 pillars in Chinese astrology, bringing intensity, momentum, and undeniable clarity. There is nowhere to hide—and that’s the point. Together, Cyndera and Vicki explore: * Why the Fire Horse acts like the sun, illuminating everything at once * How suppressed truths, passions, and ambitions finally demand expression * What this high-energy year means for introverts, creatives, and spiritual seekers * How to balance overwhelming yang energy with grounding, rest, and strategy * The significance of 2026 as a Peach Blossom Year, amplifying love, attraction, and visibility * Which zodiac signs feel the year most strongly—including the challenges and milestones of an opposing year * Protective remedies, secret friends, and practical tools for navigating intensity with grace Vicki also shares insights from her Five Elements framework, celebrity archetypes, and her newly released Chinese astrology daily calendar [https://vickiiskandar.com/2026-ecalendar], offering listeners concrete ways to work with the energy instead of being burned by it. If you’re sensing that 2026 is a turning point—personally, collectively, or creatively—this conversation will help you understand why, and how to meet the Fire Horse year with courage, consciousness, and purpose. Right now on Vicki’s featured Facebook post you can read a forecast for each animal sign: https://www.facebook.com/5elementsoracle/ [https://www.facebook.com/5elementsoracle/]

2026 New Year's Card Draw

On New Year’s Day, Cyndera Quackenbush welcomes Julienne (Jules) Givot back to the Archetypal Tarot Podcast to revive a long-standing tradition: a collective archetypal and tarot reflection for the coming year. The episode serves as a contemplative portal blending tarot, archetypal psychology, lived experience, and cultural reflection after a difficult and grief-laden 2025. The core archetype drawn for the year is The Amateur, selected from the Identity Pursuit archetype board game (no longer in print). Rather than framing the future through mastery or expertise, the hosts explore the Amateur as a figure of humility, love, experimentation, and community. Light aspects of the Amateur: * Doing something for love rather than reward or compensation * Following the heart without needing certainty or expertise * Allowing messiness, openness, and shared learning * Creating the path by walking it, together Shadow aspects: * Undervaluing oneself or one’s work * Exaggerating or misrepresenting skill or authority * Cultural dangers of “false experts” and influencer culture lacking depth, lineage, or accountability The Amateur becomes a response to collapsing patriarchal systems, toxic productivity, and ego-driven power structures. In a time of upheaval, the hosts argue that not knowing—and admitting we don’t know—is both honest and necessary. Community Over Heroism A recurring insight is the movement away from the lone hero narrative. Healing and survival are framed as collective, relational processes, not individual burdens. The Amateur archetype supports community-based learning, mutual care, and shared responsibility, especially amid political violence, war, and systemic injustice. Cyndera shares personal experiences offering donation-based tarot readings illustrating how amateur energy can reduce pressure, invite openness, and foster authentic connection—while still raising questions about value, sustainability, and self-worth. Two additional archetype cards pop out in the podcast! Listen in to hear all about The Poet and The Victim. Tarot Card for 2026: Judgment Cyndera draws Judgment from the Major Arcana, using Natasia Rowland’s Tarot Emblemata deck. Key interpretations: * Awakening after devastation * Truth revealed; what was hidden can no longer stay hidden * Liberation from old constraints (symbolized by broken shackles) * A collective rising—not individual salvation Judgment is framed not as punishment, but as reckoning, clarity, and rebirth. It echoes upcoming astrological themes (notably the Fire Horse year) suggesting that small sparks from 2025 may explode into unavoidable illumination in 2026. The hosts close by weaving the Amateur and Judgment together: * It’s okay not to know. * It’s not all on our shoulders. * Love, community, creativity, and faith (in whatever form) are sustaining forces. * The future is not about perfection or mastery, but participation. Mantra for 2026: Be amateurs. Love what you do. Rise together. 2 + 0 + 2 + 6 = 10. After the recording of the podcast (on January 1) a rainbow was visible in Joshua Tree, CA. Is it possible that collectively we can welcome a “10 of Cups” kind of year?