This Ain't Fortune Telling

Claudine

Tarot meets real life on This Ain’t Fortune Telling. Join Clo and her guests for honest conversations about the cards, the patterns we fall into, and the choices that shape our lives. We explore tarot’s imagery and symbolism alongside different perspectives on self-trust, everyday challenges, and personal growth—with practical insight, curiosity, and a little humour. Whether you read tarot or are simply curious, there’s a place for you here. Come for the cards. Leave with questions worth asking and possibilities worth exploring.

  1. Oct 23 ·  Bonus

    What Would It Take? — A Conversation with Marilyn Shannon

    This Ain't Fortune Telling | Hosted by Claudine Lascelle What happens when you stop waiting for someone else to create the thing you wish existed and decide to do it your damn self? In this bonus episode I'm sitting down with Marilyn Shannon, tarot reader and organizer of the Kingston Tarot & Lenormand Conference, to talk about tarot, community, intuition, and what happens when you follow an idea instead of talking yourself out of it. What started as Marilyn wanting to spend time with renowned tarot teacher Mary K. Greer turned into a gathering of readers, teachers, and tarot enthusiasts in Kingston, Ontario. The first conference took place in 2014 with just 56 attendees, and over the years, it became something much bigger than workshops and card readings. It became a community. We talk about Marilyn's journey with tarot, her approach to combining tarot and Lenormand, and why giving someone hope and options is far more valuable than telling them their future is set in stone. We also get into the responsibility that comes with reading for others, the importance of allowing people to make their own choices, and why even experienced readers still have something to learn from one another. And, of course, we talk about the conference itself, including some rather unexpected adventures from that very first event! As Marilyn prepares to pass the conference into new hands, she shares what she's most proud of, what she's looking forward to, and the wonderfully simple question she asks people who feel stuck: "What would it take to do that?" Because sometimes the thing you've been dreaming about isn't as impossible as you've convinced yourself it is. Connect & ExploreKingston Tarot & Lenormand Conference November 13–15, 2026 | Kingston, Ontario Learn more about the conference, its presenters, and workshops: Kingston Tarot and Lenormand Conference Connect with Marilyn Shannon Email Marilyn directly at info@kingstonpsychic.net Connect with Claudine Looking for clarity around something happening in your own life? I offer tarot readings that go beyond predicting what might happen. We'll explore what's going on, what might be holding you back, and what choices are available to you. Book a reading, explore my offerings, or join our tarot community: https://claudinelascelle.ca https://thisaintfortunetelling.com If you enjoyed this conversation, follow This Ain't Fortune Telling and share this episode with someone who might need a little encouragement to stop waiting and start exploring what's possible. Remember: tarot is for clarity, not prediction. The cards might show you the possibilities, but what you do next is entirely up to you.

  2. Oct 16

    Reading Tarot for Yourself & Others — Season 1 Finale

    In this final episode of Season 1 of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Meaghan to bring everything we've explored throughout the season back to what matters most: actually reading the cards. We've travelled through the Major and Minor Arcana, explored the suits, Court Cards, symbolism, intuition and numerology. But knowing what the cards mean and knowing how to use them responsibly are two very different things. Clo and Meaghan explore the challenges of reading for yourself, including the difference between intuition and projection, the temptation to keep pulling cards until you get the answer you want, and why asking better questions can completely change a reading. They also dive into the ethics of reading for others: consent, boundaries, difficult messages, third-party readings and the responsibility that comes with being trusted with someone else's vulnerability. Because tarot isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating space for better questions, deeper understanding and choices that belong to the person making them. The cards are not more powerful than you. 🔮 Reflection Questions Am I reading the cards in front of me or what I want them to say?Am I seeking clarity or reassurance?How do my personal beliefs influence my interpretations?Do my readings empower people to make their own choices?What boundaries do I need when reading for others?What have I learned about myself through tarot?💜 Closing Season One After a full season exploring the language of tarot, one thing remains at the heart of This Ain't Fortune Telling: Tarot clarifies energy — not fate. The cards can help us recognize patterns, understand ourselves and explore possibilities. But they don't make our decisions, and neither should the person reading them. Thank you for being part of Season One, whether you've been here since the Fool or joined us somewhere along the way. This isn't the end of This Ain't Fortune Telling. It's simply the end of this chapter. 💜 Connect Clo — Host of This Ain't Fortune Telling https://thisaintfortunetelling.com Visit the website for the blog, Tarot Insight Sessions, upcoming events and more from This Ain't Fortune Telling. If you enjoyed this season, follow the show, share your favourite episode, and leave a rating or review. It helps more people discover a different way of working with tarot. Until Season Two — trust what's showing up, trust yourself more than the cards, and pull with intention.

  3. Oct 2

    Episode 24 — The Numbers Behind the Cards: Numerology & Tarot

    In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Tara to explore another layer of tarot that’s been hiding in plain sight all along: the numbers. Clo and Tara both work with numerology, although they use it differently. Tara tends to incorporate numbers more regularly when planning and deciphering patterns, while Clo often notices them as another piece of information within a reading — especially when numbers begin repeating. They move through the numbers One through Ten, exploring how each number develops the story of the Minor Arcana — from the potential of One, through the disruption of Five, to the completion of Ten and the beginning of a new cycle. They also talk about repeating numbers, numerology in the Major Arcana, reducing numbers, and how to notice patterns without handing our choices over to them. ✨ One Through Ten1 — Beginning: potential, independence, initiation 2 — Duality: partnership, choice, balance 3 — Creation: expression, growth, expansion 4 — Structure: foundation, stability, security 5 — Change: movement, disruption, freedom 6 — Harmony: care, responsibility, relationship 7 — Reflection: analysis, spirituality, discernment 8 — Power: achievement, mastery, agency 9 — Integration: wisdom, fulfillment, nearing completion 10 — Completion: culmination — and the beginning of another cycle One of the easiest ways to use numerology in tarot is simply to ask: What does this number do — and what happens when I combine that with the suit? Five brings change and disruption. Add Cups and we’re exploring that through emotions. Add Pentacles and it moves into resources, security and the tangible world. Same number. Different expression. Numbers can make us pause. They can invite us to notice something. They can add another layer of information. But they don’t get to make our choices for us. 🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat numbers tend to repeat in my tarot readings?What themes do I associate with those numbers?What changes when I combine the number with the suit?Am I noticing a pattern — or looking for certainty?How can numerology deepen what I’m already seeing in the cards?Tarot isn’t 78 completely unrelated definitions. The suit tells us something. The number tells us something. The imagery tells us something. The cards around it tell us something. And then we decide how those pieces fit together. 💜 ConnectClo — Host of This Ain’t Fortune Telling thisaintfortunetelling.com Tara - www.taratownend.com Visit the website for the blog, readings, upcoming events and more from This Ain’t Fortune Telling. If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it, and leave a rating or review. Until next time — trust what’s showing up, and pull with intention.

  4. Sep 18

    Episode 23 - — The Court Cards: Who Are These People?

    Pages. Knights. Queens. Kings. Sixteen people wandering around the tarot deck apparently expecting us to know who the hell they are. In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Meaghan to tackle one of the trickiest parts of tarot: the Court Cards. When a Court appears, it’s easy to immediately wonder: Who is this? Is it me? My partner? My boss? Someone I haven’t met yet? But what if we stopped trying so hard to identify who the Court is and started asking: What is this Court trying to show me? Clo and Meaghan explore a simpler way of understanding the Courts — not as sixteen personalities you need to memorize, but as different relationships with the energy of each suit. 👑 The Court Card Cheat CodeStart with the suit: 🔥 Wands — passion, desire, creativity, confidence, action 💧 Cups — emotion, relationships, intuition, connection ⚔️ Swords — thought, communication, truth, perspective, boundaries 🌿 Pentacles — body, resources, work, money, habits, stability Then add the role: Page — I explore. Curiosity, learning and discovering the energy. Knight — I pursue. Movement, experimentation and actively engaging with the energy. Queen — I embody. The energy has been internalized and lived. King — I direct. Mastery, responsibility and intentionally using the energy. Suit + Role. Suddenly, sixteen Court Cards become a whole lot easier to understand. 💜 A Different Way to Read the CourtsInstead of immediately asking “Who is this?”, try asking: 1. What suit is it? What kind of energy are we dealing with? 2. What role is it? Am I exploring, pursuing, embodying or directing this energy? 3. Whose energy is this? Me? Someone around me? Or an invitation for how I could show up? 4. Healthy or shadow? How is this energy actually being expressed? And then look at the cards surrounding it. Context matters more than memorization. 🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat Court energy feels most familiar to me?Where am I a Queen or King — and where am I still very much a Page?Is there a role or identity I’ve outgrown?What part of myself might I need to bring forward?Where has one of my strengths moved into its shadow?When a Court appears, can I ask what is this showing me? before deciding who is this?The Court Cards don’t have to be sixteen separate definitions to memorize. Reach Clo at: 💜 thisaintfortunetelling.com Reach Meaghan at https://www.somaticintimacycoaching.ca/ Until next time — trust what’s showing up, and pull with intention.

  5. Sep 4

    Episode 22 — Pentacles Energy: What Are You Building?

    In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Meaghan to close out the journey through the four suits of the Minor Arcana with Pentacles — the suit that brings everything back down to earth. Pentacles are often thought of as the “money cards,” but they’re about so much more: our bodies, work, health, time, energy, resources, habits, security, capacity — and the tangible lives we create through the choices we make every day. Our guiding question: What am I building — and is the way I’m building it sustainable? Clo and Meaghan follow the Pentacles from Ace through Ten, exploring what it actually takes to turn an idea into something real. They talk about sustainable capacity, asking for help, scarcity and survival, giving versus receiving, consistency, and knowing when something needs more time — versus when the way you’re doing it needs to change. They also explore one of the biggest lessons of Pentacles energy: real change isn’t always exciting. Sometimes it’s simply doing the thing again and again until one day, something has changed. 🌿 In This EpisodePentacles as more than the “money suit”Your body, time, energy and attention as resourcesSustainable capacity and small, consistent changeThe journey from Ace through Ten of PentaclesScarcity, survival and asking for supportGiving, receiving and over-givingKnowing when to keep going — and when to change your approachWhy consistency matters more than constant inspirationThe Pentacles Court Cards and embodied abundanceWhy information alone doesn’t create transformationA four-card Roots & Resources collective reading✨ The Collective ReadingThings get especially interesting when the cards bring forward the Eight of Swords, Queen of Pentacles, Four of Wands and Devil. The conversation turns toward limiting beliefs, embodiment, where we’re directing our energy, the patterns that keep us stuck — and recognizing that sometimes we have to take off the blindfold before we can begin building something new. 🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat am I actually building right now?Do my daily choices support what I say I want?What resources am I overlooking?Where am I spending energy I don’t actually have?What needs consistency rather than intensity?What would sustainable growth actually look like for me?🌎 The Four SuitsCups: What are my emotions trying to tell me? Swords: What story am I telling myself? Wands: What wants to come alive? Pentacles: What am I building — and is it sustainable? I feel it. I understand it. I want it. And then I have to build it. Because eventually, insight has to become something we actually live. 💜 ConnectClo — Host of This Ain’t Fortune Telling thisaintfortunetelling.com Visit the website for the blog, readings, upcoming events and more from This Ain’t Fortune Telling. Meaghan -https://www.somaticintimacycoaching.ca/ If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it, and leave a rating or review. Until next time — trust what’s showing up, and pull with intention

  6. Aug 21

    Episode 21 — Wands Energy: What Wants to Come Alive?

    In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Meaghan to explore the suit of Wands — the tarot’s realm of fire, desire, creativity, ambition, confidence, sexuality, and life force. If Cups asks, “What are my emotions trying to tell me?” and Swords asks, “What story am I telling myself?”, Wands asks: What wants to come alive? Together, Clo and Meaghan follow the journey of the Wands from the first spark of the Ace through possibility, growth, visibility, resistance, momentum, resilience, and eventually the burden that can come when something we once loved becomes too heavy to carry. This episode explores the difference between genuine desire and obligation, the vulnerability of being seen, the fine line between resilience and burnout, and what it means to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that still have energy. As always, tarot here isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about understanding the energy you’re working with so you can choose how to meet it. 🔥 In This EpisodeWhat Wands energy represents in tarotFire as desire, passion, creativity, and movementThe journey from Ace through Ten of WandsVisibility, confidence, and being seenThe difference between persistence and overextensionHow passion can slowly become burdenThe Wands Court Cards and different relationships with fireA Wands-themed tarot reading focused on what wants to come alive✨ Key TakeawaysDesire is information.Not everything you start is meant to be carried forever.Visibility can feel vulnerable even when it’s something you wanted.Passion needs tending, not constant pushing.Resilience is powerful, but so is knowing when to stop.Burnout can happen even around things we genuinely love.Fire moves — what inspired you before may not be what inspires you now.🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat genuinely excites me right now?Where am I following desire — and where am I following obligation?What used to light me up but now feels heavy?Where am I overextending myself?What part of me wants more room to live?💜 ConnectClo — Host of This Ain’t Fortune Telling thisaintfortunetelling.com Read the blog, explore upcoming events, or book a tarot reading through the website. Meaghan Somaticintimacycoachin.ca If this episode resonates, share it with someone who could use a little more fire in their life — or maybe permission to put one of the ten wands down. Until next time — trust what’s showing up, and pull with intention.

  7. Jul 28

    Episode 20 — Swords Energy: The Stories We Tell Ourselves

    In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Victoria to explore the suit of Swords — the tarot’s realm of thought, truth, communication, decisions, conflict, and, yes… overthinking. If Cups asked us, “What are my emotions trying to tell me?”, Swords asks a very different question: What story am I telling myself? Together, Clo and Victoria follow the journey of the Swords from the clarity of the Ace through decision, heartbreak, conflict, anxiety, perspective, and ultimately the ending of a mental cycle. And while Swords have a reputation for being some of the more difficult cards in tarot, they aren’t inherently negative. A sword can wound, but it can also cut through confusion, establish boundaries, and help us separate what we fear from what we actually know to be true. 🔮 In This EpisodeWhat Swords energy represents in tarotAir as the element of thought, truth, and communicationWhy Swords aren’t necessarily “bad” cardsThe journey from the Ace through the Ten of SwordsHeartbreak, conflict, anxiety, and overthinkingThe difference between our thoughts and the factsThe Swords Court Cards and different relationships with truthA Swords clarity reading: the story vs. the truth✨ Key TakeawaysThoughts are powerful, but thoughts aren’t always facts.The stories we create around an experience can sometimes cause as much suffering as the experience itself.Clarity can be uncomfortable and still be valuable.Boundaries don’t require cruelty.Rest is part of mental health, not an interruption of productivity.Overthinking can make imagined outcomes feel very real.Sometimes moving forward requires questioning the story we’ve been repeating.💬 Memorable Lines“What story am I telling myself?” “Sometimes the greatest clarity comes from questioning the narrator.” “A sword can hurt — but it can also cut through confusion.” “Just because you think something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.” 🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat story am I currently telling myself?What do I actually know to be true?What am I assuming?Is this thought helping me understand something — or keeping me stuck?What might change if I questioned the story instead of automatically believing it?💜 ConnectClo — Host of This Ain’t Fortune Telling thisaintfortunetelling.com Read the blog, explore upcoming events, or book a tarot reading through the website. If this episode resonates, share it with someone whose brain occasionally likes to turn one thought into a full eight-season Netflix series. 😏 And if you’re enjoying This Ain’t Fortune Telling, follow the show and leave a rating or review to help more people find us. Until next time — trust what’s showing up, and pull with intention.

  8. Jul 10

    Episode 19 — Cups Energy: The Language of the Heart

    In this episode of This Ain’t Fortune Telling, Clo is joined by Meaghan for the first installment in the Minor Arcana series as they explore the suit of Cups—the suit of emotions, relationships, intuition, and connection. Rather than looking at each card individually, this conversation follows the emotional journey of the Cups from the first spark of feeling in the Ace through to the emotional maturity of the King. Together, Clo and Meaghan explore how our emotions evolve, what they reveal about us, and why learning to listen to them is far more powerful than trying to silence them. The guiding question for this episode is simple: What are my emotions trying to tell me? Through discussion, practical examples, and a live tarot reading, they unpack how Cups energy shows up in everyday life—from love and vulnerability to grief, nostalgia, emotional fulfillment, and everything in between. As always, tarot here isn't about predicting the future—it's about understanding yourself with greater honesty, compassion, and awareness. 🔮 In This EpisodeWhat the Cups suit represents in tarotWhy water is the perfect symbol for emotionsThe emotional journey through the CupsRelationships, intuition, vulnerability, and connectionEmotional intelligence through the Court CardsWhy feelings aren't problems to solveA collective Cups-themed tarot reading✨ Key TakeawaysEmotions are information, not obstacles.Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.Emotional growth happens through curiosity, not judgment.Every feeling has something to teach us.Healing isn't about avoiding difficult emotions—it's about learning to move through them.The Cups remind us that connection begins with ourselves.💬 Memorable Lines"Your emotions aren't your enemy—they're your language." "The Cups don't ask, 'How do I feel better?' They ask, 'What is this feeling trying to teach me?'" "Our emotions aren't problems to solve. They're messages to understand." 🔮 Reflection QuestionsWhat emotion have I been trying not to feel?What would change if I became curious instead of critical?What is this feeling trying to tell me?Where am I being invited into deeper emotional honesty?💜 ConnectClo — Host of This Ain't Fortune Telling 🌐 https://thisaintfortunetelling.com Read the blog, explore upcoming events, or book a tarot reading at the website. Meaghan www.somaticaintimacycoaching.ca If this episode resonated, share it with someone who could use a little more compassion for their emotional world. And if you're enjoying the podcast, following the show, leaving a rating, or writing a review helps more people discover This Ain't Fortune Telling. Until next time— trust what's showing up, and pull with intention.

About

Tarot meets real life on This Ain’t Fortune Telling. Join Clo and her guests for honest conversations about the cards, the patterns we fall into, and the choices that shape our lives. We explore tarot’s imagery and symbolism alongside different perspectives on self-trust, everyday challenges, and personal growth—with practical insight, curiosity, and a little humour. Whether you read tarot or are simply curious, there’s a place for you here. Come for the cards. Leave with questions worth asking and possibilities worth exploring.