Interview with Steven Bright, Founder of Tiferet Tarot

Steven Bright is a seasoned Tarot reader, teacher and mentor. As well as writing about the subject online daily he has read professionally for ten years. Steven is currently taking his knowledge and experience with the Tarot into the classroom, teaching and mentoring beginners. Tarot-Tshirts.com talked to Steven recently about his beginnings with Tarot, what Tarot means to him and about some of his favourite decks and cards.

When did you first become interested in tarot?

Eighteen years ago, I bought my first tarot deck in London. While my first real reading deck was The Rohrig Tarot, my first introduction to tarot was a cheap set I found in a supermarket.

I began to learn the basics of tarot reading before I had an internet connection, so I spent a handful of years learning in my North London flat with the book in one hand and the deck in the other. I didn’t realise that the book was Waite-based and that my deck followed the Thoth tradition, so it was confusing but also a very magical time. I leaned on my intuition and read as much about the tarot as I could find. In those days, I’d read for friends at dinner parties and scrawl notes about the cards in a journal. It wasn’t as easy to access information back then and I didn’t know or have contact with anyone else who was interested in the cards, but that time spent alone with just the one deck was important. I could have easily given up, as many do when it gets difficult, but I persevered.

Tarot is a tool which I use to help people make sense of the present moment.

How long have you read professionally?

I have read professionally, on and off, for around ten years but I only began to read full-time in the last year, when I built Tiferet Tarot. Prior to this, I’d frequented online forums and had written a tarot-related blog for over five years. I stripped all of that down and created a new blog a year ago, built around my teaching of the tarot, articles, and deck reviews. The blog also became a place for me to showcase my own tarot illustrations, which I initially designed to accompany my writing.

Since the beginning of Tiferet Tarot, I have taught three beginners courses and have read at fairs, public places, and regularly in a Kent Reading Room. I now read for people every week and put together daily tarot-guidance videos, which I share on social media.

What does tarot mean for you?

Tarot is a tool which I use to help people make sense of the present moment. It allows them to examine relevant issues in their past, look at the bigger picture in the present, and see which direction they are heading in. Of course, nothing is set in stone, so a reading provides options and opportunities which can be acted on. When I read for someone, I want them to feel empowered and more in control of their life. The tarot cards are prompts, which help them to see what is important and suggests ways in which they can get the most out of their life.

I have a strong intuition and I enjoy to help people. The tarot assists me with that, providing images which arouse my intuitive skills. I love the messages which are stimulated by the combinations of cards. Every reading is a new journey of discovery with a client.

What are your favourite decks and cards?

I have a few hundred tarots here. I like Tarot of the Hidden Realms (Julia Jeffrey), The Intuitive Tarot (Cilla Conway) and The Shadowscapes. However, it is always the original Rider Waite (and its variants) which I come back to. Along with Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot, it is my main reading deck. I have looked into all of the traditions and while I stick mainly to the Waite pattern, I do love my Marseille sets – in particular, the Hadar.

Within the tarot, there are cards which I always look for in a deck – in particular, The Hanged Man, Knight of Cups, and High Priestess. I particularly like The Hanged Man in The Cosmic Tribe Tarot, The Druidcraft Tarot, and it was the illustration of Rosario’s Hanged Man which drew me to Tarot T-shirts.

www.tiferettarot.com
Photo by Darren Burt