← Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari
Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari
BONUS MONDAYS: TOP Tarot Card EXPERT Predicts The FUTURE of US Economy & the REST of 2024! with Julia Gordon-Bramer
01:04:58
In today's episode, we embark on a journey through the mystical and symbolic world of Tarot with Julia Gordon-Bramer, a seasoned Tarot reader with over 45 years of experience. From the moment she walked into a magic shop as a teenager, she was drawn...
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- [00:00]
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Hey, I'm Freddie Prinze Jr. On my podcast Wrestling with Freddy, we talk about what happens when things take a turn in and outside of the ring. Like when the heel wrestlers back you up into a corner and your tag team partner jumps in to have your back. It helps to have backup. That's why so many people turn to their State Farm agent to help choose the coverage you need and to be there when it counts. Because when life gets unpredictable, it's good to know someone's in your corner. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
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Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this fall. Take care of the little ones in the family with Baby Club Savings now through November 4th. Spend $25 on select Baby Club products and save $5. Shop for items like Pediasure bottles, Pedialyte powder packs, Huggies baby wipes, Huggies diapers, Gerber puffs and Gerber pouches. And save $5 when you buy $25 or more on participating products. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit Albertsons for more details.
- [01:00]
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- [01:32]
Alex Ferrari
Welcome to the Next Level Soul Podcast where we ask the big questions about life. Why are we here? Is this all there is? What is my Soul's mission? We attempt to answer those questions and more by bringing you raw and inspiring conversations with some of the most fascinating and thought provoking guests on the planet today. I am your host, Alex Ferrari. Now, before we dive into today's conversation, I want to invite you to experience something truly transformative. Next Level Soul tv. Our spiritual streaming platform where seekers from around the world can awaken, heal and expand. We've curated a powerful collection of life changing documentaries, Deep dive interviews, original series, audiobooks, courses, masterclasses and and live events all focused on conscious, personal transformation, ancient wisdom and the soul's journey, this isn't just content, it's a calling. Whether you're exploring your spiritual gifts, seeking answers from the beyond, or just craving something real in a noisy world, Next Level Soul TV was made just for you. And here's the best part. It's commercial, free, available around the world and growing every week with new soul expanding content. So if you're ready to go deeper, head over to next LevelSoul TV and start streaming your awakening. Now, let's begin today's episode disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of this show, its host, or any of the companies they represent. Now today on the show we have psychic and tarot card master Julia Gordon Bramer. And Julia and I have a deep, deep conversation about the origins of tarot cards, how to use them, how to watch for scams, and we also talk about the future of the economy of the world, her predictions for the rest of 2024, and much, much more. Let's dive in. I like to welcome to the show Julia Gordon Bremer. How you doing, Julia?
- [03:37]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Hi, nice to be here.
- [03:38]
Alex Ferrari
Alex, thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm, I'm really looking forward to talking to you because I know just enough to be dangerous with tarot cards. And I've never had anyone on the show who's an expert in it, who's been doing it for a long time. And I'm looking forward to diving into that world because it's something that many, many people around the world know. So my first question is, what got you interested in tarot cards and, and doing all of that?
- [04:07]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah. Well, in my book, Tarot Life Lessons, it's the first chapter is sort of the story of, of how I, I came into tarot and, and found my, my psychic abilities, both of which happened around the age of 16. And, and the story goes, you know, just to, to paraphrase it, I, I was walking around the mall on a hot summer day and in the 1970s and came upon a magic shop. And, and back then, magic shops weren't what they are today. Like, you know, today we have our metaphysical stores and our crystals and our pendulums and all of that. Back then it was tricks, you know, it was gag gifts and rabbits out of hats and trails of silk scarves and all of that. And so I wandered into the shop just looking at the goofy stuff, and a girl behind the counter motions to me and says, you want to see some real magic? And I come over and she shows me these tarot cards and that was it. And, and so I, I talk about how I, I plunked down my babysitting money and, and they were a part of my life for the next 45 plus years. I'm 60 now.
- [05:27]
Alex Ferrari
That literally sounds like the beginning of an 80s movie. You go into a magic shop, you want to see some real magic and then you buy a gremlin and you take them home. It's a whole thing.
- [05:38]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Right.
- [05:41]
Alex Ferrari
So let's go into tarot. Exactly. So what are the origins, what are the historical origins of Tarot cards? When did they first come on the scene, all of that? How old are they?
- [05:52]
Julia Gordon Bramer
So what we know definitely. Yeah, what we know definitely is the oldest deck that has been found is in a museum in Milan in Italy from the 1400s. So we know they're at least as old as, you know, the Renaissance and in the Crusades. And I think that's an important part. So there's lore around the tarot and here's where the Crusades come in. Because of course the Crusades were when the Catholic church was the governor government and, and they were kind of terrible to a lot of people who were not Catholic.
- [06:29]
Alex Ferrari
Stop it.
- [06:29]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Including, including the, the Romani travelers known as the gypsies. It's not, not a, not a nice word anymore, but, but a lot of people have used that term over the many years and, and also the Jews. So tarot is, you know, Tarot embodies a lot of, of belief systems. It's got numerology and it's got mythology. And the lore is that the gypsies traveled with this card game, should the authorities say anything. But it actually contained a lot of mystical secrets and was also of course used for fortune telling and divination. Tarot is structured on the Kabbalah tree of life, Kabbalah being ancient Jewish mysticism. So we have sort of repressed cultures there, you know, which are united in the tarot. And, and so there's just all of this, you know, deep spiritual information encoded in the cards with their pictures and their meanings and the numbers on the cards, the astrology associated with the cards. There's, you know, all these different influences. And so the lore is just that these were secrets, you know, embedded and, and carried along. That part cannot be proven. And a die hard Tarot scholar is going to say it just, just rumors, just lore. But it's kind of fun.
- [08:12]
Alex Ferrari
No, absolutely. So, so they basically. So they have Italian origins, essentially Renaissance origins.
- [08:19]
Julia Gordon Bramer
We, we know the first deck was Italian. Yeah, Renaissance Italian. But you know, there's also the Tarot de Masai, which is a very old deck, which of course demasai is French. Some people hold that there are Egyptian secrets and that there are Egyptian versions of tarot. Certainly Egyptian versions of tarot have been made in, you know, the Last hundred years. But, but we don't have any ancient Egyptian evidence, you know, used to. But, you know, I kind of think as a, as a spiritual gourmet, you know, I have a little of this and a little of that. I see that, that truth is, truth is truth across all these religions and mystic practices. And so much is shared, you know, what Carl Jung would call the collective consciousness and, or I believe he may have called it unconsciousness because we weren't aware of it. But this shared body of knowledge, what people today would call the Akashic records. And we all have these unifying ideas, and even across cultures, we all have symbols that are represented in the tarot. You know, every culture has a mother figure, a father figure, the lovers, the warrior, the wise man, the wheel of fortune with blessings or the tower with tragedies. We all share this no matter where we come from, from and what kind of person we are. And, and so the tarot tells the story of the human experience and reflects, you know, where we're going and, and, and our ideas and our hopes and our dreams.
- [10:08]
Alex Ferrari
So how did the tarot evolve to what it is today from those old decks that, the oldest decks that we have access to at this moment. How did they, how did they evolve and how did they kind of melt into the zeitgeist, into something that was in the back corner of a magic shop to kind of a little bit more mainstream, not completely mainstream, but a lot of people understand and have heard of tarot cards and understand what they kind of understand what they do. How did that evolve, evolution happen over the last 600 plus years?
- [10:46]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, I mean, that's kind of a hard question. So when it was hidden and in medieval or I could say Renaissance Italy, it was used as a card game. And there are people who still play tarot as a card game today called Taroki or Tarok versions of that. But so, so I could play a game of cards with my tarot pack in the same way that I could take a regular deck of playing cards and I could read fortunes from. Because I know enough about the tarot to know how the symbols relate and, and what would be the spades in the deck of playing cards becomes the swords in the tarot and what would be the hearts would, becomes the cups. And you know, they, they, they have these interchangeable meanings. So, so some people do still play card games. And, and certainly it was, you know, card games in Renaissance Italy were for royalty. Most Italians were working and out in the fields or the bakeries or, or you know, doing whatever their, their skill was.
- [12:00]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [12:03]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Wilmar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure, the responsabilidade. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [12:53]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this fall. Take care of the little ones in the family with Baby Club Savings now through November 4th. Spend $25 on select Baby Club products and save $5. Shop for items like Pediasure bottles, Pedialyte powder packs, Huggies baby wipes, Huggies diapers, Gerber puffs and Gerber pouches. And save $5 when you buy $25 or more on participating products. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [13:24]
LifeLock Announcer
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- [14:27]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [14:30]
Julia Gordon Bramer
And so the people of leisure played games. So Tarot was a game initially. Now I think Tarot really got radically transformed around the turn of the century, just in Victorian times, when we're looking at the Golden Dawn. The golden dawn was a group of mystics. W.B. yeats, the famous writer, was a part of it. A lot of famous authors and writers have been connected directly and indirectly with the golden dawn. And most famously, probably Aleister Crowley. The. You know, I don't know if you want to call him the great mystic or the controversial mystic, we'll say, but. So Crowley and the golden dawn really modernized the tarot. They aligned it perfectly with the Kabbalah tree of life. They saw the correlations and the similarities. Many people had either seen it or intuited it, going back to, like, William Blake in early England. Before the Tarot had reached England, Blake had just intuited his own version of Tarot and him being an artist and a poet. There is a. I have. I have a copy of the William Blake Tarot. It's really phenomenal. And it's so close to the Tarot that did come to England, you know, more than 100 years after the fact. But he just felt it all. You know, this is a system of our behavior. This is a system of, you know, who, how. How we maneuver ourselves in the world and, and the things we come up on. So, gosh, where am I going with this? So Crowley and the Hermetic Order of the golden dawn, they did a couple switcheroos. Most notably, they switched the justice card and the strength card to perfectly align. When I say they switched, they changed the number, they changed the ordering. They made strength used to be the 11th, and they made it the eighth, and Justice Vice versa. But they. What they did with, I, you know, I use the universal weight, also called the rider Waite. This is the best deck to learn on, I think. And they so perfectly captured the meanings in the pictures, really. Credit to the artist Pamela Coleman Smith, who worked with Arthur Waite to do that. And I have had clients who look at these pictures and they can read it with no knowledge of the Tarot because they're just feeling the pictures because the pictures are so loaded with. With emotion or, or what they're going through, sometimes literal symbols. You know, the magic of the Tarot is how do the right cards fall at the right time with these specific questions. It's. It's not an easy. You know, certainly that's the spiritual component to it. It. It's very psychological. Just to take it a step further into modern times, Carl Jung, the famous psychologist, he used tarot. He. He used it with his patients. He believed it was a way to Expand our consciousness and to see into our subconscious and what was kind of ruling us that way. And that's really how we use tarot today. So that's a long winded explanation.
- [18:15]
Alex Ferrari
No, it's a, it's a perfect explanation. I'm fascinated, especially when you start going into the historical aspects of things because I, I always like. Because, you know, tarot, just like numerology, just like astrology has gone into the woo a little bit too much. A little woo woo. Very discredited. Kind of like other crazy if they think that or that kind of. Those kind of things. And I really like to connect grounded to like well, wait a minute.
- [18:42]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, truly.
- [18:43]
Alex Ferrari
Where did these cards come from? I can't believe this was just made by somebody in Wisconsin somewhere in a factory. Like we need some cards. Let's do that. Like there's a historical background to it and it's. And if there's a historical aspect to it, there's also a mystical and spiritual aspect those cards. So that's why I'd like to ask deeper questions.
- [19:03]
Julia Gordon Bramer
I liken it to dream analysis. So, you know, we all have dreams and we all. You have a dream and it's a symbol. You know, I actually just wrote about a dream the other night that I had and I was traveling on a road and there was this big tree in the middle of the road that I could not get past. You know, so it's this obstacle, this thing I can't get around. Right. You know, and so I have to say to myself, you know, is this a relationship or is this a work problem? Or you know, I have to take this symbol of this tree and identify it for myself. Well, reading tarot cards is, is similar that way. So you know, I may pull up the strength card and know that this is a time that is really challenging my strength. Maybe I'm. Maybe I have to step into my strength, maybe I don't. Maybe I'm doubting my strength, you know, and, and so what I'm going through at the moment is really going to help with the reading and, and show, you know, like the tarot card reader doesn't necessarily know you. Doesn' know what you're. What's happening or where you come from, or whatever. So, so the person I'm reading for is reading it with me. You know, I'm just saying I'm seeing this symbol and I'm seeing this symbol and this is applying to you and this is what I'm getting here. And you're processing it. You're going oh, right, that's my spouse or that's my mom, or this is my job or, you know, you're putting it together with what you're going through.
- [20:41]
Alex Ferrari
So let's, let's, let's dive into what tarot is because you've been talking about strength cards and, and this card of that card. What exactly is the system? What, what are these pictures? What do they mean? How do they correlate in a reading or in any aspect of what you're doing with them? Can you explain what this is?
- [21:02]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, yeah. So, so most of us have seen some tarot cards, you know, especially in the movies, right. We've seen the Death card, we've seen the Lovers card. You know, we've, we've seen.
- [21:16]
Alex Ferrari
Yeah, like the gold coin.
- [21:17]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Right, right. And, and you know, in Led Zeppelin's fourth album, they put the hermit on, you know, with his, you know, on top of the mountain with his lantern and everything. So, so these are iconic cultural images, but most people don't know much beyond that. In the tarot, there are 78 cards altogether. So a few more than the traditional playing deck. When I say I can read fortunes or whatever from a traditional deck of cards, that is with what we would call the Minor arcana. So, so 56 or. Well, the 56 and the tarot 52, I believe in a regular playing deck. Right. Not counting the jokers and, and so the, so in the Tarot we have the major arcana and we have the Minor arcana. The Major Arcana is 22 cards and it's those superstars that you see like in Hollywood, the, the Lovers and, and the Death card and the Hermit and, and all, and all the rest. The Minor arcana is the more mundane day to day details. So, so the major covers the big events, those, those milestones, and the Minor arcana is sort of the day to day stuff. And the idea is they both work together because it all happens together. Not every day is a major arcana day. Not every day we're getting married or having babies or graduating or divorcing or all of the things that the majors express. A lot of times it's just putting nose to the grindstone and getting the job done or having some kind of minor conflict with somebody. So it all shows up within the tarot. Every, every, as I said, every culture experiences these things within the minor arcana. Just like in a regular deck, we have four suits, so we have the cups, we have the wands, we have the pentacles, and we have the swords and the idea is that these suits embody, you know, they're the elements. So pentacles are earth and wands are fire and cups are water, and swords are air. There's also the idea that they embody different sorts of actions. So cups are love, pentacles are work and career. I'm doing this all out of order. I know. Wands are ideas and excitement or, I'm sorry, you know, imagination and inspiration and enthusiasm. And swords are about action and striking out. So they have their meanings within their suits, and then the numerology of them gives us more meanings. So aces, the ones are about, you know, going solo and new beginnings and fresh starts and new loves and things like that. The twos tend to be duality. They tend to be couples. They, you know, and any sort of joining.
- [24:28]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor. Sponsor.
- [24:32]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And, wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Wilmer Valderrama, and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responsabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [25:22]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this fall. Take care of the little ones in the family with Baby Club Savings now through November 4th. Spend $25 on select Baby Club products and save $5. Shop for items like Pediasure bottles, Pedialyte powder packs, Huggies baby wipes, Huggies diapers, Gerber puffs and Gerber pouches. And save $5 when you buy $25 or more on participating products. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [25:53]
LifeLock Announcer
Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists, too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself. Even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements, if your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFElock and use promo code IHEARTRA or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply.
- [26:55]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [26:59]
Julia Gordon Bramer
The threes tend to be like a commitment sort of card. The fours tend to be stability. I think of like four table legs, you know, fives tend to be conflict and on and on. So each number has its meaning and each suit has its meaning. And the way they work together will tell a story. So the two of Cups for instance is two people joining in love. This can be a best friend. This could be a lover for life. This could be, you know, some other sort of harmonious joining. Does not have to be a lover. When it's in, when it's along with the lovers card, it usually is, you know, the way the cards work together tell the story. So I, I put the cards down and depending on the question, I see where they fall, I see how the cards interact with each other, how they may look at each other or not, you know, any sort of conflicts. It's all, it's all a big picture telling a story and how, and I.
- [28:04]
Alex Ferrari
If I remember, I mean, I've probably had my cards thrown at one point or another in my life. I haven't done it in a long, long time. But how does it, how do you cut it and how do you, how many cards do you pull and all of that kind of stuff. What is the process of accident, recession.
- [28:20]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Okay. And so, so you know, Alex, if you called me up and said, hey Julia, I want to have a reading, you know, and let's, let's book some time and, and let's say you did 15 or 20 minutes and if you had no specific question, you just wanted a reading, I do something general and I probably do what we call the Celtic cross, which card spread. And it's a little bit of past, present and future. And it gets into your longer range future, which I read as like the next couple years and just sort of, you know, who you are now, what you've been through, what's happening at the moment where you're going in the near future, and then that farther out future. And it can offer you some advice. I like to tell my clients, you know, tarot shows you the path that you're on. If we see something coming up that you don't like, it's an opportunity to do it differently. So I'm never going to tell you you're doomed. You know, I believe I can read your cards because we're connected just by being alive. When I'm reading for you, I am tapping into you. I. I believe that your life force is God, as mine is. I don't tell people how to do God or what to call God. That's your business. But I'm. I'm like, all right, you know, we're a part of this thing. You know, we. We can put. We can put the sperm and the egg in the test tube and create life, but that sperm and egg have to be alive first. You know, that life force is bigger than us and not in our ability to create that. And, you know, consequently, I believe that when we go away, that life force doesn't die. Energy doesn't die. It just goes somewhere else. Science has proven that. So you can call it energy, you can call it source. I do not tell people what to believe. But if you can sign on to that, if you can say, all right, I'm alive, I'm hooked into this God system, whatever, however you want to frame it, then you do have great power. And what we put our mind on grows, you know, so just in the same way that the athlete keeps their eyes on the prize. And an athlete does not belittle him or herself and say, I'm not strong enough, I'm not fast enough. You know? And an athlete does not obsess over what could go wrong. You know, what if I trip and fall? What if I don't make it to the finish line, you know, because that opens up the space for that negative thing to happen. So I'm giving you with the tarot a heads up, and I'm letting you see where your energy is going kind of organically at the moment. And then you can go, I don't like that. And then I say, okay, Alex, that's your opportunity to change it and to go for what you want, not what you don't want. Because what we put our mind on grows, and we're always growing what we put our attention on. So if we're very negative, I mean, you know, I tell people with all this politics going on today, love him or hate him, we have grown Donald Trump, because all the attention's been on him, you know, good or bad, if your focus is on loving someone or if your focus is on hating someone, you're growing that energy of that person, you know, so, so, you know, the, the thing is, you put your energy where you want it to be, you know, where you find peace, where, where you can be the highest good and the, and the greatest blessing. So when I work with my clients and, you know, I, I, I can say that in my earlier days of being a professional, I probably, you know, I was still stretching my wings and figuring myself out. And I don't know that we're ever totally evolved, but I've evolved a lot over the last, you know, 20 years or so of being a pro doing this. I've been reading since I was 16, so over 45 years, you know, just as a reader. But I'm talking about for money. And, and, you know, in the earlier days, I would get a lot of parties and a lot of sort of, you know, does he like me? You know, this kind of silly kid questions. And in my clients now, I'm attracting a much more highly evolved spiritual caliber of client that wants to be here for a reason and wants to make this world a better place and wants to show up in their highest self and self actualize, which is my goal too. I mean, I think that we're called right now, when I say we, I'm talking about me, my clients, people like you, who are, we're at service to the world, to be a light in a very dark time. And the world needs us more than ever. And so we are. And, and the tarot can be a guide to get you there.
- [33:07]
Alex Ferrari
Julia, I have to ask you, because when you started this, it wasn't, it wasn't the cool thing to be a terror card. It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't quite accepted. It's not, I mean, in the scope of the, of the abilities that I've had on this show, Tarot is one of the more mundane, meaning more acceptable, as opposed to being a psychic medium. I see dead people or I'm a channel and I channel entities and all that. That's so Tarot. Lower on the acceptability, more kind of. They look at you kind of like, really? How did you come out to do this professionally? How did you deal with colleagues, your friends, your family? Is she nuts? What's going on? How did you, how did they deal with it? And how did you deal with the world dealing with it when you Came out of the tarot car. The tarot closet.
- [33:59]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah. Yeah. Well, I've always been the black sheep in my family. You know, surprisingly.
- [34:05]
Alex Ferrari
So have I. Surprisingly so much. The weirdos do that. It's okay. It's okay.
- [34:12]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah. We just came out of the gate that way, right? Yeah. You know, I. I have a sister two years younger who's like, you know, quite intellectual. And I have a brother who's a philosophy PhD. And I, you know, you know, that must be great.
- [34:26]
Alex Ferrari
Great Christmas and Thanksgivings.
- [34:29]
Julia Gordon Bramer
So you can imagine it's sort of like, oh, Julia, you know, Wacky Julia, my. My other. My little sister.
- [34:39]
Alex Ferrari
She.
- [34:39]
Julia Gordon Bramer
She gets me. She got you.
- [34:42]
Wilmer Valderrama
But.
- [34:43]
Julia Gordon Bramer
But. And I don't think my mother's ever known what to do with me.
- [34:48]
Alex Ferrari
Fair enough.
- [34:48]
Julia Gordon Bramer
But, yeah, you know, so. So some of us, you know, just. Just don't really fit. And you're right. You know, as a teenager, it's funny. I think most psychics that I have met, and I lump myself in that. That group. I think as teens, you know, we get. We get labeled. First of all, the world wants to call you oversensitive. That's. That's a key thing. Almost every psychic is going to be, you know, kind of punished and blamed and called over sensitive. Like, just get over it. And even though you're seeing and feeling what you know is to be the truth, you gotta shut up and pretend it's all fine, you know, And. And so, like a lot of psychics, I did a lot of drugs and alcohol, you know, but course, it was also the 70s, so there's that. Maybe that's just part for the course. Shaped up in my early 20s when. When I had my. My first son, actually. First of two sons. Wonderful kids. And. And so, you know, I. I think we have our way of handling that. But the real persecution came much later when I got into my work, my scholarship work on the poet and writer Sylvia Plath. So my. My most recent book, the Occult Sylvia Plath within Her traditions. This is 15 years in the making. And I discovered that Sylvia Plath when I was back in graduate school getting. Getting my MFA in poetry and fiction. And I discovered that Plath had a lot of Tarot symbolism in her. In her work. And I pointed it out to my professor and I said, what's the deal with this? And. And he said, I don't know what you're talking about. And I realized nobody had seen it. And you had to be both a Tarot scholar and a Plath scholar to see what Plath was doing, you know, and that this radically changed the meaning of her work, that nobody, it has basically escaped everyone who's held her in this really narrow view of just, you know, being suicidal and depressive. She was, but that wasn't all of who she was. You know, when everybody has many complex layers and dimensions to their personality, you don't, you don't say somebody's whole life is a suicide, you know. And.
- [37:16]
Alex Ferrari
We'Ll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [37:19]
Freddie Prinze Jr.
This stress check, AKA friendly reminder that your hobbies matter, is brought to you by State Farm because you deserve to lose yourself in the stuff that brings you joy. Here's mine. Painting my tabletop battle miniatures. Yeah, seriously. After a long day, I grab a brush, pop in some music and just get into it. And there's no wrong way to do it. It helps me clear my head, slow down and just breathe. But it works. Big stress mini warriors, total reset. No pressure. Just paint. Creativity and a little reminder of what makes me happy. Some people bathe, some people garden. Me, I paint warriors with interesting tech. And guess what? It works. You don't have to be good at your hobby, you just have to enjoy it. So carve out that time, tune out the noise, and do something that's just for you. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [38:11]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway this fall. Take care of the little ones in the family with Baby Club Savings now through November 4th. Spend $25 on select Baby Club products and save $5. Shop for items like Pedias shore bottles, Pedialyte powder packs, Huggies baby wipes, Huggies diapers, Gerber puffs and Gerber pouches. And save $5 when you buy. $25 or more on participating products. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [38:43]
LifeLock Announcer
Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift list. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too. And your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself. Even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US Based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With LifeLock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code IHEART or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply.
- [39:45]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [39:49]
Julia Gordon Bramer
And so I, I kind of got on this mission and I, so I've been doing this work for, for about 20 years now with, with the Plath stuff. And I thought that the academic community would embrace it because, my gosh, here's her. Here's a hero, right? Yeah. Okay, you're seeing where this is going. Here's a hero. And I thought, oh my gosh, I'm showing this genius and these multiple layers of meaning that she was including in all of her work. And my gosh. But what I realized is, number one, although I have an MFA, it's not a PhD, so instantly, you know, no cred there. And of course I'm a crazy tarot card reader, right? So they just dismiss me and, you know, and I don't think it's an accident. Whole careers are built on her being just miserable. You know, the suicidal point. They don't want to see beyond that. So, so for a lot of years, I really, you know, I was iced out at conferences and I, I really suffered. I mean, I cried over how awful they were treating me. And then one day I kind of woke up and I was like, they're not my tribe. You know, they're, they're just gonna stay in their narrow little view and, you know, maybe a couple of them will see what I'm doing. Most of them won't. Most of them won't even read it because I'm a kook, you know, because I'm a tarot card reader. And, you know, I wasn't willing to betray who I am. I wasn't willing to put all that away and just say, oh, I don't believe that anymore and I'm all academic now. No, it, this is the truth of me. And I'm really good at what I do, you know, and I, to, to the point that I'm probably the only full time tarot card reader, certainly in the St. Louis area where, where I'm based. But, you know, I'm, you know, not, not to brag. I'm pretty successful and, and I, I'm on television and I'm on radio and I just recently was on Gaia and MTV and Nick at night and, you know, so, so stuff is happening. But I, yeah, I, I'm not going to betray who I am because I've been given a gift and I'm very good at it, and it's helped a lot of people. And I have people every day, I have regular clients every day who want to work with me, especially when they have problems or challenges. And so I feel really blessed to do work that I love with people I love and form real friendships and, you know, supportive friendships. People who. Who are building me up and even giving me money. Gosh darn it, that's amazing. And, you know, for something I love and, and so, you know, to hell with the haters. People are always going to hate. You know, I'll get on Twitter and I'll have, you know, maybe inbox with a few people who want to be my clients. And then I'll have some really snotty put down, you know, or. Or some thread of somebody who's just mocking me because I'm obviously an idiot because I'm not signing on to the atheistic, you know, belief system, whatever. Yeah. So it's. It's an interesting world right now. And, and just like when I. I was telling a fellow writer, you can't be a writer for accolades, like, you are going to get rejected. Same with being in this field of work. And I'm double. So I get rejected both ways. You know, that's just how it is. Gotta be strong.
- [43:36]
Alex Ferrari
I always ask that question because, you know, a lot of people think that this is an easy path. I'm like, oh, they're just trying to scam people out of money or something along those lines. There's a lot easier hustles out there. It really tr. Is. It's one thing to be that, you know, in a carnival or something, quiet, that nobody knows you, but once you get put out there, like you have, you know, in public, author on television, on. On the Internet, things like that, it's a different. You're really putting yourself out there. You're like, you're rolling the dice that this is. This is the route I'm going, guys. So I just wanted. I just again, always like to do that for people so people can kind of demystify this whole idea. Because there has been so much association with tarot and psychic readings and, and with. With the, you know, the crystal ball and the quote unquote gypsy and that image that we have from Hollywood that, you know, people stealing and things like that from people.
- [44:29]
Julia Gordon Bramer
And I want Ms. Cleo. Yeah.
- [44:33]
Alex Ferrari
Oh, God, the snap and go there and all that kind of. And all that kind of stuff. But you. So you've mentioned A couple times that. That there's a psychic aspect to the tarot cards. Can you.
- [44:45]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Can.
- [44:45]
Alex Ferrari
Can you explain to me how your psychic abilities are connected to the tarot cards? I've heard this before, but I'd love to hear you explain it to everybody, how those two work. And can you read tarot without being psychic?
- [45:01]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah. Well. So first of all, Alex, I think everybody's psychic to a certain degree. You know, we've all had dreams that tell us something important, or we've all had, you know, just the moment of thinking of someone and they call you, and I was just gonna call you, you know, that connection, you know, and so. So everyone has some. I compare it to, like, singing. So everyone can sing at least a little bit. And some people you could listen to all day. And some people, it's like, oh, God, please stop, you know, and. And so we can all do it, but it's teaching yourself to pay attention. And I think a spiritual path really helps to develop your ability. So some people are just not interested in developing it at all. You know, some people just don't believe and they're like, no, I only have this many senses and that's it. And then other people are like, wow, you know, I really do have a. A good understanding of people. Like, you know, I always say mental frame it differently. Like, men don't usually say they're psychic. They say I have a sense about somebody or I have a gut feeling. That's like the masculine way to do it, you know, and with women, it's more intuitive or psychic or, you know, premonitions, things like that. But we've all got it. You know, somebody could use just a book and read tarot. So if you know nothing about it, you know, in. In my book Tarot Life Lessons here from last year, this is my. My real life stories of being a tarot reader. And I believe it's the second story is. Is a story of. I was at a party and a drunk guy took my cards and he said, I'm going to read for you. And he had no knowledge of tarot. And he just threw down some cards and he gave me a surprisingly accurate reading. And I believe he did that because first of all, he was blotto. So he was just open, you know, he had no judgments, he wasn't afraid to be wrong, which I consider is one of the big enemies of intuition is putting our ego in it and like, afraid to tell somebody wrong or steer somebody wrong or, you know, and we have all this judgment, you know, so this guy was just, you know, just, just looking at the cards and riffing off it. And it was, and it was surprisingly a good reading with no knowledge at all. And I think that's important because I know some people who study those books. You know, when I, when I did write Tarot life lessons, I did not want another how to read Tarot book because there's already tons of them about what this card means and this card means, etc. And different layouts. I wanted somebody to be able to see real stories and practical application of Tarot. And, and so the way I do it. Well, we all have our different psychic gifts. I have a couple. I am mostly what we call clairaudient. And what that means is I hear it in my head. So if I'm reading a card, reading your cards, I set them down, Alex, and maybe you've asked me a question about your work or something. And I'll have a card show up and I'll hear something. I'll hear just a word in my head, you know, or a phrase. And so I've learned over time to trust that and to just tell it to you. I don't know what it means necessarily, but it usually relates to you, you know, and usually you go and, you know, and, or that's what so and so always says. Or that's exactly what I was thinking earlier today, you know, that that's the kind of response I get. And so that's. So usually I'm clairaudient. I do also have premonitions. You know, I dream both, both at night and actual sleeping dreams and also daydreams, which I, I consider to be visions. So in this book, in the first chapter, which is my story, I, I, I talk about my first premonition being just. I was, I had just gotten my driver's license and I'm going down the road and I thought about a big crow on the side of the road with a broken wing. And I thought, why did I think about that? You know, it just kind of came into my head.
- [49:36]
Alex Ferrari
We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [49:39]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And, wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Umar Valderrama, and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future familia. Is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La respona. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruita like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [50:29]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through November 4th. Shop the annual beauty event and save $5 when you spend $25 on selection beauty products. Shop in store or online for items like Dove Body Wash, Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dial Liquid Hand Soap and Olay Body wash. And say $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [51:01]
LifeLock Announcer
Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too. And your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with Lifelock. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration sponsor specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off. Terms apply.
- [52:03]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [52:07]
Julia Gordon Bramer
And then within five minutes, I saw exactly what I had thought. This bird was there with a broken wing. And I think, well, what does that mean? To this day I'm not sure. But I do think that as we get stronger, we're flexing our muscles and we're getting better and better and it's that paying attention. So that was my first conscious premonition. And I talk in the book about what crow symbolism is and how it unites even with my plath work and, and different things there. So it was a meaningful symbol to me. And like, like the tarot will have meaningful symbols. You know, the right cards come up for you to give you the information you need to know. So I'm just the messenger. And I am, you know, telling you what's coming in really you as the, the person who's getting the reading, you're applying it to your life. Because, of course, I don't know your life. So it's just. Yeah, it's just, that's how it works.
- [53:15]
Alex Ferrari
So when you are a clear audience, what are you connecting to? What, what is. What are you. Are you connecting to your higher self? Are you connecting to the other side? You're connecting to your clients higher self? What is. Where's the information coming from on the other side?
- [53:30]
Julia Gordon Bramer
So, because I have a background in the Episcopal Church, and because, and that's another part of my story that in tarot, life lessons, my Episcopal Church was a little different. They taught me meditation, they taught me automatic writing. On church retreats, they spoke in tongues. So it was definitely more mystic. They called it charismatic, but that was my foundation. And so I call it Holy Spirit. I'm also a teacher and a practitioner of a course in miracles, which would call it Holy Spirit as well. Now, that said, you know, it's just a name. So you could call it God, you could call it Source, you could call it Goddess, you could call it Mother, Father, God. A lot of my friends do that. You know, you could call it spirit energy. I, I don't think, I don't think God has an ego to care about what the name is. That's a human.
- [54:31]
Alex Ferrari
According to the, according to the Old Testament. He has a tremendous ego, but that's a whole.
- [54:35]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, yeah, I reject that. I think God's a little higher than that, in my opinion.
- [54:43]
Alex Ferrari
He's not that insecure. He's not that insecure, I think. Or, or she's not as secure.
- [54:49]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Exactly.
- [54:51]
Alex Ferrari
So do you. So being a psychic, do you. You don't technically need the cards, you just use them as a tool, essentially. Or do you need the cards? Yeah, right. Because from what I heard from other, Other channels and other psychics who were afraid of their gifts as being a psychic or a channel, they would use the tarot as a buffer because tarot was much more acceptable than, hey, I'm channeling Mary Magdalene, Right? Yeah. Or something.
- [55:23]
Julia Gordon Bramer
There's some of that. I love the cards. I mean, I always have. I. I love how beautiful they are, and I love that it gives a visual for my clients. So if they can see it with me, it's sort of like another layer of trust. If I'm just saying things well, that might impress them. But if I'm Saying things and showing them the picture and explaining how this picture is working and what, you know, that's sort of like, whoa. And. And really, it. I think it helps them to learn some of these spiritual lessons and, and learn, you know, just some life skills to. To evolve and rise out of some troubles and. And maybe bad habits and things like that. You know, the tarot will call us out on some of those things. And, And. And so I just think that they're such a valuable tool. Sure, I can talk to somebody, and I do all the time. You know, a lot of times my clients will call me up and maybe I'll be on a long drive. I'm doing a lot of traveling for a book tour right now, and it's not unusual for somebody to say, hey, can I just talk to you for a minute? And. And I'm, you know, out in the middle of nowhere, you know, And. And like, sure.
- [56:42]
Wilmer Valderrama
And.
- [56:43]
Julia Gordon Bramer
And I'll help them process something by what I'm feeling about it. And, you know, I do that all the time as well. Which is another kind of reading that has nothing to do with the tarot. But. Yeah, you know, I just think that the cards themselves are. Are. Are so valuable in. In building the depth and furthering the meaning and the teaching that I would not want to do it without the cards.
- [57:12]
Alex Ferrari
What is the biggest misconception people have about tarot cards and tarot card readers and. And all of that?
- [57:17]
Julia Gordon Bramer
That it's satanic, you know, that it's evil?
- [57:20]
Alex Ferrari
Well, obviously, this. This is the devil's work. This is obviously the devil's work, Julia. Yeah.
- [57:26]
Julia Gordon Bramer
So, I mean, I. I get a lot of that. It. People are just afraid of it because it's, you know, fundamentalist Christians especially. But anybody who meets me and talks to me kind of gets it. Like, I am totally not satanic. I am not, you know, I think a lot of that witchy occult stuff, you know, getting to my Course in Miracles teachings. A Course in Miracles says that the world is illusion. It's very Buddhist, and I'm also Buddhist. Surprise, surprise. So. So this. This illusion is our sandbox, and this is where we get to play with our relationships and. And. And manipulate the illusion, you know, and grow and learn from it and ideally heal our stuff and become a higher version of ourselves. So that's the world. And then. And then. So the magician who is practicing magic, spells, charms, anything like that, they're working in the illusion to manipulate the illusion. Miracles are a higher level. So miracles are about healing and restoring the oneness and we're not, we're not playing in the illusion really. We're above it. And I know that sounds maybe a little bit conceited or superior, but it's just a higher goal. And so it's what the alchemist does. You know, alchemy is, is a three level thing. So alchemy is practical alchemy, which is in the world, which is the, the lead to gold idea in, in chemistry. And then it's the emotional alchemy of let's heal our stuff like Jungian alchemy, you know, getting into the dark night of the soul and rising out of it and then the spiritual level of alchemy, which is becoming one with your God self. And that's my goal. And so if that's my goal. Wow. To call me a Satanist. It's kind of.
- [59:31]
Alex Ferrari
You're a horrible Satan. Horrible Satan.
- [59:34]
Julia Gordon Bramer
I'm failing miserably. Satan would be in the earth stuff. You know, Satan is in the earth and ego realm. So I've had people back when I used to do the Renaissance fairs and, and I have a story in Tarot Life Lessons of somebody wandering into my tent and, you know, this teenage boy in his goth clothes with his buddy and, and they're, you know, thinking that the satanic stuff is really cool and just making an assumption about me that I was into the dark stuff like them and boy, did I disappoint them. And I also called them out on a lot of stuff and, and I also mentioned that, that people in, people dabbling in that dark stuff, there might be some energy there. I don't deny it. There may be, but there's a price to pay. And almost all those people have physical health problems and emotional problems and relationship problems. There is no happiness there. It's like, sure, you might have a little bit of, of an effect. You know, Aleister Crowley did. But, but he was, you know, he, he was very much in the ego and he had a lot of relationship problems and I wouldn't want to be him, you know.
- [60:49]
Alex Ferrari
Sure, fair enough. Fair enough. Now there's a lot, there seems to be a lot of stuff happening in the world. This year has been a pretty chaotic. Heavy, intense, intense. Especially of a sense of have. Since certain things have happened in the last last week or so.
- [61:08]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah.
- [61:09]
Alex Ferrari
Assassination attempt and everything. What, what I have to imagine that you have thrown the cards down on what's happening in the world and where we're all going. Do you have any, does the cards have any predictions for. I don't need you to tell me who wins the election. I could care less, but more. Just generally like what is happening here in in the States, what's going to happen in the world for the rest of this year and coming next year. So we'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [61:40]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Umar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responsabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta. Like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [62:30]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through November 4th. Shop the annual beauty event and save $5 when you spend $25 on select beauty products. Shop in store or online for items like Dove Body Wash, Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dial Liquid Hand Soap, and Olay Body wash. And save $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [63:02]
LifeLock Announcer
Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too. And your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with Lifelock. Lifelock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself. Even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply.
- [64:04]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [64:07]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Here's the thing. Tarot is personal. It's micro, not macro. So I really cannot tell you who's going to win the election in the same way, you know, people say why don't you, you know, bet on horse races? Why don't you use, you know, pick your cards for lottery numbers? It doesn't work like that. It's about a personal connection. So you know, my example, if, if somebody asks me, you know, I, I can read about people close to you. If you were close to Joe Biden or to Donald Trump and, and, and if them winning the election, whichever one would affect you, then maybe I could read that. I have been reading that we're going to have a pretty rough economy for a while yet. And I've been reading that because everybody's cards are reflecting concern about their retirements and concern about, you know, being able to buy groceries and, and all of this, this basic stuff. So things are in turmoil economically and I have seen that just by gauging from so many clients with the same kind of readings, I can get that we're not coming out of this really quickly, you know, economically, is it going.
- [65:29]
Alex Ferrari
To get worse before it gets. Because right now the economy is for some doing extremely well, but for many not doing well at all. Is that that high eventually going to come down to a place where everyone's hurting like an 08?
- [65:44]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, yeah. I, I would say in the next couple years I'm seeing most people hurting, so I'll frame it that way. Now I do have a varying large sample of clients. I have billionaires. I have a group of Miami billionaires that I read for regularly. I say the ns, there's for sure one and, and a bunch of multi millionaires just, just to keep it. Totally.
- [66:13]
Alex Ferrari
I mean, semantics. Semantics, Julia, they're all rich.
- [66:16]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah. Yeah, they're all rich. Correct. They've flown me down and I've done parties on their yachts and, and that sort of thing. So I have, I have that group of, of people and then I have like the hard working single mom in the city who calls me, you know, once a month for 15 minutes because that's all she can swing. But she's got her questions and she's, you know, really applying herself and on her evolution and what I will say is financially everybody looks concerned. So that's interesting.
- [66:50]
Alex Ferrari
That's, that's very interesting.
- [66:52]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah.
- [66:52]
Alex Ferrari
What other, what other kind of, what other kind of broad strokes have you seen in, in this pool of clients of yours that you can actually kind of say, well, this is kind of where everything is going in this area or that area.
- [67:05]
Julia Gordon Bramer
You know, I'm not sure I want to say beyond the money, because, like I said, it's so. A reading is so personal and, you know, it's. It's how we're responding to the world. And, and, you know, there's so many different kinds of jobs, for instance, and so sure, some industries may go under because of AI, for instance, but. But they all won't. And I've seen a lot of trouble in the teaching world, but I used to teach myself in. In the universities, and so, you know, they're. They're doing so much with just. They're basically taking all the class plans that everybody works so hard to develop, and they're just sticking them in a computer and letting the computer, you know, and so. Yeah. So, you know, I. There's a lot of. A lot of pain in. In the academic world that way, But I don't know. It. It's. It's a personal thing. I. I just don't want to make a big blanket statement. Yeah, yeah.
- [68:12]
Alex Ferrari
And. And when you're saying about academic. There's no question. You could just see academia starting to. It's on a downward, downward slope across the board. Across. Because. Because it's so expensive. It got so expensive.
- [68:26]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Right. And we've got Harvard presidents who are forging papers and, you know, well, there's.
- [68:32]
Alex Ferrari
There's all of that stuff too. But then it got so expensive. But to the point where the investment in the education doesn't. You're never gonna. The job that you get from that doesn't pan out in certain. In certain industries. But I have family members who are doctors who. They go, I wish I would have never become a doctor. The system is so broken, and they're just like words where it's. It's not like it was in the 80s where you could, you know, make a really, really. Oh, you're a doctor right now, nowadays.
- [69:05]
Julia Gordon Bramer
I'll tell you something interesting, alex. When in 2016, when Trump took the presidency and, you know, every. I kept getting the Tower card, and I found that so fascinating because, you know, I. I said, love him or hate him, he was the Tower card. Because the Tower card is. Is it. It can be frightening. It says it can. It's sudden change. When I read it, When I read it for someone, it says, the foundation was wrong. The building has to come down. It's time to rebuild. It is a card for the game changers. You know, the big upheavals, that everything's different kind of thing. And, and, and how interesting that Trump's own symbol is Trump Tower, you know, So I, I thought that, yeah, God, God really knows how to pick the right tarot cards sometimes because it just kept coming up and, and some people did, you know, we, we have had a status quo government for a while and some people didn't like the changes he made, good or bad. Like I said, I don't want to make a political statement here. We have this fight right now in this division right now that I really hate because people are, we're dehumanizing each other, you know, and, and that's just not, not the way of God. And I, you know, I'm about oneness, I'm about unity. I, I anger people because I will not take sides. And I've, I've lost friendships over it, you know, and especially since like 2020, because they want to see me, they're saying this is the time and we have to unite and you have to be on this side. And I'm like, I'm on the side of humanity, I'm on the side of love and I'm not going to divide. I will not do it. And, and so, you know, that, that has frustrated some people about me. But. Yeah, but, but all this stuff, you know, it will show up for the individual, you know, so how your experience of the political situation, that will show up, but I just can't give you a universal experience.
- [71:27]
Alex Ferrari
Fair enough, fair enough. Do you have any advice for someone who. Wanting to start using tarot cards? Either.
- [71:34]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah.
- [71:35]
Alex Ferrari
Themselves or for others? What advice would you give them?
- [71:39]
Julia Gordon Bramer
That's, that's in my book, Tarot Life Lessons. You know, at the end of every chapter I have sort of a tip, you know, on selecting your own cards or you know, kind of dispelling some of the, the superstitions. Like some people believe you have to be gifted a deck versus buying your own things like that. So I talk about all of these things. I talk about layouts. And again, people are overly concerned about being wrong. You know, do I lay the cards out properly? Is, you know, and so I talk about leaning into your intuition and offering tips. Like, I am a big believer in trusting yourself and trusting what comes to you and that, that's intuition and that in, in my world there aren't all these rules. I don't like rules. I'm a Sagittarian, I've never liked rules, you know, so, so I'm about going with, with what I feel.
- [72:36]
Alex Ferrari
Now I'm going to ask you a few questions, ask all my guests. What is your definition of living a fulfilled life?
- [72:41]
Wilmer Valderrama
Life?
- [72:42]
Julia Gordon Bramer
I, I think it's reaching my highest potential. I don't think it means that we're happy all the time. I, I. People talk to me about, oh, I just want to be happy, and I say that's ridiculous because that's not an appropriate emotion for most of our experiences. I, I like to have joy, and I, I like to try and feel some joy every day, but to have this blanket happiness, that's like soma, you know, in Brave New World, and it's just not. It's not appropriate. So, So a fulfilled life is reaching our highest potential and using our talents to the max, to the best of our abilities. And really, I think just living big, you know, I want to experience everything I can in my time on this planet. I want to live broad and deep. I want to feel, I want to connect with people. I want to love. And. And so that, to me, is fulfillment.
- [73:50]
Alex Ferrari
Now, if you had a chance to go back in time and talk to little Julia, what advice would you give her? We'll be right back after a word from our sponsor.
- [73:57]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Estado familia Tambien meirese protection. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And, wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Umar Valderrama, and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set, and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La respona. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [74:48]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through November 4, shop the annual beauty event and save $5 when you spend $25 on select beauty products. Shop in store or online for items like Dove Body Wash, Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dial Liquid Hand Soap, and Olay Body wash. And save $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [75:19]
LifeLock Announcer
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- [76:22]
Alex Ferrari
And now back to the show.
- [76:26]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Yeah, you know, assuming I had the knowledge I have now, I'd probably get away from some of the family environment early and which I kind of did anyway, honestly, but I think maybe more emotionally. Don't take it on. Don't, don't take it as my problem, you know, that, that. Getting back to one of the first questions you asked me today. Well, you know, being a psychic, growing up psychic, like the first thing you say is, what's wrong with me? You know, why doesn't everybody get me? Why doesn't anyone understand me? Why doesn't anybody love me? And, and I asked all those hard questions and I blamed myself and as most do for a long time. And so that's what I would relieve myself of if I could. But then I wouldn't have the knowledge and wisdom I have today either. So, you know, fair enough.
- [77:18]
Alex Ferrari
How do you define God or source energy?
- [77:21]
Julia Gordon Bramer
That, that gets back to that life force, that connection, you know, when I, when I look at you, even through this phone, I feel connected to you. And on some level I feel you. And that's because we're both alive. And I love that, you know, and that to me is God.
- [77:42]
Alex Ferrari
What is love?
- [77:45]
Julia Gordon Bramer
God kind of, you know, it's, it's bigger than just the emotional feeling. But of course the emotional feeling is in there and it's how we express it. But it's, it's that highest source.
- [78:03]
Alex Ferrari
And what is the ultimate purpose of life?
- [78:05]
Julia Gordon Bramer
I think to love in every way and every form, including Loving ourselves, to reach, to self actualize, to reach that God potential.
- [78:14]
Alex Ferrari
And where can people find out more about you and the work that you're doing in the world?
- [78:18]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Oh well, they can go to juliagordonbramer.com they can also pick up one of my most recent books. I mean I have five books altogether but, but recently, last year, last November, Tarot Life Lessons came out with Destiny books. And this past May the Occult Sylvia Plath came out. This is a biography. This is not about me. But Tarot Life Lessons is a lot about me. So if you're interested, I recorded them both on audiobook as well distributed through Simon and Schuster. If there are any bookstores listening and, and I'm on a book tour, they can find the dates of my book tour on julia gordonbramer.com they can get a reading with me by contacting me through that website. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram J. Gordon Bramer. And yeah, I, I love to talk to people who are into this. I, you know, I'm getting busier and busier with all this traveling. I don't always have tons of time to, to, to just, you know, shoot the breeze. But I'm happy to answer some questions about Tarot or myself or anything.
- [79:29]
Alex Ferrari
And do you have any parting messages for the audience?
- [79:34]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Not really. Just thank you for having me and it was a joy.
- [79:39]
Alex Ferrari
I appreciate you being on the show and thank you so much for helping awaken the planet, my dear. Thanks again.
- [79:44]
Julia Gordon Bramer
Thanks, Alex.
- [79:46]
Alex Ferrari
I'd like to thank Julia so much for coming on the show and sharing her knowledge and wisdom with all of us. If you want to get links to anything we spoke about in this episode, head over to the show notes at nextlevelsoul.com forward/481 now if this conversation stirred something in you, there's more waiting. You can listen to this episode completely commercial free on Next Level, Soul TV's app where Soul meets streaming. Watch and listen on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, Sleep, LG and Samsung apps anytime, anywhere. Begin your Awakening at next LevelSoul TV. Thank you so much for listening. As I always say, trust the journey. It's there to teach you. I'll see you next time.
- [80:33]
Wilmer Valderrama
This live check in is brought to you by State Farm. Okay, real talk. I'm about to become a dad again. And wow, it hits different the second time. Hi, I'm Umar Valderrama and I've done, you know, I've done the red carpets, the long days on set and all that. But nothing prepares you for that moment when you're building a crib and you realize you're building a future. Familia is everything to me. The laughs, the chaos, the unconditional love, but also the pressure. La responzabilidad. If you're stepping into something big right now, starting a family, getting engaged, moving cities, you're not alone. Take one step at a time. Why breathe? Be present and lean into the people. They've got your back. It is fruta like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.
- [81:24]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway now through November 4th. Shop the annual beauty event and save $5 when you spend 25 on select beauty products. Shopping store or online for items like Dove Bottle Body Wash, Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dial Liquid Hand Soap and Olay Body wash and save $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [81:55]
LifeLock Announcer
Tis the season for identity theft. This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift list lists. But guess what? Identity thieves have lists too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with LifeLock. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss by yourself even if you keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements. If your identity is stolen, your own US Based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. And all plans are backed by the million dollar protection package. The last thing you want to do this holiday season is face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or other financial losses from identity theft all alone. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com iheart for 40% off terms apply.
- [82:54]
Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. Now through November 4th. Shop the annual beauty event and save five dollars when you spend $25 on select beauty products. Shop in store or online for items like Dove Body Wash, Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dio Liquid Hand Soap and Olay Body wash and save $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
- [83:25]
LifeLock Announcer
This time of year. Most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But identity thieves have lists too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with LifeLock LifeLock monitors millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With LifeLock, save up to 40% your first year at LifeLock.com iHeart Terms apply.
- [83:55]
Alex Ferrari
If you're like most professionals, I know you've built a successful career, but you're still wondering if you're making the smartest.
- [84:01]
Ryan Seacrest
Moves with your money.
- [84:02]
Alex Ferrari
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