We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Patrick Barragan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Patrick below.

Patrick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I couldn’t have predicted I would become a professional tarot card reader, but it makes sense: I was always searching for a mission behind my work.

For 10+ years, I was a was a corporate art director in New York City. I’ll never forget the first time I saw a billboard of my work in SoHo — over 60 feel tall, with waves of peoples stopping and noticing. This was all I ever wanted: to see my creative vision on full display in the fashion capital of the world. By all accounts I was successful, you know? I had MADE IT. But deep down it was still … unfulfilling.

Every step of my career has been towards making a positive impact: beauty brands that have their own non-profit, fashion brands that donate a percentage of their earnings to good causes — I even abandoned the corporate fashion world all together and worked for a global NGO aiding refugees and asylum-seekers. I wanted my work to mean something more than just glamour and luxury. I wanted to actually help people.

Now I’ve always been a spiritual person; my family is from Argentina, so conversations around psychic gifts, divination, and mediumship were super common in my upbringing. I often joke that when we’re all together, it’s only a matter of time before someone brings up the supernatural. Tarot was always my area of interest, so I actively learned and worked with the cards for 8+ years.

I always saw tarot as a meaningful, deeply connected way to communicate with the universe — our intuition, our higher selves. What I couldn’t have predicted was just how meaningful tarot would become for me when my father passed away. In the depths of my own grief, tarot constantly lit the way for me — offering clarity around an otherwise totally opaque period of my life. Anyone who has lost a parent or close loved-one will know what I mean when I say: it is a very raw and isolating journey.

I stand behind the soulful healing potential of the tarot because I experienced it firsthand. It became clear to me after a year of deep, introspective work with the tarot that this was something I could see myself doing: actually helping people navigate the various ups and downs of our human experience.

If it had helped me so much, then I needed to offer it to others — that mission became very clear.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a professional tarot card reader, educator and author. I specialize in something called evolutionary tarot, which is a branch of tarot that emphasizes your personal power and soulful expansion. We all find ourselves at a crossroads from time to time, unsure of what path to take. Evolutionary Tarot aims to illuminate unconscious blockages in those moments, and provide clear steps forward that are for your personal, spiritual and emotional growth.

That’s the kind of work that I’m most proud of doing. I’m a very integrity and values-driven tarot card reader, and one of my core values will always be your personal empowerment: you’re always the one in charge of your own life and destiny.

If someone wanted to book a tarot card reading with me, I have a few options available. All of my readings are time-based, so: 15-minutes, 30-minutes or 60-minute options. Clients can either book a live tarot card reading with me (where we have a private video call), or a recorded tarot card reading (where I record the full reading for you and send it as a private video). I like offering those two options because it respects the various degrees of engagement and/or free time a client might have.

I’m big on the idea that tarot is for everyone. For folks that want are just beginning their tarot journey or want to deepen their knowledge, I have a regularly updated blog that explores the meanings, symbolism and history of the cards. This year I’m also launching a Learn the Tarot Digital Course with 10+ hours of video education, as well as guidance on finding your own intuitive voice and approach to the tarot. We all have our unique tarot journeys, and I would like to help you begin yours.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built up my audience by offering short-form, daily collective tarot card readings on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. I also use the live streaming features and invite people to ask questions about tarot, divination, channeled messages, or whatever else they’re interested in. It’s a safe place for my followers to get curious, and maybe get a live tarot reading right then and there.

I definitely empathize with the “just starting” phase. Especially for business owners that hesitate to center themselves and their personal journey on social media — it can be very intimidating a first! What I will say though is that when people see you for who you are the response is overwhelmingly positive. Don’t be afraid to step in front of the camera. Don’t be afraid be authentically yourself — vulnerabilities and all.

By giving yourself the permission to take that risk, you effectively give others the permission to do the same. Overcoming your doubts and sharing that with others is universal, so I say: do it even if it scares you. Not to get all tarot-nerdy, but … the “Strength” card in the Major Arcana isn’t about being so strong that there is no fear or weakness. It’s about recognizing fear/weakness, and persevering nonetheless because you believe in yourself. So be the one that believes in yourself. The right people will connect with your sincerity.

I’s also been useful to see my social media strategy as nimble and curiosity-driven. If I feel inspired towards a different approach, I try it. Then I ask myself a lot of questions, like: “How did that feel? Was it an effective way to communicate my message? Does it align with my brand and its values?” There’s a lot of competing accounts all vying for the same attention, and a lot of strategies with which to approach that challenge. I would say stay curious while also maintaining your integrity throughout it all. If it feels disingenuous, it probably isn’t the right choice for you. And that’s okay! Sometimes knowing what doesn’t resonate is worth its weight in gold.

And don’t hyper-fixate on the metrics too much! Some posts won’t perform as well as others, and the reason “why” isn’t obvious at all. Don’t let yourself get bummed out by temporary setbacks: tomorrow is another day. Trust me, if someone had the secret to these social media algorithms they would be one of the richest people in the world. The algorithm is intentionally chaotic like that. Don’t jeopardize your sanity, your brand values, your peace trying to chase after that illusive viral moment. Your longterm success isn’t solely measured in “likes.”

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I personally sell on my own website. I think it really depends on what your objectives are — different strokes for different folks.

Building my own e-commerce website has allowed me to do so much more than just sell online tarot card readings. I have a regularly updated blog, a members-only section and subscription, a digital course, a growing mailing list, automated email campaigns, and so much more. I’m able to design my website exactly the way I want, create my own brand guidelines, make regular updates to pages and programs, and stay agile with my never-ending curiosity.

That’s just touching the surface, too. There’s principles of user design and user interface (UX/UI) that you can learn and implement. You can learn how to optimize your website for mobile. You can apply best practices for search engine optimizations (SEO), keyword ranking, meta descriptions, backlink potential, and so much more.

Don’t get me wrong: it’s a lot of work and it’s more complicated to do if you’re just starting out. But I’ve learned a lot of this stuff as I went along and I’m telling you: it’s so valuable in more than one way to have this knowledge. Plus if you’re like me (a bit nerdy with it) then you’re going to have a lot of fun learning the ins and outs of how to improve your full brand experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thatoracleguy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatoracleguy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatOracleGuyPatrick
• Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatoracleguy