We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kasandra (Kat) a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kasandra (Kat), thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have always had an interest in Tarot and anything witchy. I grew up as a child in Tennessee hearing stories of my great grandmother who supported her children making moonshine while engaging in Appalachian witchcraft practices. My mother shared with me stories of the women who followed in the footsteps of my wild great grandmother which inspired me to explore Pagan practice a bit as I got older! Despite all the myths that surrounded Tarot, I built up the courage to pick up my first deck in 2019 and teach myself how to read the beautiful imagery of the cards! As I strengthened my intuition and Tarot reading abilities, I read for my family and friends who told me I had a real knack with Tarot and should consider reading for people as a professional reader! In November 2023, Mountain Crow Tarot LLC was born! With a background as a Registered Nurse, I share my nursing knowledge and experiences with people to recommend follow up with medical or other professional help to address many varied problems and concerns that are brought up in a reading. I do many types of readings: 3 card, Celtic Crosses, and Spicy Tarot for 18+ for couples. At my core, I am a Southern witch with the gift of gab! I love chatting with people from all walks of life. Tarot brings back the art of communication in a highly technological society where we have gotten away from just sitting down and talking things out! Tarot engages people with its imagery as a conversation is held over the cards!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have done so much with my life in the past 46 years of my life: I served in the U.S. Navy when I turned 19 and for seven years thereafter as an undesignated airman launching and recovering the F/A-18 to later becoming a Navy Corpsman with a Medical Lab Technician specialization toward the end of my service prior to an Honorable Discharge. I used my G.I. Bill to attend St. Louis University to obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2010. Since then, I have held so many roles as a nurse. During the COVID pandemic, I was hit hard with the stress of managing a cardiac floor at a big hospital. My spirit, my soul, needed nourishment. When I discovered Tarot, I made the time to sit still in a quiet space while reflecting and journaling. I could spill the many thoughts that swirled around in my mind on paper and look for solutions to obstacles. After many years not praying, I sat and prayed to Spirit. Tarot became a solid rock amidst the sea of chaos that came with working as a nurse during the pandemic. When I decided to go professional, I decided on Mountain Crow Tarot because I am from the mountains of Tennessee. I am proud of my lineage and will always have a connection to the land that I was raised on. Crows are intelligent and smart. They love shiny, colorful objects (like me!). That, and Crow rhymes with Tarot! Since I have started my business, I am most grateful for everyone I have met who has sat down with me and shared a part of their life story while trusting me to help them sort through a dilemma or coping with a loss. During a reading, that is their quiet time and safe space to be valued and heard. Often times, saying the words aloud brings them a certain degree of peace. Together, we work through what next steps could help with a resolution. Ultimately, my clients save themselves. I am humbled and honored they trust me enough to be that person to sit with them as they sort things out with a dilemma.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was the daughter of blue collar parents who often went without to provide for my brother and me. They taught me the importance of consistent hard work. In life, they told us that no one owes us anything. To make it in this world, we would have to work for it. I have been working since I was 16 years old. I worked in fast food to save up for my first car, a 1989 Ford Mercury Topaz! It was ugly but I was so proud because I earned that car! That same work ethic has stuck with me ever sense! I have accomplished a lot with my life so far. I have literally saved lives as a nurse as part of a team of highly trained professionals. I have advocated for patients to get them the help they have needed over the years. The common thread to everything that I have done is rooted in genuinely caring about people and wanting to help them. We all need a helping hand sometimes. Tarot is another way of helping others.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I turned 19 and joined the military, I was a very shy person who didn’t have a loud voice. I came from the South where I attended a Baptist church. There were no metaphysical stores. After joining the military, I discovered more about who I was as I continued to grow and evolve. My spirituality shifted as I got older. All the religions have value. We are all trying to assign meaning to this entity that exists and is bigger than us, something that predates you and me. It takes the form of a diamond with all its varied prisms. Together, it is beautiful and complex. I started to feel closer to God on walks through a forest or park. Sometimes, it is just good to get back to your roots. I think of my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother when I think of my roots: stubborn, resourceful, and resilient women who knew how to live off the land and support their families. Tennessee will always have a piece of my heart no matter where I move to and live. Those Tennessee mountains will always be a part of me. I carry my ancestors in my DNA. I am proud of where I am from. The lesson I have unlearned in life is that as we get older, there is less than we are really certain of when we consider everything we don’t know and all the possibilities! We must keep growing and evolving by taking chances and meeting others on our life’s journey! With an open mind and compassion for others, we grow and evolve ourselves. We are stronger together despite our differences than what we are apart. Sometimes, it is good to sit down with a Tarot reader, shuffle the cards, and see what comes out as a basis of discussing where we are on our journey in life and gain a different perspective! Not to mention, it can be fun to receive a Tarot reading! Find me at www.mountaincrowtarot.com. I look forward to meeting you!

Contact Info:

• Website: www mountaincrowtarot.com
• Instagram: Yodalady79
• Facebook: Kasandra Tinajero
• Youtube: Mountain Crow Tarot

Image Credits

Kirstan Brooke Photo and Film