We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?
Magdalena Tarot has always been a risk. It was a risk when I invested in the basics to start an online Tarot business (like getting my own domain). It was a risk when I opened an Etsy shop and added witchy and kitschy vintage, antiques original clothing designs to my brand. But my biggest risk I’ve taken so far is my independent publishing ventures. Independent publishing is the hardest market I’ve entered to this date. People prefer bullet points to long works when it comes to reading so it’s difficult to get followers in our fast-paced, meme powered world. You have to have a strong following when you start and advertising books is tricky.
I’m a huge music fan and I’m also in a band. I know people are more willing to pay for music than a book. I found this out when I self-published a book of short stories to test the self-publication market. I made bestseller at first. But my title quickly got buried in the self-publication avalanche market. If you’re curious about my short stories however, the book is still out there. You can purchase my book of short stories Life: It’s Just a Phase on Amazon by searching B084DNYH6Z.
My first venture in self-publication was a flop so I lost interest in publishing for a while. Then I decided to try an experiment. I had two unpublished works I’d written on my hard drive so I decided to try publishing a chapter of each at a time as a magazine. That way, I could sell a chapter for the same price as a song. And it worked.
The magazine format included a Tarot card lesson (from my Tarot book WIP), monthly astrology predictions, articles on metaphysical topics, reader submissions and a chapter from my mystical novel accompanied by an original Tarot card design. I published eight issues of Magdalena Tarot Magazine but due to Amazon’s royalty system, even though I topped charts every month, I didn’t make enough on royalties to pay my staff of five so I had to let the magazine go. You can get started reading Magdalena Tarot Magazine by searching for B093D5WX8C on Amazon.
But I haven’t given up on independent publishing and I’m taking a new risk. It seems that Amazon realized they could sell individually sell chapters of a book too. Last year, Amazon released their Vella platform, which allows authors to serialize their works. I waffled on trying Vella for a while because it doesn’t let you upload images into your episodes. But I decided to take a chance and recently uploaded the first episode of Where There is No Night, a series I wrote that I dream of turning into a graphic novel someday. To kickstart the idea of a graphic novel, I decided to give creating a franchise a shot along with giving Amazon Vella a try. I created original Tarot cards to go with each episode that you can purchase individually as collectables based on the chapters. Each time a chapter is released, a new Tarot card is released for purchase. Amazon Vella and my venture into creating a franchise is brand new for me so if you want to check out Where There is No Night on Kindle Vella, the first 3 chapters are free. The premise of the story: Sex, drugs, music and the Apocalypse. In 2035, angels and demons face off to win control of the last days. Their weapons of choice: music and magic. You can find the episodes by searching for B0C1X2XQS3 on Amazon., or if you want to read on the go but don’t have a Kindle, you can also download the Kindle app from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Find the first chapter by searching for B09PL4XNM9 on Amazon.
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 grew up in a strict Catholic family in Louisville, KY, a Southern, predominantly Christian, conservative town. It was a difficult place to be a bisexual, teenage witch, so I know what it’s like to long for a spiritual connection outside of the cis, white, straight world.
The core foundation of Magdalena Tarot is Tarot Readings and astrology predictions. My goal is help my clients embrace the Divine within by guiding them to embrace what is best for their soul (not always their desires). I welcome everyone to my Tarot table regardless of race, gender, identity, sexuality, or religion. I offer digital readings for the international community and in person readings for Denver locals.
Recently, I invested in gay and queer Tarot decks (unfortunately I have yet to find a deck geared towards lesbian) to offer more inclusive imagery for my clients who may not identify with the traditional cis, straight white illustrations of the Tarot. I feel part of my mission is to help rework Tarot into an artform that is post the cis, white, heterosexual world that it was created in.
There’s a lot of reasons why we need to reinvent the wheel in spirituality, astrology, and Tarot. There are good ideas in the old paradigm but the world is changing and we need to update the system so that it works in our dawning new world. I’m currently writing a book due out next year that will help marginalized seekers connect with these Old World energies in an inclusive way. Follow me to stay in touch and learn more about my upcoming book.
In addition to offering Tarot readings to anyone in need of guidance, I write inclusive horoscopes for OUT FRONT Magazine, the oldest LGBTQQIP2S magazine in the country. Old world astrology can be heavy on gender emphasis, so I approach my horoscope writing in an inclusive way, using they/them in the singular form if a pronoun is needed and using partner(s) to speak to the growing polyamorous community.
In addition to offering psychic readings to all seekers, I am also the caretaker of the Spiritual Wellness Center, a historic home and inclusive spiritual center in the heart of Colfax. I welcome guests to the center by helping book and prepare the facility for events. The Spiritual Wellness Center welcomes anyone who needs a space for a spiritual event, healing session, lecture, or yoga class to use our space which has been a spiritual center in Denver for 100 years.
It’s a lot, but I love what I do and it brings me joy to offer help to so many people not only in Denver but around the world!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
The best way I’ve found to grow my clientele is through getting out and meeting people face to face. I work MindBodySpirit Festival as a Tarot reader twice a year. I gave twenty-minute readings, $20/20 minutes for three days straight. It was dizzying but I connected with many people who follow and still support my business. MindBodySpirit Festival changed after COVID so I haven’t read at the event in a while, but before COVID, it was a great way to meet people, who I am and what I do, make some money and grow my e-mail list. I still vend and read Tarot at Denver Pagan Pride and Witches’ Ball every year. It’s also a little different since COVID but the networking is still priceless. I have my ear to the ground always looking for a new pop-up event to read Tarot at and vend my vintage and antiques. I hope to set up at Magical Marketplace, a monthly Gen Y and Z powered metaphysical event in the near future and network with my peers and introduce my franchise to my wares.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I grew up in a strict Catholic family in Louisville, KY, a Southern, predominantly Christian, conservative town. It was a difficult place to be a bisexual, teenage witch, so I know what it’s like to long for a spiritual connection outside of the cis, white, straight world. So inclusivity is a big part of everything I do with my brand.
The foundation of Magdalena Tarot is Tarot Readings and astrology predictions. My goal is help my clients embrace the Divine within by guiding them to embrace what is best for their soul (not always their desires). I welcome everyone to my Tarot table regardless of race, gender, identity, sexuality, or religion. I offer digital readings for the international community and in person readings for Denver locals.
Recently, I invested in gay and queer Tarot decks (unfortunately I have yet to find a deck geared towards lesbian) to offer more inclusive imagery for my clients who may not identify with the traditional cis, straight white illustrations of the Tarot. I feel part of my mission is to help rework Tarot into an artform that is post the cis, white, heterosexual world that it was created in.
There’s a lot of reasons why we need to reinvent the wheel in spirituality, astrology, and Tarot. There are good ideas in the old paradigm but the world is changing and we need to update the system so that it works in our dawning new world. I’m currently writing a book for Q Publishing. This book is marginalized seekers and anyone who wants to connect the Old World energies in an inclusive way. Follow me to stay in touch and learn more about my upcoming book.
I also write inclusive horoscopes for OUT FRONT Magazine, the oldest LGBTQQIP2S magazine in the country. Old world astrology can be heavy on gender emphasis, so I approach my horoscope writing in an inclusive way, using they/them in the singular form if a pronoun is needed and using partner(s) to speak to the growing polyamorous community.
In addition to offering psychic readings to all seekers, I am also the caretaker of the Spiritual Wellness Center, a historic home and inclusive spiritual center in the heart of Colfax. I welcome guests to the center by helping book and prepare the facility for events. The Spiritual Wellness Center welcomes anyone who needs a space for a spiritual event, healing session, lecture, or yoga class to use our space which has been a spiritual center in Denver for 100 years.
It’s a lot, but I love what I do and it brings me joy to offer help to so many people not only in Denver but around the world!
The best way I’ve found to grow my clientele is through getting out and meeting people face to face. I work MindBodySpirit Festival as a Tarot reader twice a year. I gave twenty-minute readings, $20/20 minutes for three days straight. It was dizzying but I connected with many people who follow and still support my business. MindBodySpirit Festival changed after COVID so I haven’t read at the event in a while, but before COVID, it was a great way to meet people, who I am and what I do, make some money and grow my e-mail list. I still vend and read Tarot at Denver Pagan Pride and Witches’ Ball every year. It’s also a little different since COVID but the networking is still priceless. I have my ear to the ground always looking for a new pop-up event to read Tarot at and vend my vintage and antiques. I hope to set up at Magical Marketplace, a monthly Gen Y and Z powered metaphysical event in the near future and network with my peers and introduce my franchise to my wares.
To stay relevant, the art of reinvention is necessary and this is an art that I’m pretty good at.
I knew that I was different from an early age. Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I had a strange way of knowing things without people telling me. I could see ghosts and communicate with angels. Like many people, however, I suppressed these gifts as I grew older due to society’s standards for what was “normal” and what was “not”.
My uncanny intuition, however, never allowed itself to be suppressed. Throughout my twenties I still “knew” things and sometimes I even had visions that foretold the future. I was afraid to tell anyone but my closest friends and family after having been targeted in modern day witchhunts in my childhood (I was literally put on witch trial at a Christian camp and expelled).
Tarot was always there in the background. I picked up decks off and on between 2001 and 2010 but it wasn’t until I came across a miniature Pringles Tarot deck on a shelf in the guest house where I was staying in Japan. It only contained the Major Arcana so my studies were restricted but it was a good place to start.
In spring 2011, I went backpacking in South America and discovered a Color Your Own Tarot deck in a used bookstore. As colored the cards, I meditated on the images “absorbed” the Tarot. The task that took a year to complete but I was rewarded with a deep connection with the Rider Waite deck that gives me a unique understanding of the Tarot.
While I was on the last leg of my coloring journey in the beginning of 2012, I started studying Tarot with a group lead by Georgia Moore (Lady G) at Matrix a Place of Change. Lady G passed away in December 2013 but her legacy lives on through her teachings.
I also took Reiki 1, Wicca 101 and 102 at Matrix. I did a couple of psychic fairs at Matrix as well. In the end, I started to study Magical Qabalah, which accompanies Tarot beautifully, and my focus shifted.
I studied with other teachers too, like my friend,Elizabeth Bissette.
Her class involved tea leaf reading, I Ching and Tarot. Elizabeth still mentors me in Tarot and a little bit of hoodoo. She also helped me connect with the interesting world of Tarot hotline reading.
I won a scholarship to Master the Tarot Card Meanings Master Class with Biddy Tarot (I was the one person out of 500 applicants) in early spring 2014. The class was wonderful and I saw immediate changes in my life. I was then gifted the 2nd level, Become the Tarot Reader Everyone Raves About by an anonymous classmate who thought I had a lot of potential. I approached Brigit about doing an internship after the end of Become the Tarot Reader Everyone Raves About and she agreed to let me work for Biddy Tarot. At the same time, I started taking Grow Your Own Tarot Business Online, Brigit’s Tarot business class. This class was a wonderful place to start and it’s the reason why Magdalena Tarot exists. I have been published on BiddyTarot.com and I am a contributing writer for Witch Way Magazine.
In 2015 I started a side hustle when I worked at an Antique store. I hand picked “witchy and kitschy” wares from the store and sold them on a curated Etsy. In 2018, I decided to try creating original clothing designs. You can find these at www.etsy.com/shop/magdalenatower and www.etsy.com/shop/rippedlace
COVID was hard for everyone but I incubated the idea for Magdalena Tarot Magazine during this time and when I launched the publication in 2021, it did way better than I thought but there were some snags so I’m trying self-publication again through Amazon Vella.
You can find me at www.magdalenatarotinc.com to keep up with me and what’s next with the Magdalena Tarot brand!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.magdalenatarotinc.com
- Instagram: @magdalenatarot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magdalenatarotinc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-davis-content-creator/
- Twitter: @alannalp
- Youtube: @MagdalenaTarot