#20: Your Therapist Needs a Tarot Deck

Dissecting the intricate dance of Neptune and Pluto

A friend recently told me that the guy she’s seeing has been “working with his therapist about how to take better care of himself” and one thing he decided to do was buy an $800 sweater.

She sent me a picture. Both he and the chunky green sweater were adorable. But…I couldn’t help but wonder if the photo really embodied him taking care of himself. Really. 

Many people would interject here and say that money is simply energy and it’s an idea that I’m beginning to embrace. I like the concept of money as an energetic exchange, rather than an unnecessary burden and/or instantaneous route to sitting on a throne in the kingdom of assholedom.

Rather than focus on the delicate and complicated dynamics of money, though, let's get back to the therapy bit.

BEHOLD, A CIS WHITE MAN OPENLY DISCUSSING HIS THERAPY SESSIONS!!!

This is cause for celebration. And, as I always feel compelled, cause to dig deeper.

Both men and women are going to therapy more than they were in 2019. It’s a joyous and perhaps unsurprising fact that I’ve witnessed in my own sessions with clients.

This year specifically, I had several people at the conclusion of our time together happily remark that they were going to talk to their therapist about our reading.

Admittedly, rather than altruism, my initial reaction was that I was being challenged. “PLEASE take it to your therapist!!!!!” It was like a strange and completely unnecessary dare.

It didn’t take me long to realize my…passionate reactions stemmed from my own specific experience with therapy, with one specific therapist- and capitalism, ofc, but that’s for another email.

I attended therapy January-March of 2020 and my biggest takeaway was that my therapist refused to engage with my spirituality. I mentioned the Venus sign of the girl I was seeing, the upcoming eclipses, and yes, Mercury Retrograde, and she didn’t, not once, engage.

I started treating the sessions like a weekly game. Will she take the bait? Will she dare to ask about what the fuck I’m talking about, or just continue to reroute me? I started wondering about her progressed Moon.

I’m not suggesting therapy should be treated like a game, and I’m sure my old therapist would have something to say about me engaging with it as such. I acknowledge that psychology is a powerful and important field of study (it was my original major in college!) and that life changing  breakthroughs have happened for both individuals and society as a result of its existence.

I also know, of course, that not all therapists would’ve blatantly ignored my spiritual remarks. Even still, it’s a dangerous and reductionist game to tout therapy as a cure to all woes, or even worse, pretend that therapists are deities with answers we lack.

Wednesday's child is full of woe. #WWWD

In 2019, the New York Times wrote about therapists inevitably being confronted with astrology, Tarot, and psychedelics in their sessions so you would imagine they would learn a thing or two about it all, right? Wrong. At least that’s not the picture this dismal article painted.

One therapist, Dr. Ruan, was referred several times by a psychic in the area, but “doesn’t refer patients to such practitioners.” Another therapist interviewed said that she doesn’t find the spiritual modalities to be in competition with her, because “I do very different things than a reiki practitioner does.”

These responses are problematic on so many levels.

Not to mention, I’m flummoxed as to why therapy is seen as the holy grail, while the study of psychology has only been around about 150 years. That’s one precious golden goblet barely older than Joe Biden, folks.

Meanwhile, the oldest known personal horoscope is from the year 410 BC.

The crux of what I’m getting at here is this: therapy alone will not save you. An $800 sweater alone will not save you. Astrology alone will not save you. Reiki alone will not save you. But a combination of all of them???? Lol. Maybe!

One last note.

If we had to tie spirituality to a single planet, we would think of Neptune. And if we associate psychology with one (dwarf) planet, Pluto takes center stage. The interesting thing is that these two planets are in a dance with each other in the sky and actually cross over each other’s orbits every now and then. This interaction suggests a collaboration between them…a natural, symbiotic overlap.

Steven Forrest writes about this ~intimate relationship~ between the planets of spirituality and psychology extensively in his book “The Book of Neptune” which I highly recommend.

The planets have been communicating with us for centuries— and while Pluto is psyched (get it) you’re attending therapy…Neptune is feeling left out of the equation. What about your meditation practice? What about your empathy towards animals? What about, and this one is major, your own inner knowing that supersedes anyone else’s opinions? 

Pretending that therapy would solve the world’s problems is a nice idea. It’s also, ahem, very Plutonian to see it as all powerful. Pretending you can astral project from this realm and not have to worry about paying taxes is also a nice idea…and it’s one that has Neptune written all over it.

The magic will happen when we realize therapy doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and that astral projection is definitely real and fun (yay!) but so are taxes (boo!). 

I wonder if Moonwind had an accountant (WATCH “SOUL” if you haven’t!)

There are so many different avenues for soul work and all of them deserve respect. This is ESPECIALLY important for practitioners. We have to root for each other (and refer each other) rather than being competitive or dismissive.

While the “self-care”modalities take on lots of different labels…I believe the ultimate goal shared between them is the same: healing. And that’s something we all need.

Through time and space,

Erin River Sunday

PS: If you’re still holiday shopping, grab 10% off at Birthdate Co. with my code “TBHMagic10” at checkout! I’ve personally worked on all the products and can speak to their inherent magic. 

PPS: If you’re in NYC, my friend and colleague Lucy Marr is still giving readings at the Birthdate popup (259 Elizabeth Street)! Go say hi and be graced by her radiance.

PPPS: My rates are going up in a few months for the first time since 2020. RE: that whole “money is energy” thing. If you’d like to snag a reading for yourself or a friend at the current rates- book one here or email me directly.