David A Ross - Tarot & Tequila: a Tarot Guide with Cocktails

A Tarot Guide with Cocktails

David Ross

Tarot & Tequila

and other Spirits

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Copyright 2021 by David A. Ross

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Tiller Press hardcover edition July 2021

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Interior design by Patrick Sullivan and Jennifer Chung

Illustrations by Carolina Martnez

Skull and Shot Glass Icons by Shutterstock

Cover design by Patrick Sullivan

Cover illustrations by Carolina Martinez

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ross, David, 1972 author.

Title: Tarot & tequila : a tarot guide with cocktails / by David Ross. Description: New York : Tiller Press, 2021. | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020041376 (print) | LCCN 2020041377 (ebook) | ISBN 9781982169381 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781982169411 (ebook) | Subjects: LCSH: Tarot. | Tequila. | Cocktails. | Classification: LCC BF1879.T2 R68 2021 (print) | LCC BF1879.T2 (ebook) | DDC 133.3/2424dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020041376

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020041377

ISBN 978-1-9821-6938-1

ISBN 978-1-9821-6941-1 (ebook)

Id like to dedicate this book to all my fellow light bringers. Keep bringing the light!

Id like to raise a glass of tequila in honor of where I grew up.

Heres to the Jersey Shore!

I grew up in a very close yet religiously diverse family in Middletown, New Jersey. My grandmother on my mothers side came to the United States when she was seventeen, after meeting my grandfather in Cuba during World War II. My grandmother was raised Catholic and converted to Judaism later in life for her husband, and, for some unknown reason, their two children didnt gravitate toward any one religion, and of course that trickled down to me. Growing up with no particular religion allowed me to take my time and find my own path.

I went to college at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. I majored in communication while taking many courses in journalism as well. I aspired to be a rock and roll journalist. It was during those social years that I fell in love with astrology. It was soon after college that astrology led me to reading tarot cards, which I believe are spiritually and functionally linked. I was the guy whod say, Whats your sign? as a pickup line and was genuinely interested in the answer.

I married my wife, Alison, in 2001, around the same time I got my start in the pharmaceutical industry. Alison was raised Presbyterian, and even though we baptized our children in this religion, I found myself taking a more spiritual journey, one that was more personal.

As a medical sales representative, I quickly learned that the people I worked with were genuinely interested in my reading tarot cards. No matter who it wasdoctors, nurses, office managers, medical assistantsjust about anyone wanted their cards read. When I obliged, I found that by reading a persons cards we became somehow connected. People surprisingly opened up to me and we would have these intense emotional conversations that meant more to me than I would have ever expected.

I just want to be clear, Im not psychic nor do I see spirits or claim to be something I am not. I see myself as an empath, which enables me to form strong, meaningful connections with the people I read for. For me, tarot cards are a very useful tool that can be used to help people work through problems in their lives. Whether it be through a tarot reading or by meditating on the cards for yourself, there are many lessons that can be learned through their symbolism and interpretations. Personally, tarot helps me navigate through the issues that arise in my day-to-day life. Still to this day, I pull a tarot card each morning and keep it with me throughout the day. Whether its on my cars dashboard or on a shelf in my office, I can meditate on its personal messages and gain further insight to what the card is telling me.

So, after twenty-five years of reading tarot cards, I finally decided to make it an actual business. And Tarot and Tequila was born. Where does tequila fit in, you may wonder? Its actually quite simple. I have a love for both tequila and tarot, so in my eyes they are perfectly paired.

Tarot and Tequila is a tarot reading business where I not only read cards at bars and restaurants, but for private corporate functions as well. My vision of Tarot and Tequila, however, is more than just tarot cards and tequila drinks. Its really a movement of both positivity and empowerment. And with this book, I am thrilled to offer my unique style of tarot, along with another one of my passions, in a crossover attempt to bring much happiness and insight into a sometimes upside-down world.

Let me begin by explaining my journey into the mystery of tarot. I wish I could tell you that it was a calling from my early childhood, but if Im being completely honest, it was an impulse buy. How awesome would it be if could start my story off with how I was born with second sight or some kind of wizards mark on my forehead? That Im actually the seventh son of a seventh son and spent my life as a Romani fortune-teller in a traveling carnival? But, alas, I cannot say any of those things. My introduction to tarot started very ordinarily.

Lets journey back to 1995. Can you recall what you were doing and where you were heading that year? I had recently graduated college and was invited to a friends wedding in Santa Fe. Id never been there and thought it might be a fun adventure.

The few days I spent in New Mexico were inspirational. New Mexico was so unlike New Jersey in every way possible, and it took some time getting used to. The altitude difference alone is a shock if you arent prepared for it. Huffing and puffing up a flight of stairs at twenty-three years of age was daunting, and my first reaction was that I definitely needed to exercise more.

My hotel was surrounded by stunning mountain views. The Santa Fe square was bustling with activity. Hippies were playing Hacky Sack on the grass while Native Americans sold their silver-and-turquoise jewelry on handwoven blankets. I felt like I was back in time and experienced an odd connection to a place Id only seen in pictures before. I was in my early twenties, still impressionable, still gravitating toward stores that sold childlike things. I made my way to a toy store, poking around, looking for a Santa Fe keepsake. The store wasnt very large, and thinking that I had seen everything, I started to make my exit when, as I walked past the cash register, something caught my eye. I noticed a glass bowl filled with small decks of cards. I stopped, reached in, and grabbed one. How fun! The worlds smallest deck of tarot cards complete with seventy-eight individually painted cards in a pack. I dont know why but I had to have one.