Sasha Graham needs no introduction to those who know their Rider-Waite-Smith from their Thoth. She is a tarot author, deck creator and storyteller whose work moves fluidly between the mystical and the macabre. Best known for decks steeped in gothic and fairy-tale imagery – including her forthcoming Vampire's Tale Tarot – Sasha brings decades of reading, teaching and writing experience to her practice, alongside a lifelong love of horror, folklore and the shadow self. We chat to her about the cards she turns to for guidance, the childhood that shaped her creepy-cozy aesthetic, and the advice she wishes someone had given her when she was starting out.
Which Major Arcana card do you most resonate with and why?
I usually circulate between the Magician, High Priestess and Devil depending on where I am and what I am up to. If I'm in active, outward mode, in NYC City, performing, traveling, teaching, I resonate with the razzle dazzle of the Magician as a conduit of energy.
If I'm in quiet, contemplative, creation mode, if I'm writing something or working on my land in upstate New York, I'm close to nature, I feel very in tune with the High Priestess. The city, traveling, teaching, performing electrifies me while the sky, trees and fields soothes me.
I'm constantly checking in with the Devil card who dwells near my root chakra, I check in to keep keen attention on my shadow psyche/body. No matter where I am, I try to notice what lights me up, what causes joy, jealousy, annoyance, bitterness, anger or envy so I can let those things direct me to what I may be unaware of and projecting onto others rather than tending to inside myself.
Which of your own decks would you take to a desert island?
Vampire's Tale Tarot hasn't come out yet - this might change my answer but would say Tarot of the Haunted House. Maybe because it is my first deck? Maybe because I love horror tropes and spooky houses? That's the one I reach for most often and I'd take with me to a desert island.
My non-Sasha Graham deck would have to be the Rider Waite Smith. It's all there! The occult symbolism, the tasty Golden Dawn history. It is the deck I teach and the deck I base my decks on. Just love it. Thank you Pamela Colman Smith!
Is there a card you used to fear that's become a favourite?
I used to freak out when Three of Swords appeared because of the heartbreak element. Then I realized that heart break is heart opening. We transform when our heart opens. Pain, pleasure, love and compassion make the heart pliable. Heart opening always hurts whether it is through 'good' or 'bad' experiences. Two sides, same coin. The heart opens through beauty, ecstasy, love as easily as through grief, pain and betrayal.
Evolution hurts. We can't avoid discomfort but we can make friends with it, get to know what it is and observe it when it happens. That's how we know the heart is doing its job. Back bending in yoga taught me to get comfortable with discomfort of emotional and physical heart opening and expansion. I now deeply appreciate the Three of Swords.
What's your personal guidance ritual?
I become extremely specific when seeking guidance. I create an actionable question to use with tarot. Once I've fashioned the question, I will ask the identical question daily, usually pulling 1 - 3 cards, every morning until it is answered/resolved.
If you ask about something every day, trust me, you'll get the answer! That's why with a tarot deck you are your own best psychic.
In terms of rituals/spells, when seeking guidance, I wait until I am emotionally and energetically aligned then I will spontaneously cast and work with the nature elements wherever I happen to be, from the energy of NYC's thousands of crossroads to my favorite upstate willow tree.
What folklore, film or fiction pulled you towards your dreamlike aesthetic?
My sister and I had a strange, ominous, often frightening childhood. It always felt like I'd been plucked from some 'normal' place and placed into a bizarre life with crazy weirdos.
We felt loved but we also felt like they might murder us if that makes sense? It was a heightened reality, like I was in a film or fairy tale! 'Creepy, cozy' has been my automatic comfort zone since childhood.
I was an 80's teen so gothic horror, new wave, Stephen King, all of the iconic 80's horror flicks sunk deep into my bone marrow. But it was Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire that changed my life. Rice's worlds became my chosen "filter" or lens to see the world.
If your life were a tarot spread, which three cards sum up this particular chapter?
Queen of Wands // Two of Wands // Emperor
I actually pulled these recently from Tarot of the Witch's Garden and it felt spot on.
The Queen of Wands' passion and charisma is balanced by the stability of the Emperor. The Two of Wands is the threshold of possibility as I bring something new to the world and out of myself.
Out of everything you've created – books, decks, film characters – which feels the most 'you'?
Vampires.
Playing the vampire 'Angie' in the Addicted to Murder 90's movie trilogies felt like home and of course that's the one that went into all the Blockbusters across the US.
The Vampire's Tale Tarot is the most personal, true, profoundly vulnerable of anything I have ever created and that is me in a nutshell.
Is there a card that's hardest to design, and one that always comes easily?
The Death card is challenging because it is a crux card and symbolically, there's so much I want to adhere to. I always feel nervous designing it. Death is one of my favorites but I always struggle. To be honest, Vampire's Tale's Death card (also the cover of the deck) is the only time I felt like I nailed it.
Pages are a delight and come easily! Perhaps, because Pages are so wonderfully themselves. Plus, my Page self is my favorite part of who I am. If you ask me, the prepubescent child inside of us holds ALL the magic.
What's a piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were starting out?
I wish someone had told me that when reading cards for another person, I don't have to take on their feelings or perfectly understand what they are going through.
The Reader's job is to read the cards, not the person. It is important to trust that the story you reveal through the cards will make sense to them. It always does. Had I deeply understood that, I would have saved myself a lot of time and energy.
When did you first come across The College of Psychic Studies?
I read about the College decades ago (the 90's maybe?). I was captivated by your storied history and utterly thrilled and honored to be working with you and take part in its evolution.
With decades of reading, mentoring and deck creation behind her, Sasha Graham brings a rare blend of storytelling, symbolism and shadow work to everything she teaches; equal parts mystical, macabre and deeply personal. Discover her full programme of events at The College of Psychic Studies.
