essence
This morning at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival Wellness House at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, we were transported into the realm of our ancestors. For those who connect with their ancestors and spiritual leaders, the “Read The Room” session with psychics and mediums Tomjana Ferguson and Tiffany Monique enlightened us to dig deeper while allowing soul to guide us towards what we need. When it comes to the importance of tarot card readings for black women, guidance is at its core. Ferguson, a New Orleans native, has been practicing tarot readings since 2018 with the sole purpose of helping black women get in touch with themselves and their ancestors about life’s most vexing questions. “I do tarot readings to support my community and to provide this experience for inner understanding.” She continues, “Tarot offers an opportunity to get in touch with spirit while also providing a space to slow down and live life, focus on yourself, and receive messages from your ancestors that you may have missed because life passes you by so quickly.”
Tarot is a spiritual practice, especially for Black people in New Orleans. Ferguson agreed. “You often see tarot presented in the media, and you see European women and non-Black people reading tarot, but historically, divination is a religion used in ancient African traditions. So tarot is another way to reclaim history and understand that divination was our first altar.” She believes tarot taps into the history of life, since energy cannot be created or destroyed. So the practice of tarot is a certain amount of energy and some principles.
Ferguson aims to bring clarity to Wellness House guests through tarot. “I want to answer questions that have been on their minds. I hope to inspire them to embark on a new path that is better suited to them. I want guests to feel lighter. I want them to feel safe. I want them to feel heard and seen. I want to offer them a place to let their guard down. I want them to realise that spirituality is who they are and they don’t need to feel like there are walls around them. I want guests to feel comfortable. I want them to feel safe. Safety is the most important thing,” she says.
Tiffany Monique has been practicing tarot for over 30 years and runs Crescent City Conjure here in New Orleans. She believes that black women can most effectively benefit from tarot by combining the practice with connecting with their ancestors. “It’s a wonderful, proactive tool. It gives you a screenshot of where you are, where you stand in your situation, and the challenges you’re trying to address. If it’s going the way you want it to, you can continue on this path. If there’s something you don’t like so much or something that might be an obstacle in your path, you can adjust accordingly. So using tarot as a proactive tool is the quickest and easiest way to see it working for you.”
