Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Amy Sager.
Hi Jill Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I received my first Tarot reading from a friend in the late 1970s. I had no idea what Tarot was or what it could do. I remember sitting on Janet’s bed, watching her as she laid out the cards. The pictures were strange, but the cards seem to know me. During that initial reading, I felt validated, understood, and supported. I was hooked.
I was living in San Francisco at that time, having left the Bronx a few years earlier. New York’s expectation to succeed and make something of myself had me packing for the city by the bay, which welcomed self-expression, alternative lifestyles, and a freedom to explore my own path.
A few days later after this initial Tarot reading, this same friend handed me a Tarot deck of my own. I still have that Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck in my possession. Today, I must have over sixty decks that I collect for their artwork, but the RWS deck is the one I still prefer to use for myself and clients.
When I began my study of Tarot, there was no internet. I learned from books, most of them by the old masters Eden Gray and Arthur Edward Waite. Aside from myself, I read for my sister. It’s due to her enthusiasm that my client list grew. She told others about my skill. The majority of my work still comes from referrals. I now have clients all over the world.
About ten years after my initial journey with Tarot began, I became friends with another Tarot reader. I was living in Oregon by then. I met Claudia Leone, a woman about twenty years older than my thirty-two years. Claudia was a psychic.
Watching Claudia work reinforced my belief that there is much that can’t be explained logically and yet is undeniable. It would be years later that I too would channel information from a source that offered loving, compassionate, and wise messages. I made a decision to call the divine source “Guidance” because the word simply means help.
After more than forty years, I continue to live in awe and wonder of the help that is offered from Tarot and this invisible sage that I channel for myself and for my clients.
Reading Tarot cards and becoming a go-between for spirit have been life-changing events I never would have anticipated for myself. Another unexpected occurrence is that I became an author. My non-fiction book, “Guidance from the Universe: Hopeful Messages for Everyday Challenges” was published in 2005. Since that time, it has won ten international awards. The book offers thirty profound messages that I channeled from the universe on different topics, including “money,” “judgment,” and “suffering,” along with my stories for how I’ve used the information to change my life for the better. Each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions to jumpstart the reader’s own musings on the topics.
When I look back at my life, it’s been quite a ride. One dedicated to personal freedom and the pursuit of creative expression. This choice hasn’t always made my life easy, but I am grateful I hopped on. I have no regrets.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Tarot wasn’t as popular or mainstream in the 1970s and 1980s as it is today. Although I had requests for readings and never turned anyone away, I always held day jobs to support myself. I never thought that a tarot reader could be a profession, nor would I have. Those were different times; when I mentioned Tarot cards, the eye rolling and scrutiny were enough to send me into the closet. Admittedly, my fear of being judged, might have been compounded due to being bullied as a child with a physical disability. Regardless, the judgments I received from others about Tarot, held me back from revealing that part of my life. I was careful about who I told.
Unfortunately, I held onto that self-deprecating attitude for too long. Writing a book where I divulge that I am receiving messages from an invisible source of wisdom forced me to confront the shame and embarrassment I’d given into. The attitudinal shift I’ve made has been a personal journey as I’ve learned to overcome my apologetic attitude about this woo-woo part of my life. Thankfully I have a newfound feeling of pride. I recognize that what I’ve offered all these years through my work is how I’ve helped people shift their perceptions so they have clarity. Regardless of the issue a client brings to the table, when they leave, my goal is that they see the possibilities before them. That they are empowered to consider their lives in ways that bring more self-love and more self-satisfaction. What I offer has always been about helping people to help themselves.
I’m grateful that we are living in a time today when Tarot has become mainstream. I find it wonderful and bewildering, yet it gives me hope for where we’re headed here in the United States. People are searching for meaning and are thoughtful about what they want for their lives. The support I feel from the number of young people who have taken to Tarot, along with interest from mainstream media, has certainly helped to bring my work forward, and I’m grateful for that as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The Tarot Channeled Guidance readings I offer and my book reflect the fact that I am trying and learning as much as everyone else so that I, too, can have a more loving and integral life.
What I’ve learned from Guidance, the energy I channel, is how important it is to become aware of those times when I’m suffering, unhappy, and discombobulated. I don’t live on a mountain top. I’m affected by circumstances, people, and the negative chatter in my head. What I’ve come to understand is how no matter the reason, if I am angry at another driver on the road, for instance, it’s imperative that I take a breath in order to let my anger go. The way I carry myself in the world doesn’t only affect me. I affect the whole, so I believe that if I’m angry or stressed, I’m contributing to how much stress and anger exists, which makes things worse. Thinking this way motivates me to do better.
If I want to see more love and peace in the world, that love and peace must start with me. It takes courage to see ourselves as we truly are. It isn’t easy to admit I’ve screwed up, have hurt someone, and am not always as kind and generous as I’d like. But that’s the work. To be vulnerable enough with myself so I can admit wrongdoing. When I am able to do that, I change and grow. When I feel better about myself, that’s when I can do better for others and love them more deeply.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I tend to have a more serious nature. Laughter is my medicine. A good hearty laugh is the best. Listening to music, whether live or recorded, also instantly changes my mood. My husband and I go out about two or three times a week to local bars, wineries, and clubs to hear local bands. I also spend time with my girlfriends. The women in my life sustain me.
I’m also aware that I feel happy when I take care of myself, treat myself well. For example, I exercise on the treadmill every day. I lift weights. I force myself to put on a swimsuit and head to the pool. I set a timer for fifteen or twenty minutes to meditate. Sometimes I’m dragging myself to do these activities, but when I’m done, I feel better. My sense of accomplishment makes the effort worthwhile.
I’m happiest when I’m writing and editing, but it’s challenging, especially on days when the writing didn’t go well. There are times I wonder why I keep going. But then I remember something that happened during the summer. I was sitting at a table at a local outdoor eatery when a woman, someone I did not know came up to me. She recognized me from my picture in the book. She proceeded to tell me how much the book has meant to her. She expressed how grateful she felt and explained how the information was helping her. I cried a little, but they were happy tears.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jillamysager.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillamysager
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JillAmySager
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jillamysager
- Other: https://jillamysager.substack.com?utm_campaign=email-home&r=8pchf
