For this week’s episode, we present something completely different for the Tarot Podcast! We recently traveled to Amsterdam and decided to do an episode on the tarot scene there. We interviewed three readers: Trippy, Melanie Webb, and Giulia Castagna.
Trippy and Melanie are readers at the Embassy of the Free Mind, a Hermetic library in the heart of Amsterdam. Both Trippy and Melanie are Jungian-influenced archetypal tarot readers, and you can visit them on Thursdays and Fridays at the Embassy.
Our third interviewee, Giulia Castagna, is an Italian tarot reader and astrologer who is based in Amsterdam. She currently gives readings at Black Moon Botanica, in the charming Spiegelgracht neighborhood.
Stick around for the end of show! where Trippi and Melanie do readings for me—and I do one reading in return.
ALSO: Be sure to catch this week’s Patreon bonus content, a video short of a terrific collection of tarot decks housed in Fabula Rosa, in the Jordaan district of Amsterdam. The owner, David Schors, kindly permitted us to look around and examine some very unusual and beautiful decks he’s acquired over the years.
Giulia Castagna
Website: https://lunaticanocti.com
Upcoming courses (in Italian): https://elenaronzio.socialacademy.com/pages/corsi-di-tarocchi
Instagram: @lunaticanocti
Melanie Webb
Melanie takes her audience into a world that is not usually seen, but deeply felt — a place suspended between dream and reality. Having grown up with Tarot cards, she developed an intuitive and playful connection to visual language from an early age.
During her twelve years at the Academy for Applied Astrology in Amstelveen, she developed a strong interest in the relationship between Jungian psychology and Western astrology. Tarot formed an additional module within this astrological and Jungian curriculum, allowing her to interpret the cards through the archetypal frameworks and psychological theories of Carl Jung.
With her Tarot cards, she not only reads what lies beyond but also unpacks the signs that are present all around you. A reading with Melanie allows you to pause, take a breath, and look again: at yourself, the moment, and everything that moves beneath the surface. In her sessions you can expect imagery, intuition, and silence to come together. A session with Melanie allows you to sink into the moment and gain a truly unique perspective.
Trippy
Trippy has been reading Tarot for more than thirty years. Her connection with the cards began in childhood, shaped by early mystical experiences that opened her sensitivity to the unseen.
For the past nine years she has read regularly for Thuishaven, where clients often describe her readings as clarifying, grounding, and deeply supportive. Her work blends intuitive insight with years of exploration in esoteric and meditative traditions, including the Tarot study with Kenton Knepper on Meditations on the Tarot, as well as her ongoing Jungian exploration inspired by the works of Marie-Louise von Franz. Trippy’s style is warm, compassionate, and direct. She aims to help people reconnect with their inner guidance and leave each session with a renewed sense of clarity and empowerment.
The Embassy of the Free Mind
http://embassyofthefreemind.com
Keizersgracht 123, 1015 CJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museum: open Wednesday through Sunday
Tarot readings: Thursdays and Fridays
Events & workshops: All year!
Hermetic text viewing: by appointment
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UK