The Tarot Interviews podcast recently featured a profound conversation with Sadriana Zea, a writer and gamer based in Cleveland, Ohio. The episode brought together themes of mental health, creative pursuits, and personal transformation through the guiding framework of tarot cards. What began as a simple interview evolved into a deeply moving exploration of life's transitions, relationships, and the courage required to face substantial change.
The conversation opened with the Eight of Cups card, traditionally symbolizing emotional growth and walking away from what no longer serves you. This perfectly framed Sadriana's recent experiences with mental health challenges and medication changes. As she eloquently put it, "I'm on this kind of rocky path and hopefully the other side of it will be a little easier." This sentiment resonated throughout the discussion as she described her approach to abandoning certain games or projects for personal well-being. Particularly poignant was her experience with Stardew Valley, a game she had played with former partners. The dissolution of those relationships made returning to the game emotionally painful, requiring her to step away temporarily for emotional self-preservation.
The discussion expanded into a thoughtful exploration of polyamory, with Sadriana sharing how her understanding of romantic relationships evolved after her marriage ended. She contrasted the common misconception of polyamory as "an excuse to cheat" with her personal experience of building honest, communicative relationships that acknowledge how one person cannot fulfill every need. Her metaphor comparing monogamy to limiting oneself to only one dessert option brilliantly illustrated the poly mindset: "I like that cake, therefore I cannot have the apple turnover" versus embracing the possibility of enjoying various connections that each bring something unique to one's life.
When the Nine of Wands appeared, the conversation shifted toward resilience and perseverance. Sadriana revealed that her cats provide crucial emotional support during creative blocks, while community resources help her overcome gaming challenges. Her writing process offered fascinating insights for creative minds, describing how her characters "take the story by the hand" and develop their own voices during the writing process. The contrast between waiting for inspiration versus developing a disciplined creative practice highlighted the struggle many artists face.
Perhaps most moving was the appearance of the Death card, which prompted a raw discussion about mortality and transformation. Sadriana courageously shared her experience living with a terminal health diagnosis, noting: "I don't have forever... To be okay with the fact that you know you're on borrowed time. You have to make it count. Even if it only counts for you and the cats, it has to count." This profound perspective on life's impermanence extended to navigating changing communities, letting go of relationships, and finding new connections when previous ones have ended.
Throughout the conversation, Sadriana's resilience in facing difficult transitions, from medication changes she described as "mini deaths" to the broader reality of shortened life expectancy, offered listeners a powerful meditation on finding meaning amid change and loss. Her ability to articulate complex emotional experiences while maintaining hope demonstrated the transformative power that comes from embracing rather than resisting life's inevitable transitions.
