Ste McCabe, The Tarot Cat | Interview

A long, long time ago, I created the Tarot MixTape Playlist. I asked a few of my buddies to find songs that defined the Major Arcana for them. “Pendulum Swinger” by the Indigo Girls, for example, nails the High Priestess for me.
I love using pop culture to teach tarot. It’s accessible, it gives depth and texture to the cards, and it’s fun. Big fan of fun.
So I got an email from a fella named Tarot Cat (Ste McCabe). Instantly curious, I saw that he played with some of my friends and had a very cool Zine for sale. This little booklet (which I bought, devoured and then read again) (and it’s autographed! Aww. <3) is fantastic.
There are articles from folks like Enrique Enriquez, Theresa Reed, and Christiana Gaudet. The theme for each article follows the connection between music and tarot. It’s a very cool perspective on a really interesting concept. I couldn’t recommend it more.
My favorite part was Robert Place’s article about Pythagoras and the threefold allegory of the Trumps. Just fascinating.
You can find the zine here, and more about Tarot Cat below.
What’s your idea of happiness?
Living in a cottage in the middle of a deep green forest with my husband, a lot of cats and some whippets. Having no responsibilities other than looking after my four-legged friends in the wilderness.
What’s your idea of misery?
Having to be a teenager again.
What do you appreciate most in your friends?
That they are drama-free.
Where would you like to live?
Honestly, I love living here in Scotland (I’m from England originally). I would like to be a little more remote in the beautiful Scottish nature though.
Your favorite colors and flowers?
Teal is my favourite colour. I’m terrible at naming flowers but I recently smelt wild Sweet Cicely (European Herb) for the first time in years and it brought a lot of happiness!
Your favorite poets or authors?
Sarah Waters for the Victorian lesbian costume dramas, and Murakami for the psychological spiritual experimentalism (and cats).
Your heroes/heroines in fiction?
The entire teenage girl gang in Joyce Carol Oates’s Foxfire.
Your heroes/heroines in real life?
Right now, Houn Jiyu-Kennett, a female British Buddhist who brought Soto Zen Buddhism to the west in the 1960’s. Such an amazing person and life.
What is your present state of mind?
A little bit magical.
What role does divination play in your life?
It’s an old friend, a way of understanding myself, a mind-bending psychological game – and it’s a part-time job too!
What is your favorite deck or divination tool?
I have to be boring and say either the Rider-Waite-Smith or the Tarot de Marseille. I like my tarot traditional!
Your favorite songs?
Oh blimey! I’m a musician and music geek, too many choices! Anything by Pagan Goddess Wendy Rule will do right now 🙂
Your favorite word?
Buggar
Your least favorite word?
Work
What about your favorite curse word?
It’s ‘c**t’ I’m afraid. I know you guys hate it in North America, but it’s almost a term of affection here in Scotland.
What sound or noise do you love?
Ducks quacking.
What sound or noise do you hate?
My cat hissing (he’s a drama queen, it never stops)
What turns you on?
Eastern European accents (I married a Polish man to prove it)
What turns you off?
Olives
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear god say when you arrive?
‘Oooh, hello gorgeous, it’s you! I just adored those little hotpants that you wore for Holy Communion!’