Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandria Adair Vasquez
Hi Alexandria, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My journey with tarot started about ten years ago. I was catching up with a friend who I hadn’t seen in months, and she offered me a reading. I was so taken by the experience — I couldn’t believe how accurate it was, how seen it made me feel, and how much it validated my headspace at the time. Not long after, I went into a crystal shop and felt a pull toward a tarot deck that I couldn’t deny. I was a poor college student, and I spent my last $20 on a tarot deck! Maybe not the most logical thing to do, but I’m still happy to this day that I did. I read for myself for years, using tarot as a tool for self-reflection. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I decided to leave my corporate life behind and start a tarot practice. And the rest is history!
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?
I can’t say the journey was entirely smooth because I almost immediately became gripped with fear and imposter syndrome. If anyone reading this is familiar with tarot, this was my “Fool” moment — and the journey was just beginning! I spent about a year simply studying and researching how best to turn my personal tarot practice into a business. I took a reiki class to familiarize myself more with energy work. I gave free readings to friends, family, strangers online — anyone who would allow me to practice my skills.
On a whim, I applied to work at a local crystal shop called Midnight Sun. I spent my days getting to have conversations about spirituality and healing modalities, which was a total dream and helped me to become and even more well-rounded spiritual practitioner. I eventually left the job to plan my wedding and start my family, but the connections I made at the shop ended up being invaluable. Around the same time that I had my first child, Midnight Sun opened up their healing center called The Portal. I was able to come back to the team as a reader, which was a very full circle moment.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I like to characterize my tarot readings a gentle drag from Spirit. While I didn’t plan them to be this way, I give tarot readings that tend to specialize in shadow work. It can bring up the issues that are closest to my client’s hearts, the heartbreaks or secret dreams that even they aren’t always honest with themselves about. My readings are an invitation for people to truly sit with themselves.
I think what sets me apart as a reader is that I give a very grounded version of tarot. I would say that tarot is a practice that is only just starting to become mainstream, so many of my customers don’t quite know what to expect from the experience. I try to make it as relatable as possible, speaking to my clients with the same amount of frank honesty (and tenderness) that I would with close friends.
I’m also more than just a reader — I am an artist, a blogger and a vlogger. I try to channel all of my talents into my brand, The Buried Gold. I’ve turned my digital art into stickers that I sell. I do deep dives of the tarot cards on my blog. And I have a daily life vlog on Tiktok, in which I share my personal practice of tarot journaling. I do this because I want people to see for themselves what it looks like to use tarot as a tool for self-reflection.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
The team at Midnight Sun has played a huge role in my success, especially the head reader Catherine Heymsfeld. She goes by Psychic Cat, and I knew from the first time I received a past life reading from her that I wanted to learn from her. Flash forward a couple years and I’m now taking a psychic development course led by her, and I’m grateful to be able to call her a mentor. She has taught me so much about how to believe in myself, and she’s given me so much wisdom as to how to treat my practice as a business. I also owe a big thank you to the owner of Midnight Sun, Maria, for creating a space for like-minded individuals to form a spiritual community. It’s truly a gem of Jacksonville!
My biggest cheerleaders are my husband Mike, my brother Cassius and my mom. Without them I think I would have wavered and possibly given up on this dream that I now get to call life!
Moving forward, I’ll also be doing tarot events and expanding The Buried Gold with the help of my brother. He is a talented astrologer and artist, as well. Our goal is to provide a premier tarot experience for markets and events. We’d also like to move into selling thrifted clothing and find ways to give back to the community that feeds us.
Pricing:
- $25 for 15 minutes
- $35 for 25 minutes
- $45 for 35 minutes
- Free consultations for party pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theburiedgold.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theburiedgold
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexandria.adair
