"Everyone has free will and responsibility for their decisions. The cards can only show the possibilities," says Charavela, a fortune teller who retired from the corporate world and now tells people their future
In the autumn, we talked to fortune teller Nina Klimecka about how she went from being a marketing professional to a fortune teller. About the burnout that led her out of the corporate world, and about the brand Charavela, under which she now creates ritual candles that combine ancient knowledge with modern design. At the time, she talked mostly about her journey - leaving, changing direction and finding her own inner compass.
This time we return to her at a different point in the year and in a different frame of mind. At the turn of old and new times, when people are taking stock, closing chapters and looking for answers to questions that have not been resolved during the year. It is then that they head to the cards most often - with hope, concern and the desire for a "fresh start". In this interview, Nina talks about how the energy of the end of the year is written into interpretations, why a new year doesn't automatically mean a new life, and what's behind the phrase "I want this year to be different." She reminds us that the cards are not a Google or a substitute for one's own decision making - but a mirror that shows where one really is.
In our last conversation, you said that cards are not Google and that people often ask for things they would rather hear than actually understand. When you look back now at the turn of the year, do clients have a different effect on you than they do in, say, the summer or fall?
The end of the year is very specific in that people have a need to take stock of what happened to them during the year and understand the situations they experienced. They do a kind of internal closure - what came true, what didn't, what made sense and what was left open. I feel a lot of pressure to close the chapters and also a strong need to know what's next for them, in the new year. Clients often focus on the core areas - work, love, finances - and want to have at least a framework of what's going to happen. Typically, New Year's readings are where people are eager to hear if their situation will improve, or if things that are bothering them will continue. While there is a lot of hope in this, I often have to repeat that a new year does not automatically mean a new life. In fact, the real energetic new year doesn't begin on January 1, but only with the spring equinox when everything awakens. That is when many people really start to feel the changes.
The atmosphere at the end of the year is very specific. There is a sense of taking stock, a pressure to "close chapters". Is this something that people bring to interpretation as well?
It certainly does. People carry that pressure very strongly into their interpretations. They want to have a sense of closure, to understand that they have at least some order in what has happened. But I often remind them that the new year alone will not guarantee change. If a person repeats the same patterns of behavior, the same situations will repeat themselves. The cards can point the way, advise what to do differently, but they won't make the change for anyone. If a person is not willing to take a concrete step, to go through an inner transformation, it doesn't matter if it is January, summer or autumn. Without a change of attitude nothing will change.
The turn of the year works almost like a symbolic boundary - the old behind us, the new in front of us. Do you notice that people enter the new year more with hope, or with fear of repeating what has already hurt?
It's a combination of both. There is certainly hope, but very often there is a fear underneath it, that the same pain will not be repeated again. But the cards alone won't help here. The only way is to stop repeating old patterns. One must take advice or understanding from the interpretation as to why things are happening to them and act accordingly. If he doesn't follow it, the cards won't change his life. They can show what needs to be done, but that step has to come from the person themselves. Without that, no change will happen.
In conversations with clients, the desire for change often comes up. But isn't it sometimes more about trying to "escape" from what one doesn't want to admit?
Very often, yes. People want to hear in the cards that change will come, that something new will appear, but the reality is often that they keep repeating the same things. They are in a kind of circle and instead of real change they are looking for an escape. The cards then show them that until they themselves take the first step, nothing new can appear. The desire for change is strong, but without a willingness to let go or to acknowledge their own part in the situation, it remains just a wish.
At the beginning of the year, many people feel that a major transformation should come - a new relationship, a new job, a new life. Do the cards show the difference between what people wish for and what they are actually ready for?
Yes, the difference is very clear in the cards. People often have huge expectations and ideas about new beginnings, but they are not internally ready for them. The cards beautifully show desires, dreams, ideals - like the Fool card, which symbolizes new beginnings - but at the same time you can see that it's happening more in the head than in reality. Unless one takes a concrete step, nothing new can emerge. It often happens that clients leave disappointed because there is "nothing new" in the cards. It's just that without closure of old things, neither astrological predictions nor the energy of the year alone will help. First you need to really close the past - not just in your head, but in reality. Only then can new beginnings come. For people who take those steps, I can see the change in the cards and I am always happy to tell them.
When someone comes in with the phrase "I want this year to be different", where does the interpretation most often start to take them - forward, or more likely back to unresolved things?
In most cases, the interpretation brings him back. Everything often revolves around the same theme, over and over again. In order for the new year to be different and better, the things that have been left open need to be closed first. If one does not do this, the year may be promising, but change will still not come. The cards can answer this, but at the same time, everyone usually feels it themselves somewhere in their subconscious. If one is honest with oneself, one usually knows the answer. You can't move on without resolving the old issues.
The end of the year is especially sensitive on a relationship level. Loneliness is more audible, memories stronger. Do people come more often at this time with questions about the return of former partners?
Surprisingly not. These questions are more common in the autumn, in October and November, before Christmas. There is such hope that something might break by the end of the year, that partners might get back together and spend the holidays together. But by the end of the year, another theme is already taking over - the arrival of someone new. Rather than the return of former partners, there are questions like "new year, new person". The idea that a new relationship could come with the new year is much stronger there.
When a past relationship comes up again and again in the cards, is it more of a signal of hope or a warning that one is afraid to move on?
It depends on the state of the person I'm interpreting for. I'm mainly looking at two things - whether or not the past relationship is really closed. If it is closed, it may mean that the former partner is not closed and may reappear, often just as the person is healing and ready to move on. I feel like ex-partners can sense this somehow - once the energy changes, the bond is broken and the person starts to "shine" again, they are usually the ones who speak up. But if the person hasn't closed the relationship, it's a clear warning that they are afraid to move on and still harbor the hope that the past will return. In this case, the cards are saying that the relationship really needs to be worked out first, otherwise it can't move on.
The New Year is also a time of pressure to perform - to change jobs, to earn more, to "move on". Do the cards show that this pressure often comes from external expectations, not from an internal need?
Yes, very often. The winter months are energetically a time of calm and rest. Nature sleeps, animals rest, and so should we. But after Christmas, when we are exhausted, we put enormous pressure on ourselves - we start new projects, we change jobs, we want to perform immediately. That's why a lot of things fall apart after the New Year. The cards often show that this pressure comes not from an inner need, but from the expectations of the environment and the social setting of "new year, new performance". In fact, this is a period when we should be gathering strength, not giving it away right away.
Does the theme of burnout or inner exhaustion come up in New Year's readings, even though outwardly one feels that one should be grateful?
The turn of the year is one of the most difficult times in terms of personal interpretations. There is a lot of exhaustion, inner emptiness, depressed moods, and at the same time a strong feeling that one should be grateful and "cool". Society pushes us to perform and we can't afford to rest or be sad. Yet nature clearly leads us to do the opposite. This theme comes up very strongly in interpretations and it is important to take it seriously, not gloss over it.
Many people want clarity as soon as possible. Is there a call in the interpretations to slow down and remain in uncertainty rather than to make a decision at any cost?
People would often prefer to get answers like numbers in a sports book - clear and definitive. But I always say that I can't decide for someone else through the cards. Everyone has free will and responsibility for their own decisions. Cards can show options, they can indicate what the consequences of different paths will be, but they can't say "do this". The call to slow down or remain in uncertainty does not automatically appear in the readings - it depends on the specific situation and what the cards show. Sometimes it is possible to make a decision right away, other times a card will appear that says the situation is not going to move now and you need to wait. But this is rather exceptional and always depends on the context of the question.
Taking the new year not as a list of goals but as energy, what do you think is healthy to enter it with - and what should be left behind for good?
I would definitely leave behind old wrongs, unfinished relationships, guilt and all the negative energy from the past year. There's no point in dragging old hurts with you into the new year. It is important to look back, to understand why things happened to us, what they gave us and what they took away. What they took from us and no longer serve us needs to be left behind. The good that the year has given us, on the other hand, to take with us. I myself do a ritual in the spring - I write down what I'm leaving in the past, what I'm thankful for, and what I'm taking forward. It's a way to consciously close one chapter and open a new one.
Is it possible to forgive oneself with the cards, or is it a job that everyone has to do on their own?
Tarot cards alone are usually not enough to forgive. Rather, they show situations, contexts and possibilities. Complementary cards with messages that work more on a spiritual and therapeutic level can help. But forgiving oneself is primarily an inner process. It can happen through therapy, either with the help of a professional or through your own work. The cards can point the way, help you understand why something didn't work out and what to take from it, but the real step has to be taken by each person. Not everything is supposed to work out for us - and there is a point to that too. Often it's because something better is waiting for us.
How do you feel about people who let themselves be told too often - can the cards become a substitute for their own decision making?
Yes, and it's quite common. I openly point this out to clients and I keep track of how often they come to me. Cards can become an addiction and one loses the ability to make one's own decisions. The readings are not meant to be used to solve everyday trivia or expect everything to come true instantly. If a client comes back too soon, I often give them a refund and tell them to come back to the interpretation later. It's important to record the interpretations and listen back to them, because people often only hear the terms and positive things but miss the key information. A responsible fortune teller should allow clients free will, not bind them to themselves.
In recent years, cards have been very present on social media - quick readings, collective tirades, universal messages. In your opinion, does this have a real spiritual benefit, or is it more likely to create the illusion of answers?
It's mostly great marketing. Collective readings and universal messages are appealing, harmless, and people hear them. The problem arises when collective interpretations become specific statements about relationships or future partners. After all, two hundred people can't be experiencing the same thing with the same person. In that case, it is more about the illusion of answers than real spiritual work. Collective interpretation can work if it speaks generally about energies or messages and gives people the space to choose intuitively what resonates with them. But as soon as it is too specific, it loses its meaning.
Is there a difference between cards as a spiritual tool and cards as a form of therapy? Where does one end and the other begin?
There certainly is a difference. I see tarot cards primarily as a spiritual tool - they tell a story, answer specific questions, show direction and possible options for development. They give a person options, but they don't decide for them. Therapy, on the other hand, comes more through various complementary cards with messages, oracle or angel cards. These work more on an inner, emotional and therapeutic level. The tarot shows where a person stands and where they can move, while the therapeutic cards help to understand the inner processes and emotions involved.
Can one tell from the interpretation that one is not looking for an answer, but for confirmation of what one already thinks - and that one is not really ready to hear anything else?
Very often. It's usually evident in the cards, and I always warn clients that I won't please them if they're not ready to hear the truth. Some people go from one fortune teller to another until they hear the answer they want. In that case, they are not looking for an answer, but for confirmation of their own opinion. Once this happens, the interpretation becomes meaningless because the person is not open to any other possibility.
Can working with the cards sometimes stunt a person's growth - perhaps by waiting for the "right moment" instead of acting?
Yes, it can. Often this is especially true in relationships. I see in the cards that the relationship is going nowhere, that it is dysfunctional or even toxic, but the person is still trying to save it. He's holding on to the past, hoping that something will return to a form that no longer exists. It's the same at work - sometimes you have to go through a less than ideal period to get where you need to be. But people often wait for the "right moment" without realizing that steps they don't want to take now are leading to it. Cards can then be more of a hindrance if taken as a substitute for action.
There is a lot of talk today about manifestation and positive thinking. Do the cards also show the moment when spirituality becomes a pressure to perform and another form of self-control?
I am very critical of what has happened to spirituality and esotericism in recent years. The spiritual path has become a business and a pressure to be positive all the time. We just can't be in a good mood and think positive all the time. Negative emotions have their place and move us on. Manifesting works naturally - the way we wished for something as children, said it and let it go. Not through expensive courses and constant thought control. When spirituality becomes another performance, it loses its meaning.
Is there a difference between wishing for something and actually being internally ready for it - and do you recognize it in interpretation before it manifests in reality?
Yes, there is a difference, and it is very noticeable in interpretations. Wishing often comes from the head, from ideas and expectations, while inner readiness is seen in the fact that one has closed old things, stands firmly behind oneself and is willing to make changes. If he is not ready, the cards show it - blocks, recurring themes or returns to the past appear. Reality then just copies what has been seen in the interpretation before.
If the new year were to start with one internal decision that can't be written on paper or shared on networks, what would it be?
This is something everyone needs to tell themselves within themselves. The cards won't tell you, I won't tell you, or anyone else. But if I had to say one general thing, it's to talk less and do more. Go after your goal with concrete actions, not just words or wishes. If a person is really determined for something and does their best for it, I believe they can make it happen. But this inner resolve is always deeply personal and non-transferable - everyone has to find it for themselves.
