We were lucky to catch up with Gary D’Andre recently and have shared our conversation below.
Gary, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I feel like my purpose is connected to a reflection of what my life has looked like and the things that have affected me as a human growing up. I think about the young gay Black boy who felt out of place in church. I grew up having a family who didn’t necessarily understand me or my sexuality and that affected how I saw myself as well as how I found myself relating to other people around me. I had the pleasure of attending Morehouse College where I developed my identity a lot more and felt more comfortable figuring out who I was around other men, but that scar of my childhood definitely plays into the way that I see myself today. My purpose in reading cards has always been to lead people back to themselves and that’s why I began to start offering this work to people because of my former background in teaching. I think about the adult who is affected by eczema really badly and is embarrassed to let themselves be seen in their full authentic essence out of fear of having their body be judged. I think about the children I’ve worked with in the past who didn’t have space to have a choice or a voice when it came to what they wanted their journey towards education to be and were in the midst of finding themselves out and what they liked. I wanted to be a role model for those people while also knowing that I’m growing myself and figuring it all out and the only way to do that is by leading. I feel like I am still defining my purpose as a whole, but I know I am meant to be seen by and work with others to help them feel comfortable with themselves in their bodies as I navigate what that looks like for myself. I’ve learned how to listen to what my body is telling me and it’s brought me this far and I hope to pass that onto the people that I find myself in community with by trusting what journey my body.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Professionally, I’m focused on building out the sector of my work that focuses on spiritual guidance through the lens of tarot and reiki at night while working a part-time job during the day. I’ve been a tarot reader for about 8 years and am currently publishing a tarot deck, entitled Tarot for You and Me: A Queer Deck and Guidebook to be released in May 2024 with Simon Element. This is the first time that I’ve ever been able to have my art shared alongside the help of the wonderful visual illustrator Jess Vosseteig in a public forum, so I’m very excited to have the opportunity to do this alongside the editors and my agent, Laura Mazer. I’ve been able to sit on panels to share my thoughts about tarot, teach others how to read tarot, and have also done events where I’ve been a vendor to share my tarot reading gifts with others. I focus primarily on how I can share actionable guidance on how to best take care of your spirit throughout a given period. Aside from that, I’m a competitive reality television connoisseur, taking interest in shows such as Survivor and Big Brother and have an extensive knowledge of these shows.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
If I were to look back at an older version of myself or even pass on advice I’ve received along the way, it would be to remain consistent to putting into the specific craft that you find yourself embarking upon and remaining open to learning was one of the things that really pushed me. You have to find time to put into your gifts and also don’t let other people tell you whether or not you’re valid enough to do what you do. You have your own special brand of figuring things out and being realistic with what that is in your life and leaning into it instead of feeling disempowered or like there’s no space for you. There’s always a seat at the table and if you don’t see one, you can always build your own table to create your own reality for yourself. Figuring out my own niche and connecting that back to my purpose has been one of the most helpful things to have space to tap into and I feel like I’m still uncovering it in the world of tarot and esoteric knowledge cross pollinated with my background in education. I’ve always been interested in helping others and I used to be a teacher; I knew that I wanted to work with people outside of the classroom and this was my way to be able to help people from a vantage point that I knew could be of benefit. Time and patience is the best thing I can offer as advice when it comes to these arenas as well as consistency. Letting people know that you’re open and that you’re in a space where you’re always going to grow or be able to give a hand is important.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
If I only had a decade of life left, I would spend it traveling the world and I would spend it with family. I feel like I spent so much of my early life living for others and I would choose to live the last few for myself. I would learn about my body and why it’s shutting down and what I could do to take the best care of it, while also sharing with others how to take care of their bodies in this day and age. I would also try and offer up as much wisdom that I’ve gained through my life’s experiences to people that would want to listen. I would write a book of memoirs to be able to share with others so that way they could see life through my eyes and all of the things that I did and wish I didn’t do potentially to help those that spend their time reading get through the ups and downs of life. Sharing those rollercoaster moments could be exactly what someone else needs.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gangstagurry
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/gangstagurry
- Other: andresvillavista.substack.com
Image Credits
fredrick salyers
