Meet Kate Mura

We were lucky to catch up with Kate Mura recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, really appreciate you joining us to talk about a really relevant, albeit unfortunate topic – layoffs and getting fired. Can you talk to us about your experience and how you overcame being let go?
First a little backstory.

I started my personal study of tarot in 1997 after through three friends I received two decks in one week. Then in 2000 after being hired through another friend to read at a large event I felt woefully under-skilled for, I did a deep dive intensive study with Matthew Ellenwood. Tarot had already been a part of my personal practice and was then cemented as a part of my professional world as a regular side hustle.

Everything changed for me – as it did so many of you in – 2020 with the Covid pandemic.

My other world is professional theatre. I am an I.A.T.S.E. stagehand – wigs and rigging are my favorites, though I probably do electrics most – and I am a multifaceted performer.

I saw all my income streams and projects in the theatre realm dry up in less than 48 hrs.

Gratefully, I follow my mom’s financial advice and put 10% of every cent I earn into savings or my ROTH IRA, so I had a cushion until unemployment was able to kick in 6+ weeks later.

However, being laid off by circumstances far beyond my control was also a blessing in disguise.

Suddenly, I had no excuse to not fully focus on tarot. One of the drawbacks to being primarily self employed doing different things I love is that some things inevitably receive more focus; which had been theatre for decades.

But now, now! I had no excuse, and tarot had been knocking at my door wanting to be more central in my life already.

In 2018 I tested out a theory inspired by a conversation with Stephanie Alvidrez of Skawesomeness Productions: what happens if I give a tarot reading to a group of people as a whole?

From that question, and test performances at The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven, The Tarot Show was formed, and started performing IRL in Portland OR USA, Bath UK, & Avignon France.

In late 2019, before whispers of sickness came to the shores of Turtle Island (USA) I wondered, could a group tarot reading work online?

Tests proved yes!

So when the pandemic effectively laid me off from all my theatre work March 13, 2020 and we realized that this was going to last longer than a few weeks, I was well poised to shift online offering individual and group tarot readings. For almost three years, I facilitated New Moon Group Tarot readings giving groups of friends and strangers community and clarity during some very uncertain times, while also raising $2,922.65 for a diverse array of b.e.s.t. organizations. Ones working for a beautiful, equitable & ethical, sustainable world in a timely fashion.

When pandemic assistance was made available, I applied, and used an SBA Loan to launch GroupTarot.com.

Truly, my biggest piece of advice for overcoming layoffs are future planning.

Pay yourself first. Put money away for retirement or a rainy day from every. single. paycheck.

When I get $20 for a 15 min video recorded tarot reading, $2 goes into my ROTH.

$800 for performing The Tarot Show for your large corporate event? $80 gets tucked away – or more if I feel good about my finances.

Also, accept assistance!

My union gave out so many food boxes thanks to the NW Oregon Labor Council and I gratefully accepted a box, while also helping deliver to homebound union siblings. Any food stuffs I wouldn’t eat, I passed on to my neighbors through Buy Nothing and neighborhood food pantries.

Knowing that your needs are able to be met – food on the table, air to breathe, water to drink, a roof over your head, money to pay the immediate bills – in my experience is a best way to overcome a layoff and turn that new downtime to your advantage.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a theatre artist and tarotist. I know creating other worlds is possible because it has been my craft for over 30 years. My quest in life & art is to inspire & create a b.e.s.t. world:

Beautiful.
Equitable and Ethical.
Sustainable.
Timely.

Through tragedy and pain, then out the other side better than before.

Tarot illuminates how.

Theatre proves we can create another world.

I am currently working on The Theatre Oracle and two books.

Check out https://linktr.ee/katemura to stay up to date on all my global offerings and follow all the places that call to you.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Don’t be afraid to accept or ask for help, and choose your teachers intentionally.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
I am incredibly lucky in the parents department. I have the most banal coming out stories because they were completely accepting of me being queer, having transgender partners – so, which pronouns do we use? OK – and being a witch though they are both Christian.

While excellent financial advice is one of their many gifts to me, I truly think the most impactful thing my parents did for me was to simply always be there if I needed them and happy to be off doing their thing letting me do mine.

So often safety and security are the biggest reasons people stay places, don’t follow their dreams, because the fear of falling, of failing, is so real. For many, it’s legitimately dangerous. If all I have is $20 in the bank and nothing to fall back on, that reality is going to dictate what I use that $20 for. $5 round trip bus to mediocre work, some beans & rice at the grocery store are much more immediate needs to meet, even though what would really make the soul sing would be to buy that $18 tarot deck that’s calling to you SO LOUDLY and use the last $2 to buy a drip coffee and offer tarot readings at your favorite cafe.

The latter option needs either amazing confidence and a willingness to be literally hungry, or a trusted support system you know will feed you if your experiment fails.

I needed to ask my parent’s for money once. I broke up with the person I was living with and needed to move out. I was living paycheck to paycheck and didn’t have spare for a moving truck. Nor any friends have one I could borrow. The next month, I lived frugally and paid them back.

But just knowing that I *could* ask and I *would* receive allowed me to follow my creative paths. It’s a privilege too many people don’t have and I am extremely grateful.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Kate Mura, Gary Norman, Jack Wells, Shae Uisna.

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