Courtney Hennigan – Intuitive Healer and Tarot Reader from Boston
Introducing Courtney Hennigan, an intuitive healer and tarot reader, as well as the owner of Courtney’s Collective, which is an online spiritual-based resource center for those looking to get started or go deeper into their healing journeys. She is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and currently lives in Southwest Florida. She always considered herself an artist, and when she takes breaks from her healing sessions, her go-to activity is painting. She’s a big fan of nature and spiritual-based art, but I also find it so much fun to paint pet portraits!
1. The Melanin Kollective is meant to provide a sense of community for those navigating through their own spiritual and self-journeys. Can you tell us what spirituality means to you personally, and how your spiritual journey began?
Spirituality has been the most beautiful, messy, transformative inner journey I have ever been on. Since I was a child I have been aware of my intuitive nature. I have always been able to feel the energy of space and people, but it took many years and lots of my own personal experiences to figure out how to use my intuition as an inner guide. From there I learned how to use my own gifts to help others. I believe that we all have divine intelligence within us, and uncovering it begins with deep self-reflection. I believe that the things we heal from are our superpowers, and how we choose to create and express ourselves are our tools to share our wisdom with others. Spirituality to me is simply the relationship to the self, specifically the soul. I think that each of us has a purpose in this life of coming home to our soul. The more we heal and release traumas, conditioning, and generational patterns, the closer we get to living by our souls. Spirituality has taught me that the soul’s journey is infinite, and all that matters is learning how to “be” in a way that prioritizes creation and unconditional love.
2. As a Tarot Reader, how does tarot serve as a tool for spiritual guidance and empowerment? How has practicing tarot impacted your own spiritual journey and personal growth? What are some suggestions that you have for our readers to ensure that they are using tarot readings responsibly for themselves?
Tarot is a beautiful tool and guide, but in no way a crutch for those seeking answers. I believe that tarot cards do a beautiful job of clarifying present circumstances, as well as identifying patterns within a person that came from the past and have led to the person’s present circumstances. Using the cards to clarify the present instead of predicting the future has been life-changing for me because it has helped me take intentional steps towards a brighter future that I create. By understanding who I am here and now, I can figure out an intentional path forward towards a future that is authentic and created by me, instead of waiting and hoping that things will simply work themselves out. Using the cards to focus on the here and now helps tarot users participate in creating a beautiful life for themselves, rather than solely depending on destiny and wishful thinking.
A piece of advice I always give to those pulling cards for themselves is never to pull a tarot when you are in a dark headspace! When you are in a negative headspace it’s easy to twist the meaning of what’s in front of you into something it’s not and to try to control the message you are getting. Get yourself to a place of contentment and open-mindedness before pulling cards. Set the mood, soothe your five senses, make yourself comfortable, and always set an intention before you begin to pull. There is a lesson in every spread when the cards are used properly. Tarot cards are not the end-all of your fate. Always remember that free will exists, and that the cards are your teammates, not your authority!
3. A big part of our self-journey is doing work through healing. Can you describe the moment or period in your life when you became aware of the need for spiritual healing? What spiritual practices have been instrumental in your healing journey? Are there key principles or insights that you know now that you’d like to share with our readers who are navigating through their own healing journey?
I began practicing tarot and spirituality on a regular basis in 2017. In 2017 I lost my best friend and shortly after, I began to notice her influence in my life through signs and synchronicities she consistently sent my way. She made me believe in something greater than myself. I formed a spiritual bond with her and I found that every time I spoke to her I received some type of divine insight in return.
Around the same time I was having revelations that there was something greater out there, I was gifted my first deck of tarot cards. Talk about divine timing! I began using the cards for myself first. My use of the cards began in 2020 on my balcony with my journal and my cat. I sat outside for hours learning how to meditate and pull cards to help me sort out my personal traumas and how it all affected my present reality. Every session went hand-in-hand with meditation and journaling sessions. They still do. I never pull cards for myself just to pull cards. Each time I pull cards for myself I take out my journal specifically used for personal tarot readings (I’ve filled four tarot journals over the last three years!). I set the intention of gaining clarity and healing from a present circumstance, relationship, or even a past wound that is hindering me in the present moment.
Using tarot cards to clarify underlying emotional patterns has been profound in my personal evolution. I have been able to get to the core of my deepest wounds and traumas with the help of tarot cards in my personal healing sessions. The cards help me connect the dots to my past in order to uncover, face, heal, and release the experiences that have blocked me from reaching my greatest potential.
I do not use tarot cards to solely predict the future for others because free will is always a factor. Instead, I use the cards to help highlight present themes, such as underlying triggers and repressed emotions that are leading to cycles, habits, patterns, and relationships that may be helpful or harmful for the person I am reading for. I use the spread in front of me to determine intentional action items that a person can use to improve the current circumstances or change course to an elevated way of life.
Every now and then, especially if I have a person’s spirit guide in the room with me, I’ll see a specific event in the future that I am able to speak about, but that is rare. Depending on a card spread to tell a person what’s in store for them makes it really easy to sit back and wait for life to unfold, without playing an active role in the present moment. Balance is so important, especially when it comes to living a spiritual life. I always encourage a balance of idealism and realism, free will and destiny, and masculine/feminine energy.
4. We found you through TikTok and have followed your journey as a tarot reader, but we know that recently you posted that you will be venturing out and sharing your other passions. We’re curious about what else you’re working on, and can you tell us how your own spiritual journey has had an impact on your creative endeavors?
My spiritual journey has uncovered so much latent artistic potential that I have kept dormant for the sake of fitting in throughout my life. Since I could hold utensils I have been sketching, drawing, and painting in my free time, but I have never fully showcased this passion due to fear of rejection. I have always wanted to create a collection of spiritual-based art, specifically focused on crystals. I created a small batch of crystal paintings a few years back and somewhere along the line, it got lost in everything else I was doing.
A big lesson I’ve learned as I have been on my own healing journey is that I take on way too much at once! So, I am learning to simplify. That being said, I am working on a collection of crystal paintings that I call “Healing Depictions.” I hope to release them in small batches in mid-2024 with some other fun artistic pieces sprinkled throughout the year!
My spiritual journey has taught me that my job is not my purpose. My way of life and how I occupy my time is my purpose. In 2024, my goal is to simply live an artistic way of life, and I am so excited to showcase what that means to me as I figure it out!
