The Path of the Gilded Serpent

How tarot helped guide the various dimensions within

When I went to meet Tiffany Wilson, owner of The Gilded Serpent, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had only interacted with her at events, and it was a passing hello, or to compliment her outfit. Upon entering our agreed meeting spot, I scanned the patrons of the coffee shop -- and I found her. Jet black hair shaping a face adorned with cat-eye shaped glasses. A black blazer covering a black blouse with a pair of velvet black leggings. I will be the first to admit my experience with tarot (and tarot readers) was limited, but I was ready to dive in and know everything about Tiffany, her path, how she perceives the idea of multiple dimensions, and how she has transformed into The Gilded Serpent.

Rae with Decussate Mag: So how long have you been reading professionally?

Tiffany Wilson: I began reading professionally five years ago. Not long after, I picked up the practice.

How were you introduced to tarot?

T: I got an email in my inbox about how to connect with tarot intuitively. I enrolled in the class and bought a tarot deck. My first tarot deck was The Wild Unknown, not a good deck with beginners. When I started that class with this deck, I was like, “I don’t get it, uhh, I don’t see that.” I think it’s really important as a new tarot to start with the Deck of Decks, The Rider-Waite deck. It is really the deck pretty much all decks are based on. So having an understanding of all its symbolism is very important. I did the class: I did about five classes, I think there were 30. It was like a month-long thing, and they gave us an exercise each day. And it really took off for me. I felt like I didn’t need the course after. I was feeling it my own way. I’d pull out a card a day and see how it made me feel, and compare that to what the traditional meaning is, to see how different my intuition was. That’s when I learned different cards mean different things to me, and they might not always align with the traditional meaning. But I learned by reading professionally that following my intuition was the most important part of using them when connecting with the person I am reading for. It never fails that it is somehow connected to that individual.

You got an email for the course, I assume were you looking for other practices or something connecting you spiritually? Or was the universe sending you an email?

T: It was a Facebook group I was involved in. [The admin] had my email and sent us newsletters, and one of the things was this tarot course being offered. And I was like, “hmm, okay,” so it was a kind of universe message saying “do this.”

Was the Facebook group about spiritualism and occultism?

T: It was, it was spiritualism, but like, light? Kind of introductory level, like casual. I feel like a lot of the ladies in the group were just beginning their spiritual journey outside the Abrahamic religions. I have to say I was already curious about that path because I had decided I was atheist, but then felt like something was missing from my life. And so I decided I needed to find some spiritual path that felt authentic to me. So I began to study and work with Wicca. My studies and practice grew from that to full-blown occultism and left-hand path.

So you claimed Atheism, moved to Wicca, do you identify as a Wiccan?

T: I currently do not identify as Wiccan, but still have some practices. Only instead of attributing the empowerment that I receive from the practice to a god or goddess, I attribute it to myself as the god or goddess of my own world. That’s the left-hand path.

So how did you start moving to the left-hand path?

T: I don’t remember the catalyst specifically, but somewhere on the world wide web I began to see some articles and information about Luciferianism, and [I] identify with that specific path the most. I do agree with Satanism for the most part as well, but largely with Luciferianism. Luciferianism is more about the academic aspect of the left-hand path and creating enlightenment through your studies and journey. Satanism is more of an activist group (look up Lucien Greaves - she loves him.)

I’ve been to a few gnostic masses at the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis), Scarlet Women Lodge. It’s not a mainstream thing, it’s definitely for people in the know. I have a dear friend who is a deacon there who told me about it and invited me to participate. It’s such a beautiful ritual, it’s something I think anyone who is curious about the left-hand path should experience. It is fraternal and there are different levels. I don’t participate on that level but I do enjoy the gnostic mass. I really have a tendency to view more things from a more academic perspective than participatory. I enjoy experiencing all of the pageantry surrounding these things. I feel like those

who don’t believe in magic and are total atheists there is something about the ritualistic part of things that tend to stir up action in the individual. It’s all psychological. You’re more likely to invite things in your life that match the energy of your psychological and magical aspiration, and if you think of that from that perspective, manifestation is a real thing. I am still kind of involved in some ceremonial aspects privately for my own practice. I do observe the new moon and full moon, my rituals are largely done in the bathtub. Over time my bath rituals have grown and developed. I put voodoo oil in there, salt and sugar. It depends on what I am feeling, I go with that vibe and add to it. And of course candles. I have a great friend who makes candles for your ritual and intention purposes. She is phenomenal: I will say, “this is how I feel right now, and here is some artwork I like, I want something based on this.” It’s beautiful. She herself is such a spiritual and magical person. She and I will sit and smoke a joint together and connect on the magical level.

So what are your thoughts on the growth of tarot? It has become more mainstream. You see big publications talking about feminism and magic or feminism and tarot. What do you think about that?

T: I love the fact that it’s becoming more well-known. I think it’s an unbeatable self-development tool. I think as a species, we need more self-development. Most cultures have hammered into us that being focused on the self is selfish, and to become martyrs. And we do martyr ourselves to please other people, because we are afraid of going against the expectation that we need to be “all give and no take.” And I think self-development in any form is a great way of saying, “I need to take some time for myself, I want to be a better

person and be more authentic and find what authenticity is for me.” I feel like tarot is such a good path for that. That’s the indoctrination of the puritanical beginnings of our nation. I think it’s so important to develop yourself separate from social conditioning. Asking yourself, “how do I really feel about this really deep down inside aside from being raised like this, how would I really feel?” I think tarot aid people in that. Tarot is a deck of cards that offers perspective, that’s its job. If you aren’t thinking about your question in a way you haven’t considered before, you aren’t doing it right, and that [thinking is] what causes growth.

On the subject of multidimensional, have you had any experience with connecting with the other side or a dimension or reality outside of our own?

T: So as far as connecting with the other side is concerned, I don’t feel that, because I really try to focus more on connecting with myself. I feel like my inner world is complex enough without me trying to reach out to something beyond this world. Not that I’m saying that isn’t a thing, and not saying that I don’t believe in it, because for some people it is a very real experience. Like I said, I do have a magical practice, but like, I said I really rely on myself as the source of power instead of giving that power away to anything outside of myself. When I’m working with any kind of deity, like Kali Ma, I am evoking [them] within. And I am asking myself, specifically with her energy. I am asking, “what do I need to remove from my path that is impeding my progress?”

Would you say you don’t look at multidimensionality as beyond you but within you?

T: Oh absolutely! We are multidimensional as individuals, where each person is a separate entire universe, and they create their own universe with their own thoughts, actions, beliefs, and rituals. Everything. Everything you do is a ritual, so I think that it’s important to look within, [and] I nurture those dimensions within. So whenever they radiate outwards you’re creating something you enjoy. Lovely. That’s true magic to me.

When you said, for example, you would channel Kali Ma would you say that is reaching into other realms?

T: Yes, but still within, because I feel like all deities are man