Deep and sensitive reading is the heartbeat of my divinatory practice.
I live to read, and I read to live.
I have been studying the revival of Hellenistic astrology for five years and tarot for over ten years. My scholarly background in ancient Greek literature, mythology, magic, and religion feeds my astrological and tarot practices: I work with poetry and grimoires to communicate with the planet-gods, and I study esoteric systems of correspondence and sympathy that inform the meaning I can discover within signs, stars, and cards.
Astrology and tarot are both divinatory languages that allow me to put mythological archetypes and images in dialogue with the deepest questions, problems, and curiosities that sparkle or rot inside of you.
I have a doctorate in Classical Languages and Literature from the University of Oxford, and I worked for seven years as a Classics professor at Haverford College and Brown University. My scholarly research interests wander through Ancient Greek poetry, disability, queerness, time, surrealism, and the occult.
I left full-time university teaching (in part) because I wanted to read more expansively, with more divinity, and in a more mercurial manner. When my mind stopped feeling nourished by the disciplinary forms of reading and argumentation that are rendered meaningful in university settings, when I felt called to read everything through a divinatory interpretive mode, I began to engage in wilder, more sacred, and more playful forms of reading and writing that felt most at home in one-on-one astrological and tarot consultations.
I love the feeling and register of discourse that is opened up by inviting these modalities into conversations about what is preoccupying you. I am intrigued by my clients’ subjective experiences, and I find it thrilling to listen and to offer in response the poetic sanctity that astrology and tarot can provide.
It is profound, it is intimate, it is transformative magic.
Together, we can do a bit of cosmic cackling, and we can generate some shared awe in putting your life into dialogue with astrology and/or tarot.
I serve Mercury in this capacity: in our work together, I operate as a translator and interpreter across the languages of your life stories, the stars, and the cards.
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Divining your life story
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Logistical Matters
Booking: You can book my services at silverblank.as.me. If you can’t find availability that works with your schedule, please email me directly at hannahsilverblank@gmail.com, and we’ll see what we can do!
Payment: Payment is due at the time of booking. If you want a reading but can’t afford one right now, reach out via email.
Astrological systems: The system of astrology that I use is a hybrid of Hellenistic astrology, modern astrology, and my personal intuitive relationship with the gods, which I cultivate through sacred reading, ritual, and contemplation. I focus on making divinatory meaning accessible and meaningful to clients at a beginner to intermediate level of familiarity with astrology/tarot, but I also enjoy working with experienced clients who are interested in specific interpretive techniques and approaches like annual profections and creative consultations.
I use the whole sign house system. My readings include the traditional planets as well as the outer planets, as well as a few asteroids. I enjoy reading ancient astrological treatises in Greek and Latin, as well as in English translation, to deepen my understanding of astrological interpretation and techniques.
Ethics and consent: If you’d like to give my services as a gift to someone, you can buy a gift certificate for them via email (hannahsilverblank@gmail.com) and provide me with their email address, and then I can arrange the reading with the recipient. I do not read charts for people who don’t come to me directly. This means I can’t provide a reading that someone hasn’t consented to (for example, a surprise reading that you want to gift to a friend, or a chart reading for someone you are curious about).
Decks and spreads: When reading the tarot for clients, I primarily use the Smith-Waite deck, but I have a large collection of decks from which to choose, and I can adapt my deck choice based on your preferences and your aesthetic taste. I read traditional spreads as well as crafting bespoke spreads for your particular circumstances and curiosities.
On the future: Both astrology and tarot help us prepare for what is to come, process what has come before, and live in the present moment. While I use both systems to describe energetic-planetary-archetypal influences that are coming your way, I do not predict the future in fixed or absolute terms like, “You will/won’t get the job!” or “He’ll say yes/no when you propose!” Instead, I use both divinatory systems to help you get into a more sensitive and intentional attunement with the temporal and archetypal characters that surround your curiosities and circumstances.
Zoom: Readings are conducted over Zoom, unless we are in geographical proximity (unlikely but possible: I live in southwest New Hampshire). It is a great idea for you to record our Zoom session, because you can then refer back to it as a resource whenever you like. I cannot record sessions for clients on my own computer. I will have my camera on. It helps me to see you too, but I leave it up to you whether you turn your camera on. Although it is not my primary mode of practice, I can also offer asynchronous readings via a series of voice notes; please inquire directly to arrange this if it suits your processing style/schedule better than a live reading on Zoom. If there are other default features of my practice that you would like me to adapt to your specific circumstances, I am happy to discuss our options via email, because I am always excited to make this work more meaningful and accessible to my clients.
Required info for astrology readings: When booking, you’ll need to provide your birth data, which means: your birth month, day, year, location and exact time. Most people find their exact birth time by consulting their birth certificate or other family records/memory. If there is any doubt whatsoever about the timing, please let me know ASAP, because an unknown or vague birth time affects the level of interpretive specificity available to us.
All of my readings come with a highly recommended but optional written questionnaire that you complete at least three days in advance of the reading. This questionnaire helps me understand the topics/placements that you’d like to cover in our reading (if any), your learning style, your interest in learning the nuts and bolts of my interpretive techniques, and your hopes for what you’d like to come away with from our work together. If you do not complete the questionnaire, we will spend some of our meeting time going over these questions, but it does mean I will have less time to ponder the connections between your chart and your curiosities during our live session. Note: I can also offer non-written modalities for the questionnaire upon request.
Supplementary Readings & Rituals (R&R): For an additional $20 atop any other service fee, I offer a curated PDF package of readings and ritual recommendations to deepen your exploration of planetary or cartomantic influences. Readings are selected to align with your interests and may feature excerpts from Hellenistic astrological texts, the Orphic and Homeric Hymns, the Picatrix, and modern astrological and tarot scholarship. Ritual practices range from simple daily actions to altar work, tarot spreads, and devotional poetry, designed to be performed at astrologically auspicious times for maximum benefit.