BIO- All About Annie Banannie:

What’s up, Tea Cup? My name is Annie, or as some of you know me, “The Intuitive Teacup”. I read Tarot and I’m so happy to have you here on my Website. Below a bit about me (the highlights)…for those who are curious.

I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at age three. My disease was relatively mild and I enjoyed a healthy childhood, swimming, playing dress up, biking, playing with friends, being a goofball, etc. In my teenage years my disease worsened and required more of my attention and a stricter medical regimen. “Cleanouts” at the hospital became more frequent, and I’d spend lots of time finding creative ways to pass the time in the hospital; painting, quilting, scrapbooking and writing. I attribute my fascination with movies and filmmaking to having spent thousands of hours watching them during hospitalizations. This led me to pursue a dual degree in Film Production & Film Studies later in life. After graduation, my senior thesis film “Matches” went on to screen at 5 US Film Festivals! This was an enormous accomplishment for me, as college was a particularly tricky time; managing my health, classes, social life and endless film shoots on weekends. But…with some challenges, I made it through.

In 2014 I uprooted my quiet New England lifestyle to try life in Los Angeles for a bit! It was the best (and scariest) thing I could have ever done. It forced me to really step up and take a more active role in my healthcare management and navigating everything that comes with being in a fish out of water in the big, bad city! It was a huge growing experiences with lots of learning curves as well as celebrations & successes. While I am still an avid film lover & filmmaker, my passions have led me down a different path.

I accidentally discovered tarot through a co-worker of mine a few years ago who sent me a random YouTube link. She knew I was going through a bit of a “quarter life crisis”, and despite my skepticism to watch what I assumed was some kind of “hippy-dippy fortune telling scheme,” I also had nothing to lose. I gave it a watch and holy cannoli…It unleashed a flood of emotions, curiosities and hope! I fell in love almost instantly when I learned the crux of what tarot provides: a connection to ourselves and to each other. No matter your age, gender, religion, race, disability, sexuality, etc, tarot does not exclude! Rather, it encompasses a wide variety of feelings, thoughts and actions that unite us all. In a world where we so often feel like we are alone in our battle, tarot opened my eyes to see that we are all in this together! Everyone’s struggle may differ in the details, but how we cope, find strength, courage and will power is often on a similar journey; One of self-love.

Honoring, valuing, respecting and loving ourselves is not typically taught in school, so how are we to learn such fundamentals? I feel like later in life we all get “bitch slapped” (pardon the language) at some point, and have to do a reassessment. We find ourselves going back to the drawing board on how to love ourselves, asking “who I am?” (Cheesy, I know… but true!) Because I fought my internal battle silently for so long, I decided I wanted to help others lost in life’s chaos!

Tarot has been a really wonderful community to be a part of; one which I may have never discovered had I not left home and moved out West. It has empowered and motivated me to keep chasing my dreams, despite the obstacles that Cystic Fibrosis, and life in general, threw at me. After purchasing close to 20 different tarot decks for hobby, I had that lightbulb moment: Starting my own Tarot channel was something I knew instantly I had to do! I’m a sensitive, intuitive empath to the core, and I care deeply about people. Perhaps having CF illuminated me to the idea early on, that time is fleeting. We have one life to live, so why not make it a glorious one?

I started my YouTube Channel, “Tarot by The Intuitive Tea Cup” in April of 2019, to offer free tarot readings to the public, showcase my work and to promote values of self-acceptance, self-love and self-empowerment to all the viewers. I put my own creative twists on each reading, peppering it with fun pop cultural references, nerdy film quotes, and sassy quips, while staying true to the source material at hand and my love of all things astrology! I have a website- a work in progress- (an on going process, as I learn how to pretend to be tech savvy), as well as social media channels, for the Instagram & Facebook lovers out there. It’s my mission to help bring peace, comfort, encouragement and empowerment to those who need a gentle reminder “You are not alone”.

The Tarot readers I grew to love have such a beautiful outlook on life and completely contradicted my initial presumption of what tarot was. Tarot readers are usually humble but empowered warriors who have their fair share of twists and turns driving the struggle bus through life. If you strip away social taboos of “religion” and “fortune telling,” Tarot is a kick-ass platform to help us all find joy in our lives, and who doesn’t want that? The power rests within all of us to make changes – big or small- sometimes we just need a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Let’s be each other’s cheerleaders and keep fighting this fight together!

Annie, alias “The Intuitive Tea Cup”, is a Los Angeles-based Tarot Reader, clairsentient, Self Empowerment Enthusiast, Filmmaker, Cystic Fibrosis Warrior & all around Lover of Life. Born a sensitive & intuitive empath, navigating the weight of powerful emotions is something she’s encountered throughout her life as a Water Sign. Overcoming challenges with a positive attitude, zest for life, sense of humor and spreading joy to those around her, is her life mission. She finds fulfillment and reward in helping others and acting as a messenger through Tarot, and championing her clients and viewers alike with power messages of self love, ownership, growth, accountability and empowerment. She notes “I am a big believer that we need more people on this earth to spread love, kindness and compassion to all those around us. We can all be light workers if we choose to be. When anger, negativity or fear are countered with love, kindness & understanding, there is huge potential for positive change in the world around us”. Annie is a firm believer that anyone, at any age is capable of improving & transforming their life into a better version, more aligned with their values and heart’s desire. She is an avid film & music lover, student of astrology, scrapbooker & crafting nerd and pineapple pizza junkie. You can sample Annie's Readings for Free on her YouTube Channel "Tarot by the Intuitive Tea Cup".