Josh Yates is a teacher with a lecture series on topics like Qabalah and Tarot. He’s also a Software Architect and has found a way to combine all of these spiritual passions into an app called The Cosmic Repository.
In this interview, we talk about Qabalah, Tarot, channeling, his background, and more.
Y’all know the drill? I’m giving you some written highlights… so read on!
Background
Josh grew up in Georgia and always had his mind set on being a software developer. He joined the Marine Corp during college, then went back and finished a Masters Degree in Computer Science.
At the age of 35, after battling an addiction to alcohol, he entered the world of recovery and started looking for something greater than himself. This path eventually lead him to Astrology, Tarot, Qabalah and all of the spiritual goodies that are a significant part of his life today.
The Mechanics of Consciousness
Josh doesn’t just study spiritual topics. He also likes to share them with others through teaching workshops or recording lecture series.
The Mechanics of Consciousness is one such upcoming lecture series that he has designed. He describes it as a more scientific approach, delving into some of the symbols which are embedded into our consciousnesses, in hopes that we can better understand ourselves.
Although this particular series isn’t out yet, Josh does have quite a few other lectures that you can watch now. Be sure to check out his website for more details.
A Different View
Josh believes that some of the most powerful symbols in existence are found within the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the Tarot deck — and that is a view shared by many. Although he doesn’t deny that they can be a useful tool for divination, he would rather employ them as meditational tools, focusing on the imagery, to help better understand the self. He says that our subconscious minds already understand the symbols, so it’s more about unlocking this ability in the conscious.
Actually, he’s come up with an entire system for this. And if you’d like to learn about what he calls “The Seven Principles of Consciousness,” then you can catch him in person at Summer Magick Fest 2025, where he will be teaching the following workshop:
A Walk Through the Seven Principles of Consciousness with Tarot.
This workshop will present a practical approach of how the Principles can be understood through Qabalah and Tarot which can be a path to expansion for our consciousness. This workshop will provide a basic understanding of how we can use universal symbols embedded in Tarot to create clear channels to our subconsciousness. This work ultimately creates potential for us to obtain mastery and liberation from limited thoughts that we have created from past experiences. All participants in this workshop will receive a free 20 page booklet that will assist in the practical approach of understanding the principles of consciousness through Tarot.
Sounds pretty cool to me! Plus, it comes with a mini book!
Oh, and if you’re reading this in a post-Summer-Magick-Fest future, then try to check out this page that Josh just set up — maybe you can find a transcript or recap of the lecture there at some point later this year.
The Cosmic Repository
As you might expect with anyone who is hungry for occult knowledge, Josh has gone through a lot of books or other resources on Tarot, Qabalah, and Astrology over the last few years. And he likes to have access to all of that on the fly…
In order to accomplish this, he created an app called The Cosmic Repository, which also integrates aspects of blockchain and digital wallets.
Over the past year, he has begun sharing this app with others in hopes that they, too, will use it in their endeavors to better learn about all of these topics. If you’d like to check it out, you can do so at his website.
Look, I don’t profess to understand exactly how it all works. A digital wallet and proper authentication are usually required to officially log into the app, but Josh gave me a username so I could poke around and explore.
And I found tons of cool stuff. There are images of Tarot cards designed by Paul Foster Case sometime around the 1930’s, which have color-coded backgrounds to work within that specific system. You can look further into any card to see the keywords and symbols associated with it. There’s even some apps that will give you a quick reading.
If you’d like a physical copy of the above deck, Josh had them printed. (more info on that here)
Personally, I think this is such an interesting and fantastic fusion of his two passions (technology and occult), which ordinarily might not have much overlap.
Thoughts on AI
Since Josh has such an extensive background in software, I thought it would be fun to hear some of his thoughts on AI.
It’s never really been my intention to talk about this regularly, but nonetheless I’ve found myself rather accidentally stumbling into the topic in at least a few episodes. The potential spiritual implications of technology are just… well, they’re fascinating. I mean, how can we not talk about it?
Don’t miss out. Here’s what’s coming up…
Josh and I spent a few minutes talking about possible impacts, both good and bad. His general disposition on the subject is that it’s something that will hopefully allow us to further explore ourselves, but that we must look cautiously at the rate at which it’s all happening. If you’d like to hear the full scoop, go and watch the video.
Channeling
One of the last things Josh and I talked about was the concept of channeling. He’s part of a large group of people, called The Channeling Academy, who regularly get together and practice the art.
It’s definitely an interesting topic. I think that when most people think about channeling, they’re probably picturing a formal ritual setting where a particular god or goddess is being invoked… or maybe the inside of a tiny storefront with a neon sign that reads “Psychic Readings.”
The thing is… we can really channel any time. Whenever the voice of spirit or your higher self flows through you, you’re channeling. You might start channeling when you’re giving a lecture. You might start channeling when you’re talking to a friend or even when you’re playing music. It doesn’t really matter where you are or what you’re doing, so long as you open yourself up to spirit. Hey, I might even be channeling right now! The difficult part is that many people have learned to close themselves off rather than open up. It’s just something that society generally forces on us starting in childhood.
Well, that’s where the idea of practice comes in!
Anyway, if you’d like to hear more of this part of the conversation, go watch the video!
Finding Josh Yates
If you’d like to learn more about Josh Yates or some of the work that he’s been doing, then look no further! Here are his link:
- Website – http://joshyates.me
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/cosmicrepository
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/joshyates1980
- Vimeo – https://vimeo.com/cosmicrepository
- TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@joshyates1980
- The Cosmic Repository App – https://cosmicrepository.app/
Shorts
If you’ve only got a minute or less, check out some of these video highlights from my conversation with Josh.
Music Before Meetings
Josh says that “music is magick.” I’m very much inclined to agree with him. One of the ways that he uses sound in his personal practice is by putting on specific music prior to attending group therapy sessions or meetings. It helps him get into the right mindset.
There’s more to be said here obviously, but… well, you know what I’m going to say, right? I don’t usually summarize these parts. You should go listen to Josh say it in his own words!
Summer Magick Fest
Grab your tickets and register for Summer Magick 2025! You can catch Josh there in person. And I’ll be there giving workshops as well! I don’t get paid for selling tickets or anything, I just honestly want you to be there with us.
Summer Magick Festival is an earth-based spirituality convention with workshops, celebration, and community in a comfortable hotel setting. Headliners, rituals, and musical entertainment have been chosen to encourage tolerance between the many different earth-based faiths and foster planetary stewardship. We are a family-friendly event with programming for our young ones as well as close proximity to all the wonders of the Orlando theme parks. Join us for a new kind of Florida festival!
Conclusions
As always, I had a lot of fun with this episode. It was great to meet Josh and get to know him a little bit better, and I’m looking forward to meeting him in person at SMF in June.
Aerik Arkadian 
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