This article may contain affiliate/compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
Working as a Tarot Card reader in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Heavy rain pours on the tin roofs of Boeung Keng Kang market, splashes into buckets, and overflows onto the dirty terracotta-tiled ground. Eileen sits cross-legged two feet off the floor inside her modestly decorated stall. A Cambodian woman from a neighboring salon, hair still greased and smeared with dye, sits across from Eileen and watches her shuffle tarot cards as the two women chat in Khmer. The woman asks a question. Eileen tells her to shuffle the deck, then lays out the cards based on what she wants to know. The woman nods along as Eileen interprets them.
Eileen sitting with a customer at her stall in Boeung Keng Kang market in Phnom Penh.
Eileen is like dozens of other fortune tellers in this crowded Phnom Penh market, save for one marked difference: she is an American.
In a country deeply plagued with emotional trauma, where psychology and psychologists are as common as toucans in the arctic, some Cambodians turn to the spiritual world for guidance. Many seek answers through fortune tellers, and in more rural areas, boramei, a kind of medium, who purport to channel the ghosts of the dead to share their messages. Although Cambodia is predominantly Buddhist, many Cambodians’s religious and spiritual beliefs are animistic; the belief that all things have spirits – ancestors, animals, plants, hills, stones, buildings – everything. This belief in the spiritual makes things like fortune telling and tarot card reading socially acceptable.
A Khmer fortune teller flashing his gorgeous smile. He is one of dozens of fortune tellers at Boeung Keng Kang market.
Eileen has had a fascination with mysticism and wicca since she was a pre-teen. She considers herself to be a “universalist”, open to many concepts and beliefs. She is also a proponent of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic plant from Central America which can produce vivid inquests into the self and spiritual revelations. It also tends to make one vomit, although sometimes the vomit looks like rainbows. And sometimes it can look like blood. It depends on the trip.
During one particular ayahuasca experience in February of 2015, Eileen says praying mantis people, her spirit animal, spoke to her. She says she can relate to them in many ways, especially their use of vibrations for communication and sensitivity to color, which she likens to her innate connection to people’s energies and her high empathetic IQ. The praying mantis people encouraged her to open up her own business at the market. She rented a stall in Boeung Keng Kang and set up shop the following month.
Decorations in Eileen’s stall, including images of preying mantises.
Eileen has developed a regular following of Cambodians and foreigners, and her customers are all based on referrals. One thing she loves is that people from all different classes come to her, from lawyers to housewives, karaoke girls to high government officials. She has been told that her readings are 70-80% accurate, however she can’t always be right if people aren’t honest with her.
Eileen explained that tarot card reading is different from fortune telling in that it isn’t necessarily meant to predict the future. Instead, the customer asks her three questions, the more specific the better, and the cards provide answers which she interprets. Eileen thinks of tarot as more of a cathartic experience, a chance for people to express their worries and fears, to gain direction and see possibilities.
She has been told that Cambodian people visit her because they feel that as a foreigner she is more open and less judgmental than Cambodian fortune tellers might be. That, and she is much less likely to know anyone who she could spread their secrets to. Her friendly, calm nature, and fluency in Khmer make customers feel comfortable opening up to her.
Tarot cards laid out on the floor in Eileen’s stall at Boeung Keng Kang market.
She feels like she is able to help people through her readings, enabling them to ask difficult questions and gain a different perspective on their issues. She charges the same amount as her Cambodian fortune telling counterparts, 10,000 Riel ($2.50), for both locals and foreigners.
Eileen has always had the intention of helping people through her work in Cambodia. She originally came to the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2010. She lived in a village in Kampong Chhang province teaching rural health education. Her work included weekly workshops on topics such as nutrition, gender, breast cancer, diabetes, vaccinations and sex education.
For 28 months she lived in the village with a host family. The conditions weren’t always easy, with only six hours of electricity a day, bucket showers outdoors, and a lack of running water. She says she remained relatively healthy during her time there, other than a bout of Dengue. She admits that her time in the village may not have had a lasting impact as there was no one to continue the education projects after she left. However, she still holds on to many of the relationships she fostered there. In fact, Eileen and her host sister from the village now live together in Phnom Penh.
Eileen with her host sister from the village who she now lives with in Phnom Penh.
After her Peace Corps service, Eileen stayed in Cambodia and volunteered for an NGO called Cambodian Women for Peace and Development. The work was interesting but she needed to earn money to live, so she got a paying job with an NGO called the Learning Institute as a Research Mobilization Officer. At the same time, she enrolled in a Masters program in Development at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
Her job gave her experience in the behind-the-scenes world of NGOs, working with donors and writing reports. However, she missed the freedom she felt working directly with people. The for-profit NGO world also proved more corrupt than expected and she felt her efforts and the intentions of the NGO weren’t always effective. When the organization lost its funding in early 2015, she saw it was time to move on. It would be several months until her official graduate school graduation and she wanted to stay in Cambodia, so she needed a plan.
Eileen’s is one of hundreds of stalls in Boeung Keng Kang market.
Having found working for someone else at a 9-5 job too restrictive, Eileen decided to strike out on her own. Tarot card reading was one option she had considered. The praying mantis people confirmed that opening up her own business was what she needed to do.
Although she isn’t earning much more than the $250 monthly rent for her stall and enough to eat and pay her rent, she says she feels empowered by her work and by starting her own business. She is helping people and making a difference in their lives in a way that she feels is effective.
Moving forward, Eileen wants to start new businesses and increase her income to save money and pay down her student loans. She and her Cambodian host sister are starting their own coconut oil business. She is also consulting part-time with an NGO. She plans to combine multiple streams of income to earn her living.
Eileen is certainly proof that moving to Asia, gaining experience, and following your passion can lead to endless opportunities.
If you’re in Phnom Penh and want to visit Eileen for a reading, her stall can be found on the northwest side of the Boeung Keng Kang market in BKK1 district. Come prepared with three specific questions about your life and 10,000 Riel ($2.50). It’s definitely a unique experience!
Did you enjoy this interview? Pin it for later!
Want to catch up on the other parts of this interview series? Check out Brewmaster Fraser, Burlesque dancing Alice Teacake, Mar at Google, and Tour Guide Andy.
Awesome story! The tarot is truly a versatile instrument. And it’s not about magic, but about Eileen’s personality.
Thank you for reading and for your comment!
Does she still stay there? And do u have her contact?
I’m sorry we don’t know as this was several years ago!
Does she sell tarot cards?
I’m not sure if she is there anymore as this article is a few years old.
how does one acquire the marvel ayahuascu in cambo?
The answer is in the cards…
This is such an interesting story. Tarot cards aren’t the most popular thing in Singapore, sometimes even frowned upon for religious reasons. But its so interesting to see a different and positive perspective on it in Phnom Penh!
Interesting! What is the predominant religion in Singapore? I never realized how popular fortune tellers were until we moved here. They are all over the city, especially in markets and along the riverside.
While I feel for Eileen and her struggle for survival in Cambodia, I’m curious in what way does she believes she will make a difference in these poor people’s lives and help them. Does she really believe that she can predict their future in Tarot cards?
Hi Anda, that’s a good question. In the article Eileen explains that tarot card reading is not the same as fortune telling. She does not claim to predict the future, but rather “she thinks of tarot as more of a cathartic experience, a chance for people to express their worries and fears, to gain direction and see possibilities.” Certain topics are viewed as taboo in this part of the world, namely relationships, sex, or more private issues, however Eileen says people often open up to her about these parts of their lives because as a foreigner they don’t feel judged by her. In those ways she feels she can help people. Cheers for the comment 🙂
What a facinating story. It’s a shame I didn’t see her when I was in Phnom Penh! I don’t blame her for wanting to live in Cambodia. I found the people so friendly and innocent despite all of their past troubles. I hope they get much needed support and guidance from tarot.
Maybe next time, Stephanie 😉 People in Cambodia are extremely kind and friendly. Cheers for the comment!
When I was at Phenom Penh I went sightseeing and I enjoyed the Sisowath Quay. I have not really been to a Tarot Card reader, but perhaps when I visit Cambodia I’ll put that on my bucket list. I wonder what to ask… will I meet someone during my travels next year? That’s an interesting one!
That is a good one!
Incredibly interesting story and insight into Cambodian culture! I’ve not yet been to a tarot card reader but would definitely love to have the experience, especially in a place like Cambodia where it has become an important part of their lives
Thanks Carolann! It’s definitely an interesting experience!
I’ve never done Tarot, but I did do a palm reading a few times. It’s pretty interesting what the can read and pick up from you. Not too sure if the super aria has anything to do with it, but they(the readers) are quite observant!
It is interesting what they can (sometimes) pick up! Eileen said she has a high empathetic IQ, so maybe that’s a quality many palm readers and fortune tellers have.
I have never been to a fortune-teller or a tarot reader before and I certainly did not know that a tarot reader was not a fortune-teller. This has been an interesting journey by Eileen and just goes to show that you never know where your journey will take you.
That is very true! You two are on an interesting journey yourselves!
Really interesting story and such a unique perspective on tarot card reading! I like that Eileen sees it as enabling people to ask difficult questions and gain a different perspective on their issues. Makes me want to visit her!
If you’re in Phnom Penh you should definitely stop by her stall! Cheers for the comment 🙂
Wondering if she still has her stall.
I don’t think she is there anymore. But there are still many local fortune tellers if you are interested in checking out what they do. You will likely need to bring someone to help you translate though.
I had no idea that Tarot Card readings were so popular in Cambodia and that Cambodians believed everything has a spirit. I admire Eileen’s courage to live how she wants. I’ll have to visit next time I’m in Cambodia.
It was interesting for me to learn too as I researched the article! Totally agree that’s it’s inspiring to see people choosing to live the way they want 🙂
I am always a bit afraid to have my tarots read – yet the thought of it attracts me. I may give it a try. I am actually traveling to SE Asia soon. I may pay a visit to Eileen!
I know what you mean! I think you have to be in the right state of mind to do it. By that I mean prepared for what answers you may get and how you might react to them. For me it’s just for fun and to make me think, but I don’t take it too seriously. Let us know when you come through Cambodia or if you need any advice on anything!
How random and awesome does Eileen sound? “I just left the States one morning, popped over to Cambodia and became a fortune teller…” LOVE people like that. Now the important question – did she tell you what you wanted to hear? he he he
I love people like that too-doing their own thang! She told me some pretty thought provoking stuff…not sure if I’ll divulge it on here though 😉
I should have visited her last time I was in PP! I’ve always been into the idea of tarot cards and the likes. I want to know what my spirit animal is! And quite frankly, the hallucegenic plant sounds scary but I definitely want to try it.
I hope you can visit her next time! Hmm…I want to know what my spirit animal is too. Ayahuasca does sound quite intriguing, but also intense!