The guide behind the smoke
Hi, I’m Maiah De La Rosa MPH, MSW
Before I ever picked up a tarot deck professionally, I spent years helping people navigate change, uncertainty, and complex systems. I was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a background in public health, social work, political advocacy, and lobbying. My education and career taught me how to hold space for difficult conversations, recognize patterns, and understand the ways personal experiences are shaped by larger social, cultural, and political forces.
That background continues to inform everything I do today.
My approach
My approach to tarot is not about predicting a fixed future or telling you what to do. Instead, I see tarot as a tool for reflection, insight, and self-discovery. I blend intuition with critical thinking, symbolism with practicality, and spiritual exploration with real-world understanding. Whether we are exploring relationships, life transitions, personal growth, or recurring patterns, my goal is to help you access your own wisdom rather than create dependence on mine.
The name Flowers and Cigarettes reflects a truth I have always been drawn to:
Flowers and Cigarettes is about contrast, the things that nourish us and the things that consume us. Beauty and imperfection, growth and self-destruction, tenderness and grit existing in the same hand.
Together, they speak to the coexistence of light and shadow, softness and grit, healing and heartbreak. They remind us that meaning is often found in the tension between opposites.
I believe people are more resilient, intuitive, and capable than they often realize. My work is rooted in curiosity, compassion, discernment, and respect for your autonomy. I am not here to tell you who you are. I am here to help you see yourself more clearly.
Whether you’re seeking guidance, perspective, confirmation of what you already know deep down, or simply a space to explore what is unfolding in your life, I’m honored to walk alongside you for a little while.
