# Episode 55: Tarot and the Predictive Brain, with Siddharth Ramakrishnan Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan.md Podcast: [The Tarot Podcast with T. Susan Chang](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795) Published: 2026-06-24T10:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://thetarotpodcast.podbean.com/e/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan/ Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jy5qa28uf2h33gk5/Episode_55_complete_Tarot_and_the_Predictive_Brain_with_Siddharth_Ramakrishnan606ex.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795/episodes/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan Duration seconds: 958 ## Resource In today’s show, the Tarot Podcast veers off the beaten path and turns to science! for an explanation of how prediction works. My guest is Siddharth Ramakrishnan, a neuroscientist who also practices tarot. He’s also a terrific explainer of brain biology for those of us without advanced degrees in the sciences. How has evolution shaped our perception of the future? What role does our brain play in decoding what’s to come? Join us for some facts, some educated guesses, and some wild speculation! Siddharth Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, artist, and educator. He is the Chair of Neuroscience and Professor of Biology at the University of Puget Sound and a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award. His research spans developmental biology, neuroendocrinology and neuroethics. A Fellow of the UCLA Art|Sci center, his collaborations with artists have led to exhibitions and documentaries that blend the worlds of art and science highlighting topics like Hox genes, animal umwelts and biomimicry. An avid Tarot reader, he has designed and created the NeuroTarot deck based on the major arcana of Tarot and infused with neuroscience. He was the keynote speaker at NWTS 2023, StaarCon 2025, the UCLA Art Sci Center, and a panelist at the Masters of Tarot workshop (2023) with Mary K. Greer at Omega, Rhinebeck NY. In addition he has been featured at various scientific conferences, art museums and tarot workshops. His book "The Neuroscience of Tarot", is out with Llewellyn Worldwide. "The Neuroscience of Magic" will be out in 2026! Instagram/BlueSky/Threads: @siddbits Youtube: @brainmystic Email: neurotarot@gmail.com website: www.brainmystic.com _____________________________________ Become a Tarot Podcast member! patreon.com/thetarotpodcast Shop for Taro… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795/episodes/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-tarot-podcast-with-t-susan-chang-7335795/episode-55-tarot-and-the-predictive-brain-with-siddharth-ramakrishnan.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.