{ Closet Goth }

I've identified as a closeted goth for many years now. Which is to say, I don't outwardly present as goth, but I like the stuff affiliated with goth culture (Coil, eyeliner, horror movies, black, ennui...you get it). To describe my closet, I'd have to paraphrase Sarah Vowell (who was quoting Johnny Cash), 'It's dark in there.' (Also, lacy). My style is a marriage of Jodorowsky's El Topo mixed with straight-up Grandpa - more of a 'Desert Goth', if you will. 

Anyways, I love witchy, dark things and - since you are here - you might also. Instagram has been a real treasure trove for discovering makers and sellers that I wouldn't otherwise have access to. Here is a list of some of the excellent finds that I've been eyeballing lately!

* Divina Tarot Deck - I already own Mary Elizabeth Evans' fantastic, illustrated Spirit Speak Tarot deck - it's the deck I've used most for clients and is a personal favorite, so clear and direct and it comes from a place of positivity and self love. I love it to pieces. So then I discovered that she created this OTHER illustrated deck and you guys... YOU GUYS. I want it. It looks so good y'all. I have so many tarot decks already and I'm learning this really old, complicated one and I really don't need another tarot deck...and yet....sigh. Please, one of y'all please get it and then come over and let me play with it? (Follow Mary Evans on Instagram, here. )

* Sisters of the Black Moon - This bombass shop looks amazing y'all. You could give me literally anything they sell in this joint and my little black heart would weep from happiness. It's beautifully curated and they carry one of my favorite lines. Worth checking out if you don't already stalk them online, *I mean follow them. (Pssst! Follow SOTBM Here!)

* Omnia Oddities - Another thing I love that I don't need more of is jewelry, but that doesn't stop me from deeply coveting the exquisite pieces at Omnia Oddities. All of the pieces created by Omnia Oddities are so darkly unique and lovely, the rings in particular trigger my 'grabby hands' response. If only I were born with more fingers.... 

You can follow Omnia Oddities here, you won't be sorry!

The Woman In Black, from El Topo, being awesome and looking dope. Siggggggghhhhhhhhhhh

{ Three Card Monday }

Hi! Hi! Did y'all have a good weekend? I was in bed for most of it with Throat Plague (hallucinating with an assist from Benadryl), a condition which rendered my judgement...poor, and which prompted me to accompany my convalescence with the offerings from YouTube. Don't ever do this, Y'all. One awful YouTube video led to another, and another and eventually I found myself spiraling into a wormhole of garbage. Did you know there are entire videos that feature people just going through bags of their empty bottles? I know too much now and I feel dumber for it. 

Anyways, let's look at this week - may it not be a tire fire....

Good news! Not a tire fire!

- The Empress -  All right, here we are, The Empress. This card is about an explosion of creativity, in which we don't yet have a sense of direction. The Empress is a nurturer, the quintessential Earth Mother, and we are in a crucial time of gestation. This requires patience from us - first and foremost - as well as love and creativity, to develop our ideas. The Empress has the capacity to give and receive from a balanced heart, we are in a good place to cultivate this harmony - so keep tending to your beautiful seedlings.

- Seven of Cups - Of course, our challenge lies in the fact that we have SO MANY ideas and projects in mind that we run the risk of drowning in them rather than expressing them and bringing them to fruition. Seven of Cups is about inspiration and fantasy, if we are unable to manifest our creativity in a constructive way, then all those brilliant designs remain in ineffectual perpetuity. Prioritize your thoughts and energies - keep a bullet journal, a sketchbook, make a list and then PICK A THING to focus on.  (Psssst! I also think engaging in some shadow work will be very helpful for us in this area, you'll get why when you see the next card)! 

- The Devil - YO S'UP, DEVIL! By now I bet y'all ain't even scared of this card anymore. Sure, The Devil has some negative associations (and not for nothing, mind), but this card is actually about our true self and deepest desires. If all goes well, we will be getting in touch with our creativity to the fullest extent, without fear of seeing ourselves. The devil reminds us to be aware of our drives, nay - to embrace them - and make them materialize. We are called to move away from self imprisonment from negative thought patterns - to face our fears, and release ourselves from the captivity of our self-imposed limitations. Time to look at your demons, get rid of the ones that hinder rather than help and make friends with the ones that can get shit done. Shadow work y'all, we need to do it. 

Holy smokes you guys. I always begin our weekly readings by asking for guidance in how we can best act to serve for our greatest good as a community - you know, as a whole collective...but this reading felt really personal to me. How is it for you? 

*For those of your unfamiliar with shadow work, there are loads of excellent resources out there, and I highly recommend starting here. 

 *These three card readings are intended for us all as a community and are therefore broad. If you are interested in a more specific, in-depth reading - we offer individual readings at Oracle as well! If you would like to schedule an appointment for an individual reading, you can do that here or give us a ring at 816.982.9550. You can also join us for one of our monthly Tarot Workshop & Happy Hour events and learn more about cartomancy!

{ Three Card Monday *cough* Tuesday }

Hey Y'all - apologies for the delay, let's have a look at what this week has in store, shall we?

- The Chariot - Yes! We are on the right path this week, meeting opposition with courage and moving towards change. The Chariot is an excellent reminder for us to question how we are taking action in the world. We've overcome various hardships to obtain our power and strength and we can take a moment to reflect how to guide ourselves along this well-set path.

- King of Pentacles - But! We are confronted with tradition and conservatism, even unprogressive views (an understatement lately). The real lesson to address here is how we can act charitably, to let go of some of the financial concerns that cause us to cling to an antiquated and corrupt system and focus our attention on our connection to this Earth and how we can protect and nourish it. 

- Six of Pentacles - Therefore! The generosity we extend to others comes back to us, we will be able to engage in the beauty and pleasures of the world and experience the joy of sharing our good fortune with those who need it. Invest in the things that you truly love and give without expectation of return - we'll be richer for it. Also, don't forget to practice self-care y'all - abundance comes in lots of different forms and now is the time to let it flow through yourself and others. 

Keep on keeping on, y'all! Take care of each other, take care of the Earth and you will be taken care of in return (and support your local artists)!

 *These three card readings are intended for us all as a community and are therefore broad. If you are interested in a more specific, in-depth reading - we offer individual readings at Oracle as well! If you would like to schedule an appointment for an individual reading, you can do that here or give us a ring at 816.982.9550. You can also join us for one of our monthly Tarot Workshop & Happy Hour events and learn more about cartomancy!

{Three Card Monday }

Hi Y'all! I hope this finds you well - we have a pretty intense reading for the week, but I think it bodes well for a positive outcome. Shall we take a look?

- The Hermit - We might be feeling a bit like we are in crisis mode lately, and The Hermit's presence is certainly indicative of needing to confront and accept change and also to let go. Crisis can yield positive transformation, the trick here is being able to change our perspective and be receptive to alternate points of view. We are invited to engage in some silent introspection and re-evaluation - this lantern lights the path for real wisdom, Y'all.

- Judgement - Again, we are being given a card which symbolizes transformation and liberation. Judgement exists as a wake-up call for us, the emergence of a vocation and a calling to follow our conscience and intuition and rise above our immediate and personal 'needs'. I can't help but see it as a reminder for us to cultivate empathy, to recognize that if something isn't good for us (me), it isn't good for anybody (humanity). 

- Nine of Swords - If we are able to accept change and let go of the things that no longer serve us as an individual and/or community, well then shit gets really good y'all. Nine of Swords is all about illumination gained through new understanding - we break our old habits and intellectually let go. This card always makes me think of the kind of self-inflicted mental torture we put ourselves through - creating hypothetical issues, often at the expense of dealing with actual, real problems. It's a trap - let's stop falling for it so we can experience real clarity and put our minds towards positive action in the world.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BONUS THREE CARD PULL!!!!

I wanted to post a three card pull that I did for myself last Friday. I borrowed my homegirl's Wild Unkown deck because it always gives such beautiful and clear readings. I felt like the message I received was clear as a bell and also relevant to others who might also be feeling a little scared and lost lately. Check it out:

- The Moon - Yes...I am feeling uncertain and I have fears. (No shit, Tarot).

- The Lovers - But..I have love, partnership, union and the support of the people I love. This is super important.

- Strength - Therefore...I have strength. Not to be super sappy (but I am what I am), love is our greatest gift and tool during difficult times. Love gives us strength to make the impossible come to fruition.

(Nothing drove this message home more clearly than watching y'all come out and march on Saturday! Seeing your beautiful faces turn up on social media outlets moved me to tears, with your excellent signs and open hearts. Thank you for marching and for giving me hope).

 *These three card readings are intended for us all as a community and are therefore broad. If you are interested in a more specific, in-depth reading - we offer individual readings at Oracle as well! If you would like to schedule an appointment for an individual reading, you can do that here or give us a ring at 816.982.9550. You can also join us for one of our monthly Tarot Workshop & Happy Hour events and learn more about cartomancy!

{ Three Card Monday }

Hi Y'all, did you have a good weekend? I had food poisoning AND my daughter's first slumber party, so mine was somewhat of a mixed bag.

I've done something a little different for this week's reading - I felt like this is going to be an emotionally heavy and/or draining week for most people (at least for the four of you who read this blog) and I thought that a single card pull would give us enough scope for the week. Not surprisingly, I pulled this guy:

~ Five of Cups ~ This guy is super bummed out, Y'all. He sees that some jerkface has gone and knocked over three of his cups and he is grievously disappointed to see them spilled. Five of Cups is all about feeling emotionally vulnerable - either due to actual loss or because of some heartfelt disappointment. I know a lot of people who have felt this way recently, myself included, but we need to remember the silver lining that is present here. We have the ability to weather all kinds of storms and we must remember that there is opportunity to be found in adversity. Rather than focusing on the three cups which have spilled out onto the ground, we simply need to turn around and look to the two full cups behind us. This is actually a card for hope. If we are able to take an honest look at our experiences and review them with compassion and understanding, then we can move forward with this knowledge and and change our situation for the better. Hope, Y'all!

 *These three card readings are intended for us all as a community and are therefore broad. If you are interested in a more specific, in-depth reading - we offer individual readings at Oracle as well! If you would like to schedule an appointment for an individual reading, you can do that here or give us a ring at 816.982.9550. You can also join us for one of our monthly Tarot Workshop & Happy Hour events and learn more about cartomancy!

{ Three Card Monday }

It's Three Card Monday, Y'all! Now who is ready for some radical revolution?

~ The Nameless Arcana ~ AKA Death :: I won't lie Y'all, this card tends to scare the buhjeebus out of people. I get it, Death is frightening for a lot of us (in the literal sense) and for those who understand it's significance in the Tarot, there may still be some dread or apprehension since endings and changes can be pretty scary/uncomfortable as well. That said, I AIN'T SCURRED. Here's why, The Nameless Arcana is about a healthy purge, it's a call for radical rebirth - we have an opportunity to discover what kinds of change are desired and required to better ourselves (and also our community) and be receptive to the transformation. Every time I've ever pulled this card, it has heralded significant change for the better. Every. Single. Time.

~ The Emperor :: This dude is all about stability and authority, which in this case is encumbering our ability to change. Often our fear of losing security and familiarity can keep us trapped in unhealthy thinking patterns - and I believe the Emperor here has turned up to show us that we can be active in the world and access our earthy power if we are open to profound revolution. Putting our fear of change aside to make way for some real improvement is key. 

(If I may take a moment to use what the kids here call, Real Talk, permit me: I can also see some real obstacles here as well - our corrupt government. unethical land management and business practices, racism, sexism, poverty, the militarization of our police...I could go on and on and on and on...I mean, it's a mess out there. I know we are all bummed out about this. A good approach to dealing with these things, is to embrace an opportunity for discourse and conversation - to cultivate empathy, compassion and love for one another so that we can stand shoulder to shoulder and build with a foundation of real stability). 

~ Five of Pentacles :: I've pulled this card before for us and it's not surprising that it comes up again in this reading. The four pentacles anchored in the corners of this card represent stability, at the heart of which a central pentacle is suspended, representing a  new interest opening in a spiritual, planetary or cosmic dimension. The pentacles relate to abundance, not just material wealth, but a type of well-being that comes from being connected to our spiritual centers. So how do we get to this point? By embracing change for the betterment of humanity and our planet -  and having an active role in the transformation. Be a champion for our community and environment by challenging things which - for lack of a more elegant way to describe it - are fucked up. 

We can do this Y'all, I've got yer backs!!

 *These three card readings are intended for us all as a community and are therefore broad. If you are interested in a more specific, in-depth reading - we offer individual readings at Oracle as well! If you would like to schedule an appointment for an individual reading, you can do that here or give us a ring at 816.982.9550. You can also join us for one of our monthly Tarot Workshop & Happy Hour events and learn more about cartomancy!