Oracle's Card of the Month: November '23

For November I pulled the Rose card from the For Strange Women Oracle deck. A card of romance and relationship. Roses have been associated with love since ancient Greece. The red rose is sacred to Aphrodite. It was said that all roses used to be white until Aphrodite cut her ankle on a rose thorn while running to save her lover, Adonis. Her blood stained the roses she ran past red thus connecting them to her and passion.

The Romans considered roses to be symbolic of romance, secrecy, and luxury. Roses were put in the bedroom and petals were thrown at celebrations. Even today roses continue to be an icon of romance and are given as a token of affection.

As the winter approaches it may be a good time to call in some romance. Fill your space with warmth and glamour. Light candles, burn a sensual incense, drape luxurious furs over your furniture, display flowers and art. Romance isn’t only for lovers.

Pink Amethyst is a rare form of Amethyst found in Patagonia. It is said to bring emotional balance and overall peace through calm, understanding, and grace. Crystal towers with sparkling caverns and soothing hues make for a simple romantic touch to any table or shelf.

Ethically/sustainably-sourced furs add a luxurious and tactile element to your environment. Persian Lamb, Rabbit, or Muskrat pelts look lovely as a surface covering on tabletops.

In the Oracle studio we love highlighting the beauty of nature in our art. One particularly romantic piece is our framed snake and florals assemblage. Some traditions associate serpents with desire. This taxidermy snake is nestled in a cushion of lush green foliage and soft pink flowers.

Things made by hand have an intrinsic romance to them. November 25th is Small-Business Saturday… and we’re hosting a slow craft pop-up! Please Send Word will be in the shop with their handmade goods.

November marks Oracle’s 10-year anniversary! We’re celebrating this month by featuring the individual work of our 3-person team. It’s a Pop-Us (get it? Instead of pop-up it’s a pop-US). Art by shop owner and lead taxidermist Alessandra Dzuba, assistant taxidermist and lead illustrator Melissa Chepren, and me… studio manager and lead writer Laura Pensar. Drop in and help us celebrate a decade of Oracle Natural Science!

This November, fall in love with the changing seasons… get cozy AND sensual (they aren’t mutually exclusive after all)! Cheers! - Laura Pensar for Oracle Natural Science

Oracle's Card of the Month: February '23

The Ocean from For Strange Women Oracle: “Deep feelings and emotional depth. There is more to explore and learn on an emotional level. This may also refer to someone who is a water sign.”

February brings us into the “season of love.” This month we chose a shop favorite, the For Strange Women Oracle deck featuring illustrations by Ash Miyagawa. The Ocean card was a fitting draw speaking to “deep feelings and emotional depth.” The deck’s guide says “there is more to explore and learn on an emotional level.” So while we often think of love as a relational experience (between individuals whether it’s romantic or friendship) and as being “about” us with another person… here we are being asked to consider the experience of our emotions themselves. (And all the Pisces in the room nod and raise their hands.)

One of our favorite things to do here in the shop is help people create care packages, for themselves or loved ones. Finding just the right items to communicate their intentions and wishes. The first step is often identifying the emotions involved, underneath every intention there are accompanying emotions whether they be challenging or positive.

Being in-tune with (not swept away by, but aware of) our emotions helps us identify our needs. And like the Ocean, our emotional world is deep, teeming with life, and largely mysterious. We are not beings in a vacuum. Emotions are relational, giving us information about the way we are within our environment. This month we suggest focusing on activities and your local community.

Here at Oracle we’re feeling the love for our community (in Kansas City and virtually!) and have been getting our calendar filled with lots of fun events and we kick it all off this month!

First off, the Crossroads in Kansas City (our neighborhood) is filled with a ton of wonderful small businesses that make this community unique and magical. It’s no secret that the past few years have been extra hard for independent and local businesses. So this month we want to encourage those of you who find yourselves in KC, to support your favorite local businesses and to explore some you haven’t been to before! All throughout February, if bring in a same-day receipt from another Crossroads business and we will take 10% off of your in-store Oracle purchase! (*consignment items excluded)

Our custom bundle bar is also coming back! February 10th through 12th come into the shop for a custom love kit for you, a friend, or a partner for the season of love and care. We will have lots of special items to choose from including custom dressed candles.

That same weekend on Saturday the 12th we will be hosting a couple of our favorite artists, Prairie Thistle Co. with bone jewelry and still life art!

And for the autodidacts, bug lovers, and nature-lovers… Alessandra will be teaching her Tarantula Magic: Pinning Class on Friday the 24th. A two-hour long class over the fundamentals of pinning tarantulas and a bit of spider magic! Every student goes home with their own set of pins, a zine, and their own tarantula, along with the knowledge they will need for any future project - so be prepared for some hands-on experience!

We’re so happy to be able to bring back more of our in-shop events, classes, and activities this year! The “waters have been turbulent” and the “waves have been harsh” but it’s time to nurture ourselves and our community by doing what we love. May you too find comfort through doing what brings you joy. — Laura Pensar for Oracle Natural Science

{ New Location Guide }

We’ve been in our new shop for about a month now and we love the new space. We celebrated our Grand Reopening on April First Friday with our friends and community. We participated in the W 18th Street Block Party and it was a hit! We look forward to more events like that in the future.

If you haven’t been to the new shop yet or if you are an out of town guest we are super easy to find! When you arrive on W 18th street you will see the front of the Bauer Machine Works Building. From the front you can access our friends at For Strange Women, Foxtrot Supply Co., Dear Society, the second-floor studios, and the Hair Parlour. You cannot access our shop from the front entrance. To find us, you are going to want to look for the Alley Shops located to your right if you are facing the building. As you go down the alley you will see our neighbors Coki Bijoux and Kanso and then you’ll find us right around the corner! Our door is located on the back side of the building. We are also accessible from 19th street and the Papa Keno’s Patio. 

Make sure to visit our alley way friends & neighbors - especially Papa Keno’s patio that we share
across the way for some great late night snacks