Oracle's Card of the Month: December '22

What could be more appropriate for welcoming the official start of Winter than this Mountain Goat scaling a snow-covered peak under a nighttime rainbow? Navigating icy terrain (literal and emotional) with ease and confidence, this master climber looks to us with reassurance and encouragement. Watch your footing and keep going. This is the King of Cups card from the Gentle Tarot deck by Mari in the Sky. From the Gentle Tarot’s guide book: “My spirit is already at the top of this mountain. I simply have to meet it there.”

Moving into the hectic wintery months, in the studio we get more requests for ideas that help foster an atmosphere of comfort and grounding; looking for ways to support that inner mountain goat with his emotional maturity and sure-footed progress.

Maintaining a connection to nature can feel more difficult in times when the outside world goes into hibernation and the chill feels unwelcoming. Honoring both the quiet and internal nature of the season while also keeping up with hectic end-of-year schedules and commitments can feel daunting. Remember to take time for yourself and small quiet activities.

Making small bouquets of dried leaves, picking up a pinecone you find on your walk, or hanging a simple chime in your window to draw your eye towards the sky now and again are simple ways to feel more aligned with the season.

The Witch’s Book of Self-Care is filled with tips and ideas for reconnecting with yourself and honoring your spiritual and emotional health.

Lighting a beeswax candle can lift the spirits while cleansing the air and bring a gentle warm glow to your room. The Mirth Pillar Candle by Alyssia Mazella provides 40 hours of burn time.

Rose Quartz is said to be a stone with gentle and nurturing energy. These smooth palm-sized Rose Quartz Moons make perfect pocket companions or a lovely desktop piece. Also a sweet token of affection for a friend or loved one.

Aragonite is prized as a crystal aid in emotional healing. Aragonite Star Clusters are a beautiful reminder to stay calm and confident in self-healing work and emotional growth. They make a lovely meditative focal point as you can stare into the crystal points forever!

December brings many challenges; between harsher weather and heightened social expectations it can be difficult to keep grounded. Take time to tap into your confidence and make solid steady progress at whatever pace is manageable for you at the moment. The mountain can be climbed. One step at a time…

— Laura Pensar for Oracle Natural Science

Oracle's Card of the Month: November '22

For November we chose a deck with soothing and gentle energy, Gold Lyre Tarot by Lacy Martin and Christine Scanlon. The Death card, with its message of inevitable change, is a fitting draw for the cooling and darkening days of November. From the Gold Lyre’s guide book: “Death reverberates a contrast to anything that holds life. She holds out her skull as an offering.”

Given our work here at Oracle as a taxidermy studio, Death is woven into much of our daily endeavors. As we approach the animal remains we work on with respect and seek to honor them in their new stage of existence, we also consider that even within life we are constantly changing. Our personal evolutions take place in both tiny and monumental ways. Memorials are done with love and holding space for the emotions and memories of those involved.

Rituals are done as a way to mark these transitions and acknowledge the impact that has been made. “Death holds out her skull as an offering.” We hold out our hands, our lit candles, our tears, our flowers and stones in response. A call and response to the inevitable losses that comes from embodied existence in a fragile and complex world.

Finding ways to mark and honor the changes which occur in our lives can help us process our often complex emotions surrounding these events.

Taking time to consciously observe a transition can ground and calm us. Memorial work allows us to integrate lessons learned and reignite hopes for the future. Seek solace in written words. Find beauty and grounding in objects from the natural world. Light a candle as an offering of light and a release of energy. Memorial work can be as ornate or as simple as you need it to be.

From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty chronicles death practices from several cultures and explores what makes mourning practices effective.

This is Your Brain on Grief zine by Faith G. Harper is a quick and simple guide on what to do and say (and not) for yourself and others when experiencing any type of grief.

Apache Tear crystals (a form of Obsidian) are specifically associated with grief and said to aid in grounding, protection, and emotional cleansing. These smooth glassy stones are found in Mexico and the Southwestern part of the United States. Wearing an Apache Tear or carrying one with you can help you reconnect to joy even in times of loss and sadness.

Elegy Candles by Moth and Candle were made exclusively for Oracle with memorials in mind. The hand-dipped beeswax tapers are dressed with an herbal blend: Hawthorn for love. Nettle for strength. Lavender for peace. In each pair, one candle is dressed with an Obsidian crystal for courage and grounding; and the other has a Rainbow Moonstone for soothing sorrow.

Victorian Sympathy Cards by Open Sea Design Co. are a simple way to send a quick note of understanding to a loved one. You could also jot down favorite memories or wishes and tuck them away for your future self to read.

November’s days may bring cold temperatures and less sunlight, encouraging us to draw more inward. The coming holiday season can bring up difficult emotions and surface memories of those no longer with us. Take time to honor the difficult feelings that appear. Sometimes just having a cup of tea and allowing the emotions to speak their message will bring closure and growth. May your sorrows be acknowledged and released. — Laura Pensar for Oracle Natural Science

{ Witch Club }

We are super proud to introduce our newest subscription offering, Witch Club! This membership is perfect for people with a personal spiritual practice and/or who regularly use sage, palo santo, candles, resins, incense, crystals or other symbolic trinkets. For $25 a month we will send out hand selected items specific to the season and lunar cycle for you to integrate and use as support in your own craft. Witch Club rules, y'all! To read more about it or to sign up online, visit us here!

For those of you who are new to our site and shop, you may be interested to know that we offer two other kinds of subscription memberships as well!

Curio Of The Month - This membership is $25 a month and is wonderful for new collectors of natural science specimens. We offer a wide variety of items in this subscription, perfect for someone who is looking to expand their cabinet of curiosities! For more information on this offering, you can check it out here!

Arcana's Bug Club - Kansas City's only bug club is also $25 a month! Arcana's Bug Club subscription is excellent for budding entomologist, we send one or more specimens for you to spread, preserve and frame yourself! You can read more about it here - and If you don't  know how to spread and frame insects and butterflies, we offer classes and workshops teaching you exactly how to preserve and display your beautiful specimens! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to hear all about our upcoming class schedules, or if you prefer you can always check our events calendar on this site, here!

{ Open Sundays! }

Hi Y'all - just a quick announcement about our end of summer business hours, we have expanded them! Friday and Saturday we are open from 11:00 am - 7:00 pm. and  Sundays from 11:00am - 3:00pm - come say hi and check out our excellent selection of natural science specimens, taxidermy, framed insects and butterflies, skeleton articulations, skulls, bones, crystals, sage (and witchy shit)!!

Felicien Rops

{ Holiday Gift Bundles }

No matter which holiday you and yours celebrate, we all have one thing in common this time of year:

DISAPPOINTMENT.

Here at Oracle, we are fighting the good fight against Seasonal Let Down and making gift giving much easier for you - How? Well, by putting together these excellent Holiday Gift Bundles! We have hand selected pieces from our shop along with some of our best sellers - plus we are psyched to be including some favorites of ours from For Strange Women (basically the best place in the world for perfume, skin care, time travel and feeling like a gorgeous Wood Nymph).

Gift Bundle numero uno: we offer a red or green themed package designed around FSW lip embellishment!

We are offering Holiday Gift Bundles at two different price points. The first, $28, contains a beautiful, mini selenite tower, a For Strange Women lip balm in a fancy tin (available in Pine Cone and CLove), Moroccan rose buds or French Lavender, a small geode, a sand dollar, a Shiva's eye, sage wand, incense, white candle and tiny milagro charm! It's perfect for someone who wants a little of everything!

Gift Bundle numero dos! Also available in either a red or green themed arrangement, designed around the FSW lip embellishment!

Our second Holiday Gift Bundle retails for $58 and contains a beautiful fox skull, a For Strange Women lip balm in a fancy tin (available in Pine Cone and CLove), a selenite nugget, Moroccan rose buds or French Lavender, a small geode, a sand dollar, a Shiva's eye, sage wand, incense, white candle and tiny milagro charm! It's perfect for collectors of curiosities!

{ Numerology Happy Hour! }

We are having our first ever Numerology Happy Hour on Tuesday, September 8 from 4:00-6:00 pm! Our resident Potions Master, Carrie Parker will be offering numerology readings during the Hour of Happy! Bring your friends, It's going to be fun, y'all - come say hi, have a refreshment and get your *numerology on!

*But what IS numerology, you may be asking (it's okay, I had to ask too)?

Well, Numerology is the study of numbers and the occult manner in which they reflect certain aptitudes and character tendencies as part of the greater, cosmic plan. The sum of the numbers in your birth date and the sum value derived from the letters in your birth name provide particular vibrations. Similarly, each phonetic letter has a numeric value that provides a related cosmic vibration. All of these numbers combine to reveal a great deal about a person's character, purpose in life, what motivates them and where their talents may lie. 

In short, it's another way to gain some self-introspection - which I find always washes down a little easier with cocktails and friends!