Weekly Forecast: November 5-11

Why is it that we often choose to highlight our struggles instead of our happiness? This week's reading challenges our assumption that the most difficult things deserve the most attention. What can happen when we take abundance seriously?

As a young teenager filled with angst, I spent a lot of time listening to Elliott Smith and crying with theatrical intensity. Of course, I was having a hard time navigating the formidable wilderness of high school, but I was also finding comforting stasis in my sadness (just ask my livejournal!) 

I built up a wonderful and well-tended myth around the difficulties in my life and used them as a shield. Of course my life was meaningful and important - just look at how hard I was struggling! But I was also relatively cozy and had a lot of wonderful things occurring at the same time. Rather than give those attention I tended to my angst with the diligence of a master gardener. And, as one would expect, it flourished while the rest of my life stayed the same.

This week we're being asked to lift our heads from the difficult or frustrating and do the more challenging work of nurturing and highlighting our abundant joy and success. Having these cards back to back - the intense Three of Swords with the celebratory Three of Cups - suggests that we've been trained to see one instead of the other. Perhaps we're even choosing to highlight our struggles as a way of protecting ourselves. Is the open happiness of the Three of Cups boastful or ego-driven? Is it leaving us vulnerable to criticism and judgment?

I think of how easy it is to wax poetic about the latest struggle in your life only to come up with a few measly sentences to describe a major accomplishment or beautiful moment. Focusing on the fear - the Three of Swords - limits our expression and growth. So much can happen when we're unabashedly broadcasting our strengths and dreams, one of the most important being that is attracts friends and allies who want to join in on the party. 

And, yes, it can be difficult. There will always be Three of Swords experiences in our lives. Turning our back on the concurrent Three of Cups moments, however, keeps us in a limited place. We can struggle forward with joy, too. It's more complex, sure, but far more meaningful.

Speaking of meaning, The High Priestess is holding down the other end of our reading with patient wisdom. Her presence elevates the magic of the Three of Cups, telling us to direct our attention to what's growing, giving back to us, and bringing us closer to other people. Doing so is awakening an important sense of purpose and uncovering some pretty profound insights. 

The High Priestess chooses to see the world as a place full of mystery and meaning. What's more, she positions herself as an important keeper of knowledge. Her presence here inspires us to turn her curious gaze towards the Three of Cups moments in our lives. They are, in her eyes, full of important and magical connections worthy of study. The Three of Swords has had more than its share of time in the spotlight. Now it's time to discover that the Three of Cups has to tell us about ourselves and the world around us. 

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Weekend Send-Off: Seasonal Transitions

This week has been a nice, slow re-entry to post-Halloween life and I’ve finally had time to do some strategic business planning and dive back into creating blog posts and newsletters for you all. Maybe I’ll miss the hectic event schedule of October in a few weeks, but for now I’m taking the time to breathe deeply and re-center.

Here are some of the highlights from the past seven days - please share yours in the comments below!

Tarot Discoveries - Tea-Soaked Letter by Anna Burch

I love seeing tarot show up in pop culture, so it was fun to discover the cards in the music video for this delightful song. That three of swords looks ominous!

Witches in the News - “Real-life witches practice everyday magic in the Triangle”

It’s always nice to see positive mentions of witchcraft, metaphysical practices, and paganism in the news, so this feature by The Daily Tarheel is an all-around joy. And although the comment section isn’t the kindest, I did get a chuckle out of the grab-bag of defensive responses!

Repeat Tarot Card - Four of Pentacles

It seems like a lot of us have been feeling the urge to hold our resources tightly this past week. The Four of Pentacles sees us valuing stability and wanting things to stay the same, if only just for a little bit…

Listening, Reading, Watching

For some reason whenever I go to the library I pick up a bunch of intense books. Rarely do I come home with something lighthearted and simple (though I could probably use it!). Case in point: this week I checked out The Lucifer Effect by creator of the Stanford prison experiment, Philip Zimbardo (it’s amazing) and Sabrina, the latest graphic novel by Nick Drnaso.

I knew nothing about Sabrina going in and devoured it in one sitting. Perhaps foolishly, I assumed it’d be at least somewhat happy (there’s flowers on the back!) but, no. It’s a riveting and devastating look into our current relationship to truth, hardship, and social media while being uniquely and utterly itself. I highly recommend it to any graphic novel fans out there or anyone looking for an insightful and artistic take on our modern times. Though maybe not for general uplift an merriment ;)

And now, finally, our card for the weekend:

Two of Swords

Message: Focus in on a big choice in your life right now.

Embrace: Gathering facts, trusting your instincts, making space for information to come through.

Let Go Of: Confusing what could be a straightforward choice into something more dramatic, needing absolute clarity.

Guidance: It’s important to give ourselves time and space to mull things over; however, being too isolated can block out connection and creativity. The choice at hand can be exciting and expansive if we let it.

Samhain Reflections

I lovingly joke that counting the times I hear “when the veil between the worlds is thinnest” during this season would be a full time job. It’s true that October, home to the holidays Halloween and Samhain, has a strong association with the otherworldly. I’ve always loved this time of year because it seems extra magical: when else are we permitted to play with the spooky, imaginative, and uncanny sides of the human experience with such abandon?

This is also the busiest time of the year for a professional tarot reader, so finding time to squeeze in my personal celebrations has been a bit of a challenge. And what’s more, there’s some tenderness and pressure tied to Halloween as well.

A quick trip through “witch instagram” will give you hundreds of examples of rituals and tarot spreads to conduct for Halloween or the pagan holiday Samhain. And, in true instagram fashion, all of these are laid out and photographed alluringly with candles, crystals, flowers - the whole ritualistic shebang.

So you won’t be surprised to hear that I was pressuring myself to come up with something meaningful, elaborate, and photogenic. And, as seems to always be the case, my internal judgment and expectations lead to… nothing.

To be fair, I’d been running around hosting a big party and reading at several others the weekend before. When the 31st came around I was plum tuckered out. And, since Halloween and Samhain deal with all things ancestral (what’s behind that thin veil), I had a lot of emotions tied to contacting them.

I think it’s easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” of any situation, and witchcraft and magic are no different. With instagram things get trickier. Those photogenic altars are meant to telegraph profound and developed personal practices. Many of them are. But they often gloss over the more challenging aspects and experiences.

For me, ancestral reverence and communication can be an emotional and complicated practice. Not all of us have straightforward or uncomplicated relationships to our ancestors. Many were complicated people making the best of a complicated time. Working with them can be an emotional experience and that side, I’ve found, is rarely shown online.

So instead of having a lush Samhain ritual, I simply sat and experienced my feelings. Grief, love, emptiness, and searching - all of them were enough to handle as I focused on making a very ancestral meal of pierogis/vareniki and relaxing the best I could.

And this morning? I got up early, clearer and more focused, and called my beloved ancestors into a circle for a tarot reading. The time was right and it was more than enough.

Weekly Forecast: October 29 - November 4

Why is it that success and growth brings up feelings of inadequacy, self-sabotage, and disbelief? It's easier to hide behind conflict and trouble. Struggle gives us an easy sense of meaning. It's there, it's obvious, and it's not threatening to others. 

This week, The Devil is popping up just as we turn an unexpected corner. Rather than bemoan his presence, however, we can see it as a positive sign that we're onto something good.

"Now how does that work, Gina?" you might be wondering with a very healthy dose of skepticism. Ignoring The Devil can be tricky at best and inadvisable at worst. Yet here I am confidently telling you that this card, rather than being a sign on bad habits and troubles, is something to embrace, say hello to on your way forward, and then leave by the wayside to go about his Devil-y life.

The Devil thrives in darkness and confusion. And this week we're bringing the illumination of the Eight of Cups and the ambition of the Three of Wands into his cave. Suddenly the power and mystery of the shadows have become banished by our own light and vitality. It's just not so scary when we face it head on. And The Devil we're dealing with may be quite small in comparison to our new, formidable self. 

The Eight of Cups and the Three of Wands are telling us that we're making huge strides and doing some very brave editing in our lives. I love how artist Ricardo Cavolo depicts the Eight of Cups as vines tearing down a pillar to reveal a single flame. Though we may not have always understood our actions leading up to this moment, our search for something more has torn down some huge obstacles. This process is intuitive and instinctual. The Eight of Cups represents the priceless kind of hard-won clarity that comes from trusting ourselves even when we don't understand the path our growth is taking.

A deep and emotional pull has brought us into the fiery realm of wands. We've made some space for ourselves and have discovered a new and budding sense of direction. This might feel a bit like going back to the drawing board or taking a bold risk in changing our focus, but our fears aren't springing from a lack of energy. In fact, what we're onto is doing quite well. The Three of Wand shows us at a pivotal moment where the path ahead isn't at all what we thought it would be. In fact, it's much better, and that's where the siren-song of The Devil comes in.

Our task this week is to hold the torch of our passion high and to avoid the temptation to become small again. As we can see in the Eight of Cups, we've long overgrown our containers. In fact, returning to that formative experience of trusting our emotions (and remembering how ready we were for something more) will help us embrace the new path we're facing and embrace all the signs that it's one worth taking.

Doubting the affirmation and opportunities that spring up right now serves to keep us in a limited place we've long outgrown. Just because it doesn't look like what we imagined doesn't mean it's false or dangerous. Going back to the limitations we've worked so hard to overcome is no longer an option and grappling with those small spaces has made us strong and innovative. Now's the time to embrace the adventuresome spirit of the Three of Wands and see where allowing ourselves to be big and seeking can take us. 

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Weekend Send-Off: Getting Spooky

I don’t know about you, but I’m a huge Halloween fanatic. In recent years, however, I’ve fallen off the wagon of making epic costumes. Some highlights from my glory days: going as a shrimp tempura roll, a toaster (very impractical for dancing), and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle.

But this year is a return to form! After months of ebay searching I finally found the perfect dress for my Beetlejuice-themed costume. I’m going as Lydia Deetz in the wedding scene, heinous 80s red dress and all. It feels wonderful playing with costumes again. There’s something so magical about the outer and inner transformations that happen when we change our appearance.

I hope you all are having a magical lead-up to Halloween (please share you costumes in the comments below!) and are enjoying the effects of the full moon a few days ago. And now, without further ado, some highlights from the week.

Tarot Discoveries - The Spolia Tarot

A dear friend of mine was generous enough to bring his epic tarot deck collection to this month’s Tarot Club meetup. I find that seeing the decks in person and handling them is the quickest way to see if they resonate with you. One of the standouts was the gorgeous Spolia Tarot, whose gilded edges and lush collage artwork is proving to be irresistible to me. I may have just ordered a copy...

Woo Humor - Mercury Retrograde

Got a good laugh out of this piece from The New Yorker - “This is Not a Drill: Mercury is in Retrograde.” Who can resist a little healthy joking around everyone’s favorite-to-bemoan astrological event?

Repeat Tarot Card - The Lovers

The Lovers has appeared in a few profound readings this week, pointing to a lot of challenging and rewarding choices along with some good old fashioned romance.

Listening, Reading, Watching

It’s that time of the year where I re-watch my favorite animated series, Over the Garden Wall. It’s a magical story of two brothers who get lost in the woods and references all sorts of famous illustrators. Plus, I have a feeling you could view it as a bit of a Fool’s journey…

I’ve been reading a fascinating book on hallucinations called…wait for it… Hallucinations by the wonderful and inimitable Oliver Sacks. It’s been fascinating getting a neurological perspective on a subject that’s so fraught and, interestingly, tied to the spiritual community whether it’s through ecstatic visions or the use of hallucinogens. I’m especially looking forward to the next chapter on “Phantoms, shadows, and sensory ghosts”!

And now, finally, our card for the weekend:

Four of Cups

Message: Take time to process an already full plate of emotions!

Embrace: Reflection, solitary practices, reminiscing about the past.

Let Go Of: Criticizing what you have, pressure to be more active.

Guidance: There’s a lot of experiences and feelings that have been accumulating. Now is the time to set aside time and space for things to settle. Treat yourself tenderly and see if you can see your past experiences from a new vantage point.

We're All Creative Creatures

“I’m just not a very creative person…”

How many times have I heard this phrase, both inside and outside of my tarot studio? It seems that most of us have a strictly “paintbrushes and poems” vision of the creative process. If we’re not engaged in the arts of music, painting, photography, etc. well, we’re just not creative.

I have a major bone to pick with this idea. Most of the people I meet have already made several creative decisions before they make it to my office. Maybe they took a new route on their way over or found an innovative solution to an argument with their partner from that morning. Maybe they tried a never-before-seen combinations of toppings at the salad bar! What I’m saying here is that creativity can be so interwoven with the mundane that we’re not even aware of it.

Take a look at tarot, for example. The Minor Arcana consists of four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. We embody all four of the suits as we move through life and the wands are most commonly associated with creativity. In the broadest sense they mean motion and putting ideas into action. In other words, simply moving through the world requires it. Many of the things we do have never been done before. They started as ideas and we bring them into being through our actions. It’s all part of being human.

Reclaiming our creative identity is massively healing. Behind all the statements of “I’m just not creative” is a secret longing. Simply be reframing our experience to include creativity in our everyday existence we open up further avenues for expression. That could lead to picking up watercolors as a hobby or just gaining the confidence of seeing ourselves as an integrated person, one whose creativity isn’t limited to the arts or our output.

Tarot Card for Creativity

• The Suit of Wands

• The Magician

• The Fool

• The Sun

• The Empress

• The World

• Three of Pentacles

• Seven of Cups

Creativity can look like…

• Problem-solving

• New projects

• Taking initiative at work, home, etc.

• Communicating ideas

• Organizing

• Decorating

• Artistic pursuits

• Planning

Weekly Forecast: October 22-28

My oh, my. This week has us in a day-dreamy and romantic state! What begins as a simple idea - the loosely held sort that just pops into our mind - sends us off on a path of reverie and intrigue. These cards remind me of the power and shock that comes from effortless inspiration. Sometimes we play around with what seems like an outlandish idea only to see it jumping into reality with no issue at all.

In the next few days we'll be finding ourselves immersed in the intoxicating world of creativity. Initially, however, we're putting on a much more pragmatic mask. The Two of Wands is looking to the past and while this card is one to dream big, it prefers to lead with fiery ambition and action. In other words, we may initially think we're looking for something tangible and normal. The Two of Wands seeks to feather its nest further, collecting accomplishments and goals with the daring and focus of an explorer. In reality, however, we're using this stance to get at something a bit deeper that's connected to slippery and shimmery desires rather than outward trappings of success.

This is all wonderfully fine and dandy. The Two of Wands has their back turned away from the irresistible pull of the Ace of Cups and The Moon. We might not be afraid to admit out loud that we want something indelible, delicious, and magical. Irregardless of our intentions, however, we're slowly moving towards it. And maybe not facing it head-on is part of the tension, suspense, and fun.

So what does this all mean on the ground? We may find ourselves starting projects or playing with ideas that quickly become enrapturing and imbued with special, even surprising, meaning. Have we been wanting to start a painting, carve pumpkins, work on a personal project, sing at karaoke? Or have we been drawn into a new sense of romance, either with an existing partner or new one? The Ace of Cups brings with it all the exhilaration of beginnings. Following what feels good, right, and exciting is exactly what we need to do, no matter how outlandish or silly it might seem. And it’s stirring up deeper parts of ourself as shown in The Moon.

Both Cups and The Moon deal with the realms of feeling. We move away from the world of action and thought seen in the wands and swords and into something much more dream-like, symbolic, and shifting. All this makes me think of the magic of costumes. We try them on for tradition, a bit of fun, and the joys of dressing up. But no matter how silly the garb, when we put on something that represents another creature, role, or figure we become transformed. This week is a wonderful time to play with direct ways of shifting our self-perception. Taking these Ace of Cups opportunities is bringing us to a new understanding of ourselves that blurs the lines we've set for ourselves (or that have been put upon us by others.) How can we see ourselves differently when we follow our sense of imagination and creativity wholeheartedly?

This is a lovely time to set aside expectations and, especially, the pressures of time. We're not dealing with straightforward cause and effect here. The Moon plays a long, sometimes winding game. Staying open to the surprising depth of our creative and romantic pursuits is setting a personal sea change in motion. We don't have to see the whole path ahead and that would strip the situation of most of its fun. Rather, we simply need to lean into the creative spring of the Ace of Cups and see how it transforms us. 

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Weekend Send-Off: Where Have I Been?

Well, my peaches, I’m sorry for the unexplained Weekned Send-Off hiatus. Things have been wild around here. Lots of fall transitions and life changes, the biggest being that I got married several weeks ago to my wonderful partner of three years. We had our ceremony at the house (I still have the paper lanterns hanging in my studio) and have been basking in the glow of being newlyweds and the best season of all: fall.

I hope you all have been enjoying this time of the year as much as I have. It’s truly the season of the witch and my weeks have been filled with tarot readings and events and “too many” pumpkins and gourds.

Tarot Discoveries - All The Books

My tarot reading list has been growing exponentially as of late. I just finished the wonderful Tarot Beyond the Basics by Anthony Louis (excellent for anyone looking to dive deeper into numerology, astrology, and elemental correspondences) and am dying to get my paws on a copy of T. Susan Chang’s new book Tarot Correspondences. I seem to go through periods of deep practice followed by an insatiable desire to read, so it’s back to the books for me! If only my library stocked more tarot books…

Blog Magic - Real Witches

After doing a lovely interview about my life as a witch and “origin story” the other day I found myself pondering the many ways people engage with witchcraft and its archetypes. Of course, the wonderful Brianna Saussy has something wise to contribute. Her recent post “Will the Real Witches Please Stand Up” is thought-provoking and nuanced take on witchcraft’s recent surge in internet popularity.

Repeat Tarot Card - Six of Pentacles

I think this card popped up at least six times (!) yesterday. First, in all my client readings and then in many of the reading swaps at Tarot Club last night. It was fascinating to see this card illustrated in everyone’s decks. From the classic “wealthy man bequeathing coins to beggars” version in the RWS to a joyous sense of collaboration and craft in another indie deck, the Six of Pentacles clearly has a lot to tell us about how we position ourselves when giving and receiving.

Listening, Reading, Watching

I’m a huge horror fan and have been taking serious advantage of this Halloween season. Some favorite movies I’ve been enjoying are Suspiria (the original with the amazing score by Goblin), Carnival of Souls, and the wonderful collection of ghost stories by M.R. James.

In the tarotsphere, I’ve been enjoying the new podcast Strange Magic by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener and Amanda Yates Garcia. It’s hosts are lovely, super-accomplished readers who bring a refreshing modern take to the subject. And I just got my hands on a copy of Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin. I’ll be reporting back later when I finish it!

And now onto our card for the weekend...

Three of Cups

Message: Get social and celebrate what’s uplifting you in life.

Embrace: Spending time with friends or like-minded people, expressing joy and support, excitement.

Let Go Of: Withdrawal, hiding your success, focusing on the negative.

Guidance: Get giddy and energized! This card shows up when we have a wealth of connection in our life and plenty to share with others. Celebrate in a way that’s authentic to you, whether it’s an actual party, small gathering, or simple gesture of appreciation.

A Tarot Spread for Focus

A lovely student and friend reminded me of this spread from my Tarot for Yourself class the other day. This is one to turn to when you want to push the clutter aside and dive into the heart of any matter. It’s very versatile and helpful for many types of situations: love, career, and the everyday.

Click on the image above for more details and happy reading!

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