{ Mentat Monday }

Hi Y'all, I hope you had a great weekend! Are you ready to dig into this week's focus card? It's a good one....

Ace of Swords

In Tarot, Swords always represent the intellect and mental process of the querent. Our rational minds provide us with the necessary tools to discern between illusion and truth and the Ace of this suit is indicative of the beginning of that clarity. 

We are approaching a 'break-through' of with our insight and perception. Ace of Swords suggests that we hold steady, to better know - and therefore speak - our truth. 

We have great intellectual potential and mental capacity, Y'all. Let's do this thing!

 *These tarot 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!    

{ May Day Monday }

Happy Beltane Y'all!! Got any awesome bonfire plans? Want to see which card I pulled for us to focus on this week?

You are probably not going to die from shock when I share with you that the card I pulled is none other than the Nine of Swords. Again? You may be asking, but bad habits are tough to break, y'all. This card has come up quite a lot for us recently and seems to be needling us to get out of our negative thought processes (and, therefore, out of our own way). If we took time last week to let some of our thoughts and ideas really germinate, we may have also let some of those neggy little voices shout louder during this time of repose. 

The Nine of Swords likes to remind us to listen to others (which makes sense, as last week we were reminded by the appearance of The Hanged Man to see things from another's point of view), that our ideas are a part of the world - but not all of it. This is about finding illumination through a deeper spiritual practice which can be reached when we let go of our old mental habits. 

How can we use this card to move forward this week? If we are able to break away from a mindset or pattern that has failed work for us, we are making room for actual clarity. Putting our focus on positive outcomes and directing our thoughts towards what we seek, want and hope for - rather than on the things we wish to avoid or nightmare scenarios - allows us to intellectually set our intentions for progress. It's not as easy as it sounds. Habits are super hard to break from, and it takes practice. I often have to catch myself from going full-martyr in my head - or worse, vilifying people, environments and dogmas that I am distancing myself from to make myself feel justified and validated for bugging out.  What I (WE) really need to do is say NAH BRUH to all that horseshit and put our mental energy and focus on our victories and positive attributes - feed THAT wolf instead of the one that acts like a jerk. 

 *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!

{ Mischief Managed Mondays: The Hanged Man }

I pulled The Hanged Man for us to focus on this week and I am not one bit surprised. The Hanged Man is another one of those cards that tends to bum people out when he shows up. On this card and in most decks, he's depicted being hung upside down by one foot, which I think we can all agree would get uncomfortable. Negative connotations aside, I think this is a really great card to pull. The Hanged Man asks us to see the world differently, to change our perspective and to get out of our comfort zone of familiarity and assumption. This week we are asked to develop a deeper connection with our spiritual side, to stop choosing to momentarily get away from the world and get in touch with our selves.

So, how does this apply to us in a reading? This card symbolizes a time for pause, or a halt so that we can better contemplate our situation. This can mean that we need to engage in a meditational practice and let this time be a gift of self-discovery to ourselves. We can accept this as an invitation to look at old patterns and experiences that we are habitually repeating and then we can release those things that we recognize to be unhealthy for us. Positive changes and shit. This can also mean that the time is not right for us to make a decision, but rather to allow the situation to gestate and develop before acting. Finally, The Hanged Man is always about seeing things from another point of view...it maybe will sound weird, but whenever I pull this card for myself, I make sure to do a headstand (a yoga pose that I historically and consistently suck at, so naturally I tend to avoid it) and I'll be damned if it doesn't actually make me see things differently, bot figuratively and literally (because upside down/blood rushing to head). Try it! But be careful!

Take a knee this week, Y'all. Take time for some introspective contemplation and rest up. Don't struggle to untie your feet from the branch, but rather enjoy the opportunity to perceive things from this alternate vantage point and see how it informs your spiritual practice.      

 *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!

{ Mugwort Monday: The Devil }

I've been toying around with different alliterations with which to title this post, my favorite suggestions by far were, "Muffled Screams Monday' and 'Murder Monday', but those don't really pertain to the subject at hand, so for now I'm going with Mugwort. I don't know.

I thought it would be interesting to break away from my usual three card pull and focus on a single card. This way, we are able to go a little further in depth in investigating the meaning and symbolism of the card and I feel like it makes room for some discussion as well. One of my all time favorite things about Tarot is that everyone has a unique interpretation of the cards and it gives us a fresh perspective when new cards turn up. Feel free to discuss your take on this card on our FB page in the comments, I'd love to know what you think!

Anyways, without further ado, permit me to introduce one of my +life cards: The Devil.

- The Devil - As I've mentioned here before, The Devil is one of those cards that puts fear in some people. I totally get why, I was raised Catholic and have seen The Exorcist a bunch of times - but I feel like this card gets an unfairly bad rap. While The Devil is a trickster and can represent our inner demons (like addictions, bad behavioral patterns, unhealthy relationships, etc), he is also a reflection of our shadow selves and true nature. The Devil calls us to get in touch with our creativity without being afraid of seeing ourselves. When we see this card in a reading, the message is that we need to free ourselves from our material concerns and focus inwardly on more spiritual endeavors. We are asked to remove self-imposed limitations on ourselves and become the people we really are, free of hypocrisy, not hiding behind a mask.

This card brings light with the dark, when we are challenged to face obstacles, we are called to do so without fear. I believe by recognizing and acknowledging the issues at hand, we are able to address them head-on. This is a type of Shadow Work - it's not fun Y'all, but we come out on top when we commit to doing it. The Devil is always a welcome sign for questions concerning creativity as he is evocative of talent, inspiration and intense energy. Try also to remember that The Devil is sticking his tongue out at us TWICE - reminding us that he is a childish, comical creation and we need to laugh at the things which try to smite us. 

+I recently had an EXCELLENT reading with Rita of Skeleton Key Tarot, during which I learned that The Devil was one of my Life Cards. Pretty cool - and also, of course, Tarot, of ~fucking~ course! Rita is an incredibly gifted reader (honestly, this was both the best and least expensive therapy I've ever had) and I highly recommend that you visit her if you are interested in getting a reading. She offers small and large readings, depending on your needs. You can follow her on Instagram, here! 10/10 would recommend!

 *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 break? Mine was excellent, lots of hiking and family time and generally mulling over the brain raccoon fodder I have going on. Let's ease into this week with a little three card pull, eh? 

- Page of Swords - This fuckin' guy. Well, so we've been collecting data and obtaining knowledge and we feel prepared to use it....but we still don't have a handle on the most practical application of this information. I feel like we are ready to jump in two different directions, and each path contradicts the other. This Page harbors some doubts and indecision in the face of potential action. Time for us to knuckle down and make an informed step forward....

- Nine of Wands - The thing to remember here, is that we must be true to ourselves (and this very thing should inform our actions). The wands relate to creative expansion, removing any distracting and extraneous flourishes and really distilling a thing down to it's very essence. The Nine of Wands assures us that our endeavor is not one of futility, that we have earned our place through hard work and tremendous discipline. The nine is a symbol of strength, telling us to accept our challenges rather than avoid them.

- Knight of Swords - Time to do this thing y'all. We are going to have to use our words and use them well in the pursuit of justice and truth. Full disclosure: I can't stand the signs at the airport that read, 'if you see something, say something' but you know, with good judgement this applies here. If you see something fucked up, you need to speak up for yourself and for others. We've done well to inform ourselves, we have worked hard to earn our position here and now we can act with courage and conviction. Fear is the mind killer, y'all - permit it to pass over and through you, and then get going!

- Jeff Goldblum - Let us just take a moment of pause to appreciate the beauty and wisdom found in Jeff Goldblum's Jurassic Park character, Dr. Ian Malcom, fictional mathematician and self-professed 'chaotician'. Enjoy.

 *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 }

I hope y'all had a good weekend! 

I was pretty blown away when I pulled our cards for this week, primarily because I pulled a card that had come up in our reading just two weeks ago. This card was in the final position of the reading last time - representing the result we were called to work towards - and today it turned up in the first position, which indicated that we had followed through and are where we need to be at this moment. I thought it was a beautiful message, so nice going y'all! (And I think you are Aces).

- The Devil - Awesome Y'all! We got this card two weeks ago and it looks like we are doing our shadow work and getting in touch with our creativity. Being aware of our deepest desires and acknowledging those very things without fear is remarkable, it's the surest path to making those drives materialize into something tangible and free of self-imposed limitations. 

- The Hermit - Now, our next step is to get deeper in touch with ourselves and really foster a strong connection. We are seeing ourselves as we truly are and learning how to negotiate through difficulties and crisis via our inner light. This kind of introspection and quiet time with our selves can be really, really tough - but it is a crucial step towards de-cluttering our brains and going full Marie Kondo on the needless mental chatter. Self-knowledge is a wonderful tool for us this week, so get ready to dig in and light up.

- Ten of Cups - This card represents success and a deep personal satisfaction. Our hearts are full and the emotional request - along with our shadow, resentment - has stopped. More than anything we can view this as a state of potential for our hearts to give and receive love. I always say that there are no bad cards because there is opportunity and lessons to be found in all of them, but dude this is an especially good card to see in a reading. We can do this 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!