{Three Card Monday }

March 6, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

Hi Y'all - I hope your weekend was good! I painted two huge ceilings and then treated myself to seeing Get Out, which I loved. Have you seen it? I love horror movies and also Jordan Peele, so this was a treat for me - I highly recommend.

Anyways, let's do this thing.

I've missed my Scrying Ink deck lately and really felt like we could use a super direct reading, so I cracked it out for us. These cards are so beautifully illustrated, I've shot them individually so we can get a better look at them!

The Scrying Ink, Mountain - with my paint-splattered, Grandpa hands.

- Mountain - All right. So we are presently facing some difficulties. We are experiencing some significant issues and it feels like things are moving so slowly right now. While our obstacles are no joke, they are not insurmountable...we are just going to be in for a long slog of it.

But!

- Dog - WE HAVE DOGES, Y'ALL. The Lenormand Dog is a card that signifies friendship, alliances, loyalty, companionship and trust. Our friendships and community are instrumental in times like these and we must remember to help each other when things get tough. We have strength in our numbers and let us not forget what a powerful tool LOVE can be. Also, Dogs!

Therefore...

The Scrying Ink, Crown, which is badass.

- Crown - We are being asked to assume greater positions of responsibility with this card. Finding power in our numbers, we will perhaps be called to instigate great change and take a role of leadership. If you feel uncomfortable with this, believe me, that feeling is normal. I feel like many of us have seen or felt a significant shift towards more spiritual practices - moving away from traditional and outmoded methods while honing our intuitive skills. The Crown is not part of the traditional Lenormand deck, so I believe that it's appearance here is also pushing us to trust our gut and not be so reliant on 'tried and true' pathways. It's time to dig in and get real weird, 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 }

February 27, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

Hi Y'all! Hope you've had a good weekend - I recently did a personal three card reading for myself with my first ever deck (Rider Waite deck SUP!) and I thought it needed some attention for this week. Let's dig in.

Looks like a bummer, I know - but we got this.

- Five of Swords - So, here we are. We are still dealing with some negative thought patterns and behaviors (and I say 'we' here, but this is straight up my MO...always a struggle). This card has been described as the 'dragon slayer', so we are shedding those no-good, soul-crushing, self-defeating thoughts and modalities and getting ready to charge forth on a self-directed path. Through our shadow work we acknowledge these destructive habits and by understanding them, we can better defeat them. SLAAAAAAAY, my dears, SLAY.

- Seven of Swords - Now, sometimes we get a little fearful of upsetting the applecart (even our trusted peers), but it's time for us to remove ourselves from outside influences and orthodoxy so that we can discover our true path. This is a vision quest card and a call to strive for our individuality. We need to stop with the self-sabotage find an authentic, spiritual voice. Time to put on our defiance pants and get weird and wild, Y'all.

- Five of Cups - I know this one is scary, because it leaves us vulnerable. We've experienced disappointment on a deep, emotional level and that makes it difficult to move forward. We are asked to review the painful experiences of our past with clear, unflinching eyes. There is a silver lining with this card, though - when we focus on this pain and sorrow, we can identify these wounds with clarity and you better believe that this empowers us to avoid them when similar situations arise. Here we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and look back on these lessons with compassion and understanding - and ready to look ahead with a hopeful approach. We can do it.

{ Three Card Monday }

February 20, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

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!

{ Three Card Monday }

February 13, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

How was your weekend? Are you ready to look this week in the eyes all, 'COME AT ME BRAAAAH' and give it the business?

For this reading, I borrowed the *Wild Unknown* Tarot Deck - visual assist from all these excellent Sweet Destructor ceramic pieces!

- Seven of Pentacles - This is a card of completion and reward, but we are still in a place where we need to be patient (unnnngggghhhhh I am so bad at this. I do not come by this virtue honestly). Things maybe aren't moving as quickly as we would like, which is frustrating and might be making us doubtful of our efforts here. What we need now is trust, let things unfold in their time and understand that the fruits of our labor will come to fruition.

- Father of Wands - Creative and charismatic, this Father is a visionary. This fella has turned up to remind us to approach our situation with courage and respect, but also to place ourselves in the service of others.

Failing to do this will result in.....(drumroll....now scroll down....)

- Five of Swords - I was initially confused about the appearance of this card because it references self-destruction...it also likes to show up as a beacon for change and in this reading I think that makes sense. The Five of Swords appears because we need to get out of old, negative patterns of thought and behavior. If we emulate the characteristics of the Father of Wands, cultivating generosity and acting in ways which benefit all of us as a community - not just individually - we can move forwards with courage and conviction.

{ Three Card Monday }

February 6, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

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....

- 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.

{ Three Card Monday cough Tuesday }

January 31, 2017 Alessandra Dzuba

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)!