{ Raffle for Art Ledger }

Fundraiser for the International Wildlife Museum

"Art Ledger was the first African-American taxidermist in the United States to own an operate his own private taxidermy business, A&K Taxidermy, along with Art's School of Taxidermy, a state certified school to help others learn the trade. Based in Cleveland, OH, he founded the State of Ohio Taxidermy Association and served on the board for many years. Art is a veteran of the Vietnam War and a committed community member, working with neighbors on local gardens and other projects to support the International Village neighborhood, known for its diverse mix of residents from all over the globe.

Now retired, Art wants to continue giving back by transforming his shop into The International Village Wildlife Museum. Located on West 48th Street, this museum will serve as an educational resource for local schools and a unique experience for cultural adventurers looking for something beyond the usual. Visitors can expect to see custom "mounts" of local Ohio wildlife, from fish to fowl, and tools of the trade, while learning more about Art Ledger's story and the secretive art of taxidermy. "

Organized by Divya Anantharaman of Gotham Taxidermy, this raffle was put together to help Art on his grand endevour - to help Art not only create a community center for educational resources and more - but this might just be the first black owned natural history museums in the U.S.!

In this raffle, you can choose to be in the winning for multiple beautiful piece by an array of contributors;

- Original taxidermied finch by @gotham_taxidermy
- Beautiful rabbit bust by @halfembalmed
- Sculptural piece by @brookesweston
- Natural science specimens by @dark.interiors
- Taxidermy book from @abeanpie
- Entomology kit (death head moth kit) by @mickeyalicekwapis
- or a double glassed framed articulated snake skull by us! @oraclekc

Make sure to buy your raffle tickets now as winners will be announced on the 26th
(less than one week away!)

 

A huge thanks again to Divya for organizing this raffle - links above for each piece or to learn more about Art Ledger's GoFundMe donate directly here
Winners will be announced 2/26
**ALL funds raised go directly to The International Wildlife Museum**

{ BIPOC & LGBTQ+ Taxidermy Scholarship - Part 2 }

*Update: On behalf of Ritualcravt - $460 was donated to this fund. Please stay tuned as our classes (virutal and online) come back in full swing

This is a Part 2 from our “Why Save the Bats?” Blog, but one we feel very important to elaborate on. Three months have passed since our fundraiser, and even though Covid has continued to restrict some of our classes and capabilities of meeting in person, we haven’t forgotten our commitment to our community. During this time we have been working and collaborating with fellow taxidermists, while continuing to bring accessibility to education and learning.

We felt the objective of this scholarship, beyond raising money for resources for individuals in need, was also to start and inspire conversation. A conversation geared to be continuous and never ending because there is always room for progress. Learning is never ending, just like in science; we continue to study to learn to be better.

Why is this important for a natural-science shop? Getting into taxidermy is difficult. Beyond the financial investment that not everyone has, but also old ways of thought surrounding protecting trade secrets. This includes the natural sciences and spiritual community. Not only speaking of the wall you hit with academia, but the restriction of sharing knowledge, gatekeeping, and accessibility to all; this can shun the average enthusiast, hobbyists, and people not dedicating their entire career to the craft. The boys club, cut throat industry of competition, and enforced false dogma of leaders of the community. Education can be expensive, and being a hobbyist or just wanting to add to your practices should be just as valued. There is no one form (form, hah, taxidermy jokes) for anyone; so why force an idea of one right way upon taxidermy and naturalists? Getting the correct information is what’s most important - especially in a field where chemicals or rituals can harm you or others around you!

This is where a group of taxidermist folk have stepped in trying to break the stereotype; the stereotype of what a naturalist even looks like! We continue to work with them on social media and more; sharing resources, sharing information of what we have learned along the way, sharing our privilege (more to be announced)!

It all started (for us back in 2017 with Open Circle Gatherings! As a result of increased segregation and lack of mental health resources, a rise of hate towards LGBTQ+ and BIPOC… we realized our own privilege and that our community needed a safe space willing to nurture and share knowledge and our passion for the natural sciences. It’s simple beginning was a monthly gathering of like minded folk. It then grew to a community sharing knowledge, empowerment, support, and that community quickly turned into a family. Since pandemic and Black Lives Matter, we have been conscious that we need to expand this concept and be actively supporting those who are marginalized and lend them a helping hand accessing the same information and resources.

Our fundraiser was specifically geared towards classes and opportunities at Oracle and our local community. Funding teachers of Black, Indigenous, People of Color or LGBTQ+ background, and exclusive aid for BIPOC or LGBTQ+ folkx, and fellow organizations we believe in. Our commitment is to share our privilege, help guide, mentor, connect people, and aid folkx on their journey. And because we believe ‘science is magic’, this includes guiding people on their spiritual journey as well. While getting Scholarship aid is exclusive to folkx mentioned above, we believe the mentorship is open to everyone. Links to more resources can be found here or follow us on instagram for more resources, free tutorials, and links to other individuals who share our goals. If you qualify for our scholarship please fill the form below with the title Scholarship along with where you would like to be consider for future classes at Oracle.

More links to our Taxidermy Group and more to be announced; But in the mean time, there are so many other leading taxidermists that are taking this same pledge. And if you are in the Northeast - here is another scholarship run by Gotham Taxidermy that is geared specifically for taxidermy. More to come and thank you for believing in us.

2021 Hours

As we continue navigating this pandemic, we revert back to limited hours to accommodate safe shopping, shipping, and curbside pickup fulfillment with code KCPICKUP to receive 10% off!

OPEN :: Thurs - Sat :: 11am - 6pm

We continue to require masks & hand sanitizer upon arrival and a limit of 3 people within the studio at a time. Please schedule curbside pick up with us at oraclenaturalscience@gmail.com:

Holiday Hours Update!

Dec 15th - 23rd :: OPEN :: 11am - 6pm

To accommodate safe shopping, extended shipping/curbside pickup, and spaced out shopping hour, we added extra hour this week. We continue to require masks & hand sanitizer upon arrival and a limit of 3 people within the studio at a time. Please schedule curbside pick up with us at oraclenaturalscience@gmail.com:

CLOSED :: DEC 24th & 25th

BONUS! Dec 29th - 31st :: OPEN :: 11am - 6pm
CLOSED :: JAN 1st & 2nd

{ Holiday Guide }

This year poses new hurdles for the holidays - a year filled with circumstances we have never had to deal with before, the pressures of the holidays might feel more daunting than ever before! {insert deep breath} Plenty of us have had to restructure our whole entire lives, but this isn’t the time to get down, but instead lend a hand; not only to your inner circle but to those around you. Send that snail mail letter or extra thoughtful text message with lots of love, donate food to a local shelter, do a distance food exchange, donate where necessary, rethink traveling, shop small as much as possible... those little act of kindness go a long way. A great reminder for yourself as well, to set up boundaries and to be kind to yourself. Navigating a whole new terrain on how to celebrate mindfully and safely can be stressful and anxiety ridden. So, to lend that hand ourselves, we wanted to alleviate some of the pressure of needing to get creative for this holiday season by brainstorming with you. These guides, not only serve as gift guides, but also ideas of activities to do with your friends or even on your own! As we dive into stricter quarantines (heck, the winter season in general as we all hermit indoors), it doesn’t hurt to start a list of activities when life gets heavy (and yes! I mean a literal list! This tiny hack helps lift some of that pressure of making decisions and create a reminder of fun things you were looking forward to!) - Remember to take some time to appreciate nature and the outdoor, even if it’s too cold! Just a simple walk or break from social media can do wonders on the brain. Dive into something new? Learn a new craft? Tune in for some virtual classes? We listed some great new books (heck maybe even start a book club) and will be offering more and more as we continue towards the solstice. Until then, here is our gift guide for this years Holiday Season:

Have a gardener, green witch, herbalist in your life? Here is a quick Gift Bundle for this Gardener Guide! We saw ourselves a lot in this guide - especially going into winter, you have to send some extra love to those gardeners in your life. Pandemic has shown a huge increase of plant sales, which is a great new hobby to pick up whether outdoor plants or indoor! And heck, if there isn’t a jungle in your living room right now, then you are missing out on true love. That being said, new hobbyists and old alike would greatly appreciate Tyler Thrashers Grown a Damn Journal. Just a good way to document how your plants are doing and keep up with new techniques, whats working and whats not (for sure my plans over winter holidays to document all my plant babes!) And for those who want to learn more about the spirit behind their plants, herbs, and medicine - For Strange Womens Spirit of Botany (available in store) is a fantastic read or even using the Flower Essence Deck as a guide and learning tool! Here are some other gift ideas we brainstormed:

1. Framed Asterope Butterfly and Peanut Moth: Oracle's signature framed specimen are a perennial favorite! Double glass shadow box allows both sides to be studied and admired. $68-100

2. Natural Incense: Indulge in the luxurious natural scents of plants with Palo Santo sticks or Olive Leaf bundles. $4 each

3. Grow a Damn Plant Journal by Tyler Thrasher: Give the gardener in your life this beautiful journal to track plant care and plan for the next growing season! $33

4. Plant Ally Talismans: Small and sweet set of 10 cards featuring plant drawings and inspirational poems tucked into a hand-stamped brown paper sleeve. $12

5. Enamel Moth Pin: Beautiful California Dogface Butterfly pin by Adele Designs. $12

6. Flower Essences Decks: Volumes I and II. These oracle decks for working with flower essences by Patricia Kaminski feature drawings of each specimen as well as patterns of balance and imbalance for each. $28 each

As we were putting together this Guide For the Night Owl, we were thinking of cozy evenings with large warm blankets, candle lighting, and a good book with a soothing cup of warm tea. There’s so much more to the Night Owl, too. It’s the friend who loves a good movie night or coffee dates filled with lots of memorable chats and laughs. Maybe coordinate a zoom call over a cup of Witches Brew? Host your own Open Circle and dress some candles together? Some of what we thought fit the bill:

1. Candle Snuffer: Gently extinguish your candles with a traditional candle snuffer. $8

2. Mint + Coco Tea by Aesthete: Warm and nourish yourself with a cup of herbal tea from this empowering woman run business with folk medicine and ethical acquisition in mind. (*also available in 4 more varieties) $13

3. Twin Flame Ritual Candles: These 100% beeswax tapers give off a warm glow with a gentle honey scent. Created by Alysia Mazzella using the traditional technique of hand dipping. 2 pairs. $27 / Simple Hand Dipped Candles also available

4. Selenite or Selenite Candle Holder: $18

5. Cast Iron Cauldron: Sturdy cast iron lidded tripod pot. Perfect for practical use and lovely enough for decoration. May be used as a storage container, incense burner, or miniature cauldron. 6” diameter $55 / 5. Incense: Instantly set the atmosphere with natural incense. Oracle Loose Blend (sage, palo santo, rose petal, juniper), Olive Leaf Smudge Bundle, and Rosemary Smudge Bundles. $4 each /
   Background: Natural White Rabbit Pelt: $36
   *Plan a little Cozy Evening Date or Indulge your Night Owl with this Gift Bundle!

Not only can For the Geologist be for the collector and the gem hound, but also the person in your life deeply connected to nature and the earth. Do they have all the gems? Love to chat about all the metaphysical properties of each specimen? Love learning about the science behind the magic? Maybe coordinate a little kit of things to aid their gem collections! We put together a kit (Gift Bundle for the spirit that has it all!) that might help or send them down a rabbit hole by tuning into our Mineral Chats on our IG live. Here’s some ideas we thought might help:

1. Quartz Lamp or Rose Quartz Lamp: $80-$150

2. Crystal Oracle Deck: Colorful 54-card deck by Species by the Thousands. Draw a card to see what crystal energy you are being called too. $28

3. Aragonite Crystals Bundle: Features two different aragonite specimen and helpful information on the scientific and energetic qualities. Selenite is included to cleanse and the bay leaves can be used to set your intentions with the stones in meditation. Comes in a pocket-sized pouch. $28

4. Crystal Clearing Mist: Made of 100% organic and wild crafted essential oils this spray by Species by the Thousands is ideal to clear objects and spaces of unwanted energy. $23

5. Worry Stones: a variety of different specimens, these worry stones are great pocket or fidget stones or loose stones available in shop

6. Quartz Points & Specimen Jars: in shop availabilities or request by invoice - email us for more details! oraclenaturalscience@gmail.com

7. Crystalized Specimens by Tyler Thrasher: Show-stopping art piece by renowned artist Tyler Thrasher combining molecular geometry and crystalline structures with organic surfaces as an homage to ancient and esoteric alchemy. (local pick-up only, no shipping) $500

8. Fluorite: Beautiful large green cubic crystal specimen. Fluorite is associated with clarity, focus, alignment, and creativity. $120

9. And for a little bit of everything Consider a Crystal Lovers Gift Set!

The Oracle may be a daunting person to buy for but honestly probably the most fun if you just listen to that gut instinct! There’s always some good protection stone and spells to guide your friend on their journey. But if this being also enjoys the mystics and learning something new, we have so many new books to choose from and fun tutorials on our blog… that might just spark a fun (maybe mischievous) evening, but what’s fun anyways without a little mayhem and new tricks? Consider a tarot night or making your own bone reading bag? Map our your charts together with some guides to astrology or other fun gifts like:

1. Plantable Note Card Set: Not only are these great gifts on their own, but watch magic grow with these seed embedded grow kits. $5-29

2. Turkey Claw or other: Ethically sourced claws for protection and conjuring $38-50

3. For Strange Women Lip Balm: Scents like Baba Yaga and Datura Flower, find the magic in essences and poison plants

4. Book Club: Find a bunch of new editions and more on our website like Magic, a History $40 or The Armchair Tarot Reader: Simple and practical guide to reading Tarot for the at-home reader. $10 We are especially excited for the, Bird Kin Messages Oracle Deck, which comes with a guide booklet. This is the best option for people who have ever wanted to work with bird spirits and honor the Migratory Bird Act, $40

5. Starter Bone Reading Bag with Astragalus Bones: Astragalus Bones, also the talus bones, were used for making dice and were believed to hold strong energy - which is why they were used for shagai or fortune telling games. Use this kit as a beginning foundation for your own bone bag, rune bag, bone reading bag, or dice making kit. Especially fun as they are attached to such interesting medieval history. $16

6. Silk Scarf by Adele Designs: Luxurious white and gold silk bandana featuring moon phases, flowers, and mystic moth designs. Perfect for wrapping and storing divination tools or for wearing! $35

7. Oracle Malocchio: Italian for evil eyes, a talisman of protecting yourself from not only ill will from others but also a reminder to keep yourself grounded and in-check from negative thoughts $15

8. Single Candles or Candle bundle: 3 for $1 or bundle for $20

The Scientist is all of us at Oracle - the person who covets the cabinet or curiosities but also is mystified by the beauties of nature: it must be magic. That’s why “science is magic” is our favorite philosophy at the studio. There are a few fun things we forgot to add to this gift guide, like our new science game called Ecologies Card Game: by Matthew Montrose, which is not only a fun multi player game but also a fun way to learn about different ecologies in nature. If having to celebrate social distance style, consider going on a nature hike and creating a bingo card! Bring tools along to investigate specimens or a native Missouri birders card and see how many winter creatures and plants you can spot! Other great gifts are jewelry inspired naturalists like work by Dreamwings or Prairie Thistle Design. But nothing can beat helping this magpie finding the beauty in specimens like:

1. Asymmetrical Goat Skull: Unique skull of a goat with horn pathology. $120

2. Bobcat Skull: 75 and other Osteological Collectables

3. Specimen Vials: variety of small bone and paw specimens ranging from $4-$18

4. Framed Specimens and Bug Kits: Great activity for groups or watch tutorials on our IG live under Bug Club ranging from $25-up

5. Freeze Dried Specimens and Paws and Taxidermy

6. Aura Quartz: This fascinating specimen in a perfect combination of science meets magic - electroplated to create this fascinating specimen $45 (not to mention, bismuth also fits the bill as a natural specimen which looks completely alien!)

7. Articulated Skeleton Bee Eater: $93 or Squirrel: $210

8. Jaw bones and other specimens great for filling in those empty spots in any curio cabinet

Have a naturalist in your life? Here’s a little Gift Bundle to explore the magic of the natural world

We really hope this helps and even if not, it would help us to re-share this guide, comment, or even give us ideas for this holiday season! What are things you want to hear from us? What are your plans this winter solstice? Things may feel bleak but we can do this together - Stay tuned for some other small businesses we plan on supporting this year and thank you again reading and joining us on this gift guide journey.

- xo Oracle

Rooted to this Earth

The final element in our “What’s In Your Cabinet” DIY series is earth.  As current events continue to be tumultuous and we move into Winter in the Northern hemisphere, we’d like to focus on grounding and feeling connected to the Earth.

The earth element is the material world, physical existence, roots and ancestry, health, and resources. Honoring the earth element helps us remember to not take this embodied life for granted. Connecting to the earth gives us context, reminds us where we come from… literally.

Every culture and tradition honors the earth element in different and varied ways! 

In Ancient Greece earth was linked with many of the gods, but the personification of the Earth was the goddess Gaia, the ancestral mother of all life. In Chinese folk traditions earth is linked to Tudigong, “Lord of the Soil and Ground.” In the Yoruba tradition, Babalú-Ayé is the Orisha of earth and healing. Going down the research rabbit-hole you can find a lot of inspiration that will align with your ancestral heritage and practices. As earth is the element frequently associated with ancestors it is important to make sure that your practices line up with traditions from your lineage. When in doubt, keep it simple, keep it personal.

As literal chunks of the earth, any crystals and minerals are associated with Earth: Smokey Quartz, Obsidian, Prehnite, Chlorite Phantom Crystals and any fossils. These stones are good for grounding, protection, and healing.

Earth is embodied in Tarot decks through the suit of Pentacles. Using the Ace,  Queen, or King of Pentacles cards as a focal point are a good way to strengthen your own connection with feelings of abundance and connection to the material world around us.

There are so many ways we honor the earth; we practice grounding by making sure our bare feet touch the earth when feeling unraveled, but also didn’t realize there’s so much more to earth element than just dirt. The pandemic allowed us to reconnect with our earth elements by giving us time we never had before to garden. There has been scientific studies linking microbes within dirt, (Mycobacterium vaccae - the microbe under study) to ease anxiety and recalibrating the brain.

However, in my personal practice, I realized my nonna’s favorite way to cleanse and ground the home was through the element of salt. She would banish malocchios by salt sweeps to make sure the family was protected. Similar to cleansing by smoke, you pour salt on the ground and as you sweep from the heart of the home, out, you also catch and banish the malocchios with it - which reflects the same idea of salt lamps!

How do you honor earth element in your practice?