There's a real choice at hand today, very much Should I Stay or Should I Go?
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What you put into a choice is what you get out of it. Staying can mean inertia, but it can also be reworking, commitment, building. Leaving can mean a new start, or it can be avoidance. If you're making a choice because you're trying to avoid something - reflection, responsibility, growth - then you're making the wrong choice.
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You don't ever really know where you'll end up, but you can choose to make each step from a place of truth and integrity. The way you'll know which to choose is which way challenges you to grow. You build the path as you walk it. In this way life can be an experiment. What would happen if you acted in this moment from your core truth?
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Shoutout to 3 mid century dudes: Buckminster Fuller, Joe Strummer, and the former owner of this tarot deck.
Thank you! Tarot for Creativity/New Women Space
Thank you to all the amazing humans who came to Tarot for Creativity tonight!
It was an honor to share some of my favorite tarot practices with you. I'm so impressed to see all of you jump in and read so beautifully. I hope your tarot practice feeds your creative souls.
💞
And thank you to @newwomenspacefor hosting!
Daily Tarot: The Star
Healing is a return to your natural state. Birds gotta swim, fish gotta fly, humans gotta heal. That's just how it goes.
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Who are you, under all of your inherited trauma, learned prejudices, and whatever labels you cling to? The Star is the whole, healed, loving version of you that's been inside the Tower the whole time (thank you @fulltimewitchfor sharing your vision of the Star breaking the Tower from the inside out - it really speaks to me).
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Today you release some of the stones of your own personal Tower, and let a bit more of your Star nature shine through. You become softer and lighter. Healing is a lifelong process. It doesn't just happen once and then you're "fixed." It's a spiral, and you have to keep going. Contracting, expanding, resisting, flowing. The tendency is always towards healing and connection.
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The Star is ruled by Aquarius, the dreamy hippie of the zodiac, the unifier of the collective. Remember that love and healing includes holding each other accountable and taking criticism so you can keep getting better (hella important for us, fellow white people). Your self-work always has to be in service of others.
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I hope today brings you softness, healing, and connection.
Tarot for Creativity Tomorrow
Tomorrow 8/17: Tarot for Creativity workshop at @newwomenspace!
I'm really looking forward to this class, and it feels even more important in the wake of this past week's events. The world needs more art, creative solutions, innovation, and more people being fully themselves.
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That's the core of this class. Connecting with your higher self and creative powers helps you be awake, alive, and inspired. It serves you in your creative practice so that your creations can serve the world.
Daily Tarot: 7 of Pentacles
You plant the seed, you tend the vine, and when the fruit appears, your job is to wait.
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This is true for gardening but also for any other practice of creating in the material world. Right now, we've already put in the effort, and all the situation needs from us is time. Nothing you do to the fruit at this point will make it ripen faster.
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The Motherpeace tarot has pretty much my favorite version of this card ever. (Plus it reminded me that I have a watermelon.) In other decks this is often an image of nearly-ripe fruit, but including a pregnant woman brings the meaning of this card back to the human bodily experience. Even if we're not female-bodied and even if we never experience pregnancy. We can't push ourselves to make changes that we're not ready for, even if we think we *should* do something faster, or if we're getting pressure from outside.
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What we create changes us, too. We're never the same after we bring something big and important into the world. We can tune in with what life is like right now, mark it in our memory as the time before the change. What we have worked for is coming.
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Personally, I find this card reassuring. I hope it helps, you too!
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(I'm reading tarot at a baby shower this weekend, and this card makes me think of the lovely mama-to-be!)
Daily Tarot: 10 of Cups
Today we see that we are capable of holding all kinds of feelings at once.
Our capacity to feel and sense is increasing, so we can better show up for ourselves and our fellow humans.
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What this means in terms of daily life is that we are feeling a lot today, but we can handle all of it. We're feeling a wide spectrum of emotions: joy, compassion, grief, hope, anger, love, fear. The clouds and the rainbow. And we're feeling both our own stuff and some of the big overarching world energies. Each feeling has its own unique texture, so as they're shifting in and out of each other they remain distinct. Not one of those feelings-soup days where we don't even know what we're feeling.
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The invitation here is to feel whatever we feel, and come to it with curiosity. Allow your sense of wonder to lead the way. Life is bringing us this huge spectrum of experience and it's pretty cool that we can feel it all.
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If this becomes too much, get grounded by paying attention to your body. This brings you into your own space and turns down the volume on what you're picking up from the collective. Even beauty and wonder and connection can get overwhelming, so please take care of yourself.
Daily Tarot: 3 of Cups
We recharge each other. We inspire each other. We keep each other going.
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Three of Cups speaks of a way we can work with group energy and not get drained. We're giving and receiving equally. We're necessary to the group dynamic, and the group is necessary to us as individuals. Being in a group today can be fun and fulfilling. Even/especially if we're in a group that's working for a purpose.
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This is a call to level up the way we show up in groups. We are all needed to dismantle this white supremacist patriarchal system. If you have low-level anxiety or discomfort in groups, this is your time to do some work with that. People who genuinely cannot be outside in a group: I see you, and I value you. People who are staying in because of discomfort or are making excuses, come on out.
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Contrary to a lot of popular understanding, no one is 100% introvert or extrovert. We're all a blend. And what's more, we can learn the skills of both. Our brains can change and develop in ways we're only beginning to grasp. So the next time you're in a big group (like the rally at the tower in NYC today - see you there), take in some of that energy to recharge yourself. We have a lot of work to do, and today we're starting off light. We can do this, but we need all of us. 3 of Cups reminds us that the core of activism is love.
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tl;dr
Show up for your fellow people today.
Options in NYC:
-Rally at the tower in NYC starting at 4:30.
-Community healing circle at @newwomenspace at 6:30 tonight
Elsewhere:
Find a Charlottesville solidarity event near you at indivisibleguide.com
Schedule + Updates | August 2017
Hey sweet people, a little bit of news (and an amazing light orb photo!)
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🎨Tarot for Creativity workshop at @newwomenspace is this Thursday 8/17 - can't wait! Tickets via the link in my bio, and please reach out if you have any questions.
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🔮 Going forward, Daily Tarot will be posted M-F mornings. This way, you get the magic in the morning, and I can show up and serve better if I structure my time on social media. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback on my Daily Tarot posts. Thank you for reading and I'm so happy these posts serve you!
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☀️ My August schedule is almost full, and I'm out of town a few days next week. If you'd like a personal tarot reading or reiki, book your session now.
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🌻 September books are open for tarot readings, reiki energy work, and tarot lessons and events. I offer readings and reiki both in person and via skype. You can see my available dates and book appointments online. Please email me if you'd like to host a private event, or if you want to collaborate on a project.
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🌈And as always, I'm grateful for this community of people. Thank you all for being here, and please reach out if I can serve you!
Now is the time to step way up
White supremacy benefits all white people. It is the responsibility of all white people to end it.
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I benefit from it every day.
I'm committed to ending it.
This means accepting a certain level of discomfort: awkward conversations with other white people, being afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing, listening and accepting criticism, going to protests in big crowds, speaking up when I see or hear bigotry or hate -and this will come to include a lot of other things I haven't encountered yet. I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, but I have to do something.
Thank you to everyone who's working and leading.
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Now is the time to step way up.
We can't afford to wait.
・・・
・・・
#Repost @jessica_lanyadoo ・・・
You can't call yourself a spiritual person and do nothing, say nothing, and feel nothing about this. White Supremacists in all their incarnations are wrong in every way.
Stand with POC
Stand with Jews
Stand with Muslims
Stand with Immigrants
Stand with the poor and the houseless
Stand with those w different abilities
Stand with Queers
Stand with Women
Stand against hatred and oppression in all of its forms &
Stand on the right side of history. ✊️✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
Daily Tarot: Queen of Swords
Back for her 2nd day in a row, and hanging out on my favorite mullein plant.
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Today the Queen reminds us that communication is a 2-way street and we are asked to be just as mindful of the way we receive as the way we share.
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Listening clearly is a higher level skill than speaking clearly. We spend our whole lives with our own mind, and most of the time we can say what we think. But hearing another person brings an unknown factor in, and that can set off our defenses.
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More Mercury Retrograde practice here. When someone says something to you, especially if you don't want to hear it, listen. Just hear their words, receive the message they're giving you. Don't try to interpret what they say or start coming up with a response before they're finished. Then when you respond, thank them for telling you. Consider what they've said, and where they're coming from, and see what part of what they told you is your responsibility to handle.
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While it's so valuable to trust your own intuition and perception, you can't know everything. We're here with other people so we can be mirrors for each other, and learn from each other. We have to balance intuition and logic, giving and receiving.
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This is coming up now because we have the chance to be better allies by taking criticism well. Especially us white people. Especially those of us who feel like we're pretty woke. We can always do better. If someone points out a blind spot for you, that is a gift. Receive it with grace.
Daily Tarot: Queen of Swords
Clearheaded, sharp-witted, this queen can see right to the heart of the matter. And she can communicate the truth of what she sees efficiently and eloquently. Today I pulled her reversed, which feels like she (me/we) is in a place where she can misuse her powers of insight.
When out of balance, the Queen of Swords doesn't quite trust her feelings or her ability to communicate. This puts her on the defensive, and to compensate, she can be sharp-tongued, with cutting words.
Remember the episode of the Simpsons with Marge's pink Chanel suit? The one country club lady notices right away that Marge is just altering and re-wearing the same suit over and over, and she makes a perfectly timed witty remark about it, which of course really hurts Marge. I think we've all found ourselves on both sides of this kind of interaction. I have learned this the hard and mortifying way - it sucks to be the hurt-er and the hurt-ee.
Today, when you feel like you have to toss out a good put-down or comeback, hold off for a second to see if you really need to bring your sharpest sword out. Are you looking to make yourself feel better by poking someone's vulnerable spots or getting approval for saying something clever?
If that's what's going on, you can make yourself genuinely feel better by using your powers for good. Rather than the perfect joke, give the perfect compliment. Share an observation that supports someone who's having a hard time. That feeds their soul (which is also your soul), and not anyone's insecurity. This feels like some excellent Mercury Retrograde homework.
Love you, let's be kind to each other and keep putting more love out into the world. 💕
Let us remember that true kindness includes critical thinking and holding each other accountable - it's not all fluffy affirmations.
Daily Tarot: Wheel of Fortune
"I am willing for this to be easier and much more magical than I can imagine." - David Elliott
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I find the Wheel very comforting. It's like the universe says, sit here, watch this.
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When we let go of even just a little bit of our need for control, we make room for the beautiful and unexpected. After all we're just human. We don't know everything. We can be willing to see what happens. We can be willing to be surprised.
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That's our job today. Hands off, no backseat driving. Show up. Pay attention. Be willing. The universe is about to show us something really good.
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I love this quote from David Elliott. I was lucky enough to study breathwork with him when he was in NYC last year, and he's just a lovely person. I've been coming back to these words since Erin Telford posted this quote last week. Thinking about this quote, I feel myself becoming more willing, I feel room for hope.
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I'm on a bus right now. In the seat behind me, a mother is reading her daughter a book about the planets. It feels right.
Daily Tarot: 9 of Swords
Stay out of the future, love.
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When I pulled today's card, I asked what we're stepping into on this lion's gate day. And I was told nope, no peeking.
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I'm getting this message over and over in different variations, to take a hands-off approach to whatever is on the way but not yet here. I'm being reminded that all my overthinking and what-ifs aren't helping future-me, and they're even starting to affect present-me.
I actually am way less anxious and in my head than I have been at other times into life, but I'm still being shown that it's too much. And I'm listening.
The more I can pay attention to what's happening in each moment, the less I'll stress myself out with my thoughts about the future. No matter what, I'll end up where I need to go. I can either spend the journey stressed out and miserable or present and grounded.
Simple things help: good food, hydration, routine, movement, getting to bed on time.
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Today has felt really dense, with full moon eclipse waves still going. And this time of year always brings some pressure to plan ahead for fall and have something to show for the summer. If you're feeling this too, I hope this message serves you. 💖
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I'm going out of town for a few days to visit my mom, but I'm back next week with my Tarot for Creativity class 8/17 at @newwomenspace (ticket link in bio! 👆).
And I have appointments available for private tarot readings and reiki energy work on Friday 8/18. Come hang hang out and get some clarity and support for eclipse season!
Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius
Happy Full Moon/Lunar Eclipse in Aquarius.
This moon, this rainy night, everything feels soft and expansive. Gently drawing us into a cycle of evolution. I hope all of you are having a lovely full moon night.
Tonight I'm making a datura flower essence for dream and shadow work. I've been spending time with this plant in my neighborhood for a few years now, and there's a patch I visit almost every night, watching it grow taller and thicker. I've been spotting datura wherever I go all summer, and this finally feels like the time to work with her. I can't quite put her pull into words, but she's wild, crafty, unruly, a sister of Lilith. Beautiful because/despite her danger. An ally in seeing both sides at once. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.
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(And obviously, I am not ingesting any part of this plant. She's highly toxic and only for energetic use.)
Daily Tarot: 9 of Wands
Stay in your lane today, fam.
There is so much you *can* do, so please direct your energy toward that, and not all of the stuff out there that you can't. And this includes worrying or strategizing on someone else's behalf.
Give the world the gift of a you who's doing exactly what you're meant to, not a you who's burned out, worried, overextended.
This weekend brought us powerful, simple messages: we are enough, in fact, we are so much more than we think.
The 9 of Wands shows us at a point of choice before burnout. We don't have to go there if we can trust that we are enough, and are right where we're meant to be.
And trust that you're serving the world best by showing up to your work now, not projecting into the future or the past or other people's stuff.
If you've taken on too much, you can delegate or ask for help or take a break. Doing something good for your body will help ground you.
Whatever comes up today that tempts you to get out of your lane, just check in with your higher self about it. Ask, is this for me to take on? If it's not, step back. Reserve your energy for your own stuff only.
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(Edit: after posting I noticed that the card I'm holding is out of focus and the background sunflowers are in focus. 😂Not on purpose, but fitting.)
Daily Tarot: Whale
Go deep.
Today is a chance to connect with the ancient wisdom that you carry in every cell. What's waiting there will help you on your journey.
This coming full moon and lunar eclipse will invite us to reintegrate the deep parts of ourselves that we've forgotten - instinct, collective memory, past lives - and the shadow parts we would like to forget.
It's all part of you, and it's all important. You're diving down to bring this knowledge to light, and welcome it to your conscious life. Trust that your depths hold no knowledge that could ever hurt you.
Reconnection will only make you stronger.
You're made for the depths.
You're made to bring light.
💙🐋
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Whale card from @the_wild_unknown#twuanimalspirit oracle deck
Thank You!
Thanks to everyone at today's ~super special~ private tarot class, and a big thanks to @seemaybe for hosting and organizing! (And thanks for stocking the best LaCroix flavor.)
🤗✨🏝
My next public class is 8/17 at @newwomenspace - Tarot for Creativity. All you artists, come learn how to work with tarot for your creative flow. Tickets and more info at the link in my bio.
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If you have any questions or if you want me to teach a private class in your space, I would love that - email me and we'll make it happen.
Daily Tarot: The Star
You are enough.
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Really simple message today. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, is enough. Today healing comes from remembering this.
Daily Tarot: 10 of Cups
I passed this cute little "team fun" graffiti, and thought, how can we have some fun today? And pulled this sweet card. Sweet but also like the universe saying, very kindly, "duh."
There's always fun to be had if we're there to have it, you know? If we ask, we'll find it.
And this is also an invitation to find fun with other people, participate in a group experience of joy. I'm glad I get to spend a lot of time with friends today. I hope you do, too. Or just get outside in public and enjoy the day in the presence of your fellow humans.
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Thank you for all of your love and support for my last post about my mom. It really means a lot to me. 💖
Daily Tarot: 4 of Cups
Heyy it's emotional processing time! As in, give yourself the time and get in there and process emotions. Cups is the suit of water, and is tied to emotions. Neither water nor emotions do well in stagnation. There has to be motion and flow to keep things healthy. If you're feeling some vague malaise, it might be due to some unexamined feelings that you're avoiding. Don't let them get stagnant and cause more pain later on. Today you're asked to push some feels through the emotional pipes. (I certainly need to!)
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I haven't talked about this on here but my mom is sick; it's bringing up a lot of fear and stress for me, and I've been avoiding feeling my feelings. Today I got to stay home, put on sad music and cry. Like big messy crying that is making my dog sit next to me and look at me with concern, which makes me cry more because he's such a good dog. And I'm doing some house-cleaning and crazy dancing to get sweaty and then taking a bath to soak it all out. Because you know what, emotions are important and if I don't process mine, I can't help anyone else process theirs. (Fellow empaths and sensitive people, this is suuuper important for us. )
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We keep things going so our emotional flow can be healthy. For ourselves, yes, but also so we can show up well in our relationships. I don't have to tell you that repressing feelings leads to all kinds of hurt, or how much harder it is to work through old trauma that you've bottled up for years. So if you're feeling some feels today, please give yourself the time and space to do whatever you need to process that emotion. Cry, run, sing, yell, dance, draw, journal, talk to a friend or counselor. I love you, let's keep our emotions healthy.