From Alley Valkyrie: "my polytheism"

Alley Valkyrie is an artist, activist and an excellent writer. She's written a wonderful piece on polytheism. Her perspective reflects my own views on this. Visit her blog The Scallop and the Dusk for more personal and poetic posts. Below is a passage from her article on polytheism:

 I don’t think anyone has the right to gate-keep or dictate what polytheism is. Polytheism is not a new concept. Those who are attempting to control the meaning of ‘polytheism’ seem to have forgotten that this is a concept that goes back thousands of years and spans across cultures all over the world. To define it in a way that excludes more ideas than it embraces is a form of cultural erasure. It is colonialist, and it is abusive. My polytheism begins and ends with “there are many gods and they are real”. [Alley Valkyrie,my polytheism – the scallop and the dusk]

In the Biz, What to do When You Mess Up

Doing readings for clients is simply an amazing thing! I love it. Sometimes it's frustrating for me, the reader. Those of us that do readings professionally sometimes get stuck. It happens. Sometimes the client is the, er, issue. They're a skeptic/debunker and are out to "prove" you're a fraud, they're under the influence, they want to argue, etc.






But sometimes, it's you, the reader, who just, simply, messes up with a client. I am embarrassed and sorry to say this happened to me recently.

I had a returning client who left me a not so hot rating because I had not responded to her request for a reading, nor refunded her money, which she had paid for back in April! I have NO idea what happened, none, but for whatever reason, I had no idea this order was pending.

Naturally I felt awful. And the client --who could blame her for never coming to me again? All I could do was apologize profusely, refund her money, AND, here's the thing, offer her three readings using any decks, any type of reading, for free. That's the least I could do.

It's important to be honest with clients, and do what it takes to make things right. This is not the same as letting clients take advantage, that's a different scene. But in this case, I was dismayed to find I had let things get spacey and took this as a message to stay focused on my goals. Which, by the way, a recent reading I had done for me pointed out! Hmmm…

Tarot readers, psychics, etc. are human, just like everyone else. We make mistakes, goof up, -- we're not pure and magic and above making errors. But if and when we do, it's important to own it and do what we can to make it right.

Animal Spirit Oracle: Susan Boulet

Animal Spirit Oracle, Susan Boulet

A friend of mine did a mini-reading for me using the beautiful Animal Spirit Knowledge Cards Oracle, created by Susan Boulet. (Boulet died in 1997.) I fell in love with the deck and ordered one as soon as I returned home. They arrived the other day, and I've been enjoying exploring this deck.

Crow, Susan Boulet

Some readers feel  that the deck is not used for "divinatory" purposes but  more for personal use. I haven't tried using them in a reading for another, but I will try that just to see. I've had good readings using other animal decks, the Medicine Cards in particular. I'm also curious about using these cards in a multi-deck reading, maybe with the Angel Dreams oracle. (Doreen Virtue.)

The cards are on the smaller side, with full picture on the front, and the meaning on the back. I like the fact that there isn't any text on the front. Just the image, there for you to meditate on without words. The slightly smaller than usual size for tarot or oracle cards doesn't detract from the artwork. There are 48 cards in the deck.

Back: Animal Spirit Knowledge Oracle
Source: Aeclectic Tarot

One slight criticism: I would have liked more diversity in the key words with the descriptions, and some of the images are sideways or "landscape" while the majority are vertical. I found that to be a little distracting.

Reading at Eugene, Oregon Pagan Pride Day

Eugene is having a Pagan Pride Day! I'm honored and excited to know I'll be one of the tarot readers at the fair. If you're in the area, please come! Contact eugenepaganpride.org for info.  Here's their poster:

Witches: Make Your Beds

WITCH: "Over my last decade of both intentionally and unintentionally studying energy, I’ve realized how the organization of space has a huge effect on a person’s creativity, mood, and ability toaffect reality. This is especially important for those who are sensitive to that which exists beyond the mundane." (Carolyn Elliott, WITCH)

image source: pixabay.com

As someone who is -- I am dejected that I need to acknowledge this -- a slob, this article makes perfect sense to me, and clicks in that place where other similar philosophies have failed.  The stagnation I've felt in my own life, that stuck feeling, has much to do with my external environment. As a witch, (fumbling and learning on my twisty path) this article from WITCH speaks to me. One example: we have what we call the "room of doom." Every now and then I go in there to clean it up. I just can't seem to work in there for more than half an hour. My husband doesn't even try. One time I literally passed out in there, just looking at all the chaos and trying to decide where to start. I've placed black stones, mainly obsidian, in corners of the room and that helped for awhile. Granted, there is a weird energy in there -- we felt it when we moved here. Some energy, some residual spirit, is hanging around keeping the creepy chaos intact. Well, off to practice mindful, intention focused, straightening up.

Six Signs You May be a Disaster Shaman – Fractal Enlightenment

This is beautifully written, and very, very intense. By Gary 'Z' McGee,  author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man. Six Signs You May be a Disaster Shaman – Fractal Enlightenment. For those of us who feel as outsiders, who recognize the imbalances, who know that Nature is assaulted moment by moment , who are artists and creators. . .

Tarot Card Synchronicity

One meditative exercise related to tarot I like to do is to mentally do spreads in my head. I decide what deck I'll use, then visualize two or three cards. I don't stop to think about them or decide before hand; I accept whatever pops into my mind. The other night, I was "using" Patrick Valenza's Deviant Moon deck, and the two cards that immediately came to mind were The Star and Two of Cups.  

The next night, I was practicing with the same deck. The first two cards of the first spread were The Star and Two of Cups. An amazing message of synchronicity! Full disclosure: I did not previously have these two cards in a reading, the deck was shuffled very well before hand. I simply picked up the deck, shuffled, and when I laid out the cards, those were the cards. 

According to my mathematical minded husband, the chances of that happening are about six thousand to one. 

Synchronicity! Deviant Moon Tarot, Patrick Valenza