Tarot Tuesday: The Wild Unknown

Oh, hello there, lovelies!

How goes it today, friends?

I've been getting in a little community and travel therapy this past week. My body's tired but it's been magick for the spirit!

I didn't come back with a lot of travel themed souvenirs but I did go a little tarot deck crazy. I was traipsing about the historic Pike's Place Farmer's Market and stumbled away from the crowds towards the familiar calling scents of Patchouli and Nag Champa. It's funny how a small new age/dirty hippie store looks kind of the same no matter where you go. I strolled about the small space a bit aimlessly, seeing the familiar oils, essences, and incense burners. Noticing a tarot reader in back and tarot section in their few shelves of books I took a quick gander. I then took one last grounding breath of aroma therapy and turned myself bravely towards the chaos of the market at midday that awaited outside the shop's doors.

Luckily (or due to the Fates), I got a few extra minutes outside of the shop waiting for afternoon travel plans to solidify. I foggily gazed back at the store and noticed a Wild Unknown poster in the window. I had been eyeing this deck for awhile, knowing I could order it online, but also sort of waiting for it to find me. Intrigued, I went back into the store and sure enough, on a second glance, with a little more intention, there it sat in the display case I had stood directly over a few minutes before! I couldn't resist and I'm so happy I didn't!

I'm sure there will be many more Tarot Tuesdays  devoted to a lovefest with The Wild Unknown but for now I couldn't think of anything more appropriate for this little playshop space that we've built here together other than Kim Krans' opening invitation into this beautiful deck:

"I quickly noticed the realm of tarot is a confusing & intimidating place. There are a lot of contradicting voices out there about how to use the cards & what they mean... You'll probably come up against these feelings too as you start to give readings to yourself or others. Doubts, fears, "I can't do this", "I don't know enough".

Well here's the thing: you do know enough. You've been a person on earth every day since you were born. You've experienced all the emotions and situations these cards depict. Quiet the naysayer... don't let him prevent you from sitting down with a friend (or yourself) & using these cards to help you talk about what's going on in your life. It will be positive. It will be radical. You'll find things start to reveal themselves through the cards that have been hidden away, covered with dust. May these cards bring you moments of peace & steadiness. I would be so honored."

{Kim Krans}

In Honor of OUR Wild Unknown,

Traci

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Traci {She|Her|Hers|They|Them|Theirs} is a yoga teacher, therapist and amateur tarot enthusiast! They try to believe in the power of their inner Magician, stay inspired by the Fool’s spirit, understand struggle through the lens of The Tower/Disaster and always stay reminded that, “The Star Awaits…”

Tarot Tuesday: Finding Your Deck

Okay, full disclosure. I may or may not have had lots of plans to go camping, hiking, attend a vegan faire, and connect in with community (BTW- Check out this rad queer artist meetup!) and instead binge watched 2/3 of the first season of Witches of East End with my partner this weekend. I could make excuses. It's true. It did start out as an ironic Netflix choice which quickly disintegrated into melting into bed with eyes glazed over staring blankly at my laptop and squealing at each twist and turn in expected plot line. Sure it's problematic in a myriad of ways. However, the truth of the matter is we're queer folx of a certain age that grew up on Buffy (easy 25-35 year old queermos... no one's putting Witches of East End in the same category as Buffy) and Charmed. So to be perfectly honest, we were already hooked by the time Freddie Prinze Jr appeared as a geeky butterfly expert. {Sidenote: Butterfly hunting doesn't seem super vegan but does apparently require washboard abs.}

We just couldn't say good bye either (read: turn off sequential episode play on Netflix).

Stay with me it's all connected.

I think the draw for queer folx to shows with fantasy plot lines and secret identities is that what makes us different may, in fact, also make us awesome. Life can sometimes feel lonely and isolating. This is especially true when we only have negative reflections of ourselves out in the world and identifying ourselves to others might put us in danger. We might have to fight to search out our histories because they are hidden, downplayed, or corrupted by the majority voice. Still, if we remain dedicated and find them, we can also access courageous and powerful narratives to re-discover our roots. Once we understand our roots, everything else starts to make a little more sense and we can focus on closing the hell mouth.... and... I digress.

Okay, maybe you think I'm stretching the healing capacity of fantasy television dramas, but there are countless studies that show the importance of positive and accurate reflections in solidifying a strong sense of self. It stands to reason that in times when we are seeking healing, guidance, and are potentially at our most vulnerable that we find healing practices that also reflect our uniquely magical stories and histories.

So if you're thinking of starting to play with tarot, or perhaps you've started and it didn't seem like the images or explanations resonated with you, take some time to find a deck that reflects you and makes sense! Last week we talked about the "woo closet" and all of the ways it is challenging to trust our intuitive healing wisdom. It's a big task and the least we can do is support our journey by reminding ourselves that what makes us unique makes us awesome, that we're not the only ones walking this journey, and that our current expression is a product of powerful and courageous histories.

So take some time to look for and sit with a deck (here are some great finds by Little Red Tarot on Autostraddle). If it doesn't resonate, don't assume it's you or that tarot itself isn't a good fit for you. It may not be, but you may also just need to find a deck that makes more sense to you.

Oh, also, they pull tarot on Witches of East End. Did I mention that? That's probably a better argument for why this is connected to Tarot Tuesday. :)

Happy Deck Hunting,

Traci

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Traci {She|Her|Hers|They|Them|Theirs} is a yoga teacher, therapist and amateur tarot enthusiast! They try to believe in the power of their inner Magician, stay inspired by the Fool’s spirit, understand struggle through the lens of The Tower/Disaster and always stay reminded that, “The Star Awaits…”

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