Don't Buy Satanic T-Shirts from Goth Brands

You've seen the T-shirts of Baphomet, inverted pentagram, and other Satanic imagery on T-shirts. Sure, they are cool. But it's more fashionable to support the Satanic Temple, an activist religious organization (and, yes, it is a real religion) based out of Salem, MA. 

In the US, the Christian Right is successfully limiting the reproductive rights of women and fighting back against LGBT groups, and all religious groups that are not Christian, including nonreligious groups. The only effective group fighting back against the Christian Right is the Satanic Temple. Read about their progressive campaigns here. 

If you're an atheist like I am, this religious group is the only one fighting for your right to be free from religion, so support the cause instead lining some gothic fashion brand's pockets. I've got a few of the Satanic Temple T-shirts and they are great quality, plus the illustrations from Luciana Nedelea are stunning. Get the shirts from the official shop:

 

New Year Tarot Spread

Well last year's Hermit card was oddly prophetic, wasn't it? I left blogging early in the year and later still, I was laid off from work. Still am.

I usually do a 1-card reading each year, but his year I'm doing a 1-card tarot reading plus an oracle card to supplement. The tarot card is from the Tattoo Tarot: Ink and Intuition deck and the oracle card is from the Pythia Botanica Oracle deck.

Happy New Year!

Bye, 2016! Hello, 2017!

Witches Festival

Secret Societies

 So I checked out the Masonic and Odd Fellow folk art exhibit ("Mystery and Benevolence") at the museum of folk art last Saturday. My husband, a Mason, is very into secret societies, and was eager to go with. Sadly, the Odd Fellows had cooler occult imagery. The robe above was worn during one of the rituals in the late 1800s. It is pretty awesome. Full description, if you are interested:

Happy New Year!

Thanks for all the great posts this past year! I've enjoyed reading them. Like last year  I've drawn a Tarot card for the following year. 

Psychic photo series

Happy New Years!

A lot happened to me in 2013: a death in the family, a birth in the family, ended a job (THAT was some drama), started a job. I also got my cosmetology license reinstated (purely for the pro products--I'm not going back to being a hairdresser). I did a bit of traveling despite being very broke: Florida, Boston, Philadelphia.

My husband and I have shared new year's "resolutions." Instead of giving something up, we like to take something on. This year it was learning how to do Tarot readings. I think we succeeded. Seems fitting I'd do a reading for next year. I'll just do a one-card reading (from the Deviant Moon deck), since I've got a party to go to.

The confident queen of wands stands a dominant personality in the forest. Her self-assured energy radiates from her soul, attracting everyone she meets with inescapable charm.

Tarot Advice

tarot at the cloisters, one of my favorite places for readings

So, my husband and I had a mutual New Year's Resolution: learn how to do tarot readings. He's got some ways to go, but I think I've got the hang of it. I can pretty much work with any deck and know most of the card meanings by heart. Most of my friends are getting into it too. So, another thing: I'm only doing this for fun and entertainment and not for spiritual reasons/actual divination.

The worst readings are the ones that go this way: Draw a card. Look up the meaning. Say what the card means. "There are unequal relationships." Next card. Look up the meaning. Say what the card means. "Nostalgia." At the end of it, you just get a bunch of abstract, confusing images. What the hell?! You wanted to know how your vacation was going to go!

My advice:

Tell a story: Personally, I think this may be the only advice to being a good tarot card reader. The cards already have everything you need to tell a story: a cast of characters (suits), conflicts and action (the pip cards), and events/themes (major arcana). I've heard of writers turning to the cards to combat writer's block. As you go through the cards, make the person the star of their own drama and walk them through their story. This is way more exciting than just "Five of pentacles: Poverty. Next card is The Fool: a new journey. Next is Strength: means 'strength'" Instead read: "You're about to start a new journey you're not prepared for: poverty. But don't worry, because you possess inner strength, you'll overcome it just fine. In fact it'll make you stronger. Let's see how...[turns next card over slowly, building suspense]" It's like telling a story with some props and showmanship.

A good way to practice this with your friends is with completely bogus, made up situations. For the Steampunk tarot deck, we did a bunch of readings like the following: "How will I manage my airship?" and "Tell me about my life in Steampunk Town--what will I do, who will I date? will I be wealthy?" When we did my reading, I was going to start a travel business (we just said airship..of course) with someone, then I was going to be betrayed, then then I'd spend my days in poverty. Sigh. We also pretended to be gang members for another set of readings....those were interesting cop-thrillers. I think this was excellent practice for storytelling with the cards and a great way to build confidence when telling.

Always relate it to the original question: Don't get caught up in the meanings of the individual cards and miss the big picture. Relate the meanings of the cards to each other and to the original question. Remember, people want an answer. Sure, there's times when the cards do reveal something that's more important than the question. Or maybe you just can't think of a way to relate it to the original question. Try harder.

How about you? do you have tarot advice for readings?

Tarot Decks

My mother doesn't usually fit the Russian stereotype, but she sometimes does. She can be really superstitious...amazingly so. She couldn't sell her house, so she told the Russian realtor "I think there's an Evil Eye on my house or something." The realtor said, "Don't worry! A common concern! We have someone just for this." and... I shit you not... an old lady came around and 'removed' the Evil Eye somehow.

So, I had a library full of witchcraft and pagan stuff and all of that. My mother also used to consult a regular deck of playing cards--spades, diamonds, hearts, clubs--and "accurately" predicted the future. I still don't know for sure what system she was using, but I'm pretty sure it was the Tarot. She refused to tell my fortune, though she did let me get a reading once when I was 14. (no, nothing was accurate)

Then I met the man who would later be my husband, who was into the occult and had a tarot card deck--the Tarot of the Witches. (I kind of love that he chose the witches deck over the testosterone-he-man deck). He only did readings with the Major Arcana.

he loves folk art, so its clear why he chose this deck