A Black, Queer Reflection on Martin Luther King and the Unfinished Project of Freedom
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
You Do Not Have to Journal All The Things
Also from Interrobang Tarot: What to Include in Your Tarot Journal
I did a little informal intention setting for the new year that I wanted to get serious about
doing my daily card drawings and I’ve been doing pretty well. I got myself another Fools Dog ap which helps because sometimes lately, digital is all I’ve got the energy for. The two decks I use most in Ap form are the Ostara Tarot and the Tarot of the Hidden Realm. I also have both of them in physical format as well.
And MAN, all this week SWORDS. I use yellow in my tarot journal to indicate swords/air and
the whole week is yellow.
I had the seven of swords twice in a row this week, from different decks even. And then this morning I drew the Ten of swords. Yikes. I’m pretty sure the ten came up expressing my frustration around an incident where an “Ally” acted like an uneducated person and I was pretty much on the spot to speak up for all queer people (which happens a lot). I felt a little 10 of swordsy. Literally wrote in my notebook: “TFW when you gotta educate the “Allies”. Fucking Tired.” This was around trans issues and I’m a cis person. I can’t even imagine how frustrated and tired my trans friends must feel around this crap. Sending so much love.
In other, more fun news. I’ve been holing up in my studio and Quilting All The Things! Tarot card mats have come off the machine recently. Last year I took an online class in watercolor quilting and I’ve finally gotten around to trying out the new skill.
You can see the pretty watercolors in the background of today’s 10 of Swords draw. You paint the fabric with this fabric paint/dye and after it dries you use free motion quilting to outline the color shapes. I’m crazy into it right now. I have a few more squares of fabric to paint up and then I’ll probably have a few more mats to show you.
I got inspired by another reader on IG and I made a simple three card layout mat as well. I took a bunch of more ‘curated’ photos of it and then I decided to share this long shot with you. Fighting that, everything must look perfect vibe. I did light a pretty candle here, but in the background you can see my hexie paper punch, my wife is painting with water colors over on the left, and the leftovers from a D&D gaming session cover the far end of the table. Is it Instagram Perfect Beautiful? Nope, but does it work? Sure does. Sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got. And sometimes that’s a messy dining room table or a sink full of dishes because I spent more time at the sewing machine than I did with a sponge. #RealLife 🙂
Love to you all in the new year. May your 2018 be Beautiful and Creative.
I’m coming at you on the tail end of working two back to back 12.5 hour shifts so these links could be a little squirrelly. And don’t ask me how many attempts it took to correctly write these two sentences, because it’s a little embarrassing.
I’ve been all about the quilting lately, the bug bit me and it hasn’t let go yet. I’m a quilting machine when I’m not eating or sleeping. I want to try making some new more fancy zippered tarot pouches but I’m not sure what I want them to look like.
What do you look for in a tarot pouch? Room for just the cards? Cards and some crystals? A notebook pocket? Let me know.
But you NEED to see these Resistance Quilts by Completely Cauchy. The one made in Honor of Eric Garner is a punch in the gut. As it should be. Also her Give a Fuck quilt block series is damn cool.
Not your spirit animal: Cultural appropriation, misinformation, and the Internet.
Like most things on the internet, however, this is not only wrong but extremely offensive. The culturally-appropriative way that the term “spirit animal” is used in everyday speech is extremely harmful and so casual that most people don’t even think twice about it.
The reason why the term spirit animal has risen to popularity on the Internet is because it’s so easily understood. What people are saying is that they like this thing a lot and that makes them happy. It’s that simple. Using “spirit animal” is a short hand that shows how into something they are.
The problem is that the continued use of the phrase is a part of the cultural appropriation of Indigenous culture that seeks to commodify and erase the realities of Indigenous people.
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This post on Little Fox Tarot about Eva DuPlan’s upcoming Tarot Kickstarter has me all a twitter. The cards look GORGEOUS and I really want one!! The kickstarter goes live on December 1st and I cannot wait to back it! In the mean time, follow Eva on Instagram to get your fix of beautiful butterfly ladies.
I am getting into a festive kind of mood because I enjoy the winter holidays. But I know that’s not the case for lots of folks, and I want them all to know that it’s perfectly okay to NOT want to get caught up in all the stuff that goes on this time of year. It’s not a message that we hear nearly often enough, and that’s not cool. So I’m sending you all love. And also linking this awesome post from The Tarot Lady: How to Opt-Out of the Holidays.
FUCK YES, GIRL SCOUTS. I loved this article about the girl scouts and their message around consent. I was in girl scouts for almost my entire school aged life and being a part of the girl scouts made me who I am today. It was SUCH a positive, confidence building, skill learning experience. Support your local girl scouts. Buy the dang cookies, or better yet, make a donation directly to them!
Today’s card is the Ace of Swords from the Ostara Tarot.
It’s a pretty dang apt card for me easing back into trying to get my daily draw practice back into gear. The mouse king stands victoriously on the handle of the sword. The ace of swords represents issue of the mind. Reason and logic and mental clarity. It’s time to stop being the mouse and use that sword to cut through all the crap clouding my brain.
Either that or there is a brainy issue heading my way and I’ll need the sword to wrangle all of it.
Resharing the words of a dear friend about the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, I not only honor and remember our trans family members in our big rainbow family who have died due to violence and discrimination committed against trans folk…I reaffirm, passionately and with my deepest conviction, to fight like hell for the living. &heart;
A reminder that this is a trans safe space, and *any* space that is mine is a trans safe space. That I am a passionate advocate of trans rights. That I have a zero tolerance policy of slurs or hatred directed against trans folks.
A reminder, to my trans loved ones and fans, that you are seen and heard and I love you with my whole heart. I will fight for you, always. If you are ever unsafe, I will protect you. If you are ever hurting, I will help you in any way that it is in my power. You are…
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Newsletters to Brighten Your Day. I can absolutely confirm that the Tarot Bits and Bobs one is great! I look forward to getting it in my inbox.
Back from an unexpected hiatus. Some life stress caused me to retreat from most of the internet, but I’m feeling better again and ready to chatter about Tarot again!
A nice little piece on Offbeat Home talking about Forgiveness and why you don’t necessarily have to forgive.
Then there is a point where our anger no longer serves us
And that point usually comes after we are no longer actively being harmed. And that harm has been acknowledged and validated by our community (best case) or, at minimum, by ourselves.
It is at that point that we can accept the things we cannot change and have the courage to change the things we can. And it is here, right here, that I think “forgiveness” was substituted for “acceptance” by our culture.
I’m totally not getting a kickback from this company, but we bought our kitties a Cat-It treat ball and them seem to get a great kick out of it. Plus it’s supposed to be engaging for their little brains, so sounds good to me 🙂
I’ve been listening a ton to podcasts lately and I want to share a few of my favorites:
Nancy from WNYC Studios – BFFs Kathy Tu and Tobin Low are super queer, super fun and ready to take over your podcast feed. Join them for provocative stories and frank conversations about the LGBTQ experience today. Because everyone’s a little bit gay…
Radiolab – not a new one, but DANG is it good stuff. – Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.
From The Tarot Lady – Tarot Certification: Do you need it?
Teachable Racial Moment: A Black History Lesson Behind “Son of a Bitch”
Top 10 Phrases used by #NotRacists
RuPaul Is Everything: The Rise & Reign of America’s First Drag Superstar
Diverse Tarot Decks you can buy right now.
Beth from Little Red Tarot talks about the Impostor Complex. And I sigh with relief and say, “Oh good, it’s not just me!”
From the Tarot Lady: some timely advice that I really needed to hear: You can Always Help. I’ve quoted her below because it was such an important message. Please go take a look yourself too.
The last few weeks have been filled with terrible news: the senseless murder in Charlottesville, devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, floods in Bangladesh, and so on and so on.
Some days, it seems like there is no good news to be found. It’s enough to make you want to bury your head in the sand or lose yourself in countless reruns of the Game of Thrones finale (my favorite method of escapism).
Believe me, I have those days more often than I’d like to admit. There are times when I feel downright helpless to fix the state of the world. But rather than turn away, I try my best to look for ways that I can help.
I can donate my time or money. Or I can spread awareness by sharing information as it comes. When I’m feeling especially powerless, I can light candles, meditate, and pray.
Every single effort counts.
Also her Hit List posting are always FULL of fantastic articles to check out, so go have a read.
If you struggle with reading Court Cards this post has some great insight – Renaming the court cards.
How to make art when you’re “not an artist”. Loved this.
Four Essential Herbs for a Witch’s Garden.
Wooly Witchy Tarot 