#this is the book for one of my fav oracle decks

[ceruleansol]

Everything I needed to hear…

[taisoleil]

One of my fav books I own! Changed my perspective on life. Let's take a look at some of the tabs I have bookmarked :) 💚

Book: LIGHT EMERGING: The Journey of Personal Healing by Barbara Ann Brennan

Take your time. Your body is bodying for a reason. Happy New Moon y'all 💚

My booklist is here: https://www.taisoleil.com/articles/2021/9/7/zupyqgozql77hoicuhi1tblokfnt4y

[tarotnoob]

Pick a Pile: Who’s your soulmate?

Not to be BTS on main, but you’ve probably read references to BTS in previous pick a piles. I love them. They were there for me when I was depressed. I am OT7, ofc, but I have two biases, one of them being Jimin. I think he’s an amazing performer and person. Serendipity is my fav song.

I’d like to honor him with a soulmate pick a card because he’s done a lot for me.

Please take a moment to concentrate, breathe, and choose the pile you’re drawn to based on number, pile, or one of Jiminie’s photos :)

Pile 1

Don’t you dare run away, Pile 1. Let’s figure out what is up with this pile oml

I’m going to clarify all the tarot with the Linestrider.

This is the Serendipity photo pile, so I was expecting something light and fluffy for pile 1. 

Oracles: Truth Be Told - i think - fell out first and as I was putting the deck away, By the Book flopped out so I let it stay. Truth Be Told is essentially about being honest with yourself and others as well as being yourself. By the Book is about not pressuring others to conform to the way you want them to and respecting who they are as an individual (including their background).

Darkness and Void - well, we can’t say these fell out by accident, and it’s fascinating that there’s a bunny in Darkness looking up at the moon when Jimin in the photo is looking up at the (sun) in his photo. Those do remind me of Jimin’s cards, but ANYWAY - should we also talk about all these 4s and 1s in your oracles. Although really it’s 4, 1, 2 (Master 11, rather), 5. Just a little fyi aside, Jimin’s life path number is 11 aka 2. But, without adding them up, there’s synchronicity happening here, which is funny on the Serendipity pile. “All this is no coincidence… Just, just by my feeling.”

Darkness is about doing self-reflection, shadow work, turning inward to explore what isn’t moving us forward. Void is a similar message about a spiritual reset, of letting go and surrendering what isn’t working for you, releasing bad habits, fears or negative thought patterns. This gives me Moon plus Devil vibes.

Connect: I create strong emotional connections with the important people in my life. Dilettante: Delights in the arts without having to be a professional. Alerts you to the danger of becoming superficial in your pursuits. Shadow: Pretension to much deeper knowledge than you actually possess. So this is like “jack of all trades, master of none.” Kinda gives me Gemini vibes. Could enjoy cooking, gardening, sports. 

It’s funny. If you’re a bts fan, this card reminds me of JK because it talks about dabbling in a lot of things, but not making a lot of it. He’s done video editing, played guitar, he cooks. Obviously he’s a professional singer/dancer/entertainer - but on the other side of doing a lot of things/hobbies, but not always following through (ignore the fact even his dabbling is usually exceptional), like his painting.

So you (or them), this should be about them but the cards are probably also giving you a message. But, someone who just likes to explore their interests, has a lot of interesting hobbies, as skillful at a lot of things that they aren’t pursuing as a career. Again, very Gemini. But, Mercury also rules Virgo and I keep getting pulled to Virgo but that’s probably because I talked about him. And Jimin’s moon is in Gemini… I’m not really going to be surprised if his energy snuck in a whee bit here.

I’m going to look at the Tarot and the clarifiers before I pass my conclusion. 

Tower (reversed?), gosh I’ll just give you the full description: When it comes to your love life, the tower reversed indicates that your relationship needs to undergo a few changes. If you want to stick with your partner, then you must put in the work required for it to survive. This usually depends greatly on your ability to calmly and effectively communicate with one another. When you are deciding what must be done to improve your relationship, focus your efforts towards changing on yourself only. Attempts to change your partner rarely go over well. If you can improve your own contributions to the relationship, your partner will likely follow suit.

This already resonates so well with the oracles, but let’s keep going and I’m not clarifying that.

Nine of swords: This is a sense of anxiety, and the moon oracles (besides moon) have a Hermit vibe, as well. Besides Tower (which is Mars), there are a lot of swords here in general, so they could be an air sign, but all these moons could mean they have some water, as well, and the connect also has an emotional feel, so likely an air sign with water or water with a lot of air. And next is Justice, which is the Libra card.

Justice: On a basic level, this person could work in a law-related career, but looking at all the other cards, this more likely has to do with a sense of balance, an equal partnership - where, again, both partners treat teach other with respect and don’t try to change the other. There’s fairness, equality. And if you’ve had previous awful luck in relationships, this could be saying this person will be the answer to what you’ve been wanting (an equal relationship).

Three of swords: (heartbreak, disappointment, miscommunication)

Okay, okay. There’s a theme here. There’s advice here, and then we have crumbs about the person. The big themes here are accepting someone for who they are, honest and open communication, and, essentially, doing the inner work necessary on (yourself) in order to meet this other person half way.

About them specifically? Yeah, I get air vibes mostly, Libra and Gemini (Jimin, can you please step out of this reading - ). Not to mention he’s got Scorpio Venus and Mars and we have these dark, watery oracle cards.

Doesn’t mean he’s not trying to deliver a message to you :)

This person… seems rather… I don’t want to say delicate, but vulnerable because I think they’re going to be a very open person, someone who definitely has a more mercurial mindset, meaning - they think a lot, probably overanalyze, their feelings get hurt easily, they have a natural desire (like Libras often do) for balance and fairness. I think their feelings get hurt easily, they’re sensitive and often need to retreat to think when they’re upset. I think By the Book to THEM, means “golden rule.” Treat others how you deserve to be treated. I think they value honest and open communication - if you lie to them or mislead them, they are going to withdraw from you (hence the Libra next to 3 of swords). 

I think that the relationship will require “teamwork” (reversed Tarot)… If there are issues within the relationship, you’re expected to talk about it. I think they’d appreciate a grounded partner since they have so much air and anxious energy. Don’t get me wrong, this person isn’t high-maintenance. This is just how we air signs are. We think a lot, but we CARE a lot. So if you have a lot of earth in your chart. Fire is also a nice complement to air signs, as well. 

They are going to have a variety of skills they’ll want to share with you, so don’t criticize them. If you aren’t someone who is good at encouraging others and instead always has a critical thing to say - this person… is going to get hurt. They will want to show they care by involving you in their hobbies. They’ll want to make  you dinner or go to the Saturday markets, pick you flowers - very childlike in a way but so, so sweet, so social and communicative. If you don’t know what this vibe is like for this person, you should watch the Serendipity video.

They’re very vulnerable, lovely, romantic, but… a worrier. There’s a lot of moon symbolism here… but like anything there’s a light and dark side to the moon. There’s romance… and then there’s… some dark stuff. And you’ll need to be able to step up to the plate with this person because they might’ve been through some stuff. Someone who’s very nurturing and grounded would be good for them. Also very sincere, honest, but not… overly critical. Definitely someone who wants to think the best of people and the world… even if they have down moments. They’ll want to be really connected to you emotionally and intellectually and will do this through conversation. They’ll probably want to ask you about all kinds of things, from your childhood to your interests to your hopes and dreams or theories on the universe. Oof, I’m so soft for this person.

See, that wasn’t so bad, Pile 1!! Congrats, your soulmate will be someone like Serendipity Jimin xD

—

Pile 2

Pile 2, you picked Lie!Jimin… oof, what an era. Lie gives me Scorpio vibes. Jimin has Mars Scorpio and Venus Scorpio at least, so sex appeal.

I’m drawn to rebel first. I’m not surprised this fell out given the photo. 

Rebel: Challenges authority to effect social change. Rejects spiritual systems that do not serve inner needs. Shadow: Rejects legitimate authority out of anger. Rebels out of peer pressure or fashion. Guide book says this person could be someone politically inclined or an artistic innovator. Sees past tired preconceptions. 

Purpose: My dreams connect me to my Purpose.

Orphaned… I think this resonates with the rebel card. I’ll leave the full description here: https://www.colettebaronreid.com/oracle/orphaned/

This is about someone trying to find their place (within society or their circle). I’m already getting an idea of this person, but let’s do the other oracles.

Release: This is a lot like the Hanged Man. It’s about letting go of patterns or individuals or situations that aren’t serving you. 

Hunger: This is a bit deep. It says: Feed the good and hope within you. Do not let your hunger blindly dictate your actions entirely”. It also tells this story about an old Cherokee telling his grandson that two wolves live within us - one that gives darkness, despair and hate and jealousy and sorrow. And the other that gives light and hope and helpfulness and kindness. And the wolf that wins out is the one you feed. It reminds me of the image on the Moon tarot card. Plus, I swear to g*d that this is so very Lie!Jimin energy. It’s also about recognizing there will just be leaner times in life and making sure we build ourselves up to handle them.

Tarot:

Ace of Needles (Ace of Swords): This can be that you’ll connect on a mental level and find communication easy. This is also about truth and clarity. (I’ll move on and see how it fits with the rest).

Ten of wands: I’m not going to read this negatively, but generally 10 of wands is a sense of feeling burdened or carrying something heavy on your shoulder, which is exactly what I feel with this person. We’ve already talked about this heavy desire to find their place, but also not someone who’s interested in conformity or being locked into a box, and with anyone who… wants to be authentic, but doesn’t want to be ostracized (or alone), there comes a sense of personal burden, to not only be their authentic selves, but to see so many others in the world who force others to conform or feel forced to conform and in experiencing that desire to be themselves, they seem to be someone interested in social justice.

The High Priestess: (more Moon) energy…  this person likely is in touch with their divine feminine energy. Like Jimin, he’s beyond ridiculous gender stereotypes. If you caught his Filter performance this weekend, you know he promotes this concept of… he can wear women’s clothes and look good in them, he’s someone who can attract all genders to him (regardless of sexuality even)… it’s a very gender fluid notion. It could be that this person (regardless of gender) is a feminist, an equalitarian, socially and politically progressive, or should I say socially and politically AGGRESSIVE. Or should I say for rapline: UGH-gressive. Haha, bts joke. 

The Chariot: This is usually about being very focused, focused will, often the Career card, also Cancer card (again more Moon, more watttteeer). Lots of fluidity and emotions. So, being political or… all of these emotions or thoughts that surround this person’s… passion for non-conformity and social or cultural or whatever stereotypes could actually be part of their career/life purpose.

Putting it altogether, I think this person could be a water sign. Someone who’s not a loner, per se, but someone who definitely marches to their own tune. They stand up for what they believe in, they are intensely passionate about only putting themselves in situations where they feel like their circle is authentic and not like a fake progressive as some people are. They won’t hop on the cancel train because it’s trending, they’ll do so if they believe in it. I’d say they’re highly political or definitely very vocal in political debates or at least feel strongly about their beliefs. Passion is definitely their purpose. If you’re fake, if you don’t care, if you sit on the fence - this person isn’t likely to respect you, though, I should say they’d respect your opinion within reason… I don’t see them as just being belligerent about their beliefs because that would be obnoxious and make them slightly hypocritical. It’s more a sense of… a lone wolf content to do their own thing but really they’re looking for their tribe/pack. There’s something very restless about their energy.

I do think it’s okay to say appearance-wise they will be… very sexy, very alluring, very intense and enigmatic… possibly even more of a “feminine” beauty if they identify as male and if they are female-identifying, then just… sexy and intense. Definitely scorpio vibes here, possibly with a bit of fire because there’s so much raw passion here. I think you can just look at the oracles and get a good idea of this person’s energy - strong, proud, a little lonely, full of passion and purpose, a rebel…  my only advice would be this person is so… their energy isn’t slow… this isn’t someone who just… sits under a tree writing poetry every day. Meaning, you’re going to need to keep up with their (fast) pace and high intensity emotions. And the other thing is as I’m thinking about the one scorpio I dated is that they can go a little… tunnel-vision. They can be possessive, jealous, emotional, secretive (High Priestess). Mysterious. Keep thoughts to themselves. It’ll be important to make sure communication is clear here as are boundaries and expectations so they don’t steamroll you.

But hey, did I mention they’ll be sexy? Wink wonk. Priorities, Pile 2.

—

Pile 3

Pile 3, you picked Promise!Jimin. Promise is a sweet, sad song… but we’ll see how its vibe fits in with the cards. Is it sweet, though? It’s a sweet melody. It’s a sweet way of talking about how to handle troubles (within a relationship and then individually). Talking about being someone’s light, but being your own light, too.

First off, it’s not here, but I’m getting Empress vibes because of the Mother and Faith card. Also Peace and co-create have this sense of “birth.” Birth can mean anything from actual parenthood to creative birth or the birth of love or self-love. All of these things fall under the Empress (Libra/Taurus - Venus).

I’m not surprised 7 of cups fell out first because the cards, themselves, fell out in an uncertain way… I wasn’t sure if I should take five of pentacles and 10 of cups because they flopped out, and - that’s usually symbolic of the energy.

I’m not going to give the full descriptions of these oracle cards but this is Wisdom of the Oracles and if you google them, they all come up.

Not For You - is, kind of literally what it means… the situation, a person, a belief, the timing isn’t right, etc…

Peace - in terms of relationships, this has two of cups vibes. This is a harmonious relationship, so much so that you feel an inner peace because of how you connect with the other person.

Breathe - this is being patient, needing time to open up, remaining calm, avoid getting tensed up over things

Co-create - Relationship Message: “Connections of the heart serve to inspire you, opening you up to new ideas you would never have come to on your own. You are looking in a mirror held up by this experience and seeing yourself in an unexpected way. Who is this extraordinary being looking back at you? You are going to be so happy that you kept your heart open! Your love is a unique work of art now, the very embodiment of beauty.”

I thought I’d put the whole thing because, this is all very Empress, two of cups energy… this person could be very well mirror you in a lot of ways. You’ll feel like when you’re with them there is some sort of divine connection as if you’ve always known them, as if you can speak or not speak at all and they understand you with just a look or a single word. You can sit together and say nothing and feel perfectly content. 

Not For You - I want to talk about this, to me, this is probably about divine timing. There is very likely someone very special designated for you, possibly someone you’ve known in other lifetimes because that is going to be how it feels when you meet them. This person will make you feel very calm and you will do the same for them. They may be particularly creative, they may be into spiritual practice, including yoga or just… naturally be someone with an open heart and mind.

I’m realizing now you got the welcome oracle and Jimin’s got his arms open as if welcoming you. Bless his heart. It says “When I dream, I invite limitless magic into my life and I welcome my spirit guides to show up in wondrous and unexpected ways.” If anything, I think this alludes to the way your spirit tribe is going to be working to make all the proper preparations for your meeting with this person and again just believe and be open to the idea of destiny.

I think that resonates with the Mother and Faith - have faith in the universe and your guides. Mother is - Nurturance, patience, unconditional love. Joy in giving birth to life.” To me this is about being overflowing with love of the purest kind, like a mother to a child (figuratively, I mean, as all mother-child relationships are different, ofc).  This woman in Faith and the Mother, too, are just so open and welcoming and full of love and peace and the ability to create something of beauty. 

As for the tarot:

7 of cups is usually… indecision, illusion, daydreaming, multiple choices, lots of emotions happening at once… five of pentacles is usually about… some kind of spiritual or financial lack or waiting or seeking help when it’s right around the corner but you’re not necessarily… seeking it out… and then 10 of cups is usually ultimate emotional contentment/happiness/fulfillment. 

I think the message here is layered. Since you’re being guided to be patient and open to this connection, I think on the one hand this emphasizes this idea of daydreaming and fantasizing….  and this idea of being “pregnant” with options and feelings…. but it also indicates an uncertainty…  the five of pentacles may give the sense that you might be doubting whether it’s going to happen but, again, to trust in the process and your guides because happiness awaits you in the future. I want to actually clarify real quick too.

 Interesting. 

Seven of cups is clarified by Tower. It actually popped out as I was shuffling with a bunch of other cards and came out again so that’s legit. This could indicate that you or they might’ve had… a lot of failed relationships so you’re a little uncertain about THE ONE ever showing up, but in my experience (though I haven’t met THE ONE, all the failures build you up to be ready to handle THE ONE once the universe aligns everything). I just sense more in you than this person (but if you’re mirroring each other it’s one in the same), that you just… there could be big stuff in here in terms of disappointment and romantic hurt, so I’m not brushing over that, but the focus isn’t on the pain… it’s more like this is… in the past because then five of pentacles has Temperance clarifying it, and this is healing, especially spiritual healing, coming into balance, moderation (patience), also Sag energy. It’s a fairly spiritual pile, not surprised with 3.

I feel like this sense of feeling sort of lost has occurred due to (x) reasons that aren’t important right now, and then I see spiritual healing, I see… loneliness, but under all that you still have hope and still dream of something more. It’s pretty amazing how well it fits the lyrics for Promise, yeesh. I’m getting emotional.

Finally 10 of cups clarified by 4 of cups. This gives me the sense again of waiting. It’s like there’s ambiguity here, but I’m reading it as - again - this is about divine timing so it’s like “hi we’re your guides, we’re buffering rn.”

It’s also got similar vibes to 7 of cups…  it’s also this sense of not having faith when you should because, well, it’s coming, so don’t give up… and make sure to keep your (heart) open to this because it will be offered and you can’t just sit and ignore it because this one cup is equal to 10 cups.

This pile touched more on the journey and yourself whereas the others had more details about the person but my feel is that they’re very similar to you anyway, at least where it matters… it’s a sad pile, but there’s a sense of destiny and future peace and calm and harmony and spiritual help and timing… of love that’s so pure it’s kind of like… how you expect the creator to feel about its creations. It’s definitely screaming divine soulmate here.

If I could say anything about them is that they’ll be nurturing and patient and feel similarly to how you do when you’re together…  maybe they’ll already have children or be good with kids or be a bit childlike in terms of idealism, faith, hope.

I think they’ll be a creative person and have creative thoughts…  I think they’ll be spiritually in tune with you and the universe by the time you meet. Again looking at Not For You, it’ll be important to pay attention to signs and messages, the chess pieces make me think there’s a strategy in place, letting the pieces be set up how they need to be…  there’s angels and guides involved, asking you to have faith and keep your heart open, to practice self-love, nurturing yourself so that you know how to nurture someone else, so that you’re whole by the time you meet your person…  and eventually when you look back, you’ll see how all these strings of events led up to this moment and the moment couldn’t have happened without all those ups and downs… so anyway.

That’s what I see for you Pile 3. I’m quite envious. Stream Promise :)

[glamourzombie]

Things around here are starting to fall into place. I’m moving into a new apartment with hubs and our two rats, and it’s only a 15 minute walk from my new workplace. There’s been so much healing energy going on, and though healing is good, it isn’t always a smooth road. I’ve been working with today’s deck for about three months, and it’s been a blessing - and not in disguise. The Sacred Mothers & Goddesses Oracle, published by Blue Angel, is intended to embrace the strength and wisdom of divine women for insight, direction, and soul-empowering transformation - exactly what I needed!

Created by Claudia Olivos, “this dynamic 40-card deck introduces you to sacred mothers, goddesses, and priestesses”. It does so through expressive, tender artwork filled with saturated hues taken from a broad palette. Of course, these cards are very figure-oriented, as the key elements are the figures themselves. Four cards represent priestesses, one focuses on the Sacred Feminine in general, and the other 35 cards feature mothers and goddesses from the following origins: Irish (2), Greek (8), Egyptian (3), Buddhist (5), Hopi (1), Norse (1), Mayan (1), Hinduist (3), Christian (3, one of them Algonquin-Mohawk), Mapuche (1), Incan (2), Welsh (1), Romano-Celtic (1), Aztec (1), Slavic (1), Santería (1). Though Greek goddesses are more represented, I really like the diversity that has been taken into account.

The cards feature the up-close and personal artwork, a number (to easily locate them in the guidebook), their names, and keywords (not present in the non-goddesses cards). Now, moving on from the beautiful, calming artwork, we focus on the guidebook. With almost 180 pages, it works at being both a comprehensive companion book as well as the starting point for the deck.

It features a comprehensive introduction (including an initiation, a how-to, and creating sacred space) as well as the cards’ messages. These in turn include information about the goddesses and mothers, their messages, related activities and rituals, altar creation, and (my fav) a spread for each. This is the most exciting feature for me and the one that has kept me so engaged. I draw a card from the deck, work on it, and then intuitively choose a tarot deck to work with it. The Blue Angel production quality, as always, is excellent. The cards are matte and borderless, and they come in a sturdy two part box.

The Sacred Mothers and Goddesses Oracle is a deck that, honestly, caught me off-ward in the best way possible. It is my first goddess-based deck because I hadn’t felt the pull towards any... until this one. It is both powerful and gentle, filled with wisdom and proactive behaviours. It’s a deck that gets you moving spiritually and in many other ways. The guidebook is excellent, and the cards pair really well with a variety of decks. But don’t be misled by the big words, it’s also a very fun, heartwarming oracle. Another great production at Blue Angel Publishing that you need to check out!

[glamourzombie]

Preorder alert! The Spirit Cards are in their second printing and will be back in stock the 20th. In the meantime, I wanted to share my review of the first printing of this beautiful 44 card oracle deck. Created from the inspired artwork of John Arthur Moseley, “each one is a unique piece of visionary art that inspires, activates and connects you more deeply with your heart and spirit”.

Each card is one of Moseley’s Spirit Paintings. They are vibrant, detailed and full of texture, and have an incredible depth to them both in artistic terms and in its symbolism. The palette is wide, with both rich saturated colours and muted hues, and light play is given great attention. Sacred geometry is hugely important, being the Sri Yantra the main protagonist - a symbol representative of the perfect balance of the divine feminine and the sacred masculine. Though the images depicted are very realistic, they have a dream-like quality to them; with this, they manage to bridge two worlds, making the earthly cosmic - and vice versa. On their bottom, you can find their name plus three expansive keywords to work on.

One of my favourite things about this deck is its structure, having different sections: the Divine Feminine and Sacred Masculine (9 cards), the Natural Elements (8 cards), the Animal Spirits (18 cards), and the Dancers and Dreamers (9 cards). As you can see, the natural world is quite a central part of this deck, and it is even present in cards from the first and fourth sections, making this a perfect oracle to work with natural energies. What I also love is that it connects to an ancestral sphere in a way that it truly feels like you’re being guided by an elder, someone you can rely on because of its vast experience.

The companion book is excellent: its 108 pages feature a prohpecy, an introduction, a section on how to use the cards, and the card messages. These feature a black and white image of the card, its name and three keywords, an affirmation or quote (a fav detail of mine), information on the concept or spirit involved, and a message per-se. This gives us a lot to work at different levels, so each card can be approached in different ways by different people or at different times. The production quality is exquisite: big cards in flexible but resistant cardstock with mirror gold edges, a lovely tactile texture (similar to linen finish); a nice purple velvet pouch that (oh my!) can actually fit in the box while holding the cards, and a lovely magnetic flap box which isn’t only sturdy, but beautiful with foil details.

The Spirit Cards oracle deck is an amazing tool to connect with ourselves and with nature, but also through nature. It is empowering in its images and in the way it gears towards a proactive attitude, with its guided meditations, and affirmations. Though it can be quiet and gentle, most of the times it feels like a window to movement and exploration, so it is a great deck for both grounding and branching out. Last but not least, its ancestral vibe makes me feel secure and guided, which makes it a great deck for healing and support. John Moseley is offering a 25% discount in preorders with the code APPRECIATION, so go get them while they’re in the oven for a meaningful Holiday treat!

[glamourzombie]

Taking pictures is getting more difficult now that days are shorter. I never know what time will be the best to take nice pics with natural sunlight. Oh well, it's all about trial and error now. Today I'm here with a really loved tarot deck full of rich symbolism: The Alchemical Tarot: Renewed Fourth Edition by Robert M. Place (an important name in the world of tarot). By the name you can already understand why I say it's a well-known and loved deck, as it's already on its fourth edition! In this case, the differences go beyond a set number of decks per edition, and instead we find a revamped 79 card deck.

All four editions are different, and Robert makes a better job than I would ever do at describing them in this page. However, to give you a key image, this deck has a totally redesigned colouring which resembles an antique alchemical manuscript, and features many more alchemical symbols. Indeed, alchemy is at the core of this deck. Why is that so? In words of Robert, this "79 card Tarot deck [...] demonstrates the close link between alchemical symbolism and traditional Tarot imagery and illustrates that the Tarot, like the alchemical quest, is designed to lead one to the gold of inner wisdom". If you're wondering about the 79th card, it's the original Lovers card that was censored in the first publication (so it means there are two Lovers cards including the one that was first published). I really appreciate that you can see all of the cards here, including those two Lovers cards as well as the back design - though they look much better in life, the illustrations pop out because of the high quality printing!

The illustrations are amazing. They contain so much deep symbolism without being overwhelmed, by making use of even the tiniest details (expressions, small elements, and of course the use of colours and alchemical symbols). They feature lots of human characters, but also mythic creatures, animals, plants and human-made objects. There are many cards that I adore, but if I were to pick one, I'd say the Ace of Vessels (cups) is the one I can't get out of my mind.

Because of how expressive and beautiful it is, I think beginners and experts (whatever expert means!) would appreciate it. It's a great deck to build layers of understanding for each card (of course always taking into account the alchemical factor). It can give hours upon hours of study and meditation, and though it doesn't come with a booklet, you can find information about each card here. The cards come in a custom tuckbox and feature a glossy finish.

The Alchemical Tarot in all its editions is an incredibly interesting and intriguing deck, but I think this Renewed Fourth Edition is seriously the best. There is nothing that can beat the harmony created between the alchemical symbols and the antique feeling of the parchment toned illustrations. And this isn't the only work by Robert M. Place of course! You can also check The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery (second fav), The Hermes Playing Card Oracle, The Burning Serpent Oracle, The New York Lenormand, The Raziel Tarot, and The Facsimile Italian Renaissance Woodcut Tarocchi, as well as others that are not sold on this site and which include The Angels Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot and the Vampire Tarot. And you can pre-order his new book, The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism! Plenty of eye (and spirit) candy for everyone!

[the-moon-at-zenith]

let me blow in like a gentle breeze bringing chery blossom scent then. one thing you should know abt me though is that when i kept a diary as a child/pre-teen, i would scrupulously write down mundane details like what i ate that day, what toys i played with (and what drama happened between them), what time my fav tv show about animals was, when i went to sleep etc. such a shame i threw this masterpiece away a couple of years ago, i'd love to know what i had for breakfast on June, 16 2001 :(

anyways, i hope reading this will bring you a pleasant experience.

yesterday was an average but nice day, and i hadn't had those in a while, so it felt kinda special.

i woke up 15 minutes before my first alarm, which is a marvel in its own. i wasn't sleepy and spent that time cherishing the moments of being in bed.

i had coffee from my fav mug, my granny's gift. it pictures the light blue sea and a sailing ship with red sails, and there's a small poem on another side titled "to my grandchild." non-poetically translated, it wishes that each of my days be filled with heartfelt warmth and illuminated by magic light.

that day i also decided to make a habit of "stupid little daily walks for my stupid physical and mental health™." i went out with my mom the day before to get to a pharmacy, which resulted in me being outside and walking for 1,5 h. that was a good start.

i drew a card for the day from my oracle deck (a habit long forgotten) and got my motto is "everything is fine now." i loved the message and left the card at my bedside drawers for the day.

so i took my pills and went out. i walked around my building and then it dawned on me that my 26yo ass could go on the swings because there are seven just near my building, and all of them except one were vacant, and children were playing around but showed no interest towards the swings.

the thing is, ever since i learnt how to swing, which was pretty early considering that those are my earliest memories, i would do only that when outside for a walk. mastering the skill gave me autonomy so i could just spend hours daydreaming with no one getting tired of pushing the swing. it also drew an invisible line between me and other children: i was unapproachable and they usually wouldn't bring me down from my clouds. i adored the swings, to say the least.

i stopped swinging when i was 13. my mom decided to stop being a housewife and found a job. thus, we stopped going on our daily "walks," which essentially were me swinging and my mom reading a book on a bench. also, the school curriculum was becoming more and more overwhelming for me, and my mom really wanted me to graduate with honors, and nothing else was asked of me, so i tried my best and more, and that meant some a lot of sacrifices.

getting back to yesterday, i collected myself and casually walked to the swings while ignoring the presence of some parents at the playground. i mean, the swings are meant for children, and i sure am someone's child, so i don't see a problem here.

and so i did the swinging, and boy did it feel good.

it didn't make me feel 10 years younger or anything but i sure felt refreshed and content. couldn't properly daydream though because children were yelling, and i have had some serious sensory issues lately, so i listened to a podcast episode (which was called "Queer & Magic" and i just loved it).

also that day:

didn't have a headache, only some tension in the head, esp in temple areas, but it still didn't become a full headache

i surfed online shops to find some essentials for a stray cat now living at the tenth floor near my wife's apartment; we're planning to adopt this baby, so we need a cat owner starter pack and basic vet services, which i eagerly studied as well and then discussed with my beloved

my student asked to reschedule the lesson for another day, so my evening turned out completely free, and i could write a post for an RP with my wife

i finally decided on the way of keeping the weekly log in my bullet journal: one page of the spread is for urgent non-essentials & work (lessons, errands, chores, shower reminders), and another one is for things that bring me dopamine happiness (spending time w/ my wife, writing posts for RPs, writing blog posts, learning about stuff, and all other things from my "dopamine menu," which i actually made into a picture for easy access)

first time in a few weeks made a daily check-in entry (i no longer push myself to do it daily although i keep the name), which helped me trace sources of some of my recent depressive thoughts, and i made a few surprising conclusions which feel to be really close to the truth; also, writing that down helps get it out of my head so that i don't keep munching it, and that does feel good

by the end of the day, i thought of a friend i hadn't contacted for more than half a year (and i think i also forgot to contact her on her b-day, although i might've called but i can't remember if i actually did). absence of object permanence makes it hard for me to keep in touch with people. i don't use facebook, i deleted twitter a long time ago, i haven't visited instagram for a few months already (for my mental health), so i have no idea what's going on in the lives of those i don't directly communicate with, and i'm kinda absent from their lives.

but with this person, i know i might just send her a few photos from my camera roll that i especially like. and because i usually feel too overwhelmed to actually tell (in writing) about what has been up, this is a perfect way to just say "hey, i'm thinking about you." and so i did. and she replied with the photos of her own. we exchanged a few messages. i felt like writing her a letter, on actual paper (that's the kind of a person she is to me, i guess, a person i'd love to write an "old-fashioned" letter to), so i suggested this, and she was just genuinely happy about getting a real letter.

finally, i watched the full moon from my balcony. it rose above the lights of the city and above the forest, and the water in the lakes was glimmering silver.

hey y’all when was the last time you had a good day? feel free to describe it in as much detail as you’d like <3