Tarot cards and Oracle cards: they're two of a kind!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQTqKcojrVY



Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Berkeley Square*
But Patty's only seen the sights
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights -
What a crazy pair!

But they're cousins,
Identical cousins all the way.
One pair of matching bookends,
Different as night and day.

Where Cathy adores a minuet,
The Ballets Russe, and crepe suzette,
Our Patty loves to rock and roll,
A hot dog makes her lose control -
What a wild duet!

Still, they're cousins,
Identical cousins and you'll find,
They laugh alike, they walk alike,
At times they even talk alike -

You can lose your mind,
When cousins are two of a kind.

Since my mind is firmly set on 60s Universal Time, no matter the time zone, my references are quite often older than I am. Or at least older than a Twist 'n Turn Barbie (there. There's another 6UT reference for ya). So when I was met with a particular situation this past weekend while doing a tarot reading event, my mind went to Patty Duke,

Educate yourself if you need to, oh sweet baby milennials, but Patty Duke, child star extraordinaire, had her own TV show wherein she portrayed Cathy and Patty, a pair of identical cousins who are as different as a peanut butter cup and a Stoli. The theme song is the ultimate Mid-Mod earworm and Ms. Duke's performance was delightful. 

Oh, but the particular situation. Ah, yes ...

At this event, a querent admitted she had never had a tarot reading before, but "had a friend read her oracle cards for me, so I guess that's the same thing???", her voice roving upwards in a mix of confusion, innocence, and embarrassment. Since I was only giving mini readings, I really didn't have the time to go into a diatribe about the differences and similarities of the two divinatory tools. I will do so here:

THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. NOPE. JUST STOP THAT!

Tarot cards are oracle cards, but oracle cards are NOT tarot cards. They're divination tools that are easy-to-use, portable, and engaging - and they're in card form. But like Patty and Cathy, that's where the similarities end.

Tarot cards: The thumbnail sketch of their origins is sketchy, but may very well date back to  14th century Italy, where the mystical teachings were hunted down by the church, so practitioners of the occult fashioned a deck of cards that contained all the mysteries. No one would suspect such magick inside a simple deck of playing cards, right? The tarot has 78 cards, comprised of 22 major arcana (the major life lessons, rich with archetypal imagery),  and 56 minor arcana cards (I often refer to these as the day-to-day lessons). 

Now, your tarot cards can come in all sorts of themes, from Baroque cats (Yes, dressed in nifty Baroque ensembles, velvety and ornate) to Bowie (also dressed in Baroque ensembles, velvety and ornate, but more glittery). But they should, IMO, follow the classic Rider-Waite-Smith format and archetypal imagery. I utilize the imagery heavily when I read, and also use it in my coaching (when requested). Yes, there's the Thoth tarot and a couple other decks that veer away from RWS. Those actually give me a headache. No, I mean an actual headache. The imagery doesn't resonate with me, doesn't connect with my third eye, and confuses my spirit guides to no end. Follow the imagery that contains the wisdom of the universe. Follow the keys to self discovery the tarot is so richly prepared to yield. (yep, that sounds so New Agey, but it's fitting so I'm sticking to it). Follow that.

That's it, in a nutshell. That's tarot.

Oracle cards: That would be all the other decks that aren't tarot. The tip off: a tarot deck should have 78 cards (although some have a few more when the deck creator decides to add some additional cards. The Psychic Tarot, for instance, adds chakra cards. But otherwise, they're solidly tarot). Oracle cards might have 36 cards. 50 cards. 44 cards. Whatever number of cards. But they don't follow the major arcana/minor arcana/78 card format of the true tarot. 

(Important Note: When I see a listing on Amazon for a tarot deck and it doesn't fall in line with that criteria, I want to get in my car, drive to wherever the deck was made, get out of my car, walk up to the deck creator's door, knock on the door, the door opens by the person who created the deck. I then slap them for calling the deck a tarot deck, get back in my car, and drive home, whistling a happy, contented tune).

So, yes, oracle decks are lovely and can be very helpful in giving you insight into questions, situations in life, rough spots to overcome, much like the tarot does, However, you won't find the same imagery that contains all the wisdom of the universe as it is contained in a tarot deck. In an oracle deck, depending upon the theme, you may glean wisdom from the angels, dogs, flowers - the list goes on ad infinitum. I have a few favorites, including my tried-and-true Medicine Cards, the powerful Ascended Masters Oracle Cards, and Crystals: The Stone Deck, which is exquisitely beautiful and also very informative if you're looking to learn more about crystals and their energies. Are these decks magickal, brimming with awesome vibrations, and wonderful tools for self transformation? Absolutely. Are they tarot? Nope.

What have we learned here? That dancing the minuet can work for some folk. And so can hot dogs and rock 'n roll. But don't cross the streams. Because they're similar-yet-VERY different. Embrace the differences,  learn and grow from both modalities, but don't assume they're the same. Otherwise, Patty Duke ends up with one humdinger of a migraine, not knowing who she is. And we don't want that.

The Muse

Isn't she fabulous? I mean, she's really stunning. And, the way she's posed, she's got this authority, this verve, this DIRECTION - things one would not necessarily find in an 11 1/2" vinyl and plastic anything.

I'm smitten and I must find this doll. I used to collect Barbies seriously and I'm fretfully serious when I say "seriously". At one point, my collection easily numbered over 200 little plasticky souls. But then the economy changes, or you run out of space, or you collect tarot decks instead (or all of the above). And you grow out of the need to surround yourself with these little poppets. And that's okay.

Full disclosure: as of just recently, like, in the past two weeks, my writing muse has tap tapped on the door and I let her in again. I've written two books, tons of blog and Facebook posts, tons of notes as a director, short stories, portions of plays - I just WRITE, okay?! But my muse has been dormant for the last year or so due to a raft of setbacks. My laptop sat and cried. I cried. Everyone cried. And then I wiped the tears away, went to Asheville, NC for a week, and somehow, some way, I started writing again. 

Nothing earth-shaking. Nothing that's yanking on my sleeve like an antsy child, "Hey. HEY! This is your new book idea right HERE!! Write it. WRITE IT!!!". No, nothing like that. Just, well, my facility for it returned. The Outer Critic Inside My Head quieted down (no, it will never entirely shut up, but do they ever? Can they?), and writing started to become, dare I say it, enjoyable again.

But The Muse. The Muse is back then, right? Must be. Don't know where she went. I feel things just got too dark here and she gallivanted away to inspire and noodge other folk. Who wants to stick around when depression and tears run the show? She obviously went to where she could breathe again, smile again, "flair" again.

She's back now. And I must personify her, find something or someone to represent her. Make her solid in some way. I can't lose her again so I need a touchstone of some sort. An image, Something tangible.

Now, I'm not into the Greek or Roman pantheons, so borrowing from them won't jibe with me. But the pantheon I DO prescribe to is that of the Groovy. So I did a Google search for "60s goddess". Images of Twiggy and Grace Slick showed up in the feed. As did Andy Warhol "Factory" regular Edie Sedgwick (who had quite a tragic ending, so that wouldn't fly for a Muse for me, no sir). But then up popped Mod Redux Barbie, pictured above. She was the right amount of Warhol's brilliance, Mondrian's structure, and the warmth of a cherished plaything (the plaything you told all your secrets to, who conspired in magnificence with you when you were seven years old and all was possible). And it just clicked.

Why her? Why a groovy goddess? What's all this then?

As I said, look at her presence, her command, the way the creatives at Mattel posed her (thanks, creatives at Mattel!). This presence just popped and resonated with me. I usually veer toward the cast of "Bewitched" for my personal pantheon, but this is close enough for fruggin'. Dig the outfit, like a winsome bumblebee. Bees create. Bees continue the species, foster life. There's a sort of power here, a sense of "anything is possible". And her hair, well, no one says a Muse can't have YOUR hairstyle.

So, Mod Redux seems to fit the bill. She needs a name, however, so I'll call her Minxy. And what, pray, does "minx" mean? From the Free Dictionary: A girl or young woman who is considered to be impudent or very flirtatious. 2. Obsolete A promiscuous woman. [Probably from obsolete mynx, playful little dog, perhaps from alteration of obsolete Dutch minneken, darling; see minikin.] minx′ish adj.

There are worse ways to define a muse. And if this freewheeling mynx, chockfull of impudence, sass, and not just a little bit of canine playfulness will work for me, then my Muse she shall be.

(Note: in order to purchase a 3-dimensional version of said Muse, I need to cough up, depending on where I look, either $22 or $999.  Apparently, so are the ways of the mynx ...)

Practical Witch Work. It's happening NOW.

Must be the new moon. Has to be. I'm literally floating on a creative wave, with a need to share more of my work with the world. And it's the Aquarian sun, MY sun sign, giving me that extra surge of Water Bearer energy. We Aquas are hard-wired with a need to change the world, and I mean to one spell, crystal, and sage bundle at a time.

So here's my new tab, a new page for you to explore: https://mid-centurymystic.blogspot.com/p/practical-witch-work.html

I've recently had more requests for personalized services of the witchy kind. I approach this work with heart, clarity gifted by connection with Spirit, and a combined energy of, well, look at the two women above. Yep, "Bewitched"contains my personal mid-mod pantheon of strong women, strong witches. So I approach my work with a combination of Samantha's nurturing and smarts and Endora's "take no prisoners and get it DONE" conviction.

I might also break into a frug like Serena ...

But that's another story for a different day.

All whimsy aside, I take my craft very seriously. Please allow me to help clear, clean, recharge, and bless.

Planetary things. They intrigue me.

Planetary things. They intrigue me.

This past year has been a flamethrower in many, many ways. Lots of structures, mostly nonsolid, mostly personal, have simply disintegrated, have blown apart, have washed away. Ways of being, thought forms I grew comfortable with, gone. I could go on and on, and you'd yawn - but likely you'd commiserate. Because so many of us have met with the embodiment of the Tower card in tarot, it's mind-boggling. So I won't go into all the details. But I will go into what it's brought up for me going forward.

I've spent a lot of time lost in Podcast Land, and mostly it's been witchcentric offerings, because I'm fashioning my own podcast for next year. But I've also gone down the rabbit hole of astrological podcasts. I studied astrology eons ago, and I have a rudimentary understanding of the art. Well, no, It's more than rudimentary, but it's nowhere near as second nature for me as tarot. Tarot and I became fast friends rather quickly, and the study of tarot is always rewarding, fascinating, soul tickling. I get it. But astrology seems like advanced calculus in comparison. And, while I was good at math, I didn't necessarily enjoy it.

But then the last year or so happened. And I began to become curious about the whys and wherefores, the possible reasons for so much calamity, sadness, and endings. Enter astrology. Enter the excellent Astrology Podcast, where three intrepid practitioners delve into the stars in a way I never before imagined. These people are brilliant. At first, I felt way in over my head, but as the months have spooled out, I've slowly begun to see this giant 1,000-piece puzzle coalesce. I'm starting to make sense of it all. I'm beginning to get my bearings. And it fascinates me.

One of my goals in 2020 is to get certified as an astrologer through ISAR, but, thus far, my emails to various folks connected with the certification program have gone unanswered, This does not thwart me, however. Because the past year or so has made me tenacious, like a Jack Russell terrier going after a squirrel. So I'll keep asking the questions until I have a clear plan of attack for going forward with certification.  

I'm a certified tarot reader, have been for years. And tarot really relies much more on intuition than astrology. Astrology relies on math. Lots and lots of math. But also one needs to learn what the houses mean, the rulers of the houses, what each planet stands for and on and on and on. Tarot is open to much interpretation. Astrology has much more set parameters. And if you use this tool, you'd darned well better really know your onions. You need to know it well before you start hanging out a shingle. I want to work with both of these keys to the occult, to incorporate them meaningfully in my coaching, in my life, to the benefit of all.

So wish me luck. Yes, from my studies thus far I hear that a lot of the energies we're going through may come to a head in early January of 2020. I hope it's a soft landing for us all. And if  navigating the stars will act as a comfy down pillow to soften it all, then by all means, it's time to get out my zodiacal slide rule.

Hey! It's Mercury Retrograde! Hey! Chill out, you!

Hello, friends! It's been a couple of months since I last blogged - because I've been bogged down. Been thrown into the busyness of rehearsals for a fundraiser I'm directing and performing in this holiday season. It's a treat and a half, having a great time, but whoosh! Busy not only directing, but accumulating sheet music, recordings, commissioning orchestrations, getting all these materials to the cast, writing the script, editing the script I didn't write, plus making sure items the costumer has pulled actually fit the cast, making sure rehearsal spaces have been secured, scheduling the rehearsals, making sure every disparate piece of the equation of the show is slowly coming together. Plus being a cheerleader for the process; that's the easy part though, because it's a labor of love I'm creating in honor of a dear friend who passed in June who was instrumental in this little show happening in the first place.

Let's add to that the sprained ankle. My hubby and I went on an architecture tour thingy of an old church in a nifty, gentrifying area of Chicago we'd never explored before. I walked up to the altar to take a snap, then turned and saw something else I wanted to take a snap of - forgetting about the two little steps I took initially. As my Mom would say, "You sprained it but GOOD." And I did. It turned every color found in an autumnal garden. After just over two weeks, I'm finally being able to consider taking normal steps down a staircase, rather than doing this oddball sideways descent, somehow reminiscent of an elderly, nearsighted crab.

Ah, the joys of being sidelined. 

No, really. The Joys of Being Sidelined.

Being super busy with the musical revue has taught me a couple things. One, always lead with love. I knew this from past directorial endeavors, but it's really hitting this time. After my friend Steve passed, my co-conspirator for this production, I had more than a passing thought of, "Well, the show is done. How can I do this without him?" But the answer is of course, the show must go on. There is no other choice. So, while the process can be bittersweet at times, anxiety-inducing at others, what keeps me anchored is knowing that Steve still has a hand in this process, that the finished product will be a delightful romp - and a heartfelt ode.

It's also taught me that, while directing and performing are in my heart, work in coaching, tarot, astrology, and the metaphysical run parallel in my soul. By not being able to attend certain spirit-focused lectures and group activities, I realized just how important this work is for me. My goal for next year is to build and grow the coaching, blend it with tarot, and become a certified astrologer, combining all three disciplines to help people explore and deepen the meaning in their lives.

And the sprained ankle? Having to slow down to a hobble has really made me take time to consider the things above more deeply. If it wasn't for the imposed slowdown, I wouldn't have had the time to read, meditate, listen to enlightening podcasts, and start planning my next moves as far as career and spirit work. 

Oh yeah, Mercury retrograde. This one is in Scorpio. It's asking us to delve deeply, to psychically sink back and take stock of the last three weeks or so and glean the lessons from that time period. It's asking us to slow down and consider the gifts we've been given. Shift your pace, take your foot off the gas, don't run quickly to the next "pretty shiny" - you're likely to fall off a church. It's an astrological sideline which can be embraced, not feared.

Go to your favorite coffee house. Order a comforting beverage. Sit down, do some writing. And reflect on how, as of late,  life has actually given you some mighty fine lemons for your lemonade.

It's Virgo season. How will you Crane?

If you walked into my office, you wouldn't believe it's mine.

Most people know me as a pretty exacting personality. I used to be worse, but things change you after awhile. So I'm not as exacting. And when I say "exacting" I mean Type A. Or controlling. Or persnickety. But, like I said, things change you. I've mellowed out this part of me. Having lost a couple best friends in the last year, having health scares in the same year, having to deal with a senior dog who's forgotten her toileting manners - these things add up and you start to realize that sometimes finetoothcombing can cause more constriction than freedom, more pain trying to make things perfect rather than just allowing things to "be" and to breathe. You shift.

So it's interesting to see my office these days. The place I allow no one to enter. Truly. If someone needs something from my office, I jump up and say, "That's cool - I'll get it". Then run up the stairs to the office, open the door (it's always closed), enter and CLOSE THE DOOR BEHIND ME, then get said item, and go through the open door-close door process again. This all happens quickly, like I'm trying to keep some sort of horrible, squalid force lurking inside the room from lurching forth and terrorizing the countryside.

Truth: my office is quickly becoming "the space under the stairs". And I'm not talking about Harry Potter's bedroom.

Friends, it's Virgo season. And not only is it Virgo season, it's Super Strength Virgo Season*, with a stellium of planets nestled within its 30 degree span in the astrological wheel. Lots of Virgo energy is being activated, especially this week. Expect things to get cleaned out - even if you weren't necessarily planning to sweep them out. Also, Virgo triggers obsessive-compulsive activity. So, yeah, you'll be obsessing, you'll be cleaning, you'll be obsessing about cleaning, you'll be obsessing about the things being cleared out right under your nose. You will "Niles Crane" your chair before sitting. You'll "Niles Crane" your world - and watch Niles Cranian energy hurry in with a napkin before you know what's hit you.



So breathe with this. Know this energy is out there. And use it to your benefit. Don't allow it to rule you.

Back to my office. What is inside the depths, the dark door, the unseen crypt of shadows and tears, you may ask? Actually, what's in there is a lot of "almosts" and "shoulds". The poster I almost framed. The vintage items I should sell. The cards I almost sent. The creative projects I should really start.And they piled up or became lost because of life, because of set backs. But they still loom and they demand action. And none of these things will be embraced with creativity or passion, unless I "Crane Away". Unless I take my imaginary napkin and decide, for once and for all, which of the piles of almosts and shoulds are going to be "wills" and "cans" - and weed out those that no longer serve. Because that's working with Virgoian energy.

So, gentle friends, pull out the chair and give it a good cleaning. Not because you should, but because you will.

The New Moon in Leo - and what the Emperor might say about it.

With a majestic staff in hand, the Emperor gazes out with a relaxed strength and focus. Two children are seen in the background, and their stance gives us a sense that they're exploring and happy.

Now, what the heck does this have to do with the upcoming New Moon in Leo? And Mercury finally getting out of its nasty retrograde (which caused much disruption and gnashing of teeth)?

Well, plenty.

To begin, the Emperor is ruled by Aries, which is a Fire sign - so the card's element is Fire. Leo is also a Fire sign. With Mercury finally going direct and the New Moon in Leo, we are entering a period of super turbo-charged energy. You will feel invincible! You will want to clean the house, write the novel, move to the new home, start a new career, run for office, shift your paradigm; in essence you will want to BURN THE OLD DOWN.

Yippee!  Yahoo! Screaming yellow ZONKERS you are unstoppable, you little Heat Miser of activity and motion!! Yessiree! You are taking on the world like the entire familial unit of The Incredibles!!! With or without capes!

But guess what? The Emperor, in the same way he watches over the children pictured in this version of the Emperor card from The Witches tarot by Ellen Dugan, urges us to chilleth thyself out. Sure, we may feel wound up and ready to zip into action, and we should, but it's smart to plan, to strategize, to definitely aim for greatness, but to also watch ourselves so that our enthusiasm, our inner spark, doesn't burn us out before we get to ignite our hopes and desires. A more structured approach to our creative urges will help them play out in a more step-by-step way, rather than leaving us to flail about in our exuberance.

So trust the Emperor energy. A controlled fire will serve you best at this time.

New Moon in Leo: 7/31/19 at 10:12 PM Central time.