Summer has finally arrived here in the North. It's an exciting and auspicious time that brings together the Summer Solstice, Litha, and the International Day of Yoga. But for me, this time will forever be known as la mi-noël (mid-Christmas). If you know me, you'll know that I don't particularly care for Christmas nor do I celebrate it. But I've always found mid-Christmas to be a wonderfully funny idea. And what better way to celebrate the beginning of buzzing gardens and lazy sunny days than to share with you what I've been up to lately, tarot and otherwise..
daydreaming with anne
I’m currently reading through the Anne of Green Gables book series. I’ve only ever read book 1 in secondary school and, my English being quite poor at the time, I don’t think I actually understood most of it. In rereading it now, I’m realising that there is a lot of “flowery language” (see what I did there? 😛). What prompted me to return to this series was a book I found called The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables. In it, the author talks about various places that would have likely influenced L. M. Montgomery’s writing. Add in the Pastoral Tarot and presto, we suddenly have a geospiritual practice based in PEI. To be continued.
indulging in mafalda
If you’re familiar with the Spanish language, you’ll know that there are as many accents as there are Spanish-speaking countries, not to mention the different regional accents. In recent years I’ve become completely enamoured with the Rioplatense accent from Argentina and Uruguay. I was recently reintroduced to Mafalda and it’s been such a revelation! (I knew of the character but not the actual story.) If you’re looking for a resource that uses the voseo and lunfardo, check it out. And if you’re like “Wut??” this is essentially a very nerdy language thing. Regardless, I highly recommend Mafalda in general, it’s very cheeky!
channeling ancestors
Upon returning from Vietnam last February (read about it here), I came home with a greater passion for ancestral rites and veneration. Hubby and I have always made offerings during Tết (our new year) and commemorated my father’s death anniversary, but we have now introduced many more known ancestors to the fun. What I’ve been doing specifically is incorporating mediumship readings using tarot during offering rituals. In my regular tarot work, the cards are mainly used for personal development. But when I first started to dabble in tarot stuff, I actually thought that mediumship and divination were the main purpose (turns out, it depends on the culture). I’m really glad to finally dip my toes into tarot mediumship because it has really opened up my practice. I mainly use a standard RWS for this purpose but sometimes I also pair the Unfinished Business Tarot with the Roses, Dust & Ashes Oracle. I will forever see MJ Cullinane’s Emperor card as Confucius, we all know he’s my favourite friend.
🌖 ♒
References:
Anne of Green Gables, book series (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables (Catherine Reid)
Pastoral Tarot (Lynn Araujo, Lisa Hunt)
Mafalda, Spanish edition (Quino)
Unfinished Business Tarot (MJ Cullinane)
Roses, Dust & Ashes Oracle (Stacey Williams-Ng)