A spread for May 1, 2019

A tarot spread. Two cards at the top from the Next World Tarot; Knight of Swords and 6 of Swords. Three cards in the middle from the Wildwood tarot; Four of Vessels, Forest Lovers, Page of Vessels. Two cards at the bottom from the Next World Tarot; 6 of Pentacles and 9 of Cups.

It’s taken me a while to come back to posting. The election results in Alberta cut deeply, and I needed a bit of time.
But it’s May 1. A new month, and an important day in many traditions and in the labour movement. It’s a good day to come back to this practice of sharing cards with my community.

So, I put this little spread together. One of my favourite ways to engage with tarot is as narrative prompts – the spread following from the cards, rather than the cards fitting into a spread. I wanted to find a narrative for the next little while, a story that could invite a rich and fertile growing season, something to speak back to the scarcity and unease of this current time.

First, I sat with all my cherished decks. There’s something powerful about surrounding myself with the tools I have collected, and reminding myself of the reasons for each one. I pulled out all the decks that felt right. Then I shuffled each of them, and felt for that little tug of resonance. I put a few back, and kept out the Wildwood and the Next World.

I shuffled the Next World, and pulled the Knight of Swords. The escape plan. I thought – yes. Start with the escape plan. But where are we going?

I shuffled the Wildwood, and drew the Four of Vessels. Boredom. I thought about my beloved person, Nathan, and the conversations that we have had about how profoundly boring oppression is. It’s all the same tired old shit. And how boredom is a step forward from dread. Once we become bored with the horror, then we can start to daydream other possibilities. What can we imagine when we get bored with this current hellscape?

I pulled another card. The Forest Lovers. Ah, yes, I thought. Imagine falling in love with this world. Imagine being in this world and being in love. Imagine forests. I had coffee with my good friend Andrea today, and they said, “I think our work has to come from love, not hope, right now.” What if we find our way to love? What if we find each other, and we find the world around us, and we connect? I thought this was particularly resonant on May 1.

I pulled another card. Page of Vessels. Otter. And then what if there is playfulness?! What if there is boredom and connection and then playfulness? What if there is joy?

Then I came back to The Next World, and pulled two cards – The 6 of Pentacles, Redistribution. And the 9 of Cups, Happiness. It is not the end of the road yet. There are ways forward. There is enough wealth, there is enough food, there are enough homes, there is enough knowledge. We just need to share it more fairly, to care for each other. To think of lifting each other up, holding each other safe, being together. This is reparations and the radical reimagining of economies and priorities. That’s the way to happiness.

And then I pulled another card, and it slid into the top of the spread. The 6 of Swords, Passage. This is a long journey. The escape plan is only the beginning – the passage will take time. There are a lot of swords at the beginning. And a lot of cups in the middle – we’re going to feel so much, my friends. This time is absolutely bursting with Feels. But then, finally, Pentacles and Cups. Grounded and wholehearted. Feasting together.

I don’t think tarot sets the future, but I do think tarot can help us imagine possible futures.

And I’m thankful for this imagining.

I’m thankful for these cards, at this time.

It’s a good welcome back to this practice of public reading.

If you’d like a spread, my inbox is open and my rates are always sliding scale. <3

New Zine available!

Yesterday I had a table at the Spring Spirit and Soul Fair here in Calgary – my first fair!

It was fantastic.

I also created a zine for the event!

The very first Fox and Owl Tarot zine is 16 pages and includes four spreads (one for grief, one for parenting – ourselves, our kids, or our projects, an elements for self-care, and a description of face-up narrative tarot).

You can buy the zine online, too!

It costs $5 for the zine, in either physical or electronic form, and I would be happy to mail it out.

Just email me to order!