:: The Hierophant ::

If you have ever had a reading from me, and had The Hierophant turn up, then you know that this is a card that I have had mad beefs struggles with.

For years, The Hierophant represented so much of what I resisted in the world: authority figures, pillars of tradition, organized religion and dogmatic structure. Some of my disdain could be chalked up with the ignorance and arrogance that accompany youthful conviction, but some of it was also born out of personal experience and confirmed biases resulting therein.

I won’t lie, a part of me still flinches a little when this card appears to me, but I have been working with the energy of The Hierophant for years and have come around on this stern-seeming taskmaster. For me, The Hierophant has come to represent a form of surrender and an invitation to engage in a much deeper learning by embracing the generational knowledge that is forged (and forgotten) by time. The point isn’t to futz around trying to re-invent the wheel, but rather to learn the rules, inside and out, so that one can effectively break them when necessary.

The Hierophant appears to us as is an invitation to cultivate our deepest inner knowledge, to accrue the wisdom of the ages and become our own teacher and guide. To embody the Hierophant is to engage with our shadows, integrating our darkness and meeting it fully with grace and compassion; holding the keys to Heaven and Hell and knowing that where we direct our focus and attention directly creates the reality which we experience.

For me and my art practice, the lesson of The Hierophant first meant attending art school and completing an MFA program in painting; pursuing gallery and museum exhibitions, applying for grants, and residencies; and choosing subject matter and art techniques/expressions that I hoped would appeal to art collectors. Through this gateway of tradition and establishment, I was able to uncover a more meaningful (to me) purpose for art - art as a means to communicate lost, esoteric teachings, a magickal expression and our connection to the divine. I can clearly see my patterns now, and understand why it was necessary for me to learn and be active in the traditional art world, so that my decision to turn away from it would be an informed one.

My Shadow aspects came in droves when I first accepted this lesson, all my fears and shame came to the surface like a dam breaking.

My inner voice taunted me at first,

‘Are you afraid to paint mermaids and faeries and dragons because none of your peers will take you seriously (at best) and or think you are batshit crazy (at worst)? Well good, because you are going to paint mermaids and faeries and all the ‘girlie’ magical shit you loved so much as a child and you will like it, best stock up on pink colors because you are going to be using them ALL THE TIME.’

Which is exactly what did. I accepted the challenge of digging into my own six-demon-bag and integrated the ever-living shit out of my shadows.

The keys to Heaven and Hell are in my hands and In this way, art has become a form of deepening my connection to the unknown mysteries. My homework has been to understand, accept, and implement this principle of the power of my mindset - that where I direct my will, creates my reality - so it is imperative that my intentions are clear.

Heaven and Hell, we are meant to experience and learn from both. The art which I channel carries lessons on the wings of faeries, the horns of demons, and the scales of dragons. I don’t have to understand why I am painting them, I only have to bring them forth from the unknown and onto a page.

:: More on Channeling ~ A Bridge, a Mirror and Hollow Bone ::

I was recently interviewed by a mentor of mine about my creative process. This was a tremendous honor for me to be asked to do this, and in spite of being nervous about speaking on video, I felt like I could talk and talk for hours. (In fact, I can because I am a Gemini)! Though we spoke effortlessly and nonstop for ninety minutes, I have extreme esprit de l’escalier and eight hours after it was over, I remembered many things that I wished I had said about channeling and creativity.

*Luckily, I have this journal that three of you read, so I am using this as a place to discuss what I missed and left out, if you are interested.

My dear friend Amy (who has an incredible podcast about the creative process called The Starling Creative) introduced me to this quote by neo-expressionist painter Philip Guston:

“When you’re in the studio painting, there are a lot of people in there with you - your teachers, friends, painters from history, critics…and one by one if you’re really painting, they walk out. And if you are really painting, YOU walk out.”

This has been so true of my experience while channeling my art. When I am in channel, ‘I’ - my ego, my hang-ups, my judgements, my victories and failures, the collective accumulation of my art education and experiences as a painter - are not present. This is very much an, ‘Elvis Has Left The Building’ situation. My intuition always cues me in when I need to get quiet (or get moving) to listen and receive messages - and once I am in channel, even my intuition makes an exit. In this state, I am able to receive visions and travel to other worlds and dimensions. Pretty trippy!

This is a difficult thing to describe though, as art is a visual medium and trying to provide explanation in the construct of verbal language can neuter it and rob it of it’s magic. The closest thing I can relate it to is the shamanic process of communing in the spirit world through mastering states of trance. I learned of a teaching called the Way of the Hollow Bone, in which a healer becomes a clear, pure conduit for Spirit. By shifting their state of consciousness with trance, they are able to remove their ego/identity, thus becoming an open channel for Divine energy. This is similar to the way in which I create channeled art. When I am in channel I become a bridge between two (or more) worlds - receiving and relaying messages from the realm of imagination and the Unknown. Of course, my hands, eye and the skills they produce together are the tools used to bring this information back to us, but my rational mind is completely removed from the process.

After being initiated into the Akashic Records, my guides told me to visit the Halls of Amenti for seven days in a row - and to bring a gift. Each day was different, and each day I received a tool from one of my past lives that I could use during this lifetime. During one of my visits, Hathor appeared to me like a universe of stars but shaped like a woman. She blessed me by taking my hands, and I watched as my own hands transformed, filled with the blinking light of the cosmos.

Journeying and achieving altered states of consciousness are very important aspects of my spiritual and creative practice, but I am not in a trance-like state when I am channeling art. I am conversational. I am able to weather interruptions and take breaks. If someone - I’m not naming any names here - were to run into my studio with no pants on, yelling ‘the toilet did something to ME’ whilst my bathroom floor floods, I would not only notice, but would spring into action immediately. When I am working in my flow, I am able to hum along without fatigue because I am not using my own energy to create. That said, I am human and as such occasionally find it challenging to remain in channel (thanks, brain-raccoons), so there are times when I drop out and just need to walk away. When this happens, I take a moment to meditate or go for a walk - for as long as it takes for me to get out of my my head ( and my own way).

Channelled during the Harvest Moon, paying close attention to what I sow and reap. Our monsters bring vital lessons as we evolve and shift - we may be tempted to ignore them, hoping that they will just go away - but they are here to help us, so pay attention when they show themselves to you.

I do have a specific technique I use to get into channel that I learned from a teacher of mine, and it is one which I have used reliably for some time now. However, as I have said before, I believe everyone has the ability to channel and I don’t believe that there is only one way to connect to Spirit/Source/God/The Universe/(use the name that resonates with you here). I also believe that the right teacher (or teachers) will appear to you when you need them…and really good teachers will want you to become your own best guide. I am always happy to share the names of those who have taught me so much, but I will say that this is a deeply spiritual and personal decision and my advice will always be for you to first trust your intuition when you ask for your teacher to show up for you - they always do.

If you are here because you have seen my art and it stirred a response in you - be it positive, negative or some curious place in between the polarities - you are likely responding to a keycode of remembrance, a sigil or symbol which resonates with you, a calling and blessing for you on your path, or perhaps a mirror in which you see yourSelf. My channeled work is created to reach the eyes of those who are the addressee’s of a message from the Divine, to aid in a shift in consciousness and assist in the alchemical transformation of initiation and awakening. Of course, you may also just see it and like it, and that is great - but I invite you to look more closely and discover what kind of mystery is being revealed to you.

My drafting table (and altar) :: organized chaos

::: Creativity during a pandemic ~ channeled art ~ finding flow :::

~ I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, there is nothing like having to social distance under a federally mandated quarantine during a global pandemic crisis while under the thumb of a corrupt, military industrial complex regime to really kickstart your creativity.

~ In March of 2020, my calendar was chock full of public events and gigs that I was so excited about. Additionally, I had started a collaborative project with an incredible writer and tarot reader - a dream project - and had begun a personal project that I had wanted to get off the ground for two years. I finally had a schedule full of the kind of work I love to do, as well as the ever-illusive, external validation which I no longer chased - but appreciated. Of course, we all know what would become of all those plans - my story isn’t unique or special in that regard - no one had a March (or April, May or….let’s just say the whole year so far, really) like the one they had planned.

Created to create ~ there is power in connection to the material and the ethereal. Watercolor on paper by Jane Elizabeth Almirall, 2020.

~ I started social distancing early in March, and when Kansas first went into lockdown later in the month, something strange happened. It is not easy to admit this, but there was a part of me that felt relief that my public work engagements would be postponed. I was exhausted and running on fumes and had very much over-extended myself in early 2020. Perhaps it was me coming from a lack-based mentality, I never wanted to say no to an opportunity out of fear that it could be the only one I’d ever get…and now I HAD to cancel things. It took all the pressure off of me and gave me a chance to catch my breath and prioritize my time in a way that previously felt unavailable to me.. I learned how to work with my creative flow.

~ I want to acknowledge something here, and I share this with empathy and sensitivity for those who have had an extremely rough last few months, which is that my situation at home is both unusual and very fortunate. My husband and I already worked from a shared studio at home for the last few years, and thankfully he has been able to continue working and supporting us. For the most part, my working schedule and studio hours changed very little - the biggest challenge was having my children home from school - but I was able to work around their new at-home learning routine with my studio hours (luckily, I paint with watercolor - a medium which requires that you work in layers, so lots of little breaks) and shift my tarot readings from in-person to remote and online. That said, there were some big things which changed for me, resulting from the removal of distractions and my favorite procrastination strategies. The isolation pushed me into a realm of imagination, creativity and self-exploration I had never been to before.

The shadow aspect of the divine feminine, destruction is necessary for creation - breaking down old paradigms, habits and narratives - seeing past illusions. Watercolor on paper by Jane Elizabeth Almirall, 2020.

~ I started intentionally channeling my art in 2017, but I had no control over when, where or what would come through to me - and I didn’t even know such a thing was possible. A dear friend recommended that I get some instruction in this area, and in January of 2020, I took an intensive channeling workshop with Dr. Matt Turner of Be Love Healings and learned how to focus and direct my ability to channel. A word on that here -everyone has the ability to channel. I believe as children, we come into this world fully in connection with channel, but many of us lose touch with that tool (for one reason or a lot of reasons - shame and fear are usually involved) and when that happens, like an unused muscle, it atrophies. After reconnecting to my own ability and gaining some techniques for using it with purpose, I saw the lockdown as an opportunity to strengthen my ability and be of service with it.

~ In order to do this, I had to stop what I was doing and get still. The thing about creative work that I got wrong for years, was that I always approached it in a very masculine way. That is, I felt like I had to be constantly producing and making things - actively working - or I didn’t feel like I was ‘doing’ anything. Additionally, I didn’t feel like I was worth anything in a society that prized grinding productivity (along with having a number of side-hustles) unless I was working my proverbial dick off. What I misunderstood, was that for creativity to flow, there needs to be a balance of both masculine and feminine energy (like Yin and Yang). The feminine energies in creativity require rest and stillness, to better facilitate being in a receptive state. In order to tap into the cosmic consciousness and channel, I had to put myself in a state of receiving - once I figured this out, I found I wasn’t getting burned out on work anymore. It literally took a global pandemic and nationwide shut-down to force me out of my antiquated and skewed beliefs around what working as an artist (and difficult-to-pin-down-with-a-label practitioner of esoteric offerings) should be like.

Rest and being in a state of receiving for this expecting sylph. Watercolor on paper by Jane Elizabeth Almirall, 2020

~ I am so grateful for the timing of these things, which gave me the space and tools that I needed to remove my own judgements, meet my fears head-on, and get right with myself. I learned - after years of believing that I was lazy, flighty and…too mercurial - that I actually have an excellent work ethic, when I love my work, and work in my flow. So, while I was bummed to cancel all of the beautiful events that were planned for March, I am thankful for being put in a ‘time-out’, I wouldn’t have allowed myself to rest otherwise - and I would have missed a vital lesson. Taking the time to rest and make space to receive changed the way that I create for the better. Channeling art, tarot readings and creating from a place that exists outside of myself is so fulfilling and joy-bringing - i’m excited every day that I get to do work that I love.

Fun With Creative Existential Crisis!

Oh, hello. You must have been lured in by my kicky title because you, like I, enjoy fun. That, or perhaps you have experienced - or are currently experiencing - creative existential crisis and this piqued your interest because of that. In either event, Welcome! Come sit next to me and let’s talk about fear of failure and all manner of scary shit!

It’s fun! (It’s not fun).

One of many abandoned snek drawings…

Around eighteen months ago I was standing at my drawing table, clutching a mechanical pencil, staring down at a drawing that I had started ages ago - back when I was too busy and stressed out to even think about drawing - and I was unable to move my pencil across the paper. This drawing featured two floating heads - each was the head of a woman, one woman had a snake coming out of her mouth and that same snake was coiling it’s body around the neck of the other woman. I could visualize this drawing perfectly in my mind’s eye and was so excited to finally have the freedom to return to this piece - but being able to see it completely finished in my head had rendered me totally unable to work on it. It wasn’t unusual for me to put things down and return to them at a later date - back when I was making art regularly I would have three or four different pieces going all at once. I would work on something, get bored or distracted and turn my focus to another project, and then return to the thing I had left when I felt refreshed by my distance from it. This was not the case in this instance. I could easily put this drawing down, after all I had done so for at least two, maybe even three years…it would have been alright to leave it completely. The thing that stood out to me about this time, was that I didn’t want to draw or paint ANYTHING.

A little background may be helpful. I’ve been making art since I was a small child, but I only really started seriously studying it when I was a junior in college. I graduated with a BA in Art and Art History and spent 5 years out of university working a myriad of service industry and retail jobs to maintain the art studio I was renting, before finally getting accepted into an MFA program in painting and drawing. By 2003 I had earned my Masters degree, but I lacked the artistic excellence, ambition (and willingness to relocate) to obtain the highly coveted and poorly paying part-time and adjunct teaching positions offered at that time, so moved my art studio at home and resumed my old standbys of retail and service industry employment.

I attempted to fit in or at least find a place with ‘The Art World’. For roughly 20 years I have consistently showed my work in solo and group exhibitions, I’ve attended one artist residency, been included in one museum collection, and have had my work published in print. I’ve been lucky enough at ‘art’ by the traditional standards by which success is measured - except financially, of course - but only just enough to keep me from giving up entirely, which I have been tempted to do many times over.

Motherhood and owning a small business gave me plenty of excuses to stop making art (or at least to make it only very sporadically), and it was in 2017 after selling my business and freeing myself to fully pursue making art that I was fully hit with what can only be called a Big, Honking, Motherfucker of A Creative Existential Crisis. For a start, I felt repulsed by the traditional, external processes by which art is made, exhibited and sold - and apparently me and my art were equally unappealing to these aspects of the art world. While that reality and change of heart was sinking in, the real shit show was brewing for me internally. It was when I returned to my abandoned drawing that I was initially so excited to bring to life - the women with the snake - that I realized I was experiencing something bigger than just ‘artist’s block’. I had started drawing the individual scales on the snake and this act of perfectly rendering a thing in pencil on paper shifted from being a skill that I enjoyed having access to, into something stifling and perfunctory. This thing which was so magical and alive in my imagination had transmogrified into a task of joyless tedium - just like folding sweaters or scooping ice cream or serving a tray of beers to a table of frat boys - and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I thought maybe it was the medium that I was sick of, or maybe it was the pressure I put on myself to render things realistically? My biggest fear was that I was just a dull person with no imagination or creativity, that I didn’t have any ideas that were unique or interesting enough to deserve being made manifest in art form.

I had invested so much of my personal identity in this label of ARTIST and I was really, really fucking scared to look at myself in an honest way and accept that I just wasn’t all that great at it. I would torture myself by thinking of my investment into this identity of ARTIST - the years spent honing my craft, the money spent on materials and education, and the cumulative fucks I had given to what my peers in art would think of me.

My first order of business was to stop investing in any notion of ‘my identity’ at all. Labels are extremely helpful when you need a shorthand way to describe something or someone, but it’s my personal experience-fed belief that they do more harm than good if you buy into them. My second task, which paired so nicely with the first, was to stop caring what other people thought about me. Easier said that done, of course, and it has taken years - but I am almost 100% embarrassment-proof now which (for anyone who knows me) an extremely high mark. A third thing I had to do, was release any expectation of obtaining money as an end result of my art making. This doesn’t mean that money isn’t welcome here, (not at all - money is welcome here!) but rather that my motivation for making art could not be about money.

Removing those blocks were crucial for me to get out of my own way and navigate through my creative K-Hole, which I am elated to disclose that I have done. I wish I had an easy-to-follow set of instructions to reveal about getting out of it, but It was a messy, intuitive, non-linear, and clownass kind of process - I couldn’t describe it even if you paid me - but I can share one thing that helped me get started. I had to make things that were just for me - not to be shared on social media for external validation, not to be shown to my peers or trusted loved ones. I had to make awful, ugly, embarrassing failures for myself, for the joy of making them and let any expectation of a positive outcome go. This was an incredibly freeing aspect of my process, and one which lead me to question my relationship to ART and everything about The Art World that had flummoxed and frustrated me for years (which is in itself a whole other topic of discussion, hooo boy).

While I chose to eliminate many of my outside, visual influences and distractions (Instagram), I did find that listening to podcasts about the creative process - and reading about it as well - was enormously helpful in breaking me out of my patterns and comfort zones. Much of my artistic paralysis was rooted in deeply ingrained habits which had become giant blindspots and technical crutches that hindered my imagination and creativity. I needed help to gain a clear perspective on my bullshit, to better see where I was coasting in complacency. Eventually my art work began to mirror my personal shadow work - I was channeling images from the Ether and Void, painting fairies and mermaids - things that would have gotten me laughed right the fuck out of grad school/residency programs/galleries - and this delighted me.



I don’t know what I’m doing with this work and I am 100% okay with that because I am creating from a place of authenticity and integrity. There is no redemptive finish to this post or even a victory lap, other than that I am writing it from a place of genuine acceptance and one which feels good in my bones, so there is that.

My seven year old self would be so psyched.

Recommended listening and reading for clawing your way out of the depths of existential despair:

~ The Starling Creative podcast ~ by creative hydra, artistic powerhouse and multidimensional wizard, Amy Markham - who is not only my dear friend, but also one of my greatest teachers.

~ “Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life” ~ by Anne Lamott

~ “The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life” ~ by Jessa Crispin

SHADOW SHIT

I’m banking that some of you, like myself, have done some shadow work. For me, acceptance has always been the most difficult aspect of integrating the masked parts of my soul - in a healthy way - with what I chose to present. I mean, after working so hard to bury and hide the dang thing, it’s hard enough to look at it face to face - let alone set a place for it at your table and really dig in - amirite? It can be some heavy, HEAVY shit, so it helps sometimes to find levity and laughter in the process.

There is a psychological exercise that I love to practice for deepening your self knowledge and understanding, which sounds super boring and not fun at all when you put it that way, but it’s actually GOOD TIMES INDEED.

To play, you simply have to identify three characters from a fictional work (this can be in literature, film, television, comics - anything) and then relate these three characters to yourself in a specific way. The first character you chose, is one with whom you feel most aligned. You see a lot of yourself in this character, flaws and all - this is a character that you deeply identify with right now. It’s good to identify what you share in common with them, you may find that you admire certain aspects of their personality that you also possess (for example a shared, creative resourcefulness or the ability to find humor in unlikely places).

Your second character is where it can get really interesting, because this one is chosen because you can’t stand them. You strongly dislike this character, you might even say you hate them, and as you identify the traits in this character that bum you out….you discover that you share some of THOSE needling aspects as well. It’s a Jungian concept, that what you dislike most in others is usually what you also can’t tolerate about yourself - and this is the very shit that we often try to mask or hide. It’s shadow work, y’all! Sit with this a minute, you might even take this as an opportunity to have some empathy and compassion for this maligned character, and hopefully for yourself too.

Now, the third character is a little bit different, because this one is chosen for being aspirational. Which character do you look up to and admire? With whom do you wish you were more alike, and why? This a way to identify your highest self, the person whom you most wish to become on your journey. And again, when you start to name the reasons that you aspire to be this kind of character, you are identifying traits in yourself that you wish to develop and cultivate. It’s pretty awesome.

When I most recently took a crack at it, I chose some characters from Star Trek The Next Generation to keep it streamlined (but also because that show has excellent characters to choose from)!

Here is an example if you are interested in doing this exercise for yourself!

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~ The character whom I identify with most: Lieutenant Worf. Why? Initially I was charmed by his grumpy demeanor but I found commonality in our shared dislike of the performing arts, our love for ritual, our tolerance for suffering and the deep love we have for our children in spite of our complete befuddlement by the act of parenting.

~ The character whom I like the least: Counselor Deanna Troi. At first I was mortified by Counselor Troi. Initially, I didn’t see the point of her and I hated her adult onesie. When I remarked that she seemed pointless and asked what her actual job was on the Starship Enterprise, my husband pointed at me and laughed before bellowing, ‘She’s an EMPATH!”. As an empath, I immediately understood my own shame. Deanna Troi with her stupid unitard were putting a big, red, honking clown nose on an ability that I myself have, and one which is already questioned and mocked by many. And….here was the shadow work kicker in the pants: I worry that what may be some of my better gifts in this life - my empathy and clairsentience - are in fact, worthless. (Out of respect for the Counselor and because of our shared traits, I selected a photo of Troi in her actual uniform, which she didn’t even get until the sixth season).

~ The character whom I most aspire to be: Q. I know Q is more of a villain type on this show, but hear me out - Q is awesome. Yes, he did show up on the ship with the intention of messing with and tormenting Jean Luc Picard, but each time he turns up, he leaves the ship better than how he found it and often parts ways with a valuable lesson providing self-reflection and acceptance for the crew members.. Q’s power and ability is seemingly limitless - which rules - and when he shows up with a mariachi band and pitcher of margaritas, you know he is DTF (with Picard, in a non-sexual, trickster type of way)! Q is living his best life, amusing himself to the fullest and seizing on every teachable moment which comes his way….even creating scenarios by which one is able to gain a greater perspective on their own life. During a very amusing episode in which Q’s powers are briefly stripped - leaving him human and vulnerable and prone to eating 10 chocolate sundaes at once - Q becomes horribly depressed and despondent. Upon regaining his god-like abilities, he is immediately struck with gratitude for how awesome his life actually is and he peaces out immediately and becomes a more benevolent, hilarious, life-coach type of god….which, yes he is still fucking with people, but in a helpful way, which I admire.

Q, ready to party, being awesome.

TAROT: OR PSYCHIC SELF-SURGERY

Sometimes people ask me how I got into tarot (and one time, I got asked to talk about it on a Hilah's Happy Hour podcast!) so here is a rough bit of background on my personal history with Tarot, if you happen to be one of those people. I think I was probably 15 or 16 when my cousin brought his Rider-Waite Tarot deck over to my house, we had to be sneaky to look at it because it was a Catholic house and anything occult was considered to be 'Devil shit". I remember pouring over the images on each card, transfixed by the artwork which depicted the Magician, The Knight of Swords, The Tower and The Star. I didn't understand what the cards meant then (my cousin didn't have a guide book and there was no internet, let alone an actual computer in our household) but I loved the artwork and was lured into the illicit prospect of having a tarot deck of my own. I went to the only metaphysical bookshop in my town and purchased that very deck the next day. The Star is the card that I obsessed over most, I tried to replicate her image in my own drawings countless times and it's still one of my favorite cards.

I hid my tarot deck in my underwear drawer when I went to college and managed to forget about it for roughly 15 years, until I met my dear friend Amy (Sup Amy!), an artist who had been reading tarot cards since she was tiny. Amy did a reading for me that effected me in a profound way and I became interested in tarot all over again, only this time there were so many books and internet access to facilitate my understanding of tarot, not to mention an incredible selection of different decks to work with! I found a sweet little deck that called to me at that time and hit the ground running - researching, studying and doing readings for anyone who would let me (mostly for myself). I have found it to be an excellent tool for personal and spiritual growth and one of the single best ways to gain a some insight and perspective when I'm drowning in anxiety (or my own bullshit). 

Over the last ten years I have been doing readings for friends, family and more recently for clients. I have amassed a collection of traditional and contemporary tarot and oracle decks, and of course I have my favorites to work with - all for different reasons. I thought it would be interesting to share my collection here on this blog, for anyone who is interested in tarot and who may be thinking of picking up a deck for themselves. You may have heard that you are only supposed to work with a tarot deck that has been gifted to you, and I don't believe this to be true at all! Working with tarot is a very personal experience and by that argument I think it is important for you to choose your own deck, and to select one that you are excited to work with and one which speaks to you. 

(Gifted decks are wonderful too, though! Speaking of which, I want this Marcella Kroll Sacred Symbols Oracle deck real bad...)

Anyways, let's do this!

Rider-Waite Tarot, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith

This is the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith and this is a reprint of the first deck I ever owned. I think this is a great deck for beginners to learn with, the imagery is very effective, Pamela Colman Smiths art conveys the meaning of the cards with so much clarity.  I have a tremendous soft spot for this deck and use it frequently when I read for others.

Tarot of the Animal Lords, by Lo Scarabeo and illustrated by Angelo Giannini

The Tarot of the Animal Lords is the deck I worked with for years when I was first learning how to read cards for people. I still love the sweet illustrations, they take a page from traditional tarot imagery and are very clear and easy to decipher. 

Spirit Speak Tarot created and illustrated by Mary Elizabeth Evans

The Spirit Speak Tarot by Mary Elizabeth Evans is so lovely to work with. Ms. Evans illustrations are charming and also very direct! I've gotten the most supportive, chill readings from this deck. Spirit Speak is clear and easy to read, but is a powerful divination tool. I super love it.

Scrying Ink Lenormand Tarot, by Siolo Thompson

I fell in love with Siolo Thompson's gorgeous illustrations for her Scrying Ink Lenormand Deck.  I am pretty new to working with Lenormand tarot decks, so I don't do this type of reading often, but I absolutely loooove this deck because I am a sucker for good art. (Labyrinthos Academy has written about the difference between Tarot and Lenormand decks. Here is a handy link, if you are curious about learning more!)

Art Oracles

The Art Oracle deck was a gift from a dear friend (Sup Hilah!) and is the only deck that I've ever been gifted! Oracle decks are similar to traditional Tarot in that they provide insight and perspective through imagery and symbols, but tend to be more free-form in their approach. They can be used to enhance your tarot reading, but my favorite is to pull a card a day and let the message set the tone for me.

Thoth Tarot painted by Lady Frieda Harris (with instructions from Aleister Crowley)

I purchased this deck because I loved Lady Frieda Harris's art which illustrated it. Occultist and Golden Dawn member Aleister Crowley conceptualized the deck, drawing from Qabbalah, Astrology, Numerology and traditional tarot themes. While all of this is 100% relevant to my interests, I won't lie - it has been an intense deck to work with, so much though that I actually ended up gifting this deck to my husband. Keeping it in the family, like you do. 

Tarot de Marseille

Okay. So I decided to work with this deck because of Alejandro Jodorowsky (a tarot purist who only works with this deck, and who with Phillipe Camoin was able to get this particular deck back in print) and let me tell you, this deck is not easy to interpret. If I am not mistaken, the art depicted on this deck goes a back to the 16th century and it is not shitting around. This deck refers to principles of numerology, astrology, tarot symbology and is illustrated in un-subtle, primary colors...the minor arcana is particularly puzzling to decipher as it is devoid of recognizably, relatable imagery (the Wands and Swords are so similar looking, I have confused them many times). I worked with this deck for a solid year before I spilled tea all over it and warped it, but I'll be damned if I don't still refer to the guide book, 'The Way of Tarot: Spiritual Teacher in the Cards' written by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marianne Costa - it is such an excellent resource.  .

Road To Nowhere Oracle deck by Mary Elizabeth Evans

The Road To Nowhere Oracle deck by Mary Elizabeth Evans is my second Oracle deck (and my second deck by this particular artist/creator), and it is fantastic. Mary Evans uses digital collage instead of hand drawn illustrations with this deck and she has imbued each card with a message to encourage personal growth and self-improvement. Her guide book is thoughtfully written and I really like working with this oracle deck when I just need to pull a card (or six) to gain some additional clarity. 

The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, by Uusi

Oh my. I love this beautiful deck so much. Created by Uusi, a design collective, The Pagan Otherworlds Tarot deck seems old - and I mean that in the best possible way - like a magical heirloom, something which could have been passed down to you by your great, great, great grandmother (particularly if your great, great, great grandmother also happened to be a fortune-telling Empress from a faraway land that specialized in gorgeous illustration). The images are as thoughtfully conceptualized and rendered as they are gorgeous and the interpretation of the deck is really good. As an added bonus, It contains an extra arcana card, The Seeker, and five lunar cycle cards. It's a genuine joy to work with this lovely deck.

She Wolfe Tarot by Devany Amber Wolfe of Serpentfire Studio

The She Wolfe Tarot deck by Devany Amber Wolfe is my most recent addition and lately is my preferred deck to work with. She Wolfe is a beautiful tarot deck to look at and the symbolism rendered via surrealist, digital collage is drawn from Egyptian culture, numerology, astrology and Jungian theory about the Hero's Journey and shadow work. As lovely as it is, I find that Devany Wolfe's interpretation of the tarot is the real gem with this particular deck. There are layers of insight and perspective to facilitate personal and spiritual growth in ways that really leveled up my understanding of tarot. I highly recommend this deck if you are interested in Shadow Work and self-improvement - it's a pleasure to work with and it contains two secret Arcana cards that contain potent messages. 

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I am aware that there is a cliche surrounding tarot (and divination in general), and I don't subscribe to the idea that tarot is a (potentially sinister) fortune telling tool that holds an unchangeable future for you within it's gold-leafed cards. I take a more psychological, Jungian approach when I use tarot cards in a reading and I view it as opportunity to deep dive into some self-reflection and to gain some perspective on my issues. I have used readings to process difficult changes and shifts in my life - both external and internal. I have also found it helpful to get my cards read by other tarot readers, sometimes a particular situation is too close for me to read my own cards without projecting my pre-conceived agenda onto the cards - another person's interpretation helps me see the forest through the trees. Tarot can be used to help make your unconscious mind a conscious one, it has been an extraordinary tool for me in the last decade. 

Homework For Artist's Block

I was just talking to an artist friend of mine, Alessandra Dzuba (whose work rules), about artist's block. I had recently hit a slump and needed to take a break before attempting a new project, and was a little scared because I've had bouts of creative crisis before that lasted fucking years. She suggested that I look at an artist whose work I admired and then make a copy or study of one of their pieces - not to show or sell as my own work, but as a means to keep my hand and eye up while getting me out of my comfort zone. 

Interestingly, this is actually an exercise that I used to give my drawing students and I had totally forgotten about it! It's a fantastic way to try a new medium or explore subject matter/style that you don't normally work with.

After a ten year hiatus from working with ink, I definitely wanted to try it again, but I had cold feet....after years of working with forgiving (erasable!) graphite, I was super hesitant to pick up my pens. I knew this practice would be a gentle way to jump back in with no risk and the artist that I chose is Minka Sicklinger, whose work I absolutely love.

So far, I've made two drawings this week and I I am getting more comfortable with ink on paper - enough so that I may pick it up again for the next project. In the meantime, I'm posting the results of my homework assignment - and I highly recommend trying this yourself if you are hitting a block in your own work and want to explore something different!