Oracle Speak ~ February 10th - March 12th

When I did the cleansing ritual for my deck, I decided that my first reading with it once I removed it from the box would be an Oracle Speak for the coming lunar cycle.

For those who don't know, the Oracle Speak is a monthly forecast reading. Ana Cortez, creator of the Playing Card Oracles, was the one who suggested that we do our own forecast, which could help us to see the cards in a wider context. Her own predictions are available through a podcast and through her website!

It's been ages since I last did a forecast! I feel rather rusty to be honest!

I was surprised when I saw the 5♠ in the spread! Last Saturday we had an Underworld meeting with Ana Cortez, and this was one of the cards we most discussed! The fact it's the only black card in a spread makes it very important, in my opinion.

The 5♠, named "The Circle of Crows", can represent worry, danger, being torn between two alternatives that are not very good. A painful decision. Feeling threatened, or ganged up on. In the last meeting, Ana suggested it could mean violence, plain and simple.

Well, in this spread I don't see such a catastrophe, but more of a warning. Combined with the 6♦ ("The Tower"), which is a card that can represent both a higher viewpoint and a feeling of isolation, I'd say that in the coming lunar cycle we will a hard time connecting positively to some people. Conflicts may rise very quickly for small reasons.

Perhaps we will feel lonely, or like we cannot be completely open to others, even people close to us. There'll be an impression of being imprisoned, limited for some reason. I sense a bit of a paranoia, but it's not completely unwarranted. There's a violent energy around, that we may end up absorbing unless we accept to step back for a moment and watch it from a distance until it settles.

The two bottom cards - Q♦ and Q♥ - were a bit hard to interpret. They are queens, wise nurturers, and these two particular ladies are very receptive. Even if the fiery Livia prefers to remain receptive, in a supportive role, than to jump into action. Not that she won't if it's necessary, but she will wait until the the moment is right.

I feel these two queens are telling us of the best way to deal with the unsettling cards above them. Do not answer violence with violence - stay calm, centered and receptive. Learn to listen, pay attention and the information you need will get to you in unexpected ways. Don't attack - ask for protection. I feel this month we will be sitting on a barrel of gunpowder - any careless spark may cause an explosion. If the outside world begins to feel too tense or hostile, it may be a good time to retreat and take care of your home, nurture your inner strength.

In a nutshell: there's a hostile energy in the air this month. Any small spark can cause an explosion, so it is a good time to avoid conflicts or discussions. You may have a hard time connecting to others, as if people were more prone to misunderstandings, and that can make you feel a bit isolated. But don't lose hope. The trick to deal with unsettling times is staying calm, centered and aware, and to wait until the dust settles before reacting. Take care of your private life (specially the emotional and spiritual aspects), and focus on building your inner strength.

The Playing Card Oracles © Ana Cortez & C.J. Freeman

Just so you won't think I haven't learnt anything...

Yeah, those readings I did last Wednesday were pretty much a headache, but I did learn something from them. I mean, aside from deciding that I'm not a Fortune Vending Machine, I have found new ways to look at old cards & card combinations, which is something that always amuses me.

How can the same pictures come up in a reading and surprise us by representing something completely different than what we are used to?

This is one of the marvels of card reading, one of the reasons I never grow tired of it.

So, some new combinations I have learnt during my ordeal. Remember that I use the Playing Card Oracles method created by Ana Cortez, so these combinations probably only make sense within this system.

Q♦ + 5♥ — She who is not what she seems - specially someone hiding behind a kind and compromising mask. In fact any court card accompanied by the 5♥ can represent a person who is hiding their true face, so to speak, but it's specially dangerous when people are pretending to support you when in fact they are not.

9♠ + 5♦ — While reading, I usually took this combination as 'beware of whom you trust'. But a comment from one of my friends who was in the room brought another aspect of this combination to light: that of someone who is making their life dry by mistrusting everybody. Of course, the context of the reading made this interpretation possible. A third possibility would be when someone is manipulating you into putting your a** on the line, so to speak. But for readings about romance, I found that the second meaning tends to be more common.

K♣ + Q♣ & other court couples — This falls in the category of 'things to avoid in future readings'. I have the habit of describing the Court Cards' personalities in readings, specially when a couple of the same suit appears in the spread. While in times it can be useful, I'm beginning to realize that it's a turn off for most sitters because the feedback I usually get is: 'nope, doesn't relate to the person I know at all'. It's an information that gets in the way, because once the sitter feels he cannot identify immediately with what I said, he shuts the rest of the reading off. So from now on, a couple of same suit shall represent a very strong/important partnership, period. I'll only elaborate if the querent feels curious about the Court Cards.

It's a reading, not a workshop — I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but my sitters love to ask what is the precise meaning of each card and position and what exactly they represent in relation to the question. Point is - not every card is relevant. Some can give you the answer, while others are there helping to create an atmosphere. And who ever said cards have a precise meaning? But anyway, I decided that I'm done with teaching while reading. If you want to learn then buy the deck/book, invite me over for a tea and we will spend the whole afternoon discussing the cards and satisfying your curiosity. But while reading, instead of bruising my gray matter trying to explain each card as equally relevant, I shall give a quick keyword and move on the the general spread. 

I realize that this post might be pretty irrelevant to a lot of readers, specially the parts concerning card combinations. I apologize, as it's not my intention to alienate anyone. But I felt it was important to me to organize the practical lessons I got from last Wednesday's toil, so there you go.

Pharo Playing Poker Cards © Samuel Hart & Co.

I'm not a Zoltar machine!

Wednesday night. One of my best friends is moving to a new house and she invited the girls to a "good bye" pizza. After a few pieces of wonderful vegetarian pizza and long conversations about love-spirituality-work and everything in between, they all decided they wanted card readings.

Very well. I was rather tired to be honest - unlike some of them, who are on vacations, I have to wake up everyday at 7 am to work. Even my body was achy due to exhaustion but, not wanting to be the one to disappoint the girls, I sat down with my cards and agreed to read for each of them.

Bad idea. Bad idea.

You shouldn't read when you're almost falling flat on your face, but that is not the reason why I considered that night a cartomantic disaster. Nope. The problem is that none of them had actual questions. They all wanted to know about their love lives, of course, but... there was no intention behind their inquiries. In fact, they would copy the question of the last person, because there was nothing they really wanted to know about.

A long time ago I wrote a post about the importance of intention when doing card readings. When you approach the cards with a vague, mildly unimportant question, the cards don't give your their best. They give you equally vague, and sometimes rather unimportant answers.

That's what happened. There I was, sitting on an old mattress and frying my surviving brain cells in a pitiful attempt to give them meaningful readings. My eyeballs were about to pop out of my skull due to an insidious headache that began to spread when I realized the next hour would be dedicated to "wot's comin' up in my love life?" sort of questions. And not only that. When the answer appeared vague, and I was having a bit of a hard time trying to pinpoint exactly which aspect of their love lives the cards were focusing on, I could feel that aura of disappointment growing quite thick around me.

Mea culpa. I shouldn't agree to read when I'm nearly at the melting point in mental fatigue.

When I got home at 2 am, I was so exhausted that my mind actually felt empty. This is serious coming from a person whose mind is usually rushing at 120 mph.

No, don't turn on your (virtual) heels. Not yet. There is a purpose behind this jeremiad.

Review: Baralho Santa Sara by Rosalinda da Matta

Wow, it's been ages since I last wrote a review!

So, yesterday my plans of going to the movies were thwarted by a sudden headache, but still I had time to pay a quick visit to my favorite local bookstore. I was looking for something else entirely, when I came across a newly released Brazilian Lenormand deck - the Baralho Santa Sara (Saint Sarah Deck).

For those who do not know, the name is after Santa Sarah Kali, patroness of the gypsies. The Petit Lenormand is known here a "Gypsy Deck", and it closely related to their culture.

It was rather cheap so I brought it home and spent the rest of the evening playing with it.

One thing that surprised me is the quality of the cards. Okay, they are not like the European decks yet, but they are so much better than what they used to be. For years all we had here were small, badly-printed decks in the worst cardstock possible! So this is really an evolution - sturdy cards with a decent shiny lamination on both sides!

The cards are big for the Lenormand standards - you need a big table to use it for a Grand Tableau - measuring 6.5 x 11 cm (2.5 x 4.3 in), but on the bright side it help you to see the cards in full detail. The pictures are generally pretty, very colorful, but they have a strange mix of extremely cartoonish cards and nearly photographic realism that can be annoying for some people.

Odô-Iyá, Yemanjá!

Today we celebrate here the day of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes (Our Lady of the Seafaring). Through syncretism, it is also the day of Yemanjá, the Yorùbá Orisha/goddess of the sea.

Different religions - specially those with African roots - worship the Orishas here. The Orishas are deities from many regions of Africa whose legends were brought to the Americas by the slaves. Here in Brazil they were eventually syncretized with some Catholic saints, so that the practitioners could keep their beliefs alive without going in direct conflict with the Church.

My grandmother is a Umbanda priestess, which is one of the religions that work with the Orishas. While I'm not a member of this faith, here in Brazil these deities are a huge part of the general culture. They are as popular as the Catholic Saints.

You may not personally worship Yemanjá, but you will know who She is. You may even jump seven waves and throw flowers to the sea during the New Year, in Her honor, although you are not a member of any of the religions that revere Her.