My First Tarot: The Easiest and Most Accurate Tarot Reading That You Can Do
by Eleanor Hammond, printed by Schiffer Publishing  $34.99

 

I received this sample deck the other day for my blog.  I love Schiffer's packaging.  It's always so high-end and classy looking, even if I'm not in love with the actual deck.  But I thought, okay, this one could be cool.  Opened it up and pulled out the book and there's a car layout map inside also.  I pulled out the deck and was quite impressed with the blue foil edges (cause we know it's all about the small, shiny things! LOL).  Looks really good!

And then I pulled out the cards, and everything kind of fell apart.  I understand the concept here, since it's meant to be easy for anyone to pick up and learn.  The problem is, the cards don't have any pictures.  And the images of Tarot, no matter who the artist is or what the deck focuses on, is what's key to a deck.  You learn through the pictures and images and what they evoke in you and your psyche.  This is what the book should bring to the table, not the cards.  Or perhaps, have images on the reverse side of the interpretations. 

I was kind of disappointed, but figured I'd reserve judgment.  So I asked the Tarot Meet-up group that meets here what they thought.  We have all levels of experience in the group, everything from rank beginner (as in, I've never picked up a deck of cards before but want to learn) to just short of professionals who have been reading for 20+ years and belong to The Readers' Studio and attend conferences every year.  To a person, they all felt that the lack of pictures really made a difference and translated into a deck they wouldn't purchase for themselves or anyone else.  I had to agree, but was still glad I asked everyone for their input.

I felt very let-down by this deck, which was unfortunate.  Wonderful packaging, inside not so much.

#MyFirstTarot @SchifferPublishing #tarot #tarotdeck

Purple Poinsettias ... so it must be the holidays!

So look what arrived on Wednesday -- the annual display of the purple poinsettias!  That always means it's holiday time here at SoulJourney so let the season begin!

These beauties don't actually grow this way, although in my mind, they should.  If I were able to Summer them over, they'd come back white, so yes, they are sprayed.  But aren't they just gorgeous?!  I get them every year from Glenwild Gardens on Glenwild Avenue in Bloomingdale.  And every time I get asked about them by my customers, I refer them there.  An especially good thing to do for a fellow independent retailer, wonderful family-owned business, and all-around great folks.  And since I've never seen them anywhere else, the ONLY thing to do! LOL

The best part is, they last forever.  As in, June!  Pretty remarkable, I'd say.  Small investment to have such beauty around for over six months.

Be sure and patronize your local, independent retailer this holiday season, and especially on Small Business Saturday.  This year, that's Saturday, November 26.  SoulJourney will be celebrating with a Psychic Fair (with four readers) all day; meet Natalie Zaman, author of Magical Destinations of the Northeast and Animal Totem Coloring Book, who will be here signing her books 10.00am-12.00pm; a Kissing Booth with dogs from TriBoro Animal Welfare 12.00-3.00pm; complimentary refreshments all day; and enter to win a packet of gift certificates from six area businesses.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THEN!

@GlenwildGardens  @NatalieZaman  @MagicalDestinationsoftheNortheast  #PsychicFair  @TriBoroAnimalWelfare  @SmallBizSaturday  #purplepoinsettias

 

YouTube Interview

A few weeks ago I was asked to film an interview on Wicca and Witchcraft.  The interview is a gentleman named Joe and he drove all the way to Butler from Brooklyn.  So we arranged a date and he came over, set up his equipment, and he started asking me questions.  Here's the link to his YouTube channel.  I hope you like it!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQbX3pEGH6M

#Wicca #Witchcraft #Paganism #JoeLikesMoviesAndStuff

Romantic Tarot

The above photo is of a few cards from the Romantic Tarot by Lo Scarabeo.  It's not a deck I'd normally be drawn to, but Brianna was in the mood for a new deck on Saturday and she pulled this one off the shelf.  She felt so drawn to it that she had to open it immediately.  We started looking through it right away and I was amazed at how cool a deck it really is!

It's mostly pastels (not my preferred color choice, for sure) and set in various places (cities and countryside) in Europe in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries.  You can see by the dress code of the folks inside. :-)

It's definitely not a deck for only readings on romance, so don't be fooled by the title!  I'm sure it's called that only because of it being set in the "romance" time of history. 

We did a rather in-depth reading with the deck and were amazed at what we pulled out of the cards.  Here are just a few we pulled at random to show the spectacular-ness of this deck: 

The first card on the left is The Devil.  You can tell she's a bit of a temptress with the spotlight on her.  Next up is The Moon, set in Paris.  It, rather eloquently, shows the Moon behind the Eiffel Tower, with the lovers enthralled with each other beneath Her glow.  The middle card is The Star.  The compass on the ground shows that off magnificently, particularly in tandem with the couple's shadow superimposed.

Then we have the queen of Pentacles.  Doesn't she just look like she's totally in charge of her domain?  And the last card is the Three of Swords.  Just wow!  You might not be able to see it above, but there's hints of blood where the swordsmen have done their jobs; the woman's heartache of her gravely injured, perhaps killed, lover lies; and the other man's triumph.  We took this card to be a duel for the woman's favors, although it doesn't have to be that at all.

I just had to write this blog about a wonderful deck that I've had on the shelf for a little while and now can't rave enough about.  It's one I'll definitely be getting back in, and will be picking one up for myself.  Such a great deck!

@LoScarabeo @LlewellynWorldwide #RomanticTarot

See those cute little mojo bags?  They're the new brand from SoulJourney, thanks to @NatalieZaman and @SashaGraham and their great idea!  Mama Sandi's Magickal Swag, to be exact.  Read on for more info!

Magickal Swag is a new line of magickal bags I started making, created, charged, and Reiki'd under the proper Moon phase for each purpose.  They're perfect for sticking in a pocket, in a purse, luggage, drawer, or anywhere you think is appropriate.  Right now, the purposes are: Courage, Healing, Hex Breaking, Love, Prosperity, Protection, Psychic Awareness, and Success/Luck.  And there'll be more coming, of course.

I am SO excited about these great products!  So in love, in fact, that I've been seen standing in front of them, or taking a walk past them, just to admire them! LOL  So silly, I know, but I can't help myself.  I love the colors, the smells ... everything!

They each have herbs and spices inside that work for the purpose, naturally, as well as a stone.  On the outside, they're blinged out with ribbon and beads and charms so they're really pretty to look at.  Priced at $10.00 each.

I'm also going to be launching a service for making Special Order bags.  You come in with as much information as you have, including names, birthdates, etc., and your purpose, and I'll make the bag for you.  And of course, I'll be charging it for the person you're having it made for.  Or yourself.  The Special Order bags are $25.00 and you'll have to allow for a minimum of one week for creation and charging.

There will be more items added to this line, but that's for a future blog.  Thanks so much for reading!

@NatalieZaman @SashaGraham #MamaSandisMagickalSwag

I thought I'd do a short blog about crystal skulls.  There seems to be a real resurgence and interest in them.

So why would you want one?  Well, first off, cause they're really cool. LOL  Lots of people are kind of creeped out about them, and others just love them.  I fall into the latter category.  Obviously, they're not for everyone.

A wonderful way to utilize them is in a crystal grid.  You can form a grid entirely of the skulls, either in various stones or all the same, whatever you're drawn to do.  I may have to incorporate them into my next grid class curriculum. :-)

They're very useful in meditation, especially in the symbology.  Meditation takes place in your head, and what are you meditating with but a head!?  Just treat it like any other stone you'd meditate with and you're good to go.

It's an excellent divination tool, and for the above reason (meditation), it's also excellent for increasing psychic awareness.  Skulls are also very helpful when sending healing to someone, so Reiki practitioners can definitely use them in their work.

Use them for sacred geometry, self-awareness, and just to increase human consciousness.

Take into account the stone the skull is made out of also.  You want it to be a stone you resonate with.

The skulls above:
Back Row - Rose Quartz and Clear Quartz, $50 and $100
Front Row - Clear Quartz, Charoite, Hematite, Amethyst, Clear Quartz, $25

#crystals #crystalskulls #amethyst #clearquartz #rosequartz #hematite #charoite

Warwick and Roscoe NY, Part Deux

After we went to the Dunbas Castle, we decided to head over to the now-defunct Starlite Ballroom.  On the grounds are these small castles that were very cool.  We only saw one, but it was worth the trip!

This is just one side.  There's even a waterfall right in the middle of the lower portion that's fed from the water in the moat.  Pretty wild!

So then we started walking around a little bit and went around the back of the building.  It's now owned by a Hasidic Jewish sect and there were lots of lights on inside and people walking around, so we decided to just stick to ourselves.

Here's the sign over the doorway.

And while we were around the back of the building, we spied these concrete deer.  Absolutely no idea why they were there or what was intended with them, and we even discussed taking an ear, but decided to let them rest in peace.

The last shot of the day that I took was of these upper room windows - fourth floor - of stacks and stacks of mattresses.  The entire event struck me as something that should be written up in Weird NJ Fringe.  So bizarre!

@NatalieZaman @SashaGraham @WeirdNJ #WeirdNJFringe @StarliteRoom #adventures #WeirdNY