Author: Administrator

Say Hello to Sarah

by Administrator, posted in Messages from Rebecca

As most of you probably saw on social media, my husband and I recently celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, and on that same day we adopted a dog from a local rescue organization. I’ve gotten many questions about all kinds of things regarding our new dog, so I thought I’d try to answer them all in one BIG post so I can get back to important business of just posting random photos of my dog online. I mean, it is why the internet exists.

We adopted a 2-year-old female pit bull mix that we named Sarah. She was found abandoned and pregnant in Tennessee. I guess down there they have kill shelters, so after she had her puppies, a vet spayed her and did all the health stuff, and she was transported north to Homeward Bound Rescue in Schenectady. There, a kind woman named Patty became her foster mom for about a week, and she helped us decide to adopt Sarah.

Her name was Winter when she was first rescued, but none of us could figure out why, and she did not really respond to the name, so I convinced my husband we should call her Sarah. Currently, Sarah is a bit underweight, so she is just bone and lean muscle. It made me think of Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2”, who was also a mother made of entirely lean muscle.

Both my husband and I have had dogs before, but it has easily been 15 years or longer since that time, so basically, we are first time dog owners. Homeward Bound was super nice about telling us to reach out to them with any questions, no matter how dumb they may seem. We also made good friends with the folks over at the Pampered Pooch in Ballston Spa. No better way to forge a relationship with a business by walking in and saying, “We just adopted this dog and we have nothing at home for her.” The staff there helped us make some decisions and we signed Sarah up for obedience training once they can hold classes again.

We are still learning about Sarah, but if you follow The Magical Buffet on social media, you will have seen she is very affectionate and does not care about personal space. She is not interested ice cubes, and handily destroyed the first two toys we bought her. Sarah is not used to be on a leash and would love to destroy the bunny who lives in our backyard. She wants to eat all the food, all the time. She needs to gain weight, but we are trying to do that in healthy way, so she is not getting food from our plates, but lord is she hopeful.

I hope that answered most of your questions. If you’d like to learn more about the rescue that helped Sarah, visit http://homewardbounddogrescue.com/.

Bear with me while I work on striking a new work, dog, Magical Buffet life balance!

Also, help me give my dog Sarah the life she deserves by supporting my Patreon! (My Patrons have seen photos of Sarah that no one else has!)

Wearing a Mask is Unmanly….

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Politics

….and Other Reasons Female World Leaders are Doing a Better Job Beating Coronavirus

By Marian E. Lindberg

What do countries such as New Zealand, Germany, and Taiwan have in common? Aside from having successfully reduced cases of COVID-19, all three have female leaders.

The connection has drawn attention, and is no coincidence. Not simply because these countries’ leaders are women, but because as women they do not carry the baggage that can prevent male leaders such as Donald Trump from taking science-based measures such as setting and respecting national standards for wearing masks. That is, concerns about their manliness.

Current rhetoric in political circles is rife with undertones of manliness. When Jeff Sessions decided to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, Trump disparaged him as “very weak” and not “being a man.” He refers to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as “that woman from Michigan.” Amid the wave of protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, he has pushed for governors to “get tough,” telling them, “most of you are weak.”

Trump takes us back to an earlier era when accusations of unmanliness in politics were less coded. . In the late 1890’s, when President William McKinley sought to avoid war with Spain over its brutal treatment of Cubans, Theodore Roosevelt, then a Navy bureaucrat, accused McKinley of having “no more backbone than a chocolate éclair.” Jingoist newspapers agreed, calling McKinley a “goody-goody man”—or no man at all. The New York Journal published a cartoon depicting McKinley as an elderly woman pushing a broom against the will of Congress and “The People,” represented as menacing ocean waves. The caption read “Another Old Woman Tries to Sweep Back the Sea.”

Roosevelt and other hawks declared that war against Spain would strengthen American men, who had become too “soft” in their view. If men were stronger, the argument went, women would give up their quest for the vote and focus on being wives and mothers, satisfied that the nation was in good, manly hands. As sociologist Michael Kimmel has written, “The story of America [is] a story of proving and testing manhood.”

In the face of the threats we are confronting today, including a pandemic and climate change, it is important to remember that even in the 1890s a large number of men did not support a martial definition of manliness.

Senator David Hill of New York, for example, asserted that whether to fight Spain was not “simply a question as to whether we were brave enough people to enter upon the experiment.” As historian Kristin Hoganson writes, Hill “and like-minded leaders regarded the Cuban issue not as a crusade but as a policy issue to be settled by sober statements and foreign policy authorities. In effect, they contended that the kind of manhood that should govern foreign policy debate was…that of the dispassionate, educated expert, someone who exercised restraint and sober judgment.”

That sounds a lot like the debates over how to respond to Covid-19: medical expertise and the virtues of compassion and restraint versus assertions of individual “freedom” to do as one pleases. And rhetoric around the pandemic is as rife with undertones of manliness (or lack thereof) as our political rhetoric overall. Just look at the signs on highways entering Manhattan that read “Cover Your Face in Public. We are New York Tough.” And at President Trump’s constant scoffing when asked why he doesn’t wear a mask—which he has said would make [him] look ridiculous for prioritizing health over business. How unmanly.

When it comes to Covid-19, unlike manliness, different approaches can be measured objectively by numbers of cases and deaths. By that measure, heads of state in places such as New Zealand, Germany, and Taiwan who imposed isolation measures early and relied on medical experts to inform their policies clearly saved lives. Free from concerns of manliness, they responded to a major problem dispassionately, based on “sober judgment” and without regard to bravado.

It can take more strength to tell people not to act than to encourage their aggressiveness. The leaders who imposed swift quarantines showed such strength. The adverse economic impacts of curbing movement and commerce were easy to anticipate, but the upside was not clear: what if the quarantines did not prove effective in reducing virus transmission and death?

Today, few officials would argue that a course of action is right because it is “manly.” A statement such as “I want American manhood asserted” (Sen. William M. Stewart, R, Nev., speaking in 1897) would be considered as retrograde in 2020 as “men working” signs.

But concerns with manliness persist just below the surface. When Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he was willing to die to save the economy, that echoed men such as Stewart and Roosevelt. Faced with an enemy unbeatable through physical force, Patrick turned to dying for his country as a supposedly heroic option.

Yet Covid-19 teaches that strength is not the same as physical power, nor is strength male or female. Those who insist on characterizing Covid-19 as an enemy in a war must accept that in this war, the men and women who made us stand back may have shown the strength we most need.

About Marian E. Lindberg:
Getting to the truth has been the constant in Marian E. Lindberg’s career, first as a
journalist, then as a lawyer, environmentalist, and author. Her new book, Scandal on Plum Island: A Commander Becomes the Accused (East End Press) is the product of extensive research into a 1914 trial and reveals the origins of homophobia as a federal policy.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

The Green Witch’s Grimoire

by Administrator, posted in Books, Magic/Occult, Reviews, Wiccan/Pagan

There is a joke about grimoires in the magical community, it goes something like, “I bought this gorgeous book to be my grimoire, but it’s too beautiful to write in.” It is funny because it is just about universally true. I have multiple BEAUTIFUL blank journals that have been untouched for years because I could never write anything worthy enough for its pristine gold gilded edges. Today’s book has made me reexamine everything I thought I wanted from a grimoire.

“The Green Witch’s Grimoire: Your Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Book of Natural Magic” by Arin Murphy-Hiscock delivers. It. Is. Complete. Try as I might, and I’ve given it a LOT of thought, I cannot come up with any angle or component of grimoires that Murphy-Hiscock might have missed. The title says, “Green Witch” but let me say, unless you are a magic practitioner that actively hates nature, anyone can use this book.

The first part of “The Green Witch’s Grimoire” is a journey to try to decide what your grimoire is going to be. What kind of paper will you use? How will the pages be held together? What will you use to write in it? Will you want to carry it with you? Do you want multiple volumes? Will it have sections? Templates? An index? Do you plan on incorporating samples of natural things? Will it be decorative, functional, both? There is a dizzying number of things to consider, and I’m fairly sure Murphy-Hiscock things of every last one.

The second part of the book discusses options for how to use your grimoire: journaling, writing spells, copying important information from research, cataloging the results of divination, as a mission statement, and obviously more.

I obviously love how thorough Murphy-Hiscock is in this book, but what I love the most is how she emphasizes there is no right way to create and use a grimoire, and that there’s nothing wrong with deciding you don’t like what you created and start over again.

You can learn more here.

Shop your local indie bookstore <---This is an affiliate link to IndieBound, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Multi-Faith Coalition Defends Rights of Atheist

by Administrator, posted in Islam, Politics

Yesterday I received a press release that I thought I should share. An interesting case of a multi-faith coalition coming together to defend the rights of an atheist.

From Muslim Advocates:

Muslim Advocates, joined by 15 other faith-based organizations from diverse religious backgrounds, filed a brief on Monday, in support of an atheist who was required to live in a Christian halfway house as a condition of his parole. After he refused to attend religious services, he was kicked out of the halfway house and arrested for violating his parole—leading him to file a lawsuit, Janny v. Gamez. Unfortunately, a district court ruled against him, claiming no violations of his religious rights occurred because he was merely required to attend the services, not participate in them. The plaintiff is represented on appeal by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the ACLU of Colorado, and the law firm DLA Piper.

Muslim Advocates’ brief argues that the district court’s ruling misapplied religious freedom law. By claiming that merely attending a religious service was not a religious event, the court ignored the fact that attending religious services is a deeply meaningful religious act for a number of different faith traditions. Further, the Constitution and U.S. law protect not only against forced participation in religious exercise, but also against being forced to listen to religious proselytization. The brief also emphasizes that the district court’s misapplication of the law would be especially harmful to religious minorities, because they are more likely to end up at a halfway house that does not share their faith.

“Parole officers cannot force anyone to attend religious services in order to stay out of prison,” says Matthew Callahan, staff attorney at Muslim Advocates. “The laws of the United States require that the government respect an individual’s personal religious beliefs. The Tenth Circuit must act to overturn the district court’s dangerous interpretation of the law and ensure that no one else is sent behind bars merely for following the dictates of their faith.”

Along with Muslim Advocates, the brief was signed by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Disciples of Christ, the Global Justice Institute, the Hindu American Foundation, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, Men of Reform Judaism, the National Council of Churches, Reconstructing Judaism, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Sikh American Legal Defense Fund, Union of Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, Women of Reform Judaism, and Wyoming Interfaith Network.

You can read the filing here. It’s a worthwhile read.

About Muslim Advocates:
Muslim Advocates is a national civil rights organization working in the courts, in the halls of power and in communities to halt bigotry in its tracks. We ensure that American Muslims have a seat at the table with expert representation so that all Americans may live free from hate and discrimination.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Medusa is My Homegirl

by Administrator, posted in Creatures, Mythology, Religion

When you’re young in school studying mythology the only thing you learn about Medusa is that she was a monster whose gaze would turn living things to stone that Perseus killed for, reasons. And then Perseus chops off Medusa’s head and uses it as a weapon. At least that is as involved as it got when I went to school. However, there is more to Medusa than that. A complex background that I feel makes Medusa more of a martyr than a monster.

Medusa was once a mortal woman. In one story, Medusa was a beautiful woman that the goddess Minerva feared was more attractive than she. To assure her status, Minerva turned her into a creature with hissing snakes for hair. Once Perseus was done with Medusa’s head, he gave it to Minerva who put it on her shield. In an even more messed up version, the beautiful Medusa was raped by Poseidon in a temple dedicated to Athena. This so enraged Athena that she turned Medusa into the snake-haired monster whose gaze turned living things to stone. No matter which way you slice it, Medusa was a victim.

Eventually, we get to Perseus, the guy who slew Medusa. King Polydectes sends Perseus to retrieve the head of Medusa because the King wants to marry Perseus’s mother, which is some royal logic I don’t understand. Some versions mention Medusa laying waste to the country. A country that branded her a monster because she was punished for being attractive and a victim of rape. In case all of this isn’t messed up enough for you, some of these stories say Medusa was pregnant with Poseidon’s child when she was killed. It’s all good though, because Medusa’s blood produced the Pegasus, a mythological creature I can never look at the same with this knowledge.

I hope this has caused you to reconsider Medusa’s place within the divine feminine. If you don’t want to include her in your divine pantheon, I do hope you will at least no longer consider her a monster.

If this article moved you, I encourage you to check out my “Medusa is my Homegirl” line of merchandise! You can find it all here.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

What is Cinemastrology?

by Administrator, posted in Astrology, Books, Movies, Reviews

We have got a fun book to discuss today! “Cinemastrology: The Movie-Lover’s Guide to the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars” by Stella Wonderly. In a world of overwhelming movie choices, thanks in no small part to the abundance of streaming services, “Cinemastrology” is here to help you use your Sun sign in deciding what to watch! See? I told you it was going to be fun!

Equal parts astrology, trivia, and movie outlines, each Sun sign is given quite a bit of information. First, Wonderly gives a rough outline of the characteristics of the sign, throughout which she makes film suggestions. Then you’re presented with some top picks, date movie suggestions, comedies, and classics. Better still, there is a section of suggestions for films for each Sun sign to watch with different Sun signs! For example, a suggested film for a Gemini and Scorpio to watch together is “Sin City” (a movie I love). Each section concludes with a list of film stars that are of that Sun sign (Ian McKellen and I are both Geminis with our birthdays only days apart! Apparently, I have the same birthday as Annette Bening.)

“Cinemastrology” by Stella Wonderly is a great book for film fans and astrology lovers alike! A fun pick me up for these shut in days!

You can learn more here.

To up the fun quotient, I am giving away a copy of “Cinemastrology”! As per usual, we are doing the giveaway using Rafflecopter! This contest is open internationally and ends on June 12, 2020 at 11:59PM eastern.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop your local indie bookstore <---This is an affiliate link to IndieBound, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Matcha Lattes and Giveaways!

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

You always read about the benefits of green tea and/or matcha green tea. I enjoy both, but for a long time when I wanted to “treat” myself I would get a Matcha Green Tea Latte from Starbucks. I do prefer matcha because you’re consuming the green tea, as opposed to just steeping leaves in hot water.

The thing is, as a chronic pain sufferer, I’m not that physically active. I’m also in my 40’s. What I am getting at is, I need to watch my calories. Even with making all kinds of substitutions, the Starbucks Matcha Green Tea Latte was clocking in at 200 calories. AND, I had to go out and get it.

Now I could make one at home and take it into work with me. I did that for a while, however, it meant I had to drink it as soon as I got to work, and it would be lukewarm. Then I learned about Four Sigmatic, and more specifically I heard that they had an instant Matcha Latte Mix that doesn’t suck. I decided to give it a try.

Life. Changing.

Okay, that’s a little extreme, but what I now have are convenient, individual serving packets of Four Sigmatic instant Matcha Latte Mix. It has matcha, obviously, but also Lion’s Mane (which some believe provides mental health benefits) and Moringa (which Four Sigmatic calls “nutrient dense”). Thanks to the use of dried coconut milk powder and stevia, each serving is Vegan and only 30 calories.

I have never noticed any perceivable health benefits from drinking it, but it tastes good, is convenient, and low calorie. I keep a box in my cubicle at work, and whenever I want a Matcha Latte, I just pour a packet in a coffee mug and then fill it with hot water from our office’s Keurig machine. Stir it up and drink. It would absolutely be better if made with a frother or electric mixer to really work that mix into the water, but I don’t mind doing a stir and sip.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, I have a subscription with Four Sigmatic and it is great. It gets you a discount and you can skip a shipment whenever you want. With all the chaos lately, I forgot to tell them to skip my latest shipment. Since it’s warm out, I’ve been drinking it less, so I thought I would giveaway one of the boxes from my order!

It is giveaway time! As usual, I’ll be using Rafflecopter to run it. Contest ends Sunday, June 7, 2020 at 11:59PM eastern. THIS GIVEAWAY IS ONLY OPEN TO RESIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES. (To make it clear, Four Sigmatic is in no way involved with this article or giveaway. I purchased this product myself and have chosen to giveaway some of the surplus to a lucky winner.)

You can learn more about Four Sigmatic here.
(If you make a purchase through this link, I believe you get $15 off your first order, and I’ll get $15 of credit with them for my own purchases.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

The Shadowlands Tarot

by Administrator, posted in Products, Reviews, Tarot

As time goes on, more and more people view, and use, the tarot as tool for self-discovery as opposed to telling the future. With this progression, we’re seeing more decks that are designed to facilitate with that process. Monica Bodirsky has created just that sort of deck with “The Shadowland Tarot”.

Bodirsky’s “Shadowland Tarot” can operate as a more traditional tarot deck, stemming from its roots in the Rider Waite deck. However, with her focus on the shadow aspects of our psyches, you have the potential to discover things about yourself that perhaps you weren’t ready to acknowledge. Then, you can continue to acclimate and integrate those discoveries.

In another creator’s hands, “The Shadowland Tarot” could be an alarming, or frightening experience. Fortunately, Bodirsky’s (who also illustrated the deck) shadows are playful, charming, and nothing to be feared. Her “Shadowlands” are populated by a colorful cast of characters that you’ll want to get to know better.

If you’re looking for a tarot deck with wonderful art and penchant to encourage introspection, “The Shadowland Tarot” by Monica Bodirsky is for you!

You can learn more here.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Magical Symbols and Alphabets

by Administrator, posted in Astrology, Books, Magic/Occult, Reviews, Symbols, Wiccan/Pagan

I’m 99% sure that I’ve stated this repeatedly on my site, and on social media, and in interviews, and I may have grabbed random people on the street to share this, but when it comes to compilation style books (encyclopedia, complete book of, compendium) there are two people I adore for it: Judika Illes and Sandra Kynes. And although it isn’t titled as an encyclopedia or compendium, there was no way I was not going to review “Magical Symbols and Alphabets: A Practitioner’s Guide to Spells, Rites, and History” by Sandra Kynes.

“Magical Symbols and Alphabets” is truth in advertising. This 260ish page book is PACKED, just stuffed, with information. Kynes doesn’t just tell you what a symbol or letter stands for, she puts it into context by providing histories and purpose. She does not just give you the tool, she tells you why it may be right tool for the task. “Magical Symbols and Alphabets” has 6 parts: Astrological Symbols, The Elements, The Fifteen Fixed Stars, The Ogham, The Runes, Sigils, and The Witches’ Alphabet and Other Magical Scripts. It’s everything you could want.

Let me be blunt, if you’re interested in magic, you need this reference book. It won’t be a treasured keepsake; it will be an invaluable resource that you will turn to again and again for as long as it holds together.

You can learn more here.

Want a shot at winning your own copy? Well, thanks to Sandra Kynes you have that chance! She was generous enough to provide a signed copy of “Magical Symbols and Alphabets” for my readers! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter! The contest is open now until 11:59PM Eastern on 05/29/2020! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop your local indie bookstore <---This is an affiliate link to IndieBound, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you’ll receive monthly tarot/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https://www.patreon.com/magicalbuffet

Persephone, Seasons & Tarot

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Mythology, Tarot

From Stacey B. (aka TarotPugs)

Springtime marks the return of Persephone from the Underworld (Hades) when the flowers and trees begin to blossom again and her descent marks the beginning of autumn, but how can we relate this to the tarot?

The minor arcana is associated with the four elements and the four seasons and depending on your practice, it may look like the following below:

• Wands – Spring / Summer
• Cups – Summer / Spring
• Pentacles – Autumn / Winter
• Swords – Winter / Autumn

For the purpose of this post, we’ll use this method:

• Wands – Spring
• Cups – Summer
• Pentacles – Autumn
• Swords – Winter

So how does this all connect with Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld?

Her return to the upper world (Earth) is around the Spring Equinox and her descent beginning around the Autumn Equinox.

However, when we observe the Earth as a whole, Persephone is always in a duality state.

As Persephone rises to be renewed in one hemisphere to mark the beginning of spring known by her name of Kore, she also begins her descent in the other hemisphere to mark the beginning of autumn.

The back and forth of birth and death, spring/renewal, autumn/decay happens twice a year that even in the flourishment of springtime, there is still a hint of Persephone as the Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone, Springtime & Tarot

When working to understand ourselves, our renewal and what we are reawakening after the long sleep of winter, we can turn to the Ace of Wands in the tarot.

The most iconic image of the Ace of Wands in many tarot decks that are based on the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tarot system depict a wand with buds and leaves growing from it and sometimes falling from it.

New life and vitality are being created, rejuvenated as the Earth below begins to thaw and awaken.

We can examine simply by gazing at the Ace of Wands or when we see the Ace of Wands in a tarot reading during the springtime and ask:

• What is being reawakened?
• What is giving me new life from deep within the depths of my unconsciousness?
• What seeds have I planted that are ready to grow now?

These questions can be elaborated and carried through as if a string of thought all the way in the remainder of the Wands suit.

Find and name what is being reawakened, stirred and sprouted from your unconsciousness and watch it grow and mature through the rest of the Wands – from the 2 of Wands until the 10 of Wands when you are then overwhelmed by what has been created.

That’s when the Cups (Summer) happens, the Ace of Cups, to remind you that what you have created is a blessing and that even though you may feel overwhelmed by your creation, your cup is over flowing with love and abundance.

Carry this love and abundance of what started as a seed in the springtime from the Ace of Wands, the seed that Persephone had given you from the depths within, and it flourishes and grows.

Persephone starts as Kore in the springtime, flourishes to her bounty, and then in the Autumn returns to the Underworld and depths as a cycle of life.

Persephone, Autumn & Tarot

When autumn soon arrives again after enjoying what we have created, gave birth to and flourished, we realise our mortality, our finality, the physicality of it all, that all eventually returns back to the earth from whence it came.

When examining the Ace of Pentacles, it becomes as if a token to enter the depths below into Hades.

Charon, the ferryman, must be paid to cross the River Styx, the Ace of Pentacles coin grants this favour to begin the journey across.

As you go further in the suits of the Pentacles, down into Hades and the world where Persephone rules as Queen, you may ask when you see Pentacles cards in your readings in the autumn:

• What do I hope to reap?
• What must I leave behind?
• What will my legacy be?

These questions can be elaborated and carried through as if a string of thought all the way in the remainder of the Pentacles suit.

Find and name what has been manifested, created and matured from the springtime and summer, and observe what will be laid to rest so to give nutrients to what will be recreated in the next springtime.

After this, comes the Swords (Winter) and everything from previously in the year comes to rest and the work is done silently and quietly under the surface.

Reflection on the past, processing thoughts and ideas, coming to terms, even travel in the Underworld until finally reaching the end of the suit of Swords when you can finally release and surrender to all that was and be ready to be renewed again in the springtime.

Seasonal Tarot Journey with Persephone

Working with the minor arcana and Persephone can be done through meditation, ritual or journaling to explore the seasons and your own development through the seasons.

Start with the minor arcana suit that corresponds with the season that you’re in now where you live and begin the journey from the beginning of the suit and ask yourself questions along the way how you feel you’re progressing.

Continue the journey until you reach the next equinox or solstice, then begin the journey again with the next suit corresponding to the season.

To add more spirituality to the process, you can work with Persephone to follow her journey along with the seasons.

“Persephone,
blessed daughter of great Zeus,
sole offspring of Demeter,
come and accept this gracious sacrifice.”
– excerpt from Hymn to Persephone (The Orphic Hymns by Apostolos N. Anthanassakis and Benjamin M. Wolkow, The John Hopkins University Press ©2013)

About TarotPugs:
Stacey B. is a psychic tarot reader, Usui Reiki Master (Distance Healing Specialist), Animal & Pets Reiki practitioner, crystal healer, chakra energy healer and eclectic witch focusing on dark goddess spirituality and features Rocky & Rosie, a.k.a. the Tarot Pugs which can be found at tarotpugs.com.