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![]() Spring Equinox is exact tonight at 8:49pm PST during the waning Dark Moon. While it is beautiful and sunshine-y here in Portland, we’re asked to practice social distancing, when what we really want to do is socialize and share in the buzz of excitement as the Sun brings life back to the Earth’s Northern Hemisphere. Spring Equinox is the time to celebrate the sign of life’s return from Winter. However, it’s also a time to honor the balance of light and dark, since at Equinox the day and night are split equally. The Sun rises directly in the East and sets directly in the West. ![]() Spring Equinox is exact tonight at 8:49pm PST (0° Aries) with the waning Dark Moon in Aquarius. While it is beautiful and sunshine-y here in Portland, Ore., we’re asked to practice social distancing, when what we really want to do is socialize and share in the buzz of excitement as the Sun brings life back to the earth in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring Equinox is the time to celebrate the sign of life’s return from Winter. However, it’s also a time to honor the balance of light and dark, since the Equinox splits the day and night equally. During the Spring and Fall Equinoxes we honor balance. The Sun rises directly in the East and sets directly in the West. ![]() Thought I’d share a few more cards from the Lua Tarot! I’m practicing social distancing, so I will be taking a break from my massage/healing practice to make sure my clients are safe. In the meantime, I’m going to dive back into creativity mode with the Lua Tarot this week. Stay safe and healthy! Reach out if you need anything. We are all in this together! Wishing everyone the best of health...Body, Mind and Spirit.
![]() Now that NWTS is over, I’m going to start working on the Lua Tarot again. I had a sample deck at NWTS with the completed cards. Here are three of them. I’ve been personally working with these three archetypes this year. Strength and the Hermit are my year cards...and the Empress is my Soul card. A reading with these cards would look like: Withdraw and find Strength in your inner wisdom. If you’re isolating, nourish your creativity. Stay grounded and trust your inner wise Self. I have to retract something I wrote in the Divine Muses Oracle Companion Guidebook about the Eternal Student card that could spread negative perceptions about Sikhs and those who practice Sikhism.
In the Essence and the Shadow section, I don’t write about specifics regarding religion, Sikh or otherwise. However, the last sentence of the In the Card section, I write that the artwork leans towards the shadow side of the card’s definition and that isn’t fair. I can see how that is highly problematic and I’m so sorry I didn’t see this sooner. In a world where there’s anti-Sikh sentiment and Islamophobia, pointing the artwork in this way misrepresents the historical figure I used in the artwork, and could reinforce negative stereotypes. That was not my intention. However, I see how pointing the artwork towards the shadow could denigrate Sir Rajinder Singh specifically. I will not make excuses as to what I really meant to say because in the end, it can still be misinterpreted and cause harm. I am sorry for causing offense. I know where I went wrong in writing about the artwork. I will continue to use the card in the deck, but I will be removing that last sentence from the guidebook in all future printings. I’m grateful to the woman who contacted me and brought this to my attention. She is Sikh and is well-placed to comment about her experience and that of her community. I couldn’t have asked for a more compassionate email. Her kindness and understanding is rare in a world where lobbing accusations online is seemingly becoming the norm. She said that she was really pleased to see Sikh representation in a deck, and explained to me why she thought the description was harmful. When I reread the entry I saw my mistake immediately. As a deck creator, collage artist, and archivist, I strive towards creating more diverse and inclusive card decks. It can be challenging to find photographs and imagery that I can use in my work. One must be sensitive and conscious when working within the 19th century archives. Even though I was careful with my work, I still made a mistake. The next course of action is to own it, fix it, and share my mistake, so those of you who have the oracle set are aware of this. It’s a fitting lesson this should happen with the Eternal Student card.
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