An Update from Durham, NC

Jun 24

Well, my peaches, it's been quiet over here for a while now. Where have I gone to? Am I coming back?

Yes, yes I am. Here I am!

It's been a busy time of transition for me any my family and when I find myself making big changes I often need to hermit myself away, letting everything fall back into place slowly.

What's this big change you might ask? Just last week me, my darling partner, our two hounds and one pigeon picked up all our belongings and moved into our first real home.

We bought a house! It's been quite the process full of ridculous searching during which I almost convinced myself I could live behind a Red Lobster. At the end of it all we stumbled upon a house so dreamy that I'm having a hard time waking up and accepting that it's real and it's really ours.

Change takes a long, long time to settle in for me. Until then I walk around in a daze wondering "did that really happen?" and "am I really here?" When I get in this state I develop a near-total allergy to social media. With all the adjusting going on, I like to focus on the life right in front of me and spending time on Instagram just makes me feel disconnected from myself.

Additionally, I have to get all philosophical about things. For example, can anyone explain the concept of ownership to me? It seems both abstract and pushy. Like can I really walk up to a tree and say "this is my tree. I own it." That just seems rude.

In any case, I'm now here, in Durham, North Carolina coming to terms with the fact that I am a very lucky, happy homeowner. And I'm excited to emerge from my phase of homebuying hustle and bustle to jump back into the world of Incandescent Tarot, energized and inspired.

Moving has a weird way of not only shifting your geographic perspective, but your mental perspective as well. My brain is being jostled in new directions and I have lots of new plans and projects that I'll be unveiling in the months to come.

Above it all, however, I'm excited to reenter my practice with tarot. One can only do so many real estate themed readings, and I'm so eager to reconnect with my deep tie to tarot and share it with you too.

Pearl figured out how to climb the stairs. Smart girl!

Oh, and you might be curious to know where I've actually landed! It's been quite the lifestyle change. We managed to find a little slice of nature and solitude within the Durham city limits. We're now happy stewards (much better and more respectful than "owners," I think!) of over 2 acres of wooded land, 1/3 of which is a lovely pond. So far we've seen herons, fish, frogs, and even an owl which came to welcome us on our first night here.

I grew up in the country (our front yard was 17 acres!) so this is a lovely return to my roots. I didn't realize how much I missed being around green and wildness until we found this house. Our dogs are having the times of their lives, even Sammy, my mysteriously lethargic border collie mix. And Pearl the pigeon is enjoying having a bigger house to strut around in.

And excitingly enough, I now have a wonderful workspace upgrade with lots of room to offer my clients tarot readings in an even more magical setting than before. I"m looking forward to sharing more with you in the days to come. Until then, it's back to lots of painting and unpacking. And don't worry, I'll be back online from here on out :)

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Ways to Read Tarot Casually

It’s so easy to get serious when reading tarot. With cards like The Tower, The Hermit, and the Ten of Swords, who could blame you for painting sweeping pictures, waxing poetic about existential dilemmas, and focusing on the mythic in the mundane? I’ve noticed, however, that sticking to these areas when reading can lead to burnout, not to mention a limited understanding of the cards. If everything is epic, how can you go to the cards to understand smaller issues like daily decisions, exciting and low-stakes choices, or even open-ended explorations of themes?

Journaling with Tarot

Journaling is a wonderful practice to explore your inner world, and it’s no wonder then that it dovetails wonderfully with tarot. I’ve used the cards to enhance and guide my journaling practice for years, and I thought it would be helpful to outline some ways that you can do the same. As with all things tarot, take what resonates and leave the rest, and don’t forget to innovate! So, without further ado:

Making Your Own Tarot Spreads

Ah, tarot spreads. You’ve seen them in tarot books, the little handouts accompanying your decks, and all over the internet. Maybe you even spend hours searching for just the right one, a tarot version of spending two hours at a blockbuster trying to find a movie to rent (yes, I just dated myself!) But why search far and wide when you can make your own? In my personal practice I mainly create my own spreads (you can find some of them here). Why? Because oftentimes I want a pointed look at a specific question, I enjoy tailoring a spread to whatever’s on my mind/what I need, and I hate pointless googling.

Reading Tarot in Times of Stress, Crisis, or Overwhelm

Tips for reading for yourself during times of stress, overwhelm, and difficulty. Learn how to set the stage for effective and healing readings that ground and inspire rather than confuse or upset.

Conflicting Card Meanings & the Rolodex Technique

I may be dating myself with this metaphor, but so be it! Back in the olden times we had these nifty contraptions called rolodexes. An unfurled binder of cards arranged by alphabet, you’d write people’s contact information - phone number, address, etc. - on a card. Sitting by your rotary landline phone you could flip through the rolodex, find the number of the person you wanted to dial, and spin away.

Rolodexes have gone by the wayside (so much so, that I couldn’t find a stock image of one - hence the book above) but they’e a useful framework when it comes to tarot meanings. Let me explain.

Signs You're Leveling-Up in your Tarot Practice

The initial steps to learning tarot are obvious. First, what on earth are these cards all about? Second, what do they all mean?

Since there are 78 cards to go through, this stage can take some time. But what about that next phase, when you’ve gotten a handle on the cards themselves and are starting to become fluent in tying them together? How can you tell when you’re starting to master tarot?

How to Interpret your Tarot Reading

So you’ve been studying the cards and understand the different groupings and meanings, but when you do a reading and look at the whole spread it’s all a jumble. What next?

Creating a coherent reading out of a tangle of tarot cards is a big challenge. This is where the artistry and magic of tarot becomes obvious. Of all the ways you could go, which one to choose?

Connecting Tarot to Everyday Life

I like to tell people that even when you’re not reading tarot, you’re doing tarot.

We’re talking about a system that’s meant to reflect the human experience, aren’t we? Tarot, as it turns out, is all around us, from the biggest struggles and themes to the most quotidian routines.

How to Buy Used Tarot Decks

“But don’t you also have to be gifted your first deck?”

I don’t think any tarot myth gets me more worked up than this one. So it’s probably no surprise that I also love buying used and secondhand tarot decks for my collection. After all, tarot is simply a selection of images printed on cardstock. It’s what we do with them that makes them magical.

Setting Intentions with Tarot

It’s the new moon in Aquarius and I’ve just launched the first episode of my new podcast , Open Magic, with the amazing Bri of Tadpole Magic. Our first topic? Intention setting, particularly the ways we can harness intentions to invite in the change and growth we need.

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Gina Wisotzky

An Update from Durham, NC

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