swampcraft

[swampcraft]

MORE INTERESTED IN HOW MY LIFE FEELS THAN HOW MY LIFE LOOKS TO OTHERS.

[swampcraft]

78 Degrees of Wisdom laid the foundation for my current divination practice and was my introduction to Jung and in turn, Shadow Work.

I don’t work with Tarot as much as other Oracle systems now but the approach and the tools that Rachel Pollack offered in this book still informs my readings every day.

If you search Tarot, Jung or Shadow Work on Amazon it will be in the top ten every time, and I always recommend it when asked.

It’s rare that an author offers such a monumental gift to so many disciplines in one title, not to mention her other divination and Science Fiction contributions. The magical and literary worlds are a bit less with her passing.

[swampcraft]

Breaking Up With Spreads

Since I recently resigned from the magazine I was writing for, I thought I would share my former upcoming article here for everyone to enjoy.

 In divinatory lingo, a spread is a pre-designed layout for the reader to arrange the cards or other lots as they are cast in a reading. 

Spreads definitely have their place in modern divination, in a professional reading a spread can act as an easily recognizable baseline and set the client’s expectation for the reading. Even most people who don’t read for themselves will recognize the 3 card past/present/future layout or perhaps the more complicated Celtic Cross arrangement. For personal readings spreads can be customized almost endlessly, although often the Little White Book that comes with a deck of cards may only offer 3 or 4 standard hits. 

And for many new readers these spreads can offer an ice breaker to learn the practice of reading a divination tool. 

However for many others, spreads can make divination feel clunky, daunting, and unapproachable. 

So why do we use spreads? Well, not all systems do, and I’d argue, not all systems need to. Some systems like I Ching and Astragals rely on casting multiple objects to receive one predetermined response. Likewise Ogham and Runes traditionally involved casting objects from a hand or vessel and interpreting how they landed in relation to the reader. 

It was in the 18th century that an Italian card game began to gain popularity as a divination system, and finally an oracle had arrived that suited itself to prescribed layouts that would become known as spreads. In 1911 Arthur Edward Waite helped publish the deck that most people would recognize as the modern Tarot deck using paintings produced by Pamela Coleman Smith, and a book to go with it. In this book he introduced the world to the Celtic Cross spread, claiming it had been in use in the British Isles for years, but exactly how long is anyone’s guess. 

Then a curious thing happened, in the 20th century, authors writing about runes began suggesting to “lay them out like tarot cards” even coming up with creative ways to design spreads around the very shapes of the runes themselves. By the late 20th century when other oracle decks began hitting the scene, the LWB offering 3 or 4 standard spreads just sort of stuck around as a practice and with notably few exceptions, authors and deck creators haven’t really explored other ways to use their tools that don’t completely mimic the Tarot. 

Which is unfortunate I think. I always find it refreshing to find the rare LWB that offers no reversal interpretations or explicitly says to pull a card a day and use it as a meditation tool, or a storytelling tool, or whatever. 

Some oracles lend themselves particularly well to single-twig daily readings 

For good or ill, the public perception of Divination as a practice centers largely around the image of a reader laying out cards in a spread. And I’d argue that this harms the practice twofold, on one hand there are those who are simply not going to engage with that, either because it seems hokey, or because frankly it feels a bit rude. Whether you believe your oracle puts you in contact with your angels, your ancestors or your God, maybe it feels a bit presumptuous to show up and say “Hey I need these 5 things from you then gtg kthxbai!”    When was the last time you approached a friend with a form letter to converse with them? So why would you want to approach your highest and closest advisors in such a way? 

Then on the other hand, while a spread can make divination accessible for some seekers, a script can also feel rather stifling to others. When there are ten cards on the table in front of you and the second doesn’t seem to make any sense, that can become overwhelming and quickly off-putting. Or a deck’s companion book says to lay these cards out in one of these prescribed spreads but none of the 4 spreads offered really make sense to the seeker’s motives. 

More and more, divination is being approached as a tool for inner work and creative problem solving rather than the future telling practices long associated with the Tarot. For readers with these intentions, past/present/future spreads and their ilk can seem irrelevant at best and outright cheesy at worst. These querents want to talk to their own shadows and deal in jungian archetypes and have no need of what they see as Woo. 

Many readers end up not getting the most out of their practice and often don’t understand why they can like their deck(s) so much but have such a hard time reading the cards to any satisfaction. 

If the last several paragraphs resonate with you, I’d suggest its time to consider a break up. 

Maybe not entirely. Maybe y’all can hook up from time to time so long as it doesn’t become toxic. The wondrous thing about divination is that it’s only as orthopraxic as you make it. The cards themselves don’t care how you use them. 

So start thinking about how you want to use those cards. Maybe that looks like straightforward one-card pulls. Ask a question, get an answer. 

Try throwing everything at the reading mat and see what sticks

Many spiritual development courses will suggest doing a one card pull in the mornings. Asking something like “What should I look for in the day ahead”  or “What matter most needs my attention today?” carry that lesson or seed thought with you throughout the day and see how it does or does not resonate with you in your evening journaling entries. Hah ha, like you keep a journal, I see you with your seven empty notebooks; They are not too nice to use, get to it!

But what if that one card makes NO SENSE? Then ask another question! Start a conversation. Get short if need be. Just be ready to get roasted in return from time to time. Nothing stings like your favorite cards calling you an idiot, but if your pasteboard advisors can’t put you in your place, who can?

But really, if you have laid down one card on the table then there are a good twenty plus ideas still in your hand(up to 80 or more depending on the oracle deck). Shuffle and ask. Now you’re talking in an active conversation instead of filling out a form letter. You can take this in any direction a conversation could hope to go. 

As you “talk” to your oracle, it may help to lay the cards out in a pattern if you intend to journal or otherwise review the reading at the end. I like to lay cards relating to/clarifying the same topic over top of each other, while cards that answer a question or relate to a new theme or action may be laid above, below or beside the previous card. 

There is no wrong way to do this, it’s seriously whatever makes the most sense for you in the reading. In this way you sort of build out your own custom single-use spread for each new reading. 

If you have been reading with spreads for a while this may take some adjustment. Even when creating your own custom spreads for readings, it can sometimes feel like you’re limited to a pool of “divination appropriate questions,” but now that reading has become a friendly chat you may think of entirely new questions that had never seemed askable before. 

And while we are at it, another thing you may consider doing the next time a card doesn’t make sense is to bring in another oracle tool altogether. Hold a pendulum over that sucker and interrogate it. Scry that shiny pasteboard surface like it’s John Dee’s mirror. Or alternately, just pick a card from a different deck. 

Over time you may find that two decks work particularly well together 

The faeries giving you the run-around? Grab that dragon deck and ask them for some insight. Or the cast of Dr. Who. Everything has an oracle deck nowadays, just look at the kickstarters! 

Before long you may find your readings take on a whole new level of significance and you may wonder why you ever used spreads in the first place. You may also find that spreads still have their usefulness from time to time (I do enjoy a particular 2-card spread when I’m doing my shadow work journaling, it keeps that practice consistent, insightful and brief).

Whatever direction your divination practice takes, the important thing is that it works for you, and that’s where getting one of those seven empty notebooks and starting to journal about your practice can really pay off. Note the way a reading makes you feel, note the way a reading pans out over the course of a day. Make notes of the times the reading provided insight that was way off base, or that was misunderstood in the moment. Keeping track of these details builds a database of information you can look at and audit. 

By making notes of your readings and looking back at them periodically, you can gain a greater sense of what individual techniques and ideas are paying off. What decks you work best with and on which days and topics you should just leave the divination to somebody else.

There are all kinds of options for growing your divination practice if that is something you want to develop, and I’d argue that one of the most important things to keep in mind is that it is absolutely okay to break up with a deck or a practice that you feel is holding you back. #

Happy Reading Y’all /|\ 

#divination #druidry #gaywitch #spreads #reading #oraclecards

[swampcraft]

Pic for attention so without a great deal of literary flourish, I’m resigning from my recently attained position of staff writer at Paranormality Magazine.

I have taken some time in making this decision because the author or the Twitter shitstorm and subsequent article had already resigned and I had hopes for what might remain. But it’s clear that enough remaining staff members also don’t get the point and simply see this all as a “woke mess”

So I’m out. This isn’t my kin and I’d rather be among people who see that some of us don’t leave our politics at the door because we can’t. We aren’t afforded those luxuries in this moment.

So this wizard will be taking her talents to bolder groves (coincidentally I have a couple banger articles on divination if anyone’s interested) and I’ll see y’all on SwampCraft real soon.

Yours among the Oaks and Palms /|\

Dasos

[swampcraft]

Y’all, if you ever find yourself about to chastise someone for talking politics because “this is where I go to get away from politics” then stop.

Shush, and for a moment appreciate the simple idea that you have that choice.

Some of us are queer even when we are at work. Black even while engaged in hobbies. Still Muslim at the pool and trans even while jogging on your footpaths. Some of us are always having our identities and existences politicized and we don’t get breaks or escapes from a political reality that is this openly hostile.

Privilege is bad enough but policing another creator’s platform is unacceptable.

Today I’ve been watching and somewhat dealing with the fallout of a really privileged, arrogant, bad decision that was made last night and it’s so heartbreaking to see a lot of potential being flushed down the toilet because one person couldn’t contain their own discomfort at someone else’s lived political reality.

[swampcraft]

Happy Trans Day of Visibility 2023! I love being trans – the part that makes it difficult is the transphobes.

Tell me in the replies/tags/reblogs what trans joy looks like for you. :D

Transphobes do not touch this post.

Image ID: 10-image cartoon comic featuring Joey, a boy with short hair. Image 1: Joey smiles and gesticulates to the title of the comic which reads: “Accessing gender-affirming care as a minor has allowed me to experience trans joy as a transgender adult!”. The words “trans joy” are in large block letters the color of the trans flag. Image 2: A younger Joey wearing a sweater and boxers receives his first T shot from a nurse. The text reads: “I started testosterone 5 days before my 17th birthday after spending the year jumping through a bajillion hurdles. Today, my home state is trying to criminalize my care and specifically shut down the trans specialty clinic that cared for me. Throughout all of this false ‘debate’ about best-practice medicine, I have seen no politicians, reporters, or cis allies talk about trans joy.” Image 3: A younger Joey in a hoodie stands at the stove cooking. He is happy, and there are music notes around his head. The text reads: “When I realized that I was trans years earlier, the world became lighter. I suddenly had answers for why I felt the way I did, and I knew that I wasn’t alone. I found myself humming and singing again”. Image 4: Joey is posed stretched across the frame. He’s wearing suspenders and plaid pants and throwing up a peace sign. The text reads: “I discovered my fashion sense for the first time. I had never been happy in any clothing, but realizing that I was a boy let me explore and find the clothes that made me feel great”. Image 5: Joey’s hand holds up a phone, and on the screen are thumbnails of videos of his face. The text reads: “Most trans people can tell you the day they started hormones (or another transition milestone). It’s like having a second birthday! I’ve got a digital diary recording my monthly changes from the first 2 years.” Image 6: Joey sits on the ground next to a friend, and they are both drawing in notebooks and smiling. Joey’s friend has glasses, an undercut, earrings, and facial hair. The text reads: “I have the most wonderful trans friends who enrich my life every day. I am so lucky to be part of such a loving community”. Image 7: Joey holds hands with his boyfriend, who is a taller boy with long hair in a ponytail and facial hair. The text reads: “Realizing that I was a boy made me realize that I was gay. Up until then, I just thought that I couldn’t experience attraction at all (which is also perfectly normal, by the way!). A wonderful boy and I fell in love 5 years ago, and we get to watch each other grow. Image 8: Joey is shirtless and holding a toothbrush while his boyfriend hugs him from behind. They are both smiling. The text reads: “He often reminds me of how good I look, and boy do I know it! I love my trans body. It’s perfectly me!” Image 9: Joey is shirtless and showing his chest and top surgery scars. The text reads: “Like most places, my clinic does not refer minors for surgery. But when I turned 18, I got top surgery to remove my (bountiful) breast tissue. It’s one of the best things to ever happen to me. I adore my chest. I’ve been freed.” Beside a small doodle of a cat, the text reads: “My cat sleeps on my flat chest every night”. Image 10: Joey has his arms behind his back and is addressing the reader. The text reads: “In the midst of purposeful misinformation and frankly genocidal language and laws, I’d like us to remember the joy of getting to be ourselves. Gender-affirming care not only saves but enriches lives for people of all ages. The joy of being oneself is what the Right wants to eliminate. It is imperative that we preserve and encourage the continuation of trans joy by allowing all trans people to safely thrive.” The comic is dated March 31, 2023. End ID.

[swampcraft]

My friend said this but this is a very important point that yall need to understand.

[swampcraft]

I love this

Day 2 is “Date Night!”  Garnet is their relationship, their togetherness, their being ‘out’, their PDA, their LOVE.  We are pretty sure their best dates are experiencing the world together in that manner.

Garnet Sketch by @stuffinfluffcooking and shadows + all colors by @nillia!

Our Patreon is cool! Check it out! Also feel free to follow us for more art and for answers to some asks!

[swampcraft]

@southernfriedwitch said “These damn trees setting these impossible beauty standards!” I get jealous too, sometimes. #southernfriedwitch #trees #agingmagically #themagicalbody #witchesofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp85GEVsYkz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#southernfriedwitch #trees #agingmagically #themagicalbody #witchesofinstagram

[swampcraft]

Kade got in on the fun and made his own color combo. #icedye #color #dyersofinstagram #crafty https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp7_hIHMpYE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#icedye #color #dyersofinstagram #crafty

[swampcraft]

Celebrating local color, I did a run of pieces in the school colors of the three nearest high schools. This batch is red and blue for the Rockledge Raiders #color #handdyed #raiderpride https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpx2TSfOW65/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#color #handdyed #raiderpride

[swampcraft]

Celebrating local color, I did a run of pieces in the school colors of the three nearest high schools. This batch is yellow and black for the Merritt Island Mustangs. #color #handdyed #gomustangs https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpx2EhROef0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#color #handdyed #gomustangs

[swampcraft]

Celebrating local color, I did a run of pieces in the school colors of the three nearest high schools. This batch is orange and black for the Cocoa Tigers #color #handdyed #tigerpride https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpx1eTAuyey/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#color #handdyed #tigerpride

[swampcraft]

My year of color play continues with an ice dyed rainbow! I will have these listed in the Reset20 Etsy shop later this week. #icedye #color #druidry #witchesofinstagram #rainbow #gaydruid #pride https://www.instagram.com/p/CpsXhglsKWF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#icedye #color #druidry #witchesofinstagram #rainbow #gaydruid #pride

[swampcraft]

All set up and ready to spin at Mrs Mango’s. Come join us and enjoy a cup of hibiscus tea in the garden. #spinnersofinstagram #crafters #mrsmangoandcompany (at Mrs. Mango & Company) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpkokF4uWnm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#spinnersofinstagram #crafters #mrsmangoandcompany

[swampcraft]

Consider the god of salmon.

There is a god of salmon, somewhere in the gravel and the pebbles of the spawning redd. All salmon are aware of it as soon as they are born, in their own, private, fishy ways, and remember their god of salmon when they leave the spawning grounds and journey into the saltwaters beyond.

Theirs is the god of journeys and returnings.

Eventually, every salmon is struck by the urge to return to the holy lands of its ancestors. They pray to the god of salmon, asking for protection against bears and other predators on the journey.

“Deliver us from eagles,” the salmon pray.

All animals get their own gods, and those animal gods get their own prayers. The gods of mice and rabbits and other small, squeaking, hunted things usually get prayers along the lines of, “Oh please, oh please, oh please…”

Unlike those fickle gods, parishioners of the god of salmon get results.

Salmon get miracles.

A salmon returns to freshwater and discovers that it can breathe.

A salmon swimming against the current watches its spine curl, its teeth lengthen, sees grey scales turn red.

A salmon comes to a waterfall and discovers that it can fly…

Eventually the salmon complete their pilgrimage, and return to the holy lands of their ancestors.

Many raucous orgies are held.

Hallelujah.

And then, exhausted, the salmon die. The land flourishes as residual nutrients run through creeks and estuaries.

And the god of salmon continues, buoyed on the souls and prayers of millions of martyrs.

[swampcraft]

Picture it: Cocoa, FL sometime in 2002. I have been so thoroughly outed so many times that my parents have forced me to attend the church my mother works at; the First Baptist Church of Cocoa. They plan to immerse me in the Word until I’m straight.

It’s like, my third Sunday night attending, and my mother is explaining to gay little me for the umpteenth time why it’s ok that this church is putting on a reverse beauty pageant, and I would really be doing a favor if I lent some of my “special artistic talent” to the fundraiser, in which every male church leader will be presented in drag by several female church leaders also in drag. A deacon walks past in the background adjusting his falsies beneath his blouse, the room spins a bit as I try to make it make sense.

The standards have always been double. This has never been an issue before because they’ve just now reached this point of desperation in their culture war. They’re running out of boogeymen.