Time and Tarot Will Tell

Re: When will Taylor Sirard Fulfill the Prophecy?

"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."
-The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

My biggest belief is in believing. I don't subscribe to the idea of inherent truth, but I do think a subjective truth is absolute. 

In other words, what makes something true is the conscious belief it is so. Our ability to create reality with our thoughts is powerful. See also; the placebo effect, quantum physics, the Law of Attraction, schizophrenia. 

This idea traps me in a paradox. I simultaneously believe in nothing and think I have the option to believe in anything. Does this really mean I can choose to make anything true? Regardless of the answer, I like to act according to that rationale. Some would call this chaos magic, but I have not devoted nearly enough time to that complex theory to have an opinion there. 

Magic, in its various forms, is my favorite thing to believe in. I am the most content when I see the world full of wonder. When I believe in magic, coincidences become messages from the universe, intentions become spells, and inanimate objects become conduits of power. I don't actually believe I can fly or shoot flaming curses from the tip of a wand, but who knows, maybe my disbelief is exactly why I can't.

Although I haven't tried Wingardium Leviosa yet, I have chanted words intended to bring myself peace and I have made decisions based off of coincidences interpreted as signs. At times, I have chosen to believe in magic, without concern for whether or not it is real.

One such occurrence was during my stay in New Orleans, a city that lends itself to a belief in magic quite well. After passing voodoo shops, ghost tours, former asylums, and psychics, one starts to recognize the magic everywhere. It peers through the attic window of the nineteenth-century mansions. It seeps through the wrought iron gates of French Quarter balconies. It looms over the streets in the moss dangling from ancient oak boughs. Real or not, magic is undeniably a part of New Orleans culture.

My belief was further upheld while visiting Morgan and Amy, an enchanting duo. The instance of our meeting in New Orleans was completely coincidental, perhaps destined. My last post more completely describes that instance and Morgan and Amy's enchanting properties. You can read it here if you missed it.

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Over lunch, Morgan told us about a tea house across the neighboorhood. "Some witch place," she mentioned. We made plans to go there following our meal. The brief description was enough to convince me.

The three of us journeyed there in Bernadette, finding a place to park around the corner. From across the block, I noticed gold alchemical symbols painted on the window panes.

Photo Courtesy of Tea Witch Cafe
[Image: A cropped view of a building facade. The top of the entry door is seen at the bottom right. In the bottom left is a top corner of a window. Above both are smaller rectangular windows. In the top windows, every other pane has a different elemental symbol. For example, an inverted triangle with a horizontal line through the base; the symbol for earth.]

A red wooden sign read "Tea Witch Cafe" in black lettering that, along with the image of a witch's broom below, had delicate gold detailing. Morgan, Amy and I exchanged glances with widened eyes as we crossed the street.

Outside, two women sat with a spread of tarot cards on the table between them. We walked past and entered the red doors. My chin lifted up as my gaze landed on the hand-painted moon that covered twelve feet of the ceiling.

Photo Courtesy of Tea Witch Cafe
[Image: A view through open red doors angled up at the ceiling. A full moon spans the frame, with detailed craters and textural brush strokes.]

Beautiful, ornate chairs were placed around round stone tables and along the wooden slab bar.
Morgan and Amy asked the woman behind the bar if they were hiring.

"That depends," she replied, "What's your birthday?" We all laughed, and when finished she plainly repeated the question. This woman was absolutely serious. We discovered Aquarii, Virgos, and Leos were a good fit.

Photo Courtesy of Tea Witch Cafe
[Image: A long bar, its top made of a single slab of wood displaying natural cracks and contours, stretches across a darkly hued interior. On the bar sits a vase of fresh flowers, glass pastry stands, and a teapot. Square, backless barstools sit in front. The leather seats sit on ornate wood bases. Behind the bar is a large stained glass wall piece, framed by tin lanterns on either side.]

Only after she learned our Zodiac signs did we make formal introductions. The woman, called Tru, happened to be the Tea Witch herself; owner and founder of Tea Witch Teas. She showed us the menu, deceptively appearing as small booklets displayed on the bar.

The three of us sat down at a round table, each with a tea menu in hand. We flipped through the twenty tea options. Each shop-crafted tea had detailed descriptions. Names like Rattlesnake and Seance were printed above the ingredients, a fantastical description and medicinal properties of each tea.

We decided to split a pot of the 7 Wicked Spindles. The menu page had printed the following:

Elements: Passiflora incarnata, Eschscholzia californica, Lavendula angustifolia, Tilia europaea, Matricaria chamomilla, Elettaria cardamomum, Mentha spicata

An untouchable rest is what you need, dearling. Download all of your concerns into a tidy little list, and stow it under your pillow. Take soothing sips and slip away. The world is tingly, melty. You hear yourself sigh in the distance. The room turns soft, heavenly, and marvelous. How can such fragile plants create such a fortress for restorative rest?

Do the worries of the world have you feeling all wound up? Take a moment to untangle your thoughts. Steep your anxieties away with this nervine cocktail of soothing Lavender, sleepy Chamomile, relaxing linden leaf, and dreamy California poppy. Passionflower provides an immune boost, and it combines beautifully with Spearmint to soothe the inner organs. The fresh herbaceous body is marked by citrus overtones, followed by a delightful hint of mint. Sink deeply into a meditative state; a place where your mind and physical being can just… Let go.

In a green painted corner of the shop, our tea was blended to order. A sign above that counter identified it as the apothecary.

[Image: An interior view of the Tea Witch Cafe, facing the apothecary. A collection of wooden chairs surrounding stone tables fill the room. A chandelier hangs over a green painted corner of the shop. Below, an employee stands occupied with work. To the left a tall wooden bookshelf stores ceramic cups and saucers.]

As our brew was being crafted, we continued chatting with Tru. She soon informed us that the woman outside was invited to the tea house to offer tarot readings to the customers. Tru explained she was a trusted friend. Each of us expressed interest, but none of us committed.

While deliberating, our 7 Wicked Spindles teapot was served to us with hand-made ceramic mugs decorated with little moons and stars.

Maybe it was because I was in a city full of magic. Maybe I felt like the happenstance of running into Morgan and Amy was the destiny bringing me to an opportunity. Perhaps it was the way the woman from outside came into the shop while we sipped our tea and sat down, facing us, at a table across the room. I'm sure encouraging words from Morgan and Amy helped me along. One, or the perfect combination, of all of these circumstances convinced me to get a tarot reading.

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I sat down across from the woman and she handed me a large crystal. Pulling my hands to the center of the table, she encapsulated them with her hands and two more crystals. She guided us through five deep breaths then said, "All that we are, we ask for guidance. Show us what is to come. Guide us today and every day. We are open and receptive to all the good, to all the wealth, to all the love the universe has for us. We thank you. We thank you. We thank you." 

She began to shuffle the cards and asked if I had any question or focus for the reading. I told her I would rather go general, explaining I wanted to be open to what I most needed to hear. 

When finished shuffling, she fanned the cards, face down, in two rows across the table. Instructed to choose with my non-dominant hand, I began to carefully select cards. I waved my hand over the table, waiting for the urge to pick one to arise. One by one, I pulled the twenty-two cards that held my message from beyond. 

The thirty-minute reading foretold the following:

There is prosperity everywhere, all around me.

I need to meditate on that prosperity and abundance.

Right now, my sun is shining. I am being asked, "How much do you need? What do you want? What's the life you want?"

I need to focus on my project. 

This project is like my baby. I have to fertilize it to bring it into existence

I have to share it. I have to post it. I have to share it with the world.

Just start telling it, "Yes I have a blog. Here's the website," even if it doesn't feel true yet. 

There has been a not knowing: Do I push or do I stay?

Start working my connections. I am holding back, but it's time to put myself out there because that will lead me to freedom for travel with comfort.

Communicate and reach out to people. I have people who can support me in this and it's time to go for it. This is who I am. I am secure in it and I can create more of it.

Prepare, because the success could come very quickly. It comes with luxury and security.

There is a call to find joy and happiness.

There is an asking for peace.

No free advice. When I give to others, there needs to be an exchange. 

My path is to open up the minds of the masses, not the individual.

I need cleansing because I am very empathic. Sometimes I may feel things that I mistake as my own feelings. That's what messes me up, but I need clarity for my writing. I have to be a little more aware of my surroundings and where I go.

No more hiding. I have to put my work out there. The reason I am hiding is that I am taxed by everyone's feelings around me. As I cleanse, put up boundaries, and refocus on my work I won't feel that tired.

The trick, for me, is that the only way to get to success is from rest and a quiet mind.

Two male energies, not necessarily men, will be coming in. 

One works well to move and connect my ideas. Maybe even challenging me. 

The other is very sensitive, inspires me... "It's almost magical." This may be a quick interaction. It could be someone I meet in my travels. 

Sometimes I can really connect with someone, but a disconnect quickly happens. It feels destructive because I am really focused on creating my world and I wonder if that's something I can do better with a partner. Still, my path is the path of a manifestor and a magician. 

Love will come after. Now, it's about creating who I am so no one tries to take that from me. 

In the next couple of months, there are at least two options that open up, starting from my own composing, my own manifesting in my life. It might be where I will go first because I will be traveling. At first, I will travel unofficially, and then I am manifesting what I've always wanted.

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I left the reading overwhelmed by the amount of information shared, but not entirely convinced it was insightful. Most of the information, although eerily accurate, I already knew. I did, however, have a surge in motivation to pursue this blog. To continue to write and to share it with people.

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The following day was to be my last in New Orleans. Last minute I decided to stay an extra night. I wrote in my journal, "New Orleans is pulling me in for a longer stay," and decided to trust that instinct. 

Minutes after making the decision to stay, I met a man at a cafe and left him my number. That night we roamed the streets of the French Quarter as noise exploded from the bars and spilled out onto the streets. I got to see a side of New Orleans I never would have alone. At some point in the night, he showed me the tattoo on his arm of a detailed full moon. 

Photo Courtesy of Tea Witch Cafe

[Image: A view through open red doors angled up at the ceiling. A full moon spans the frame, with detailed craters and textural brush strokes.]

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Here's hoping my tarot reading will continue to manifest. Luxury and security, I am ready for you! Here is my shout to the universe. Thank you for reading, and helping to fertilize my project baby. If you'd like to help fulfill the prophecy, click here to become a patron and receive exclusive content. Special thanks to the latest patrons, Hallie, Vicki, and Clay for supporting WITS. Stay tuned for next month's post!