Hello, Moonbeams! Welcome back to Tarot & Tea. This week, I wanted to work with a bright and cheerful deck. Tarot of the Moon Garden is favored for its gentle energy, but the card that presented itself for this week is not so good-natured. Card 15 of the Major Arcana, The Devil —ominous indeed, not a card that folks are typically excited to see come up in a reading. The Devil is usually an indicator of unhealthy behavioral patterns. Bondage is a major theme of this card and we might see demons such as addiction, obsession, and oppression rear their ugly heads under the domain of The Devil. Materialism is often a pervasive factor when The Devil is involved. Self-indulgent tendencies may be highlighted, but don’t be fooled by The Devil’s promises of pleasure! There is a sense of hopelessness behind the hedonistic behavior represented by this card. The lure of such debauchery is nothing but a baited trap; what seems fun at first quickly spirals into a dungeon of despair. Luckily, the appearance of this card can serve as a valuable warning! Check yourself… Are you feeling stuck in an unhealthy pattern? If so, this is a perfect time to address the issue and begin making whatever changes are necessary to embody your best self.
Our featured tea for this week is Italian Blood Orange by Art of Tea. Magickally speaking, Orange is a fantastic energetic cleanser which specializes in severing unhealthy attachments. Purifying and uplifting, all citrus fruits are excellent facilitators of positive personal changes and can aid us in the release of self-sabotaging habits. Additionally, the energies of citrus fruits (especially Orange) can work on our behalf to open the road to new opportunities, giving us a path out of toxic situations which might have appeared inescapable. Although this yummy tea is no magick potion, it can certainly be one simple avenue to invoke the spirit of citrusy spellwork! This diabolically delicious beverage may be enjoyed either hot or iced, making it a lovely selection for the end of summer.
Tarot of a Moon Garden is the deck from which I pulled this week’s card. Vibrantly illustrated by Karen Marie Sweikhardt, this deck features a mystical world inhabited by butterflies, dolphins, unicorns, dragons, exotic birds, and wizards. The aesthetic sensibilities of Tarot of a Moon Garden could be described as vintage psychedelia: brightly colorful, fantastical, and whimsical. Despite its nocturnal theme, a feeling of innocence and idealism pervades the imagery of this deck. Tarot of a Moon Garden possesses a friendly approachability that makes it an ideal choice for adolescent Tarot readers, as well as an artistic nostalgia appealing to folks who grew up in the 1970s. This is a very cool and unique deck--definitely worth checking out!
You can find the devilishly delightful Italian Blood Orange tea here: https://store.moonriseherbs.com/products/italian-blood-orange
And the whimsically wonderful Tarot of a Moon Garden deck here:
https://store.moonriseherbs.com/products/tarot-of-a-moon-garden