Hello there, this is a repost of a message I sent to my mailing list yesterday. If you’re reading it here on the site, you already know – the site is back up! 🙂

Today is one of those days where I really feel like the Universe is testing me. I have had to bust out several of my most effective spiritual practices just to keep myself from having a mini-breakdown! I am sure you can relate, because the stress level of the world in general has amped itself right the fuck up lately.

But, as I told my husband this afternoon, I am determined to stay as centered, calm, present and MAGICAL as I can. Not today, SATAN.

Here’s why I’ve been so stressed today: my website (carriemallon.com) and the deck’s website (thespacioustarot.com) were both taken offline by my hosting company. They gave me no warning, and I had to talk to five (5) different tech support people before I finally got to someone who SORT OF helped me understand the problem.

Soooo, the bad news is, it was a stressful day and as I’m writing this the sites are still down. But the good news is, it’s starting to seem like maybe/hopefully between myself, tech support and my husband (who is much more technology-literate than I am) this is something we can resolve.

Another bit of good news: this reminded me that people do, in fact, use my website. I’ve gotten lots of emails/DMs on Instagram from people notifying me the site was down and telling me they use my posts on the Wild Unknown deck daily. Which is pretty neat to think! Let’s all put out good vibes for the site to be restored as soon as possible.

Even before my relatively minor in the grand scheme of things tech woes, I’d been finding it necessary to re-devote myself to the spiritual practices that are the most powerful for me. This is why we practice. This is why we do self-care. This is why work magic. Because these things give us a way to return to our power, and presence, and reverence when everything seems sideways.

Last night on my Instagram stories, I mentioned that GRATITUDE has been one of my major touchstones lately. Gratitude is a spiritual practice. People talk about it enough that it starts to sound trite, but my friends, trite it is not.

Here’s the type of gratitude I’m not about: the type of gratitude that is forced, that is non-specific, that is about bypassing real issues and “just being positive.”

Here’s the type of gratitude I AM ABOUT: the type that is deep, specific, and viscerally felt. Gratitude like this isn’t about forced positivity, but it is about challenging your ego’s tendency to focus on complaining about dumb shit instead of really noticing the magic and beauty everywhere. Gratitude can coexist with a desire for change. Gratitude can coexist with acknowledging what is wrong or painful.

Instead of bypassing the tough stuff, gratitude gives you an anchor into something deeper, something primal and mystical, a force that keeps you afloat amidst the tough stuff. Gratitude is about noticing all of the tiny miracles that surround you in each moment and amplifying them. Because it’s true what they say: what you focus on expands.

So! The Wild Unknown tarot. As I mentioned earlier, my posts about this deck are definitely what gets the most traffic on my website. And hopefully they will be restored soon. But in the mean time, in case you don’t already know, I do have a PDF on offer which contains the text from all of these posts. You can click HERE to download the file via Dropbox – just make sure to save it to your own device.

Oddly enough, despite these posts being one of the things I’m “known” for, I actually don’t use this deck too much myself lately. It happens. Some decks stick with you for a lifetime, some come along and teach you what they need to teach you and that’s that. I try not to force it. If I feel called to work with a deck, it comes out to play. If I don’t, it stays on the shelf. And the Wild Unknown has been on the shelf for a while.

In short, the messages I get from this deck had always been sort of aloof and to the point, but for a long time that was something I admired about the deck. It cuts to the chase. It’s mystical, but very practical in the way it gives messages. It has a sort of Queen of Swords vibe as a whole. Know that I’m speaking here only of *my* relationship to the deck, the vibes I get from it. It could very well be different for you, we all have our individual connections to our decks.

But at some point it just started to feel like the deck was being cold and snarky with me, so…it has stayed on the shelf for some time.

But heck. Today’s been *A Day* and I feel like I can handle anything, so I took the deck off the shelf. I’ll pull a couple cards to offer a message for myself + anyone who reads this. If we get a cold and snarky message, we can handle it, right?

Ah! The Hermit and Strength. I am pleasantly surprised. I was fully expecting the Three of Swords 😉

It’s a Hermited time for many of us, as it is necessary to remain apart from other people as much as possible due to the pandemic. The Hermit is typically a welcomed card, but I think it’s important to acknowledge that it can, in fact, be a challenging card. Confronting your own thoughts, being away from distractions and really LISTENING to your inner workings is not always easy! But it IS always rewarding.

Coupled with Strength, we have a reminder that we can do this. If we allow this time to be illuminating, it can be. There’s a sense of patience with both of these cards, as well. The Hermit knows that inner wisdom only has to lead you to the next right step. You are not asked to solve complex problems overnight, on your own. You are only asked: what next? No matter how small that step may seem, it is vital. The lamp leads you forward, but it only illuminates one step of darkness at a time.

Alongside the message of patience, Strength also reminds us to reconnect with our DEVOTION. We need to be absolutely resolved to stay on our path, to find the way to be gentle with ourselves and others while also insisting that we show up fully, as the lion is in the sun rays. And with that Hermit energy, we need to know the difference between going within and hiding. It is not a time to hide. Make space for sanctuary and retreat, but stay in the light. Face forward. You can do this. We can do this.

~~~

Okay, my people. Thank you for being present with this message today. Take care and stay in your magic.

Book a private reading with me here.