Tarot Club
First Rule of Tarot Club: Don’t talk about tarot club…
Now + Then clubhouse 1995
The Babysitters Club 1995
The young girl in me that loved, ‘The Babysitters Club’ and ‘Now+Then’ was beyond excited to find an “adult” club to join. Tarot Club is a monthly gathering for tarot enthusiasts and the tarot-curious at GOODWITCH Studio in Hudson, NY. Hosted by @goodwitch.world and Remi + @catherinetnyc. If you are interested and cannot attend in person, you can also attend virtually.
So, what is a Tarot Club meeting like you ask? Let me set the scene for you…
Upon entering a beautiful brick building through a side door, you immediately smell an intoxicating wood scent from the building’s interior renovations. Straight ahead, is a sign pointing you in the direction of GOODWITCH studio.
The studio is dimly lit, + your nervous system is immediately at ease. Against the wall are racks of apothecary jars filled with herbal tinctures, as well as a copper distiller. In the center of the room, black yoga mats are placed in a circle for club members to pick a spot to get cozy.
May Tarot Club Theme-
May Moonth
cards: 3 of swords, The world
*mini MISSIVE: Thoughts about Hawthorn/ Three of Swords/ Wheel of Fortune. Now is the time to source the lessons of heartbreak to survive the present moment.
On @catherinetyc Instagram page she writes, “about the connections between Hawthorn and Three of Swords in the Rider Waite as a way to unpack some of the realizations that can be made once we get on the other side of heartbreak. Since Hawthorne has so much to do with the health of the heart, this process is going to be arduous because it also means facing our own role in betrayal and coming to terms with how we have broken our own hearts. I will offer some light astrology into the mix because with Pluto going retrograde into early October, a great deal of darkness is about to be revealed and it will not be for the faint of heart so best now to remind ourselves how much we have survived to learn how to be ready for what comes. The spread we will be doing together allows us to see where our priorities lie so we can think more proactively about ways in which we will protect what we truly love.”
herb: Hawthorn (a threshold between grief/bliss, death/eros, self/universe…a medicine for the physical and energetic heart.)
images from @goodwitch.studio
@goodwitch.studio harvested the Hawthorne berries and flowers herself while traveling in Italy! Upon her return, she crafted a tincture and tea that those of us in attendance were able to taste and meditate on as part of the club experience. This powerful medicinal plant bestowed gifts to each individual according to what each person needed, and we journaled what we felt.
IMHO, I found Hawthorne to be a gentle herb with a mild taste. The taste seemed to linger in my throat + I associated that with the throat chakra— somewhere I could certainly use healing.
Hawthorne is a death + rebirth plant. The flower can be an aphrodisiac + is often associated with the female reproductive system. It helps deep grief + emotional upheaval. Builds Tissue. Helps healing. Helps blood vessels + heart. It opens the heart + tends to the heart. In Rome, Hawthorne is associated with the Goddess of the Hinge.
CARDEA: Goddess of The Hinge
“Cardea is the Roman Goddess of the door hinge, who protects the family and children of the house and keeps evil spirits from crossing the threshold. Her name comes from the Latin word cardo, which means "hinge" and which also encompasses the wider symbolism of the pole or axis around which the earth spins. She is therefore a Goddess of the center as well as the change that emanates out from that center. The word cardo was also used by the Romans to refer to the north-south axis on which a new city was founded (the east-west line being the decumanus), and from this we get our word cardinal, meaning fundamental or principal, especially regarding the directions.
Cardea has close ties with the ancient Roman God Janus, God of beginnings and endings, who also watched over doorways, and was depicted as having two faces to see both past and future (our month January, the first month of the year, is still named for Him). The tales say that Cardea and Janus were lovers; and to reward Her for sleeping with Him, or perhaps from love, He gave Her the door-hinge as Her emblem, and the power to prevent evil spirits from passing through doors. Because She could keep bad spirits out of the house, Cardea was worshipped as the protector of children, for it was believed (or at least the children believed) that at night witches transformed themselves into screech-owls and flew in the windows of the house to suck the blood of unwary children. (The Latin words striga, "witch, hag, vampire", and strix, "screech owl, vampire" are clearly related.)
The legends say that Cardea protected these children with hawthorn (also known as whitethorn), by hanging a small branch of it over the child's window or in the baby's cradle. Hawthorn is considered a sacred plant in legend and is famous in folklore for its magical powers of protection.”
information source:clickhere
Synchronicity + Full Circle
When signing up for my first club meeting, I had no idea of the theme. It certainly was not a coincidence that the theme ended up being the 3 of Swords— the mascot for this site. As a teacher of mine would say, “there are no coincidences.” - MBP
After an open discussion and tincture tasting, the time came to do our own spiral spreads.
3 of Swords themed pull.
The World card spiral pull.
Hawthorne berries + flowers + tea.
The following is in order of the spiral pull, the first being the middle of the spiral and the last being the open end of the spiral.
7 of Swords-reversed
revelations, freedom, coming clean. Are you trying to trick yourself?
death: what had to die back. falling leaves. fall
9 of Cups
satisfaction, luxury, comfort, emotional stability. “everything turned out well, enjoy your success.”
dormancy: what was lantent within. seed. winter
4 of Cups
missed opportunity, apathy, seclusion, closed. “don’t close yourself to new ideas and paths.”
birth: what you gave birth to. shoots. spring.
4 of Swords
rest, restoration, contemplation.
fruition: what has ripened into full bloom. what has been realized of achieved. fruit. summer.
3 of Swords- reversed
recovery, forgiveness, moving on. “are you holding onto grief and suffering?”
celebration: where/how to trust, flow, dance in your present achievements.
The final card pulled for celebration as the spiral unraveled was the 3 of Swords reversed. The divine is truly perfect.
The reverse 3 of Swords symbolizing recovery, forgiveness + moving on was the reminder that I have come full circle.
Ancient City Tarot’s mascot being the 3 of Swords, my first Tarot Club topic being the 3 of Swords + the last card for celebration being the 3 of Swords reversed shows how the divine synchronicity and how timing is everything. The only question left to ask yourself is, do you believe in magic?
“This, we may say that the Divine does not speak in words, it speaks in synchronicities.”
