Please know there is some nudity in the decks I chose this month. Also, raspberries are delicious.

No such thing as peace when in the work nook.

It has been a tough month already, with sad news, set backs, good news that means additional work and a life change, unexplained illness, and just one wrong thing after another. It’s a funny that as a kid I though of the summer season as a season to relax, to kick back and have some freedom. As an adult, and also partly due to my own life choices to be #responsible, summer has become nearly the opposite! There are too many things that need tending to that I know no matter how much I struggle to race to get them done, something will fall by the wayside! So much house work and repair needs completing before the snow flies, dying trees need to be cut down before they fall on the house, the fruit needs picking and preserving, the animals need extra outside time while its nice, someone get very sick and we don’t know why, friends and family are moving, birthdays and cook outs and bonfires and riding clinics and festival booths and and and…and don’t forget bills need to be paid, dinner must be made and god forbid if you let the laundry go too long and now you’re out of underwear!

From top, clockwise, Everyday Witch Tarot, Tarot of the Dream Enchantress, Cosma Visions Oracle, Smoke, Ash & Embers. Center Oracle of the Radiant Sun

While Tarot definitely falls low on the to-do list in the summer months, I still like to pick my monthly decks and get a few readings in! No surprise that this month I’m still dawdling in nostalgia, but I kinda feel that I’m now channeling more of my preteen and early teen love of high-fantasy.

I knew that I wanted to focus on learning, at least a little better, the Cosma Visions Tarot Oracle. I personally use this deck more like a tarot than an oracle, though I definitely have had past struggles and frustrations with it. But gosh darn it, it’s one of the prettiest decks I own! I find it fascinating, and I want to be able to use it as part of my regular rotation. It has some lovely magical nature themed imagery that seems to fit the colorful summer season very nicely.

I was gifted Tarot of the Dream Enchantress a few years back. When I borrowed it to give it a test run, it gave me a captivating read and my friend realized that it needed to be on my shelf as well. While there are some real loose RWS relations, this odd and clever deck takes its own spin on your typical RWS meaning. I find that every time I bust it out of its lame Lo Scarabeo tuck box, I go through the same process of confusion, contemplation, and then admiration for the cunning artist.

Did anyone else as a kid rent a million times the VHS of Kiki’s Delivery Service? My local movie rental place actually put a ban on me from checking it out every week–I could only check it out every other week. I find that I’m really drawn to that movie when I’m completely overwhelmed with my life, and oh boy am I there right now. My trusty Everyday Witch Tarot is very reminiscent of Kiki’s Delivery Service, and its got to be one of the easiest, kindest decks I own. A no-brainer for this month. I’m going to have to force myself to not just grab this deck every time I want to do a reading!

And my beloved Smoke, Ash & Ember. The deck I thought would be a gimmick and I ended up falling head over heels for. I loved dragons as a kid and clearly I still love them now. They are so magical and perfect for the summer season, and man oh man, are the decks that come out of Three Trees Tarot honest. This deck is the chicken-noodle soup of decks for me.

For the month’s oracle deck I picked Oracle of the Radiant Sun. I actually use this deck quite a bit, however I almost never include it in public readings because, well, I don’t know nor care much about astrology. I DO find the images on the cards very compelling and I like the keywords and general different-ness of the deck.

I actually asked the cards for this month to tell me how to navigate all the stuff I gotta do. For my “theme” I drew Friendship from OotRS. Yes I am a cancer. Sometimes you need a different space and a different person to show you truths about yourself. It’s easy to get into the weeds, but without outside perspective of a caring friend, you might miss the beauty and awe the world has. Now is not the time to sequester yourself in your own space and work–get out there and adventure with others. Life always has it’s problems but friends can make it easier to deal with them and realize that’s the natural ebb and flow.

Then with Tarot of the Dream Enchantress, I pulled the 9 of Swords–uh, yeah, I guess that about sums it up, doesn’t it! I really like this variation–the artist has drawn may swords, but seems unhappy with his results, seeing as he keeps doing the same thing over and over. He’s drunken himself into a stupor and now this demonic imp has arrived to haunt him. Attempting the same thing over and over with no different results is a waste of time. If you turn to escapism to solve your problems they just return 9 fold in a different form. Instead, identify the real cause of your distress rather than the feeling of inability. Ask yourself, is there anything actually wrong? What is something different I can do rather than this same defeating spiral?

From the Cosma Visions, I drew The Geomancer, or traditionally the Queen of Pentacles. I love how the eye is the same all seeing eye on the backs of the cards. She see’s all, she knows the hurts and sorrows of the world, yet here she is working on the mundane things of planting seeds for tomorrow. She gives them life and care, despite all the other rather looming troubles. Take joy and pride in the little things you have to do to make life work–do not think of them as “chores” but rather self care for your future self. Just because you can see all the problems doesn’t mean you need to abandon the necessities of life, which include the joy of growing and nurturing living things. Behind here is an old growth forest; the old and the new can live harmoniously together, both deserve your love and appreciation.

I drew the Ten of Pentacles from SA&E. So cute and lovely isn’t it? I love how the sunset seems to glow off the cardstock. You have abundance, security and love. Your earthly needs are secure. It is okay to enjoy them! Be proud of what you accomplished. There is no need to be 24/7 grinding if you don’t stop and take a moment to soak it all in. Things will come together and work out. Channel some of that inner child memory you have of summer being fun and enjoyable! You can still have that now if you only allow yourself to do so.

And then The Star makes another appearance. 17 seems to be the card that is haunting me of late; perhaps Tarot is trying to tell me not to give up! I love the Everyday Witch Star, she is actively taking what is given to her from above and putting it into use in the water. It can be hard to want to keep going when so many things look bleak, but keep using what you got and putting it to work, and making it better. Resourcefulness is a blessing. Positive attitude is a blessing. Sometimes it’s a matter of having faith and belief that things will be alright.

My month is really overwhelming, and my decks seem to be telling me to just slow down a little and seek out others for their help and comfort. Identify what the real problems are rather than just doing the same chicken-with-her-head-cut-off dance. Don’t get wrapped up in the big what ifs, tend to the little things in your control that make your life good and enjoyable. Understand cycles are a thing in life. Take it slow and relish what you do have with your loved ones, rather than what you don’t or what you’ve lost. You live a wonderful, bountiful life. And finally, have a little faith in yourself. You are able to take what you need from what you get.

I think I might need to take the time to make a s’mores now. What about you? What decks are you drawn to in July?