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#10UnusualThingsAboutMe (non)VR to The Hermit’s Cave

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Recently, Simon over at the Hermit’s Cave on YouTube did a video about “10 Unusual Things About Me” that, just this last Saturday he revisited in his Cuppa Catchup and Cards live to expand on.   I loved this idea, although I’ve had a LOT of trouble coming up with ten.  But, I did finally make it, so I thought I’d share.

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1)  My absolute favorite treat is Orange Vanilla Swirl ice cream while eating Cheetos Puffs. 

Contrary to popular belief, this has nothing to do with the color.   I just like the two flavors together.  It’s really good.

2)  I am a non-theist.

A lot of people have a hard time understanding how I can be a Pagan but also a non-theist.  Essentially, I worship the earth and the energies of the earth, focusing specifically on the energies of creation, evolution, and balance.

As for why…. I grew up in a Wiccan/Buddhist household, and was raised under those faiths, but the deity aspect always felt unnecessary to me. I don’t feel a connection to deity or even a kinship to the idea of deity. I never have, even as a child.  It just didn’t feel right. So once I left my parent’s home, I phased that aspect out of my practice in order to better fit my faith to me.

3) I can whisper, but I cannot speak.

I am mute due to injury to my trachea and larynx that happened during a home invasion.  I cannot whisper loudly, but I can whisper.  It does not carry well, and from what I understand it’s pretty inscrutable over the phone (it just sounds like a disrupted exhale), but in a quiet and intimate setting?  It works.

4) I prefer to do my divination outdoors and barefoot.

This is about balancing my energy, as I get a far better connection to the earth and its grounding energies if my feet are not encased in shoes.  It’s not necessary, but it is my preference.

5)  I am 100% certain of the existence of the Fae.

This is not a belief, but a certainty. The Fae are not tiny beautiful humanoid creatures full of love and light. If you are interested, take a look at the Faeries’ Oracle by Brian Froud and you will get a small sampling idea of the vast array of different Fae in the world.

6)  I put potato chips inside my meat sandwiches.

Plain potato chips, sour cream and onion chips, barbecue chips, Doritos (cool ranch or regular cheese), Sun Chips….. there’s a variety of different kinds I’m willing to use.  But I like them IN the sandwich so that I get the crunch and flavor when I take a bite.

7) For public safety, I cannot listen to public radio while driving.

I have synesthesia, which means that there are some wires crossed in my brain that (in my case) causes my senses to sometimes interpret sounds as (most commonly) physical sensation, and occasionally as having a flavor or scent.

When driving, I listen to pre-screened music from off of my phone that I know I will not have negative reactions to.  Public radio does not give me that ability to pre-screen the songs, which means when listening to it I run the risk of having an uncomfortable or even painful twitch or reaction to something in the music (or commercials, for that matter) that could cause me to end up having an accident.

8) Even though I am mute, I don’t speak ASL (sign language).

Honestly?  I did try to learn it at first, but it’s pretty damn useless, or at least feels that way to me.  I don’t know any deaf people, and nobody I know or run across has a clue how to speak or understand ASL.   So, because of that I haven’t bothered to learn it.

Instead, I tend to communicate through typing words into a document on my phone or  using text-to-speech apps, and I carry a small memo pad with me the majority of the time in case my phone’s battery dies.

9) I have leaves on the bottom of my feet.

I used to be a cutter, which was one of the ways I dealt with negative emotions and thoughts directed for myself.  I did not cut my arms or legs, or anything like that.  Instead I had a “cutting kit” of Xacto blades and first aid supplies, and I used these tools to cut vine and leaf designs into the bottoms of my feet, which scarred into a permanent (if incomplete) scarification.

A handful of years ago, I stopped cutting as a way to deal with emotions, and I gifted my cutting kit to you for safekeeping.  I have no doubt you still have it.  I have not done any cutting on myself since.

10) I deconstruct my food.

This is something I have always done, but I’m not sure when it started or why.  This is especially prevalent when it is food that I enjoy and want to savor.   I like to take the food apart (usually with my hands) and enjoy each element of it individually.  If it’s something I’ve had before, I will then organize which part I eat first to last depending on what I like least to the part I like most.

#TarotTube (non) VR to Inspiring Aliens and Brian Cormack Carr

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I was inspired to do this post after seeing Brian Cormack Carr’s YouTube response.  The original tag was from Inspiring Alien’s #TarotTube update video.

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The Questions:

1.What made you start Tarot YouTubing?

Well, I don’t make videos, but I do spend time watching TarotTube. What made me start?  It’s an interest of mine and I’m sure it just showed up in my “suggested videos” at one point and I realized “oh!  they have that on YouTube too?” and from there I was hooked.

2. What is the tarot scene like in your area?

Lots and lots and lots of opportunities to get a reading around where I live from a number of little metaphysical shops to small psychic reading establishments.  I would say you will find some kind of “Woo” within each city block, or possibly every other city block, around where I live.

3. Name an overrated deck and an underrated deck?

Hmmm Overrated just in that I can’t connect to it but it seems -everyone- likes it? The Prisma Visions Tarot.  I just don’t get it.

The Visions of Life Tarot, which is one of my daily draw decks for this month.   I really like the tongue-in-cheek humor that the deck offers up, and when I was looking for information on the deck, the only thing I could find was ONE YouTube channel in Russian that did a walk through.

4. Tarot in one word?

Life  (That is not to say that “tarot is life” in the colloquialism sense of using the word, but rather that it is a representation of life.  All aspects, all stages, all paths.  Life.)

5. Name three small tarot YouTube channels.

I chose to consider “small” as being three channels with under 400 subscribers.

Yarrowen, Ozark Oracle, Crow Quill Tarot

6. Your favourite type of tarot video on YouTube?

I very much enjoy tarot videos that are focused on shadow work. Heather Carter does a lot of these and really stands out as an excellent and enjoyable channel to check out for those kind of videos.  It’s not all she does on her channel, but I really enjoy her depth.

7. What would you a) think b) say c) do, if tarot suddenly didn’t exist?

So the question specifically says “suddenly didn’t exist” which I’m going to take means it did exist and then every tarot deck (and Lenormand and oracle deck) on the planet just… disappeared.

a) “WTF?? Where the hell did my decks go?”, b) “Oh hell no, I’m gonna fix this shit”, c) grab myself a set of playing cards and start drawing on them to make my own divination deck.

8. Do you use tarot apps?

Yes.  Not for readings, but some of the tarot apps out now have guidebooks for decks on them, especially apps made by The Fool’s Dog LLC.  This is useful for decks that I own, but either don’t want to dig out the guidebook for, or don’t have a guidebook for. This makes these tarot apps a spectacular resource.

9. Your favourite thing about the tarot community?

That it’s a community. I like that.  Not everyone always agrees or gets along, but that’s part and parcel of a community, I think.

10. Tarot video ideas?

Actually, I’ve submitted one or two to Modern Metaphysical Man, which he’s been kind enough to do.   Most of the time when ideas come up, I reach out to someone in the community I think the idea would fit well with and pitch it to them.   This means that they are then no longer stored up in my brain so I have NO idea what to write here at the moment.

11. Who do you tag?

I think by “tag” this means doing responses to their tags?  Anything that catches my interest and attention.  Some of those I’ve done responses to include Ethony, The Hermit’s Cave, Brian Cormack Carr, KellyBear, and others.

 

Top 5 Decks I Cant Live Without (non)VR To Kelly Bear

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I feel like I’ve answered this recently, but I can’t find it.  It’s a bit different than Simon’s “five favorites” as you can pick from any decks you have.  Still, I looked through and couldn’t find it so maybe it’s something I did in my head instead of actually writing down.

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This post’s theme was originally created by Kelly Bear on YouTube a few years ago, and she recently did an update (because, well, favorites change over time).  From what I understand she usually does an update to this list yearly for her, we’ll see if I can remember to update it next year.

The way that I’m looking at this question is along the premise of if my house was on fire and I could only choose FIVE decks out of my collection to save, and none of my collection could be replaced for some reason, what five would I grab?

So here are my top five decks that I would  not want to live with out… at this moment.

Tarot of the Hidden Realm – This goes without saying. I’ve mentioned this many times on here that when I opened the box I had a very deep and immediate reaction to these cards the moment I touched them.  They speak to me on a level I’ve never had another deck speak to me before and I can’t see these cards falling off of this list any time soon.

Although… the artist is in the process of working on a second deck, and has already signed a contract with Llewellyn to produce it, so you never know, right?  I’ve seen some of the finished artwork for the deck and it is spectacular.

Blue Owl Lenormand or the 1889 Lenormand – I’m really kind of torn on this one.  The Blue Owl holds a lot of sentimental value for me, but the 1889 Lenormand’s aesthetic really speaks to me.   It would be a hard choice but if my ass was on fire and I had to choose just one, I would probably choose the 1889 primarily because I am currently using it more.

Dixit Decks – You can bet your ass if it came down to it I’d shuffle all ten of the decks I own into one monster deck and call it good.  I love these decks.  They’re actually a card game where you make up stories about the cards and other people have to guess what card you’re making up the story about.  It’s a fun game, but it’s not how I use these cards.    I personally use Dixit cards as an intuitive oracle, and they work really well for me in this way.

The Hanson Roberts Tarot – I find this deck easy on the eyes and exceedingly easy to read.  I also like the card size.  My own copy was purchased pre-owned and is one of the earlier printings of the deck.  This was good for me because it meant the cards were already broken in just a bit, as I find smaller decks are sometimes difficult for me to shuffle straight out of the box until they get broken in a bit.

The Universal Waite in a Tin – No surprise here that my favorite coloring of the deck is by Mary Hanson Roberts.  Although, if they would come out with a Radiant Wise Spirit in a tin?  I might have to change my mind. I chose this deck because of the traditional symbolism in the cards, the coloring, and because it’s IN A TIN.  Got to love a protective shell.  They’re also smaller than a regular tarot deck, which makes them easier to tote around.  Not that I tote around my tarot decks, but if I was reduced to five decks?  I might have to make myself a go-bag and this one would be in it.

I was actually a bit surprised that none of my out of print decks made it onto this list, although I did consider the Tyldwick Tarot. As much as I absolutely love that deck, though, it would fall in at sixth in line, though.  It would kill me to leave it behind because I really love it so much, but it isn’t on this list.   I also considered some of my plant or animal decks or a playing card deck, but they didn’t make it on the list for this time either.

 

#WatchingTarotTube (non)VR to Art and Tarot by Dee and Katey Flowers

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TarotTube

So “TarotTube” is essentially a section of the YouTube community that focuses mostly on tarot, or metaphysics and tarot.   This quiz came from Art and Tarot by Dee and Katey Flowers, who are a couple of the content creators of that small community (small as in relation to YouTube as a whole, as the community is actually quite large).

1. How many channels are you subscribed to?

Currently, I am subscribed to 192 YouTube channels… although to be fair, they are not all tarot related, or metaphysical related, or pagan related.  I also subscribe to a lot of educational channels, humor channels, music channels, etc.

2. When do you normally watch TarotTube?

On Saturday.  And sometimes during the week while I’m working or doing other things.  I will also sometimes listen while driving (with Waze up on the screen instead of YouTube, of course).

3. How do you balance watching TarotTube , reading tarot, and making your own videos?

Well, I don’t make my own videos, so there IS that.   But essentially for balancing everything, it comes down to multitasking.  So much in my life really boils down to multitasking.

4. Is there a difference between videos you like watching and videos you like making?

Again… I don’t make videos.  So question three and four don’t really have much to do with me.   But, I included them anyway.

5. Who is the first TarotTuber you subscribed to and do you still watch them?

Hmmm.  I’m not sure if it was Avalon Cameron or Ethony, actually.   But yes, I still watch both of them.

6. Who is the most recent TarotTuber you subscribed to?

I’m pretty sure my latest was Tattoo’d Spirit.  Or it might have been Épine Du Veil … or possibly Atypical Tarot ?  I’m not entirely sure which one was last.

7. Share an old favourite TarotTuber!  

Aside from the two already mentioned above? One of my favorites is Simon over at The Hermit’s Cave.  Another that’s not quite as long in the tooth on YouTube would be Brian Cormick Carr, who has a lot of really good content for exercising your gray matter in relation to tarot and the metaphysical.

8. Share a new favourite TarotTuber!

Becca Tarot Night Owl  She was the first live chat I visited, and is very warm and welcoming. Also Tangerine Layla* The Sleepy Oracle, who is always a great watch for a little lightheartedness and fun.  One more is Heather Carter, who like Brian mentioned above, also makes some really thought provoking videos.

9. What is one of your TarotTube pet peeves?

The “One Trick Pony” Syndrome.  By which I mean that there’s no variety.  ALL they do is one thing without ever deviating into other things. (Such as only doing  tarot reading videos, or only unboxing videos, or only deck walk-through videos, etc.)

10. What have you learnt from watching other TarotTubers?

There is no way for me to outline this as there is just too many things and the vast array of what I’ve learned is too diverse, but I get a lot of fragments of knowledge and ideas from different videos, not to mention different perspectives and methods of looking at the cards and/or using them in my own life.

#5Things I Use Everyday & Can’t Live Without

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Becca Night Owl, over on Youtube did her first VR tag.  And, well of course I don’t do videos, but I do like quizzes, so I’ll answer here.

Her question for the #5Things tag is… What five things do you use every day and can’t live without?

Now, this list is really more what I -don’t want- to live without to be honest.  As I’m a firm believer in the survivalist in my nature.  That said?  I’m not kidding about #3.  Medication-free means I’m very, very up close and personal with the overwhelming urge to off myself.

In no particular order…

1)  A deck of cards.  It doesn’t matter if they are playing cards, lenormand, or tarot, preferably.  But oracle cards, Dixit cards (which I use as oracle cards), or even Kipper (which I don’t know how to read but could use if needed), will do.  Not just for my daily draw, or even to keep my hands busy, but because you can also play games with them and that works for me when left to my own devices.   If I was stranded on a deserted island and I had no cards?  I’d make myself some cards.  They’re just that important.

2)  My  phone.  I hate to say it.  I really do.   But it’s my connection with you and that’s what matters.   So I guess you could say it isn’t my phone at all but YOU that I can’t do without.  I love you.

3)   My antidepressants.  Life isn’t worth living without my antidepressants… literally.

4)  Labradorite.  The qualities of this stone include grounding, dispelling anxiety, strengthening intuition, and tempering negativity… among other things.

5)  Citrine.  The quality of this stone that I find the most important, and the reason I wear it daily, is that it releases anxiety and transforms negative energy into positive energy.   It also is known for being emotionally balancing, activating creativity, encouraging self expression, and helps enhance concentration.

The last two stones, I have made into small charms and attached to my medical bracelet, meaning that I wear them 24/7.