In The Beginning

Hi there nibblings. I hope we’re doing well today.

I wanted to kind of talk about something that has been on my mind a little bit lately. That thing being my beginnings in both the Craft and of Tarot and Divination work. When I was about ten years old, my parents took my brother and myself to an out of doors swap meet. It was summer time and it was very hot. There were tents and tables and things set out in the noon-day sun.

We came up to a table and I could just tell from how I felt that this was a table I wanted to look around a bit more and explore. I remember there being lots of tiny knick-knacks set up all over the table and a few shelves that had been stood up as well along the wall of a van that the stuff had come out of.

I made my way to the back of one of the tables off to the opposite side of where my brother was going. It was fun to shop with my brother, but he never wanted to look at the things that I wanted to do look at. Of course, we had some similarities but that was another story for another time.

I saw the strangest thing. It looked like a pack of cards of some sort. Mind you I didn’t have much information on this particular pack of cards. I thought perhaps that they were cards for magic tricks. Little did I know what this pack of whimsically painted cards held for me. My mother noticed me handling it an offered to buy it for me as a birthday gift. I was ten, why not get me something interesting?

My mother explained to me that these were tarot cards. She told me that they were something not everyone was into. And those who were into them often hid the fact where we lived, in the super fun toothbrush of North America, also known as Oklahoma. She told me that there was what was called a Bible Belt and that we were the shiny belt buckle of the Bible Belt.

I promised her I would be careful and we purchased the cards and that was one of the highlights of the day.

When we got home, I opened the pack of cards up and looked through all the art work on them. This is what I wanted to do. I loved it already. I knew. I knew right away. I swore that this would be the one thing I would do for the rest of my life.

The deck was called the Tarot of the Spirit. You can find more information on it at this link here. The deck was created in 1992 by Joyce Eakins. It was purely magical. I connected with the elements of the cards and the feel.

Many years later, on my senior trip to Six Flags Over Texas, I had my cards with me in my backpack. I hadn’t really thought much about what was happening or going on that day. We went through a water roller coaster and my cards ended up getting soaking wet and ruined. This was a might blow. By this time, I had bought other decks… But I still loved this one. I went to the internet and bought the cards from US Games (I think they were selling on eBay at the time or something, that part was a little bit vague) and replaced my beloved deck.

During that time period, it was told to us that we had to have our first deck given to us. And my mother had given me my first tarot deck. This does not mean that this has aged well. It has come to many people’s attention that you can choose a deck for yourself for your first one. The only reason I would suggest to wait is if you’re truly a sentimental type like I am (Cancer in so many signs!).

But yeah, I have had two incarnations of the deck, my original water-ruined one (which I believe may even still be around here somewhere, I am not one hundred percent sure) and the one that I use now for most every reading I do.

Bless you US Games for what you have given to me. Bless you for changing my life. Who knew that swap meets were something so life-altering?

-Vyvyan Wormwood

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Reading For Oneself

Hey there everyone. Hope you are doing okay.

I see a lot of content on the web about different types of reading, different styles of reading, and the like. How you obtain your deck, how you use your deck, how to maintain your tarot cards. I want to talk about How to Read Tarot Cards for Yourself. It’s important to learn about how to read your tarot cards. Reading tarot cards is a skill that I have used a vast portion of my life.

This was a reading for myself many years ago…

Today, I kind of want to talk about the use of the deck, since we have gone over the whole thing about shuffling a while back. You see, there are some people who say that you can not read the tarot for yourself. I like to believe that you can read for whomever you wish, just make sure you keep your practices ethical. Ethical practices are a key to any good thing.

Now, when you read for yourself you will need to know what deck you are using. Do not repeat the same questions over and over during the same sitting. I believe in the ideal that each deck has a spirit, and therefore I treat them kindly. You wouldn’t ask someone a question over and over until you got blue in the face, would you? That is part of the idea that the reading should be ethical. Treat your deck as you would any other living being.

Treating your deck as another living being, ask questions that it might see of you from the outside looking in, but know that the cards are also a sort of vehicle for your intuition. How you use your intuition is important here. You can flex your intuition by using your cards often; make friends with your cards.

It is good practice to read with your decks often. Many people say that you should read with your tarot deck daily, and I find this to be quite true. You have to be able to know what you are reading with confidence. When you are just starting out, you can use various books. Even when you have been reading the cards for a lengthy period of time, some people still use books and things as references. Other people sometimes have ideas about the tarot that you may not yourself have.

This doesn’t mean that you should talk about your readings to just anyone. Personally, I believe the ethical thing to do is to never divulge what you are reading and such to other people in a way that does not maintain the confidentiality of whomever you are reading or, yourself included. Obviously if it is yourself, you can read for yourself and tell other people your findings because you have your own consent. If you are reading for another person, do NOT go around telling everyone else that person’s business. The only way you can get away with something like that without consent is to not use any names and be super vague about it. Even then, it is still not considered a practice that is smiled upon.

Everyone has the ability to read the cards. I believe this to the very fiber of my being, and I want to pass that ability around to others before I pass away myself.

-Vyvyan Wormwood

Don’t forget to check out my Etsy shop at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wormwoodwares

Today’s Haul 1.13.22

Hi there Tots!

Today I went foraging in the woods. I was mostly looking for mushrooms and such to see what I could find that were in my local area. I live in the woods, so I tend to stick to this particular area when I’m going outside.

Here are some mushrooms I found

…and here are some more I found.

The complete haul

So in the bottom picture you can see a jar that I found that was kind of neat, the middle row on the left has a cool spider nest that I found sitting next to the BIGGEST GALL EVER. I have NEVER seen a gall that big before. I can’t wait to make ink out of it. Then on the bottom row, the left and middle are some lichen (I think), and the stuff on the right are mushrooms that I am going to identify.

Please note that when you go out into the woods, don’t touch things you do not know what they are (like I did. Because I’m an idiot or something). You can end up touching the wrong thing. The reason I DID touch all the things in the pictures is because I have lived here for a very long time and I know all these things from prior experience that they do not have any side effects on the body via touch. I just don’t know exactyl what they are.

Anyway, that was the haul for today. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

-Vyv

Witch Gardening 2022: Get Planty

A small collection of some of my seeds for this year…

Hi there all! It’s your Entie Vyvy.

It’s good to see you. This year I am planning on starting a vertical garden hopefully this year. I haven’t done a lot of research into it, but I have a book on it (I have a book on most topics honestly…) so when I remember where I left the book I’m going to a deep dive into the topic.

Vertical gardening is basically the same as regular gardening, except you work upwards instead of outwards. It is important to wrap the plants tendrils with padded gardening/florist wire so that the plant will grow upwards or downwards instead of outwards. Squash is one of those plants that grows very well like this, as it’s vines tend to go every which way and are guided easily.

I’m unsure what kind of ideas I’m going to have with these plants. So far I’m putting them into peat pots to start with. I really like peat pots and it’s one of those things I can do indoors during the winter.

I’ve done a little bit of research into something called Winter Sowing. There’s a website on that if you want, and you can find it by clicking here. (Hopefully that link still works when this is read) You basically use milk jugs to sow the seeds in the winter. You can really use just about any container, but old plastic milk jugs are a great thing to use, and it helps recycle. I saved about ten milk jugs this year just for this purpose alone. Entie loves projects where they can Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 🙂

I definitely want to grow some pickling cucumbers this year to make my own pickles. I like the idea of growing and canning/jarring (?) my own pickles to enjoy. I really love a good dill pickle. I could even put something else in them to give them a little zing. It’s going to be really nice.

I do plan on planting some herbs of various varieties, mostly rosemary and mint and chamomile, in separate pots out to the side of the vertical garden that I will be growing in. I think what I want to do is to make a small patch of fence out of chicken wire where I can attach the vines to the fence should I so choose. I’m just not sure how big I’m going to need to make it.

Anyway. Gardening is one of my favorite things so expect my updates every now and again about my getting planty….I hope you get planty with me!

Get Planty!

–Vyvyan Wormwood
The Wormwood Oracle and the Mind Behind the Darkest Designs

The One Thing You Need to Change About Shuffling

Photo by http://www.pexels.com

Hey there everyone! It’s your Entie, Vyvyan Wormwood, the Wormwood Oracle.

Today we are going to talk about shuffling cards. This is one of those things that is very important when you are choosing your tarot deck. There are many different reasons that you should have to think about when you are purchasing your tarot deck. Obviously, the art and the vibe should match up with your ideal at first but there is more!

For example, when you pick out a deck you should take into consideration the SIZE of the deck. This is one of those times when size DOES matter (lol). Make sure the cards are not too small for your hands or too large for your hands. Often times you can find ways to shuffle that make up for the fact that the deck is too small or too large. Small decks often don’t have that much affect on shuffling but the larger decks do. To make up for the sizes, riffling is fine for the smaller decks, but when it comes to the larger decks, you will have to shuffle by picking cards and flipping through them. If you want to make sure you have reversals, make sure when you are flipping through the cards that you flip your hand over or the deck over each time so that you get reversals and upright cards in a varying manner.

Something else that is important to remember is that you need a deck of cards that has the right TEXTURE for you. Texture is important because a more matte set of cardboard is going to make it a little bit more difficult to shuffle whereas a deck that has a slick sheen to it is going to make it so the deck can get away from you. When you shuffle a deck that is too slick, create a cage with your hands when you riffle or shuffle. This will help the cards from escaping and looking sloppy.

FOIL is often a bit of an issue as well. Foil around the edges of cards can make it so that you have a hard time because the foil tends to make the cards very thick.

WEIGHT (or thicccness lol) is another issue that tends to be a problem. Between foil and thickness (or weight) tends to affect the ability to bend and riffle your cards. Because of this you may need to shuffle by flipping and not by riffling. This will be more of a problem if the cards are thick and foiled as well as too slick or too matte.

Adjusting your shuffling style is very important. Most of the time it is best to read your cards by riffling as one does poker cards. This is the most traditional manner for you to read and you will have very few jumper cards (which is the goal; too many jumper cards can cloud the reading).

If you have questions about shuffling the cards I will leave a youtube video link that will help you out.

Important and short

She considers what her first method I call “flipping” to be her “traditional” method.
I use her second traditional “poker” method as riffling.
The third technique is all jumpers, but I consider that to be very sloppy. Your mileage may vary.
The fourth way is simple but effective.
The last and fifth way is how most kids will start.

Please enjoy and practice your shuffling techniques often!

Lots of Love,

-Entie Vyvyan Wormwood
The Wormwood Oracle

Early December Thoughts

snowflakes

Greetings Tarot Tots!

It is the beginning of December, probably the most stressful month of the year. It does not have to be but it often is. It’s okay to be not okay during this month. Sometimes things happen that cause us to have grief during this time year. Be us single, alone, or what have you. If you are alone, know that I am with you during this time of year. That I am with you all year long. We can be each other’s support network.

The silver lining of grieving during this time of year is that the veil is the absolute thinnest around the Winter Solstice and Yule. You can contact the spirits of the ones who have passed on and such. You can give yourself whatever closure you need, but know that they are with you all the time anyway. Ancestor veneration is a THING.

My father, who is often a sore subject, does not believe in the idea that one should disturb their ancestors or the deceased. I do not agree. I feel that these people and beings have things to offer us, if only we offer a form of repayment to them. We must show the respect and remember them, not let them pass and obsess over their memory. They are there, they are aware, and they want to help us. I can go over some basics of veneration in a later post.

This post is mostly made to let you know that I am here, that Decembers are often hard for me, as my family does not do much to connect. Instead, my husband and I find ways to connect with my friends and such that are around us. We have built our own holidays and fun. I will probably go over this at some point in time this month.

My goal this month is to be more present with you all on my blog; even if that means that I do not make anything particularly useful for you to look at (like this). I struggle with depression, but that also means that I KNOW how it feels to be depressed. We can fight together, side-by-side. I’ll be your genderfluid Valkyrie.

Let’s fight the December Blues together!

-Vyvyan Wormwood

The Wormwood Oracle and the Mind Behind the Darkest Designs

Judgmental July: Day 1

Hi there Tarot Tots!!!

Today I’m going to start with a quote from “A year of inspired living” by Kelly McGrath Martinsen

“Judgmental: A negative word to describe someone who often rushes to judgment without reason. The adjective “judgmental” describes someone who forms lots of opinions– usually harsh or critical ones– about lots of people. Judgmental types are not open-minded or easygoing.” pg. 105

The reason I chose that quote to start this month is because I would like to start a kind of thing for “Judgmental July.” For this “holiday” or “theme” or whatever, I am going to try and take the usual reading of a tarot card and try to do the opposite of the usual “judging” it. I want to see something different in my pulls this month. Of course, not all pulls with be in this theme; I will still have my usual things. I just figured I would try something new.

As for those judgmental people, don’t let them affect you. I know that it is easy to say, and I agree! It’s *HARD* to let things go sometimes. We take things that others say to heart; things we don’t need to take that way. They warp our perceptions of the world around us and the way we see ourselves.

I grew up with a lot of judgment. I was often told I was “too weird” for all the other kids. Too hyper, too excited, too loud, too cheerful. Why is that an issue? Why are any of those things issues? Is it wrong for a child to be happy? I can understand being too loud if you are in some form of setting where being quiet is key (like a church, monastery, etc.), but it really shouldn’t be an issue. Kids will be kids. That’s why I am always patient with kids when I go places. I *WAS* that child, and sometimes I can *STILL* be that child. Get me wound up and I’m going to talk your head off. (It really depends on the topic.)

I have a friend who has a few children. She has a young girl (We can call this girl Korra). Korra is a VERY excitable girl, and she often reminds me of myself. When I was younger, people CONSTANTLY told me I had to be quiet, and that really affected me. I grew up feeling meek and unwanted. I don’t want Korra to feel this way, so I am patient and I listen to her as much as she wants. Funny thing, she brags about me all the time (lol). She likes talking to me and I like talking to her. She’s a very smart little girl and I am very proud of my friend for raising such a lovely young lady. I hope she grows into her excitable-ness and learns to use it for good, which I have no doubt she will. She talks about art, politics, everything. I know I will never have children (Vyvyan and Batsz cannot have children: we’re not going into that) but I hope that if I had a child, I would have one like Korra. So full of life and lively, pleasant and kind. Chattiness is not a drawback for me. It shows me she pays attention and notices things. I couldn’t be any happier to call her my “niece.”

I have a lot of people who body shame me in my life as well. I’m not going to lie, I am overweight. (Morbidly obese in doctor terms. I’ve seen it on my charts when I look at what they are writing. I know I shouldn’t, but I do.) I’m not the healthiest, either. I have anemia and other issues. But these things have seriously affected my mind and how I feel about myself. When you are told how bad you look, even passively, for YEARS, you start to kind of believe it. I’m trying to pull myself out of this trap with positive affirmations. I bought myself some crop tops and I’m finally living. I know that “you only live once” is a thing, and I’m starting to believe it. Why should I live in fear of people judging me for something I hardly have control over (trust me, I’ve tried. I’m still trying)? I want to be happy in my own skin. Do NOT let others dictate how you live your life. If you are not hurting anyone by wearing it (think metal cone bra to the eye sockets maybe) then you shouldn’t have to worry about wearing it. You are you. You are perfect, just like me (although we can all probably avoid those metal cone bras).

So yeah. Judgmental July is going to be a thing. I’ll think about it more and bring it to you guys as often as I can. Things about judgmental people, ways to fight back, etc. We can all do this together!

Lots of love,
Entie Vyvyan Wormwood
The Wormwood Oracle and the Mind Behind the Darkest Designs

Leader of the Band

Good day to you, Tarot Tots!

Today I have something entirely new for you. I am reading a book called “A year of Inspired Living: Essays and Guided Journaling for Self-reflection” by Kelly McGrath Martinsen. It is very interesting so I thought I would do some work on my blog about it.

The first thing I came to was June. The question it asks is “How will you share your music, stories, freedom, and kindness with those you love?“. So I will answer in my own way.

Music is a very interesting thing for me because I listen to a lot of goth music (I’m goth, sue me! Jk) and alternative music. I also listen to a lot of different and unique musical things. I’m listening to the suggested song “Leader of the Band” by Dan Fogelberg and I am definitely inspired. It’s nice to hear how someone can live through their life trying to live to be like their “leader.” TBF, I do not get along with my own Leader. He was not kind to me as a child and is on the verge of disowning me as an adult, mostly due to the fact that I am so very “different.” My brother has and always probably will be accepted because he leads a much more “normal” life than I do. In some way, I have a sort of love for my father. It’s one of those peculiar kind of loves of “Yes, I am related to you.” But, it is not and probably won’t be much more than that. I won’t go into that too much. Just know that I, and my father have a sort of understanding. It’s not a good one, but it works for us.

The next thing that it talks about is stories. As a Bard, with OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids), I am learning about telling stories. It’s nice to see that as well. There are so many people working on their ability to tell stories. Some day I will write a book and it will be a fascinating book about tarot. I’m sitting here reveling in the Saturday morning lofi hiphop music now as I write this part. I don’t know if I will ever be like my fellow Bards and OBOD members because I don’t listen to that much folk music. Sometimes I think that I am doing it wrong but my mentor tells me I’m doing great. I think i will pass my story on through this Blog and other social media that I have (Find me at VyvyanWormwood almost anywhere). I want to pass on the stories of the things I’ve done. Not that any of them are particularly interesting,but I still want to pass them on.

Freedom is something that I wish for everyone. I want all to be free to love and live as they please, as long as it does not harm anyone else in some way. I dont’ think there’s much for me to say on that topic.

And, of course, we have kindness. I find that kindness is hard to find sometimes. People do not treat others with their feelings in their thoughts. My parents did instill in me the ability to think about others. I am not a parent, nor will I ever be (Vyvyan is incapable of having children, as is their husband. They have chosen to never be parents and raise cats instead), but it is nice to help pass on my teachings of kindess on to people on the internet. You all have come here expecting that teaching and kindness to be passed on! I am so proud of you.

Show everyone your love. We all deserve it.

–Ent Vyvyan Wormwood
Your favorite Gothicc Entie Oracle

Monday Musings 5.24.21

Greetings Tarot Tots.

Today I write from you from my cozy home in the woods. It’s raining and my pets are running amok around my home. It’s nice to have these little friends who visit me all day long when I’m home. Some day I will have to show some pictures of these little guys. If you follow me on TikTok (@VyvyanWormwood) you may have seen a couple of them actually. My very first TikTok video was of my familiar spirit, Anise. Anise was/is my first pet in my adult life. I had some hamsters before but I didn’t count them because those were more a sharing pet.

Anise is my familiar. He always is there when something is going on. He is curious and protective. For example, when I am taking a drink from a cup or bottle or what have you, he often bumps the bottom of the container you are drinking from to “save” you from drowning. He once honestly ended up *causing* me to choke instead of saving me. But he has saved me many times. He loves to be around when I am doing magic of any sort. He is the alpha of the animals we have in the house. He is very large, and we think that he might be part Maine Coon. I love Anise with all my heart and I hope he lives a long and healthy life with me and my partner.

I have been lost in my studies as of late. I am hoping that I will be able to get more into my tarot business and that people will invite me to more fairs and festivals. Right now I’m only going to a couple but I’m pretty pumped about going to them. I am an OBOD member, so I have been reading my Gwersi. I’m not very far but what really matters is being able to retain the content of the Gwersi. I love being a Bard and I hope that it all sinks in an soothes my need for knowledge.

I have considered doing some painting but I haven’t done that as much lately. I do both watercolour and acrylic painting, along with digital media. I don’t particularly excel at them, but I do so love doing them. I’m also experimenting with written word and using poetry to really make myself feel known. I might start putting poetry up on the blog to see how that is received. I already put motivational quotes and things on my instagram (@VyvyanWormwood as well on there) that people can enjoy that I find and enjoy, personally. Mondays are my “Monday Motivation” posts on there using the Mystic Monday Tarot deck.

If you have something you’d like me to ruminate upon, please send me a comment.

Lots of love,

Entie Vyvyan Wormwood
The Wormwood Oracle

P.S. Please visit my business partner, Unty Key! You can find their page HERE.

Weekday Forecast 4.5-4.9.2021

Ethereal Visions Tarot by Matt Hughes

Greetings Tarot Tots.

It’s time for another weekday reading. This week I used the Ethereal Visions Tarot by Matt Hughes.

MONDAY:
3 of Pentacles (Upright) (keywords: Success, collaboration, solutions, confidence): Today is a day to start working together with a partner or work on your relationships with others. If you are the type to be alone all the time, you might want to consider how you collaborate with others. People will want to work with you today. It’s a good time to start a new project, or work on one you already were working on. Take some time talking with others and be aware that they are going to WANT to help you. Be ready to accept.

TUESDAY:
10 of Cups (Upright) (keywords: abundance, satisfaction, harmony, accomplishment): That relationship you are building from yesterday is really paying off! Be prepared for good things to come your way! Between the people you are building relationships with, you could be looking for a very successful working coupling. You work well together and it’s honestly one of the best you’ve ever had. May this be a work relationship or a personal one, you are definitely showing some promise. Be prepared for success.

WEDNESDAY:
7 of Cups (Upright) (keywords: illusion, imagination, unrealistic desires, possibilities): Be present in the moment. That is important for you at this moment. Try to take some time to yourself today and work on the things that will make you get behind sometimes. There are chores that need doing that are going to be great to work on at this time. You can reconnect with the physical things that you have to do in so many different ways. Don’t worry about the relationship you are building today too much. Bare in mind you’ll still have to spend some time with them, but don’t take all day!

THURSDAY:
5 of Swords (Reversed) (keywords: resolution, forgiveness, understanding, reunion): Today is a good day to work on setting boundaries. You know that there are things in this world that you just can’t stand and someone is trying to push you to do them. If this is about that new relationship, know that they will need to know your boundaries as well. Don’t worry if you fight a little or quarrel a bit; you’re bound to get back on that horse!

FRIDAY:
Page of Swords (Upright) (keywords: thoughtfulness, clarity, curious, restless): This is the time to do something fun for yourself. Have you considered possibly trying a new style? You might want to do that today. Have fun! Life is about having fun and you can’t always be working (or playing)! You should take things in moderation but why not challenge yourself a little bit today? Go ahead! You deserve it.

Lots of Love.
Entie Vyvyan