I wrote in a previous blog post about my Capstone class, but I am going to readdress it here because it is important that I update my services and terms with this pandemic being as serious as it is.
We may have to be socially distant, but we can still work together
I am student at the Red Rocks Community College campus, and I am in my final class- the Capstone. The intention of this class is to transition me from being a student into the professional world of integrative health, equipped with knowledge and skills to meets clients intentionally and mindfully. The requirement for this class is that I offer 12 community hours with others, either through workshops or one-on-one sessions, using my skills and knowledge as that transition. These hours are free and are meant to highlight our strengths, and what we wish to bring to this field, to our prospective clients, and the world at large.
Because of this pandemic, it is important to put health first and foremost. These 12 hours were supposed to be face to face, but that is not an option, or a responsible choice to make right now. Now, these services are going to be done online-either through skype, google chat, or phone if you choose.
It is important to address some key things about my services and these modalities I will be offering:
They are FREE- Completely free. No bait and switch or you have to enroll in something. Just free. That is because I am a student and this is requirement I need to fulfill this Capstone. If you would like to stay in touch afterwards, I would love that, but that is not a requirement.
You need to be 18+. 17 and under is considered a minor, and I don’t do any work with minors or children.
Everything is confidential. Nothing is shared from our conversations. Again, this is more about my transition, the work I do, and my strengths and weaknesses.
It may seem like not the right time to talk about some of themes around holistic health, but I think this is an opportune time. We are all facing collective limitations, forced to sit at the throne of the self in ways we have not had to do so before. We are facing the stress from other people’s actions, and uncertainty of what lies ahead. For those reasons, I think it is an opportune time to talk about ways to practice stress management simply, but effectively. I think it is important to still set goals for the self, and empower the self in order to meet others, and these circumstances intentionally and with purpose.
Connection and intention go a long way, even during these uncertain times
I hope to work with you and be of service where you need during this time. I also really need the hours, so your presence is greatly appreciated. I am looking to work with about 6-7 people, doing about 2 hours worth of services between us. That gets me to my needed 12 hours, but also presents adequate time to discuss and open these conversations. This is on a first come, first serve basis.
If you would like to work with me, please email teaandtombstones@gmail.com. Thank you so much. I wish you love and security during these uncertain times. XOXO
The morning is bright and cold, presenting the edge of the winter, and the rolling in of Spring. I am in the final semester for my Integrative Health Professional Associates degree, and the layers of emotions are palpable. I am ready to be done in so many ways, but I am grateful that I decided to go back to school, and use the knowledge I obtained to further myself and my business.
I decided to go back to school in 2017, shortly after I learned that a local community college provided an Integrative Health Professional degree. I wanted these classes to aid my tarot readings and my platform. I wanted these classes to be a verification for others that when I offer spiritual council that comes through the downloading of my cards, that there is more to the process. There is a backing of both spiritual and scientific research. There are layers of understanding, which allows me to give layers of council through my readings.
The Capstone is a semester-long project, and it is all about focusing on my transition out of an academic setting, and into a professional setting. I am leaving the threshold of academia and moving into the space of the community, ready and able to serve others. There are still other classes that I want to take, and more information I want to attain for myself, and for my platform. However, I am ready for step to take on wings. I have worked hard and long to get here, and I am so grateful that the cards led me here.
So, if you are in the Colorado / Denver area and you would like to take part of my journey with the capstone, please look to the flyer I made below. If you are looking for sessions that focus on stress management, goal-orientation, self-empowerment, or cultivating a strong and wild foundation then email me. As these sessions fulfill a needed requirement for my Capstone, they are free. Yes, FREE! The only thing that I ask of you if you join me in one of these sessions is to provide honest feedback for me. That is how I grow.
Here is the flyer, and if this sounds like something that would interest you, please reach to me. If you are not in the Denver / Colorado area, I may provide some Skype / online sessions down the road. One of the requirements is that the majority of my services need to be in person, face to face, a physical extension of me within the community. However, so far Tea and Tombstones has operated across the technological miles, and I still want to meet those who may need these services the most where I can. If you would like to be considered for a online / Skype session, please email me and when I offer some of those, I will reach out to you.
Once this class is over, I will add the modalities that have impacted me or my clients the most to my paid offerings. I am so excited to meet and work with you at the start of this new threshold. The full list of modalites that I am offering is:
Earthing / Forest Bathing
Meditation / Breathwork
Herbology
Wellness / Spiritual council and coaching
Journaling
Crystals
Creating a healing space through the use of symbolic messaging, music, or aromatherapy if applicable
Organic gardening
Reach out to me at teaandtombstones@gmail.com if you are in the Denver area and would like to schedule a session. We will first go through some details to determine which modalites would be best for your needs, and move forward from there. I am humbled by this opportunity to meet with and work with you. Til’ then, many blessings to you.
I received the Herbcrafter’s Tarot as a birthday present last year, and I am so glad that this deck has come into my possession. I love this deck, and will take the rest of this blog post to break down all the key details about this deck. If you would like to purchase this deck or learn more about it after this blog post, you can click this link, which will take you straight to the Herbcrafter’s Tarot website (this is not an affiliate or promotional code or link). The deck was written by Latisha Guthrie, an herb / kitchen witch, teacher, and homesteader. The artwork is by Joanna Powel Colbert. She has created the Gaian Tarot, the Pentimento Tarot, and also teaches workshops and retreats related to the craft, the Goddess, and more.
What is immediately clear about this deck is that is created with a true knowledge and love of herb-crafting. You do not need a previous knowledge of herbs in order to use this deck. You will need to be invested in learning about the herbs. Each card in this deck relates to a specific herb (the one exception being the World card, which I will get into here in just a bit), so if you aren’t invested in learning about, or using herbs, this probably isn’t the deck for you.
Card box and guidebook (left). Guidebook and card-backing artwork (right).
The Herbcrafter’s Tarot is so beautifully made. The cards measure 5″ x 3″ which makes them a decent size. The paper has a nice glossy sheen which makes them easy to shuffle. The illustration for the back of the card has a very different feel than the front of the card. To be honest, I am not in love with the illustration for the back of the card. It feels disconnected from the gorgeous artwork of the cards themselves. The artwork is reversible if your cardback to match your reversal preference. I don’t mind if the image is non-reversible because I still don’t know the particular card chosen until I turn it over, but there many who want card-front and card-back to match.
If you choose to keep the deck in its box, the material has some heft, and will keep your decks well-protected. The green string allows for easy access of the cards, and the guidebook fits snug at the top, making a substantial tarot set. If you choose to put your cards in some other container or bag, I would recommend keeping the guidebook. Normally, I tend to forget the guidebook for my tarot decks, but this deck brings in so much more information, that I find it worthwhile to keep the guidebook on hand.
The guidebook is packed full of information that speaks to the formation of this deck, the intention of the herbs used for each card, and how those herbs are handled or grown in nature. These intentionally chosen herbs also relate heavily to a more numerology-based system of reading. As you can see in the picture below, the herbs chosen do not merely reflect the identity of their corresponding tarot card. They correspond to the numerology and to the herb in nature, and how it is used. Working with this deck and this guidebook will give you a good understanding of herbology, numerology, and tarot, all within one tarot deck!
The perimeters for the tarot, herb, and numerical correspondence in nature.
One of the other main differences is the titles for the Minor Arcana. Instead of staying with the elemental object (swords, pentacles, etc.) for each suit, the Minor Arcana are named in relation to the elements themselves: earth, fire, water, and air. The elemental token that is featured in the minors are:
Air/ bolines
Fire / mortars and pestles
Water / kettles
Earth / baskets.
Three of Earth / Raspberry, Eight of Fire / Ginger, Four of Air / Lavender, Two of Water / Mallow
Each of these tools are needed to participate fully in herb-crafting. The elements also take on an additional layer of understanding to help with learning and skill acquisition.
Air = learning, fire = creating, water = nourishing, and earth = giving.
This is somewhat similar to a more traditional understanding of the tarot and the elements.
Air / Swords = the mind: thoughts, brainstorming, ideas, and communication.
Fire / Wands= the spirit: creativity, ingenuity, perseverance, and ambition.
Water / Cups= the heart: connection, understanding, compassion, emotions.
Earth / Pentacles= the body: production, tangible, sensory, and environmental.
One of the final differences is the court card titles have also changed. Instead of Page, Knight, Queen, King, the court cards are now named Hija (daughter), Adelita (Warrior), Madre (mother), and Curandera (healer). Each of these titles bring similar energy to the more traditional court cards, but also represent the transformation of energy that comes from the different thresholds of the herb path. Each court card shows an image with outstretched hands, and shows how the herbs are handled differently as you progress through the court rankings.
Hija of Fire / California Poppy, Adelita of Fire / Cayenne, Madre of Fire / Thyme, Curandera of Fire / Damiana
The picture above has the four court ranks for the element of Fire. The Hija of Fire may be my personal favorite card of the deck. The Hija sits on her blanket, adorned with incense, costume jewelry, California Poppies, and she is both witnessed and protected by her stuffed tiger. She is undertaking the path in a way that is both playful and imaginative. The Adelita of Fire carries the tradition of her people’s medicine by crushing cayenne to make fire cider. The Madre of Fire keeps a whole-hearted and fierce spirit to create and use ingredients that fill her hearth and home. Finally, the Curandera of Fire teaches the power of love and intimacy, healers in their own way.
Speaking of the imagery, Joanna Powell Colbert’s artistic rendering of each card is simply stunning. Her images are so detailed and intimate, that it really feels like a part of time was captured, not just the herb. Each image feels so heavenly, that you can almost smell what’s on the stove, feel the sunshine, or test the nearby water. The artwork is so beautiful and important, but one of the other reasons I really recommend keeping the guidebook is because Latisha Guthrie’s description for each card is informative and easy to understand. Her writings detail how you can either begin or reinforce your herbal path with each herb, and benefit from each card you turn over. It is not a mere guidebook; it is an informative text for the herbal path.
If you have a decent understanding of herbs or numerology, this may be a decent deck to learn the tarot on. If new to all practices, I personally would not recommend learning on this deck, only because there is so much information that comes with this deck. By fully learning tarot through a more standard or straightforward deck, there isn’t a need to learn both herbs and tarot at the same time. However, that is merely my personal opinion, and I am sure that for many people, this deck would create full expansion in their beginning practice.
This deck has been a recent go-to for bringing in an understanding of garden magic and kitchen medicine. I would give this deck a 5/5, it is simply that beautiful, and that useful. I am getting loads of ideas for teas and tincture I want to create. I am gaining a deeper respect for the earth under my feet, and all that comes forth from its foundation. If you want to learn more about herbs, numerology, or gain more knowledge from the expertise of two powerful women who have walked this path for decades, this is a great deck to invest in.
The World begins a new chapter: awakened, alive, vibrant and gazing forward. There is a palpable readiness.
