Today for Tarot Tuesday, I've asked Shelby Davis, fellow gypsy wagon fortune teller, to share her experiences. To see her story, please scroll down, as first I will share the meaning of "Judgement", today's tarot card.Judgement is all about forgiving and being forgiven. KD and I recently went to a shamanic workshop. During that workshop, we went on a guided shamanic journey. On my own personal journey, I was forgiven by my ancestors, then sent way back in time to an ancient ancestor whom it was then my duty to forgive.
Forgiveness has great power. Personally, I find it to be a very difficult think to do. But it is a necessary difficulty. In order to truly close the door on your past and move forward, you really do have to shed it. You shed your past in the way of forgiving both yourself and those who have wronged you.
What in your past is holding you back from moving forward? That is the question this card is asking. It is time to heal from those wounds and wrongdoings and truly move forward. Healer, heal thyself. The past is the past. It is no longer necessary to hold onto it. Some doors may be closing in your life, with new and exciting gates opening to new worlds for you to explore. Remember that with every ending comes a new beginning. New beginnings are exciting opportunities. Move forward with joy.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to share the wonderful story from Shelby Davis of To Our Moon and Back. Sit back and enjoy reading about how she got into divination and how she has personally connected with lithomancy.
Hello, readers! I am Shelby Davis. I am a student at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Ia and a Health Market clerk at the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee. I have known Crystal for many years now. She was the woman who introduced me to Tarot and helped me to realize my gift of intuition. Although we met during a production of Alice in Wonderland at Black Hawk Children's Theatre in 2012, it wasn't until two years later that our families would come together on a more person level.
In September of 2014, Crystal contacted my mother to ask if I would be interested in doing Tarot readings with her and her daughters in a gypsy wagon recently built by the folks out at Harris Haven Haunted Funeral Home in Evansdale, Ia. While I was immediately interested, I was also very intimidated: I knew very little about divination, let alone Tarot reading. Putting that fear aside, I decided that it was worth a shot, so a week or so later, I got dressed up and went along with them. When we arrived, we were all given a tour of the wagon, along with a basic run-down of what they were hoping we could provide for them and add to the attraction, and sent off on our way. Inside, Crystal handed me her Halloween-themed deck of Tarot cards and a cheat-sheet she had printed out for me to base my interpretations off of. She explained the basics of the readings, gave me a reading as an example, and asked if I was ready to try it out. I hesitantly claimed to be prepared and took the first group that arrived. I don't remember exactly how that first reading panned out, but I'm sure I was nervous and glanced down at the sheet in my lap often. The first reading ended, and another group took their place, then another, and another. As time ticked on, I gained more confidence in myself and didn't feel the need to glance at the sheet as often. At the end of the night, Crystal complimented me on my reading. She said that I was a natural and that my intuition was strong. That made my confidence in my abilities soar and sparked a flame in my that I felt had always been simmering, but never brought to flame.
I continued to go out to the wagon and read with the Waltz ladies more over the next few weeks, loving the way it felt to get positive and surprised reactions from the people I read. I had a gift that I hadn't known about prior, and it was exhilarating. Once October came to an end, and Harris Haven closed for the season, I began researching Tarot decks, searching for the perfect fit for a deck of my own. After scanning and sifting through hundreds of different decks online, I finally came across one that stuck out to me. The "Wild Unknown Tarot" became my deck of choice. I absolutely fell in love with the artist's organic designs and simplistic color scheme. I received the deck as a Christmaspresent that year and immediately went to work familiarizing myself with each and every card.
Over the past two years, I have had very little time to connect with my deck, causing me to fall out of practice. When Crystal inquired with me as to whether I would help her with readings at Harris Haven again this year, I was tempted to decline. It did not feel right to me to go out there and fake readings for everyone, knowing now how deeply connected I am to divination. On a whim, one night, I asked Crystal what she would suggest for me to overcome my nervousness. She suggested that I look into other forms of divination: that maybe Tarot reading just isn't for me. I took her advice and dove into researching the topic. Once again, I was met with dozens upon dozens of styles and types of divination, but none of them felt like the right fit. And then, I came across of variation that immediately drew me in - Lithomancy, or reading of the stones. I pulled up various articles on the practice and quickly discovered that very little is know about its origin. Even modern practices vary from culture to culture, as well as amongst casters (the individuals who read the stones). I did, whoever, find that there is a form of Lithomancy used in Wiccan and Neo-Pagan practice that uses 16 stones; one in the center to represent the person being read, and fifteen which are cast and read. After righting out a list of the meanings of each of the 15 stones, I sorted through my personal stone collection and found perfect fits for each in less than ten minutes. I sat with my little pile of stones for a while, pouring over the meaning list I had written, quickly committing it to memory. I then moved to the carpeted floor of my bedroom, placed my center stone, gathered the other 15 up in my hands, and cast them down from just above the center stone, and did a reading for myself. I was astonished to find two things. 1. I had almost no trouble interpreting the meaning of the stones and their patterns. 2. The reading was EXTREMELY accurate. I excitedly called my mother in and did a reading for her, which yielded a similar result. She even cried as I read her because elements of her past were coming through. I was so excited. I contacted Crystal and let her know that I would absolutely be joining her to read for the Halloween season.
Over the last few weeks, I have done fifty or more individual readings. This past Saturday alone, I read fortunes for a combined total of 8 1/2 hours. In all of those readings, I could guess nearly 80% of them have landed and resonated with the people I read. The moment when the stones connect with someone, and that person turns to their group with an astounded face, is the moment when it is reaffirmed for me that I am on the right path. I have had numerous accounts of people thanking me for the clarity or peace-of-mind that my readings provided for them. It feels so fulfilling to know that I am helping people, even if just by being someone they can share their troubles with. Knowing that I am able to provide a sense of comfort is a gift I will never be able to repay. Instead, I will continue to give, to read and to bring peace and joy.
I am honored to have been asked to be a contributor to this week's blog post. Thank you to Crystal Waltz for all she has done for me and my family in the past two years. Her constant friendship and unwavering loyalty have been a blessing and a light in times of darkness.
You can meet me and get a free reading by coming out to the Harris Haven Haunted Funeral Home in Evandale this upcoming weekend, Friday and Saturday night, starting at 7pm, as well as Monday nights at the same time. I look forward to seeing what the stones say for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment