Under the Surface

This week's reading really resonates with me. I don't know about you, but I'm in need of some good news!  (Three cards from the Rhythm and Soul Tarot . From left to right: 3 of Axes (Swords), Page of Roots (Pentacles), and The Fool.) Something has not been going well, and you probably didn't see it coming. Something someone else said or did has just crushed you. Let it out! Bottling things up can keep us plowing ahead on a road we shouldn't stay on, or can at least make the journey harder than it needs to be. Take some time to process how this has influenced things for you. The Page brings some good news! Maybe getting pushed off the road you are on isn't a long-term bad thing. You've got some obstacles to climb over or get around, and there's going to be some skill learning involved, but there are new opportunities that can be so much better than what you were focused on before. Not questionable "opportunities", but some good optio...

I'm mixing things up a little this time with our weekly three card reading. It's still three cards, but only one of them is a tarot card.  One of my favorite tarot decks is Rhythm and Soul Tarot , and it goes perfectly with two of my favorite oracle decks created by the same artist - Southern Gothic Oracle ,  and Haunts Oracle . All three decks, as well as  Southern Botanic Oracle , are available from La Panthére Studio . (The Hermit card from Rhythm and Soul Tarot. Beneath that card are two more cards. On the left, the Clairvoyant card from Haunts Oracle. On the right, the Abandoned Plantation card from Southern Gothic Oracle.) First, we have our focus for this week - The Hermit. Whatever it is that you have to handle or are hoping to accomplish, you can do this! Don't wait for somebody else to come along and save you. You already have what you need. Not necessarily in tangible material ways, but you have the knowledge and skill, or ability to build skills, t...

I'll keep our three card readings going as long as I can! If we hit a point where I need to stop for a while during all the packing and moving, I will pick it back up again when things are more settled.  I'm using the Dune Bene Gesserit Tarot Deck again, so I'll remind you that Swords are Crysknives, Spice is Wands, and Water is Cups.  (Three cards laid out in a row. The 10 of Crysknives, Knight of Spice, and Ace of Water.) Some things aren't really worth fighting for. Not hard and long enough that it destroys you, anyway. If you're stuck in a loop of constant battle simply because you don't want someone else to win, you're losing even if you do win. But some things are definitely worth fighting for! Look at your motivation, goals, and strategy. If you've got a fire for this that will keep going, then take your time and do it right. Make sure whatever you're pouring yourself into is about nurturing and building. Destruction may be necess...

I promised everyone I would show you how I do a Litany Against Fear tarot reading once I got my Dune Bene Gesserit Tarot Deck , and I'm here to keep that promise! This is a reading I created a couple of years ago to use the Litany Against Fear as a map for analyzing one's own fears. Each line has something assigned to it to look at.  My usual approach to showing how I do this would be to create a temporary imaginary friend who wants a reading. I did this before to give an example of what to expect from a personal three card reading. I never share readings I've done for other people.  There's nothing to stop me from sharing a reading I've done for myself, though, and life has given me a perfect situation for this! My family just found out a few days ago that we're going to have to move. It's unexpected and overwhelming, and nothing is certain yet other than we have to move. There's a lot of fear right now. I'll show you the cards, then break things ...

I got a new deck of cards! It's the Dune Bene Gesserit Tarot Deck , and time spent getting familiar with them has shown me these will be cards I want to use often. I created a reading a couple of years ago that is based on the Litany Against Fear, and I now have the perfect cards for doing that reading! I promise I will share it here, but we're just doing three cards today.  These weekly readings are quick general readings to give something to focus on or think about for the week. If you want a personal reading, I have spots open . There are tarot, tarot and oracle cards, and dice divination readings for you to choose from. Readings are emailed to you as a detailed pdf report that walks you through my whole process. I can tell you now that I'll probably use the Dune deck often for the Life Journey reading.  (Three tarot cards laid out in a row. From left to right: Five of Crysknives (Swords), The Fool, and Justice. The rest of the cards are face down in a nearb...

We're back to using cards for our weekly readings, and I'm using the Wildwood deck today.  (Three cards from the Wildwood Tarot laid out in a line on a very colorful cloth. From left to right: Eight of Vessels - Rebirth, Four of Bows - Celebration, Four of Vessels - Boredom.) In this deck, Cups are Vessels and Bows are Wands. A time of rebirth is not comfortable. It may be something you want, like getting a new job and moving to a place you've wanted to live for some time. It still comes with a lot of tearing things down so you can rebuild them, or build new things from them. That can seriously wear on you. And some rebirths just are not a happy event at all. When you've made it through, the new life on the other side can be exhilarating! Or maybe you're assuming it will be since you're still in all the joy of "YES! I made it! I won!"  You might want to make a plan, though, to make sure you keep going. You deserve the joy, but it will burn ...

We'll be back to using cards for weekly readings next week. Right here, right now, it's our last dice reading for celebrating my Roll for Divination! book having been out for a year! All of the weekly readings this month have been samples of what the book teaches you about working with the dice divination system I developed. You can find options for where to buy the book here , and all the options that are not Kindle offer both epub and pdf.  I've been using dice that match for all of these reads, but I just poured my dice bag out and grabbed d6s from three different sets today. We're doing the reading to shine light on a possibly overlooked detail about something, show the key for handling the situation, and give guidance on which path to take. We've got a 5 on the brown piece, and I promise you the strange symbols on the blue and purple pieces are both 6. Each piece in those sets has a symbol in place of the highest number. The 5 tells us to look at h...

I wanted to show everyone how the Platonic Solids reading from my book Roll for Divination ! works, but there's a lot of explanation for that one, and I don't think it would work well for these general readings. If you want a personal reading, I can do that one or readings with cards . You'll get a detailed pdf report emailed to you.  I can do a reading that draws inspiration from the Platonic Solids reading, though! And if you want to learn how to do that reading and the others I've been showing you this month, choose where you want to buy the book . We'll have one more week after this that I do a dice reading to celebrate the book having been out for one year!  In the Platonic Solids reading, each of the dice is a different shape and aligns with things like elements. I'm taking some inspiration from that and looking at d6 (Earth) as what can ground you, and d4 (Fire) as what can inspire and drive you. (A purple d6 landed on 4, and a purple d4 lande...

We're on our third dice reading celebrating my book Roll for Divination! being out for a year! I'm doing a different type of reading than I've done the past couple of weeks, and it's also one I teach you how to do in the book. The book has much more in-depth explanations than I give in these quick weekly readings, and this will take you to all the available options for buying it .  We're looking at what a yes/no/maybe reading for the coming week. The focus is on success in what one is working on this week. These are general readings for advice, so I can't look at specific things that only apply to maybe one or two people.  We've got two d10s, one being percentile (10, 20, 30, etc instead of 1, 2, 3, 4 etc) and having landed on 20, the other having landed on 2.  My first thought was, "It's a follow-up to last week's reading !" It already stood out last week that all three dice landed on 2, so it was a surprise to have it happen ...

We're still celebrating Roll for Divination! being out for one year by doing dice readings this month! If you want to get your own copy and learn my system for dice divination (which includes more than just the readings with three dice that I'm doing here), here are your options for where to buy my work.   I almost rolled the dice a second time today because this almost never happens! All three dice landing on 2?! I'm not one to draw cards or roll dice again when I don't like the results, though, so I'm reading them as they landed. The number 2 is about relationships. Not bigger groups, like your role in a community, but close, personal, one-on-one relationships. Even that can take many forms, though. That could be a romantic relationship, a parent-child relationship, or even a business relationship if we're looking at partners in a business who work closely and know each other well. If there's a situation you'd like to look at this as guidan...

June is the anniversary of the release of my book Roll for Divination! , so I'll be replacing the weekly tarot readings with dice for a few weeks. This is one of the readings in the book. It's quick and simple, kind of like the three card readings, but you don't really need three dice to do it. I like seeing all three numbers together. I feel like I can get a deeper look at things that way. You could just roll one three times, though. Here's an explanation from the book of how this reading works: Why do I call this Hekate's Dice? It's because each of the dice has a context in the reading inspired by epithets of the Greek Titan Hekate. The first one is Dadophoros - Torchbearer. This is to shed light on the situation. What is a greater influence on the situation than may have been previously recognized? What needs more attention? The second is Kleidoukhos - Keeper of the Keys. What is needed to resolve the situation? This could be an action that needs to be taken...

(Three cards from the Wildwood Tarot deck. The Wanderer (The Fool), Ace of Arrows (Swords), and Seven of Bows (Wands).) Starting something new can be exciting! It can also be intimidating, and sometimes we talk ourselves out of it before we really get going. It's easier to believe you would have failed, and that you saved yourself from wasted time and effort, than to admit you were scared. If you're looking at taking on something intimidating, look at what it will cost (not just with money) and what you'll gain. Make a plan. And be prepared for setting and enforcing boundaries. That may mean not letting other people into your space, or it may mean holding yourself accountable when it comes to sticking to the plan. This is a quick general reading. If you want a detailed personal reading emailed as a pdf, I have spots open for tarot, tarot and oracle cards, and dice divination readings . 

I'm using the Greenwood Tarot deck again, and the message for this week is very short and to the point.  (Three cards from the Greenwood Tarot deck. Queen of Bows (Wands), King of Stones (Pentacles), and Ace of Bows (Wands).) It's not enough just to have ideas for things. Follow the ideas that you have a passion for! Those are things you're likely to put the best work into, and that work raises the likelihood of success. This is a quick general reading. If you want a detailed personal reading emailed as a pdf, I have spots open for tarot, tarot and oracle cards, and dice divination readings . 

No, there's not a second tarot reading this week. I haven't talked openly much about the tarot poetry collection I'm working on, other than to sometimes mention the fact that I'm working on it. I want to tell you about one of the card decks I'm looking at for inspiration.  "Inspiration" might not really be the best word. It's more like filtering and refining the inspiration. While the booklets that come with tarot decks often keep things confined to the keywords, that is just a starting point. I've been reading tarot for over 20 years. Trust me when I tell you each card has many stories to tell. I can't put it all in the poems, so using a few of my decks to focus on different ways the same card can be depicted helps me narrow things down and weave them together. Sidenote: I refuse to do the "I know, I know... I have too many decks!" thing. No, I don't. I have a bunch of decks! Each one serves me in different ways, though.  Some of...

I decided to use a different deck this time, but the message for this week's tarot reading has to do with community again.  (Three cards from the Greenwood Tarot deck. 5 of Vessels (Cups), 3 of Vessels (Cups), and 2 of Stones (Pentacles).) The five of Cups is often read as loss and grief, but it's ecstasy in the Greenwood Tarot. Think of emotional experiences - good, bad, and especially mixed - that disconnect you from daily life. Those times when you don't know how to get things back together, and don't even know that you want to.  If it feels like you're fighting yourself and creating your own obstacles, you might be your biggest challenge at this time. Don't punish yourself for it. Don't ask why you're being such a problem for yourself. Look at what you can learn from the part of you that keeps doing these things.  Community can be the roots that keep you from completely drifting away. These are also the people who can help you figure out ...

(Three cards from the Rhythm and Soul Tarot deck. King of Roots (Pentacles), followed by the 2 and 3 of Blues (Cups) . ) Success comes in many forms, but community is needed for it to be sustainable. This isn't about building up your follower count, or having a network for making sales. It's about bonding with others and building true community, which includes diversity.  This is a quick general reading. For an in-depth personal reading that is emailed to you as a detailed pdf report, I have spaces open for tarot, tarot plus oracle cards, and dice divination readings. 

There is now an  LK Nesse Payhip shop ! This gives readers another option for buying my work, and as with  my itchio  and  my Ko-fi  , you get pdf and epub. Also, all three of those options for where to buy allow you to choose whether to pay the minimum price or add a little more.  Yeah, there's one more way to buy my work that you don't see me listing in What These Options Have in Common. You can get  my work on Kindle  , but without those choices the other options allow for. Actually, you can only get most of my work on Kindle. You have to go to one of the other places if you want my  Art Grimoire solo rpg + art journal  .  That kind of leads to what I really wanted to talk about, which is a little explanation of my pricing. A few people have told me my prices are way too low. To be honest, I agree with them. I do think I should be paid more for my work. I probably also believe you should be paid more for your work. The exception...

(Three cards from the Rhythm and Soul Tarot deck. The Page of Roots (Pentacles), 4 of Jazz (Wands), and 6 of Jazz (Wands).) We just saw the 4 and 6 of Jazz last week, though not in the same order. I promise I know how to shuffle cards! This is expanding and adding emphasis to last week's message.  Tell your story. Make your art. Sing your song. Don't worry so much about what other people want you to create. Stay true to yourself and make space for those who are drawn to what you create when you pour yourself into it.  Don't get so focused on reaching the big victories that you forget to celebrate the little ones along the way.  This is a quick general reading. I have spaces for personal readings, which are emailed to you as a pdf report that walks you through each step of how I interpret it. Tarot, tarot plus oracle cards, and dice readings are available.

I'm not going to lie and say the idea of being an author closed up in an attic that had been turned into a combination library/writing room, never knowing what day it is or what's happening in the outside world, has never been appealing. I do rarely seem to know what day it is, but that's about my brain not prioritizing keeping track of that. I sometimes wonder if it may be related to my dyscalculia. But there's no reasonable chance of me putting my work down and stepping out of a room to find out no one has seen me in the past three months because I was writing non-stop.  I guess I can see the appeal of letting genAI do the "writing" for you if you just want to get a lot of stuff out there and hope something sells. Believe me, I would love to see consistent sales happening! It's easy to follow that with, "but I care too much about how genAI steals from the people who made what's used to train it, what data centers are doing to our water and to ne...

Three cards from the Rhythm and Soul Tarot deck. The 6 of Jazz (Wands), High Priestess, and 4 of Jazz (Wands). There's not necessarily anything wrong with Make It Big being the long-term goal, but you need to look at why if that's your goal. Make sure it really is what you want. Maybe you would actually be happy with celebrating your work with the people who are close to you. Or maybe you're trying to Make It Big because you think that would finally make them proud of you.  Make sure what you're doing is right for you, not just based on what would please other people. That might even mean the goal is good, but you need a different path for achieving it.  This is a quick general reading. If you want a personal reading,  I have spots open for several types of card readings, as well as dice readings. Your reading is emailed to you as a detailed pdf report that walks you through the meanings and interpretation.