Everyday Woo is a place for the woo curious to learn a little more about tarot and spirituality in a not-too-serious way. Here’s what I’m thinking about this week…
✨ Coming Out of the Woo Closet: Simple Ways to Find Other Kindred Spirits
While taking attendance in my classroom one day, one of my sweet little 7th grade girls approached me with a look of curiosity on her face. She pointed to my desk, where I have a few random crystals stacked along its edge.
“Ms. K, are those crystals?”
I admit, dear reader, that I hesitated. I felt like this was a Very Important Moment. Do I let my woo flag fly and tell this potential baby witch the truth? Do I play it cool and feign ignorance about my stash?
Ultimately, I did what I always do: I stayed authentic. I told her that, yes, I do indeed have a line of crystals on my desk because, well, being a teacher requires all the help I can get. I told her the names of each one, and she excitedly told me about her own growing collection. We swapped crystal recommendations for a few minutes, and I’ve gotta say: it felt good. Since then, this same student and I have chatted about tarot, our astrological charts, and other woo-adjacent subjects. And I haven’t gotten a parent phone call accusing me of witchcraft (yet), so I think I made the right choice.
But this tiny interaction got me thinking: coming out of the woo closet and sharing your interest in spirituality is sort of difficult. The ability to do so depends on a lot of things: your comfort level, your environment, and the receptibility of others.
So, here are a few easy ways to subtly raise the woo flag in the air and see who else vibes with what you’re learning.
Use Humor: don’t underestimate the power of a well-placed meme. There are plenty of hilarious digs at certain zodiac signs, tarot cards and spiritual leanings to be found on Ye Ole Internet, and if you’re the sort of person who doesn’t take your spiritual growth too terribly seriously (I hope you are, because this is sort of the point of this newsletter), sharing a few to your feed will feel like an easy way to see who laughs with you. So post that support group for people who have dated Scorpios (it exists) and see who else is like, “omg SAME.”
Strategically Advertise Your Woo: I mean, my crystals on the desk are certainly a conversation starter. I’m not saying slap your cauldron in the middle of the break room table and start mixing up potions, but start signaling your spiritual side through placement. Wear your talismans. Let your witchy tattoo peek out if it fits the vibe. Or hey, get wild and start shuffling your tarot cards during some down time and see who asks, “hey, what are those?” People are naturally curious if you give them something to be curious about. So subtly clue them in. Don’t throw the Death card in their face whilst screeching about transformation, but start letting the woo wardrobe come out to play.
Be the Expert: a downfall of being a person who’s exploring the spiritual side of life is that people tend to be judgy about the integrity of the practice. (This article sums it up quite humorously). Pseudoscience is a label often slapped on any sort of attempt to look beyond the physical world for answers, which can be frustrating for people like us who aren’t rejecting science but rather seeking to blend it with other, less tangible aspects. So, get comfortable with sharing what you know when the opportunity arises. People at work complaining about a string of sleepless nights? Tell them about what’s going on in the sky (eclipse season, baby!) Laura from accounting might think you’ve lost your mind, but other folks will listen in and even ask questions. Keep it natural. If it comes up, slip it in the conversation. Numerology, angel numbers…this stuff isn’t supposed to be completely separate from our day-to-day lives, so you’ll absolutely find moments to talk about it if you listen up.
Whether you’re a bb witch with a few crystals rattling around in your bag or a seasoned practitioner with spell jars in your pockets, it’s always fun to connect with other people through spiritual practices. Give these strategies a try and see what conversations arise. You might be riding the bus with a reiki master and not even know it!
Overall, ease into it, and most importantly, have fun.
✨ My Tarot Wrapped for 2021
I love looking at people’s Spotify Wrapped posts. I know, I know. Some say that they are annoying and only matter to the individual, but I highly disagree. This meme gets it:
So, I thought it would be funny if I did a tarot wrapped for 2021. Which card did I draw 600 times? How many hours did I spend shooing my cats away from my cards? What did I munch on while pondering the meaning of the 3 of Wands?
Enjoy peeking into my year of tarot.
Mantra for the week: I find the magic in unexpected connections.
I’ll be back here next week to talk about…well, I’m not sure yet! Maybe the damaging narrative of twinflame idealization. Maybe a recap of my latest tarot reading. We’ll see what happens!
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