Everyday Woo (Volume 11)
Reframing and reclaiming our masculine energy. Plus, a tarot reader gets a tarot reading (gasp!) and a quiet message for closing out 2021.
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…
✨ Understanding + Connecting With Your Divine Masculinity
When I hear the word “masculinity,” my mind immediately jumps to several…uh…interesting places.
Men seated in public places with their legs spread so wide that they take up two seats. Blowing shit up. Chopping wood. Mr. Clean. Bench pressing a bikini-clad woman. Sentences that start with the phrase “well, actually.” That one scene in Beauty and the Beast where Gaston eats like 24 eggs (wtf, Gaston?!).
I think we can all agree that I unknowingly attached the adjective “toxic” when making that list. And I know that I’m not alone: as someone who identifies as a woman, I feel like a large part of my life has been spent avoiding the male gaze and all of the shit that comes along with it: cat calls, condescending mansplaining, and any and all invitations to prove my worth via my looks or my body.
Which is good. Toxic masculinity needs to be called out and addressed at all times.
But masculinity itself? Newsflash: it has nothing to do with your identified gender. In fact, no matter how you identify, you possess characteristics associated with your divine masculinity. Now there’s an adjective I can get behind.
What is the divine masculine?
If you’ve ever heard the terms ‘yin and yang,’ you’ve already been exposed to the Eastern idea of divine masculinity and femininity. Just like the iconic symbol, these energies are two halves of a whole. They’re not supposed to exist solo. They make up one complete, actualized being.
Unfortunately, our society has programmed us to be binary, to seek either extreme femininity or masculinity instead of embracing the blend. And I find that women especially struggle with connecting with their divine masculine energy, which includes our:
When you read that list, you’ll probably be able to immediately recognize how these traits, when seen in women, are often vilified. The direct, impassioned speech advocating for oneself is seen as powerful and brave when given by a man…but if a woman were to possess the same energy, she could be called rude, selfish or, worse, a bitch (the word so often attached to women who are in their divine masculinity by men who are threatened).
In the tarot, there are certain cards that are pretty direct invitations to channel one’s divine masculinity. Of course, context matters, but here are a few to consider:
When I read for a woman and one or more of these cards come up, I know that this is a moment where she is grappling between society’s skewed version of masculinity and her own, divine power. Often, these women feel pent up, like something is welling up within them and dying to burst forth. It’s not a matter of whether or not someone has divine masculine energy. It’s more about giving yourself permission to use it.
As with divine femininity, too much divine masculinity is not ideal. It can result in not thinking through actions before taking them and a loss of connection with one’s intuitive flow. Too much movement without reflection causes us to lose our purpose. With all of the fire and air moving through our divine masculinity, it needs the steady presence of the feminine earth and the healing of the feminine water element.
In my latest tarot offering, I’m leaning into my own divine masculinity while helping others embrace their own. I decided to deliver these messages via a recorded voice note: opening up my throat chakra requires me to tap into my confidence and a directness of speech, which are both divine masculine traits. (Paid subscribers will get a little sneak peek of me using that throat chakra at the end of this post!)
This reading isn’t designed to ignore the feminine (no reading should). Instead, it’s a way to help you see the power in your own divine masculinity and to give you some direct, actionable advice for how to make moves towards something you’re calling in, whether it’s a relationship, a career change, or other life shift.
Sound like something you’re into? I’ve intentionally kept these readings short and sweet, and I’ve priced them accordingly. I mean, I’m a little biased, but I think it’s a great way to give yourself a pick-me-up and to receive confirmation that you are, indeed, a badass.
And that’s a message that we all need to hear.
✨ True Life: A Tarot Reader Gets a Tarot Reading
I have to be honest. I SUCK at reading for myself. Good God, it’s bad. I find it so much easier to tap into other people’s energies rather than tap into my own. I could be really woo right now and that, due to my intuitive prowess, the cards can’t tell me anything I don’t already know. But that is a LIE. It’s more like I’m too adept at manipulating the messages of the cards to fit a narrative I have in my head.
I need an outsider’s perspective. Badly. So, when I want a full-on reading beyond a daily card pull, I book with someone else I trust. And who better to connect with than the person who has been an integral part of my tarot journey?
I first met Kate Van Horn when I enrolled in her Full Circle tarot course, designed to help newbie readers learn the cards. Kate is the kind of person who I’d describe as a seer. She has a very clear, direct vision, and she’s really, really good at sharing it (we love a woman who’s in tune with her divine masculinity). After completing that course and loving it, I enrolled in Level 2, which I’m finishing up right now.
Because 2022 is shaping up to be a year of big ole change (I’m leaving teaching and moving to be with my partner), I thought now was a good time to see what the cards said. Plus, I wanted to see how Kate reads. I’m nosy AND a process nerd.
Here’s a few observations from our 30-minute call:
Kate is so genuine. She is authentically interested in you and your journey, and that immediately comes through in how she reads.
I am a very quiet client. I like to listen and take in information as it’s given. I don’t like to offer my two cents unless asked.
But Kate asks questions and makes the reading a conversation. She doesn’t just dump info on you and hit the ‘end call’ button. As I answered her questions, she drew cards, picking up on the energy I was putting out. This part was COOL. I could tell that she wasn’t following a script by any means, which made the reading feel personal and special.
As she read the cards, she naturally asked more questions, getting more specific as we honed in on my relationship, my career aspirations, and my intuitive business. She pulled my stalker card (the freakin’ Moon) and a ton of fire, which is on brand with all of the creative energy I’ve been feeling.
Kate got specific with advice. She didn’t leave things open-ended. She advised me to tell my current workplace about my decision to leave sooner rather than later, and she gave me great ideas for how to leverage my story in my tarot business.
I’ve had tarot readings before where I immediately forgot everything the reader said. But Kate works well in “stick in your head” one-liners. You can’t expect yourself to remember everything (tarot readings are, after all, an experience), but the energy is still resonating within me.
I left feeling…really good. It was the perfect blend of actionable advice and validating messages. I felt energized, seen, and excited for what lies ahead.
As someone who teaches in many different ways (yoga, middle school, sometimes both at the same time…), I’ve learned that the quickest way to NOT enjoy receiving a service from someone in the same field as you is to project your own style on what they’re offering.
You have to be open to their way of reading: open to learning something new about the practice AND about yourself. You’ll make yourself miserable if you seek a tarot reader who reads tarot just like you do! And we’ve already established that I suck at reading for myself.
So, if you’re an intuitive reader in your own right, I encourage you to see someone else for a healing in your realm. It’ll teach you a ton (provided you have an open mindset), and it’ll likely help you level up your own practice. And if you’re just curious? Try one out.
Recommendations:
Chelsea Jewel for natal chart analysis and spiritual mentorship
Alex Duarte for ego death and transformation
Katie Vann for astrology + tarot offerings
Kate Van Horn (obvs) for tarot, business coaching and psychic channeling
Hana Katz for crystal gridding, energy healing and clarity
Yours truly for intuitive writing and quiet transformation
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