Wow! What Happened to Spring?
One minute, it was February, and the next thing I know, May is flying away like the seed puffs of a dandelion wish!
Suddenly, the trees are completely leafed out, and we are currently sweltering in 90 degree-plus heat. Summer comes early in North Carolina, but this seems really early!
I have missed chatting with you here, TestyBeth. I've been finding a new rhythm of writing, teaching, and offering readings, while working around lots of health care check-ups and check-ins (and, knocking wood, positive news each time).
But behind the scenes, I have been cooking up something BIG for you, so keep reading!
Thanks for patiently waiting for this new issue of WINGS! I have TONS of news, so that will be the main focus here today. I hope you will be inspired and delighted.
Love,
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Welcome To The Nest, New Subscribers!
 Hello and a big winged wave to all the 74 new folks that have joined us since the last WINGS last went out in February!
And I'm sending an especially warm welcome to the 25 students from my NC State OLLI workshop who found their way here.
I hope everyone is as glad to see this pop into your inbox as I am to be back again with you.
This month, it's more important than ever that I reassure you that I will never share your information with anyone else: no other lists, services, colleagues, no one and nobody.
I have had my tech support goddess take a careful look at my policies and sign-up practices, and although there is still a bit of kerfuffle as the new GDPR policy gets sorted out by the People In Charge, I can reassure you that (as far as regular humans can make out), I am in compliance.
So no worries, my dears, especially my friends on the other side of the Big Pond.
Plus, as you may have discovered while waiting for this newsletter, I will not constantly bombard you with tons of stuff. Your privacy and enjoyment here are of the highest priority.
I appreciate that your time is valuable, and so is your email real estate. So thank you for inviting me to visit with you. I hope you'll always find WINGS interesting and fun.
(Of course, if you've forgotten why you signed up, or changed your mind (I hope that's not the case!!), thanks for checking me out, and maybe I'll see you some other time. Just PLEASE don't mark me as "spam.")
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News and Notes:
 Readings
As you may remember from my announcement in February (or have pieced together by now), nowadays I am ONLY offering readings from my home here in Durham, NC. (That means that after 16 amazing years, I have retired as a Tarot reader at Dancing Moon Books in Raleigh.)
So, if you are local, I would love to welcome you to the healing, very magical space that is my little Laurel Hill Cottage in the woods.
I am also available world-wide by phone.
By the way, I have had many people wonder if a phone reading is as powerful as being there in person. Good question. See the article below for my answer.
Currently, I have appointments open for May 28 and June 19.
You can always check my calendar on my website to stay up-to-date on openings. Or:
For in-person readings, visit here.
For a phone reading with me, click this link.
NEWS FLASH!
Next week will be a rare opportunity to meet with an AMAZING astrologer friend of mine, who is visiting here for a couple of days. 
The wise and delightful sidereal astrologer, Sally Nurney will be staying with us at Laurel Hill Cottage next week, and would love to meet with you. She will be available for appointments on both Wednesday the 23rd, and Thursday the 24th. To contact her or set it up, you can email her at insights@sallynurney.com.
If you've never had your chart explained to you from the sidereal point of view (most astrology that one hears about in the West tends to be "tropical" astrology), it could be a real eye-opener. Sally is a deeply mystical, brilliant woman of spirit, and a meeting with her in person is pure inspiration. Learn more at http://www.sallynurney.com.
And keep scrolling for a link to her video about this Taurus New Moon!
 Classes and Workshops
First, I have an offering I created especially for my OLLI participants, coming up on June 2.
I will giving a more in-depth explanation of the Birth Cards than I was able to teach in our classes at the Osher Learning Center. Currently there are three seats left.
This is an introduction designed for people with no other knowledge of the Tarot. My friends from NC State have first dibs, of course, but if you are interested, we can discuss whether it's a good match. (ex: folks who have taken my Tarot Without Tears classes would NOT get anything new from this).
If you would like to sign up, there is still time, so please click here.
And as promised...
For the more advanced Tarot connoisseur, I am delighted to announce that the beloved Tarot Boutique is back! And registration is now open for a brand new class:
The Tarot Boutique Presents --
What's the Question? What's the Spread?
Many people have told me that formulating questions for a reading is one of the most challenging components for them. And then, once we formulate the core query, how do we make the leap into creating or choosing a meaningful spread?
 In past years, I've taught each of these as separate workshops, but making the connection between the two, especially under time pressures when reading for others, can be daunting.
Join with other experienced Tarot practitioners for a relaxed, informative afternoon at my magical cottage in Durham County, as we experiment and fine-tune this vitally important skill. Seating is VERY limited, with only eight spaces available.
I can't wait to welcome you back to Laurel Hill to resume our luscious Tarot discovery sessions together!
But wait!
There's still more... as in --
 Magic and More
As I mentioned, I have been stirring up some delicious new goodies in my cauldron and -- Voila! -- I am thrilled to invite you to be a part of the biggest project I've ever created.
Please join me for..
A Year of Enchantment
As frequent visitors to my website know, I have organized it into two main categories: Enchantment and Illumination.
Enchantment is a mutual process of noticing, bringing to consciousness, and thus enhancing the energies all around us. I believe that by joining our vision and voices together with clarity and intention, we can profoundly counteract the dark enthrallment that is entangling our civilization in webs of despair.
To that end, this is a series of intimate, private workshops that will support and replenish us. They loosely coordinate with the eight sabbats of the Wheel of the Year. To learn more about the overall intention, and see the dates and topics for the first half of the year, visit here.
The first of these will be held in the midst of Litha's Summer Solstice zenith:
A Year of Enchantment – Summer Solstice:
Tending and Strengthening Our Faery Alliances
Saturday, June 23: 12:30-6pm
As we begin our year-long program of enchantment, what better beginning could we imagine, than to deepen our alliances with the Faery realms?
You may recall that several years ago, I offered an introduction to the realms and lore of the Shining Ones with whom we share this sacred planet.
Although we may briefly review some of the basics in that introductory workshop, this is new material, aimed at deepening and tending our existing friendships with the Good Folk, via suggested exercises, journeys, and practices that we can incorporate into our daily routine.
Although this will be a thoughtful session, it will also be light-hearted, since Enchantment is rarely somber. Therefore, it will culminate with a Faery tea party, co-hosted with Beth "The Tea Lady" Budd!
Don't procrastinate -- there are only eight seats available:
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A Heartfelt Reunion
A thousand thanks and kisses go out to everyone who so warmly welcomed me back to the Tarot Readers Studio this year.
This event is the highlight of my Tarot year, and the 2018 lineup was one for the ages.
As you might imagine, being a Tarot reader is often a rather solitary endeavor, and so the opportunity to meet with like-minded colleagues to learn, share readings, gossip (only nicely, of course!), and decks (oh! the decks!!) is priceless.
And the Readers Studio in particular, presented annually by masterminds Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, brings together the largest gathering of Tarot's very best people on the planet. They also set a hugely positive tone for warmth, support, and friendship.
I missed my Tarot peeps terribly last year when I was ill, so this reunion was especially dear to me. My Tarot colleagues were some of the most supportive and strong for me during that time. But that's not surprising.
As Carolyn Cushing pointed out in a very thought-provoking Breakfast Roundtable discussion (hosted by Jaymi Elford), Tarot people do not shy away from the tough, ugly parts of life.
Unlike the "love and light and rainbows ONLY" folks, we face human difficulties and pain head on. That's because the Tarot itself deals with life's shadows frankly, without hiding or sugarcoating them, fully engaging with every facet of life, death, good, and evil. Tarot keeps us real. And that was a lifeline to me in my darkest hours.
So thank you to Ruth Ann and Wald; to Mary Greer, Rachel Pollack, and Benebel Wen for their stunning, life-changing presentations; and to all the other gifted souls whose love and wisdom sparkled and blessed me.
By the way -- if you might be considering joining the best and brightest of our Tarot tribe at the Readers Studio, next year is going to be a fantastic program, including a yummy new optional offering of "Divination Day." BUT! Less than 3 weeks have passed since this year's event concluded, and 2019 is already almost sold out!
Before even being "officially" announced, and before its web page has even gone up. UNPRECEDENTED. To sign up, click here for the "back door" link.
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A Special Request --
About a month or two ago, unbeknownst to me, someone nominated my Owl's Wings site for Favorite Witchcraft Blog in the first annual Witch Way Magazine Awards.
By the time I found out, voting had already commenced and I was informed that I was a finalist!
As you may know, my blog is a labor of love.
During its first 10 or 11 years, I challenged myself to post EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. (Yikes!). Loads of content, loads of lore, loads of TLC lavished on it, just for you.
For no reason except to share and encourage and inspire. And it's all still there, just because.
In a couple of weeks, my blog will be celebrating its 15th birthday (old enough to get a driver's license in Idaho!). And it's still going strong, even in the worst of times.
So, I have to admit that even though I didn't really know anything about these awards, I am truly touched to be in the running.
They explain that these awards are about --
"honoring those special individuals who truly make our world a lovelier and more magical place. Without them we may not have had the special milestones on our path."
If this sounds like my blog to you and you would like to vote for me, I would really appreciate it. Here's the link.
(ps: They are being very honorable - you only get to vote once).
Thanks so very much!
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New Moon in Taurus, 2018
This month, instead of my usual round-up of various astrological tidbits from hither and yon, I am sharing my friend Sally's luscious New Moon video.
She writes:
What forces underlie your every breath? What energies make each step in your life possible? Are you giving props of RESPECT to these energies? Do you even take them into consideration as you move thru your days? Time to slow down and correct THAT right now, say the Star Beings.
As I mentioned earlier, she is a sidereal astrologer, which uses a different configuration to cast the chart. Although my understanding of astrology is "tropical," I find Sally's observations compelling and inspired.
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Tarot Q&A:
I want to get a reading with you, but I am geographically challenged. Like, different time-zone challenged! I have hesitated to make an appointment for a phone reading, because I just don't see how it could be as accurate as sitting at the table with you.
Can you give me some insight about if phone readings work?
- D. E., Ft. Worth, TX
Great question! Lots of people wonder about this. In fact, I did, too, until I started doing it. Surprise! Not only do phone readings work, sometimes they work even better than in-person sessions. My theory is that it's because there are fewer distractions.
Evidently, my clients agree, because about 2/3 of them are phone only, the vast majority of whom I have never met at all in person. If you'd like to give it a try, this is the link.
Thanks for writing!
If YOU have a question for me about using the Tarot (not asking me to read the cards for you, please), drop me a note. I'll be glad to answer if I can! |
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As we bask in the lush fullness of late Spring (here in the Northern Hemisphere), in this most beautiful period when the sunlight is rising to its absolute fulfillment in just a few weeks at Summer Solstice, I send prayers for the eternal light of compassion and tolerance to illuminate the darkness that has been gathering in so many places.
In particular, I send prayers for peace to our sisters and brothers in the Middle East who, as I write this today, are enduring terrible bloodshed and loss.
I know that we, you and I, TestyBeth, are here as agents of the discernment and wisdom that does not recognize human territories, but encompasses the planet -- and all Her children -- with love.
May we be strong together in our callings to serve and heal.
Blessings and love,
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