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There are many traditions for the celebration of Samhain, or secular Halloween. One of my favorites is the creation of an Ancestor Altar. That is, a special altar that honors your ancestors, and assists them in communicating with you during this time of the thinning veil.

The ancestor altar is present in many cultural traditions. In some cultures, offerings of food, tobacco and libations are left for the ancestors upon the altar. In others, the altar is a place for photographs and special mementos of our loved ones in spirit.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that when we tarotists speak together of tarot, whether in a class, a meetup or casually, we often seem to speak the cards into being.

Though not a holiday on any Pagan calendar with which I am familiar, the secular New Year feels like a magickal time to me for a couple of reasons.

Most diviners will tell you that they get better readings, and feel better after their readings, if they perform their readings in sacred space.

‘Sacred Space' is a sort of new-agey catch-all phrase to describe any room or area that has been temporarily consecrated, prayed over, meditated in, or in some other way energetically transformed and prepared for a holy rite such as magick, ceremony, healing or divination.

It’s been a busy winter. As I prepare to be a headliner at FPG Beltaine in a few weeks I find myself contemplating Beltaine as a holiday of healing.

I’ve been hesitant to share this story here because I didn’t want anyone to misinterpret it as a sales pitch. As much as I am a full-time tarot pro and therefore constantly in shameless self-promotion mode, my blog here at PaganSquare is about magick, tarot and community, not making sales. 

The thing is, when one is a professional diviner, the classic lines between the magickal and the mundane blur quickly and easily.

Today I have a deep (and for some, triggering) message about tarot magick, inspired by the #MeToo conversation.

This hashtag points out the number of people, both female and male, who have been sexually assaulted, abused and harassed.