3. The Empress

Happy Weekend-Before-Halloween to those who celebrate!And welcome back to The Jo DeVoe Show…The topic here for today is the The Strength card as the next step in our Journey Through The Major Arcana, and together we will be exploring ideas like:- Self actualization and the process of becoming whole.- Lions as a symbol of our own vulnerability and power.- The predator within and without.- The soft animal of your body, and its role in the integration process.- Power over vs power within.- Rachel Pollack’s contribution to tarot.And many other things!Please feel free to add some ideas of your own.I’d love to hear from you.What is your most unusual take or favorite insight on the Strength card?*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

HAPPY NEW MOON WEEKEND…and welcome back to The Jo DeVoe Show.The topic here for today is The Chariot card as the next step in our Journey Through The Major Arcana, and together we will be exploring ideas like:- The body as a chariot being pulled along by the whims of the subconscious in contrast to the aims of the soul.- The ego mind as a charioteer.- The importance of consistently moving in one clear direction....and many other things!As I see it, The Chariot card indicates a peak moment in the individuation process and a call for clarity and focus in terms of the direction you are headed.Having said that, this podcast episode unfolds in a hilarious way, as it slowly dawns on me that “as I see it” is undeniably a product of how the authors I have learned from see it.I suppose that’s a lesson in choosing who you learn from wisely and never assuming that your opinions or “spontaneous insights” are formed without influence.. . .Also, this quote by William Blake really does it for me :“Execution is the chariot of genius.”To me it says that your talent or genius is innate, but the skills, processes and practices you are committed to form the channel through which that genius is delivered… or not.*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

HAPPY FALL, y’all!And welcome back to The Jo DeVoe Show…The topic here for today is The Lovers card as the next step in our Journey Through The Major Arcana, and together we will be exploring ideas like:- Tarot as a living art that grows and changes along with us.- The call back to Source as a reunion.- The eternal nature of Soul.- The “shame” of being seen in our innocence.- The mirror-like dynamic of Wound Mates.- The surprising similarities between The Lovers and The Devil card.- The relationship between love and money.And many other things!Please feel free to add some ideas of your own.I’d love to hear from you.What is your most unusual take or favorite insight on The Lovers card?*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

Welcome back to The Jo DeVoe Show!The topic here for today is The Hierophant card as the next step in our 22 part Journey Through The Major Arcana.And it’s gonna be a weird one!For some reason, death kept coming up for me when contemplating The Hierophant.I think it’s because death is both inevitable and a mystery. We don’t know (not for a measurable fact) what happens to us when we pass away.Many folks are terrorized by this.Some try to put it far out of mind for as long as possible.And others go running straight to the “authorities” for reassurance that it’s going to be okay.In my opinion, that is why The Church has held such power for so long.For those inclined to believe, it’s a comfort to hear someone speak with real conviction about what we are, where we came from, why we’re here and what happens to us when we die.For many of us, that sense of certainty is necessary to function, especially if someone we are close to has recently passed or we feel ourselves nearing the end.Of course, that sets the stage for all kinds of potential abuse, starting with The Rules of Behavior we must follow in order to get to heaven and/or to not burn in hell forever and ever, amen.When I look at a traditional depiction of The Hierophant card, it’s hard for me to see anything other than a human-appointed middle man standing between me and this great mystery... scolding, judgmental and having the audacity to try to shame me into handing over 10% of my income.So yeah- not my favorite card.And yet here I am, having public opinions about it!What about you?How do YOU feel about The Hierophant?Which deck contains your favorite depiction of it?Drop a comment down below, and let’s see if we can get a conversation going about this classic symbol of exoteric wisdom, hierarchy and orthodoxy.*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

Sometimes The Emperor card comes up in a reading as a confrontation with The Patriarchy.Sometimes it’s a call to heal The Father Wound.Other times it’s a reminder of your own power.The Emperor, at its best and as it applies to your own personal development, is about self authority, strong boundaries, and refusing to be a victim of life... even when life is unfair or you feel like you’ve been handed the s**t end of the stick. Even if we feel like we were born with the s**t end, The Emperor is here to remind us that we’ve still got hold of the proverbial stick and it’s time to start swinging it around and making some moves with it on our own behalf. It’s your agency coming online through a masculine expression of life force energy, and you can use that… for good.*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

MAJOR ARCANA: The Journey Begins... https://www.amazon.com/Major-Arcana-Journey-Begins-Pentalogy-ebook/dp/B0H24KCJX9/ref=sr_1_1CHECK OUT Kirsten Weiss’ cozy mystery series here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kirsten-Weiss/author/B007EG2ZD8FOLLOW Kirsten Weiss on Substack here: https://substack.com/@kirstenweiss/postsFOLLOW Kirsten Weiss on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/@KirstenWeiss-Writer/videos This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

Welcome back to A Journey Through The Major Arcana!With a focus here today on The Empress card, we will be exploring ideas like :* what The Empress might have in common with Scarlett O’Hara* ruling your life from a flowy, feminine, naturally abundant place* embodiment as an embrace of nature’s elements* the link between environmentalism and the mother wound* tending to your body and home as care of the soul*OUT NOW! Major Arcana: The Journey Begins*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

Some things cannot be unseen.And the Scry sees everything.I’d always known there was something wrong with me. “She’s got the Scry,” I’d overheard them say when they thought I was too young to understand. But I understood plenty.The Scry didn’t hurt anyone unless I got angry, which was hardly ever. Mostly it let me see into a person’s mind—if they held still long enough. The cards helped with that. They made people feel more comfortable. They made me feel more comfortable too. It was weird what I could do, and even weirder to learn that strangers would pay me to do it.Myra Stanley is done with beige. Beige house. Beige family. Beige life. Thirty-eight years of beige is more than enough. So, she trades her half of the family property for an outrageously customized hippie wagon, her tarot cards, and the open road, chasing the quiet pull of the Scry—a psychic gift she’s spent decades trying to repress.But when a bitter goodbye with her twin sister Kate turns ugly, the Scry surges to the surface, ripping open an old, dangerous rift between them.Now she’s cruising down the California highways with nothing but her cards, old memories, and a broken clock she refuses to leave behind. When she crosses paths with a man who talks to plants and smells like leather and sage, an unexpected spark ignites between them. Drawn deeper into his world and the supernatural threat that comes with it, she must learn to embrace and wield the Scry she was taught to fear—or risk losing the magical life she’s only just begun.For Readers Who Love:road trips • tarot cards • dark urban fantasy • reluctant psychic powers • mid-life coming-of-age • slow-burn romanceIn The Shadows:family trauma • domestic abuse • implied harm to children and animals • graphic body horror & supernatural possession. . . . .Major Arcana: The Journey Beginsis the first in a five book series, and Pre-Orders are now open.If you know someone who loves tarot or urban fantasy, please pass this along to them . . . THANK YOU so much in advance! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

One thing I noticed while editing this episode is that I originally did not mention the distinction between the Unconscious vs the Subconscious models of the mind.That’s because I tend to use those terms interchangeably, which is also how early psychologists like Sigmund Freud used them.But modern psychology does make a distinction. It says that the conscious mind is what we’re actively thinking about or aware of,while the subconscious mind is what we’ve learned, what we’ve picked up or what we’ve stored along our way- throughout our life- but is not top of mind.Then the unconscious mind is what we’re not aware of at all and do not have access to… not in any normal state of being. Like the subconscious, the unconscious DOES contain memories and trauma, but it’s far out of reach… and deeply mysterious. Both might be reached in part through hypnosis or plant medicine or deep meditative practices, and the work of the high priestess is very much about that. But I also think she invites us to go further- if we dare- to the collective cosmos and the greatest of great mysteries… the source of all creation.*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

I've long gotten a kick out of the slang word “delulu.”It's just too cute. Delulu. And there are many folks who happily embrace it. They will proudly claim to be delulu.And they will encourage YOU to be delulu, too. But let’s not forget that “delulu” is short for delusional.And that is not cute. To delude means to deceive. And a delusional person is one who has been deceived or misled.In fact, the etymology goes so far as to say that they are in a state of fixed false beliefs.Fixed.Yikes!No. Not in this time that is rife with propaganda and AI proliferation.Not in this time when the difference between facts and fakes is becoming ever more difficult to discern.This is not the time to be seduced by this adorable-sounding word. This is not the time to be invoking delusion.Even though its slang counterpart can feel like thumbing our noses at that old, confining definition, there is still a self depreciating tone about it.And this is not the time to be depreciating our value.Not in this time that tries to weigh our worth in likes and follows.Not in this time that wants to replace our creativity with machines.Did you know that the root word of delude is ludere (Loo-deh-reh) and that ludere means to play?In the context of being deluded, that boils down to getting played.But… if you swap out the prefix of “de” for “pre” you get something else altogether, because ludere – to play – is also the root of prelude.And that is some powerful magic.A prelude sets the stage for something important to come.A prelude is an introductory action.And that brings us around to the magick of setting intentions.Pre-paving. Pre-tending. Pre-paring the way.Magick sets the stage for something important to come.Magick is an introductory action.Henceforth, we shall be known as pre-lulu!We are prelusional.We are playing with the energies of life – earth, air, fire, water – in an initiatory action, calling in something on purpose, something real.The misunderstood magician may be mocked for being delusional, as he earnestly stands before his altar with his wand in one hand pointed toward the heavens and his other pointed down toward the center of the Earth. There are those who won’t understand that the objects laid out on his table are not the mere toys of a hapless dreamer. They are potent symbols of his energetic anatomy, which he is learning to wield at will.Through play.Ludere.That’s because…The Magician is pre-lulu.*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com