pretty zesty magic

WHAT IS TAROT?

November 18, 2020November 21, 2020 prettyzestymagic

Tarot usually pops up in films with a psychic flaunting their essential oil soaked tapestries in the window, along with a classy neon sign which lures its desperate clients into their cosmic lair for an hour long chat about whether or not their partner is cheating on them. I’m not putting psychics who use tarot down with this flowery language. I’m merely setting the mood, which is quite different to the mood I set when I read tarot for myself. Sometimes it just involves finding a space where I can have some privacy, which at times has been in the bathroom. How… magical?

Tarot is just as much a psychic tool, as it is a life tool. You don’t need to be a psychic to read tarot because some psychics don’t even use tarot. They use astrology, crystals, smoke, tea leaves, ghosts, and some even talk to animals. It is merely their way into the psychic realm, but pop culture has run away with the idea that the cards can predict the future. Maybe, if the person reading the cards can actually do that sort of thing.

The history of tarot is murky, but many date it back to the 1400’s(ish) when French and Italian merchants brought playing cards back to Europe from Egypt. From there, these playing cards evolved into “games of chance” where people placed their bets and toyed with the divine. The Romani culture also played a huge role in the spiritual evolution of tarot, and it’s still a big part of their traditions today.

As time went on, and the Renaissance boomed with artistry, painters and illustrators started to create new decks that were filled to the brim with symbolism. Cut to the early 1900’s, where the most famous tarot deck was born out of inspiration from the oldest (Sola Busca) deck: The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck. Most traditional decks today are based on the RWS.

More and more people are using tarot today, and becoming readers, because they have realized just how beneficial this tool is for dealing with life. It’s no more radical than journaling or doodling about our thoughts and feelings. It’s just a deck of cards, but what we do with it is what really matters. Once the reading is done, how we take on the lessons and guidance that came out of the cards is where the real magic happens. The cards do not tell us what to do, they simply empower us to do the things that will enlighten our soul’s journey.

So grab yourself a fancy new deck if you haven’t yet! Here are some of my favorites:
Rider-Waite-Smith
Dark Wood Tarot
Starchild Tarot
Mythic Tarot (this one is a relic and I found it on etsy – my first deck ever and what my studies were initially based on)

There are oracle decks, but for today, let’s just focus on traditional tarot and let that sink in before we move on.

A traditional deck includes 78 cards. The first 22 are made up of the MAJOR ARCANA (MJA), and the remaining 56 are the MINOR ARCANA (MNA). I’ll dive deeper into these cards in the future, but for now, just know that the MJA focuses on big life lessons and major players that you will meet in your life (like the High Priestess and the Devil), and the MNA is more about the day-to-day, your habits, and smaller goals and challenges. This section is made up of four suites (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles and includes Court Cards), and although named MINOR, they include heavy hitters too.

Most importantly, no matter what deck you are using, make sure you love it and that you ask it meaningful questions. Avoid yes/no questions unless you are into that sort of thing. Go for the deep/thought-provoking questions that will help you get to the root of the issue. I have a post on questions that you can refer to if you need some help in getting started.

Before we get into how to read tarot, we’ll have to learn a little bit more about the cards themselves, so stay tuned!

30 Questions to Ask the Tarot

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 prettyzestymagic

Sometimes the hardest part of reading tarot is knowing what to ask. We might even quit before we start because we just don’t know. Here’s a list of 30 questions to get you started. These are set up for a 30 Days of Tarot challenge.

DAY 1: What do I want to call in this month?
DAY 2: What should I look out for this week?
DAY 3: What message does the New Moon have for me?
(You can save this for when there is an actual New Moon)
DAY 4: How can I move forward in my career?
DAY 5: How can I open myself up more to love?
DAY 6: What patterns am I stuck in?
DAY 7: What am I not seeing?
DAY 8: What energy should I focus on today?
DAY 9: What is the core issue that I am facing right now?
DAY 10: How can I restore my hope for the future?
DAY 11: How can I develop more patience?
DAY 12: Where might my anxiety be coming from?
DAY 13: What should I be doing more of?
DAY 14: What should I think about this weekend?
DAY 15: What detail am I missing?
DAY 16: What might be blocking my creativity?
DAY 17: What message does the Full Moon have for me?
(You can save this for when there is an actual Full Moon)
DAY 18: How can I unpack my own bullshit?
DAY 19: What is my confidence hiding under?
DAY 20: How can I boost my energy levels?
DAY 21: What is standing in my way of optimal health?
DAY 22: What can I get rid of?
DAY 23: How can I regain my strength?
DAY 24: How can I deal with toxic people/
DAY 25: What is blocking my voice?
DAY 26: What can I do for the greater good?
DAY 27: What should I learn from my past?
DAY 28: How can I feel more connected to others?
DAY 29: What is holding my health back?
Day 30: What progress have I made this month/30 days?

I hope this helps to alleviate any tarot blocks you might be experiencing.
HAPPY READING!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT: The High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
The High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad

The High Priestess rules the subconscious. Highly intuitive, this card is a symbol of femininity and immense access to knowledge. When it comes to food, a chef that can use their intuition when recreating something to fit their dietary needs/preferences, by “lifting the veil” in terms of using kitchen tricks to match flavors in an unexpected way, is very High Priestess of them. And usually, it will just involve the simplest of tweaks. Effortless.

So today we have the High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad! (serves 2-4, depends on if you are eating this as a full meal or a side)

It’s the perfect salad for the warmer weather that is approaching (many thanks to the High Priestess Persephone for bringing in the warmth!). If you can’t eat soy, try young coconut meat, or a soy-free vegan mozzarella cheese like Miyoko’s. (obviously, if you eat animal-derived cheese you would use that… but all BON APPETAROT recipes are vegan around these parts.)

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 in cubes (drain and press excess water before cubing)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup fresh basil, loosely torn
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Generous drizzle of balsamic reduction to taste
Sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Instructions:
Drain and press any excess water out of the firm tofu. Sometimes wrapping the tofu in a towel and letting it sit for a 1/2 helps get even more out. Cube the tofu into 1/2-1 inch cubes. This tofu is a stand-in for the usual mozzarella cheese in this recipe. Place in a bowl.

Next, chop your tomatoes and add to the bowl. Continue adding the rest of the ingredients, and take a taste to get the right seasoning.

Now you get to enjoy! The High Priestess need not spend all their time in the kitchen, as they love working on their spiritual enlightenment.

Astrology, Celebrity Zodiac

Killing Eve – Zodiac Edition

May 8, 2019May 8, 2019 prettyzestymagic

I have now joined the bandwagon that is assigning fictional characters their zodiac signs. Let the games begin. Feel free to argue with me… it will only help my algorithm.

“Killing Eve” is a cat and mouse story based on the novella “Codename Villanelle” by Luke Jennings, and developed for TV by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. It stars the incomparable Sandra Oh as Eve, the passionate MI5/6 security officer, and the I-don’t-even-know-how-to-describe-her-brilliance-yet Jodie Comer as Villanelle. The most interesting woman (and assassin) in the whole damn universe.

Let’s start with Eve… she’s the title character in this version of the story after all.

EVE

I’ve given Eve a Pisces Sun because her intuition is what guides her almost 100% of the time. At her core (which is our sun sign) she is an intuitive. She goes with her gut feelings and adjusts to the tides. Sometimes she can’t even explain how or why she knows what Villanelle is up to, she just knows and she must follow her instincts to find her. Pisces also rules the planet Venus, and if we know our art history when it comes to Botticelli, we know his Birth of Venus painting suggests (by some), you guessed it, The Fall of Eve. I rest my case on her sun sign.

Here’s that Pisces intuition at work:

Eve’s rising sign is Gemini. I bestow this witty sign upon her because this is how the world sees her: Witty (who could forget her calling her boss a “dickswab”), charming, and LOVES to learn. Learning is super important to folks who have a rising sign in Gemini. If they can’t flex their curiosity, there really is no point in doing anything. Eve is always curious and willing to dig deeper, even into just a mere hunch.

An agent with a Gemini sense of humor:

sandra

And finally, I think Eve’s Moon sign is in Scorpio. Here is where all that sexy Eve-biz lies. It’s also, in my opinion, the KEY with a capital K-E-Y to her and Villanelle’s connection with each other (notice I didn’t use the term attraction). This is a C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N. Scorpio Moons are all about commitment, fear of betrayal, testing their loved ones, and their ability to see right through a person unlike anyone else. And I actually think they both have it (spoiler alert), and for the same reasons. I’ll add a little more to this when we get to Villanelle’s Moon in Scorpio. Hang tight!

Scorpio Moon getting all up in Villanelle’s psychological:

VILLANELLE

Now let’s go to Villanelle. Oh my. Before I get into it I just have to say that, to me, she is almost all fire. An astrological WILD FIRE at that, with a tich of water that makes things steam and sizzle a bit.

thehole

Aries Sun right off the bat. She has 0% fear and is 100% action, spared no expense. She’s impatient, restless, gets bored easily, and loves a challenge. Aries Sun folks also have a very playful/childlike demeanor, and she often displays this in the series with her outfits and interactions with Konstantin and other children.

vill2

When it comes to her rising sign, which is how others see us, I see her as Leo Rising. Extravagant costumes, creative and theatrical kills, and those eyes she makes at her prey. One just can’t deny that there is Leo in this Lioness. Protective of her people, but at the same time, feral to the point where she might kill them too. You just never know… depends on how hungry she is, perhaps.

Leo stalking her prey:

Leo theatrics at work here:

And finally, her Scorpio Moon, which is the key to her and Eve. This is where they connect. The Moon represents the divine feminine, and these two cherubs flow along with the same tide. When one goes this way, the other follows. When one resists, the other bursts into unstoppable tears. The thought of losing each other would be their death. Their killing.

Also… how Scorpio is this outfit?

And… here are our Scorpio Moon Goddesses in action together:

I won’t deny that Villanelle must have Sagitarrius in her chart somewhere, perhaps even a stellium because she loves getting that attention. Eve is also dancing with some Libra since she’s all about that J-U-S-T-I-C-E. But discussing their other potential planet signs too would take the time that I need to continue watching this show… and sleep.

How’d I do? What characters would you like to see featured next?

*all images are from BBC America, AMC, and Tumblr/Gif searches. I do not hold any rights to them nor do I claim that they are my creations. I created the image with the zodiacs signs, but I am not the photographer nor do I own the rights to the original keyart from the show. This is fan commentary and not sponsored/paid content. Thank you.

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT | EIGHT OF CUPS : MUSHROOM “ESCARGOT”

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
EIGHT OF CUPS MUSHROOM “ESCARGOT”

The Eight of Cups, when upright, can symbolize that it is time to walk away from mundane nonsense and go on an adventure. In the case of this dish, a French adventure.

Escargot is traditionally made with snails, but if you don’t eat shellfish, firm crimini mushrooms are an excellent substitute. I did my best to recreate a great version of mushroom “escargot” that we had in New Orleans at Green Goddess.

Ingredients:
1 lb crimini mushrooms (stemmed and cleaned)
1 large shallot, minced
1 big bunch parsley (just chop off the end stems with no leaves, leave the rest intact)
10 large cloves garlic (yes, 10)
1/2 cup white wine (I only had 1/4 cup sherry but would have preferred white wine)
1/2 cup avocado oil (if you eat butter use butter, or vegan butter. If you eat low fat, try veg broth and have a little extra on hand to avoid burning while cooking)
Pinch dried tarragon
Red pepper flakes and salt to taste
1 tbs bread crumbs

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Add oil to an iron skillet. Heat on low on stove top, and add the minced shallot. Sprinkle with salt and let the shallot cook slowly until soft and translucent. Be careful, don’t burn it!

Meanwhile, add the following to a food processor: parsley, garlic, wine. Process until you have a pesto like consistently.

Add the processed parsley sauce to the skillet and stir until everything is mixed into a sauce. Season with dried tarragon, red pepper flakes, and salt. (The latter two to YOUR taste!)

Next, add the cleaned mushrooms and stir until the caps have filled a bit with the sauce. If anything starts to burn, add more oil, wine, or broth.

Lightly top the mushrooms with breadcrumbs and carefully transfer the iron skillet into the oven.

Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

When done, take out of oven and set aside to cool down. You can serve this as a side dish, appetizer, or like the Italian Americans we are, and mix it all up with pasta!

Ciao! Au revoir!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : QUEEN OF WANDS SPICY POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

April 14, 2019April 14, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
The fusion of food and tarot.

THE QUEEN OF WANDS SPICY POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

The suit of wand’s element is fire and the symbolizes abundance and passion, and THE QUEEN is warm, vibrant, and makes a powerful first impression. Much like this spicy stew.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbs avocado or coconut oil
1 red onion, diced
5 large cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeño pepper
Creole seasoning to taste (Tony Chachere’s is what I used)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried herbs (herbs de Provence)
1 large sweet potato, chopped 1/2 in cubes
2 large white potatoes, chopped 1/2 in cubes
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes
1 12 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 cups water (or enough to cover veggies)
2 bay leaves
1 cup coconut cream
Freshly chopped cilantro, parsley and scallion for serving
Salt to taste (or add more creole seasoning)
Your favorite rice, cooked, to serve with

INSTRUCTIONS:
-In a large pot heat oil on low.
-Add the following and cook until soft (15-20 min): onion, garlic, celery, jalapeño, creole seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, herbs de Provence)
-Add the chopped potatoes, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a simmer. Adjust seasonings here to your liking.
-Let simmer on low for at least an hour, but the longer you cook the better it will taste!
-20 minutes before serving make your rice in another pot. Take stew off heat and add the coconut cream.
-Serve stew with rice and fresh herbs. Sprinkle more creole seasoning on top for extra salt and heat! 🔥

tarot, Tarot Reading

The Power of Rephrasing Your Questions for a Tarot Reading

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 prettyzestymagic

When Tarot is in a film or other fictional piece, it usually involves someone asking the reader if their lover is cheating on them, if they’ll get the job, if they’ll win the lottery, if they are pregnant, should they move, should they go back to school, etc. It makes for great entertainment. That long pause and zoom in on the quirky character before they utter the answer from the cards, cut to the gasp from the querent… The issue with these questions though? They are all YES or NO questions. How anti-climactic! In the real world, unless the reader is a true psychic and skilled at prophecy, asking YES or NO questions is kind of pointless and the answers can throw us completely off course due to arrogance or fear (aka ego, baby!). The deeper work comes from asking HOW, WHAT, and WHY questions. We can get to the heart of the matter much easier this way, and the answers can actually give us actionable steps to get to where we want to be (pending all luck and privileges of course – can’t forget those).

*Again, no disrespect to readers who do y/n questions. If that is your specialty, rock on!

The best way to explain this is by rephrasing the most common questions I get as a reader. You could ask all of these rephrased questions too and pull a card for each one in a single reading. These are just examples of questions though, they aren’t spreads. Though they could be. I’m looping here but that’s another key thing we need to decide before shuffling because a single topic might need a very in-depth reading with multiple questions. We can talk about spreads next time!

REPHRASE EXAMPLES:

Instead of: Is my partner cheating on me?
Ask: How will I know if my partner is cheating on me? or What will happen if my partner cheats on me? or Why might my partner cheat on me?

Instead of: Will I get the job?
Ask: How will I get this job? or What will happen if I get (or don’t get) this job?
or Why do I want this job?

Instead of: Will I win the lottery?
Ask: How can I win the lottery? or What will happen if I win (or don’t win) the lottery? or Why do I want to win the lottery?

Instead of: Am I pregnant?
Ask: How can I become pregnant? or What will happen if I become (or don’t become) pregnant? or Why do I want to (or not want to) become pregnant?
*Be careful with this one. No need to get health advice from a tarot reader who has no medical cred!

Instead of: Should I move?
Ask: How can I move? or What will happen if I move (or don’t move)? or Why do I want to move (or not)?

Instead of: Should I go back to school?
Ask: How will I feel if I go back to school? or What should I study if I go back to school? or What will happen if I go (or don’t go) back to school? or Why should I go back to school (or not)?

If you need help in rephrasing a question to ask the Tarot, or what to ask in general, comment below and I can help.

Happy reading!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : THE MOON’S MAC ‘NO’ CHEESE

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽

🌝 The MOON’S MAC ‘NO’ CHEESE 🌝

The moon card can sometimes point out illusions. In this dish, you won’t miss the cheese because the sauce here is so good it could fool you into thinking it’s dairy.

Ingredients for sauce:
2 tbs avocado or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion (or 4 large shallots), sliced
1 inch jalapeño, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs garlic powder
1-2 tsp creole seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
Splash of sherry
1 cup soaked cashews
1-2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp truffle salt, add extra to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup unsweetened cashew milk (have extra on hand to adjust thickness of sauce if desired)
1 chopped scallion
Chopped parsley for topping
Red pepper flakes
bread crumbs
vegan Parmesan (optional)

Noodles: 1 lb macaroni or other pasta shape

What you’ll do:

Heat oil in pan on low and add the sliced onions. If you have time, slow cook them until caramelized as you add the other ingredients. If you don’t have time, just cook until soft.

Add the garlic, jalapeño, garlic powder, creole, paprika, and stir to combine. You can add a little salt here to help soften everything. Keep stirring to avoid burning if you are caramelizing.

When everything looks soft and golden, add a splash or two of sherry and let the alcohol cook off for about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta.

In a very high speed blender, add the cashews, milk, and onion mixture from pan.
Blend on the highest speed until smooth.

Add the turmeric, truffle salt, and pepper to the blender and blend again. If you need a thinner sauce add more milk. If it’s too thin, you can add a few more cashews or tapioca starch.

Taste test the sauce. You might want it spicier so add more creole seasoning. Smokier? Add more smoked paprika. You get it!

Drain pasta and add to a large bowl. Pour in the sauce and mix gently.

If you’d like to bake it before serving as is, follow along:

Turn on broiler in oven.
Add the creamy pasta to individual baking dishes.
Top the bowls with a little extra sauce, if you have any stuck in blender, 1 tbs bread crumbs and 1 tbs vegan Parmesan.
Bake until the topping starts to get a little golden.
Carefully take the dishes out of oven. Top with fresh herbs like scallion and parsley.
Add more heat and color like a pinch of red pepper flake if you’d like.

Enjoy!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : 9 of Cups “Stuffed Peppers”

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
9 OF CUPS
“STUFFED PEPPERS”
🌶
The 9 of cups celebrates comfort + fulfillment + satisfaction.
Those are the feelings you’ll feel, and the smells you’ll smell when you make this. Unless you hate peppers… then you will hate this. 🤓
🌶

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 4 stuffed peppers… but you’ll just need 2 LARGE ones, sliced in half for this. Double everything up if you want to make more.

Ingredients for the stuffing:
2 beyond meat patties or any 2 thawed veggie burgers of choice
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbs garlic powder (optional)
1/2 chopped parsley
2 tsp dried dill
1 tbs Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes (a few pinches to taste)
1/2 cup peeled, gutted, and diced cocktail tomatoes
1 cup rice pilaf (any quick brand)
Salt and pepper to taste
Few fresh basil leaves and parsley for garnish after baking

Ingredients for the basil cream sauce:
1 cup raw, and soaked if you have time, cashews
1 large garlic clove
Juice 1 lemon
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup+ water
Salt and pepper to taste

The steps:
-Cook rice pilaf and set aside.
-Preheat oven to 350f
-In a bowl, mix n mash until all combined: veggie burger, diced onions, diced mushrooms, tomatoes, minced garlic, garlic powder, chopped parsley, dry dill, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.
-Cook the above mixture in a pan until browned and fragrant. Add in the rice and mix. Taste test and add any spices needed. Take off heat.
-Slice your peppers in half and take out the seeds. Lay them in a lightly greased baking dish and fill each pepper with the stuffing mix. Place in oven.
-Cook until the peppers look wilted/have released some juice… and stuffing on top is a tad crispy. Approx 40 minutes.
-While the peppers cook, make the sauce by just placing all of the sauce ingredients in a high speed blender (you will very high speed to get those nuts to blend fully). Add water as you blend to get desired saucey consistency if needed. Taste test for salt or more herbs.
-Top the peppers with basil sauce and fresh herbs when you are ready to serve.
Would pair nicely with some fresh and crispy greens.

MANGIA!

rituals, Sabbats, tarot

IMBOLC/LUPERCUS & TAROT & RITUALS OH MY!

February 3, 2019 prettyzestymagic

On February 2nd, the Pagan holiday of IMBOLC will be over-shadowed by Groundhog Day… unless you are a “witch” of course.

Imbolc is the Pagan celebration of the first signs of spring. Like those little daffodils or buds that manage to spring up through the snow. Sadly, with the state of the environment today, I’m not sure Imbolc is as relavent as it once was in terms of timing. Maybe in late March this year for us North East coasters anyway. Brrr!

In Italian Witchcraft, Lupercus (Festa di Lupercus or Lupercalia) is observed on the 2nd as a celebration of purification and fertility, and the last cycle of winter. Embracing one’s sexual energy is also a key element in this celebration. This was also most likely appropriated, as it’s very similar to the ancient Roman celebration called Februalia, where the god Faunus and the goddess Juno are the the key deities. Faunus is the wild and sexual male energy, and Juno is a protector of female energy, which keeps this celebration nice and balanced. (Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras… anyone?)

The tarot card that rules this time, in my opinion, is the Star. The Star symbolizes rebirth and renewal, and is represented by the zodiac sign of Aquarius.

As far as rituals go, cleaning, decluttering (I know a lot of you are watching Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up, so now is literally the time!) and planting (if you can) are in order. Instead of planting literal seeds, you can also plant ideas and other metaphorical “plants” that will enhance your growth this year. You can also take a nod from Aquarius and do something completely “out there” and unexpected. Take a risk!

Some other ideas:
warm baths with candles
make a vegan nut cheese (or regular milk cheese)
make your own candles (be careful!)

I know it’s cold for some of us right now, but it’s time to start waking up. Take your time. Ease into it.

Happy Imbolc!