The Fool & The Page

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. Cecily Sailer, founder of Typewriter Tarot, returns to the podcast for a Wild Moon edition of The Fool & the Page. We get excited for our upcoming Wild Moon Spring retreat on Saturday, March 12 in the gorgeous Texas hill country and pull a couple cards in response to our themes for this cosmic gathering of creative spirits. Favorite moment: witnessing a Tarot reader of Cecily's expertise and experience react in genuine surprise and delight at the card she pulls. Y'all, this is what Tarot is about. Our convo is followed by 25 minutes of guided writing and reflection inspired by Cecily's ponderings on Ace of Pentacles and Eight of Wands. Enjoy! See you in March? We certainly hope so. Until then, take care.

Leave the swords, get on the bike. Oh, goodness! We’ve got two cards for this episode because again I’ve pulled a card that’s been featured in the past: Seven of Swords. Let's try to approach the Swords as cards of release and reframing, a chance to alter our perspective in a way that encourages us to stop berating ourselves and instead to take care of ourselves. This is ideal, as my question for the Tarot was: “Who is here to help us out when we feel that we’ve failed?” As this was a repeating card for the podcast, I pulled a clarifying card. Why Seven of Swords? Why now? And my second card was The Chariot. So. Okay. Minor + Major for a major question that involves daily work to help with this big weaving that is our lives.

If you haven't already, sign up for my free Word Search session with guest author Rebekah Manley on Tuesday, February 8 at 7PM CST. See y'all there!

For this past Winter Solstice, I pulled Hierophant for my six-month theme, and I went, OKAY. This one? Still? Really? I felt unsettled by this card. I felt out of step with this energy. But here's the thing. This card—and the Tarot as a whole—BOTH beg the question: Why do you see things this way? Is there another possible angle? How can we reframe this? In this minisode, I explore my own assumptions through the ultimate card for questioning, challenging, dismantling, and seeking your own truth. All wrapped up with a quick reflection activity that will take only 5-7 minutes but offer you a sweet pause in the midst of your day. Enjoy!

This episode was a listener request from my friend and fellow writer, author Rebekah Manley, whose published work draws from deeply felt personal experience. She requested Queen of Cups—a card she very much embodies—specifically as an archetype for exploring the concept of heartbreak. Through my own ramblings, snippets of audio texts from Bekah, and a bit from her own blog (www.bravetutu.com/blog/fly), I explore how this queen’s beautiful chalice can offer listeners an anchor for the creative process in the midst of heartbreak. The episode wraps with guided writing for you or your character, all inspired by the potent energy of this card for writers, artists, and all seekers looking to explore creativity + healing. Enjoy!

I’ve been pondering the concept of envy, and I thought it would make a great question for the cards: What is here to help us with envy, especially in the creative life? The cards I pulled felt—at the time—like the weirdest combo in response to this question, but now they feel like the most beautiful duo to help us out with this thorny, icky, uncomfortable question of envy. The episode wraps with guided writing for you or your character, all inspired by the potent energy of these cards for writers, artists, and all seekers. Enjoy!

This episode comes courtesy of a listener request from my fellow writer Haley. We're looking at Queen of Swords in companionship with Two of Swords. This is a great opportunity to talk about how court cards can assist us with a more challenging Minor Arcana energy—along with eclipse magic, the reality show Survivor, and digging deep to work in uncertain phases. The episode wraps with guided writing for you or your character, all inspired by this card combo's potent energy for writers, artists, and all seekers.

Just a gentle heads up, dearest listeners...This episode talks about illness and stress in times of fearful health situations, all to engage with King of Wands energy and inspiring you to speak up for yourself. BUT HEY. If these things are not your cup of tea right now, for whatever reason--the pandemic, your history or present--that is OKAY. If you need to feel less alone with your own journeys in health and well-being and body, and you like that with a dash of dark humor, this may appeal to you. I pulled a card asking who’s here to help us out in scary times, and I sort of kept that pretty broad in my mind, because fear and anxiety are this huge spectrum, and I sort of wanted a big, broad answer. And the Tarot went big. The Tarot said King of Wands. Let’s do this! And here's that Tarotscope by Lindsay Mack, founder of Tarot for the Wild Soul, quoted in this episode.

In this Fool & the Page interview, Claire speaks with the dynamic duo that is Café Con Leche Travels--singer/songwriter David Simmons, Jr. and comedy writer Travis Grossi, whose incredible travelogue and online community have inspired countless folks to embrace their inner adventurer. This episode covers life, death, the Death card, and living your best goddamn life--as artists, as wandering souls, and as curious people living on this wild planet.

This episode comes courtesy of a listener request from Franziska, founding member of TFATP International Listener Club--yes, let's make this a thing! We're looking at Hanged One reversed and how this waiting-place-of-a-card promises true transformation, even when we don't have all the answers. Even when we're not sure what's on the other side. The episode wraps with guided writing for you or your character, all inspired by this card's potent energy for writers, artists, and all seekers.

In this episode of The Fool & the Page, Claire speaks with poet, educator, and danzante Marilyse V. Figueroa about learning as we teach, the forced (yet welcome) balance of living in pandemic times, and the sweet, sweet magic of Ten of Cups. They take an honest approach to this blissful card (as Marilyse points out, that maypole and all its rainbow-ribbon-glory took work, y'all!), asking how we can let go of old ideas that hold us back from a joyful writing process. This episode begs the question: How do we embrace Ten of Cups energy moment to moment, creation to creation?