My Book is Out!

Hello tarot lovers and other readers,

I am writing this blog post today as a PUBLISHED AUTHOR and wow-ee that feels amazing to say. I had a whirlwind opening week with THREE book events that led to amazing discussions with audience about queerness, tarot, and other assorted witchery. I am so excited for the reception of this book, but I am sorry it’s taken me off the blog a little. I’m keeping up with my promised Patreon work and am still doing Instagram #dailytarot content and am still dreaming and scheming big things for this blog (along with my writing career in general).

I have ONE MORE book event on the horizon as of now: Minneapolis, Moon Palace Books on June 3rd. This event includes a mini tarot class as well as a reading or two for the book. I’ll answer questions and sign things. It’ll be a really good time so if you’re in the area please put it on your calendar!

One thing that’s really exciting is some of the interviews I have lined up or have already completed. I don’t have dates for the releases yet but if you’re a podcast listener you’ll eventually be hearing me on podcasts from Coming Out Tarot, The Tarot Lady, The Numinous and Weiser Radio Hour! I interviewed on InterroBang Tarot and Babes At The Table too. I have a radio show coming up for Beyond Reality radio, and got to chat with my local DJs here in the Twin Cities at KFAI! I’ve gotten to and am getting to talk to so many really wonderful people about this topic of the intersection of queerness and tarot that I care so deeply about. This whole project has been such a blessing.

A lot of readers and friends from all over the world have been asking me how they can support this project (and me overall), so below is a quick list of things that any new author needs—including me!

• Put me on or in your blog/magazine article series/podcast/etc. I am totally open to interviews and have a flexible enough schedule right now to accommodate most interview requests. Hook me up with editors if you’re not the person in power.

• Ask your local bookstore if they have my book. Even if you already have a copy, the more requests they get, the more likely they are to order it. If it’s sitting in bookstores, people are obviously more likely to see and buy it.

• Review the book on Amazon and Goodreads! This helps my publisher market my book and bumps me in visibility.

• Publish pics of the book or you reading the book on social media. You never know who will see it and want their own copy.

That’s it! It’s so easy to help me spread the word and make this a successful project. If anything I listed makes you feel vulnerable or unsafe, I totally understand. Even telling a couple of close friends about the book means more people know that might grab it.

In the meantime, I’ll be back soooon. I really want to talk about my growing relationship with Rhiannon from Celtic myth as well as provide new tarot content for you to mull over. I’m very eager to dive back in I just still need to save my spoons for a few days. Hope you’re all doing well!

Blessed be.

Cassandra

My Water Altar! (Plus How to Build Your Own!)

Creating an Elemental Altar

I work very well with altars. I have one to Hecate and my ancestors. I have an ongoing prosperity spell that has become it's own altar. My living room windowsill collects more and more things to and from Hestia. Then the other night, I was re-reading the blog I penned shortly after my birthday and checking in with myself about how I was feeling on the whole “leaning into my emotions” thing when it hit me: I need a Water altar. I am a Pisces babe through and through, even when I suppress it. Which means that in times when I'm trying to heal and push myself to allow my own watery tendencies to heal me, I needed an altar to work with to push me on my way. I decided to build my Water Altar for two reasons:
 

1. To have a daily visual, spiritual reminder to honor my truest, most watery self every day.

2. To have an altar paying respect to the spiritual entities that come from or frequently work with water.

I'm so happy with how my altar is looking already that I thought I'd share how to curate appropriate objects and build your own elemental altar. Whether you need to build an altar to your own sign's element, to an element who's energy you're lacking, or if you need a specific element's help for a specific spell or ritual, this should help. Here's what I put on mine:

1. A tarot card! Obviously the first thing I rifled through to serve as the base of my water altar was the tarot deck I use for spellwork. I pulled out the Ace of Cups. The Ace of the corresponding suit is ideal; a Court card or any you strongly connect with would also work.

2. Objects organically and responsibly given from that element. Examples would be feathers or leaves for Air. Stones and twigs work great for Earth. Matches or charcoal would work splendidly for Fire. In the case of Water, I used Lake Superior Agate that I pulled in real life, nautilus shells friends have given me over the years, a starfish I received as part of a gift basket once, and some seashells I picked up on an L.A. Beach. I do have two hard and fast rules for this part of building any altar, but especially one to an element. Number One: I don't take from anywhere with a sign posted saying I can't. Number Two: I have to ask a Spiritual Entity for permission (and receive that permission), even if it feels like something is screaming for me to take it. Gifted objects also work great for this part though, so if you are someone who doesn't take from nature at all, that's a perfectly reasonable way to add such objects.

3. A touch of whimsy! I have a glass whale I've had forever that looks so cute sitting at the head of the water altar. I have a sea turtle that I'm sussing out if it belongs there are not. Relevant charms from a charm casting set or charm jewelry set also work. Toys, poems, song lyrics you wrote down—anything that adds a touch of whimsy and lightness will make those elemental energies very happy and eager to collaborate with you.

4. Anything else that speaks to you. My black moonstone was screaming to go on the altar, and my quartz pendulum seemed pretty happy too. This altar wants NO fire as of now, so I left off candles. This is a purely intuitive side of the work, and a crucial one because of that.

5. The actual element! A candle that you light daily for Fire, stones or a literal cup of dirt for Earth, incense or an ethically harvested bird skeleton for Air are great examples of this. I literally just made Moon Water in a mason jar and stuck it on my altar.

That's it! No need to overcomplicate it. Besides, I'm a firm believer in living altars, which means I'll still use that pendulum on the go sometimes and it goes with me that day. Other stones may wanted added, or the Black Moonstone may end up getting used a different way. Tokens and emblems I find at a beach or receive as a gift could end up getting added, or not. I let my altars grow or shrink and use what's there when I work with it. I'd love to see pictures of your own elemental altars—hit me up on social media to show off!

Blessed Be y'all!