New Age Nerdity

One of my bookshelves in my bedroom

I am a New Age Nerd. If something has the word astrology, tarot, Chakra, astral projection or psychic in it, chances are I will buy it. Who am I kidding? Of course, I’ll buy it!

I scour the thrift stores for books, check online for vintage and new tarot and oracle decks and go to various MeetUp groups to learn how to meditate better, get in touch with my empathetic self and learn about crystals and vision boards. I just found a fantastic website where one individual creates amazing decks. I’ve ordered two. (http://mysterydecks.tarotbyducksoup.com/p/order.html)

I once spent over $200 in a local thrift store because someone donated their whole New Age collection. My cart was overflowing. My Mom left the store and waited in the car saying she didn’t even know me. HA! (It’s all good — she still loves me.)

Do I read all the tarot and oracle decks I’ve collected? Have I browsed through every one of the psychic, self-help, Chakra and crystal books I’ve amassed? No. Not hardly. And yet, I continue to buy them, sometimes duplicating what I already have.

A chest full of cards in my room

To be fair, I’m passing along the duplicates to a fellow tarot enthusiast. It’s nice to have someone at the workplace to discuss tarot with when everyone else around you thinks you’re nuts.

My ex-husband sees the world in strictly black and white. I’ve always seen it in many shades. I consider myself a Christian and I believe the tarot cards are accessing the inner reaches of my mind as well as reaching out to God, or Spirit or Goddess or Buddha or whatever you prefer to call Him. I know that some people think New Age stuff is of the Devil, but I disagree. Perhaps, when I’m no longer on this earth, and I’m chatting with God, I’ll find out differently, but for now, I much prefer talking to Him using my new tools of communication instead of reading a tome that is thousands of years old.

I try not to inflict my beliefs (religious or otherwise!) onto other people because I believe everyone has the right to believe how they wish. It’s not up to me to tell them differently. If we can’t agree on something, then we can agree to disagree.

My husband didn’t leave me because of my fanaticism with the New Age movement, although he did go through my dresser and shred a very rare tarot deck PLUS my very favorite Tarot of the Cat People deck. The rare deck is a memory. The Tarot of the Cat People deck is still for sale on Amazon. (https://smile.amazon.com/Tarot-Cat-People-Travelers-Report/dp/0880795328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547054081&sr=8-1&keywords=tarot+of+the+cat+people) I forgave him, but it took a very long time. I’ve finally learned that forgiveness isn’t for the person that wronged you, it’s for yourself.

Image from the Tarot of the Cat People Deck

There are many, many books on tarot that you can read that will give you a good insight on the history of the cards and perhaps why they’ve been given such a bad reputation in a religious sense. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/158394835X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

From my own experience, I know that when people don’t understand something, they put it down, or deem it wrong or “of the Devil.” Knowledge is power. My Dad was pretty much an agnostic, but he was a voracious reader. He read fiction, non-fiction, books on various religions, Satan, Wicca and Tarot. He read everything because he wanted a balanced point of view.

I aspire to be like my Dad. I have a long way to go, but sometimes lofty goals are the best ones to reach for. What goals are you reaching for this year?