“you can be very wild and still very wise.” —yoko ono
🦪 CONTENTS
This issue, I raise my voice from Costa Rica…
- In my feelings, in my world
- A poem, something
- Channeled tarot downloads
- Something for true hearts
- Down at on Kinky Tarot
- Enter Mariaworld
- My astro season toolkit
- Links for babe angels
- Five sensual gratitudes
- Currently reading
🫀 IN MY FEELINGS, IN MY WORLD
Every issue begins with a tiny anecdote, story, or revelation from my inner world and an invitation: in my feelings, in my world.
I’m writing this in my notebook while passenger princessing into NM, and I feel radiant without exaggeration—skin glowing, wide-eyed. On our southwestern U.S. road trip, we recently visited Sedona’s ridiculously magical vortexes. They say each vortex is a swirling center of the earth's energy, emanating powerfully around us—the Earth, alive. Praying on top of a vortexed mountain, it rang—the clarity, the truth of my path. My prayers used to feel like pleading, but these days they overflow with cosmic gratitude.
What does your balance of prayer requests and gratitudes signify to you? Divine the message.
🌞 A POEM, SOMETHING
ethereal dusk, marfa lights ahead
i am a pluviophile, dancing
there’s a stone ahead
and holy release beyond
but
a mirror floats.
can i see myself
somewhere beyond
the context of
where i’ve been?
🔮 CHANNELED TAROT DOWNLOADS
A SELF-PHENOLOGIST IN THE MODERN WORLD
Phenology (noun) /fəˈnɒlədʒi/ /fəˈnɑːlədʒi/: The study of patterns of events in nature, especially in the weather and in the behaviour of plants and animals
A week ago, I picked up a cowlike brown and white stone from underneath my shoe while walking through Marfa’s Chinati Foundation, and the stark disparity between its tones asked, “Do you think you are present?” The question was asked, but “present” remained undefined.
We are never just in nature; we are always of it. “Holy self-phenology” is what I’ve dubbed my sacred process of noticing and mapping my personal, cyclical seasons. I’ve been deep in this work for a long time, but my seasonal needs throughout the past year have been so, so loud. For example, I’m an early bird. A dark sky with a slowly rising sun is my quiet ally. Summertime in LA often leaves me inoperable from 1:00 pm to sundown. It sounds ridiculous, but no amount of sleep or adderall could push me to be productive at 3:00 pm on a Tuesday. I’m not sure what it is—Is it a circadian feeling? Do I just not like the way afternoon light looks in the house? Why does everything feel so loud at that time of day?
The obvious arc of this story is that I leaned into self-compassion, adjusted my expectations and schedule, and stopped berating myself for "failing." Where I’d rather go is the plunge into my super psychic autumn season.
After Summer’s dog days wane, I rebirth in effervescent sensitivity. No longer am I wary of staring into the heart of a shadow. Quantum physics tells us that our mere observation of a thing affects the thing, which can feel like a heavy responsibility for sensitive people. We’ve heard “thoughts become things,” trying painfully not to conjure thoughts of what we wish not to manifest. Yet, the pink elephant giggles behind us. Can we look at our devils without calling them closer?
I’m breathfully unafraid of gazing deep into this season’s darkness because I know that there is a difference between
unconsciously manifesting hypotheticals
and
detached, compassionate observation of difficult things.
Even just forming a concept makes it more real. Sometimes, our conceptual rigidities can impact the realities of those thoughts. When we force ourselves to cease thinking of a thing, our bodies, spirits, or subconscious minds may not be able to tell whether we’re pushing or pulling—just that we are focusing energy on it. Even without overt physical manifestation, subconscious rigidity ripples out into how we treat ourselves, others, and the planet. How can you thrive in the modern world without a sense of flow?
We have more psychic power with ourselves and others when we don’t fight our thoughts, but instead look at them for what they are at their purest essences—rather than aligning with or identifying as them. And this takes slowing down. It’s my psychic responsibility to sit in difficult truths so I can have the space to observe, process, and intentionally choose how to behave. When we spiritually bypass hard things, we rob ourselves of the unparalleled peace of knowing that we’re acting in full alignment with who we truly are.
A lot of spiritual bypassing is in the voice, the thing that tells others, “I am, I am present, I think.” Where are you restricting yourself or hiding, and how does that show up in your voice?
I’ve said that when I write, I’m often writing primarily to myself. I’m articulating things I want to internalize while hoping that they resonate with other people. My voice is my voice, but it’s also my responsibility. It exists in the context of seemingly infinite other voices. I’ve taught that a spell can consist of just three things: intention, will, and movement. So what are the spells we’re casting through our voices?
Swords tarot cards communicate starting from sharp discernment:
- When and around whom do we use our voice?
- Who, including ourselves, deserves our voices?
- How and where do we decide to express ourselves, and what are the potential consequences?
The Swords also conjure themes of power, including power over and power with, and how we wield the sword of voice to cut paths through dense forest. The tarot queens hold the essence of each suit and, as such, the Queen of Swords is a paradigm of clear communication and thought. You might embody them by
- Consciously using and distributing your personal power
- Thinking more honestly and rationally
- Raising your voice in a bystander situation
- Looking at hard things and accepting them for what they are
- Supremely honest self-analysis
Language is a dance of boundaries: Each word is a container of a concept. When you say one thing is, you’re saying that another thing is not. The Queen of Swords tells it like it is, for themselves and others. They use words to craft the stories that create the context in which they live. Their voice is a gift to the community, which is what we have at the end of the day. For us to give and receive heart-full support and connection through these times, we have to be willing to gaze into the darkness and speak into it, “I am, I am present, I think.”
I thank the universe for the ability to embody the Queen of Swords’s gentle precision.
🆓 SOMETHING FOR TRUE HEARTS
This month, I give you the true hearts Scorpio Season Prep tarot ritual!
When I was at the vortex I mentioned earlier, I navigated the mountaintop using divining, or dousing, rods. Many witches use two L-shaped rods to divine and navigate toward answers. I used mine to locate the ideal prayer spot, where I had a genuinely transcendent experience.
For this activity, you’ll need a tarot deck, two divining rods, and ample space. I’m looking forward to your unveiled revelations 🪐
🥵 DOWN AT KINKY TAROT
Yeah... the squirt baptism episode
Story time! I sanctified people during a squirt baptism? What? Why? Oh, check out the almost-embarrassing punchline at the end 😭
And catch these fan-adored episodes while you’re at it!
- Hot for (Hierophant) Teacher with my partner
- I’m On the Edge… with the Lovers with the Ensoulment Doula
- Radical Brats Drive Chariots with Lyndsay Jane
- Strength Bites with Hannah Levy
🌀 ENTER MARIAWORLD
🐐 L.A. witches unite! Writer, poet, and founder of The Rebis literary journal, Hannah Levy is bringing “Dealing with the Devil Card: Shadow, Desire, and Liberation in Practice,” an intimate roundtable discussion to our city with Christopher Marmelojo, Rebecca Scolnick, and me on November 15 @ the Philosophical Research Institute. Let’s explore what it means to physically embody liberation in a world that so often demands conformity, obedience, and silence.
🎤 Earlier this month, I opened up the first annual Witch Summit in Phoenix—eep! If you’re interested in a recorded sliding-scale class on tarot and power (personal and collective), let me know! It seems like a critical thing to embody these days, right
🌩️ Also, I want to bring The Cloud Shop back!! Yes??
* Yeah, I’m shamelessly beaming… Hannah and Rebecca are sweet friends, and I’ve wanted to meet Christopher for the longest time Sorry, I’m already beaming—Hannah and Rebecca are sweet friends, and I have been wanting to meet Christopher for the longest time 😭😭😭
🌌 MY ASTRO TOOLKIT
Every month, I share some of the things, ideas, people, places, and memories that encourage me to be present in each astrological season and its themes. I hope that this list prompts you to create your own "toolkit" that you can reach toward whenever you want to ground in the current season. This is what's in my bag for Libra season. What's in yours?
Getting into my dream program and being a student again! Options. Aliens. Lemon graham crackers. Cave art. Seeing a childhood pal in Puriscal for the first time in a decade. Big skies. Aase Berg. Holy sites. Pink amethyst. Deep pastels. Spirulina. Wild Carrot’s Peace Cream. Deep esotericism. Mouth-feeding giraffes. Gentle Thrills Tarot. Gentle parking signs. Our overflowing passionfruit vines. Writing in the car. Options. Pumpkin Spice Nuttzo. Mold art. Cruise control. Cholla cactus gardens. Guadeloupe Mountains. Restarting 1 Second Everyday. Roseate spoonbills. Violet mints. Sloths. Oral histories. Edible flowers.
🍒 LINKS FOR BABE ANGELS
🎟️ Autism isn’t an Asshole Waltz-Out-of-Jail ticket
📧 An analysis of those s*x sp*m emails (ugh)
🌌 I truly believe consciousness can exist elsewhere
🙈 Well… is reading Mary Oliver embarrassing?
🎨 Song picture musical sketchpad magic
🍄🟫 Ultimate mushroom fave
🦷 Illuminating piece about poor teeth
✍🏾 Do you also scribble in all your books?
🌸 D*ldo of the month: I’m so into pastels lately
🧖🏾♀️ FIVE SENSUAL GRATITUDES
👃🏾 The smell of hyacinth soap
👅 The taste of pandan
👀 The sight of… ok, I’m still obsessed with my ring, baby
👂🏾 The sound of precise rhythm
🤲🏾 The feel of my perpetually super soft skin
🤳🏾Confess to me your sensual gratitudes at contact@mariaminnis.com!
Wildly from the jungle,
Maria
Currently reading: The Secret Doctrine by Helena Blavatsky
