13 Things Thursday: 12

Happy Leap Day 2024!

It’s been a wild couple of weeks with sickness, work, and life, but I’m back! I usually send these out in the morning, but I still had some final edits to make before sending. So let’s dive into today’s special edition of 13 Things: Happy Leap Day 2024!

---

1. Event though there isn’t anything related to Leap Day in this newsletter, I still wanted to mark the day by publishing a post. For some reason, it just feels like it imbues it with a little extra magic. Are you doing anything to celebrate the extra day? Let me know in the comments!

2. I suddenly got a bug up my butt to trim my Smith-Waite Borderless Edition tarot deck recently, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! The deck was already amazing, but it was slightly larger than standard tarot size. This made it hard for my small hands to shuffle, and it would often go unused. If you want to learn more about my process, check out my latest reel on my Pockets of Intuition Instagram account. Deck mods are a labor of love and take a lot of patience, but it’s also really satisfying to make something more usable.

3. I mentioned in my reel caption that the deck mod process brings up a lot of my perfectionist tendencies. I freak out a little if something is even slightly uneven or crooked. The process is full of compromises, like letting the backs be a little wonky to preserve titles, numbers, and images on the front of the card. Logically I know that it’s not going to be perfect when I’m doing everything by hand, but I like to get as close as possible. I acknowledge what comes up and allow myself to feel it. The longer I work on it, the less I notice the mistakes as I make progress and see that they’re barely detectable. It also helps me to remember that these cards are not always drawn or lined up exactly the same, especially the Smith-Waite decks. Pixie’s hand-drawn calligraphy, inconsistent borders, and the “oh shit squiggle” on the Sun card remind me that imperfections add to the charm and make it more endearing.

   

   Pamela Coleman Smith’s drawing of The Sun. See the extra “oh shit squiggle” at the top near the Roman numeral? :)

4. After re-reading what I wrote above, I was struck by the grace I extend to others while putting so much pressure on myself. In case you needed to hear it too, here’s a friendly reminder to be kind to yourself today. Speak to yourself as you would your best friend, partner, or family.

5. Speaking of giving yourself grace…I finally took my Christmas tree down on February 19. Yes, I know. With me being sick and both of us having busy seasons at work, we just couldn’t even. We hosted Bryan’s family for a Super Bowl party and still had our Christmas tree up. You know how you furiously tidy the house before people come over because you can’t stand the thought of everyone knowing that you live the way that you live? Yeah, it was like that. Taking the tree down was lowest priority on the list of preparations, and it didn’t get done. I like to think that it added a festive mood to the party. Ha!

6. I realized as I was drafting this post over the last week or so that a lot of the things I wrote about is right on brand with the recent Full Moon in Virgo. Virgo is all about our daily habits, structures, and routines, which in its extreme form can mean struggling with perfectionism. Full moons are all about releasing what doesn’t serve us, so if you’ve felt the urge to clean house lately—literally or metaphorically—you’re not alone. As a Virgo rising, I’ve been feeling it.

7. Speaking of cleaning house, I finally took the garbage bags full of clothes to Goodwill that have been collecting in my closet for way too long. It was one of my action items from my (in) my sanctuary home reading with Kate, and I finally did the dang thing. It feels like such a weight lifted to clear that space.

8. I’m also evaluating my tarot/oracle deck collection to see if there’s anything that I’m not using that can be sold or given away. I’ve got a few that are ready to be sold, and I’ll be giving the decks on my “purgatory” list another chance to see if I’m ready to let them go. This periodic refresh helps me to be more mindful about what I bring in and make sure I’m actually using what I have.

9. New favorite thing: The Sleepy Tie! I had seen this going around the internet for a while, and I was skeptical. But once I tried it and got the hang of it, I was hooked! It’s the perfect way to keep my hair out of my face when I sleep, preserve my current style, or go to bed with freshly washed and dried hair and wake up with fun volume and waves without having to style it with heat tools.

10. What’s cookin’, good lookin’: I recently made this Thai Basil Stir Fry with Coconut Rice, and it was one of the simplest, most delicious meals I’ve made in a while. Bri McKoy has been highlighting her favorite recipes from The Cook’s Book on her YouTube channel, and seeing the video inspired me to try it.

11. Currently watching: Avatar, The Last Airbender (live action version) on Netflix. Let me start by saying that the original animated series on Nickelodeon is one of my favorite shows of all time. People have tried to recreate it before, with mostly disastrous results. I never saw the movie, but given what I heard about it, I didn’t have high expectations for the show. We just finished episode 4, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far. It’s not a carbon copy of the animated series, which I think is a good thing. You’ll never be able to capture the same essence and magic with live action without being overly cheesy. Besides some of the acting feeling lackluster, I think they’ve done a great job at capturing the spirit of the show without trying too hard.

12. Reading: I’m back on my bullshit with reading multiple books at once, but this isn’t overwhelming me like it might normally. Because I’ve been making reading more of a priority lately as part of my wind-down routine, I’m finding it much easier to finish what I started. So here’s what’s on my active reading list now:
    ~Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Mass: After finishing the ACOTAR series, I just started on Crescent City. This first book started a little slow for me (As ACOTAR did), but now it’s really starting to get interesting.
    ~The Inner Tarot by Kate Van Horn: This just released on February 27, so I was super excited to dive in when it arrived on my Kindle. As expected, I’m already loving it. If you’re even a little bit intrigued about tarot as a tool for reflection and empowerment, you’ll love Kate and this book.

13. Remembering: In personal news, I recently found out that my former boss suddenly passed away in January. He was the most special soul and the best kind of human. He was the kind of person who would strike up a conversation with random people on the street with his signature warmth and Midwestern charm. We kept in touch after I left that job, and I always looked forward to his birthday cards and annual Christmas letter where he shared highlights from the last year and adventures with his life partner. He made the world a more loving and inclusive place in life, work, and through his volunteer activities. He taught me so much, and I’m so thankful to have known him. The day I heard about his passing, I pulled a card for him and got the 10 of Cups. For anyone who knew him, this was the perfect card to describe his life. Such a beautiful confirmation!

    

    A card for Roger <3