Beltane

Beltane is a celebration of the coming together of the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine to create the spark of new life that flows into abundance. Our Pagan ancestors have always celebrated this day to give appreciation for the coming of the summer, the crops growing in the fields and the animals giving birth.  Connect with your ancestors today and think of them when you prepare your meals, perhaps even making a plate for them to enjoy.

Beltane is a time of passion and fire. Connect with your inner flame whether that be through a candle meditation or by building a bonfire. Red is a popular color correspondence for Beltane because it reveals the complex nature of fire, it is a symbol of the constant cycles or life, death and rebirth that we are a part of.  Nature is coming to life and we are at the height of Spring. Babies are being born, buds are unfurling. Have you seen the lily of the valley blooming? Soft moss adorns the trees now. Flowers are not only a symbol of fertility but they are abundant this time of year and that is why this Sabbat is associated with as many flowers as you can incorporate into your life and altar. You may choose to work with a Goddess to supercharge your intentions. Goddesses of Spring like Persephone, Freya, Brigid and Flora are associated with this day. The mood is fertility and lushness. Everything around us is bursting with life. This is a time to play, relax and enjoy beautiful things. Fill your day with anything that makes you feel alive. 

Beltane is a day for playing outside, hiking in the woods, making bouquets and garlands and focusing of what you wish to manifest through the summer months. You might feel like cleaning your home and burning smoke to cleanse it and welcome in fresh energy. If you have a garden or plants that you care for you can spend time with them, nourish them, finish your planting and lovingly pull weeds to create space for more growth. 

This is also a perfect time to tend to your inner garden, the one that grows our intentions and dreams. Check in with yourself and where you have been mentally, emotionally and spiritually this year. Just as we work in the physical garden to pull weeds that are inhibiting growth we must do the same for ourselves. Now is the time to offer yourself the support you need to attain those inner goals. Commit to them even stronger than you have before.  Be gentle with yourself but remember where your passions lie and that you are not a machine but a multi-dimensional being full of intuitive knowledge and grace. 

Sabbats are generally centered around gathering with our communities and being together with the ones that make us feel aligned with our truth. Since we can’t gather so much now, we have to get creative! You can tie prayer ribbons to a tree in your yard or one near by that you can visit for your friends and family. Or leave little Beltane treats  and flowers for them to find on their front porch. It is a time to create new traditions. 

How are you celebrating Beltane this year? 

B E L T A N E     C O R R E S P O N D E N C E S 

Colors: red, green, pink, brown

Animals: Cats, bees, cows, doves

Crystals: Carnelian, Aventurine, Rose Quartz 

Herbs: Mint, Rose, Mugwort, really anything you feel called to work with 

B E L T A N E P A P E R F L O W E R S

One way to participate in this Sabbat even if you don’t have access to fresh flowers is to make your own paper ones. Making paper flowers is a special meditation similar to picking them from the fields and gardens. You can imbue your flowers with intention as you cut and paste them together. There are lots of different ways to make paper flowers but here’s a simple technique. Materials are simple: just paper, glue, scissors and something round to trace that is no smaller than 2 inches in diameter. The great thing about this method is that you can use any paper you have laying around, just make sure it has a little bit of weight to it(like construction paper) so it can hold the moisture of the glue. Here’s a little demo!

{ Unnatural Wedding }

We had the pleasure of being a part of Natalie & David's wedding, a little un-natural history museum sort of way wedding. Natalie has been a collector of specimens for her whole life, always gravitating towards insects and bird taxidermy. So when she approached us to make some centerpieces, we couldn't see how to decorate her a wedding any other way. 

Paper Sun Photography captured the beauty and Fat Plant Society worked with us on the centerpieces, providing the moss and helping us stage the environment for each table. They turned out beautifully! No table nor specimen were alike, which gave the guests the feeling of walking into a personal museum. 

Natalie had requested our double framed specimens, which we made her a special batch for her rental along with spread specimens to nestle around the moss and other tables...

One high traffic areas, we made sure that the unframed specimens were safe... but at the end of the night, Natalie had planned to give those specimens to her bridesmaids! What great little additions to anyones curio cabinet (jealous)

{ Oracles of the Month }

We always get asked, "what is your favorite thing in the shop"? Which we always get tongue tied, hah... It is so difficult to answer, since everything in our space is hand picked by us.... we love everything! Although depending on the month, we totally do gravitate towards different items or new things we manage to get in stock (which is always so exciting!)... SO! We are going to start a little monthly blog of what we are extra feeling this month. Most of the time they are items that get over looked... We have some awesome show stoppers, but want to know why they are extraordinary? Or who are those precious little gems we have been giving lovey eyes to? Or even crystals we have been working with for whats been going on in our own lives? Lets get weird, ;)  

SPECIMEN  OF THE MONTH
-- Cottontail Rabbit and lucky rabbit foot talisman 

"Rabbits belong to the order of mammals called Lagomorpha. Working with the rabbit spirit offers an energetic but grounded energy. Symbolically the rabbit represents abundance, cleverness and spontaneity. Rabbits are known for their ability to procreate quickly making them a symbol of fertility. In our lives, fertility can represent not just children but also fertility in manifestation, and creativity. They correspond with the astrological sign of Virgo. "
- I love working with rabbit energy, less so for their symbol of fertility but their speediness and keeping the energetic flow fluid. Who can say no to their precious little faces, especially when they are being feisty. Kindness, love, change, luck, desire... but also depicted as a trickster god in folktales. 

MINERAL OF THE MONTH
-- Rutilated Quartz

"Rutilated Quartz is a combination of clear or smoky quartz with inclusions of Rutile, which looks like fine metallic hairs or needles that are silver, gold or copper in color. Most Rutilated Quartz comes from Madagascar or Brazil. It is a stone that carries Storm energy activating transformation, cleansing and balancing. Rutilated Quartz is a wonderful stone to work with if you seek to deepen your connection to the Divine and spiritual awakening. It can aid in soothing dark moods and helps relieve fears, anxiety and self-limiting beliefs. This is an excellent stone for those who work as healers or in energetically intense environments because it draws away negativity and protects against psychic attacks."
- I immediately gravitated towards this stone when I saw it - I usually pick out stones without thinking of metaphysical meaning... I am, of course, a collector first. But this process usually works for me as it has weirdly turned into listening to my intuition. This stone took me by surprise as I have been deep diving into a spiritual reconnection to my practice and work; needing to connect the two together. And what were my hold ups? Self-limiting beliefs and negativity towards myself. Needing to reconnect with my guides. Well there you go, subconscious, I am listening...

ARTIST OF THE MONTH
-- Kim Johnson of Chapora Magic 

Kim Johnson creates ritual salves for self-care and expansion. Johnson works with ingredients used in Egyptian ceremonies and Ayurvedic Medicine. She also intentionally incorporates the elements of electricity, ether, wood, air, earth, water and fire into each batch. In the shop, we have the mandrake root salve for tension relief and the blue lotus salve for deep dreaming. Each salve comes with a ritual card to guide you through the experience of working with the plant medicine. 
- I cannot recommend these salves more. I subscribe to Blue Lotus salve right before going to bed; putting it on my hands and neck for good deep breathing and sleep (*definitely put it on when you know you will have a good full nights rest... hard to wake up from if not, or maybe that was just some good deep dreaming?!) Smells divine (not over powering), every ingredient is sourced and mixed with conscious action and the back of each salve even lists what moon cycle it was made under. 

Let us know what you think! What is your favorite?
-xo Alessandra

{ Witch Club Anniversary! }

Wow everyone, 

We have officially accomplished Witch Club for an entire year! I don't even know where to begin with explaining how I feel; a mixture of relief, giant spoonfuls of self reflection, and excitement for ideas of bigger and better things to accomplish and a bit of fear... 

Witch Club was inspired by a need to fill a void we recognized in our community. Friends would come to the store to either make self deprecating jokes about themselves getting into crystals or wanting to smudge their home, but didn't know where to start or felt like they couldn't do it. Some were unsure where to even begin in their weird new practice, while others felt like they needed to already be a practicing witch or have apprenticed under so-and-so yogi from the sacred mountains of Woo Woo. 

This mysticism of 'witchery' is what we were trying to dismantle, especially through starting Witch Club. Although, it was a struggle trying to start it though from Oracle being a natural science focused store. It was a project that ended up bringing different paths to Oracle but an internal struggle for myself as a scientifically-minded person. This is where Witch Club turned into a slightly large shadow work project for myself.

I have been a practicing secret witchy lady since middle school. Always hiding my spell books and myself at every turn. Camouflaging into the wallpaper to make sure I wasn't offending anyone. my practices oddly enough were based on things my grandmother taught me or through observation... Most of the time hiding in Barnes & Noble's New Age section. So versed mainly in medicines, salts, spirits, candles, and crystals. 

The first time I ever heard about Shadow work was actually from Jane Almirall (clairsentient hot dog eating champion, charming person, one-woman-think-tank and all around brunette) who had come to me, a few months into starting WC, for a potential workshop at Oracle. It was eye opening. The whole project was to immerse yourself in moments of self reflection and sigil work. Focusing on what you feel are your weaknesses, fears, strengths, what you need, what you want, and delving into the whys and the hows. The class was enlightening and a good homework for any individual in trying to grow and empower themselves. 

That is exactly what WC turned out to be for me - every month focusing with the seasons and the month, but ultimately focusing the instruction and intention on what I felt I needed and the people around me. Not realizing what I was doing, I was forcing myself to pay attention to my subconscious. My 'spiritual' practice comes at a weird self doubt just the same as those who came to the shop questioning themselves in why they wanted to carry around crystals, beyond the collectors point of view. Being a skeptic who is scientifically focused, believing in an object or a practice to help me beyond the mumbo jumbo was exactly what helped me believe; just superstitions and nothing more couldn't be the answer...

Being raised Catholic, wasn't everything based out of superstitions? Wasn't everything based from rituals and knowledge passed on from someone else? Why would me burning a candle to help me focus my thoughts on my intentions any different from lighting a candle to help me talk to and pray to my grandfather? Was a stuck in yet another structured religion? 

I will admit I still occasionally go to church with my grandmother (even though I sometimes feel like I stick out as a sore thumb), but it was then while I was burning a candle for prayer that I realized I didn't stray too far from my origins (I just don't agree with their practices but fundamentally their rituals guided me to what I believe in now). But what I took out of it were the tools we were given should be used to make us bigger and better people. Self reflection is the easiest part of that (even though our society deems it weak or selfish), then plants and herbs of old wives tales (being dubbed the title so it was diminished to a less knowledge), or even being called a witch (which was a way to take power away from a medicine woman or healer of the community). There were too many centuries of tradition to back them up... with eventually my own experiences that made me no longer able to avoid direct contact. No there isn't a proper way to do anything nor is there one belief that triumphs them all... every person is an individual, a different strain of matter in this universe of clumped particles...

Knowledge of plant magic, stones, and animal spirits are all questioned and doubted because of wanting to squash out the 'old-ways' or disconnect us from nature or a social consciousness? There totally is old knowledge that isn't sound anymore, but we totally should question EVERYTHING. Just because you smudge your house doesn't mean you are now no longer (insert whatever religion you connect to here). But sometimes it is ok to give in to the things that may help us focus or give us faith in this complicated world... why not investigate these other ways of thoughts, especially if they are guiding you to love and light? 

I have gone years flip flopping back and forth between my ideologies. Today, I still can't tell you what I believe in, although I am surrounded by like minded people who have guided me to be ok with that and just to do me, which I realize how privileged I am to have that and so grateful. I can just tell you my experiences and the things my grandmother taught me or the things I learned hiding my nose in those books... Ultimately I think that is the reason we all got into it. It accepted our dark gloomy faces with open arms and the darkness that stared back too. We were accepted into the shadow and it accepted our visions and our imagination. It accepted our intuitions and deep feelings - it allowed us to venture into the 'what if' with vengeance. 

You didn't have to believe in the dogma, you didn't have to believe at all. There are no rules in Witch Club. Maybe the one rule is to never stop questioning and learning and to delve deeper. Only then will you learn what type of witch you really are... Maybe crystals speak to you, maybe they don't and that's fine because the plants do. And maybe they don't speak back but the animals do... and maybe they don't but the ghosts and the spirits sure do. Or the stars, or the moon, or the earth and elements. It called to you and you came here (maybe just like me) unwillingly... but willingly hopeful that that is the key to help us gain our sanity. 

I do believe the energy is there for all of us to read and tap into. Especially with practice, patience, and repetition, just like drawing, you get better. To some it comes easier, but maybe they did the work already in a past life. Everything is connected in some form shape or matter. 'Matter' literally in a scientific point of view so why can't there be a transfer of energy? Why knows, maybe it is all superstition. But it helps me be a better person (I think) so what is there to harm in giving you what helped me? And obviously Witch Club is more than just that, as it is building a community. A community of weirdo people who want to delve deeper into the shadows. Helping one another understand this thing we call life.

From Witch Club grew Open Circle, a meet up of all kinds to talk about just that and help each other in any fashion. So far, we have done two meet ups coinciding with similar topics of the month that was shipped out with WC. That is where the fear falls into my lap. What if I look like a fraud, what if I don't know what I am talking about, what if my practices are just old Italian farmers supersticion? What if I run out of ideas? What if they don't like me?? All I want to do is help, what if that is misread? 

And that's when I realized... that's when shadows spoke back... 

With more questions, which hopefully means I am on the right path. 

{ Oracle Origin Story :: Update }

Oracle Fine Curiosities was founded in 2013 by psychologist Carrie Parker and artist/illustrator Jane Almirall. Oracle, a natural science and oddities shop with an interest in divination tools, attracted a beautiful community of customers and clients who were interested in science, art and metaphysical ephemera. Not long after opening it’s doors, Oracle entered a partnership with artist, Alessandra Dzuba, whose background in entomology and osteology became the literal backbone (*articulated spine) of the shop.

In November of 2017, Ms. Dzuba assumed sole ownership of Oracle - now Oracle Natural Science - and has continued to grow the community of natural science enthusiasts as well as spiritual growth seekers, healers and artists with her sustainable and thoughtfully curated space. Alessandra Dzuba continues her work as an artist, www.alessandradzuba.com, and showcases her one of a kind works and assemblage pieces at Every Day Original, which can be found here.

Carrie Parker has turned her focus on her intuitive counseling practice, Sacred Psyche, and has opened a beautiful space for her clients located in the Historic Tower East neighborhood at 901 East 31st St., KCMO 64109. Ms. Parker hosts events and workshops which explore a variety of divination modalities, all of which can be found on her site, www.yoursacredpsyche.com and on instagram.

Jane Almirall has returned to her first love, competitive hot dog eating. I kid! Ms. Almirall is creating an oracle divination deck, collaborating with fellow artists and creators, as well as teaching workshops and reading Tarot for clients. Her illustrations and drawings can be found at www.janealmirall.net, and on her instagram.

{ Valentine Gift Guide For Black Hearts }

Valentine's Day is upon us, and for some of you, this fact may fill your black heart with dread. Admittedly, it's a schmaltzy holiday, replete with unwanted Teddy bears trapped in heart-shaped balloons, subpar chocolate offerings and heart-themed jewelry (as ubiquitous as it is repellent, shudder). If you have ever been on the receiving end of these crummy, landfill-destined gifts, it's possible you may loathe Valentine's Day just by that association.

I am here to offer several alternatives for those of you who like good presents and who want better things for your loved ones, to make Valentine's Day (or Friendentine's Day) great again (but for real, think Halloween For Lovers)!  

:: Framed Insects And Butterflies :: Each beautiful piece at Oracle is preserved and framed by the artists in the shop, making every single specimen a unique and special work. I am especially enamored of the dried flora pieces created by Alessandra Dzuba and Ash Miyagawa, they are romantic and timeless and would surely win the heart of the natural science lover that you know!

:: Jawbone Talismans :: Our jawbone talismans are intuitively created in shop and are imbued with blessings to bring protection and abundance to the recipient. Each piece is constructed with loving intention and care, and no one talisman is alike - perfect for the Brujas and Brujos in your life.

:: Witch Club ::  -  Witch Club is a monthly subscription box and makes an excellent gift for someone who is looking to amplify their spiritual practice! Available for purchase in monthly, three month and six month installments - each month our Witch Club members receive crystals, incense and resins, dried herbs and flowers, and a special, hand selected monthly bundle to incorporate into your ritual or meditation practice. Items are chosen with the lunar cycle in mind but can be used however you see fit! This is a wonderful gift that keeps giving into extra innings because Love should be celebrated all year round!

*We also carry specially crafted Witch Bundles which are available in shop and online, a wonderful gift on it's own!

++ It is our pleasure to recommend items from these other makers and sellers whom we love ++

:: Chocolate ::  - Fatally Yours Vegan Treats - Holy smokes y'all - when you have a black heart but a sweet tooth this gourmet chocolate box is everything!

:: Divination ::  - Vessel Oracle Deck - I am a huge fan of Mary Elizabeth Evan's Spirit Speak deck and I absolutely love her charming illustrations for this oracle deck. Mary Evans puts so much care into her work and her divination tools have wonderful energy - I want one (subtle hint *cough* gimme)!  - She Wolfe Tarot - This Tarot deck by Devany Amber Wolfe is beautifully rendered with photographs and digital collage - this potent, sexy deck makes an incredible gift for a witch you are into!

:: Jewelry ::  - Mercury Hour - Scarlett C. Dancer's work is so awesome, I would be hard pressed to choose just one piece, but her Love Ballad series is spot on for V Day. - Arcana Obscura -Kate Hockstein creates the most wonderful, occult-themed jewelry - each piece is a unique work of art, perfect for those who like to keep it dark, I love it all!  - Omnia Oddities Studio - Artists Keri Newton and Nate Allen have created this incredible jewelry studio and there is no shortage of excellent adornment here - seriously, have a look and try not to buy everything for yourself!

:: Perfume ::  - For Strange Women Perfume - Jill McKeever is botanical perfume genius, her scents are evocative of magical woods, fairy tale forests and the kind of memories you create by firelight. It can be difficult to buy scents for other people, so I highly recommend giving the gift of the Lunar Amulet series, in which the lucky recipient receives a new perfume every 29 days for 12 months to celebrate the new moon! 

:: Incense and Candles ::  - Ritualcravt - Literally every single thing in this shop is imbued with magic (made by witches for witches, y'all!) and you will find many beautiful offerings for your loved ones. Of particular interest for the upcoming holiday, is this sweet little Love Spell Kit - it has everything you need to bring love to you! That said, if you have gone through a breakup or just aren't feeling this particular holiday you will also find excellent potions for self-care and to mend a broken heart. Ritualcravt blends their incense, teas and dressed devotional candles in shop, by hand - and every single one of them is gorgeous.