And one more thing...
 

All we are saying
is give peace a chance.


Wishing you love and bright blessings,

 

 

ORNITHOMANCY 





by Caroline Kenner

Ornithomancy is the practice of basing
divination or omens on birds and bird
behavior.  Ornithomancy depends on belief
in sacred correspondences linking birds
and the Divine.  

More than two decades ago, I read about
ornithomancy in accounts of ancient
divination practices that our ancestors used
to perform.  Those accounts made me wonder
if the birds would speak to me in the same
way they often spoke to our ancestors. 
After all, I was already a birdwatcher, and
a Witch. Why not become a Bird Witch?  

But what drove me to begin practicing
ornithomancy in earnest: my fear and dislike
of highway driving. Highways make me very
anxious. I managed my anxiety by asking the
Highway Hawks and Vultures to help me. 
We’ve all noticed how many birds of prey and
carrion eaters hang out on the verge of the
highways, I am sure.

I ritually requested that the Highway Hawks
and Vultures alert me to danger and speed
traps as I drove. The birds were very reliable.  
I could tell from the birds’ behavior when
there was going to be a speed trap about 85-90%
of the time. Those results motivated me to take
ornithomancy more seriously, and to make it
part of my personal Witchcraft practice.

People practicing ornithomancy believe that
the Divine empowers birds to act as their
messengers. These messages from birds are
an avian theophany, a demonstration of the
Divine’s love and sacred power made manifest
with feathers and a beak. The bird becomes
a numen in the Jungian sense, and, at best,
the observer experiencing the theophany goes
into a state of numinous awe.

One of the best aspects of practicing
ornithomancy: it’s a type of divination that
helps us be more in tune with the ecosystems
in which we live. It is a beautiful practice to
regard birds as manifestations of the soul
in Great Nature.

For those of us who cannot walk in wild
nature as often as we would like, but would
like to learn ornithomancy, here are some
suggestions:

We need to open our minds and hearts to
suddenly seeing a bird’s image, instead of a
living bird. The Divine speaks in myriad
ways, and they know how to speak to us in
modern imagery. If you cannot walk in a
natural environment every day, keep an eye
out for messages from the Gods and spirits
phrased in human-created images.

There are many cartomancy decks featuring
birds and animals that can be consulted as a
form of ornithomancy. Some of my favorite
ones:

Lisa Hunt’s The Winged Enchantment Oracle,
with Lisa’s beautiful art. There are thirty-nine
cards with gorgeous shape-shifting bird-humans
that will inspire many people. (The picture at the
top of this article is from that deck. - RA)

I love Paulina Cassidy’s SpiritSong Tarot,
illustrated with animals as well as birds,
in her delicate and intricate style.

Druid Animal Oracle and Plant Oracle, both
by Will Worthington and the Carr-Gomms, are
wonderful for nature-based divination. The
Plant deck has some animals and birds in it,
as well as sacred plants. 

I think ornithomancy is due for a revival. 


Awesome Resource:

Bird Symbolism & Meanings (A to Z List of Birds)
https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/bird-symbolism/


About Caroline:





In 2012, Caroline Kenner founded The Fool’s
Dog Tarot app company with her husband,
Jason Linhart.  Caroline calls herself a
Washington Witchdoctor.  A native of
Washington, DC, Caroline became a Pagan
community organizer starting in the early
1990s.  Caroline is a third degree Witch
initiated in two different traditions, one
in Ireland, and one in Delaware.  She is a
visionary mystic and a healer. 2022 marks
Caroline’s fiftieth year reading Tarot cards.

Caroline and her husband Jason recently
retired to Olympia, Washington, where
Caroline continues her magical practices. 
Look for Caroline’s and Paula Millet’s
forthcoming Kickstarter, for Boadicea’s
Tarot of Earthly Delights, later this spring.



We’d love your suggestion or submissions
for this column! If you have an idea or would
like to contribute, please contact us at
tarot@tarotschool.com.

 

---

Meet The Reader
ATHENA DUGAN

By Sharonah Rapseik, Ph.D., CMAP



             

Athena Dugan is a certified Labyrinth
Facilitator and VIA member with Veriditas,
a regional representative for the Philadelphia
area, and the Volunteer's Chair with The
Labyrinth Society. She is a labyrinth
creator, co-host of radio show Living
Labyrinths; the Labyrinth Tender for the
Philadelphia Pagan Pride Day event; founder
and creator of company, Walkers of the
Labyrinth. Athena facilitates labyrinth
walks, creates temporary labyrinths,
meditations, and is a Soundbath
practitioner.

Athena is a Pagan practitioner, and an elder
within her tradition. She is the designer of
the handmade, one-of-a-kind crafts and
accessories brand, Earth’s Energies, an
online Pagan shop. As a Tarot reader, Athena
works organically, using the intuitive
impressions in reading her cards. She loves
walking the labyrinth and djembe drumming.
She is an illustrator and tends to her vast
collection of books on magic, the arts and
other various subjects, and an extensive
collection of tarot cards.


Sharonah Rapseik:
Athena, what makes your tarot practice unique
and how do you express it?

Athena Dugan:
As a labyrinth facilitator, I work with both
Tarot and Labyrinth cards. It's all about
the inner work when walking a labyrinth,
and these cards help clarify the message(s)
received while walking a labyrinth.

The labyrinth cards I work with for my
readings are designed like an oracle system.
The Labyrinth Wisdom Cards are made by
Tony Christie and The Sacred Path Labyrinth
Cards by Tracy Andryc. They are not a full
deck of 78 cards like a Tarot deck but are
deeply impactful with oracular guidance. 
Like the Minotaur today has evolved to
represent the shadow self, the labyrinth cards
focus on the wisdom from which we can do
the inner work and shed light on becoming
whole by getting to the center of our self.
As we get to the center of the labyrinth, the
answer becomes clear, the message is heard. 

I offer readings when I host labyrinth
walks, and use the labyrinth cards as an
oracle.  Sometimes, I will use the cards
by themselves, or sometimes mix them
with different Tarot decks, depending on
the energy that calls for it. I work with the
Celtic Cross spread, sometimes 3, or 4
card layouts, or just a single card pull. 
The reading helps clarify the messages
they may have received while walking.

Like walking a labyrinth, these cards will
transmit information to guide you towards
wholeness. You can work with the wisdom
of the cards as you walk the labyrinth. 
Sometimes I will have the walker pull a card
beforehand and concentrate on the information
on the card. The wisdom is in the walk.


Sharonah Rapseik:
Thank you Athena, it’s been a pleasure to meet you!
 

To follow Athena:
 
https://www.facebook.com/unicursalenergy
 
https://www.instagram.com/unicursal.temporary.labyrinths
 
https://www.thelabyrinthsociety.org
 
athenadugan@yahoo.com 
 

     
About Sharonah:

 

Sharonah Rapseik is an Artist / Designer,
Author, Tarot Reader, Radio Host and
Producer for Psychic Talk Radio.

Visit her at:
https://psychictalk.net/sharonah/
 

---

Best Practices for Professional Readers
PESKY QUESTIONS ABOUT
YOUR PRICES

By Gina Thies
www.tarotadvisor.com  / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders 
www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org


“How Much Do You Charge For A Reading?” 
“Do You Give Discounts?”

These two questions are asked all the time
when prospects are shopping for a reading.
They might be asked independently of each
other or somewhere in the midst of an
explanation of your services.  

Spiritual entrepreneurs are commonly
uncomfortable about sounding salesy.
These questions can be a source of anxiety
for some, but they are very reasonable
questions. When shopping, if you are
uncertain about the cost of an item and
whether or not it is discounted, you'd ask
the same things. 

In retail merchandising, things are commonly
mis-marked or get placed in the wrong area.
But in the case of an online practitioner,
the cost should be clear. When someone
contacts you and asks these two questions,
several things might be happening: 

1. They might not be able to navigate your
website easily. 

2. They are accustomed to talking to a
person and are looking for personalized
contact. 

3. They are hoping to negotiate the price.
Other people have bent the rules for them so
they expect you will, too.  

Do not go into a panic if you are challenged
with these scenarios. You need to reaffirm
that what you charge is competitive and
valuable. If you give something away for
free, how are you going to get from $0 to
$150? In building repeat clientele, if your
fees are normally $75 for instance, and you
give a discount of $35, are you going to be
able to get that client to pay the $75 next
time?  

Price negotiation is all about objections.
These questions seem innocent, but in
reality are objections to the cost and a
desire to see if there is wiggle room.
Should a person tell you that your fee is
too expensive, ask them what are they
comparing your fee against. Is the other
person offering the same skill set or time?
You need to make sure they are comparing
apples to apples. 

Admittedly, the discount question from
someone price shopping irks me. The years of
study, investment of money, sweat and tears
to get to the professional level, are of no
concern to these people. I ask, when you go
to work do you tell your boss you’ll
discount your earnings? Hardly. 

My solution was to price my services for
live readings as time-based sessions. After
all, they are purchasing a chunk of your
expertise and experience, not the card
reading. You should be demonstrating the
value of what you offer. 

When they inquire about your cost, ask them
what they are specifically expecting to get
from a reading session. You’ll be surprised
at the responses you get. Also keep in mind
it takes time to answer these inquiries so
if your business is coming from online
sources, set up your information with clear
ways for customers to take action. I can
attest that not a high percentage of the
people that ask about my charges proceed
with booking a session. If they want
pricing, I respond with a link to the page
where they can make a choice on what they
want, very simple.

Resources:

What to Charge for a Reading - Eva Sawyer
https://www.tucumcaritarot.com/blog/going-pro-what-should-i-charge

6 Pricing Strategies for Tarot Professionals - Ethony
https://ethony.com/6-pricing-strategies-for-tarot-professionals/

Six Signs You’re Ready to Begin Charging for
Your Tarot Readings -- Theresa Reed
https://www.thetarotlady.com/six-signs-youre-ready-begin-charging-tarot-readings/