#lemniscustarot

[sketchykraft]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. —————————————————— Reviewing the functions of my my #LemniscusTarot: . 1. As a tool to access trauma through narrative and archetypal storytelling, rather than through triggers and direct memory. 2. As an arsenal of wellness practices suggested for each card. 3. As a “check in” window into the underlying need of our emotions. . The 4th function is as a reminder of the license to grow. . A growth mindset is defined as the knowledge that we can always be and do better, even with the personal toxicity we have to address. It’s not making excuses for bad behavior caused by trauma, but hugging the hell out of the inner child and moving through that trauma and past those behaviors. It’s knowing you have a right to improve yourself even if you feel bad for your actions and your behaviors. . I’m gonna be real with y’all... my divorce wasn’t pretty, especially from the angle focused on me. Regardless of relational trauma, the narcissistic abuse and gaslighting I had to navigate, mental disorder, lack of emotional regulation... the fact of the matter is I made decisions I know I regret. And I’ve spent literal years caught in a schism between backing up my remorse with changed behavior and the shame I feel for past behavior. Especially when the reality is that I am never, ever going to prove to the people who didn’t value me then that I am worthy now. . At a certain point there is a “sacred release” (to borrow a term from my dear @sacred.mirrors). There is a moment when we finally need to step out of our own way, stop punishing ourselves, and allow ourselves to bloom. There comes a time when we need to open our arms and let the love that already exists around and supporting us in, to nourish our growth like sun and water. . My dark Empress Persephone as both Flower Princess and Infernal Queen reminds me—along with these shadow figures in my deck—to think abundantly and revel in my gratitude for the flowers that have bloomed from these unseen seeds in the cold ground. . WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR RECEIVING? — https://www.instagram.com/p/CAzGVsfJOFR/?igshid=qtnd0asl7eu

[sketchykraft]

I can’t believe it’s already time again for #artvsartist to be making the rounds. — Though my work is typically drawn with only a red and blue double-ended pencil, a golden light of hopefulness suddenly pervades my more recent compositions in washes of yellow gouache, contrasting voids of black ink. The result is a softer and dreamier take on my usual themes of trauma and connection, sewn lovingly with red ribbons to both myths and mental wellness practices. . While the #LemniscusBook was an exploration of personal trauma and the pursuit of dispelling the stigma revolving around mental illness, the #LemniscusTarot takes those symbols (so carefully curated) and bundled them up with red ribbon and myths in a unique take on #TheFoolsJourney which highlights the mental wellness lessons pulled from each chthonic figure. . “When will the deck be done?” It’s 78 cards, 74 to go. It’s going to be a while, but I promise it Gibbs worth the wait.🖤 https://www.instagram.com/p/B3oJYfNJZH-/?igshid=2t79oit7by0j

[sketchykraft]

“The Star (XVII)” for the #LemniscusTarot by S.R. Kraft @sketchykraft ——————————— It’s been a while. . Truthfully, I don’t know where to begin. Both I and the direction and purpose of my work have been undergoing a vast transformation. It’s been difficult to write or create when I’ve had so many of my comforts and distractions stripped away in this post-Covid world. (I’m sure many of you can relate.) . The alchemical process speaks of transformation as four suns (phases), likened to the 4 elemental suits of the minor arcana: -Nigredo or melanosis—The destruction or breakdown of matter. -Albedo or leucosis—the purification of matter. -Citrinitas or xanthosis—the fermentation or infusion of matter with new life. -Rubedo or iosis—the crystallization of the great work; new matter. . Jung referred to these stages as Confession, Illumination, Education, and Transformation—And if THAT is not an apt description of personal change and the mental/spiritual journey, then I don’t know what is. . When I embarked on this journey, breaking down my past traumas, separating the unhealthy from the healthy behaviors, I never imagined my self-education would lead me here. Despite my recent Hashimoto’s diagnosis and multiple sclerosis, I feel grateful. Surprisingly... hopeful. . I mean, for real, autoimmune disease fucking sucks. Like Ram Dass post-stroke I’m learning to lean into the “grace” of dependence with such loving gratitude. The isolation of chronic fatigue has further removed illusory distractions and false bonds, leaving behind the space to infuse my life with healthy food, water, yoga, meditation, education, and true friendship as I work to restore my strength. And in the dark uncertainty of this world, those fought for moments of love and peace have become all the more precious. . Hope can be conditional, hanging our happiness on achievement. But the hope contained in #TheStar speaks to restorative gratitude, willful survival, and the choice to seek the good in the bad. Like a bright light glimmering in the blackest night, the star reminds us that there is still light if we look for it. We will make it through. Just have to keep moving forward. (at Sacramento, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPd-xPpIzM/?igshid=1l3jmmqygmpzd

[sketchykraft]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴. —————————————— Many associate #TheEmperor card with the power external authority holds over us, but I like to use it to command the authority within ourselves to stand up for our needs and for what is right, smashing the old structures and building the new. ————— #LemniscusTarot #TheEmperor #empoweryourself #greekmyth #mentalhealthblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CA1w79mJQWO/?igshid=16im337wn8s9g

[sketchykraft]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘩-𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘦𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. —————————————————— As we move through the completed cards in the #LemniscusTarot, we move through the intended functions of this deck. So far, we’ve discussed my intention for the Lemniscus Tarot to be used as a narrative tool to circumvent triggers associated with trauma. After that we went over the all important “call to actions” wellness practices pulled from each card. Next, I’d like to talk about *feelings.* . In a world governed by positivity culture, spiritual bypassing, gaslighting, and oppression, there are going to be moments when we are all told we do not have a right to our feelings or that our reality is not our own. When that happens, I think it’s all the more important to check in and ask ourselves not what we are feeling, but what core need has to be communicated? What boundary needs to be reinforced? What situation has to be abandoned? And sometimes, when unable to find safety, how do we survive? . The High Priestess represents a figure of enduring faith—not of religion, but of self. As an archetype, she asks us to FEEL into our body and mind, navigating our situation to the best of our abilities, facing the trials ahead with resolute commitment to our personal truth. . I believe we can utilize the archetypes found in tarot to check into these feelings and feel down into our needs and resiliency. Just as Hekate—described as either a triple goddess or a throng of torch-bearing witches—represented the navigation of the dark Underworld and shadow by way of faith in inner-light and the power to emerge from trauma, we can journey with each figure through their story while feeling into our triggers and emotions and the lessons they bring us. . When it comes down to it, the only person that knows the full truth of our experience is the self. So... . WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS AND INTUITION TRYING TO TELL YOU? — #tarotartist #fantasyillustration #mythicblog #mentalhealthblogger #bipolarartist https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvmkA0J3Kj/?igshid=1r5q1j5o29tlb

[sketchykraft]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴... ———————————————— For me, Tarot has become not a tool of divination, but a powerful tool of complex self-reflection. . In these spreads, filled with complex vignettes and archetypal characters, we are able to see past our traumas and shadows and, much like reading the panels of a relatable comic book, pull from the gutters the invisible stories of our own lives and narratives. Like assessing a somehow multi-layered Rorschach inkblot, the cards become a mirror, reflecting the psyche in mythical code. . Because the #LemniscusTarot was created with the intention of being used as a tool for bypassing our triggers and diving feet-first into our traumas, it’s important to me for it to mirror that intention in the use of its Underworld and shadow symbols in conjunction with the traditional archetypes and meanings of the Rider-Waite-Smith. . My Fool stands here on the precipice, stepping from the mortal coil of her former reality and toward an epic descent in search of a new truth. . Perhaps, like Dante, we only find ourselves at the mouth of Hell as an escape from the jaws of our Earthly tormentors, and only then embark on our journey down and toward the light. Perhaps, like Odin, we draw upon the spirit of Wyrd in knowledge of what is not known and, donning our traveler’s cloak and hat, we become gray wanders in search of the wisdom of runes and words not yet known to us in our understanding of this nebulous web of the universe. Perhaps, like Uranus, we seek to stretch the limits of our ever-expanding horizons, broadening the span of our skies. . The allegories are endless, all culminating in the numerous cycles of death and rebirth represented in both the Major and Minor Arcana, overlapping and converging like the weaving of a great lemniscate, an ouroboros of infinite transformation beginning and ending here with The Fool’s sacred question: . WHAT IS IT THAT YOU NEED? ———————————————— #thefool #tarotartist #mythicblog #mentalhealthblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CAloZMupNLD/?igshid=vj29o9xotdaq

[sketchykraft]

For she is Nyx, brightest and darkest in all the heavens. Thumbnails of #TheStar for the #LemniscusTarot. ——————————————— Happy New Moon in Gemini, all. It’s a great time to take a bath a wash away the cobwebs. Gemini loves nothing more than replaying their stories on endless repeat, so take the time to pause, really listen to your memories, and allow them to wash over your, fading into the dawn like the stars passing over the horizon. . And while I’m here, I’d like to remind you to go check out the Kickstarter for the STORIES: #8thHouseOracle Deck by @shopthe8thhouse. I contributed the very raw and personal story for #Gemini.♊️ ——————————————— #tarotcard #tarotartist #greekmythology #nyxgoddess #storytellersofinstagram #mentalhealthblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgKv7gJ4E0/?igshid=10dvpbk7u6mbe

[sketchykraft]

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Is there anything more satisfying than peeling frisket? —————————————————— “Now you know The meaning of it all You know where I come from Where the worms are Where the roots are Where the worms are Where the roots are...” —Worms, #janeblueandthehunters ——— Hades as #TheEmperor (WIP) for the #LemniscusTarot. —————————————————— #artprocessvideo #tarotcard #hadesandpersephone #greekmythology #arttherapylife https://www.instagram.com/p/CAZjfZ4pb2K/?igshid=wt6tb50tzyjh