tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7601116742307531902024-03-19T11:42:49.052-07:00The Golden Moth Illumination DeckA blog to share thoughts, tips, and inspiration about using The Golden Moth Illumination Deck by Aijung Kim.Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-67760791236618384812016-04-10T11:05:00.000-07:002016-04-10T11:05:16.744-07:00Golden Moth Featured on a Podcast!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">Hi folks,</span></div>
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I was interviewed by astrologist and tarot intuitive, Nicholas Dewart (read his previous <a href="http://goldenmoth.blogspot.com/2016/02/golden-moth-and-new-years-spread-guest.html" target="_blank">guest blog post here</a>) for his second podcast: <a href="https://www.nicholasdewart.com/podcast/shining-light-on-the-golden-moth-illumination-deck-podcast-2" target="_blank">Shining Light on the Golden Moth Illumination Deck</a>. This was the first-ever podcast that I've been featured in, so it was fun and exciting to do. Nicholas asked very thought-provoking questions on how I went about creating the deck, the symbolism and influences behind it, and tips for other people who want to create their own decks.<br />
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I hope you enjoy it! Listen <a href="https://www.nicholasdewart.com/podcast/shining-light-on-the-golden-moth-illumination-deck-podcast-2" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUiH5Lq54tEHhHFku9AwJcYQS3rs1QRSD5L9bFHYKSxGD6S9u-IHWFA9HY0oQ57jRDFZNKrzLUAU-hmvLpRI8JcVhSvo1rdATVSO5nNIeBO3ZLEJhYwymZOElmo_IntkeugYT6OB9LC4/s1600/Nicholas+Dewart+and+Golden+Moth+Illumination+Deck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUiH5Lq54tEHhHFku9AwJcYQS3rs1QRSD5L9bFHYKSxGD6S9u-IHWFA9HY0oQ57jRDFZNKrzLUAU-hmvLpRI8JcVhSvo1rdATVSO5nNIeBO3ZLEJhYwymZOElmo_IntkeugYT6OB9LC4/s400/Nicholas+Dewart+and+Golden+Moth+Illumination+Deck.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Photo by Nicholas Dewart</i></div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-36366999963799023872016-02-15T18:32:00.000-08:002016-02-15T18:39:35.446-08:00Golden Moth and the New Year’s Spread - Guest Post by Nicholas Dewart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hi Folks! </div>
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I'm excited to feature a guest blogger named Nicholas Dewart. Nicholas reached out to me last year after creating this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMkzYFi7LLI" target="_blank">video review of the Golden Moth Deck on YouTube</a>. I thought it was an awesome review and I enjoyed hearing his insights on the cards. When I put out the call for guest bloggers on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/goldenmoth" target="_blank">Golden Moth Facebook group</a> (please feel free to join!) he graciously obliged with a fascinating article on creating an intentional reading every New Moon/New Year and combining the energies of two decks. If you like this, you can find links to more of Nicholas' writings and podcast below.</div>
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I welcome others to submit guest posts for this blog because everyone has something unique to share. Please e-mail me with proposals about your experiences/tips/practices using The Golden Moth Illumination Deck: good_old_fashioned_smell (at) hotmail (dot) com. I'd love to hear from you!</div>
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And now on to Nicholas' post!</div>
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<b>Golden Moth and the New Year’s Spread</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tarot and Oracle cards make great
friends and as friends they offer insights, novel perspectives and just the
right amount of guidance to illicit those “Ah-Ha” moments. So, who better to
meet with then the cards for setting intentions and connecting with new
energies and circumstances? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I consult the cards every New Year in
order to better align with the positive changes and newness that the fresh year
has to offer. Well…to be honest, I consult one card, at the start of the New
Year, and it’s from my trusty Aleister Crowley’s ‘Thoth’ deck. I ask, <b>“What
energy should I embody to be the most empowered this year?”</b>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This time (2016) I pulled, XIV-Art, as
my card for the year. To me, XIV-Art, from the Thoth deck, is about being a
work in progress. The card clearly shows a woman in the process of making
something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mEfY0WSJq4C0oLzhldMdjEehNT_Ehx142jXjANbpDsGD62AZ9QFnSqmB8C0Bys-_gjffE0pLWZGMg3iZIztHpD1PAcHGRTPzVXNyK2awlWle2VVDUXl-ERw6fY3UjbpEdOCHk83Nhp0/s1600/Thoth+Card+of+the+Year.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mEfY0WSJq4C0oLzhldMdjEehNT_Ehx142jXjANbpDsGD62AZ9QFnSqmB8C0Bys-_gjffE0pLWZGMg3iZIztHpD1PAcHGRTPzVXNyK2awlWle2VVDUXl-ERw6fY3UjbpEdOCHk83Nhp0/s400/Thoth+Card+of+the+Year.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Crowley himself describes the card in
his, ‘The Book of Thoth’:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Combination of forces, realization,
action based on accurate calculation; the way of escape, success after
elaborate maneuvers.” </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow! I thought, ART! This is going to
be my year! I want to live the life of an artist. I want to write and express
my thoughts. I hope for those thoughts to be entertaining, insightful and well
received. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And this is precisely the issue with
only consulting one deck when searching for guidance. It’s hard to read for
yourself. All of the energy around the XIV-Art card sounds too good to be true
and I thought my subjective desire might be reading too much into this card.
Are there subtle messages I’m missing in what I see to be a very blunt
statement: to embody “ART”? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s when it hit me. If the cards
were truly my friends why would I only consult one deck? To me the Thoth deck
is a hard hitting, tell-it-to-me straight kind of friend so why not incorporate
another? I wanted a unique voice… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In walks <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687" target="_blank">Aijung Kim’s</a>
distinctive <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214557423/oracle-deck-handbook-the-golden-moth?ref=shop_home_feat_2" target="_blank">‘The Golden Moth Illumination Deck’</a>
with its clean lines and idiosyncratic style. Yes, the Thoth offers something
specific. The guidance it provided would be my main focus for the year but I
need another’s vision in what it meant to be living the Artist’s-Way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I created a three-card spread using
the Golden Moth to compliment my “Card for the Year” in order to add needed
layers of understanding of what it means to live like the "XIV-Art"
card. Here’s the breakdown of my questions and what I pulled: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-top: .1pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; mso-para-margin-bottom: .01gd; mso-para-margin-top: .01gd; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How best do I employ
the energy of the Art card? Golden Moth - #3<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-top: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How will I know if I’m on track with
my progress in 2016? Golden Moth - #49<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-top: 0.1pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How will I know if I’m off track with
my progress in 2016? Golden Moth - #8</span></li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ8fjYLQ0D-_Bh-HxmKi82ESZjx6QMNGG5kTm_sMxyFxi9qqhWBV13rLM9Z5WUAkZrhdr3nIlAnSefTCli7fwFFrfxSNLoI9suQfI9YI5oDQiXViotP6hVD97LAPUYpveMS3gbS9nbaI/s1600/3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ8fjYLQ0D-_Bh-HxmKi82ESZjx6QMNGG5kTm_sMxyFxi9qqhWBV13rLM9Z5WUAkZrhdr3nIlAnSefTCli7fwFFrfxSNLoI9suQfI9YI5oDQiXViotP6hVD97LAPUYpveMS3gbS9nbaI/s400/3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the Golden Moth #3 card I learned
that I must embrace new structures that are both pertinent and meaningful to my
2016 artist journey. The four shells in the card show me that I’ve outgrown
some of the old aspects of my life that used to contain me. The number four to
me (as in the four pictured shells) is the number of structure and absolutely
shows me that discipline is the key. Since these shells are empty, I’m leaving
the old structures behind and am in need of new ones. There’s an aspect of reinvention
needed here.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-pa3JHFKBmVyP2ETVdp8T-zxAYfjNQhVcNdL7Lt5NiZij7DQBqOPvdCtfJOLQ9zyZi0phNL_YHhDOnfpFmO-OoAjZn6hndwc0SelYHQIp8YOcBK2m9QfwEr0bRJR80aN5-YYB8cpUy4/s1600/278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-pa3JHFKBmVyP2ETVdp8T-zxAYfjNQhVcNdL7Lt5NiZij7DQBqOPvdCtfJOLQ9zyZi0phNL_YHhDOnfpFmO-OoAjZn6hndwc0SelYHQIp8YOcBK2m9QfwEr0bRJR80aN5-YYB8cpUy4/s400/278.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>From the Rider-Waite-Smith deck</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love the image of Golden Moth #49 for
showing me how I will know when I’m on track. The picture reminds me of the I-Magician
card from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck as it’s got a full lush and blooming
garden. I personally appreciate how there’s not a person in this perfectly
pruned and organized landscape. Things are growing in-and-of themselves. Of
course, this garden is man-made but the lack of a human in the picture shows me
that I need to have trust in the process. I’ll need to commit to my new
structures and put in the hard and organized work but after that I’ll need to
let go and allow nature to do her thing. I don’t need to be thinking of the
garden at all times. In other words, I don’t need to “stink of Zen” as my
favorite author Alan Watts expresses it in his book <a href="http://terebess.hu/english/AlanWatts-The%20Way%20of%20Zen.pdf" target="_blank">‘The Way of Zen.’</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I will know I’m off track this year if
I’m not actively pursuing my dream as depicted in the Golden Moth #8. This is a
warning against passivity and a caution against living in a reverie. I will be
in bad shape if I’m generally lethargic and spending too much time passively
visualizing this year. With this insight I think it will be important to make
sure I exercise and stay physically fit to the do work ahead of me. I may not
need to sprint but I better not be sleeping on the job when pursuing my goals
this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These Golden Moth cards really did give
me a nice change of voice from the Thoth deck and offered me a much
clearer picture of how to approach the year ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Interpreting the cards is only part of
the process. What you do with the insights gained, to me, is what matters most.
As of writing this (Feb. 12, 2016 – 12:13pm PST) we are 43 days away from my
New Year’s reading and I have taken several proactive steps to aligning with
the advice imparted by the cards. Artistically, I blew the dust off of my poor
neglected <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/blog-and-horoscopes" target="_blank">blog</a>
and began writing weekly astrology horoscopes. I’ve also upgraded my website,
which enabled me to do my first <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/podcast/the-good-the-bad-the-interesting-of-the-astrology-in-tarot-podcast-1" target="_blank">podcast</a>!
Creating my first podcast was an extremely
fulfilling experience and I expect more to come. What I’ve noticed through the
years of using the cards for guidance is that when you actually make an effort
to take actions as inferred from the cards: A. Those actions feel authentic and
meaningful to your path; And B. The universe seems to helpfully intervene more
often. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although, I shared my New Year’s
tradition with you here, this process also works well for setting <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/blog-and-horoscopes/the-power-of-wish-tap-into-the-new-moon-in-4-simple-steps" target="_blank">NewMoon intentions</a>. Understanding and aligning with the
energy of the new moon cycle is a natural and consciously centered way to approach
accomplishing goals. New moons are nature’s markers for new beginnings and
this Sun Moon relationship is something cultures have used for thousands of
years to aid with farming and marking religious ceremonies. Personally, I find
that tapping into this natural cycle of about 29.5 days (one month), from
New Moon to New Moon, instinctive. As the Moon waxes, or begins to reflect more
sunlight, I feel my energy increase but when the Balsamic Moon phase comes, the
phase just before the Moon conjuncts the Sun and goes dark, I feel more
introverted and in need of more alone time. So, using this spread to gain
insights into how you can best navigate a New Moon cycle can offer potent
details into achieving your intentions via a monthly plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Feel free to change or modify my spread
as you like but there’s a bigger conversation to be had by mixing ‘The Golden
Moth Illumination Deck’ cards with your Tarot Deck of choice as it gives you a
nice juxtaposition of card tones and insights. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here’s to making the most of new
cycles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">-<a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/" target="_blank">Nicholas Dewart</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>--</b></span></div>
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<br />
<b>Spread Breakdown</b><br />
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<b><br /></b>
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Use two decks:<br />
A. The Golden Moth Illumination (oracle) Deck<br />
B. Tarot Deck of choice<br />
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On the day of the New Year/Moon ask the cards while shuffling: “What energy should I embody to be the most empowered this new year/moon?”<br />
<br />
Card of the Year/Moon: Pull the Card of the year/moon from the Tarot Deck. <br />
<br />
Pull three flanking cards from the Golden Moth asking: <br />
How best do I employ this energy?<br />
How will I know if I’m on track with my progress?<br />
How will I know if I’m off track with my progress? <br />
Lastly, Interpret and journal.<br />
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Enjoy,<br />
<br />
-Nicholas<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> -- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcBSsDhZgIXBn9yUcUO4q6xpiY1iz0IuHZOxASFbLuGbAkqNd3GnS0xi0fQfuQPEHYY5CClnMweOB0LfVAc3DTG8zcOn8EokhyphenhyphenrI7eXIHppmhUP2Vfcoqdw_Jw9W2jAh-hXXrpH_Nu4w/s1600/2878370_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcBSsDhZgIXBn9yUcUO4q6xpiY1iz0IuHZOxASFbLuGbAkqNd3GnS0xi0fQfuQPEHYY5CClnMweOB0LfVAc3DTG8zcOn8EokhyphenhyphenrI7eXIHppmhUP2Vfcoqdw_Jw9W2jAh-hXXrpH_Nu4w/s400/2878370_orig.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Nicholas uses the tools of astrology
and tarot to aid him in grounding his natural intuition into constructive and
practical guidance for his clients. He writes weekly astrology <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/blog-and-horoscopes" target="_blank">horoscopes</a>
and covers all topics related to Divination, Spirituality, New Age and Occult
at his blog and via his <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/podcast" target="_blank">Podcast</a>.
You can follow his work and sign up for his newsletter at: <a href="http://www.nicholasdewart.com/" target="_blank">www.nicholasdewart.com</a>
He also pens snippy daily fortunes on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nicholasdewart/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. </i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-52244901467804216692016-01-08T07:59:00.003-08:002016-01-08T07:59:42.695-08:00The Locked Gate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yesterday I did a reading for myself and the card I puzzled over the most was #51, which I think of as "The Locked Gate." I wasn't sure exactly how it fit into my reading. I usually think of this card as one of "not being ready," or "closed opportunities." But it didn't seem to match what the other cards said.</div>
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My question was "Will it be beneficial for me to take a Memoir Writing class that starts next week?" One of my goals for 2016 is to write more, and taking writing classes helps me to keep up the practice. Yet some small part of me hesitated to sign up. I wondered if it was because I needed to have some space to myself at the beginning of the new year before filling my schedule with too many activities. Here is the full spread (click on the picture to get a larger view):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1lGMVp7Ofo8ol9y8xxRMy-UQZ0Nk1YivSLVZYIGMhHEEzg9TmHzrHa_mKKcPwT3oXh4wulpdvIVizqvcaorNJK-BITcRIfhrIjrpYbYIbmIiNTQFlw1NKEqltTs4A-9HUueP-T2oU2M/s1600/1-7-16+Reading.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1lGMVp7Ofo8ol9y8xxRMy-UQZ0Nk1YivSLVZYIGMhHEEzg9TmHzrHa_mKKcPwT3oXh4wulpdvIVizqvcaorNJK-BITcRIfhrIjrpYbYIbmIiNTQFlw1NKEqltTs4A-9HUueP-T2oU2M/s400/1-7-16+Reading.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
I wasn't quite sure what the "Past" card meant, but I interpreted it as "trust." In the past, I have taken other writing classes with playwright and teacher Douglas Jones at The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (click <a href="http://www.ssreg.com/visualarts/default.asp?page=Catalog" target="_blank">here </a>to find writing classes that VisArts offers). He always sets a mood of trust and openness among his students. I started with "The Creative Spark" and finally felt brave enough to take "Writing the Shadow" in 2014. The Shadow class opened me up to looking at the darker side of myself - the parts I'm afraid to share or that I hide away. I didn't write about everything that scared me, but it helped me to understand and integrate that side of myself a little more, and to recognize the value of looking at and using the shadow in my writing, art, and life.<br />
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The "Present" card showed an open gate leading into a peaceful-looking park. I took that to mean openness and being ready to take the class. The "Challenge or Goal" was hands releasing dust (at least, that is what it looked like to me.) Perhaps this meant letting go - of control? Maybe stepping into the class not quite knowing what I will write or how it will come out? The Memoir course description said it would help writers to explore a focused part of their life, and I wasn't sure which part I would want to write about.</div>
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My "Internal" and "External Influences" were funny because they mirrored each other. In my inner world, I saw the process of writing memoir as a series of humongous mountains. In the external world, it showed a snake climbing over a small hill. This is so me. I always see projects as being huge and daunting, when in actuality they can only be carried out through a process of small steps, much like the snake going over the hill.</div>
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The "Release" card showed a guy sailing the seas on the back of a whale. I think of this card as one of adventure and searching. But because it was in the release position, I thought it meant I shouldn't go looking around everywhere or feel like I have to reach far, that maybe the stories I need to write are closer to me than I think. My "Accept" card showed the locked gate, which I'll get back to in a moment. My "Possibilities" cards showed a hand writing and sprouting lots of new ideas, and also a hand holding a key to a locked box which seemed to mean unlocking my writing spirit. So why the locked gate? That seemed contradictory to those two cards. I think there was a clue in my "Direction" card. It showed a hand with a cut on it - my writing might reveal some pain or make me feel vulnerable.</div>
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I pondered the locked gate. I even looked up the interpretations in the handbook that I myself wrote! It said: "Restrictions, not being ready, opportunity is unavailable, being denied - 'having the door closed in your face.'" </div>
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Hmm.</div>
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Everything else in the reading seemed to point to the fact that taking the Memoir class would be a beneficial experience that would open up my writing self. So why did I have to accept this locked gate? </div>
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This morning I woke up and understood. I also had clarity on other parts of the reading. I think the gate does mean something restricted. I think it's the part of myself I had restricted to others, the part that I am ashamed to show anyone but those closest to me who won't push me away. It's my anger. Most people are surprised to learn that I have an angry side. It's something I've wanted to write about but wasn't sure how to share. I think the card is telling me that it's time to accept this locked-up part of myself. It's time to write about it and own it, and thereby release it (I hope). </div>
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Last month I was talking to a friend about fairy tales and horror movies. I told him how sometimes I want to watch horror movies but they scare me so much I can't go to sleep and they make me feel like the world is a horrible place.* My friend, who loves horror movies, said "The world <i>can </i>be a horrible place." I told him that even though fairy tales could also be horrific, I have been drawn to them since I was a kid. I said, "There's something about fairy tales that's not as bad as horror movies. Maybe because in the end there is comfort." I realized that fairy tales would not have the impact they do without that fear and the subsequent promise of comfort. The fear is an important element of the story. In fact, it is crucial. I told him I wanted to integrate more of my darker self into my art and writing, even in my work for children. He said he wanted to integrate more of the lighter side of himself into his already dark art and writing. </div>
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Going back to the reading, I looked at the "Past," "Challenge," and "Direction" cards again and saw that they they have further dimension by alluding to a specific period of my life when my anger was uncontrollable, when I thought it might destroy myself and a relationship that I had. Looking back, that experience was a gift because it revealed the worst part of myself, and showed that I can still be loved and loving in spite of it. That part of me will never go away because it <i>is </i>me, though just an aspect. Just like my "good" side is just another aspect of myself. </div>
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Now I'm not sure if I will ever share those experiences with anyone but my writing class and a few loved ones, and if I'm brave enough to write about it at all whether I will choose to share it out loud. But the cards don't lie about what is needed in my life.</div>
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I signed up for the writing class.</div>
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<i>* If you're looking for a really good "horror" movie, watch "The Babadook." I'd heard it was extremely scary but extremely good, and I waffled over watching it for a month. When I finally did watch it, I was not scared. I was actually moved enough to shed tears. It was the first time I saw my own dark side externalized (though of course exaggerated in the movie). I empathized with both the protagonist and the monster, seeing it as a metaphor for the horror within. My boyfriend totally didn't get the metaphor, though, so I had to explain it to him.</i></div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-14569858720735295792015-06-02T06:57:00.002-07:002015-06-04T05:33:04.849-07:00Fortune Cards Workshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguL0Nn93gCkZUX_zKNapUPYb53_5QD9rUpgbJVbWjwB6jDNhmnypblcifEPeOLLoT_Sl6VgdqpbH6zgxqYqy2ik9CmzcxjATSTyOGoRvJVyflBjoLYUaZb6buFCa9iss_AB9X3DmU252Y/s640/blogger-image-1549910498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguL0Nn93gCkZUX_zKNapUPYb53_5QD9rUpgbJVbWjwB6jDNhmnypblcifEPeOLLoT_Sl6VgdqpbH6zgxqYqy2ik9CmzcxjATSTyOGoRvJVyflBjoLYUaZb6buFCa9iss_AB9X3DmU252Y/s400/blogger-image-1549910498.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ever since creating my own oracle deck, The Golden Moth Illumination Deck, I've wanted to lead a workshop to encourage others to make their own. But unlike my deck, which was reproduced by offset and digital printing, I thought the experience of making a one-of-a-kind handmade deck would be approachable for beginners, and a refreshing change for me. The cards above were some samples that I created using acrylic paint, collage, and ink. </div>
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In February I taught my first "How to Make Your Own Fortune Cards" workshop at <a href="http://www.visarts.org/" target="_blank">The Visual Arts Center of Richmond.</a> I will be teaching another section of this weekend workshop on July 18 and 19th, so sign up <a href="http://www.ssreg.com/visualarts/classes/classes.asp?catID=5020&pcatID=4908" target="_blank">here</a> if you're interested.</div>
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I call them "fortune cards" because I don't want to be too confining by calling them tarot or oracle cards, though they are definitely inspired by them. I thought participants might want the openness of using them for different purposes. The title was also kind of a play on words - people can "make their own fortune" as well as "make their own fortune cards."</div>
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The participants in the workshop were wonderful. Everyone came in with such an open mind. I loved the concepts behind their cards as much as I loved the cards themselves. Many of the students were at least somewhat knowledgeable of tarot and oracle cards, but there were a couple of people who weren't. Some students professed they had little art experience, so it was pretty amazing to see what they turned out. Every student had their own unique perspective and each approached their cards thoughtfully. They used watercolor, ink, colored pencil, collage, and photocopy transfer, and they graciously allowed me to share their cards with you.</div>
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<span style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinB_Uf2TOZ_g10qECDbYuVj-s8OY1JCCPnIa1Inn7cAlf7o00BdvC3HxMvpjsVu2o29VE2SNB58iZ3U6DO6fdDvICm1P1jHF4UKdDtVv5ebD3Qu2jfdMk_eDWwDzCA0UiXX05rYT85HHw/s640/blogger-image-1585499322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinB_Uf2TOZ_g10qECDbYuVj-s8OY1JCCPnIa1Inn7cAlf7o00BdvC3HxMvpjsVu2o29VE2SNB58iZ3U6DO6fdDvICm1P1jHF4UKdDtVv5ebD3Qu2jfdMk_eDWwDzCA0UiXX05rYT85HHw/s400/blogger-image-1585499322.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This deck was inspired by the major arcana of the Rider-Waite tarot. She mixed traditional tarot imagery with her own symbolism and and a fresh color palette.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BruC9glKJoXEh8_nKMWGRhP3wZnzxNlcV-54XFQyctHAiPjbfJk-PCVMJ6IGMTBGKPMNzOqrXZqMt6dxn5KC6iNxVwoiDmjlakOxXgW3TqCrrEEeoxgUzeVSCvJWyysc1tBMm9YBzo4/s640/blogger-image--1442389758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BruC9glKJoXEh8_nKMWGRhP3wZnzxNlcV-54XFQyctHAiPjbfJk-PCVMJ6IGMTBGKPMNzOqrXZqMt6dxn5KC6iNxVwoiDmjlakOxXgW3TqCrrEEeoxgUzeVSCvJWyysc1tBMm9YBzo4/s400/blogger-image--1442389758.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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These cards were based on the sun, moon, moths, and butterflies as symbols of introverted and extroverted energy.</div>
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<img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MhBxtgqVq6M-N019NzKzSPdKYjUTm6mIsrQZzY-72DPKRpCGA7HtohxybVRT0LLq1GxxuzCVHGBNOrNfx6BX9WkWlSKucnI_sPEhOK8-_HIhDSZ3IaMeDfr8RwurH6xo2mZVq39bDf0/s400/blogger-image--951947403.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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This deck used four suits as in tarot, but each suit was based upon different pyschological states. I love how she used action and sound words in her cards.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4-NFiMZPknYxUKJqQI2jUeh6jsW-IKfQVoLhLlDIRDsblmCuv9109PGSXqs8arbnTlFr5KYjBQUEQeCXJxrKfuLRiq_Z1-kDCKJOYN6o08Du5cAOsbL24QpD07xjf_0tlNuTnjR0A9k/s400/blogger-image-132474980.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="text-align: left;">This deck was also based on the major arcana, but each symbol she chose had personal significance in her life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasEI6vc03f7Wls9_6_bg0tRdQE7ijjIFWGrykBUtNgX60n58CHjWCFpdZyvv0USymiFHKD8GIRAzpMFPsAcRamw01G1pbrOekOzV719wrkEdDhe6kyddxeSWgyaCBeQne8Yu9uAB-4dw/s640/blogger-image--1718030881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasEI6vc03f7Wls9_6_bg0tRdQE7ijjIFWGrykBUtNgX60n58CHjWCFpdZyvv0USymiFHKD8GIRAzpMFPsAcRamw01G1pbrOekOzV719wrkEdDhe6kyddxeSWgyaCBeQne8Yu9uAB-4dw/s400/blogger-image--1718030881.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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These cards also used personal symbolism, and each card represented one year of his life.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVJCJLGTavKHG7QdN2JvpTFEKWOLbZukTxmR0pKuTXM9hqzYweFnqXXWxhKrrTvVTEQTFUNsEDS4BNPIdIar1XXq6R2cuqqZO2kWxTIss8AwO43lsxge3ctmYwtvirSucnijQTBgbNEM/s400/blogger-image-2095151711.jpg" width="267" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KEAC8XU7houLNW6DZLfSpMMuYSDLwMz7wcKGsYOyOw9Zj8NpooLNbAP_S3AZv3hs0wj81hEjA6gM4IhSo3hEFfjPqhCbXZ_yHI97nl471nvXYLHW0_Lol05wXnKoQ2Q94S0I6rZTYAI/s640/blogger-image--1994586375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KEAC8XU7houLNW6DZLfSpMMuYSDLwMz7wcKGsYOyOw9Zj8NpooLNbAP_S3AZv3hs0wj81hEjA6gM4IhSo3hEFfjPqhCbXZ_yHI97nl471nvXYLHW0_Lol05wXnKoQ2Q94S0I6rZTYAI/s400/blogger-image--1994586375.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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He used a cool technique called xylene transfer. He placed photocopies of images face-down onto his cards, saturated them with a clear blender marker, then rubbed the backs of the copies down hard with a spoon to transfer the images into the cards. This technique works for laser copies in black and white and color, but it's not the best for your health so I'd recommend you do it in a well-ventilated room.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYEro5tlL00mniPWeKqGx0MyeAkBt_xmnBwvkBztA2-HnkjKCAwMy72FETyDJO31qjhU_diBaZTIkOPrcISgqUnm1RIITKtHaG1v7KefZWJpKiGz-MRFnrQXrQPcquEpWh7g0Aj-U928/s640/blogger-image--92187849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYEro5tlL00mniPWeKqGx0MyeAkBt_xmnBwvkBztA2-HnkjKCAwMy72FETyDJO31qjhU_diBaZTIkOPrcISgqUnm1RIITKtHaG1v7KefZWJpKiGz-MRFnrQXrQPcquEpWh7g0Aj-U928/s400/blogger-image--92187849.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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This student is a poet, and she used titles and imagery from various poems to create her deck. Great idea, huh?</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYEro5tlL00mniPWeKqGx0MyeAkBt_xmnBwvkBztA2-HnkjKCAwMy72FETyDJO31qjhU_diBaZTIkOPrcISgqUnm1RIITKtHaG1v7KefZWJpKiGz-MRFnrQXrQPcquEpWh7g0Aj-U928/s640/blogger-image--92187849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwX64JZHV4sxJERzmfx2UolmYElnOt2afUPttri6GIFsS0UrfhJ5lf0eikpPccfLhr01sdSkyu_Ounw9EjbDkOowMhQRHW_hxW5jJAWWqmOiUClxB4PjOHgYewyUf-fP2ExOua3Gz5J4I/s640/blogger-image--772561837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwX64JZHV4sxJERzmfx2UolmYElnOt2afUPttri6GIFsS0UrfhJ5lf0eikpPccfLhr01sdSkyu_Ounw9EjbDkOowMhQRHW_hxW5jJAWWqmOiUClxB4PjOHgYewyUf-fP2ExOua3Gz5J4I/s400/blogger-image--772561837.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
This student is an illustrator who used imagery from her own dreams.<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sWNM5EU42iiXn5TDTmApMDWN59-uwhCLevMusEY5pWf1sNR3tI6oSutPjIhvemFciFcEfiMKVzZeepebuxmDDg3NCMEObgyY77H4oyIgAFjOihxX-dWe4l0naAkzfLGr_OAlPpvFt_w/s640/blogger-image--1644709323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sWNM5EU42iiXn5TDTmApMDWN59-uwhCLevMusEY5pWf1sNR3tI6oSutPjIhvemFciFcEfiMKVzZeepebuxmDDg3NCMEObgyY77H4oyIgAFjOihxX-dWe4l0naAkzfLGr_OAlPpvFt_w/s400/blogger-image--1644709323.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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Look closer at some of this surreal imagery. She hopes to create a more finished deck in the future, and I hope she does because I'd love to own a copy myself! You can check out more of Amy Lovvik's art <a href="http://www.amylovvik.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWrEI53ItFP_Cb8jXY8wl8zWGLF31VqjVrF8isFhagSS-yuq61FIQ87kSc5zEkQ1VPWMT5hS1sHrT01AyOBQlkRbQJzqJQn5BoOBi9pJLOjnt2n3MFPH6yQk3Cy8yE6nYV3iYu_mP0S0/s640/blogger-image-728502242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWrEI53ItFP_Cb8jXY8wl8zWGLF31VqjVrF8isFhagSS-yuq61FIQ87kSc5zEkQ1VPWMT5hS1sHrT01AyOBQlkRbQJzqJQn5BoOBi9pJLOjnt2n3MFPH6yQk3Cy8yE6nYV3iYu_mP0S0/s200/blogger-image-728502242.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_Sxfpk-OLpsjUkUK1ukaCvR005jOESAij5Q070sMCVouQmW0ZXPU9hbNv7zuB8g51r-TNm2szMfNPmlc_NdUXBg-pvoN-hK_65xKSGTFDD-cOVDbuGScknP99qJKgnL0OMelW0QXJY0/s640/blogger-image--1086844832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_Sxfpk-OLpsjUkUK1ukaCvR005jOESAij5Q070sMCVouQmW0ZXPU9hbNv7zuB8g51r-TNm2szMfNPmlc_NdUXBg-pvoN-hK_65xKSGTFDD-cOVDbuGScknP99qJKgnL0OMelW0QXJY0/s320/blogger-image--1086844832.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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Here are some more sample cards I made during and after the class. The beetle card in the middle uses another form of photocopy transfer called gel transfer. There are a couple techniques to do this, but for this one I applied clear acrylic medium to my painted card, placed the photocopy of the beetle face-down on top of it, and burnished it so it stuck flat. After it dried, I wet the back of the paper with water and rubbed the paper off with my finger. Some of the image rubbed off, but most of it remained. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Fiv5RlEUPi9utgb4xzgLM3fc6yXvYuZ_mDfF6XXHUmo83Z-51X_H0Age4yEq3BFpX0ygO1yc8M4K6P71bTG529yRf65bPNBYsrrkeavxaJB-9_fDTIH6ShKhBJUxjvyz9LPJf1tiWe4/s640/blogger-image-561200643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Fiv5RlEUPi9utgb4xzgLM3fc6yXvYuZ_mDfF6XXHUmo83Z-51X_H0Age4yEq3BFpX0ygO1yc8M4K6P71bTG529yRf65bPNBYsrrkeavxaJB-9_fDTIH6ShKhBJUxjvyz9LPJf1tiWe4/s400/blogger-image-561200643.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also created stencils for the backs of my cards out of cut-out cardstock. I placed the stencils on top of the cards and dabbed acrylic paint on them with a paintbrush. </div>
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Teaching the workshop made me see how empowering and creative it is for individuals to make their own decks of cards. It was an amazing thing to witness.</div>
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I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the wonderful things that came out of this workshop, and maybe you're inspired to make your own!</div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-82016941435416990642015-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:002015-01-20T10:21:09.633-08:00The "Underneath" Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Note: I'm re-posting this from my <a href="http://aijungkim.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">art blog.</a></i><br />
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A reader commented on my <a href="http://aijungkim.blogspot.com/2015/01/2014-year-in-pictures.html" target="_blank">2014 Re-Cap post</a> that her year was full of less tangible accomplishments than mine. I like that observation. It's true that some years are full of busy activity, and some can be more low-key in terms of visibility, but a lot can go on underneath the surface. I'm going to use my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/214557423/oracle-deck-handbook-the-golden-moth" target="_blank">Golden Moth Illumination Deck</a> to show you what 2014 <i>felt </i>like to me.<br />
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I receive e-mails with tips and quotes from a creative business coach named <a href="http://www.alexisfedor.com/" target="_blank">Alexis Fedor</a>. One quote I liked a lot was by novelist Zora Neale <span style="font-family: inherit;">Hurston:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."</span></span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGY1XyHal9w-bhgDVJZC5hcqgb2ZwqayOKnOl_tNE0ZdLb0b5W68aG6PQqY0PYWBTeLHOHbksJrQPLui8abrHyDmK8_vjqwL8l8dW2RGR9rjJxoRwu9Bl3zPw78u6xaKlQssQXgE78P_o/s1600/Card+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGY1XyHal9w-bhgDVJZC5hcqgb2ZwqayOKnOl_tNE0ZdLb0b5W68aG6PQqY0PYWBTeLHOHbksJrQPLui8abrHyDmK8_vjqwL8l8dW2RGR9rjJxoRwu9Bl3zPw78u6xaKlQssQXgE78P_o/s1600/Card+6.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For me, 2014 was a year for both. I asked a lot of questions and experimented with trying to get the results I thought I wanted. I'm still sorting through the answers. I wanted to find a way to make a reliable living through my art, to find a way out of the ups and downs. I wanted to prove myself. But the truth is, I'm still experimenting. And I doubt that will ever end. Maybe I thrive off of the ups and downs more than I'd care to admit.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5i93iab4UcvDhBNvyItlIU27bv3xZOTmNhg8LL_c2m8xv7c_KcmK1N7s243b7eDtbajyMIiDWpRWTip1nuyVLLNTn2hfzADhScJgq-JeSGSHT3Bd4QMEAANEcdPhUbczzgM59xyo9CY/s1600/Card+29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD5i93iab4UcvDhBNvyItlIU27bv3xZOTmNhg8LL_c2m8xv7c_KcmK1N7s243b7eDtbajyMIiDWpRWTip1nuyVLLNTn2hfzADhScJgq-JeSGSHT3Bd4QMEAANEcdPhUbczzgM59xyo9CY/s1600/Card+29.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></div>
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As an artist, I have never liked being fully in the spotlight. I want to reach people and share with them through my art, blog, and newsletter, but sometimes I feel very exposed doing so. And last year I felt more exposed than ever.<br />
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I wanted to take on a new role last year. One of "business person." I put myself out there in ways that felt exciting but sometimes uncomfortable. I worked a lot with my printer, figuring out solutions to issues that came up and figuring out the best ways to print my products. I called store owners and sent out many e-mails to try to get my notecards into stores. I had some success with that. But trying to learn how to run the business and apply it immediately sometimes felt like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_xNTC9peZvu5ILEa2FZQriKHIwMx_GlE9dImwCTB1fg0f4M1hqC9H2Keqz2fjwpShmpbq7vv3e3iq4RVU9iatVe47gunusFVMlsNoeyXqenOs5-oFvea_36HAPzowkhU0M-n8fotoMQ/s1600/Card+23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_xNTC9peZvu5ILEa2FZQriKHIwMx_GlE9dImwCTB1fg0f4M1hqC9H2Keqz2fjwpShmpbq7vv3e3iq4RVU9iatVe47gunusFVMlsNoeyXqenOs5-oFvea_36HAPzowkhU0M-n8fotoMQ/s1600/Card+23.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a balancing act and a lot of scrambling. I went from feeling triumphant when I received an order, to feeling scared and overwhelmed that I couldn't handle anything or that nothing would result from my endeavors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZav53PwIDhkV4pOij_AeevvfZ-xmLNe83DkyEd-HR5mxmiMixY3uBbfJT8WWyjvht8M_SaEK9EfPL0u_cMADpTa7jIdVXBtM_iQRN_5q4Nq4E8rwbZF5re1rQGNxJgWAjhcSwYMNhaY/s1600/Card+31.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZav53PwIDhkV4pOij_AeevvfZ-xmLNe83DkyEd-HR5mxmiMixY3uBbfJT8WWyjvht8M_SaEK9EfPL0u_cMADpTa7jIdVXBtM_iQRN_5q4Nq4E8rwbZF5re1rQGNxJgWAjhcSwYMNhaY/s1600/Card+31.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">By throwing myself into my business, I also realized that running a business is unlike anything else I have done. It's not a flight of fancy. To grow a business, I'll need to keep it going on a day-to-day basis. I need to think about the next steps, how to make things work better. I run on cycles. The idea of long-term anything can feel like a burden. I wondered, "Is this really what I want? If not this, then what else should I do?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4afTNIBwwItN7UpWNc1XgCeY2I9sw8ucSiLKDVyVwD3Y0cZ84w8ISe2CcymGsa3wVf4W94NY9iE29qpAH3thCz9UQfjOHQJA2eXFWzUY1JYoMKwFtoz1-ElqHPpq0WGpwA4e3ep0Sw_s/s1600/Card+49.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4afTNIBwwItN7UpWNc1XgCeY2I9sw8ucSiLKDVyVwD3Y0cZ84w8ISe2CcymGsa3wVf4W94NY9iE29qpAH3thCz9UQfjOHQJA2eXFWzUY1JYoMKwFtoz1-ElqHPpq0WGpwA4e3ep0Sw_s/s1600/Card+49.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">By the end of last year, I had reaped my harvest. I wasn't a millionaire, but I had achieved small financial successes. Through trial and experience, I had made some good decisions. But I didn't feel good about it. It didn't seem like enough. <i>I</i> didn't feel good enough.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Right before I traveled to Rochester, NY to visit my family for the Christmas holiday, I spent an evening with a friend. Through intense conversations over dinner, in the car, and on a chilly walk through my old neighborhood, we both experienced a catharsis. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"I feel pathetic," I told him. There were so many things I wanted for my future - children, a family, to continue to be a working artist. And I still couldn't see how that would be possible. It felt like so much work just to keep afloat. I felt lost and in need of a change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I still judged myself so harshly based on my social/monetary standing in life. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Over dinner, my friend and I realized that's silly! Modern society places so much emphasis on our social statuses. As humans, we can no longer be happy with just surviving. We need to prove ourselves to other people, to bolster our own egos, to strive for what is considered "success."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I placed so much emphasis on money, thinking it would bring me happiness. I thought I was being reasonable, that I need money to raise a family, to buy a house, to continue to make art. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting those things. But feeling like I'm not capable of achieving them has tortured me for so long. That night, I realized that those things were outside of myself. What matters most is how I feel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8Q7Lrg7OT3lwhHjXpc7Nm1ahJwpQmV7sCNetsJHEZ6E0xMPwl-1zp6JoIhGwFfi2dBBOo7tKrVZX9X8bvn7yWAeghDfe6iQuorFObTdIhDnwmKEMOp9Dn4z3DIeOudzCeeCg9UTBdqA/s1600/Card+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8Q7Lrg7OT3lwhHjXpc7Nm1ahJwpQmV7sCNetsJHEZ6E0xMPwl-1zp6JoIhGwFfi2dBBOo7tKrVZX9X8bvn7yWAeghDfe6iQuorFObTdIhDnwmKEMOp9Dn4z3DIeOudzCeeCg9UTBdqA/s1600/Card+15.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather than trying to be someone worthy of feeling happiness, I just want to <i>be </i>happy. And for me, that means not trying to control the future. Not thinking Point A leads to Point B leads to Point C. Not trying to find the answers that will fix everything. I know my desire for control will flare up again and again. But when I get that anxious feeling of dread when I think about the future, I'll know that something is amiss. And I'll try to move toward the thing that feels better. Moment by moment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been almost three weeks since I returned to Richmond from holiday, and this is where I'm at right now:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlbtRl4QkYRiRd5RSvBebuAExgX-hWyuzsd_W0bXeVraFkZuImYeifVHl2cfINIq1STsO0ITxhrTXm5vKW3Al8Mh0SHb2ys0nZ1PgNrQwf_WQZLZCyoQ-UOB0Qp3_wiw6KNwaphbdtHk/s1600/Card+63.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlbtRl4QkYRiRd5RSvBebuAExgX-hWyuzsd_W0bXeVraFkZuImYeifVHl2cfINIq1STsO0ITxhrTXm5vKW3Al8Mh0SHb2ys0nZ1PgNrQwf_WQZLZCyoQ-UOB0Qp3_wiw6KNwaphbdtHk/s1600/Card+63.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like I'm floating through my life, incubating. I'm not trying to push myself too hard. Last year was a year of willfulness, of trying to put things in motion in the outside world. It taught me a lot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnH1Xnx6Dfkzr7ebk5nGEOTMQOZ1QvBmV1xKj0S8fHZPY9juaACbaYkTLdlcV4xXXZy84Mb4gVGfpt7Jq0usnpZ2LoQYeLDEsw1XRkgIWnDbRWSkLj4o-rknYCodJJFXSy0mLUUcCqzgk/s1600/Card+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnH1Xnx6Dfkzr7ebk5nGEOTMQOZ1QvBmV1xKj0S8fHZPY9juaACbaYkTLdlcV4xXXZy84Mb4gVGfpt7Jq0usnpZ2LoQYeLDEsw1XRkgIWnDbRWSkLj4o-rknYCodJJFXSy0mLUUcCqzgk/s1600/Card+8.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I'm very tired from all that striving. Now I feel like retreating into the part of myself that bubbles with creativity, stories, visions, unknowns. I want to nurture the part of myself that doesn't want to be rational or successful. It's the part of me that creates for pure joy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGaoZJZfONESBhSk4s1WsQPjRz5t1HBB29uY2yVF-7IwpJapM2wS8jyDqZHFj8kyFKWV-SwH7NxsL8Hlp-21m8m7Bi48IcKm_hIxa0pjX0CYIgid5vB99xBfAr2Q2-nrb6IOT0YCz_vM/s1600/Card+65.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGaoZJZfONESBhSk4s1WsQPjRz5t1HBB29uY2yVF-7IwpJapM2wS8jyDqZHFj8kyFKWV-SwH7NxsL8Hlp-21m8m7Bi48IcKm_hIxa0pjX0CYIgid5vB99xBfAr2Q2-nrb6IOT0YCz_vM/s1600/Card+65.JPG" height="398" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to write and illustrate the stories that have been living inside me, half-formed, for years. I don't want to think about the long-term plan right now or where my work will lead me. I just want to do it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't have all the answers. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">But answers just lead to more questions, anyway. </span></div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-38320784887533698652014-12-08T18:52:00.002-08:002014-12-11T07:28:38.250-08:00Golden Moth Giveaway + Shop Sale Through December 14th!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Finally, finally... After much poking and prodding of digital files and discussions with my printer, James River Press, the second printing of The Golden Moth Illumination Deck has arrived! This time, I had the cards printed digitally on a smooth cardstock and they were corner-rounded by the printer (taking the strain off my shoulders!) For those of you who haven't been following its progress, The Golden Moth Illumination Deck is a set of symbolic cards that I self-published in 2012 with the help of lovely people who backed my Kickstarter campaign. You can read about the whole sage <a href="http://aijungkim.blogspot.com/2014/06/golden-moth-2nd-anniversaryand-special.html" target="_blank">here</a>. They are oracle cards (kind of like tarot cards), meant to be used for divination or any creative purpose you can think of! Take a look:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj0E8W9IzKPKlf4srdR5gGT6icQ2XrpaVP6UsRxHDNfiEOYrcylL4jvs5pENJNScY2fJ4awqW6ZRnBFSwaH-Nwt4_tUSrprRMMb8XymlKubhmdrfV4X4hc9g2poX6dAlrZatrNpKa448/s1600/Golden+Moth+Spread+(Square).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj0E8W9IzKPKlf4srdR5gGT6icQ2XrpaVP6UsRxHDNfiEOYrcylL4jvs5pENJNScY2fJ4awqW6ZRnBFSwaH-Nwt4_tUSrprRMMb8XymlKubhmdrfV4X4hc9g2poX6dAlrZatrNpKa448/s1600/Golden+Moth+Spread+(Square).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvObZ6LMG8o28XxWdFcLPFR_qZgncXOD9hxyVPIgkR95Yw8YJkxguvqgD6JFgIDurMUYMOUzCbwy2lL_3aXsfTER9gab1htMvBvJEAewOz3vCA3f2I0WkABH_iEK6H96eZIRGyzXUfOnY/s1600/Golden+Moth+Card+%231+Close-Up+(Square).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvObZ6LMG8o28XxWdFcLPFR_qZgncXOD9hxyVPIgkR95Yw8YJkxguvqgD6JFgIDurMUYMOUzCbwy2lL_3aXsfTER9gab1htMvBvJEAewOz3vCA3f2I0WkABH_iEK6H96eZIRGyzXUfOnY/s1600/Golden+Moth+Card+%231+Close-Up+(Square).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just finished listing them in my Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.sprouthead.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Head</a>, and this time around there are a few different purchasing options. You can now buy the deck separately from the handbook. If you buy just the deck, it comes with a brief fold-out information guide to get you started on using the cards. This guide gives advice on how to give a reading and interpret the cards and shows you one spread layout. It does not include individual symbol interpretations.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPytUhsfHgiPCu_ughQF2F1NXOHxiCziq8ivcBu8L5ud-rsCXF9wLUiNt2Id9HeXjOrtRvRrZQAK6BsR6A95zVw77zXcoed7AyjAR6bweCYFaf4ClwkosMd2r5EoE01M8KI6rLv-B29BY/s1600/Golden+Moth+Info+Guide+(Tiled).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPytUhsfHgiPCu_ughQF2F1NXOHxiCziq8ivcBu8L5ud-rsCXF9wLUiNt2Id9HeXjOrtRvRrZQAK6BsR6A95zVw77zXcoed7AyjAR6bweCYFaf4ClwkosMd2r5EoE01M8KI6rLv-B29BY/s1600/Golden+Moth+Info+Guide+(Tiled).jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you want that, you'll have to purchase the handbook. It contains all the information from the first handbook that I published, but it is updated with individual card interpretations. It comes as a hard copy and a PDF version. If you purchase the hard copy of the handbook alone or with the deck, you will also receive the PDF version as a FREE bonus! But note that this offer cannot be used retroactively if you purchase the PDF version first and the hard copy later. Sorry, no refunds. </div>
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You can see the listings for all the different Golden Moth products <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/SproutHead?section_id=11856025&ref=shopsection_leftnav_6" target="_blank">here</a>. I hope you are as excited about it as I am. In celebration, I'm offering two cool things: a giveaway and a shop sale! Read on:<br />
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GOLDEN MOTH GIVEAWAY<br />
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I'm giving away Golden Moth Illumination Decks + Handbooks to TWO lucky winners! Giveaway ends on the evening (Eastern Standard Time) of Sunday, December 14th.<br />
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<i>How to enter:</i><br />
1. Leave a comment on the blog about why this deck should be yours (or gifted to a friend, if you so desire).<br />
2. Check this blog on the evening (EST) of Monday, December 15th to find out if you've won. If you aren't subscribed to my blog or might forget to check back, please leave your e-mail address in your comment, but put some spaces between the words so the spam-bots don't steal it. I need a way to reach you if you win - VERY IMPORTANT!<br />
3. If you know of someone who would be interested in this giveaway, please SHARE! I will be sharing this giveaway on my <a href="http://www.goldenmoth.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Golden Moth Blog</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SproutHeadArt" target="_blank">Sprout Head Facebook Page</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/goldenmothdeck" target="_blank">Golden Moth Facebook Page</a>, and <a href="http://www.instagram.com/sprout_head" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. Pick your favorite social media link!<br />
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SPROUT HEAD SHOP SALE<br />
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If you don't want to take your chances with the giveaway, how about taking 15% off your total purchase in my online shop, <a href="http://www.sprouthead.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Head</a>? Through Sunday, December 14th, use coupon code <strike>HOLIDAY2014</strike> <b>HAPPY2014</b> upon checkout to receive your discount. (The previous HOLIDAY code had a minimum order requirement, the HAPPY one does not!) <i>You must enter the coupon upon checkout or you won't get your discount - it does not happen automatically.</i><br />
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Enjoy!</div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-23511796654729927282014-11-10T07:48:00.000-08:002014-11-10T07:48:39.962-08:00Tattoo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I forgot to post about this before, but a couple of months ago someone had an image from the deck tattooed on their arm. What an honor!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXHhbx0js_1mV1LqVoRwY5Y4GhZ7Yajo4-7_It_lOQs6LbI_d4WJKQMprLJTnyCVVq-AxSlL42ILhwD78i_0jKatzpihTM4_zzeKnOD-1TEbXcHaW76VsplA1fZhJ-G8Bk46tp7aQB9A/s1600/Golden+Moth+Deck+House+Tattoo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRXHhbx0js_1mV1LqVoRwY5Y4GhZ7Yajo4-7_It_lOQs6LbI_d4WJKQMprLJTnyCVVq-AxSlL42ILhwD78i_0jKatzpihTM4_zzeKnOD-1TEbXcHaW76VsplA1fZhJ-G8Bk46tp7aQB9A/s1600/Golden+Moth+Deck+House+Tattoo.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-91707377617877375072014-09-03T09:52:00.001-07:002014-09-03T09:52:27.223-07:00Golden Moth Review by Charmed Finishing School<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Oh my gosh, I meant to post about this earlier. This is a totally awesome review of my deck by <a href="http://www.deborahmcastellano.com/" target="_blank">Deborah Castellano </a>of <a href="http://www.charmedfinishingschool.com/" target="_blank">Charmed Finishing School.</a> <span style="font-family: inherit;">Now I only have 2 more limited edition decks, probably owing in large part to her! But don't worry, I'm going to print more decks this fall. Read the review here: </span><a href="http://www.charmedfinishingschool.com/the-golden-moth-illumination-deck-review/" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.charmedfinishingschool.com/the-golden-moth-illumination-deck-review/</a><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also wanted to remark on her comment that she could separate the cards into piles of positives, neutrals, and negatives, but she could also see how they could be interpreted differently depending</span> on the card groupings and positions. When I created the cards, I also had my own interpretations of each card. Even though I wanted the symbols to be flexible, there were some that I clearly saw as positive or negative. For example, card #55 with the cut hand. It was hard for me to see that card as positive. Since I have done so many readings with the deck, I've learned from other people their many different interpretations, and this has added to the deck to make it richer and more collaborative than I ever even imagined! Someone interpreted that card as being open to vulnerability, which was a very positive thing in her particular situation. This is where the magic of the deck mixes with the magic of the people who use it. It makes me so happy that this deck is out in the world.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also really liked Deborah's comment:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">Not having to worry about more than a century of very intricate and specific interpretations of the cards actually made my readings more accurate."</span></span></blockquote>
This was exactly what I was hoping for with this deck. I created it as an artist, from my own personal experiences, and being naturally drawn to certain symbols. I thought about researching more into what each symbol should mean. I'm glad I didn't, because every person brings something different to the table with their own lives and outlooks.<br />
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Although after doing a survey of people who used the deck, when I release the commercial version of the new deck sometime this fall I will include an interpretation guide because some people really want it, and it'll serve as a "jumping-off point" rather than "set-in-stone"-type deal.<br />
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Thank you so much Deborah for a fabulous (and in some parts hilarious - see her footnote) review! Deborah<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> is a frequent contributor to Occult/Pagan sources such as Llewellyn, Witchvox, PaganSquare and Witches & Pagans magazine.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Deborah’s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Arte-Glamour-Deborah-Castellano/dp/1475218389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360514185&sr=8-1&keywords=the+arte+of+glamour#" target="_blank">The Arte of Glamour</a> is available for purchase on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Deborah also writes romantica fiction, sells handspun yarn and other goodies in her craft shop </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.901961); font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><a href="http://www.mermaidandcrow.com/" target="_blank">The Mermaid and The Crow</a> and handcrafted items for magical/occult practice in her shop <a href="http://theglamouryapothecary.com/" target="_blank">The Glamoury Apothecary</a>.</span></div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-73458920238710615432014-06-02T21:08:00.002-07:002017-10-15T17:55:42.716-07:00Golden Moth 2nd Anniversary...and a Special Discount!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In early February of 2012, I <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/51647073/the-golden-moth-illumination-deck" target="_blank">launched my Kickstarter campaign</a> to produce The Golden Moth Illumination Deck in a limited run of 300 decks. In mid-June of that year (2 months later than I had planned) I sent off the first decks to generous Kickstarter backers who supported me. It has now been over two years since it all began. Little did I know that the Golden Moth would sweep me up a whirlwind of fluttery wings and deposit me back on earth as a changed, and hopefully wiser, person.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mailed deck #254 out of 300 last week, which means I only have around 40 or so decks left for purchase from the original edition and I'm keeping a few for myself. Last week I went through all of the remaining cards and finished sorting out the printing variations/errors so that the remaining cards would be ready for corner-rounding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are the last remaining cards on my shelf:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8iqELHwCqLnv9aXSaKyOmY4pX_Edo-6UsNqt23gJP-YOPTgG8vIiVsZRssdLQBNv3uRZ6iE0-KsvqA_basUSd2VKUFLzq4pJJUOXsXCJ1hq8V3MSc4Hhar-h6eb3vFITp8d-jEOvusg/s1600/Last+remaining+Golden+Moth+cards.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8iqELHwCqLnv9aXSaKyOmY4pX_Edo-6UsNqt23gJP-YOPTgG8vIiVsZRssdLQBNv3uRZ6iE0-KsvqA_basUSd2VKUFLzq4pJJUOXsXCJ1hq8V3MSc4Hhar-h6eb3vFITp8d-jEOvusg/s1600/Last+remaining+Golden+Moth+cards.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some of you might remember when they took up a kitchen counter and two tables:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgKhhtIOJbCN2Q_FjK1wWu-XVHBdEfNBEqo3B1IAcmluKXW1hMiTVJlpl6wGe45GzThKznxPU0e2-eWpnU9mPOI2ONU8xu4MW_cHem3D85Qu4Wxg5jYnF4XnEXZ8H9jmGwahZS01A_r8/s1600/Moth+deck+piles+in+kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgKhhtIOJbCN2Q_FjK1wWu-XVHBdEfNBEqo3B1IAcmluKXW1hMiTVJlpl6wGe45GzThKznxPU0e2-eWpnU9mPOI2ONU8xu4MW_cHem3D85Qu4Wxg5jYnF4XnEXZ8H9jmGwahZS01A_r8/s1600/Moth+deck+piles+in+kitchen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in 2012 I had arranged for my printers, <a href="http://parcellpress.com/" target="_blank">Parcell Press</a>, to print and trim the cards for me but I had decided to sort, collate, and corner-round the cards and assemble the boxes by hand in order to cut down on my costs. My boyfriend, parents, and a handful of friends helped me out as well. Before I received the cards, I had envisioned assembling all 300 of the decks within a relatively short span of time, maybe a couple months. After a couple of months of almost losing my mind from the pressure of delivering 127 Kickstarter rewards, I decided from then on the decks would be assembled in periodic small batches. I would spend literally hundreds of hours doing the aforementioned tasks for the next two years.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4zc3GuP5TpwobfVDqp-6FkHeSVWcg_bQuxFeBF_N0CtWcrQ6-76AX1A2GgONByCX9fcPsLeTrIad_qT0Of0lNLAFy6TcUqr7Ljcz_IsaXcvwc8egeWffSpvgDjOHN-zcdpF-56jSQe4/s1600/Moth+Box+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm4zc3GuP5TpwobfVDqp-6FkHeSVWcg_bQuxFeBF_N0CtWcrQ6-76AX1A2GgONByCX9fcPsLeTrIad_qT0Of0lNLAFy6TcUqr7Ljcz_IsaXcvwc8egeWffSpvgDjOHN-zcdpF-56jSQe4/s1600/Moth+Box+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What led me to this situation was severely underestimating the time it would take me to do these tasks by hand. Why, oh why, did I not time myself in making a prototype from start to finish? Take corner-rounding. Each card has 4 corners to corner-round. Each deck consists of 75 cards. That's 300 corners per deck. That's 90,000 corners for 300 decks. Let me repeat that: NINETY-THOUSAND. Hmm, when you break it down like that, that's a lot of corners and a lot of potential shoulder pain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-DuqjdnTfNPZMNdz9Z7E83mxn_QuPRqBCSw3StLM-p4lSCNZdSPzFW9b-hp8iNxWvUArQpc4E6soM9cJndlzss4_cO7YKRkNlMWy3GofQPm7Bu_LWHorftuQxC8O8ZyThQxa2kjPDN0/s1600/Corner+rounder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-DuqjdnTfNPZMNdz9Z7E83mxn_QuPRqBCSw3StLM-p4lSCNZdSPzFW9b-hp8iNxWvUArQpc4E6soM9cJndlzss4_cO7YKRkNlMWy3GofQPm7Bu_LWHorftuQxC8O8ZyThQxa2kjPDN0/s1600/Corner+rounder.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some other fun Golden Moth statistics: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">* For my Kickstarter campaign, I was backed by 127 people. Most were from the US, and 31 of those people lived in my current hometown of Richmond, VA. I also had 10 international backers from <span style="line-height: 107%;">Canada,
Australia, England, Singapore, Italy, New Zealand, and Norway.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">* I raised $4,800, $800 more than my funding goal!</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* 102 decks were purchased through the campaign.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* For the other Kickstarter rewards, I sent out 194 postcards, 67 notecards, 39 bookplates, 26 screenprints, 111 pieces of small original art, and gave 7 Intuitive Card Readings (like tarot readings but using the Golden Moth cards).</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">* I've given at least 30 Intuitive Card Readings to people using my pre-Golden Moth deck prototype, which was much smaller with loosely-drawn black-and-white images. I've given an estimated 50 or more readings to people in-person and online using the published Golden Moth deck.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The other day when I went through my Kickstarter campaign report to tally up these numbers, I read through the list of backers again. I re-experienced the amazed, encouraging feeling of having friends, relatives, and strangers donate money because they believed in me and my project. At one point during the midst of Golden Moth assembling madness, I told the people closest to me that if I knew it would be this hard, I might never have done the project at all. I don't handle stress well to begin with, but producing The Golden Moth Illumination Deck has been, to date, the biggest and most overwhelming project of my life. Now I look back and affirm that the statement was true, that I probably wouldn't have done it if I'd known.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so I'm really glad I didn't know, because the deck has also been one of the most far-reaching and positive projects of my life. I made some new friends and became closer with friends I already had through the project. I've had many people tell me how much they've enjoyed and appreciated the deck, and how it has brought some clarity to their lives. I am very thankful for that. This has also been the most "collaborative" project I've ever done. The cards take on different meanings with each new owner, and their use and purpose goes beyond just me. I love that about the deck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I'm forging ahead with the next step. I would like The Golden Moth Illumination Deck to reach an even greater audience. I plan to make a larger commercial run of decks so that I can lower the per-unit cost of producing the decks and get more decks into stores and other venues. I don't want to do any more handwork on the decks in order to free up my time for promotion and creative energy (as opposed to corner-rounding). I also plan to revise and expand the handbook.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Golden Moth and to pave the way for this new expansion, I'm now offering the limited edition deck in my shop, <a href="http://www.sprouthead.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Head</a>, for a $5 discount - from $50 to $45. Added to this, I'm offering a super-special (and super-short) sale in my shop that ends on Wednesday, June 15th. Use the coupon code FLYAWAY upon checkout and receive an ADDITIONAL 10% off your entire shop purchase! If you apply this to the deck, it will cost only $40.50 - that's $9.50 off the original price! Remember, you must apply the coupon code upon checkout or you won't get the additional discount. If you've been waiting to get your hands on this limited edition handmade version of the deck, don't delay or else they'll soon be gone!</span><br />
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I'm also offering a sweeter discount for those of you who already own a deck. If you complete this short survey, you are eligible to receive a coupon code for 20% off your entire store purchase. This coupon will expire on August 31st. To take the survey, <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SM53JHW" target="_blank">click here.</a> Please respond by the end of June if you want your feedback to be incorporated into the creation of the new deck and handbook. If you do not want to take the survey but would still like to provide feedback, feel free to post comments on this blog or leave a comment/message on my Golden Moth Facebook page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/goldenmothdeck">www.facebook.com/goldenmothdeck</a><br />
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Happy 2nd Birthday, Golden Moth!</div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-35315826914896748832014-05-19T17:24:00.000-07:002014-05-19T18:16:59.265-07:00Follow me on Bloglovin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A new way to make your blog-reading easier! Follow my blog with <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/9195137" target="_blank">Bloglovin'.</a> Bloglovin' is a site where you can add your favorite blogs and discover new ones in one easy-to-track feed. </div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-78795034641922930772013-04-17T18:27:00.006-07:002013-04-17T18:30:35.737-07:00Trust in a Smile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I don't usually pull cards for myself. I used to quite often, but I found that in the past I relied too heavily on the cards and not enough on my self. The cards are a tool to access the self, but it can turn unhealthy when they start replacing trust in your own feelings and judgement. On the rare occasion when I have wanted a reading, I like to go to another reader for advice who can be more objective than I can be.<br />
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But I've had the nagging feeling that I should pull some cards and see what comes up, and today I did. My reading was done on my art desk, and you can see some evidence of art-making in progress. I've been doing a lot of wondering and analyzing in the past couple months about this almost constant anxiety I have in my day-to-day life. One of the greatest sources of anxiety at the moment is my solo art show coming up in June. I don't have much time to create new artwork, yet not only am I trying to create all new pieces for the show, I'm also using a medium which is a bit more unfamiliar to me - printmaking on fabric. The processes alone are time consuming, and I've already spent a couple months just doing research about techniques and styles of fiber art - quilting in particular. It has been really fun to learn about and work in a new medium, but also daunting. I am also working part-time and teaching. I know many people who have schedules far more demanding than mine, but I am perpetually anxious about whether I can do it all. I have always preferred a more slow, relaxed pace to life but the demands of earning a somewhat stable income while also creating artwork make that difficult. I had the last couple of days off from work and thought I'd get a lot done, but I had a lot of trouble focusing due to the pressure I put on myself as well as feeling not quite sure about which step to take next in my art process.<br />
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I asked the cards for advice about how to manage all my duties and my life leading up to the art show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyzL7qml-cxOyFh6L2uRAU-4JxHUzSc-mbmsRssd4uVy62WRpy-Yxor5hjmUU57MvoxtGyoNkvDn2lblvVAtoxjOX1B4eJGix9WuGvnh3CYHKBZffq0AQOGcthICAzKQsF4ZnNDPV6eA/s1600/Aijung's+Reading+4-17-13+002.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHyzL7qml-cxOyFh6L2uRAU-4JxHUzSc-mbmsRssd4uVy62WRpy-Yxor5hjmUU57MvoxtGyoNkvDn2lblvVAtoxjOX1B4eJGix9WuGvnh3CYHKBZffq0AQOGcthICAzKQsF4ZnNDPV6eA/s640/Aijung's+Reading+4-17-13+002.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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The first card represents "The Past," and shows a bell ringing out. I took that to signify my feelings of alarm, a bell call letting me know that I needed to start focusing on my art show. It may also symbolize the need for communication through my art - this is my time to sing out and express myself. The second card represents "The Present," and shows a flower growing out of the flames. I think this card means that I am going through a "trial by fire" in terms of managing my workload and creative processes. I think it's a time when I am being tested, or testing myself, to show that I can emerge from this period of intensity shining brightly and transformed by the flames. I've always thought of this as the "alchemy" card. The next card, #17, represents my "Challenge or Goal." Again, this is an image of great intensity showing a lightening bolt striking open an egg. I feel this shows outside forces (the art show, my teaching and work duties) coming in and cracking me open like an eggshell. While this split is sudden and forceful, perhaps it is telling me that it's time to get out of my shell right now, to accept all that is going on. Underneath that card is #37 showing my "Internal Influence" - my feelings. I feel like that traveller, staring up at vast mountains and wondering how I'm going to cross. I guess a more positive view of this is that I am an adventurer about to scale mountains. Maybe it's daunting, but at the same time exciting. At the top of this column is the card representing my "External Influence." It shows a figure under a bridge with two faces. When I created this card, I always thought of this figure as the god Janus. From Wikipedia:<br />
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In ancient Roman religion and myth, <b>Janus</b> (Latin: <span lang="la"><i>IANVS</i></span>) is the god of beginnings and transitions,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1">[1]</sup>
thence also of gates, doors, passages, endings and time. He is usually
depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the
past. The Romans named the month of January <i>(Ianuarius)</i> in his honor.</blockquote>
At first glance, I thought this card showed an element of busy-ness. The figure seemed to be looking back and forth rapidly, constantly switching from one thing to another (for me - my various obligations, as well as the switch from research to concepts to actual art-making.) But I think this card also represents the theme of my art show. I am creating works based on a specific time and place, a small town in Northern New Mexico that I visited five years ago. It was an experience very close to my heart, and something I've struggled to adequately express through words and images ever since. I think the card shows that this show is important to me because it is a way for me to look back at the past, ahead to my future (I'm hoping to continue this series of images and use the images to apply for arts grants) as well as the bridging of the two. This is something I've thought consciously about as I create the work, how I'm using new processes that I would not have used 5 years ago, and how my thoughts and experiences since that time have influenced how I look at those memories now.<br />
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Moving on to the advice cards, the "Release" card shows a figure holding the sun, moon, and stars in one hand. I think this card has to do with control. I need to release the need to control my universe. I need to let things flow as they will. The card above it is the "Accept" card and shows a snake slithering over a hill. I think this card is telling me to get over that hump, to just proceed steadily and keep low to the earth. I think that at times I get lost in thought and speculation, and I really just need to keep working and not worry so much. I think this card is also poking fun at my "Internal Influence" card that showed vast mountains. Perhaps I'm making mountains out of molehills at times, and need to just keep a steady pace and stick to what's in front of me- one step, or slither, at a time. Card #34 shows a house on fire. I was not scared of that card. It signified my "Possible Outcome" and I thought of it as a card of purification, of "cleaning house." It seems significant that I have so many cards with the element of fire in them - the flower in the flame, the lightening bolt, and now this burning house. It made me remember that for me, the artwork I'm creating is very personal and getting it in the open is a form of catharsis for me. Maybe this means I will experience intense emotions, perhaps intensified anxiety, but I think in the end it is all for the best. Card #47 shows "Further Possibilities" and it confirms my feelings that the process I'm going through now is a way to bring my memories full circle, as much as memories can come full circle. The plants in this card go through a cycle of death and rebirth. There's more to the story of what these memories mean to me, but I'd like to keep some of it private. But I will say that these memories are a joyful beginning to a road that also led through much pain, and I think that the celebration of these memories will help me to release that pain.<br />
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The last two cards in the upper right are the "Theme" cards for my reading. Card #36 flipped out of my deck while shuffling so I set it aside. It shows a boy with a sack, travelling light-heartedly. Card #15 shows a woman smiling. I think that both of these cards show that I need to relax and enjoy the process, that everything will work out and be okay. I can get so caught up in worrying and planning for the future. Every so often I will experience a moment where there is this incredible emptiness in my brain. It happens so rarely that it is immediately noticeable. This emptiness is saying "Nothing is wrong. There is nothing to worry about right now." That sounds kind of crazy, but I have an almost constant low-level anxiety that fills my thoughts and makes me worry about what I have to worry about next! I've been observing these thought processes, and I realize that it's not about what actually pops up in my life. It's about my state of mind. I know I need to find a way to relax and feel okay with life, but it is very hard for me to do. I've been like this for as long as I can remember. Maybe I should carry around the card with the smiling woman. Her face is very reassuring. Every time I panic that I don't have the energy or capacity to do what I need to, I need to pull the card out, take a deep breath, and trust in her smile. </div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-82777808350454365152012-12-27T06:56:00.000-08:002013-04-17T18:46:11.656-07:00From "The Daily Draw"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi everyone!<br />
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I wanted to let you in on another blogger who has posted some well-wrought insights on a couple of the Golden Moth cards. Her name is Tierney Sadler, and she posts almost every day on <a href="http://thedailytarotdraw.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">"The Daily Draw"</a> blog, pulling from her vast and varied collection of tarot decks. Llewellyn is publishing her Tarot Toolkit called "The Deck of 1000 Spreads" in March! Check it <a href="http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738733395" target="_blank">out.</a> Even if you are not a tarot-enthusiast, her posts are insightful enough to get anyone thinking about life and the choices we all make. <br />
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You can read her Golden Moth interpretations here:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://thedailytarotdraw.blogspot.com/2012/12/121012breaking-out-of-your-shell.html" target="_blank">Card #17-<i><b> </b><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>What
do you see in this card? Does your interpretation relate to something
in your own life right now? What message does it hold for you?</b></span></i></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://thedailytarotdraw.blogspot.com/2012/12/121912being-ant.html?showComment=1356619591253#c1945711162407338030" target="_blank">Card #58<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b> - </b></i></span><i><b>What value and import do you place on community? How much do you give
to your community? Do you feel there's room in your life to kick it up a
notch?</b></i></a><br />
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What I love about Tierney's readings is her ability to cut through to the heart of a matter in a sometimes brutally honest way. She also provides historical background information about the cards - something I've never had much patience to do, which is why I created my own card deck in an intuitive way rather than spending a long time on research. So be sure to check out her blog for her individual spin on the cards!<br />
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I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. For me, it is a time of stress as well as joy, so I'm now making a very pleasant effort to rest and relax. That means reading lots of books, watching television, and not leaving the house much. Ah, such a nice break. In my head, I am also working on a review of the year which I plan to post soon. I wish everyone the ability to enjoy some peace and fun whenever you can!<br />
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-30306539205680487732012-11-23T19:49:00.000-08:002012-11-23T19:58:06.444-08:00The Man in the Moon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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About a month ago, friend, illustrator, and Golden Moth Deck owner <a href="http://katiegreen.co.uk/" target="_blank">Katie Green</a> asked me to write about Card #21, or what I consider "The Moon" card. Forgive me if this post gets a bit rambly, because it has been on my mind for awhile now. It is also serendipitous because when I checked out Priscilla Smith's blog <a href="http://www.spiritspeak444.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Spirit Speak 444</a>, I discovered that she had pulled this card today! Priscilla is pulling one card everyday this November and writing about it. You can read her Moon/Star post <a href="http://spiritspeak444.blogspot.com/2012/11/nablopomo-day-xxiii-star-man-or-woman.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It has been interesting to read Priscilla's interpretations of the cards because it further reinforces my decision to keep the symbols simple and in a single color (which was also suggested by Katie Green - double thanks!) I think these artistic decisions make the interpretation of each symbol much more open and free-flowing. With simple line drawings and no color cues, people are able to see what comes to their unique minds without too much outside influence. Priscilla's posts have also shown me that how someone literally <i>sees </i>an image is so very personal, based on their history and personality. It all continues to fascinate me, as both an artist and the creator of this deck. When Priscilla first mentioned this card in her <a href="http://spiritspeak444.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-interview-with-the-golden-moth.html" target="_blank">Golden Moth Deck Interview</a>, she called it "The Man from the Moon." Upon seeing this, I realized that when turned upside down, the object in the center of the image does look kind of like a person! Crazy, I did not picture this when I was drawing it. Actually, I meant the object to look a bit like a castle or a weird plant. I left it purposely ambiguous. The image actually came to me many years before as I was doodling some designs for T-shirts and this strange castle-ish image came out onto the page. I certainly didn't think I would end up turning it into a divination card.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dfmAlkAgedwcy8fXfClpGnIXxNah39g1xACsMSGylQ3xhhE2DkjnPGzPL4kIxBxloFlGPzamNONlUfeAqvadhFVn3HRFTY-Oc6X0XICEggxanFg7ruMZePLtT2jXc9elbvc4y7feFNU/s1600/moon+card+%28upside+down%29.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dfmAlkAgedwcy8fXfClpGnIXxNah39g1xACsMSGylQ3xhhE2DkjnPGzPL4kIxBxloFlGPzamNONlUfeAqvadhFVn3HRFTY-Oc6X0XICEggxanFg7ruMZePLtT2jXc9elbvc4y7feFNU/s400/moon+card+%28upside+down%29.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I created this symbol, I was highly inspired by the Moon card of the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck and the <a href="http://learntarot.com/maj18.htm" target="_blank">interpretation </a>I found on <a href="http://www.learntarot.com/">www.learntarot.com</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiUdWN-pMhiBJcFagJSvHjK6SsL22xzt3mkW9u_eUzUjJdJN8QbmjUJt2c2WOQPF2CRwnCrECKcseoRTIp64u1TMG2an3rb13Lfua_6BJ1v9eoa7AlTG7I1QYR3MeoXOrnUmthrWJVmk/s1600/moon+tarot+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiUdWN-pMhiBJcFagJSvHjK6SsL22xzt3mkW9u_eUzUjJdJN8QbmjUJt2c2WOQPF2CRwnCrECKcseoRTIp64u1TMG2an3rb13Lfua_6BJ1v9eoa7AlTG7I1QYR3MeoXOrnUmthrWJVmk/s200/moon+tarot+card.jpg" width="113" /></a>The Moon card is often seen as representing fears, anxieties, heightened fantasies and imagination, intuition, and creativity. I thought of this card as a ghostly imagination-castle growing out of a lake reflecting stars. However, the reflections are not total mirror images, which makes them a little less cut-and-dry. In fact, for a long time this card still remained ambiguous, artistically and interpretation-wise. I had some idea of what it meant through studying the Moon card in tarot tradition, but it still eluded me a bit when it came up in readings. Now I can see the symbol of an upside-down Man in the Moon is very fitting for this card as well. It reminds me of the <a href="http://learntarot.com/maj12.htm" target="_blank">Hanged Man</a> card in the tarot tradition.The Hanged Man is one of those paradoxical cards. While the words "Hanged Man" can sound ominous, the man in the card is very calm and the ring of light around his head makes him seem as though he is enlightened in the spiritual sense. (And isn't it further serendipity that my Moon card is #21, and the tarot Hanged Man card is that number reversed - #12? Woo...believe me, I didn't do that on purpose.) From learntarot.com: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiTxvx12VPCGsPJZKaZ8bLbvALiFUKDUgl9HJh6IgnxWuXOEdodhXWQEsWLyjJVTneTY-dkOE-Zh9U7CaioOXsjopSnvPm6YxpUInh3xmVKUP1-Jqne2AJw52iDjeHvfQpSd5begDxNc/s1600/Hanged_Man+card.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiTxvx12VPCGsPJZKaZ8bLbvALiFUKDUgl9HJh6IgnxWuXOEdodhXWQEsWLyjJVTneTY-dkOE-Zh9U7CaioOXsjopSnvPm6YxpUInh3xmVKUP1-Jqne2AJw52iDjeHvfQpSd5begDxNc/s200/Hanged_Man+card.jpg" width="113" /></a> "The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that we "control" by letting go -
we "win" by surrendering. The figure on Card 12 has made the ultimate
surrender - to die on the cross of his own travails - yet he shines with
the glory of divine understanding. He has sacrificed himself, but he
emerges the victor. The Hanged Man also tells us that we can "move
forward" by standing still. By suspending time, we can have all the time
in the world."
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I see the influence of this paradoxical and mystical energy in my Moon card. In readings for others and for myself, the Moon card will often come up during times of uncertainty. But I also think it is about trusting the moment and allowing unknowing to function in your life. The moon appears when the clear light of day is absent and we are left with a different kind of light - bright in its own way, but softer, more mysterious and magical. I think that this card often appears in times of life when events, thoughts, or actions have this sort of mysterious quality. Perhaps we are building a castle out of moonlight, letting the castle grow out of the water like a strange plant with its own life-force. Maybe we are simply dreaming, letting ourselves float through the night because we know the dream won't last. Or maybe we are dreaming so that we can figure out how to build the dream during waking life. The light of the moon is our testing ground, a time when we can create, drift, imagine, explore what we don't know. This all sounds pretty ambiguous and mystical, I know. But I do believe that is what the Moon card is about, at least to me. A time of transitions, a time to see our world in a different light. What does the Moon mean to you?<br />
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This card also has personal significance for me because I believe it is my guiding force when doing readings for other people. Since self-publishing the deck, I have done many more readings and I think that I have grown as a reader because of it. There have been many instances when people have told me they felt better after a reading, and I could feel it from their smiles and the lightness in their demeanor. But there are times when I feel nervous or unsure of what others are getting from the readings. Sometimes I go into anxiety-mode and start talking much more than is necessary, trying to fill the nervous space by leaving no stone unturned. I've come to realize that reading cards is very much about being in the moment, responding to people's needs as well as knowing what it is in my power to offer them. I can't always tell people what they <i>want </i>to hear. As much as I want to help people who are going through difficult situations, I have decided that my role as a reader is one of facilitator for people to understand themselves better. I try to remind people that they do know themselves and what they need to do, the cards are just there to help them see it in a more conscious way. I am not an all-knower, all-fixer, or there to placate them just so I feel good about myself. I don't think anyone really expects that of me, but it is tempting to wish that I could make people's lives better through my readings.<br />
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I am constantly floored by the mystery of life. Who is to say what effect - subtle or larger - that the readings will have on a person? Maybe I helped someone become more conscious of a negative pattern. Maybe talking through a reading helped lightened a burden for someone. Maybe the burden will come back, maybe it won't. I can't know or control it all. All I can do is try my best to be open to what is needed in the moment. Whenever I shuffle the cards, I've come to ask in my head "What does so-&-so need to hear right now? What does he/she need?" which amusingly makes me think about the Oracle in The Matrix movies. And it is amazing when I allow myself to be open to the cards and see them fresh each time. I definitely have personal interpretations for each card, but lately I've been trying to truly be in the moment and trust my intuition. It actually makes a card <i>look</i> different each time. Certain aspects will appear more strongly to me. I also am more open to other people's interpretations. When I am unsure of a card's meaning in the spread, I will ask the Querent what they think. And this is always the "right" meaning for their situation. I have learned so much more about my cards and their possibilities through the thoughts and suggestions of other people.<br />
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Whenever you feel confused or unsure, remember the Moon. Don't try to understand right away. Let it be. Let it be scary, let it be crazy, let it be the wrong thing for you. Or the right thing. Maybe they are the same thing. Let it ramble just as much as this post about the Moon. It is your nightmare, your dream, your mysterious and sacred life.<br />
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-29682307937870674332012-11-16T18:45:00.001-08:002012-11-16T18:46:19.120-08:00Sprout Head Sale - Hurrah for 2012!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMX1xRn_4yYfl3IzeSveQJQvtx9g9EZmKll18XuTcI8Z82MG5_OvzCUcAuTNjnC3lZx36Uq6M-tHaihticDnXIJp0JfpXZXZzDCHp1grCgU4SP28XfFCieS-7fUabh7yj_VWsrFuCW4E/s1600/Ecdysis+I+-+Full.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMX1xRn_4yYfl3IzeSveQJQvtx9g9EZmKll18XuTcI8Z82MG5_OvzCUcAuTNjnC3lZx36Uq6M-tHaihticDnXIJp0JfpXZXZzDCHp1grCgU4SP28XfFCieS-7fUabh7yj_VWsrFuCW4E/s200/Ecdysis+I+-+Full.jpg" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSAj9dB3ZAJ_BuOMKy-LGNmuzyDOXfs1cFfodvAM6QQIOAnbLpnRwOm8xQeRJHthxXcElh-8cLWflxbilIMOxoJWqcD94tn_my4cu4dY8_UYJlMzUjMrIZrKQ7ALywKPvlJfxRwurLL4/s1600/Ecdysis+II+-+Full.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSAj9dB3ZAJ_BuOMKy-LGNmuzyDOXfs1cFfodvAM6QQIOAnbLpnRwOm8xQeRJHthxXcElh-8cLWflxbilIMOxoJWqcD94tn_my4cu4dY8_UYJlMzUjMrIZrKQ7ALywKPvlJfxRwurLL4/s200/Ecdysis+II+-+Full.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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To help kick off the holiday season and my new linocut prints, I am starting early with a SALE in my online shop, <a href="http://sprouthead.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Head!</a>
Use Coupon Code HURRAH2012 upon checkout to receive 10% off
your entire order - hint: that includes Golden Moth Illumination Decks! Sale runs from Friday, November 16 - Monday, November
26. The first 10 orders over $10 (not including shipping) that use
coupon code will receive the zine "We Carry Each Other" for free with
your purchase! IMPORTANT: You MUST use the coupon code or else you will
not receive the discount or bonus zine.<br />
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-10878786377036043442012-11-01T07:49:00.001-07:002012-11-16T18:46:01.321-08:00GOLDEN MOTH FOR NABLOPOMO!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="userContent">NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, where bloggers set a goal to blog every day for a whole month. I've been lucky enough to have Priscilla Smith of the blog <a href="http://spiritspeak444.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Spirit Speak 444</a> choose my Golden Moth Illumination Deck as the theme for her NaBloPoMo! Starting on November 1st, everyday she will draw a card and post about her thoughts and interpretations. Get a preview of what is to come with her awesome and insightful <a href="http://spiritspeak444.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-interview-with-the-golden-moth.html" target="_blank">"Interview with the Golden Moth."</a> This will be exciting and fun for me to read and I hope it will be for you, too. Thanks Priscilla!</span></div>
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Also, you may have noticed a new tab at the top of the blog called <a href="http://goldenmoth.blogspot.com/p/craft-shows-and-golden-moth-events.html" target="_blank">"CRAFT SHOWS & EVENTS."</a> You can click on it anytime for an updated schedule of craft shows where I will be selling my art and Golden Moth Decks, as well as events where I will be doing Intuitive Card Readings.</div>
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Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-3343894619329114772012-10-18T06:44:00.000-07:002012-10-18T07:30:15.043-07:00Who's Behind Blue Elephant?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDTO3T4UHyEOdlAcp-9vxaZj8j8RmnuBGuwibAyitQ7CpcoSIg2s54ELmi-hC1VrNAi7ef4uBjzJNHFmFcLmaxKSS9Okh5GhV19PlOu4C132FocyEgIFUKc_7IJN1mTDqTQ3Zdvep-k0/s1600/store2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDTO3T4UHyEOdlAcp-9vxaZj8j8RmnuBGuwibAyitQ7CpcoSIg2s54ELmi-hC1VrNAi7ef4uBjzJNHFmFcLmaxKSS9Okh5GhV19PlOu4C132FocyEgIFUKc_7IJN1mTDqTQ3Zdvep-k0/s400/store2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As
some of you already know, I've started to give monthly Golden Moth
Intuitive Card Readings (like tarot readings, but using my own deck of <a href="http://aijungkim.com/section/319230_THE_GOLDEN_MOTH_ILLUMINATION_DECK.html" target="_blank">cards</a>)
at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/blueelephantrva" target="_blank">Blue Elephant</a> in Richmond. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This
months readings will take place on Sunday, October 21st from 1-4 pm -
coinciding with their weekend Sidewalk Sale which starts tomorrow! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span>Blue Elephant is a fantastic boutique
that sells vintage housewares and artwork by local artists, and I always
feel inspired after I visit. I've gotten to know Patsy and Jessica, the
owners, but thought it would be neat to interview them to find out a
little more about the mysterious women behind Blue Elephant. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here's Patsy on the left and Jessica on the right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Hello Patsy and Jessica! Would you please tell us a
little about yourselves?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> I was raised in Northern Virginia, and came down
to Richmond to
attend VCU. I definitely wasn’t thrilled to move here at first, but now I can’t
imagine living anywhere else! I have a cute row house in Oregon Hill that I
share with great roommates and one fat cat, I ride a scooter everywhere and
refuse to get my driver’s license, and I love all the great local shops and
restaurants. The amount of creative talent and friendly people make Richmond one of my
favorite places. It’s a beautiful, but unpretentious, city.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: I come from
a military family, and moved around often while growing up. My mother
(Jessica’s grandmother) is Japanese, so my father would take assignments in Japan so my mom
could be close to her family. I’ve lived in Japan twice in my life, and been
back for visits several times. Japan
and all things Japanese hold a special place in my heart and soul. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">I worked in
Northern Virginia at a large telecom company
for almost 20 years, while Jessica and her brother, John, were growing up. When
I first started working in telecom, I had no idea that I would do so for so
long. While working in a corporate environment has its good points, it
certainly didn’t make me feel fulfilled in a creative sense. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>How did you become
interested in vintage items and what made you decide to open a shop?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My mother, Patsy, was the one who always wanted to
try her hand at owning a store. When she decided it was time to give it a try,
I talked her into opening in Richmond, because I
thought a vintage housewares shop in Richmond
would make a great fit. She was still working in Northern
Virginia, so she asked me to help set up the store. And things
kind of just went from there!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: As time
went by in my telecom job, I found myself thinking more and more about leaving
my current life behind, and doing something totally different. So in 2010, I
took a large part of my savings, and opened Blue Elephant. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">Jessica is
a huge part of why I opened the store in Richmond.
She loved this city, and, in all my visits to it, I found that I loved it, too.
As I was still working in NoVA in 2010 and 2011, I also needed someone in whom
I could trust to be my business partner, and whom better than my own daughter? </span><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">It’s hard
to say how I became interested in vintage items, as it seems like I just always
have. I like things that have a history to them, and I like wondering about who
owned them before me. I like new things, too (well, some new things), but given
a choice between a new couch and a cute vintage one, I will almost always
choose vintage! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>How do you acquire your
items, and what sorts of things are you particularly on the lookout for?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We take things on consignment from people and we
also source things from auctions, estate sales, etc. Generally speaking, we
look for things that range from the 1940’s through the 1970’s or vintage
inspired pieces. Small pieces of mid-century furniture are always popular. I’m
forever searching for dressers, side tables, etc. Things that fit into small
Fan apartments.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: When I go
shopping for the store, I just look for things that I like. End of statement! I
think people sometimes think we’re experts or curators and know a lot about
this period and that particular designer and whatnot, and, over the past couple
of years, that certainly has become more of a true statement as we’ve learned a
lot. Jessica especially spends a large part of her day researching items, and
can generally give our customers a much more informed history of an item in our
shop than me. But as for me, I just look for what pleases my eye and what
strikes a chord inside me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>What are some
interesting/non-traditional ways that customers use objects from your store?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just had a customer that bought a wooden crate
and mounted it to the wall for a shelf. He also came back and bought a giant
wooden spool to try and turn into a side table. We also sell vintage luggage
and people do all sorts of things with them; tables, storage, pet beds. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: We’ve had
people buy mid-century china cabinets and sideboards to use as dressers, and
people buy dressers to use as sideboards. I think non-traditional uses of
furniture and accessories make a space interesting. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>What is your favorite
item currently in the store, and why?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J:</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> My favorite piece of furniture is probably the
gray mid-century sofa that we had reupholstered at u-fab. It has the greatest
lines with wide arms and original brass tapered legs. I’m also a sucker for
tiny animal figurines. I have a lot of bookcases at home and I like to add the
animals in with the books. I tell my little sisters they come alive at night to
have tiny animal book club meetings. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgL-wbgNNoWFSKSfYne2WLU1jnkTTBv8R0FVynBDWdhZCLyKQ7Kd15urPIndMyS63srvDb9-PMH_-GD0deFVCg1oPchCafcc5Bbv4CjfniSWJPENWGn1Rzs9JDTfqllgYy7L1uxNroA4/s1600/mid-century+gray+sofa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgL-wbgNNoWFSKSfYne2WLU1jnkTTBv8R0FVynBDWdhZCLyKQ7Kd15urPIndMyS63srvDb9-PMH_-GD0deFVCg1oPchCafcc5Bbv4CjfniSWJPENWGn1Rzs9JDTfqllgYy7L1uxNroA4/s400/mid-century+gray+sofa.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: I love the
gray sofa, too, but just recently someone brought in this blue clay bowl with
three blue clay heads inside. It’s odd, it’s whimsical, and for some reason, it
just delights me. I think I’m going to buy it for myself and take it home! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxvnBhx1l2Fm848Qx5UqsoRfOzlExBb7rIqahScAoU3DZ1xFDhsJAvv_U6inBwGLZ6RKExo3bujF9hNOE0Jec8eVJJ_q5OkqmB8AU7wZOcisSAlLCJwHfm7S1epr8inJl6a8uRymFCac/s1600/blue+bowl+w+heads.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxvnBhx1l2Fm848Qx5UqsoRfOzlExBb7rIqahScAoU3DZ1xFDhsJAvv_U6inBwGLZ6RKExo3bujF9hNOE0Jec8eVJJ_q5OkqmB8AU7wZOcisSAlLCJwHfm7S1epr8inJl6a8uRymFCac/s320/blue+bowl+w+heads.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>You two are the main
owners of the shop, but other members of your family are also
involved. Can you tell us how each of you helps in the running of the business
and what it’s like to work with family?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My brother, John, is a senior Crafts and Materials
major at VCU. He comes in frequently to do the windows for us. I assist him
when we do them, as there’s usually a lot of work that goes into our window
displays. John also will come and rearrange the store for us. He has a great
eye for visual merchandising. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My mother’s husband, Ron, also helps us.
Unfortunately for him, it’s usually the un fun part that he helps us with.
Delivering furniture, helping us with the accounting. He’s a good sport about
it, thankfully!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: As Jessica
said, John has a great eye for arranging a space. Have you ever watched that
show on HGTV where a designer comes into someone’s apartment and rearranges all
of their own furniture and makes it look like a thousand times better? Well,
that’s John! I love when he comes to the store and rearranges everything! </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">I don’t
think that without the support of my husband, Ron, I would have been brave
enough to venture out and start Blue Elephant. It’s true that he does help with
a lot of the un-fun things, like moving furniture and fixing things. But for
the past two years, he also played a really important role as our bookkeeper,
and helped us make sure all our accounts and taxes were in order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>What is the best part of
running your own business? The most difficult?</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The best part? I like when I have someone buy
something that I know they are excited about. Most everything in the store is
something I would like, but I am not a hoarder. So it’s the next best thing,
finding things for other people that make them happy! </i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The most difficult part for me is the stress of
owning your own business. When things don’t work out, or something you are
trying to do fails, you have no one but yourself to blame. I think people have
a misconception that what I do is fun all the time. I love what I get to do for
a living. But it is hard. There are a lot of responsibilities involved, and I
put myself last.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: One of the
best parts for me is that I get to work with my kids. I like that we have a
common goal, and I feel it has brought us closer. The relationship between
parents and their adult children is a lot different than when they’re little. I
really like where I am with them at this point in their lives. </span><span style="color: #3366ff;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">One of the
most difficult is exactly what Jessica said. It sometimes seems that we
sacrifice a lot to maintain the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not a job that you work 9 to 5, and then forget about when you go
home. It’s integral to us, and it’s really important to us to be fair to our
consignors and our artists and crafters. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>What has been your
favorite experience with a customer?</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Recently, we sold a beautiful blue mid-century
sofa to a young couple that had just moved to Richmond.
They were both very kind and I knew the wife had her heart set on the sofa.
When her husband came in later after work to see it himself, I worked with him
to get to a price we could both work with and had it delivered for free. It
made my day when they sent a text telling us how thrilled they were with the
sofa and thanked us again. When people appreciate the things we do, it makes
everything worthwhile.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: I have so
many it’s hard to choose! Generally speaking, I just love when someone buys
something that they’re super excited about, and that’s a good deal for both
them and us. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>How do you like your
current location in the Fan?</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We just recently moved from Strawberry Street to
Robinson Street. The old location was smaller, and when the opportunity to be
next to Halcyon Vintage Clothing opened up, I couldn’t say no. And so far, it’s
worked out great! The space is larger and brighter, all the ladies next door at
Halcyon are wonderful, and having Deep Groove a couple blocks down is awesome
too! We’ve kind of made a little trifecta of vintage stores.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: Ditto to
that!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>What kinds of items do
you think will be popular this coming holiday season?</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The things that I think make great gifts are
vintage items like aprons, books, embroidered linens, and cute kitchen items. I
also think work by local artists such as yourself make wonderful gifts. Small
prints, paintings, or pottery by local artists are great one of a kind items
that support the creative community within Richmond.</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: I think
anyone who has someone they’re getting a gift for who appreciates something not
mass-produced and that’s different and unique as well as thoughtful, will be
able to find something special at Blue Elephant!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Anything else we should
know?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">J: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I can’t think of anything else. Just, thanks!</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3366ff;">P: You ask a
lot of questions, Aijung! I’m tired now. ;) But thank you so much for taking
the time to interview us!!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeCI9v-IqaBTvUUDI0wYTnFlQOmfGulLeY2g9Oc9iJ8qvWAfsSAjzAljgqgdZ0GgQvRqtPaPpEx4Tj3WVYnqT0OEIOBIPMpouJ021O4UITV8K5YBrAykC10tC2K1LGGNkkVLe-EGO5-c/s1600/store1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdeCI9v-IqaBTvUUDI0wYTnFlQOmfGulLeY2g9Oc9iJ8qvWAfsSAjzAljgqgdZ0GgQvRqtPaPpEx4Tj3WVYnqT0OEIOBIPMpouJ021O4UITV8K5YBrAykC10tC2K1LGGNkkVLe-EGO5-c/s400/store1.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: Rockwell;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Thanks, ladies! </span></b></span></span></div>
</div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-56142191327416419072012-09-25T07:04:00.003-07:002012-09-25T07:07:22.422-07:00Golden Moth is on Facebook!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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</div>
I created a Facebook page for The Golden Moth Illumination Deck:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/goldenmothdeck">www.facebook.com/goldenmothdeck</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NWJKq2y3BBZc52or9fg0l5c4yhgZZI82JC3Xuadc9lHPs0fmUC9WL116AQ4ktcw4TveC36wsoOTPlly2-itJl2UczigphP8SZkLtA4Htx9hPS_vy6mzijXPUAkNmOF52e6Fd9yRoJ5s/s1600/Golden+Moth+Facebook+Page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NWJKq2y3BBZc52or9fg0l5c4yhgZZI82JC3Xuadc9lHPs0fmUC9WL116AQ4ktcw4TveC36wsoOTPlly2-itJl2UczigphP8SZkLtA4Htx9hPS_vy6mzijXPUAkNmOF52e6Fd9yRoJ5s/s400/Golden+Moth+Facebook+Page.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Please "like" my page to receive updates about events, sales, blog updates, and anything else Golden Moth! Feel free to comment about the deck or experiences you have had with it, too. I'm still trying to create a dialogue on the Golden Moth blog, and would love it if people shared their thoughts here or on Facebook because I've already heard some great stories from some of you. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Thanks!</div>
</div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-5101606965972609402012-09-25T06:44:00.001-07:002012-09-25T06:45:42.748-07:00Shedding Masks and Seeing New Faces<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is a definite chill in the air these days. It's still t-shirt weather for me here in Richmond, VA, but more often than not I will wear a light hoodie while I wait for the clear afternoon sunlight to warm my skin.<br />
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I love this kind of weather. I love watching the transition into fall, anticipating the day when I will bundle inside layers of clothing, coats, scarves, and hats that make me feel protected and cocooned against the cold. Being an artist, it feels only natural to sit at my desk and work during these days. While I do want to soak up the perfect autumn days, there isn't the same pull that summertime has with its restless energy.<br />
<br />
As we pass the autumnal equinox, the daylight recedes earlier each evening and humans follow the habits of the sun. Our thoughts and inner wanderings become more pronounced as we recede inside of ourselves. I think of October which is coming soon, and the holiday that is the hallmark of the month - Halloween. The modern-day celebration for masked tricksters and glowing pumpkin faces began long ago as a Celtic pagan tradition called Samhain. It was the Celtic New Year, a time to celebrate the gathering of the harvest, honor relatives who had passed, and look towards what the seasons ahead would bring. It was a time of magic, of transitions, when the skin that separated the living and those who passed was very thin. <br />
<br />
It is wonderful to feel at peace with transition, with the unveiling of things hidden.<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks ago I gave readings at the Blue Elephant (which I'm excited to say will now be a monthly event!) Often when I give readings to many people in a short amount of time, a handful of the same cards will come up again and again - in the same or different positions - within the spread. This is after shuffling, cutting, and having the Querents randomly pick out individual cards that are spread out on the table, so it's not just a matter of the same cards clumping together within the deck. I'm not sure why this happens. Perhaps people intuitively pick up on the energy of cards that have been recently touched. One friend suggested that maybe people go through similar life-themes during certain periods of time, like a cosmic effect. Either way, seeing the same cards over and over again can be disconcerting at times because it's like repetitive deja vu. But it teaches me to be flexible with my interpretations and often alerts me to dimensions of the card that I hadn't noticed before. It's funny to me, and rather amazing, that even though I created these symbols and had specific ideas about their meanings, the cards continue to morph and reveal layers of complexity. These seemingly simple images are so open and inviting if you allow them to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG5QAKtq07Cny6r-eTVb8d6-yP6CjD2C1UoBSGFLGQpi7bwAbuMNJVmin4qSGUZdlUzMQ2UhvIr49Yrh7x0D2hlSmfQ7EMhgIKiuISBKvi7Pi2YxqLwugB54MBL624M58gOwehzn5bDY/s1600/Cards+%2314+&+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfG5QAKtq07Cny6r-eTVb8d6-yP6CjD2C1UoBSGFLGQpi7bwAbuMNJVmin4qSGUZdlUzMQ2UhvIr49Yrh7x0D2hlSmfQ7EMhgIKiuISBKvi7Pi2YxqLwugB54MBL624M58gOwehzn5bDY/s400/Cards+%2314+&+15.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the cards that came up repeatedly that day is #14. While I advise that no card is inherently positive or negative, I can't help associating this card with unhappiness - which to me is a negative characteristic. However, through the readings I discovered qualities I had not previously recognized, such as judgement, criticalness, and discernment. In themselves, these qualities can be used for beneficial or hindering effects, depending on what the Querent needs in their life. One Querent pointed out to me that #14 is male and the left side of his face is frowning, while #15 is female and her right side if smiling. Not to get too gender-stereotypical, but traditionally males are associated with more analytical, left-brained thinking and women with more intuitive, right-brained thinking. (Although if you want to get really technical, I believe the right and left hemispheres of the brain control the respective <i>opposite </i>sides of the body...) I hadn't thought of these things consciously, but the symbolism had come through intuitively while I was drawing the symbols.<br />
<br />
Oh, how I love it when things turn out to be more than they appear.<br />
<br />
<b>Dialogue:</b><br />
<i>Can you think of a time when things turned out to be different than you had previously thought? Do you notice transitions in yourself or others more clearly during certain seasons? </i><br />
<br />
<i>For those of you who use the Golden Moth Illumination Deck, which cards have come up repeatedly in your readings? Which cards' meanings have revealed multiple dimensions to you over time?</i></div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-46126237674921636682012-09-10T12:24:00.001-07:002012-09-10T12:24:49.911-07:00Giveaway Winners!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello! <br />
<br />
I thank everyone who left a comment on the <a href="http://goldenmoth.blogspot.com/2012/07/sprout-head-sale-and-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Giveaway post</a> - it was great reading all the comments and hearing about your perspectives. And thanks so much for your patience waiting for me to pick out the winners. <br />
<br />
I put your names in a mason jar, swirled them around, closed my eyes and fished out the winners.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF7q1-rjqjX_lF6PRLzxtp6XwGx2qbuURt61kEayzlb-UMUZJq31D7kl37lHT7aVcbXiVEvPaOnr_AiRjiCeN2EqU6UiNd6zbpAYtNWt-g7-NNlEnrZFCbSMk3EtA54kJvnARH_NkaQI/s1600/Mason+Jar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTF7q1-rjqjX_lF6PRLzxtp6XwGx2qbuURt61kEayzlb-UMUZJq31D7kl37lHT7aVcbXiVEvPaOnr_AiRjiCeN2EqU6UiNd6zbpAYtNWt-g7-NNlEnrZFCbSMk3EtA54kJvnARH_NkaQI/s320/Mason+Jar.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
One Golden Moth Illumination Deck set plus one Intuitive Card Reading goes to...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1aTcSSDN5lWx_dEZwsm0OWSTJJMw1o0bL0dIFX73Xp-sPvIw9hsM2ozwhJ0THrx9xs0qPh2rUe85AXt5G0VNoO68DcW5oPAiyYPK1EdPAL7usEIA14cMCtk0MNNBZR5_OG_7cN4KvQg/s1600/Michelle+Cornelison+Winner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie1aTcSSDN5lWx_dEZwsm0OWSTJJMw1o0bL0dIFX73Xp-sPvIw9hsM2ozwhJ0THrx9xs0qPh2rUe85AXt5G0VNoO68DcW5oPAiyYPK1EdPAL7usEIA14cMCtk0MNNBZR5_OG_7cN4KvQg/s320/Michelle+Cornelison+Winner.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Michelle Cornelison! </div>
<br />
One Intuitive Card Reading goes to...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Jeanie!</div>
<br />
And lastly, I decided to throw in a little runner-up prize for a third winner. You will receive a set of two notecards. That winner is...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0b1yDZNTb2RBo7BxPAEzqC2RH1fAhyphenhyphenKD7qM0MW8l2LlYaaz41tQEw8UKv4PNC_BO6U2VPczNhUSYiTcrXbegNRBZeoVFKIhC7qW0hkWWHX1yLwm5al1tpcNSEfzK-i0n3NSALii1sTw/s1600/This+is+the+Peev+Winner.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0b1yDZNTb2RBo7BxPAEzqC2RH1fAhyphenhyphenKD7qM0MW8l2LlYaaz41tQEw8UKv4PNC_BO6U2VPczNhUSYiTcrXbegNRBZeoVFKIhC7qW0hkWWHX1yLwm5al1tpcNSEfzK-i0n3NSALii1sTw/s320/This+is+the+Peev+Winner.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the peev! </div>
<br />
A little more info is needed now. All e-mails can be sent to: good_old_fashioned_smell@hotmail.com<br />
<br />
Michelle, please e-mail me your address and information to receive your Intuitive Card Reading. Follow this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/105696861/golden-moth-intuitive-card-reading-9" target="_blank">link</a> to find out the information required for your Reading.<br />
<br />
Jeanie, follow this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/105696861/golden-moth-intuitive-card-reading-9" target="_blank">link</a> and e-mail me the information required.<br />
<br />
Thisisthepeev, e-mail me your address and follow this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/105067994/whale-rider-and-compass-hand-blank" target="_blank">link</a> to see your notecard choices. You may choose 1 of each card, or 2 of one design.<br />
<br />
Thanks everyone who entered, and congratulations to the winners! </div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-86650637311474822002012-08-07T20:29:00.001-07:002012-09-28T16:43:33.302-07:00All Eyes on Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One way that people can become better acquainted with their cards and interpreting the symbols is to do a "Daily Drawing" - choosing one card to meditate on for that particular day. I'd seen it suggested before in Tarot workbooks and blogs, and I was reminded of it again when I read a comment from a reader on my <a href="http://goldenmoth.blogspot.com/2012/07/sprout-head-sale-and-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Giveaway blog post</a> and I saw that she devoted her blog to <a href="http://thedailytarotdraw.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">daily readings of cards</a>.<br />
<br />
I've never done it before, so I shuffled the cards and pulled this one at random from the deck:<br />
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My personal interpretation of this card is that it is one of "playing a new role." Generally in readings for other people, I see this card come up when someone has had a change of circumstance (be it a conscious decision or thrust upon them) and must take on new responsibilities or display aspects of themselves that they aren't used to - for example, they have made a change in their career or they are no longer in a certain relationship that defined them and they now see different meaning in themselves and to the people around them.<br />
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I always think of the woman in the card as reaching for a garment or costume, something to clothe her in an outward facade that matches what she feels (or wants to feel) on the inside. Something struck me about this card today - her nakedness. That might seem obvious, but I'd never considered it in quite this way before - keep reading...<br />
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I've been teaching art workshops to kids all summer. While I've had some very focused and creative kids in my classes, I've also had some rambunctious ones that have been the cause of some very draining moments. I'm very sensitive to noise, and last week I started to develop a low-grade headache during class because of children that wouldn't stop talking or playing around when I tried to call them to attention. Yesterday, I had a sinking feeling that my new round of 6 - 8 year-olds was going to be even harder to handle than the last. I still don't feel totally comfortable being an authoritative figure.
When I first started teaching children three years ago, I hated telling kids, "No" or "Stop that." I do it freely now. But there are still times when kids ask me questions and there is a grey area in the answer. I ask myself, what would an "adult" say in this situation? Or times when I don't know exactly how to react to what a child does or says. How do I teach wrong from right when there are so many larger issues at play? Teaching has taught me many things, and one is that I must be fully present and responsive, or I can let an opportunity pass and be unchallenged. I can now understand why teachers get lazy and pretend not to see what is going on. It takes so much responsibility to absorb and react to every single moment. <br />
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I thought about what Card #29 had to teach me about my present situation. When someone goes through a shift and has to play a role that is new or uncomfortable to them, they experience a moment of transition where they must strip themselves of former notions and reach for the garment that will clothe them in the confidence required to "play their part." Within that transition is a moment of nudity - of utter starkness and vulnerability. As humans, we go through these kinds of shifts everyday. In the very practiced, that shift may be imperceptible. In others, it may be empowering as they choose to see and present themselves in a new light. And in others, the shift may seem clunky and even embarrassing. It can be painful to watch others' uncertainty. We don't always have to be comfortable with the roles we play. But if it's important enough to us, we need to at least give it a try - even if that means merely pretending until we feel that we can embody the part.<br />
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This morning before I set off to my class, I thought about the freshness of such shifting roles. That I can choose play the role of "Teacher" and take it off more easily than I used to when I first began teaching. That within that role there is a multitude of variables and factors in every moment - in myself, in my students, in our relationship to each other. It reminded me that each day is new and full of possibilities, and that I don't have to weigh myself down with my own expectations. I can allow that nakedness to clear the slate.<br />
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Today during class, my kids seemed more focused. I still had a little trouble getting them to listen to directions, but I got a tip from one of them. While helping Logan glue bits of "grass" - green paper paper that he had fringed on the edges - onto his pop-up card, he gave me a tip: "You should say '1-2-3, eyes on me!' the way our other teacher does. Then all the students will look straight into your eyes like this," and he proceeded to give me a wide-eyed, mesmerized stare. I agreed that I would try it out. <br />
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When I next needed the class's attention, I called out "1-2-3, eyes on me!" I got about half of the kids to look up at me quietly, which was more than normal. I looked over at Logan. He beamed and nodded his head at me. I guess I'd done something right.<br />
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<b>Dialogue:</b><br />
<i>What does Card #29 mean to you? Were/Are you in a situation where you had to take on a new role? How did that feel? What role do you fear? What role do you desire? What role liberates you?</i></div>
Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-83605777078769247272012-07-29T18:28:00.001-07:002012-07-29T18:38:55.490-07:00Origins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This will be the first in what I hope to be many dialogues sharing our experiences using The Golden Moth Illumination Deck. For many, using the deck is a very new experience, since I only made them available last month. But you must remember that creating and using the deck is also a relatively new experience for myself.<br />
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Three years ago in August, I was preparing for my first craft show since moving to Richmond, Virginia. I had just moved earlier that summer, and was having trouble finding a job. I really didn't want to work at the same food service chain that I had left when I lived in Portland, Oregon, yet I also didn't have much luck finding places who were hiring (or would hire me, at least). After making a few feeble attempts to transfer to said Food Chain, I decided to stop trying. I had more time on my hands, and less money. However, I had been so unhappy working in food service that I decided I would use my time by diving into anything art-related I could find in Richmond. I volunteered for three months at <a href="http://www.visarts.org/" target="_blank">The Visual Arts Center of Richmond</a> (where I would later teach). I made a new zine about my observations of being in Richmond. And I scouted out for any craft fairs I could be a part of. My first was the annual Jonny Z Fest, organized by <a href="http://www.art180.org/" target="_blank">Art 180</a>.<br />
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A few days before the fest, I decided to make a very quick rendition of my own "tarot" deck. But instead of traditional tarot images, I would use my own imagery. I was never a very skilled reader of tarot, but I was fascinated by it and other forms of divination such as I Ching and Runes. I had learned from my limited encounters with these forms that there are many ways to express similar sentiments and concepts, and that each form has its own special slant based on the culture and time period it was devised in. I decided it would be easier for me, as an artist, to create my own imagery that I felt could speak on a personal level to me, but also be highly relatable to others.<br />
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I sketched out tiny little rectangles in my sketchbook and quickly filled them with images and corresponding "titles." The drawings and concepts poured out of me as if they'd been incubating for years and just needed the opportunity to be released. After two short drawing sessions, I think I had about 60 cards sketched out. I cut up pieces of cardstock and drew the images onto tiny cards in the same simple, bare-bones fashion I'd made the sketches. I figured I would work on perfecting the drawings at a later time. After consulting with my sister and then-boyfriend, I decided I wouldn't title the cards. I always found it difficult in tarot to separate the meanings of the cards from their names. Some cards like "Death" or "The Devil" immediately inspired negative connotations to me that were hard to shake even when I knew that their symbolism was deeper, more subtle, and at times opposing to what I thought they were. My decision to not title the cards was also inspired by a deck called <a href="http://www.touchdrawing.com/3SoulCards/SCmain.html" target="_blank">"SoulCards"</a> which had images without titles or predefined meanings, meant to evoke creative expression and interpretation from the reader without any previous experience.<br />
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I was excited and nervous about bringing my cards to the craft show. I had never done a reading for a stranger before, and certainly never asked for monetary donations for doing one. But for some reason, I had confidence that the cards would "work." I had done "readings" in the past for people that were nothing like tarot readings. It's hard to explain without giving it away (which would defeat its purpose), but it's a visualization exercise that I found in a young adult novel years ago. I asked people to describe what they saw when given a certain situation and objects to visualize. I would draw these things and make notes about them that they could look at later. From their descriptions, I interpreted what each thing meant about themselves and their personality. I found that people almost always responded in a surprised fashion at these interpretations, amazed at how well the interpretations seemed to represent them. I realized I was good at those kinds of readings because I am an artist and I am highly drawn to symbolism and visual representations of what goes on "under the surface." For that reason, I believe my visual language/intelligence is more finely-attuned and one of my strongest assets.<br />
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I did three card readings at the Jonny Z Fest. Honestly, I can't remember too much about the readings. I knew I had to be confident and trust the cards in order for them to work. I had to have faith. One person responded in a sort of neutral fashion, but I remember that one lady seemed really excited about her reading. All I remember is that it was enough for me to feel gratified about the whole process myself. I had helped a few people gain some clarity over situations or problems they were facing, or at least gave them another way to look at things. The cards related to their questions in a way that was not purely coincidental or random they way some newspaper horoscopes seem to be. I had dialogues with strangers about their personal matters, connecting in a way that seldom has the opportunity to flourish under normal circumstances.<br />
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For the last three years, I have honed my own reading style more and more. That is not to say that I am an expert. There are times when I lack confidence and feel that I am not giving the Questioner the experience or answers they had hoped for. However, I've found that it's impossible to please everyone. The majority of the experiences I've shared with others make the process of reading cards to be enjoyable, enlightening, and satisfying to me. I used to think I was "telling the future" for others. But I am not a psychic. At best, I can be highly intuitive, at worst hesitating and doubtful. I've found that reading cards for others is part divination/part healing process - allowing others to share their uncertainty and view situations from a new perspective. I've observed people become emotional, shed tears, release unhealthy expectations, and express joy. I've seen an emotional shift in a person who sat down next to me, from slightly skeptical to elated. To put it visually, it's as if a door opened inside of them and they became filled with light and energy.<br />
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As I continue to read the cards, I find that I increasingly ask for input from the Questioner. I find that they have a lot to teach <i>me</i>, in terms of how they interpret the cards and how the images apply to their situation. I think that having a conversation about the cards is an important part of the process, as opposed to me giving the interpretations and not having any input. However, I've read for people who would only nod their head or look at the cards with a bemused expression, who would say things like "this card makes a lot of sense to me" and not elaborate any further. I've respected their silence as well, for everyone processes experiences differently and sharing should be a purely voluntary response.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dialogue</b></span><b><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></b><br />
<i>What is your experience using the cards? Did you purchase the cards yourself, or are they a gift from a friend? Have you read tarot before or worked with other forms of divination? How does reading these cards compare? Have you never read cards before? How do you feel as a beginner? Any stories you'd like to share? Questions?</i><i><br /></i><br />
<i>I can't wait to hear all about it! Please leave your comments here and feel free to "talk" to others who respond. I do believe
that we can all learn from each other, and I plan to keep writing posts
that inspire an active dialogue and friendship among the Golden Moth community. Part
of the reason I was so excited to release this deck to the public was
seeing how the use of the cards would grow and change through the
collective experiences of others. That includes you! </i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
<i>xo aijung</i></div>Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-65354244789783211682012-07-23T07:54:00.001-07:002012-07-23T07:56:06.739-07:00Sprout Head Sale and GIVEAWAY!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After taking a couple of weeks to relax from the project, I have finally listed "The Golden Moth Illumination Deck" and other related products in my Etsy shop, <a href="http://www.sprouthead.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Sprout Head! </a>In celebration of my 5-year anniversary, I am offering a 10% discount on all items in my shop through the end of July! Simply use Coupon Code: 5YEARS upon checkout to receive your discount.<br />
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As part of the celebration of my shop anniversary and the official release of the deck, I am also offering a GIVEAWAY of:<br />
- One Golden Moth Illumination Deck (includes the deck, handbook, and spread sheet) with one free Intuitive Card Reading<br />
- One Intuitive Card Reading to another lucky winner!<br />
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In order to enter, simply make a comment to this post about why you are interested in the deck and/or reading. I will put
all names on slips of paper and draw a name at random to decide the two
winners. You have until August 19th to enter!<br />
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*BONUS*<br />
You can increase your chances of winning by doing the following (your name will be added one time per activity, so you can increase your odds up to 5 times including just leaving a comment):<br />
- Become a follower of The Golden Moth Blog<br />
- Become a follower of my art blog: www.aijungkim.blogspot.com<br />
- Tweet or post about the giveaway on Facebook<br />
- Post about the giveaway on your blog <br />
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PLEASE MAKE SURE TO LET ME KNOW WHICH OF THESE YOU HAVE DONE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OTHERWISE I WON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIME TO ADD YOU!<br />
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Thanks everyone!<br />
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<br /></div>Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-760111674230753190.post-80589487375826338422012-06-16T20:01:00.000-07:002012-06-16T20:11:05.279-07:00Welcome!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello and Welcome to The Golden Moth Illumination Deck blog!<br />
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The character of this brand-new blog will be shaped by those who read and use it. My intention is to allow this blog to be a place for people to learn and share ideas about using the Golden Moth deck, to ask questions and spark inspiration. So if you have any ideas, please share them in the comments section!<br />
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For those of you who don't know what the deck is, please visit my <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/51647073/the-golden-moth-illumination-deck?ref=live">Kickstarter page</a> to see the original campaign launch to raise money to have the deck of cards printed, and I promise I will post more info soon.<br />
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For now, take care!<br />
<br />
Aijung</div>Aijung Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07014473487838930687noreply@blogger.com3