Hi friends! Happy Friday! I hope you are hanging in there for eclipse season. I have a ton of resources on my Instagram to help you through. Here they are:
I also have gone through a TOTAL health rollercoaster this summer, that I talk about in this reel. Anybody else??
So first, the most fun news is that the draft of my book, Tarot for People-Pleasers and Perfectionists: How to Use the Cards to Make Decisions, Set Better Boundaries, and Finally Trust Yourself, has been in the hands a few beta readers (THANK YOU!!!) this past couple of weeks. And the feedback has been really, REALLY nice:
The book is truly incredible, Catherine. It’s everything I hoped it would be after learning from you for the last year and so much more. I’ve never seen anything like it and I think it’s going to rock the whole Tarot and people pleaser population. I have a huge email draft going with all my thoughts and notes and will be sure to answer your questions below directly. I’ve also been using the book as a tarot reference for daily pulls and some spreads I’ve done and it’s awesome, so I’ll include notes from those as well.
I just wanted to jump on here and tell you as I was doing my first read through of your book I read it as someone who would use it and I am having such fun. I had let my Tarot practice go by the wayside the last few months and this brought the joy back into it for me.
This book is SO, SO good. I had to refrain from commenting on everything I loved, all the things I related to, and insights I thought were brilliant; otherwise I would have weighed down the whole comments section with my enthusiasm. I love the way you combine client and personal stories to make everything so relatable and relevant to our modern lives. Especially during the first part of the book through the major arcana, everything just flowed. I often forgot that I was supposed to be reviewing and making critiques because it was all so well written and FUNNY. I love the humor throughout. I can’t wait to get the published book in my hands. I already know this will become my most dog-eared tarot reference of all time. Thanks for entrusting me to read it in this beta form.
When we were driving back from Indiana my husband AJ (who’s also a writer) somehow got some AI voice program to read the text of my book and he listened to a couple of hours of it with me and even HE said he enjoyed it! He doesn’t read or use or “believe in” Tarot but he still said it completely captured his attention.
The book is due to my editor at the end of August and it won’t be out published in the world until December 2027 which truly feels too far away. I can’t wait for you all to have it in your grubby little hands!
That said, at my Tarot retreat August 21-23 in Maryland, I am going to be reading lots of excerpts from the book, so if you want to join us… head here! 3 spots left!
Ready to deepen into Tarot as a tool to help clarity, boundaries, and decision making in your life? Plus, learn to read for others?! All in a like-minded community where you can share and explore your spirituality in a safe and non-judgmental space? Then come join Catherine for a weekend Tarot & journaling retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains this August! All details here, just a few spots left.
As I have studied and read Tarot for the past ten years, and of course as I’ve been writing my book, I’ve been grateful for the many other books and authors and scholars that I’ve learned from and been inspired by. I have so many fave Tarot books, maybe one day I’ll put together a full list, but a great book I do love is Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth, by Jessica Dore. It’s a very helpful framing of the cards through psychological framework for mindfulness and a therapeutic and personal growth lens.
I gave away a copy of the book I had a couple of years ago, and recently was like, I need to re-order! So I did. And then, oops, I forgot I re-ordered it. So when I was in Castle Brooks Spiritual Supply in Lafayette last week, I bought ANOTHER copy. Then the online copy I had ordered arrived. Ack! Now I have two copies!
Well, what better opportunity for a giveaway? And I decided to add on a few things… So, for five readers, I’ll be giving you one of the below…
A copy of Tarot for Change
A fancy crystal I have lying around (I have too many crystals, and need to give away some)
And for three readers, I’ll give away 3 YEAR-LONG paid subscriptions to the New Sensitive
To enter to win one of these, just leave a comment below! If you are already a paid subscriber but want to win the crystal or book, just leave a note that you’re already a paid subscriber and I’ll enter you for just those.
I’ll pick winners at random by Monday, August 17 and mail or give you your gifts by the end of the month.
Don’t forget, I have a big 20% lifetime off deal going on for paid subscribers now anyways, too!
Okay, let’s get into the 5 on a Friday… a mishmash of things I am enjoying, consuming, and want to recommend….
CLOTHING! We have our Italy retreat coming up SO soon. When Missy and I hosted our retreat last year in Bali, I turned up wearing all of my old yoga clothes and she turned up, wearing lovely, thoughtful clothes and looking like an actual retreat leader (beautiful, classy, gorgeous, like the wonderful soul she is). I was like… hrrm, oh. Maybe I could dress up a little bit for the Italy retreat? I really rarely buy new clothes. This is part because I prefer to thrift; part I just don’t buy that many clothes; part because I mostly exclusively operate in Troll Mode these days; and a lot because I have been in a 7-year-clothing-identity-black-hole where I just wear sweats at home and if I need to dress up for a call I’ll wear one of my old office blouses on top. But I have felt like I’ve lost a sense of style for sure since COVID. Anyways I decided, for the first time ever, I ordered a few pieces from Quince. I got this linen skirt & top (in the white & blue floral) set, these barrel jeans, and this long-line vest. I also went to Old Navy and got a few things; this fit and flare dress; this peplum tank top; this cute matching PJ set; and this linen maxi dress. Mixed with a few other thrifted items and some older stuff from my closet (and a few shoes, including these Old Navy fisherman sandals I already own), I am feeling much more ready and polished to host this retreat! (I have tried on and really like all these pieces I linked. I am about 5’9, 150 pounds, and tend to wear anywhere between a 4 and a 12, because sizing numbers are made up.)
Travel cosmetic bag: I also wanted to up my packing and airplane travel game just a bit. I am a big believer that dressing the way you want to be perceived, or the way your future ideal self would dress, is a top tier manifestation technique. Also, I am aiming to pack in a carry-on for this trip because I have a nightmare of none of my nice retreat clothes showing up to Italy and I have to teach repeatedly in a set of Walmart sweats that smell like plane. (Also when we went to Italy for our honeymoon I packed a big bag and dragging it around on the trains was a huge pain.) So first off, I got this travel cosmetics bag that I saw Helene in Between recommend. I used it in Indiana and I can confirm, it weirdly fits a lot! I also decided I wanted a somewhat chic but extremely comfortable plane outfit, so I got these sleektech athleisure pants from Old Navy, and this half-zip bounce fleece pullover. In terms of packing - I’m torn between getting packing cubes, or using the roll method (or both??). I’ll also try to incorporate this Cup of Jo packing tip. If you have any packing genius methods, do leave them in the comments. I’m a person who gets HUGELY overstimulated and overwhelmed when trying to pack (and then I end up grossly overpacking), so if you have found any ADHD calming packing methods, let me know!!
For my face: I’ve really been enjoying this cheap drugstore moisturizer. That’s it, that’s the whole rec.
Stew: I posted this on Instagram but I recently made the Alison Roman chickpea tumeric coconut stew that was so incredibly popular like 10 years ago and it’s still really good!
Morning drink: I am ONCE AGAIN detoxing from caffeine (ugh) and I needed to make myself a little mug of something special to replace the coffee. It’s hard to quit coffee unless you make up a drink you look forward to just as much. I heat up blend goat’s milk, a little bit of cacao, some raw honey, some collagen (lately I’m just using whatever Trader Joe’s sells), and one of the many powder coffee alternatives from local-to-me and awesome herbalist Cree Catlett. She has a ton of great stuff on that page, I can endorse all of it. I’ve been getting served IG ads for Sips Herbal, too; haven’t tried it yet but hope to soon!
Oh, and a bonus 6th thing! I’m hosting IN PERSON NEW MOON JOURNAL CIRCLES for the rest of the year in Leesburg, VA! Come for community, a Tarot reading from me, custom journal prompts and reflection, and teachings about the new moon and sharing with other women. Just $22, the first one is Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7pmET, get tix here.
PS, for paid subscribers, I recently posted all of my upcoming content ideas and am asking you to weigh in on what you want to see me write about next in the Substack chat!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, all you have to do is leave a comment! You could leave me a comment on a recipe you love to make in the fall (I’m looking for soups and stews); your fave packing methods; any good books you’ve devoured recently; how your eclipse season is going, or anything else. I’d love to hear from you. I hope you are well.
xo
Catherine
PS! Ready to deepen into Tarot as a tool to help clarity, boundaries, and decision making in your life? Plus, learn to read for others?! All in a like-minded community where you can share and explore your spirituality in a safe and non-judgmental space? Then come join me for a weekend Tarot & journaling retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains August 21-23! All details here, just a few spots left.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.