Sasha Graham's Blog

Author Sasha Graham offers up Virgo Season entertainment suggestions.

Originally aired and posted on The List TV on August 23rd, 2021

By: Cindy Castillo | Kristina Guerrero | Sasha Graham

Virgo season runs from August 23rd to September 22nd, and, according to the stars, it’s the perfect time to get stuff done. It’s all about the details and hard work. Plus, it’s back to school time! So whether or not you’re pulling up your plaid socks, sharpening pencils, or digging deep into your career, the most important thing to remember is not to overwork yourself. Taking time to indulge is essential because Virgo season arrives with lots of heightened emotions and intense changes. Lucky for you, metaphysical author Sasha Graham has a list of the best entertainment options for when you do decide to unwind and relax.

1. TV

The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals Mental and physical wellbeing take a front seat when you spark your imagination with The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals. Follow three hosts as they travel the world to find you incredible properties you can rent. Everything from igloos, to yachts, to tree houses! They have their eye on luxury, uniqueness, and locations that are pretty affordable! Stream it now on Netflix.

The Chair Feeling Virgo’s dark academic vibes? If so, kick back with Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh who stars in this comedy set at an elite university. Sandra portrays the first woman of color to be named chair of English at an elite university, and we follow her story as she navigates an overwhelmingly white staff, racism, sexism, and saucy love triangles. Available now on Netflix.

Ares Let’s continue the back-to-school vibes with Ares. It’s a Dutch horror drama about an ambitious college student who aims to fit in with Amsterdam’s elite. She gets inducted into a secret society, which comes with a high price. Stream it now on Netflix.

2. Movies

Cinderella

Get lost in the romance with this movie musical that’s a modern take on Disney’s classic fairytale. From the director of Pitch Perfect, it stars Camila Cabello in her film debut as Cinderella, Idina Menzel as her Stepmother, and Billy Porter as Cinderella’s iconic fairy godparent. This movie is sure to inspire you as Cinderella perseveres to make all her dreams come true. See it on Amazon Prime on September 3.

Dating & New York

Celebrate Virgo season by watching Dating & New York, a modern take on finding and cultivating romance in the Big Apple. It’s a relatable rom-com about a pair of millennials who come up with a friends-with-benefit contract to avoid commitment. What could go wrong? We all know where this is headed, and we are here for it. Catch it on demand and in select theaters September 10.

Flag Day

Virgo season vibes are intuitive, deep, languid and long. Celebrate your emotional side with this film starring and directed by Sean Penn. His children also star in this film that’s based on Jenifer Vogel’s 2004 memoir, which tells a story about her broken relationship with her own father. The film’s available now in select theaters.

3. Music

Tinashe’s Album, 333

Nothing changes a mood as quick as a hot track! So when you need to drop the books and shake your bootie, R&B dance goddess Tinashe has just what you need. Her new record 333 is a reference to angel numbers and she created it as a reflection of her spiritual journey. Soulful, danceable, esoteric, this record will get you moving towards your own special future.

The Weeknd’s ‘Take My Breath’

It’s the lead single of the Canadian singer-songwriter released earlier this month, from his upcoming fifth studio album. He keeps serving up fresh retro synth wave beats and we can’t get enough!

Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

Halsey is known for striking visuals with their work. Now, they’ve gone above and beyond for their upcoming fourth studio album. Titled If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, they explained it’s a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. They’re releasing an hour-long film in select theaters on August 25, which will follow the release of the album on August 27.

And now you’ve got the ultimate guide on how to stay entertained through Virgo season!

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If you read with the Dark Wood Tarot, you aren’t afraid of the dark. In fact, I’d be willing to bet your body thrills with goosebumps on any moonlit night.

One thing that makes Dark Wood Tarot readers amazing is your willingness to gaze directly into the darker sides of your personality and uncover hidden aspects of yourself. This includes the not-so-nice parts. You know bringing the light of consciousness to what is dark is whole point of reading tarot in the first place.
We read tarot to discover what we DON’T know!

This is why Shadow Work combined with Tarot reading a powerful powerful agent of change and transformation.

If you are looking to move deeper into the Shadow with your Dark Wood, I have a new book coming out this October 8th that is an IDEAL companion to the Dark Wood: The Magic of Tarot. Pre-order now!

Magic of Tarot has a loads of additional Shadow Work material that I couldn’t fit into the companion book for Dark Wood.

This includes:

Essential Shadow Work Techniques

Integrating the Shadow

Romancing the Shadow

Shadows Reversals

Fairy Tales and Tarot

Deadly Problem Spread

and more …

Added bonus? The Magic of Tarot’s cover has been lovingly conjured by the amazing Abigail Larson illustrator of Dark Wood Tarot. These two make a perfect set.

The Magic of Tarot is available for pre-order at your favorite booksellers including:

Bookshop.org

Barnes and Noble

Books-a-Million

Llewellyn Worldwide

Amazon

*Don’t forget, you can always pre-order from your favorite indie bookshop or metaphysical store too!

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Phew! Taking a moment…

The final edits are in on my new title, “The Magic of Tarot,” and there’s so much tarot yumminess packed into this one, I can’t wait to share it with you! Master Class content, spell work, shadow work, dream work, somatic tarot, rituals, meditations and more. Plus, The Magic of Tarot pairs perfectly with the Dark Wood Tarot!

Tarot author and deck creator Sasha Graham

In celebration, I’m joining a virtual Llewellyn author panel on Friday, August 20th @ 2pm CT. Join Leeza Robertson, Victoria Constantino, Elliot Adam and me as we chat about the BEST & WORST questions to ask your cards.

RSVP for FREE right HERE to get a reminder before we go LIVE

Did you know WHAT you ask your cards and HOW you ask it affects the information you receive from a tarot reading? Asking GREAT questions is a game changer and gets you the information you NEED! Join us as we what about how to ask the most awesome questions of your cards!

I love watching you make magic with your cards

The Magic of Tarot by Sasha Graham, cover design by Abigail Larson __ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-60ff1e23c3e38', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Super excited to share this conversation with Kate the Daily Tarot Girl! Kate Fisher has created a gorgeous tarot channel, chock full of helpful advice, readings, and tips.

From Kate Fisher:

I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Tarot superstar Sasha Graham! Sasha is a Tarot teacher and writer who teaches and lectures all over the world and is the author of several Tarot books and decks including 365 Tarot Spreads, the Dark Wood Tarot and the upcoming Magic of Tarot.

In this interview, Sasha reveals…

why the popularity and interest in Tarot has exploded over recent years

how she uses Tarot in her day to day life

what she wishes she’d known about Tarot when she was a beginner

how to approach a reading that doesn’t make sense

her bad Tarot reading experience

and so much more!

Kate and I are co-teachers at this summer’s Tarot Summer School!

Come check out our groovy classes:

9 Tarot Keys for Deeper Meaning & Exuberant Magic with Sasha Graham Unlock new doorways of understanding in the 78 Tarot cards.Tarot Journalling for Soul Explorers with Kate from Daily Tarot Girl. Transform yourself and your reading skills and develop your unique understanding of the Tarot. Season Pass right here!

Sasha’s new book, The Magic of Tarot, releases on October, 8th. Pre-order now!

[image error]Tarotpalooza!

Head over to my Instagram for your chance to win a VIP ticket to Tarotpalooza. Winner selected and announced on Thursday, June 18th at 12pm EST on Instagram!

Go here to register for the first-ever TAROTPALOOZA and join me, and several masters of the divinatory arts, for a virtual weekend of fun-filled exploration and enlightening discovery.

It takes place June 27 & 28 and it’s live, interactive, and online so you can join in, learn and mingle right from home!

If you were ever curious about Tarot and its history, or if you want to strengthen your skills as a reader, you’ll want to be part of this unique and memorable experience.

Grab your spot now while you can. (VIP tickets are almost gone!)

I can’t wait to see you there!

P.S. There will be interactive teachings, readings, channeled guidance, games and GIVEAWAYS! PLUS, look for the rare opportunity to book a personal 1-1 reading with me when you register. But hurry because tickets are going fast!
There is an inherent magic to a daily tarot practice. The beauty of this ultimate act of self care lay in its simplicity. No advance experience or deep spiritual practice is required because you already are a spiritual creature. You are the sorceress who has created the reality you inhabit. Tarot helps you become your own guru because each card acts as a gate into your subconscious and intuition.

The Practical Magic of a Daily Tarot Practice

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How to Cultivate a Daily Practice

1. Find a tarot deck who’s art you love. Thousands of themed tarot decks exist and when you discover a deck that speaks to you, you’ll return again and again. Metaphysical shops often offer card bars where you can flip through decks and the internet makes it easy to look for art and images you’ll fall in love with. Smudge your new deck by passing each card through a stream of incense smoke.

2. Carve out a daily routine with the cards. Choose a time of day to pull a single card. Many cartomancers choose to pull a card with their morning coffee or tea. This is helpful as the entire day lay ahead of you and you can observe the theme of your cards playing out as you move through the experience of your day.

3. Clear your mind. Allow all outside stresses and influence to slip away. Focus on your breath. Take thirty to sixty seconds to move within and discover what it is you need for the day.


4. Contemplate a question. The magic of tarot springs from the crafting of questions. An excellent question puts your brain on the quest for the best answer. A card’s image will often spark the perfect solution you’ve been searching for. Craft a question before you pull a card. Questions like: “What do I need to know?” “What should I focus on today?” or “How can I reach my highest potential today?”

4. Choose a card. Shuffle any way you like or spread all the cards face down on the table before you. Pull a single card.

5. Cultivate the meaning of the card. Allow the images of the card to wash over you. How do you feel looking at the image? What is the story playing across the card? Go deeper and look at the symbol calling to your attention. Allow the symbol to provide you with an answer to your question. Articulate your message by writing it down. Revisit the card and your message later in the evening before bed. Reflect of any intuitive pops or further understandings you gained. Sleep well and repeat in the morning with a new card and question.

[image error] The Dark Wood Tarot is in stores now!

[image error]The Moon Card from Dark Wood Tarot

Today is the March’s New Moon.

Feeling a little weird? Yeah, me too. It’s not like you were ever normal to begin with. But this? This is the hardest, heaviest stuff many of us will collectively and individually ever face. This is the life-may-never-go-back-to-normal-as-we-know it weird.

But let’s be honest.

Was our “normal” of the last few years so great?

Is not going back to normal such a terrible thing?

The Moon is the card of myth and monster. It is your psychic altered state, your deepest internal landscape. Vampires linger, shadows creep, and werewolves howl.

Glowing, fuzzy moonlight gifts us with the space for our eyes to adjust while new qualities and potentials emerge. Our instinct is to fear the unknown. Moonlight softens the edges for the things too scary to look at in broad daylight.

The Moon recalls dreamlike visions passing through your imagination. Spells are cast. Devils leap over dancing flames. Intense psychic energy grows strong inside you. Dark prophesies are uttered amidst pandemic declarations. What are you to do?

The Moon circles the earth. Its cycles echo the transitory nature of human life, menstrual cycles, and nature of all things inhabiting the visible and invisible world. Life, the universe, we are in a constant state of flow.

The Moon’s nature of flux is an eloquent reminder ~  that no matter we face, given time, it will change. No circumstance lasts forever. Good, bad, or indifferent. Life’s nature and the psyche’s energy hustles and flows like foamy ocean tides. 

“Yes,” the Moon says, “Things get weird, scary. The unknown is terrifying. Unimaginable things occur. But not forever. Nothing lasts forever. The important question is, how will you respond?”

The Moon allows you to embrace your weirdness. Embrace the scariest, squirmiest part of yourself. Sit with it.

This strange portal of time is an opening.

Be awkward.

Be vulnerable.

Be uncomfortable.

Be excited.

Be depressed.

Be pro-active.

Be smart.

Be compassionate.

Be with whatever comes up for you.

Confront the monsters you normally push away.

Cause, right now, it’s moonlight 24 hours a day.

And if you don’t do it now, then when?

Massive gratitude to the doctors, nurses, transit workers, police, firemen and people who are putting their lives on hold to show up and do their jobs.

We see you, you inspire us to be better ourselves.

Thank you!

1. The Dark Wood Tarot is a Shadow Tarot Deck.

[image error]Ten of Wands from the Dark Wood Tarot



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The Shadow Self is a term used in analytical psychology representing the hidden and repressed parts of our personality. We stuff icky qualities, secret desires, and squirmy details we would rather not acknowledge including jealousy, anger, sexual desires, etc. into our Shadow Self.

The Dark Wood Tarot replaces traditional reversals with Shadow Meanings. Shadow Meanings are not the opposite of the card’s meaning, rather, they reflects us embodying the darkest qualities of card. Why? It creates an opportunity to examine areas of your personality you might normally skip over or ignore in a reading or in life.

Why bother? Once we acknowledge our hidden, dark (often creative and empowering) tendencies and behaviors, we become free. We stop projecting fear and desire onto others. We accept and become honest with our entire self, not just the shiny bright part, and thus become fuller and more compassionate versions of ourselves.

2. Abigail Larson is an award winning artist.

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Abigail Larson had ambitions of becoming an opera singer and joining the circus while growing up, and although neither of those ended up working out too well, she has been able to find a more suitable career for herself in the world of illustration.

Her greatest inspirations are fairytales, folklore and ghost stories. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, the Brothers Grimm, and many classic gothic works of fiction, such as Dracula and Frankenstein have always stirred her imagination.

She teamed up with Universal Pictures and Desert Owl Games to create The Huntsman: Winter’s Curse, the companion game to “The Huntsman” feature film!

3. The Dark Wood Tarot is available for pre-order on Amazon or at your favorite brick and mortar bookshop.

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Yes, you can pre-order books and tarot decks at your favorite metaphysical shop. What’s more, it helps keep your local merchants in business!

Can’t get to a shop? Here’s the Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738759309/ref=emc_b_5_i

Cast your cards well! xoxo

People have been writing me to ask for an official companion book for Tarot of the Haunted House. No companion book is in the works at the moment other than the little white book that comes with the deck. I’m happy to share the inspiration of how this tarot came to be.

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My Italian editor was suggesting I make a tarot. I argued there were enough decks on the market. He said, “Sasha, you cannot truly know tarot until the archetypes spring out of you.”

His words haunted me.

I was mesmerized by the covers and art of soft cover 60’s and 70’s gothic romance novels and had been collecting them for years. Gorgeous ladies escaping from foreboding mansions in flowing dresses. Yes!

The opening credits of 1977’s Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries STILL makes my toes curl with excitement!

What if I put this delicious inspiration into a deck? Wouldn’t it be the perfect, spooky gothic theme? We found artist Mirco Pierfederici to bring my ideas to life. Tarot of the Haunted House was born!

[image error]Tarot of Haunted House by Sasha Graham and artist Mirco Piefedicici from Lo Scarabeo.

You could say the idea “possessed” me…

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Possession movies (The Exorcist) and novels (read Head Full of Ghosts, it will ruin you) are horrifying and irresistible. I recently saw a real life violent and emotional demonic possession at a Long Island church service.

Becoming possessed or aware of the consciousness of an creative idea isn’t as scary as demonic possession (thankfully) but it is urgent and a very real experience. Something wants to come through you…

My grandmother’s giant old Connecticut home had a secret room beside the fireplace, maid’s quarters, and a spiral staircase. If you looked up from the swimming pool, the 3rd floor windows reflected sunlight like glinty, watery eyes. You could feel the house and all its ghosts, watching you. They demolished it long ago. I still dream of it…

I conceived of the deck by analyzing the structure of 60’s and 70’s gothic romances and haunted house movies, especially my all time favorite, The Legacy:

Typically, the female protagonist arrives at the house. She has either been summoned by inheritance and the reading of a will (The Legacy), brought in as an employee or governess (Jane Eyre) or brought by a lover (Rebecca). At first she is tortured and terrified by the house and its inhabitants.By novel’s end, she OWNS the house.

Sometimes, I used a novel cover as direct inspiration:

[image error]Widow in White the novel, Three of Wands and Ace of Wands from Tarot of the Haunted House.

The McKittrick Hotel’s sublime interactive show Sleep No More was hugely inspiring. Audience members wear masks during the show and follow actors through a haunted hotel as a modern version of Hamlet is performed through dance, rave, and performance art. I often played its soundtrack inspirations, Bernard Herman’s Psycho and Vertigo film scores while creating the script for the cards.

[image error]NYC’s immersive Sleep No More and the Four of Wands from Tarot of Haunted House.

No haunted house is complete without an nod to Kubrick’s classic, The Shining. His twins were directly inspired by Diane Arbus’s Identical Twins, Rosette, New Jersey, 1967. My twins take form as the Two of Pentacles.

[image error]Two of Pentacles from Tarot of Haunted House and the twins from The Shining.

You can follow the protagonist of the deck, Raven Wandsworth, as she experiences each card.

[image error]Ace of Swords, Four of Cups and Three of Cups from Tarot of Haunted House.

The Haunted House is truly a metaphor for owning the self. It is about facing your fears so you can evolve. It is having the courage to examine the dark and squirmy parts of yourself. In fact, most horror, helps us to engage and understand the dark parts of the psyche. We place it inside the web of horror because the truth of what humans do to ourselves and each other is scarier than fiction.

Are you freaked out by the news?

Sad about the state of the world right now?

Me too

Last night before bed I wrote …

“Those antsy moments, the hollow spaces engulfed with desire, with yearning, when you want something that’s not there.  You don’t even know what you want – but you are ready to fill yourself up with anything … is exactly where to pause … stop. Don’t reach for that bottle. Don’t send that message. Don’t fill the uncomfortableness with anything other than presence. If you do, if you sit with yourself and observe and feel without acting … the world will deliver something into your lap that is greater, wilder, more incredible than you can imagine. Yes. Good things come to those who wait. I promise, you.”

Around 1am a clattering sound woke me up. Looked out the window and saw a giant black bear in my herb garden, as if to say, “Hello. It is great, wild, incredible me.”

I looked up the Bear spirit animal meaning this morning, after examining his foot and paw prints. Its core meaning is Strength. Pulled my tarot card of the day. Of course, it was Strength.

Tarot and yoga can be seamlessly intertwined and become a powerful force of transformation and evolution.

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1. Intuition & Answers: Tarot and Yoga are practices that quiet the mind. The tarotist center herself so she can focus on the messages coming through the cards while the yogi focuses on her breath and brings attention inside the body. Both activities bring us into a state of higher listening and help us become the active observer of our present experience. Doing so allows intuition to blossom and we become adept at finding answers to life’s biggest, smallest and most interesting questions.

2. Sublime Structure: Tarot contains a gorgeous internal structure, just like the delicate bones of your human skeleton. Each of us are made up of the same essential body parts from blood to belly, yet who we are, the signature of our soul, the way we inhabit our body, are as unique as the snowflakes in a storm. Individuality graces our skeletons, muscles, and soft internal organs. No two people move in exactly the same way; even identical twins are different. Tarot’s structure is so well organized and simple that a multitude of spiritual systems and themes can be placed on top of it and make perfect sense. Yoga’s structure comes through its shapes which embody archetypal energies just like Tarot.

3. Archetype and Asana: Yoga asanas imitate the archetype of animals (ex. Down Dog) and objects (ex. Boat Pose). One can hold an asana while breathing and meditating on the lessons of the pose just as we may contemplate a tarot card. Placing a yoga asana with each major arcana card offers the tarot reader an opportunity to experience and embody the archetype in a fresh, new way. Readers are who are used to entering the cards via guided meditation or role playing in a classroom or workshop situation will find a new way of embodying the cards through yoga postures. Combining asanas with the majors, and calling the major archetypes to mind while inside the postures is a powerful new way to embody the eternal lesson of archetype. It also merges the archetype with chakras, breath, and motion, thereby filling them and yourself with energy and the universal life force.

4. Sacred Space: Tarot and yoga both allow the practitioner to carve out sacred space amidst the daily noise and distraction of day-to-day life. The practices often, but not always, involve the use of sacred objects such as incense, candles and a dedicated space. A tarotist clears and quiets the mind as she draws cards. A yogi settles down and focuses on the breath to quiet the mind at the beginning her practice.

5. Flow: Both tarot and yoga reflect life as a constant state of flow. In yoga we move from one asana or pose to the next while in tarot, the cards move in numerical sequence, the minors from ace thru ten and back around. The majors run from zero (Fool) to twenty-two (the World) and back again.

6. Personal Evolution: Tarot and yoga are both “practices” or paths that aid your soul in its unfolding itself. Tarot is a visual practice, operating symbolically and inspiring the reader’s creative imagination and intuition, while yoga is a physical practice where the student moves the body through postures called asanas. Each push us forward in unexpected ways and unleash possibilities we can scarcely imagine.

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I am super excited to team up with Alison DeNicola, yogi and author of “Mudras for Awakening the Energy Body” and “Mudras for Awakening the Five Elements” and lead:

Awaken Your Inner Magic

Yoga and Tarot

Feb. 22 – 24th

Kriplau Center for Yoga and Health

 

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Spots are still available! Join us for an immersive weekend of yoga, journaling, meditation and partner reading.

 

Listen to my conversation with Theresa Reed about Yoga and Tarot on her Tarot Bytes Podcast:

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Inside Llewellyn’s Complete Book of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, I place a yoga asana alongside each of the major arcana cards. It was exciting, although not surprising, to discover so many associations and similarities between asanas and major arcana archetypes. The deeper you dive and the closer you look at anything, the more similar it becomes. Especially in matters of spirit, mystery and creativity.

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Cast your cards well!

Xo