Want me to pull an oracle card for you?

What? Yup, this is for real! Read on for an offer plus thoughts about bravery, self-determination, and body ink.

Want me to pull an oracle card for you? A card pull is my thank you when you pre-order the Wild Wisdom temporary tattoo book.

I have never before offered this sort of thing before (and after pulling hundreds of cards, I don’t know that I’ll ever do it again) so jump on this offer by Monday at midnight!

I’ll get deeper into the how-to’s on pre-ordering in a sec. First, a little story to set the scene:

The tattoo artist’s studio was a tiny backroom off a side street in the East Village. I booked an initial consult with her because she was a she, a woman in an industry that was—back in 1996—dominated by men studded with piercings and dripping with ink. Then I chose her, from amongst the other people I consulted with, because we connected. Standing at the counter in her waiting room, looking together at tattoo books, there was that frisson you feel when you meet someone sympatico.

This was important to me because I wasn’t getting a tattoo to be macho, which was pretty much the vibe of the times. I had no interest in gritting my teeth and acting blasé as the burning needles dragged across my flesh. This was a rite of passage… but not that sort of rite of passage.

I wanted someone who with whom I could chat and laugh. I wanted the energy of sisterhood to help turn this into a sacred moment— akin to a henna ceremony— so the energy of joy and acceptance would flow into the lines of the ink.

The tattoo was to mark the completion of my masters degree. After four different schools, numerous set backs and failed attempts, I had finally finished my thesis. For someone diagnosed with a learning disability while in grad school, for someone told don’t pursue your dreams ‘cause you’re not gonna make it, this was a monumental moment. I wanted a reminder of how I handled adversity. I wanted a sign that told my future self you are creative and brave and, even if you can’t always take the usual roads to your destination, you are brilliant at finding deer tracks that ramble you in the right direction.

A piece of jewelry felt too transitory, too easily lost or let go. But a tattoo? A tattoo was forever.

Getting a tattoo was also an act of claiming. While few would ever see the large swirling cranes on the small of my back, by inking my body, I was planting a flag. This body is mine.

When I was young, my body had been the battleground where my mother came to war with my weight. As I moved through my college years, it was a place of immense monthly pain. In my twenties, it was a mystery doctors couldn’t decipher.

I needed to own all of that: the war, the pain, the mystery, the learning disability. I needed to accept it all. I needed it to be mine. It was only by claiming myself that I could learn to trust my inner wisdom so I could search out solutions that worked for me even if they worked for no one else.

So I inked my flag on the small of my back: three rising cranes to symbolize eternal peace and wisdom, ease with water (symbolic of emotions) and air (symbolic of intellect and communication), and the freedom— despite being a large bird—to spread wings and fly.

The tattoo took multiple sessions. Despite the pain, I looked forward to the sessions. As I lay on my belly, the buzzing from the gun became a slow drone that underscored hours of sharing and laughing. The tattoo artist was like a priestess, guiding me through this rite of passage.

I never saw her again. But from that point on, the biggest moments in my life were marked with tattoos.

With this as my personal reference point, I was neutral when one of my editors emailed me to ask how I would feel about temporary tattoos being made from the images in my Wild Wisdom collection of books. Sounds great, I wrote back. Please make them as eco-friendly and non-toxic as possible.

And then I forgot about it.

I didn’t expect to be absolutely charmed by these tattoos. I didn’t figure they’d become my new favorite accessory. It never occurred to me that I would love the transitory nature, the ability to decorate my body in a new way each day. I have to admit, I’m a bit addicted.

I hope you will be as well.

As you all know, pre-orders nurture an author’s career like nothing short of being discovered by Oprah, Reese, or Jenna. So to encourage pre-orders, I’m doing something I never do: I’m offering to pull an oracle card for you.

When you pre-order from Allstora (and only from Allstora), I’ll personally pull a card for you and send it to you, along with its interpretation, in the mail! This offer is good only on pre-orders with Allstora so you have until Monday August 19 at 11:59 PM to place your order. While you are ordering, think of a question that you’d like answered. You’ll get a card pull to answer your question in the mail 3-4 weeks later (please be patient— I am personally pulling the cards and it might take a little while). I do not offer readings so this is truly a unique opportunity.

Special thanks to all of you who pre-ordered The Night School for Young Mystics. This book is a fabulous back to school gift for any kids in your life (and the winter holidays are right around the corner so you could snag one to give then as well).

So run off and pre-order and then come back and tell me something true: how have you marked your rites of passage and transitions?

Next time I write to you, we will be slipping into autumn (can you believe it?). I’ll be on the west coast to lead two back to back writing retreats. Then I’m home for a month before heading to Long Island, NY to lead a retreat that’s a combo of Witch Camp and the writing retreats. It’s for all types of people (not just writers) looking to connect with their creativity and there’s still space. Go here to learn more: https://www.mamafarm.us/farmevents

See you as the leaves begin to yellow—

xx Maia