tarot spreads for connection & creativity

hello, friends. with our second cohort of the grove kicking off on friday (snag your spot here!), i've been thinking so much about the importance of imperfect community and messy, authentic creativity these days.

there are so many desperate cries for our attention right now — and with all of the brutally terrible and deeply frightening things happening in our world, it's imperative that we get involved in the fight in ways that harness our skills while also being sustainable for the long-term. if you're feeling helpless, finding a way to take action is by far the most effective way to combat those sensations.

but the other side of that coin is balance. we can't be always energized to fight, or show up with consistency, or regulate our intense and fragile emotions, if we're completely burned out all the time, if we don't have practices of care and exploration woven into our daily lives, if we don't stay in touch with our values and our joys in the moments when we're resting or reconnecting. and while creativity and spirituality and community can sometimes be used as overly-general buzzwords, these things remain critically important to surviving this point in history — and truly, they don't always have to be as complicated as we tend to make them.

yes, sometimes we need to reach out to a new therapist or spend years learning a new survival skill that can support us in our struggles and trauma. sometimes we have to do really hard things in order to get where we want to be.

but many times, perhaps even most times, we have to start by just asking ourselves what do i need? what am i actually craving? what would actually help me regulate, connect, ground? what does care look like in this moment?

part of the reason that jeanna and i decided to create the grove is because we saw so many clients and friends who had (inadvertently, slowly, mostly without even realizing) turned creativity into a task to be completed efficiently, rather than an essential expression of self. creativity is so often associated with productivity, strain and effort, imaginary metrics that must be hit. no writing was ever enough, brainstorming or play "didn't count" as effort, and anything that was made was expected to be immediately perfect.

but creativity isn't just about the end result. it's about showing up to something we love, about letting it take up space, about acknowledging its importance to us. creativity gives us chances to play and build and experiment and discover, to be curious and weird and make something ugly or silly or deeply bizarre. creativity opens things up within us, regardless of medium or skill level or intent. and in a world where more and more people are outsourcing their thinking and creativity to AI, where efficiency and conformity are prioritized over authenticity and imperfection, isn't it a gift to still understand the magic that lives in creative effort?

most of the containers that we saw around creativity were more about accountability and efficiency than relationship. and as jeanna and i have both learned (and continue having to re-learn, constantly), the relationship that we have with our creativity itself is much more important than our literal process, or daily progress.

we wanted to make a space that was community-oriented, spiritually grounded, where vulnerability and transformation and care and support could all interweave. we wanted to give people tools, and courage, and opportunities for expansion, that didn't feel like pressure. we wanted to offer folks ways to invest in interpersonal connections, while also expanding internally through modalities like tarot and astrology.

we wanted to weave together community and creativity, using the threads of spiritual tools. and we did it, building something more beautiful than i could've imagined.

now, it's not like you can't tap into creativity on your own time or in your own way. but the grove exists because sometimes we need to remind each other of what it is to be human, to show up imperfectly, to share what we're wrestling with or discovering or making with our hands. it's not always easy to find like-minded people, especially when so many of us are crashing out or struggling to survive — and this kind of long-term devotional container is one method of connecting with people who share values, believe in the potency of creative effort, and want to dive deeper into personal and community spirituality in a way that is supportive and sustainable.

sometimes it's hard to know how to show up: in community spaces, in creative relationship, in spiritual devotion. we worry about how we'll be seen, what we'll have to offer, if we'll embarrass ourselves, if we'll measure up or fall behind. i really strive to ensure that in all of my spaces, people will feel safe to be messy, unsure, or new — because the more we can be comfortable with that kind of discomfort, the easier it is to be brave and actually find what we need.

the grove is what you make of it. it's yours to wander, in your own time. if you're dreaming about being in this kind of space, if you're craving connection without judgement or expectation, then the grove is for you.

the grove can help you figure out what showing up looks like, for you — creatively, spiritually, and relationally. we'll give you tools and resources to help you understand your own unique relationship with creativity itself, to process the varying emotions and sensations and needs that come along with living a creative life. we'll hold space for conversation and connection, in various ways. we'll help you dig more deeply into your existing insights on your creative practices, recognizing patterns and desires that you might not be fully aware of.

we'll also affirm, again and again, that your creativity will feel different day by day, especially in a world that is constantly shifting in huge and very scary ways. creativity is not an obligation, it's a gift and a resource — and we want to empower you to reach for it in times of challenge and fear, as well as in times of joy and inspiration.

as we move from summer to autumn here in the northern hemisphere, the world will slow down, shifting from blossom to rot. and while creativity might seem like it's most engaging and exciting and "productive" in that blossoming, energized, colorful season, the autumn/winter grove will make space for exploring the quieter, subtler parts of creativity: rest, reflection, stillness, even grief. these seasons, too, are essential parts of the creative cycle, and can be more deeply understood through spiritual tools and community connections.

it takes courage to do this kind of work. and we want to help you build that courage and resilience in your creative and spiritual practices — because building that muscle will help you in so many other areas of your life, and your resistance.

whether you're able to join us for the grove or not, i sincerely hope that these tarot spreads help you identify and honor your needs, invest in and allow for expansion, show up authentically (even when it's hard), and try new things that might stretch you in unexpected ways.

you are braver, more creative, more magical than you might even realize. don't neglect those parts of you, no matter how dark the world may seem.