Laurel Estrella’s Kitchen

Laurel Estrellal picture final
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Oh, finally, here you are. Take a seat. The water is boiling already.  I’ll get you a cup of tea.

Nope, there is no telescope in my kitchen. I just knew you were coming.

A natural empath, I have always felt connected to the greater moods and energies around us in the world. I have always used things like tarot cards and palm reading as a natural way to understand that connection and find answers and guidance.

Intuitive abilities are the most natural of all the skills, but can be the hardest to trust and control. It has taken years of practice to understand and learn how to use my intuitive skills to the best of my ability. Sometimes the way I do something seems out of order, but it rings so true that there is no other way to do it and expect an accurate result. We have to pay attention to the signs that are given to us because if we don’t, they will simply keep repeating themselves until they get our attention. Within these patterns are lessons and gifts that let us find our true selves.

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SHUFFLE
yesteryear card back
9 of pentacles 23

9 OF PENTACLES INTERPRETATION

Classic meanings: Prudence, safety, success, accomplishment, certitude, discernment.

Concerning love, this card is clarified by: If an eligible young women isn’t paying attention to a man, then that man will feel compelled to hunt her.

Original description of the card by the author – Arthur Edward Waite: A woman, with a bird upon her wrist, stands amidst a great abundance of grape-vines in the garden of a manorial house. It is a wide domain, suggesting plenty in all things. Possibly it is her own possession and testifies to material well-being.

SHUFFLE
Now now card back
Justice 72

JUSTICE INTERPRETATION

Classic meanings: Equity, rightness, probity, executive, triumph of the deserving side in law.

The meaning for love is clarified by specific arcanum: When you feel all turned on and horny it’s not love, it’s your sex hormones talking. Nevertheless, you can use those moments to strenghten the relationship.

Original description of the card by the author – Arthur Edward Waite: As this card follows the traditional symbolism and carries above all its obvious meanings, there is little to say regarding it outside the few considerations collected in the first part, to which the reader is referred.

It will be seen, however, that the figure is seated between pillars, like the High Priestess, and on this account it seems desirable to indicate that the moral principle which deals unto every man according to his works—while, of course, it is in strict analogy with higher things—differs in its essence from the spiritual justice which is involved in the idea of election. The latter belongs to a mysterious order of Providence, in virtue of which it is possible for certain men to conceive the idea of dedication to the highest things. The operation of this is like the breathing of the Spirit where it wills, and we have no canon of criticism or ground of explanation concerning it. It is analogous to the possession of the fairy gifts and the high gifts and the gracious gifts of the poet: we have them or have not, and their presence is as much a mystery as their absence. The law of Justice is not, however, involved by either alternative. In conclusion, the pillars of Justice open into one world and the pillars of the High Priestess into another.

SHUFFLE
Hereafter card back
The Star 55

THE STAR INTERPRETATION

Classic meanings: Loss, theft, privation, abandonment. In other circumstances it could also mean hope and bright prospects.

Concerning love, this card is clarified by: Soon enough, she stopped caring who was watching – for a brief time, two of them were a universe of two.

Original description of the card by the author – Arthur Edward Waite: A great, radiant star of eight rays, surrounded by seven lesser stars—also of eight rays. The female figure in the foreground is entirely naked. Her left knee is on the land and her right foot upon the water. She pours Water of Life from two great ewers, irrigating sea and land. Behind her is rising ground and on the right a shrub or tree, whereon a bird alights. The figure expresses eternal youth and beauty. The star is l’étoile flamboyante, which appears in Masonic symbolism, but has been confused therein. That which the figure communicates to the living scene is the substance of the heavens and the elements. It has been said truly that the mottoes of this card are “Waters of Life freely“ and “Gifts of the Spirit.“

The summary of several tawdry explanations says that it is a card of hope. On other planes it has been certified as immortality and interior light. For the majority of prepared minds, the figure will appear as the type of Truth unveiled, glorious in undying beauty, pouring on the waters of the soul some part and measure of her priceless possession. But she is in reality the Great Mother in the Kabalistic Sephira Binah, which is supernal Understanding, who communicates to the Sephiroth that are below in the measure that they can receive her influx.

I believe the only way to have a true and strong connection to anything or anyone is by being honest about yourself, kind, and trying to let go of things that don’t serve you while remaining open to possibility – something that can be a struggle at times! You need to know your own truth.

For me, that means knowing the most comfortable place to be is in my kitchen with friends around the table, creating community through food and conversation. I love creating a warm and safe space to bring people to, a place that is cozy and makes others feel welcome and at home from the minute they come through my door. Something of a ‘kitchen witch’, I know there are simple magics that are innately understood and can be easily infused into our daily lives.

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Concerned about what energy might be hiding in your second hand clothes? Throw it in the washer with a sachet of dried cloves and juniper berries. Feeling out of focus with yourself? Wear a tiger’s eye bracelet. Find an element that centers you and take advantage of it when it comes – I like to be in windy places, especially near water. It recharges me in a way that nothing else does.

I honestly believe that anyone can learn to harness and use their intuition to empower and improve their lives. It gives me such a sense of fulfillment to help others learn how to develop their skills in this area. The feeling of connectivity that I receive when reading tarot cards is comforting and empowering because it reveals parts of myself that I perhaps was neglecting or it reminds me to continue working on particular areas. It brings me closer to understanding the mysteries of the world around us.

More than anything, I love to share that feeling and ability with others. I am delighted to have the chance to share with you and hope that your heart continues to open as you learn more about your own amazing intuitive powers and follow your own unique path.

Laurel Estrella, Kitchen Witch

Estrella’s secret recipe for happiness – list of ingredients:

  • tarot cards
  • a cup of tea
  • sage
  • zodiac
  • pepper
  • bay leaves
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