The Jo DeVoe Show

Some things cannot be unseen.And the Scry sees everything.I’d always known there was something wrong with me. “She’s got the Scry,” I’d overheard them say when they thought I was too young to understand. But I understood plenty.The Scry didn’t hurt anyone unless I got angry, which was hardly ever. Mostly it let me see into a person’s mind—if they held still long enough. The cards helped with that. They made people feel more comfortable. They made me feel more comfortable too. It was weird what I could do, and even weirder to learn that strangers would pay me to do it.Myra Stanley is done with beige. Beige house. Beige family. Beige life. Thirty-eight years of beige is more than enough. So, she trades her half of the family property for an outrageously customized hippie wagon, her tarot cards, and the open road, chasing the quiet pull of the Scry—a psychic gift she’s spent decades trying to repress.But when a bitter goodbye with her twin sister Kate turns ugly, the Scry surges to the surface, ripping open an old, dangerous rift between them.Now she’s cruising down the California highways with nothing but her cards, old memories, and a broken clock she refuses to leave behind. When she crosses paths with a man who talks to plants and smells like leather and sage, an unexpected spark ignites between them. Drawn deeper into his world and the supernatural threat that comes with it, she must learn to embrace and wield the Scry she was taught to fear—or risk losing the magical life she’s only just begun.For Readers Who Love:road trips • tarot cards • dark urban fantasy • reluctant psychic powers • mid-life coming-of-age • slow-burn romanceIn The Shadows:family trauma • domestic abuse • implied harm to children and animals • graphic body horror & supernatural possession. . . . .Major Arcana: The Journey Beginsis the first in a five book series, and Pre-Orders are now open.If you know someone who loves tarot or urban fantasy, please pass this along to them . . . THANK YOU so much in advance! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

One thing I noticed while editing this episode is that I originally did not mention the distinction between the Unconscious vs the Subconscious models of the mind.That’s because I tend to use those terms interchangeably, which is also how early psychologists like Sigmund Freud used them.But modern psychology does make a distinction. It says that the conscious mind is what we’re actively thinking about or aware of,while the subconscious mind is what we’ve learned, what we’ve picked up or what we’ve stored along our way- throughout our life- but is not top of mind.Then the unconscious mind is what we’re not aware of at all and do not have access to… not in any normal state of being. Like the subconscious, the unconscious DOES contain memories and trauma, but it’s far out of reach… and deeply mysterious. Both might be reached in part through hypnosis or plant medicine or deep meditative practices, and the work of the high priestess is very much about that. But I also think she invites us to go further- if we dare- to the collective cosmos and the greatest of great mysteries… the source of all creation.*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

I've long gotten a kick out of the slang word “delulu.”It's just too cute. Delulu. And there are many folks who happily embrace it. They will proudly claim to be delulu.And they will encourage YOU to be delulu, too. But let’s not forget that “delulu” is short for delusional.And that is not cute. To delude means to deceive. And a delusional person is one who has been deceived or misled.In fact, the etymology goes so far as to say that they are in a state of fixed false beliefs.Fixed.Yikes!No. Not in this time that is rife with propaganda and AI proliferation.Not in this time when the difference between facts and fakes is becoming ever more difficult to discern.This is not the time to be seduced by this adorable-sounding word. This is not the time to be invoking delusion.Even though its slang counterpart can feel like thumbing our noses at that old, confining definition, there is still a self depreciating tone about it.And this is not the time to be depreciating our value.Not in this time that tries to weigh our worth in likes and follows.Not in this time that wants to replace our creativity with machines.Did you know that the root word of delude is ludere (Loo-deh-reh) and that ludere means to play?In the context of being deluded, that boils down to getting played.But… if you swap out the prefix of “de” for “pre” you get something else altogether, because ludere – to play – is also the root of prelude.And that is some powerful magic.A prelude sets the stage for something important to come.A prelude is an introductory action.And that brings us around to the magick of setting intentions.Pre-paving. Pre-tending. Pre-paring the way.Magick sets the stage for something important to come.Magick is an introductory action.Henceforth, we shall be known as pre-lulu!We are prelusional.We are playing with the energies of life – earth, air, fire, water – in an initiatory action, calling in something on purpose, something real.The misunderstood magician may be mocked for being delusional, as he earnestly stands before his altar with his wand in one hand pointed toward the heavens and his other pointed down toward the center of the Earth. There are those who won’t understand that the objects laid out on his table are not the mere toys of a hapless dreamer. They are potent symbols of his energetic anatomy, which he is learning to wield at will.Through play.Ludere.That’s because…The Magician is pre-lulu.*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com

This is the first episode of a 22 part series I created for Patreon, starting back in the spring of 2022…and now I am sharing it here with you!With a focus on The Fool card in the Major Arcana, we will be exploring ideas like :* Reading tarot from the perspective of your inner Witness.* The need to develop a working language that blends your unique personal creativity with more traditional divinatory meanings.* Learning the difference between impulsivity and intuition.* The Sacred Fool as the highest expression of this card.* The individuation process.* Stepping to the edge.I will also be reading directly from a few of my favorite books and sharing a fun lil’ exercise in which you lay out all of the Major Arcana cards in a particular way in order to visually demonstrate the three phases of the Fool’s Journey.Enjoy!*If you would like to check out my Patreon community, you can do that HERE. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joannadevoe.substack.com