As evening settles over the Appalachian Forest, Katydids begin their rhythmic chorus, each call joining countless others in a living symphony that drifts through warm summer nights. Though each insect is nearly invisible among the leaves, together they create one of the season’s most familiar sounds. Their steady conversation reminds us that nature is filled with voices working in harmony, each contributing something unique to the whole.
The Katydid symbolizes communication, connection, community, and the importance of being heard. It teaches that meaningful relationships are built not only through speaking honestly, but also through listening with genuine attention and compassion. Every conversation has the potential to strengthen understanding, heal misunderstandings, or remind someone they are not alone.
When the Katydid appears, it encourages you to consider how you share your own voice with the world. Speak your truth with kindness, listen with an open heart, and remember that even small words can leave lasting echoes. Like the summer chorus that grows stronger as more voices join together, your life is enriched through authentic connection with others.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
Although seldom seen, the Ovenbird fills Appalachian forests with its unmistakable song, earning its nickname as the “teacher” of the woods. Hidden among fallen leaves, this remarkable woodland warbler constructs a dome-shaped nest that resembles an old-fashioned outdoor oven, carefully weaving grasses and leaves into a shelter that protects the next generation. Living close to the forest floor yet filling the canopy with its voice, the Ovenbird reminds us that true influence is not measured by visibility, but by the wisdom we share with others.
As a symbol, the Ovenbird represents learning, mentorship, tradition, and the quiet passing of knowledge through generations. It teaches that wisdom is rarely gained in a single moment. Instead, it grows through careful observation, patient practice, and the willingness to remain a lifelong student. Like the Ovenbird returning each spring to familiar forests, we carry forward the lessons of those who came before us while adding our own experiences to the story.
When the Ovenbird appears, it invites you to listen closely to the teachers in your own life—whether they are elders, books, the natural world, or the quiet voice of experience within yourself. Every lesson becomes truly meaningful only after it has been tested, lived, and made your own. Trust that you are both a student and a teacher, and that your own journey may one day become a source of guidance for someone else.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
The Eastern Box Turtle carries both shelter and resilience wherever it travels. Moving deliberately through forests, meadows, and quiet woodland edges, it has no need to hurry, knowing that endurance often succeeds where speed cannot. Its beautifully patterned shell serves as both protection and home, allowing it to navigate life’s changing seasons with remarkable steadiness and self-reliance.
The Eastern Box Turtle symbolizes patience, longevity, boundaries, and quiet perseverance. It teaches that true strength is not measured by how quickly we arrive, but by our ability to remain grounded through life’s inevitable challenges. The turtle understands that every season has its own rhythm and that wisdom often comes from honoring those natural cycles instead of resisting them.
When the Eastern Box Turtle appears, it invites you to slow your pace and trust your own timing. Build your dreams carefully, protect what is most precious, and honor the boundaries that allow you to thrive. There is no prize for rushing through a meaningful life. Like the turtle’s steady journey through the Appalachian Forest, each thoughtful step carries you closer to where you are meant to be, even when progress seems almost invisible.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
As daylight fades, the Eastern Screech Owl awakens to a world many never notice. Perched silently among weathered branches, it listens with extraordinary precision, detecting the faintest movement beneath leaves and deep within the forest shadows. Patient and observant, it wastes no energy chasing every distraction, knowing that wisdom belongs to those who learn to wait, watch, and listen.
The Eastern Screech Owl has long been associated with intuition, perception, hidden knowledge, and the quiet mysteries of the night. While others rush to fill every silence, the owl understands that truth often reveals itself only after the world grows still. It teaches that insight is not always found through effort alone, but through presence, patience, and careful observation.
When the Eastern Screech Owl appears, it reminds you that not every answer arrives through action. Some questions require quiet reflection rather than immediate solutions. Trust the subtle feelings that arise when your mind grows calm, for your deepest wisdom has never left you—it has simply been waiting for enough silence to be heard. In moments of stillness, the path ahead often becomes surprisingly clear.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
Muskrats are the quiet architects of wetlands, patiently gathering reeds, grasses, cattails, and mud to construct sturdy homes that withstand changing seasons. Their lodges rise above the marsh while extending deep beneath the water, creating safe refuges built through countless small efforts rather than dramatic displays of strength. Every carefully placed stem contributes to something far greater than itself.
As a symbol, the muskrat represents perseverance, craftsmanship, patience, and the quiet satisfaction that comes from meaningful work. It reminds us that lasting success is rarely created overnight. Instead, strong foundations are built through consistency, thoughtful choices, and a willingness to return each day to the work that truly matters.
When the Muskrat appears, it encourages you to trust the value of steady progress. Small acts of care, repeated faithfully over time, often accomplish more than bursts of frantic activity. Tend your relationships, your creative work, and your dreams with patience, allowing them to mature naturally. What you are building today may not yet be visible to others, but beneath the surface, your foundations are becoming strong enough to support the life you hope to create.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
Few people ever realize a Southern Flying Squirrel has passed silently overhead. As twilight settles over the Appalachian Forest, this tiny nocturnal mammal transforms empty air into a hidden pathway, gliding gracefully between towering trees with remarkable precision. What appears to be a fearless leap into uncertainty is actually the result of instinct, preparation, and quiet trust in abilities refined over countless nights beneath the forest canopy.
The Southern Flying Squirrel symbolizes faith, courage, transition, and the confidence to move beyond familiar ground. It reminds us that growth often requires leaving the safety of one branch before we can discover the next. While uncertainty can feel intimidating, it is often the very space where transformation unfolds and new possibilities reveal themselves.
When the Southern Flying Squirrel appears, it encourages you to trust what you’ve already learned. There comes a moment when planning has served its purpose and only action remains. Spread your wings with confidence, knowing that you are more prepared than fear would have you believe. The distance between where you stand today and where you’re meant to be is often crossed not through certainty, but through the quiet willingness to leap.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
The American raccoon is one of the forest’s great opportunists, moving confidently between the familiar and the unknown. With remarkably dexterous hands and an endlessly curious nature, it explores streams, fallen logs, hollow trees, and even the edges where wilderness meets human settlements. Intelligent and adaptable, the raccoon thrives because it approaches the world as a place of possibility rather than limitation. Where others see clutter or obstacles, it discovers nourishment, shelter, and hidden opportunity.
As a symbol, the raccoon represents curiosity, adaptability, resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving. It reminds us that life’s greatest treasures are often hidden in unexpected places, waiting for someone willing to look a little closer. The raccoon teaches that intelligence is not simply about knowing the answers—it’s about remaining open enough to ask new questions and brave enough to explore unfamiliar paths.
When the American Raccoon appears, it invites you to approach life with playful curiosity rather than certainty. Explore, experiment, and don’t be afraid to follow an interesting trail simply because it captures your imagination. Every conversation, challenge, or unexpected detour holds the potential to reveal something valuable. By staying flexible and embracing discovery, you’ll often find that the opportunities you seek have been quietly waiting beside the path all along.
Ready to hear from animal spirit companions? Click the button below to try a live reading in “The Wild Companion Oracle”.
*This is a new artwork series I’ve started called the Cryptid Arcana, which is a spinoff of the Tarot’s Major Arcana, but uses cryptids as subjects.
Unconfirmed cryptids are creatures whose existence has been suggested but are not recognized by scientific consensus. Examples of unconfirmed cryptids include Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster. Confirmed cryptids are animals or plants whose existence was once thought to be mythical but have since been confirmed by science. Examples of confirmed cryptids are the okapi, giant squid, and coelacanth.
I have studied and practiced Tarot for over 20 years. I also have a deep love and appreciation for the folklore about cryptids. In this series, I will merge both, combining the classic Tarot archetypes with an accompanying cryptid, and putting my own spin on the card’s label.*
The Channeler: Introducting the Flatwoods Monster as the Magician in the Cryptid Arcana Tarot
The Channeler (known traditionally as The Magician) is the archetype of manifestation, transformation, and raw potential. Where The Fool takes the first step into the unknown, The Channeler stands at the threshold between spirit and matter, transmitting energies from above to below. This is the moment when intention becomes action, when dreams begin to crystallize into form.
In classical tarot, The Magician card is filled with symbology: one hand points to the sky, the other to the earth — the divine conduit. The tools of the four suits (wand, cup, sword, pentacle) are laid out on the table, showing mastery over the elements. The infinity symbol above their head hints at boundless possibility.
But for Cryptid Arcana, the Channeler takes on a form that is both cosmic and folkloric: The Flatwoods Monster. In this interpretation, the Flatwoods Monster is the alchemist, controlling the four elements of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. In the world, while not necessarily of it, but holding mastery of its elemental forces.
Why the Flatwoods Monster?
Emerging from the mists of Braxton County, West Virginia in 1952, the Flatwoods Monster is no ordinary cryptid. Descriptions vary — tall, floating, robed in dark fabric or metal, with glowing eyes and an otherworldly presence. It left witnesses both awestruck and terrified, a being not bound by earthly logic or limitation.
This mysterious figure, so often interpreted as an extraterrestrial or interdimensional visitor, naturally embodies the qualities of The Channeler. Just as The Magician connects spirit to form, the Flatwoods Monster is a bridge between worlds — a receiver of strange transmissions, a bearer of hidden technologies, a spark of the uncanny in the mundane forest night.
Its presence in our deck invites us to consider how we channel unseen forces, how we translate inspiration into reality, and how we wield the elemental energies around us.
The Flatwoods Monster is a cipher, a transmitter of eerie wisdom, and a gentle reminder that our true power lies in what we choose to bring forth. The Channeler invites you to step into your role as co-creator — with curiosity, courage, and a little cosmic flair.
*This is a new artwork series I’ve started called the Cryptid Arcana, which is a spinoff of the Tarot’s Major Arcana, but uses cryptids as subjects.
Unconfirmed cryptids are creatures whose existence has been suggested but are not recognized by scientific consensus. Examples of unconfirmed cryptids include Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster. Confirmed cryptids are animals or plants whose existence was once thought to be mythical but have since been confirmed by science. Examples of confirmed cryptids are the okapi, giant squid, and coelacanth.
I have studied and practiced Tarot for over 20 years. I also have a deep love and appreciation for the folklore about cryptids. In this series, I will merge both, combining the classic Tarot archetypes with an accompanying cryptid, and putting my own spin on the card’s label.*
The Wanderer’s Path: Introducing the Jackalope as The Fool in the Cryptid Arcana Tarot
Beneath the twilight sky, where stars prick the veil of the unknown and moss creeps soft over stone, the journey begins.
In traditional tarot, The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana — yet it bears the number zero, symbolizing infinite potential. The Fool is a sacred traveler: wide-eyed, heart-forward, and unburdened by expectations. It is the card of new beginnings, leaps of faith, and trusting the path even when it twists through shadow.
For the Cryptid Arcana, we’ve renamed The Fool “The Wanderer,” a title that honors both its open-ended spirit and the mythic beings that walk the edges of our known world. To guide us through this liminal threshold, we chose the Jackalope — that elusive creature of American folklore, part jackrabbit, part antelope, and all mischief.
Why the Jackalope?
The Jackalope is a symbol of paradox and play. It hops between reality and myth, teasing the line between what’s true and what’s just too wonderful not to believe. With its wide eyes and proud antlers, it embodies the Fool’s blend of innocence and wild possibility. Much like the Wanderer stepping off the cliff, the Jackalope dares to exist where it “shouldn’t.” It reminds us that the world is stranger — and more magical — than we often allow ourselves to believe. Whether whispered about in cowboy ballads or sketched on motel postcards, the Jackalope survives through story. And that, too, is the way of the Fool.
Scientific substantiation of the Jackalope
The Jackalope itself is thought to be a creature of legend, one that originated in Wyoming in the 1930s when a clever taxidermist added antelope horns to a jackrabbit (hare) carcass and dubbed it a “Jackalope”. However, descriptions of horned hares and rabbits as either real or mythical creatures date back to medieval and early Renaissance times in Europe, even appearing in some early scientific texts. In 2020, a museum collection manager in the United States discovered a eastern cottontail rabbit carcass with horny growths on its head. It turns out this rabbit was infected with the Shope papilloma virus, which causes dry, hornlike growths on rabbits and hares. There is a possibility that creatures infected with this virus were the basis of the horned hare/rabbit legends in Europe, and the sightings of them resurrected the legend in the United States.
Image of a rabbit with horns (Lepus cornutus) from Bonnaterre‘s Tableau Encyclopedique et Methodique, 1789. Author – Robert Bénard (1734—after 1777.
