Tarot Reading for Krampusnacht
In which we prepare to contemplate naughtiness and niceness
St. Nicholas Day is coming, and you know what that means: Krampusnacht!
As you surely know, Krampus is one of St. Nicholas’s companions in a swathe of Europe stretching from Italy in the southwest to Bavaria in the north and Czechia in the east. On December 6, St. Nicholas goes around filling the shoes of good children with treats. These lucky tots are the righteous remainder of the harrowing that occurs on the night of December 5, when Krampus is hunting for bad children to smack with birch rods—or carry off to Hell.
Good and evil. Light and dark. Damnation and candy. It’s all about balance, right?
This is the Tarot spread I’ll be using on Krampusnacht. It’s simple by design.
FIRST CARD Why do you deserve to be smacked with sticks?
SECOND CARD Why do you deserve a fresh orange and bright penny?
If you, like me, aren’t really into strict binaries, maybe add a third card asking for guidance on how you might find a healthy balance between light and dark in the new year that’s coming.
If you’d like me to do this reading for you on Krampusnacht, let me know! I can do a handful, and we can talk about what kind of reading you want and what that might cost.
In other news…
Croning, a zine for hags and aspiring hags, is so very close to being ready to go to the printer. One highlight of my week was the arrival of 100 Baba Yaga trading cards.
Huge thanks to Anne of AnneArchy Art for the sweet illustration. If you like her style, check out her shop! Her adorably subversive sundries make great gifts and, right now, she’s offering 15% off purchases with the code SHOP2023.
One more note about Croning…
More than half of these trading cards have already been claimed by people placing preorders for the first issue of Croning. It’s crazy! Preorders are still available at a discount. And, while you wait for your print zine, there’s a Croning Substack where we’re currently celebrating 13 Days of Baba Yaga. Check it out if you haven’t already!