00:00 Episode Preview

00:27 Opening

01:02 Introduction

02:31 Interview Begins with Jen Sankey

04:24 Fairness in Self-Judgment

06:20 Possibilities Within Reach

07:50 The Power of Dream Work

10:46 Understanding Karmic Justice

14:23 Breaking Free from Lifetime Burdens

16:27 Self-Compassion Through Challenges

18:17 The Birth of Stardust Wanderer Tarot

20:46 Fragments of Jen in Mena

21:25 The Balance of Work and Breaks

23:03 Finding Flow in Creative Writing

24:33 AD – Download the Mystic Mondays App https://www.mysticmondays.com/pages/app

25:10 Pirates in the Stardust Wanderer Universe

25:59 Creating My Unique Practice

27:10 Candle Magic: Setting Intentions and Reading Wax

29:14 Aligning Intentions with Actions

32:43 Distinguishing Your Energy from Others

33:50 Balancing Professionalism and Compassion in Energy Work

35:39 Emotional Boundaries in Energy Work

37:18 Dealing with Ghostly Intrusions

39:26 Navigating Subtext in Tarot Readings

42:01 Navigating Differences in Vision

43:25 Applying Justice in Daily Life

44:14 What is your Sun, Moon, and Rising Signs?

44:37 What Advice Would You Give to Your Younger Self?

44:47 How Would You Define Everyday Magic?

45:04 What Are Your Favorite Rituals?

45:51 What Are You Looking Forward to in the Near Future?

46:12 Collective Reading from the Stardust Wanderer Tarot by Jen Sankey

48:40 Closing Statements

48:58 End of Episode – Make Sure to Leave a Podcast Review!

50:08 End Card

Welcome to the GRACED Podcast! A space for everyday magic for your everyday life. We do this through rituals, aligning yourself to your soul’s purpose, and creating Alchemy to heal our mind, body, and spirits so that you can bring in more love and joy, manifest your desires, and believe in your dreams. Listen and watch over at grace.com/podcast and on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Instagram, TikTok and all the places you can find me on social media. Now let’s dive into today’s episode.

💖 Introduction

Grace: Welcome to The GRACED Podcast, a space where we talk about everyday magic for your everyday life.

Today’s guest is Jen Sankey, a tarot reader, author, professional witch, and dedicated teacher in the mystical arts. She is also the creator behind the Stardust Wanderer Tarot, which we’ll talk more about in this episode. Her creative process, inspiration, there’s space pirates in here so you definitely want to tune in to listen to the creation process behind the Stardust Wanderer Tarot. And we also talk about the themes of the Justice Tarot card where we dive into topics like karma, soul contracts, energetic hygiene, and so much more.

Also, I do want to mention that we do have the Justice Tarot card collection on the Mystic Mondays website at mysticmondays.com, where you can shop t-shirts, prints, mugs, and other merch featuring the artwork from the Mystic Mondays Tarot and Oracle decks.

And we’re also doing a giveaway of Jen Sankey’s deck, Stardust Wanderer Tarot, on Instagram. So if you want a deck featuring Cosmic Space Pirates and add it to your deck collection, follow us on Instagram @grace.duong and @mysticmondays to see all the details on how you can enter to win this deck.

Now let’s dive into today’s episode.

✨ Interview Begins with Jen Sankey

Grace: Hi Jen! Welcome to the GRACED Podcast!

Jen: Hi! Thanks for having me.

Grace: Yeah, for sure. So you are the author and creator behind the Stardust Wanderer Tarot deck. Yep. And we’re here to also talk about themes of the Justice card, and offline we were just talking about dreams and traveling through dreams, and I was getting a sense of cosmic traveling when I was looking through your deck.

So I’d love to hear about themes of the Justice card, about karma, if you believe in karma, and how we can tie our soul contracts. Our own lives that we’re living today.

Jen: Yeah, I obviously, I do a lot of dream work and if you look at my deck, you can see it’s definitely, it’s very, not of this world, and so I do believe that you can get a lot of important messages through your dreams if you give it a chance.

A lot of people don’t give themselves permission to receive information through their dreams, so I think that’s really important if you haven’t even thought about it? Try it out. Even just before you go to bed, just be like, yeah, I’m open to receiving information, messages, all of those things. And to weave that in with the Justice card, I think it’s also a great way to stand back and look at yourself, but in a way that’s non judgmental and really, just seeing where things are right now and where can you improve?

What do you need to change? Yeah, and really just with my deck, it’s the main character of it. It’s a story deck. It’s Mena the Fool, and it is seeing her journey, her life, and things she’s discovering about herself, and being able to take that step back and seeing what she thinks is fair, what she doesn’t think is fair, and just lumping it all together to see where she can take it and what she can do with it.

✨ Fairness in Self-Judgment

Grace: I love that. I actually thought that it was really special that you created a character called Mena, and you can follow her journey through the cards. And I also love that you mentioned this non judgmental stance when looking at your own life, right? And I feel like we can be so hard on ourselves and the world can be so hard on us, and then we internalize that and then we make it our own world.

So what are ways we can help heal any self judgment or things that are weighing down on us that could feel like heavy and karmic burdens, so to speak?

Jen: I really think the first thing is to be mindful of it. Pay attention to it. Think about, as you go, set a goal, like maybe for one day or two days or a week, depending on how much you want to get into it.

But every time you talk negatively to yourself or think something negative of yourself, write it down, and then when you’re done, look at it and see. You’re gonna realize how much you talk negatively to yourself, or you’re so harsh on yourself for things that you really don’t need to be.

And I think just taking that look at it, and again, in a non judgmental way, to be like, all right, I’m being sucky to myself right now, so I need to change this.

And creating affirmations, I think, is a great way to do that. So every time you think something negative about yourself, replace that with something positive. As you get into that habit of doing it, you’ll see that shift and you’ll see that change. And I feel like it’ll give you a better perspective of what’s really going on instead of reacting emotionally.

You can react to just what’s going on. And again, that Justice, it does, is this a fair situation? Is this not? Should I be acting this way or that way? And instead of attacking yourself, you’ll be able to take that step back and make a better judgment.

✨ Possibilities Within Reach

Grace: Yeah, and I think sometimes these thoughts, especially like negative thought patterns, are on autopilot.

So even just taking that moment to stop and pause, and ask yourself, am I being fair to myself? Am I actually looking at this from an objective standpoint versus, our life experiences tend to pile on, so we tend to look at certain things in a certain way, but if we got a fresh perspective, and I’m really drawn to the Fool card in your deck because she’s a freakin’ pirate?

A cosmic pirate going through this journey through the galaxies. And I feel like if you believe in multiple dimensions and multiple versions of yourself, if you can bring in this multi dimensionality to your present life, meaning you are not just who you are in this moment. There’s like an alternate version of yourself living the ways that you think you should be living or living your dream life is just within a moment and it’s all possible.

Jen: It is. And I think just also taking that idea, it is possible to be nicer to yourself. When you’re nicer to yourself, you’re going to also be nicer to other people. You’re going to be more open to these other perspectives as well. So I just think it’s so important to really think about that. And I’m also thinking a lot of those things that are set into our brain.

It’s from childhood. Rewriting those things as well, I think, has that domino effect.

✨ The Power of Dream Work

Grace: Yeah, so you mentioned dream work, and I know something that I like to do and has been offered to me is to pull a card. And put it under your pillow to really connect with that specific card. Have you ever done that and what has happened?

Jen: Yeah, definitely, especially if there’s a certain situation I have to make a decision on and I’m not sure or it’s just not really clear to me how I want to handle it. I will just pull that card and I’ll look at that card and really, not even so much the meaning of it, but the symbols in it, the colors, all the little things in the card, and I’ll think about what I want answers for, and then I will put it under my pillow. And a lot of times, those symbols and even the colors and landscapes will come up in my dreams and it will point me in the direction that I want for the answers that I need.

That’s something too that doesn’t always work the first time you do it. Sometimes you have to do it a couple of times to condition yourself, giving yourself permission to be able to receive those messages and saying that. Yeah, I’m doing this because I want some more guidance. I want different messages, different advice, and just putting that out there so that the universe or whatever part of yourself in another dimension that you might be reaching, they know that it’s okay for them to give you that information.

✨ Birth Card Connections

Grace: Yeah, and so much about Justice I feel is also about balancing the scales, activating past life gifts or future life gifts or whatnot and bringing it into this life. And do you feel like you have time traveled, so to speak, to activate some of your past life gifts into this life?

Jen: I think so. I think that there’s been certain things brought to my attention.

Maybe, something that I’m good at or that I never tried before, but I must have been good at it in a past life, so it’s oh, okay, I’ll look into that. And what’s funny, too, is I’m a Libra, so Justice is actually my birth card.

Grace: Whoa!

Jen: Yeah!

Grace: The synchronicities are real!

Jen: It’s happening!

Grace: So how do you resonate with being a Libra?

Jen: This is one of those moments, tell me you’re a Libra without telling me you’re a Libra. I don’t like all the parts, obviously, I’m into hair, makeup, and that stuff, but then, the not decision making, being fickle, and all that, I’m like, just, whatever, I’m not like that. I probably am.

I think it all works. It’s also, too, we have every sign in our chart, even if it’s not something that’s prevalent, that’s popping out, it’s all hiding in there somewhere, so I think If you really think about it and relate to all of the signs too, I think it’s, it gives you like a bigger picture.

✨ Understanding Karmic Justice

Grace: Yeah, it’s like your cosmic makeup and whatever you needed in this lifetime you have, like the sprinklings of this life and what you needed to learn in this life and soul contracts and whatnot, so to speak. I’m gonna read a definition I found of karma on the internet and just see what you think.

Karma is believed to be a source of supernatural justice through which actions lead to morally congruent outcomes, within and across lifetimes. It is a central tenet of many world religions and appears in the social evaluations expressed by religious and non religious individuals across diverse cultural contexts.

And my question is, do you believe in soul contracts and karmic justice across galaxies and different timelines?

Jen: What’s really funny about that word, too, is that I’m doing another deck for Llewellyn, and I just got edits back on my guidebook, and I had used the word karma and they told me I couldn’t use that word.

So I thought that was because it attaches to like Sanskrit really when it comes down to it and it attaches to one thing so we need to be more broad. So it’s been funny because I’ve been thinking about that word a little bit more because we use it a lot. And the fact that they’re like, we’re not gonna use it, you need to choose a different phrase instead.

I just thought that was really interesting, and it took me actually on a deep dive of okay, where did it actually come from? Where did this word actually come from? And it is a Sanskrit word, but throughout all religions and practices, there’s some form of it, even though it may be called something different. So I think the fact that it does weave through all different beliefs, that there has to be some truth to it, there has to be definitely something going on that all these people around the world believe in some sort of factor of it.

And I think that definitely can cross dimensions, and I think in a way, though, people tend to latch onto the negative aspect of it, and I must have done something so bad in another life because I’m having a bad week, something like that, and I don’t really think it gets that personal.

As far as soul contracts, I’m honestly not really big into that because again, it’s like, the word contract is so binding and I feel like unless you really understand it and, what it means to you, it can be something that scares people. And then they get so attached to that. And in, it even is Justice and I’m a Libra.

But, that doesn’t mean that I relate to everything about it. Maybe my rising sign is more important, or whatever, and I feel like it even comes into that as well with soul contracts, because there’s different parts of you, and there’s, you have your shadow, and you have your light, or whatever, so I think it can be subjective, but I do think that you have to come at it again, with that non judgmental outlook, because I’ve just read for people, I’ve done energy work on people that got so attached to that, that they just cling to it and it becomes a part of them.

And I think that’s the part that I don’t love about it.

Grace: Yeah, I didn’t realize karma was such a spicy word, you know?

Jen: No, I know! That’s odd that I was today years old when I found that out, I was like, okay, alright, here we go. I thought that was very interesting.

✨ Breaking Free from Lifetime Burdens

Grace: Yeah, I totally understand how people can get really attached to this idea of karma and soul contracts and Instead of feeling liberated, it’s like carrying this burden across lifetime to lifetime, and that can get really messy.

Because then you can’t feel like you can break free from it somehow. And I think people can get, for example, I released a podcast episode where, I had a past life regression where I was basically murdered by my mother in this lifetime. And carrying that through, obviously that’s a traumatic experience again, but I actually feel closer to her more than ever, so either you can face it, but sometimes it can be difficult.

But I feel like there’s something about human existence to be able to face your challenges and overcome them. It’s like the hero’s journey or even the fool’s journey. When you have to go through it. Go through the thick of it.

Jen: Yeah, you gotta go through the things. No, for sure. And I think realizing that you can have that perspective of, like you said, alright, my mom did that to me, you could be like, oh my gosh, I’m not going near her again, or you could be like, alright, obviously I’m here, we’re both here again, so now let’s change that, let’s flip that script.

And I think when you come at it with that perspective, it makes it easier to really start thinking about and diving into all of those things. it really, it is a perspective thing, and I think Being fair to yourself about it and not really carrying the responsibility of it. I think it’s okay to know about it and be like, all right, I’m acknowledging this, but then to take that responsibility and throw it on to everything else and it’s you didn’t really even do it.

pass like you did it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s your fault or that you’re gonna get punished for it. So instead of just focusing on what it is, just look at it in a broader way, and then it’s easier to understand.

✨ Self-Compassion Through Challenges

Grace: Yeah, and I also feel like in some ways, for example, in society and life, we need rules in order to live and to operate, right?

it’s like the, laws of the universe are like, why are we back here again with the same souls over and over again? What is my soul here to learn? And I don’t think anyone has the answer to that because I think it can constantly change and relating back to the tarot. If you have an issue and you come to the tarot with it like the first time, it might be different six months down the road when you reapproach the same question or problem.

And I feel what I’m hearing from you is change is welcome and flexibility to be kind to yourself, through the fluctuations of life is better than being hard on yourself. Because I feel like that’s just much harder to rise from than being like, okay, this happened. Like, where can I go from here?

Or like, how can I look at this from a kinder lens? Am I being hard on myself? Am I judging myself? Am I being objective? Can I take a step back from this?

Jen: No, it is. and just even, like you were saying, six months down the line, that’s gonna be different. if you’re reading, even if you ask the same exact question, you’re going to get a different card, a different answer, for the most part.

Sometimes it pops up the same one, but really, it’s about knowing your thoughts, your actions, other people’s thoughts and actions. It’s all changing that wavelength. You can’t just throw it on yourself and be like, that’s it. It’s doom and gloom from here on out. You just don’t know what’s going to happen, and you need to be open to that.

And I think that’s all part of the learning process, too.

✨ The Birth of Stardust Wanderer Tarot

Grace: Yeah, so I would love to hear about your inspiration and process creating the Stardust Wanderer Tarot, and also tell us about Mena, because you have a main character, and it says, Mena, who takes center stage, pores precariously between worlds. Straddling the precipice of her Demi Goddess lineage and the untamed allure of the Pirate’s Creed. I feel like this is so special and unique, and I’d love to hear more about your creation process and, yeah, just tell us about Mena.

Jen: Yeah, she was actually the first thing about this deck that I downloaded.

And it was just like, wham! Here she is and she’s got all sorts of demands. And it was just so funny because I was thinking about doing a deck and all of that, and then all of a sudden, then there she was, and so I was like, okay, so at that point she didn’t have a name, and just then this whole story just I was like, alright, I accept this, what do you got, and I just started writing down all of these notes about this whole story with her, and then I was like, okay, I guess she needs a name, and her mother in the deck is Selene, the Moon Goddess, and she had 50 something daughters.

So Mena is actually one of the names of the daughters in that, so that’s how she got her name. So her dad in the deck is Blackbeard, and so of course they had this forbidden affair, and then Mena was born and Selene was like, Oh, I don’t know if I could do this. And Blackbeard basically raised her.

And as she got older, she started to realize she had some magical things about her. And Hekate is actually her aunt in this and guided her through. And, as she got older, she realized that, Alright, I lived this space pirate life, but, Hekate in the deck is my aunt, something’s not adding up right.

it’s her journey, and finally, sat Blackbeard down and was like, Yo, Dad, what’s up? Something’s going on here. And he had to tell her the whole story. And so she set out on this journey, to discover who she was and that demigoddess part of her, and again, it’s going through all of the things that we all go through when we’re discovering things about ourselves.

That’s how that all rolled out.

✨ Fragments of Jen in Mena

Grace: That’s so cool. How much of Mena is you?

Jen: I’ve been asked that before and it’s funny. There’s definitely little parts of me. Unfortunately, I’m not a demigoddess. I guess I could say I am, but I think that when you get to that point in your life that you’re like, okay, I’m more than a product of my parents, no matter what relationship you have with them, and it’s time to all right, I need to discover myself.

What are my superpowers? What are the good things I’m good at? And so that’s really where I took all that from.

✨ The Balance of Work and Breaks

Grace: Yeah, and you also have another deck coming out, the Enchanted Forest Felines Tarot coming out in August 2024 with Llewellyn. And so what are some of your rituals when you’re in the creation process?

Jen: For sure trying to focus. I know and I came on here and I had my like ocean sounds on, so some sort of focus situation is always on. I always light incense before I start. I have crystals all over the place, in between the piles of books on my desk. And I just really try to zone in on what I’m doing, but making sure I also take breaks.

I’m one of those, half hour on, half hour off people. I have to take breaks and figure out how it’s going to flow for me as far as the writing goes. Sometimes it’s, I sit down and just jam it all out, and sometimes it’s going back to it, a little bit here, a little bit there, or maybe even doing it in a different program, or in little bits, so it’s really, once I get there, I have to become friends with the idea, and what I want to do, and then it just goes on its own thing, and that’s it.

Really, everything that I’ve done has been a little bit different. I’m writing a book for Llewellyn as well. So it’s a, and I’m writing another deck besides the cat deck, and it’s been, even with the exchange of that, I’ll be like, I need to work on this book right now. This is what I can’t even think about, the other deck.

So it’s really, I just sit down, ground myself, get my stuff in order, and then see what’s gonna happen.

✨ Finding Flow in Creative Writing

Grace: Yeah, I totally feel you. Just this morning, I was working on a tarot book, and I usually create the deck, both the art and the writing, but this is like a book and I feel like, writing in general just puts me in a different headspace, where I just really need to block out all the distractions, or the lights need to be off, and I just need to be in complete solitude.

yeah, it’s just like a different frame of because I’m sure there are other creative outlets, but this one I feel like writing in particular is like complete focus.

Jen: It is, and just like finding like the flow and, I know I’m like in the flow and it was a good writing day and when I like to look up and I don’t know what time it is.

I was like, oh, okay, and nobody bothered me, so that’s even better, but it’s definitely An interesting thing to do, and it’s not as easy as everybody thinks it is to, and really just you’re just taking, and you do art too, so that I didn’t do the art. I did all the descriptions, but I’m not an artist, but it’s just being able to pour all of this stuff out of your brain and have it become something, and then you send it out into the world for everyone to judge it.

So it’s one of those, like, why do I do this to myself? It is. It’s such a weird thing, but I really do love creating. I do.

Grace: Yeah.

✨ Pirates in the Stardust Wanderer Universe

Grace: And I feel like the theme of cosmic pirates is obviously so present in the Stardust Wanderer deck, so do you identify with being a starseed and coming from different galaxies? And if you do, what are some of the different starseed galaxies?

Jen: I do a little bit, not a lot. I dove into it and all of that.

Really, I just like sci fi. I like pirates and I like, and it was really my way of trying to combine all of those things. That’s really where all of that came from. I do look into the Starseed thing, but I don’t really super follow it. Cause it’s, it doesn’t really, I’m more witchy. That’s more my thing than that.

And to me, it’s very different. That’s the road I go.

✨ Creating My Unique Practice

Grace: Yeah. What was your first, initiation or awakening to, oh, I’m a witch? Or was it, your entire life you knew you were a witch?

Jen: When I was younger, I knew I was different. I was the weird kid that would go outside looking for fairies.

Just wanted to be outside in the woods and all of those things. And as I got a little bit older, I started reading tarot when I was like 13 or 14. I knew that when I picked up that first deck, I’m like, all right, yeah, this is what I want to do. And then, working with the moon, that’s what my book is about, is manifesting with the moon.

And paying attention to the moon phases and how it affects you and all of those things. And as I Time went on, I started working with spell work and just like that sort of tea leaves and all of it’s like you I open that up and I’m like, okay, now I want to learn about this. I want to learn about that.

I am also a Reiki Master and a Crystal Healer, so it’s like I just dove into all the things and then I just threw it all together and created my own practice.

✨ Candle Magic: Setting Intentions and Reading Wax

Grace: Yeah, beautiful. What are some of your favorite spells that you like to do?

Jen: I do a lot of stuff on the new moon, so that is usually pretty much every new moon I’m doing something.

I do a lot of candle work for other people. I read the candle wax. We’ll set an intention. I usually use three or four candles, depending. I put oils and herbs on them that kind of go with that intention. And then, once it all burns down, I read the wax and get answers from that. That’s something I do a lot of.

And, really, we always want to do stuff for money. And, really, people, they want to love candles. They, all of those things. And it’s really just to explain, this is just a tool, this isn’t a one and done, and I’m nobody’s gonna burn a candle, and then a million dollars lands at the door.

I guess anything’s possible, but most likely it’s not gonna happen to me, with doing spell work and doing any sort of magical work, it’s, okay, yeah, we’re doing that, we’re using that, focus the energy, but now, what are you gonna do? Instead of just sitting there, wishing and hoping, what are the action steps you’re gonna take?

And That’s something that I’m really big on. Even when I read Tarot for other people, I’m like, alright, here’s what the cards say, this is what’s going on, so now what are you gonna do? I’m, I, give homework. A lot. So that’s something that is really important to me, because, unfortunately, I with online, which is a great thing, but it has its downsides, and I think some people just get their hopes up, you’re a witch, okay, so can you do this for me?

Can you do that for me? And it’s okay, yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s fixing it. It doesn’t mean that it’s gonna go away. You still have to do something, because you need to really push that energy and Let the universe know, yeah, I’m ready to change, yeah, I’m open to love, I’m ready to receive abundance, and all of those things.

I think that’s a really important part about doing all of the spells and all that stuff.

✨ Aligning Intentions with Actions

Grace: Yeah, for sure. I feel like using any type of tool, like Tarot, it’s definitely For your guidance, but it’s not like a fix all solution to whatever problem. It’s not like you’re quickly patching something. You’ve gotta do the work, right?

when you set that intention, you always have to follow it with some sort of action to tell the universe that you’re like, You’re aligned with that vision that you have with yourself, because sometimes we might say, I really want this thing, and then you, do the exact opposite, or whatever it is.

An example I can think of is, I want to get in the best shape of my life, and then you happen to splurge out on Things that you know you shouldn’t be eating or something. To meet that long term goal. eat whatever you want, everybody. But that was just an example. But, yeah, I just feel like, I think sometimes we can seek to place power outside of ourselves.

For example, when people are coming to you and they’re looking for you to fix something, it’s okay, I don’t have the answers, actually. you have the answers, so please fix that for me. But in reality, I feel like what you’re doing and what anybody else in this line of work is doing is just showing you that you do have the power to change your life or to manifest these things or to light the way for yourself.

Of course, it is great to have the support and help of someone who can help you. Lead the way for you. But ultimately, I think placing the power back inside of ourselves to empower ourselves to take that action or to set that intention and to follow through, I think, comes from within us.

Jen: Yeah. And I think that is such an important aspect.

And by using tarot or divination or spell work or any of that, It also gives the visual, and I think for a lot of people, too, they need that visual, even to kickstart their own inner ambition for things. That’s a big part, I think, of why people, too, like me, or whoever, is because you get that visual representation, and even you have the candle, and, and I’ll usually do a video, or whatever.

And it’s you know what, if you’re feeling a certain way, or you’re like, this is never gonna happen, pull up that video, look at that picture, make it a screensaver of that candle as that visual reminder. Because sometimes, again, that’s just another tool to help you along, and everybody learns differently.

And everybody receives information differently. Obviously, that’s why we have the Claire’s. And sometimes, I think, by doing that, and trying to hit each one, because, a lot of people, if they’re coming to you, they don’t even know which one’s that. prevalent to them or whatever. If I’m doing a candle spell for somebody, I’ll be like, I use this herb and this oil and all of that.

So they may go and maybe if I use rosemary, maybe they’ll burn some rosemary for that kind of reminder or just have it near them. And that also helps too. And then that reminds them like, Oh yeah, I’m doing this. I can do this. It’s almost when you’re doing it for other people, then you’re almost the tool, too, to remind them, Oh, yeah, you can do this.

I’m going to show you. And again, we don’t listen to it. And so it’s you have somebody else telling you, usually what you already know, but for some reason, that kind of gets things going. And you know what? Do whatever works for you.

✨ Distinguishing Your Energy from Others

Grace: Yeah. So when you’re doing work for other people, if you’re empathic, intuitive, etc.

I know that I’ve taken on other people’s stuff, and it can affect you in some sort of way, whether you’re, like, taking on emotions or whatnot. Like, how are you protecting yourself and also, clearing your energy or maintaining energetic hygiene before and after doing a ritual for somebody else?

Jen: mostly, I don’t usually have an issue with that, because as I start anything, I’m like, this is for so and so’s highest good. And this is not my energy. We’re just using their energy. You’re not using your own energy for Reiki. You’re using their energy and just plugging it in and moving it around for them.

I guess I come at it from that perspective, too. I know that this isn’t my energy and their energy has nothing to do with mine. it’s like work, and that’s it, And then when I’m done, it’s done, and as for me, it’s like I will dispose of it, and me doing that, in a way, is energetically clearing the slate.

✨ Balancing Professionalism and Compassion in Energy Work

Grace: Yeah, actually I feel like what I’m hearing from you is that you have very clear boundaries from the start. it’s not oh, I’m like, emotionally attaching to this, or, whatever, it’s just kinda this is work, this is a job, you’re paying me for my services, and I will perform the services, but I don’t need to like, carry this through any longer than it needs to be.

Jen: it’s not mine to carry, and I’m just literally, a facilitator, and even if I’m doing it for a relative or a friend or any of that, if it’s like a friend or something, you’re gonna talk to them a little bit more about it than you would probably a client, and if a client needs to talk about it a little bit more, that’s fine, too, and I have no problem doing that, I’m not like, okay, we’re done, bye, anything like that, but, you Energetically, it’s not my burden to carry.

I’m just here to help you with yours. And I feel that a lot of people, when they start doing energy work, or they start doing any type of for them even for themselves, they feel like they have to almost, vacuum the bad energy out of the people, and then it’s stuck within them, It’s oh, I have to suck all of this out.

It’s not really. Sometimes that bad energy can be transmuted into something good. There’s a lot, and then that is even like a shadow thing. if you have a lot of anger, and I’m like, I’m sensing a lot of anger, but what can you do with it? You can transmute that, and a lot of times if you can remold that, it could be really used for leadership and ambition and taking it and doing something else with it.

In a way, too, my view of energy may be a little bit different, because I don’t see anything as good and bad, it’s just energy, and it’s, what you do with it and how you use it is really what’s important.

✨ Emotional Boundaries in Energy Work

Grace: Yeah, it’s very neutral, and then I feel like we as humans assign meaning to it, so even earlier we were talking about contracts, and I suppose that even is a contract, right?

It’s like a work agreement contract where if you’re performing services for someone, it’s very neutral, And then whatever emotions or energy that are coming from it, it’s I know that is not mine, and that is the other person’s, and so there’s like a clear boundary there from the get go, so It’s never, murky or whatever it is.

Jen: And it’s just taking that, if you do feel, if there was, like, a hard reading, there was some, lots of stuff coming out, and it was just Yeah, it’s gonna affect you. I am human, I do have feelings, so that does happen. But, it’s also just taking that and transmuting it.

And I do think that there are definitely ways, and, again, I think it’s a perspective thing. If you’re gonna go into a reading for someone, or energy work, oh my gosh, this person, they’re, really hurting, I’m gonna be hurting, you set yourself up, I think if you’re going into it and be like, okay, I’m here to help this person, and, that’s it, and that’s what I’m doing, it is putting that boundary up, because I feel like anytime you’re doing any sort of work Really, across the board, anywhere, boundaries are really important and that’s something that, as a society, we’re a lot of us aren’t good at, especially women, because we’re conditioned to just make everybody happy, and we wind up suffering.

No is a complete sentence, and sometimes we have to use that, and that could even be energy wise, like when you’re starting to feel like you’re taking on someone, no, I’m not doing that, and you have to even set that boundary with yourself.

✨ Dealing with Ghostly Intrusions

Grace: Totally. That reminds me, I was, like, subletting this place, and there was definitely a ghost in there, and I knew that it wanted to talk to me, because, for the first few days, it, hid one of my USB cords, and it, suddenly appeared on the couch, and I was, like, What the heck is up with this ghost?

And at night, I could hear I could, feel it, right up against my ear, and I was like, no. I was like, no, I do not want to do this, no. And it eventually backed off, but that’s, setting the boundary of, I do not want to talk to you right now. In fact, I don’t want to talk to you at all during my entire stay here.

Jen: Yeah, no, that’s actually Funny, because I’m in New York right now, that’s, but we have a house in Massachusetts, and that house is completely haunted, it’s from 1715, original house, and it’s a part of, the historic society and everything, it used to be an old tavern. And there’s shits going down in that house all the time.

And for the most part, I’ve got probably like about nine that kind of hang around. And I think because it’s a tavern, there’s definitely ones that come in and out because of that. But it is setting boundaries, and I don’t mind. I’m into all of that, so I don’t talk with them and whatever. And if you ignore them, they do start banging around on stuff.

a lot of times, I’ll just set the boundary of leave me alone in the bathroom, leave me alone in my bed at night. Besides that, I’m open. And it’s funny because even at night, you’ll hear banging or knocking right outside the door. And I’ll be like, cut it out, cause there’s some kids there too, and they, do run in the attic, and they’re very giggly, and whatever, and so they’ll come as close as they can, but then I’m like, stop it, and then, we’re usually there half the week, and last week or whatever, there was like, banging, I’m like, cut it out, and then there was like a banging again, and I’m like, enough, and then it stopped.

I definitely know about that.

✨ Navigating Subtext in Tarot Readings

Grace: Yeah. And then I was just reminded when you were talking about, when we were talking about boundaries and energy and whatnot. I did an artist market last week and I was doing tarot readings and for one of them, I got very emotional. I started, actually tearing up, and crying a little bit.

And I was so surprised because obviously it varies from, person to person, but, that strong of a reaction, like from that person reading her cards and then she confirmed that she had been going through like a tough time and everything and i feel like for me it’s been an evolution of building up that boundary and barrier as someone who can take on a lot of emotions and energy and things like that but i feel like when you know you work up to it because i had been working on this for like many years now i didn’t take that on so to speak but you I think it was a validating experience to then be able to deliver that message back to that person of what she needed to hear in that moment.

And, it proved to be insightful for her, whatever was coming through me. By the way, during artist markets and things like that, it’s like such a busy environment. It’s actually really awkward.

Jen: I don’t really read those much anymore, but those are hard too because you have that little bit of time.

And it’s I feel like a lot of times these people sit down and they just blast you with everything. And you can only get through so much, and I’ve definitely, and it is, at those, that’s when you’re going to get those blasts of energy, because And a lot of times, too, with those, it’s the first time they’ve ever had a reading.

Grace: That’s true, yeah. I get a lot of those.

Jen: Yeah, and it’s hard because it’s it’s great that they came to you and everything, but it’s that 15 minutes or whatever, however long, It’s not quite long enough and you, and those are the ones like you really want to dive into the reading because like you said there’s all of these feelings coming up and all of these things and it’s all the unspoken things because a lot of times like I’ll sit down or reading and they come with their question that’s not their original question I’m sure you’ve gotten that before and you’re like okay I’m already sensing what this is really about.

Let’s hope that we can get to it by the time that time frame is up, because, or else you’re not, gonna get there. Or you get the people that come and just cross their arms and are like, Alright, tell me something. I think those are fun. When you’re first starting, they aren’t fun.

✨ Navigating Differences in Vision

Grace: Yeah. So let’s go back to your creation process with the deck. I know you’re the writer, but what was the collaboration process like working with the artist?

Jen: It was definitely a very interesting process. It took a long time to find her. And really, I just wrote, I was very detailed in my descriptions of exactly what I wanted, down to what ethnicity they were, what they were wearing, how tall they were, their color of their hair, all of those things.

I have pages and when I’m doing the decks for Llewellyn, they aren’t even that detailed. Because it’s more general and it’s a little bit different process with the artist. It was really just working with somebody and then really, I mean up front, I was like, listen, I have a very specific vision for the deck and how I want it to go, so there’s a lot of details.

And of course, I always leave room if she wanted to, add something or whatever, but most times I was Ah, love that, but no, because it just didn’t align with the story or whatever, so You know, it was really just having to be very clear about how I wanted it to be. It was a very long process.

It took a lot longer than it was supposed to, like two years longer than it was supposed to, so patience is key.

✨ Applying Justice in Daily Life

Grace: For sure, yeah. And for anyone who’s looking to embody more of the lessons of the Justice card, what would you say to them?

Jen: I think really just taking some time to sit with the card and not even looking at a guidebook or a tarot book or anything and just writing down what feelings you’re getting, what thoughts you’re getting, what messages you get just from looking at the card and then look it up after and compare because most times there are similarities and just trying to live in, embody that non judgment and knowing that some things are fair and some things aren’t fair.

That’s just how it is, and that’s okay, but how are you going to react to it? Because you can’t control what everyone else is doing, but you can control what you’re doing and how you react to things. So I think focusing on that instead of everybody else is really important.

✨ What is your Sun, Moon, and Rising Signs?

Grace: Yeah, for sure. So now we’re going to move into our fast five questions to wrap up this interview.

What is your Sun, Moon, and Rising?

Jen: So I’m a Libra Sun, I am an Aries Moon, and I’m a Sagittarius Rising. So I’m quite fiery.

Grace: Yeah, I feel that the cosmic pirate thing is making sense. Yeah.

✨ How Would You Define Everyday Magic?

Grace: Yeah. How would you define everyday magic?

Jen: I think it’s really just, it’s all the little things that you do and say and just being mindful to just stirring your coffee or tea in the morning and setting intention to paying attention to the birds outside.

✨ What Are Your Favorite Rituals?

Grace: Yeah. And what are your favorite rituals?

Jen: I would obviously think tarot is a thing for me. I think really just being present in the moment and really candles, spells. I do candles all the time, so just doing that I think is a big thing for me.

Grace: What kind of candle rituals do you do?

Jen: A lot of times I will set an intention for the day. I also am a devotee to Hakate, so I have my altar to her, and so I do my offerings and intentions for her.

So there’s that. And really just trying to equalize everything. again, I guess bringing that justice into it, just like smoothing things out. shit’s gonna happen during the day, but just give yourself the grace just to go with the flow.

✨ What Are You Looking Forward to in the Near Future?

Grace: Yeah. And what are you looking forward to in the near future?

Jen: I’m looking forward to just creating more. Really, just creating more. I’m excited for the couple of things I have going on. I do a lot of speaking events and stuff like that, so I’m grateful that we’re able to do all those things again, obviously, and just getting to meet people and do all that. Yes!

✨ Collective Reading from the Stardust Wanderer Tarot by Jen Sankey

Grace: Amazing. So we’re gonna end this interview with a collective reading from Jen and her deck.

Jen: Alright. Pull them off a little bit here. Ooh, alright. We had two jumpers. Actually, we had three jumpers. Okay. Fine! I’m not messing around here. We have the Knight of Coins. And I got the Moon.

Make sure her little booty’s showing. And I did that on purpose, okay? And then we have the Two of Swords. I really think this has to do with all of us, I think, too, with the eclipse energy, which we talked about a little bit when we were off camera. Just coming at this energy and our feelings and giving them attention, giving them the attention that they need and then also really working through the other things that this eclipse brought up for us and that’s here and that’s like just deciding what you’re going to do with it and how you’re going to do with it but not for too long.

You don’t want to get stuck there. You want to be able to get up and move forward and all of those things and just keep it all in mind and know that our emotions, again, we have control over our emotions, and I think a lot of times people forget that, and they forget that, just because you’re feeling a certain way doesn’t mean it that’s it, that’s how you’re feeling.

You can sit with it, and you can, again, change it, transmute it, do something better with it. So I think just, it’s more also a reassurance of, yeah, it’s gonna be a hectic kind of feeling for a little bit longer, but work through it, don’t ignore those things, and just keep moving forward.

Grace: Love it! Yes, I feel like that was definitely a central theme throughout our conversation of just keep going, right?

Cause you don’t know what’s gonna happen, and uncertainty can bring up a lot of fears, but honestly, you just gotta move through it to get to the other side.

Jen: Yep. For sure. For sure. And I think, too, knowing that you’re not the only one going through stuff. you’re not alone, and reaching out to other people is really important, and making sure that you are talking to people and expressing yourself, and especially when you feel like you want to just hermit out, that’s probably right now when you need to go out and talk to others and get out in the world a little bit more.

✨ Closing Statements

Grace: For sure. Thank you so much, Jen, for sharing your insights and wisdom today and all your magical essence and creations. So happy to have you here. Thank you so much.

Jen: Thank you for having me. Thanks, everybody, for watching.

Grace: Bye!

✨ End of Episode – Make Sure to Leave a Podcast Review!

Grace: Thanks so much for tuning in to today’s episode with Jen Sankey. I’m so grateful for Jen’s witchy insights on the Justice card, how we can apply spell work into our lives, along with getting a deeper look into her creation process behind creating the Stardust Wanderer Tarot, and all of her other creations.

I think the most important thing that I got from this conversation is to be kinder to ourselves, especially when we’re looking to balance the karmic scales of justice. We don’t need to carry unnecessary baggage. If we don’t have to, and releasing unwanted energy and whatnot can be a great daily ritual in itself.

So what do you need to release today? What action are you committed to following your intention? Tarot can be a great guidance tool, but you’ve got to make some moves to get to where you want to go.

And as a reminder, we’ll be doing a giveaway of the Stardust Wanderer Tarot on Instagram, and you can also check out the deck unboxing on the Mystic Mondays YouTube channel.

Until next time, my dear mystics, sending you grace today and every day.

Thanks for tuning in to this episode. Remember to subscribe and check out more GRACED Podcast episodes for how to apply everyday magic to your everyday life. See you next time!

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