The Tower is Crumbling (Weekly Update)
Well, this certainly has been quite the week!
Allow me to put on my “witch hat” on for a moment. This past weekend saw one of the most important and influential full moons of the year. Everyone online told us that this full moon would bring about a “Tower Card Moment” where everything would feel like it’s crumbling to the ground. But that from the rubble, something new and amazing will form. A number of insane things have happened in my personal life in the past few days which came as no surprise to me. It truly does feel like things are coming to an end in quite the dramatic and abrupt fashion
We’re standing in front of the high school and watching a boy blow himself to bits while we all light up our cigarettes and smile.
We’re holding the hand of a dear friend as we watch the financial buildings in the city cascade down in a fiery heap. A very strange time in our life indeed.
This “Tower Moment” season, I’m kicking back with a cold one and welcoming the downfall of this tired world with open arms. We are in dire need for something new.
Believe or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve had a “Tower Moment”. About a week before my mom and I left our less than desirable home situation in late 2021, I did a tarot reading asking for advice on what we should do next. Things were getting worse by the day at our house and we were in serious need of some spiritual guidance. The first card that I pulled was XI - Justice. When you pull this card when asking for advice, it usually is good practice to pull two additional cards to show the two paths in front of you. The first “path” was a reversed Five of Wands and the second was XVI - The Tower. The Five of Wands represents a life of constant conflict, negative compromises and bad relationships. The Tower on the other hand represents a drastic upheaval, sudden change and destruction to make way for the new. That was one of the clearest card reads I had ever pulled. If we had stayed, it would’ve been conflict and negativity but if we were to leave, we would do so in a sudden and somewhat destructive way. We did the latter and it’s been the best decision we’ve made up to this point. Hearing those people on TikTok call this full moon and the following months a “Tower Card Moment” makes me incredibly hopeful and optimistic for our current situation. My mom and I are seeking change and if it takes destruction and massive upheaval to get there, then so be it. We’ve done it once and we’ll do it again.
In the art world, I’m still plugging along at The Chicago Oracle deck. I’m looking into offering tarot/oracle readings at my local cafe to hone my cartomancy skills, promote the deck and make a little $.
A fun quick art piece that ended up getting a lot of love was my “Mandalörtian” fanart. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chicago culture, Malört is an infamously disgusting alcoholic spirit that is made in the Chicago area. It is a rite of passage for many to take a shot of it when you turn 21. Although I never took a shot of it before going sober, I have been told of its horrific flavor profile by many and am happy that I never did.
At C2E2 this past April, I came across a guy dressed in a Malört themed Mandalorian costume and was immediately enamored by its craftsmanship, creativity and Chicago specificity. I took a photo, he shook my hand and told me “This is the way”. Consider me intrigued. I’ve been following him on Instagram ever since and I’ve had a great time watching him become Malört’s unofficial mascot and photo-op party goer. Last week, I decided to take my “Sexy Mandalorian” sticker art and repaint it with his costume. Giggling and kicking my feet through the drawing process, I posted it, tagged him and waited for a response.
He loved it! We’re besties now! After some more giggling, I put on my game face and decided to take advantage of the situation. Not in an evil way, but in a “I’m an artist, you’re a public figure let’s make this work” kind of way. I offered up my services to create sticker and business card designs seeing as he’s attending both Malört and comic events these days. Could be an even busier dude in the coming months. And what’s a viral local celebrity without some merch?
He expressed interest in future collaborations and I certainly will be looking forward to it. I have a soft spot for local Chicago celebrities like Svengoolie or local meteorologist, Tom Skilling. There’s just something about them that makes me feel like I’m in on some city-wide inside joke.
The Mandalörtian is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Until next time, let it alllll go.
-Shelby :)