It’s In The Cards

7 DEGREES OF MISSISSIPPI- FEATURE 1

So, it’s a known fact that one of my favorite places in the world is New Orleans. I think what makes it so special to me is the bombardment of culture that immediately attacks you once you step foot in the city limits. You have the blues, jazz, rich antebellum heritage, poor struggling street performers, voodoo, vampires, the Catholic Cathedral, horse-drawn carriages, casinos, the Riverwalk, the drinks and the food attacking all your senses all at once!! It’s glorious for an ADD sufferer such as myself. When I lived on the coast, my family and I went to New Orleans on a regular basis, and, for me; each time was just as mesmerizing as the first time there.

When my daughter was in first grade, she had project titled, “Getting To Know Me”. She made a poster board up with pictures and graphics telling all about Jane, her family, her hobbies, and what she wanted to be when she grew up. It was adorable… until I read her goal in life was to be a “street worker in New Orleans”. Hmmm…. this was cause for a discussion with my sweet baby girl. Exactly what kind of street worker did she want to be? It was with a sigh of relief when she explained that she wanted to be an artist on Jackson Square, selling her paintings, not anything else! I had to admit, that I too, always thought it must’ve been a pretty cool job to work in Jackson Square. But, the writer in me always wondered what the story was behind those performers. I always wanted to know what brought them there.

Well, through chanced and probably a bit of circumstance, I was able to talk to a New Orleans Tarot Card Reader and get to know his story. Imagine my delightful surprise when he told me that he had ties to Mississippi. But, really, don’t all the beautiful weirdos and artist of the world have some tie here?

August Wyrd Eshu was raised in Seatle, Washington. His mother was from Mississippi (just south of Memphis). In Seatle, she read tarot cards for her friends, married a Native American named Royal Bullbear who saw August’s natural spiritual gifts and initiated him into shamanism at the age 10. Participating in sweat lodges and ritual after ritual, Royal Bullbear noticed that August’s connection to spirit was stronger than his connection to the realm of the living. However his mother divorced him and denounced all things occult and became a born again Christian after a short period of time. So by the age 12 I stole his first deck of tarot cards from Spencers.

For about the next several years, August suffered rejection and ridicule from other tarot card practitioners as his gifts were denied by others in the pagan community. It wasn’t until he was given a chance to read cards at a small shop at 16, that he was taken seriously. From there, he continued to pursue his craft, while also trying to conform to the expectations of society. He battled belittlement from those he loved, judgment from those that couldn’t understand him; and a constant pressure to hide his true self to gain respect from others. It wasn’t his husband’s terminal battle with cancer that August finally received the acknowledgement and support he needed to fully commit to reading cards. After his husband’s death, he relocated to New Orleans, where he set up shop in the infamous Jackson Square and began to share his ability.

So, I was curious, “What it a typical day like for a New Orleans Tarot Card Reader?” Well, apparently, it’s not much more different than any other working person in America. You have set hours you work, you show up, do your job to your best ability, pay your bills, run some errands, and call it a day! The only difference is that what you share with others can have either a fleeting or significant impact on their future, according to how they take your advice. But, according to August, he tries to focus on the positive aspects of the cards, projecting that positivity onto others.

So, where do these gifts come from? August believes he was born with these gifts, that they don’t come anything dark, only light. This is how he tries to live every day in the Jackson Square and in life. “I love helping people and giving them messages of the divine.” These are times of uncertainty. Everyone’s lives have been shaken to the core; and we are all grasping at any source of positivity we can grasp. With so much negativity in life, it’s always nice to see some light in the darkness.

If you are ever wandering around the Jackson Square in New Orleans, look for the man in the top hat. Have a seat and give the cards a shuffle and see what’s in the cards for you!!