Tarot and Stardust

Was there ever a more perfect match? Mercury Retrograde inviting us to the inner life for a cup of tea. Hang out, take a look around. What did you miss in the past three months as your life sped by like a bullet train?

The Hermit pulls up her hood, slinks in out of the wet and contemplates daffodils just spiking. A deep sigh and a reminder that she is connected to every shift in the garden, to every bird that glides above, to every worm just beginning a slow stretch toward spring.

Meanwhile, Demeter gathers up primroses to celebrate Persephone's return, a grand bouquet to suffice until Persephone's footsteps alone will bring the world alive.

The gathering place in the Druid Grove hosts a grand trio, The Hermit, Persephone, Demeter with Mercury guiding from above. An auspicious time to slow down and allow the shift that Mother Nature is cooking up to serve as Spring Fare.

The tendency is to be annoyed by Mercury's reluctance to continue the repetitious 100 yard dash. Instead, hold The Hermit's hand, have a cup of tea. Contemplate. There is more to come but for this day, there is only now, a fire still burning bright in the wood burning stove, a hot cup of tea, and a deck of cards. Therein lies my conundrum. Which deck. I pull out my favorites: The Druid Craft Tarot, Dreaming Way Tarot, Art Nouveau Tarot, the Gaian Tarot and a gulp of Mary K. Greer for more perspective. Breathe. Read. Let it be.

Timberly McKinley opened The Stone Moon in Bellingham, Washington in 2012. She has an amazing collection of tarot cards and oracle decks. Here is an interview with her.

What inspired you to open your shop?

I’ve always been interested in religion, culture, spirituality and metaphysical things in general, which is why I majored in Religion and Culture at WWU. I really enjoy the metaphysical/Occult/New Age shops in other towns and have wondered why Bellingham didn’t have one of its own. There are some stores in town that sell some metaphysical things, such as: Village Books has a small metaphysical book section and a humble selection of Tarot Decks, The Co-Op has some incense and candles, The Lucky Monkey has some statuary and an array of world cultural items as well as some fun things like stickers and knick-knacks and Wise Awakening is great for sound healing, nice crystals and metaphysical books/music and awesome classes, but, I was wanting one shop where I could find everything. Some of my main goals were to have the best selection of Tarot decks and incense in town, some affordable pocket gemstones, books, unscented & colored candles of all different sizes, Statuary, prayer flags, and also to create a warm, positive vibe where people would feel comfortable exploring and asking questions. I also wanted to feature in-store Tarot Readings, so I was quite excited to meet Jordan (she’s a great reader and is available for walk in readings every Tuesday and Friday from 3-5:30pm). My original vision was to have a separate room in the back of my shop where I could offer private readings, meditations and larger classes, but I love the space I have now –and have been creatively finding ways to make some of those things work.

How did you decide on the name?

I wanted the word “moon” to be in the name, because I’ve always felt very connected to the moon and her cycles, but couldn’t come up with anything that really resonated with me until my husband actually presented me with “The Stone Moon” – I immediately loved it and thought it fit really well with my vision for the shop. As for the slogan “Physical Elements For Your Spiritual Journey”, my family and I were walking around Lake Padden one day and I was deep in thought (as usual) when the words just came to me and I said it out loud and so it was.

What guided you to your location?

The location was difficult to find. I looked all around downtown Bellingham for months and decided to give up for awhile and only sell online and at fairs. I really needed to be downtown, and wanted to be near Railroad and/or Holly in order to get all of the foot traffic downtown has to offer and there just wasn’t anything that seemed to jump out at me. Then one day I was downtown running an errand and just happened to walk by 1304 Cornwall Avenue. It was empty and I loved the window display area, the terra cotta tile and the old panels on the walls. I just had a really, really good feeling when I stood in front of that space. So, I immediately called the real estate agent and left a voicemail… I was moving in less than two weeks later.

How long have you lived in Sudden Valley? Have local residents found your shop?

I have lived in Sudden Valley for about 10 years. I have had some fellow Sudden Valley residents stop in, most surprising though, has been a group of women from Sudden Valley who belong to a Tarot group that actually takes place in the Valley. Had I known about them before opening my shop, I would have liked to participate. That’s one of goals I have for this shop - to try to get a source for all things metaphysical taking place in Bellingham and the surrounding areas. I plan to put together a directory in the near future for those of us who are looking for certain groups, classes, meet ups, alternative healthcare providers, yoga, etc… stay tuned.

What are store hours?

The store hours are currently Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-5:30pm. Once spring/summer comes around I will likely stay open later in the evenings. I would also like to note that on all of my signs and online sources it says that I open “around 11am” which means that you shouldn’t count on the shop opening at exactly 11am… I have a sort of casual European sense of time, but I usually make up for it in the evenings by staying a bit later than 5:30 J

What is your most popular item?

The most popular item in the store is Satya Nag Champa Stick Incense – with Sage, Palo Santo, Chime Candles, gemstones and other incense following close behind.

List categories for Valentine gift items and a few specific things.

Tarot Cards: The Heart Tarot, The Tarot of Jane Austen

Gemstones: Any of the Gemstone Hearts, Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Red Carnelian

Candles: “Seduction” Soy votive/pillar, “Love” Soy votive/pillar, or a simple 3 or 6 pack of pink and red chime candles

Earrings: Any of the natural gemstone earrings in the “Mystical Dreams” line (these are created by my eleven-year-old daughter, Myah). She has a few different colored Jade heart earrings right now that are $5 each!

Jewelry: Tree of Life Pendants & Earrings made by a local artist

Books: Love Numbers by Margaret Arnold

Incense: Rose scented stick or cone incense, Shoyeido Japanese “Love” incense

What is your most unique item?

The most unique item in the shop would have to be the gigantic antique cauldron in the front window. I found it at an antique store in Mount Vernon. Close runners up are the out of print Wonderland Tarot, the beautiful Amethyst cathedral that I found at a trade show in Denver, CO and these really great handmade brooms by Skagit Broomworks (they use willow and Manzanita branches which give the brooms a really unique style).

Do you carry crystal balls?

I do carry crystal balls. Sizes range from 50mm up to 200mm. The colors and sizes that I have in stock vary – and the large gazing balls go out the door almost as quickly as they come in!

What classes do you offer?

We offer Introduction to Tarot, Reading Tarot for Others, which are both taught by our in house Tarot reader, Jordan Langen. There is also a new class beginning this year called Introduction to Altars taught by Julia Crouch. I hope to have some more classes in the future – so be sure to check our website and/or Facebook.

Tell us about your newsletter.

I offer a monthly e-newsletter (sent out around the first of each month) that highlights any new products, promotions or sales. It also features a Tarot card of the month, Gemstone of the month, Lunar Cycles, Info regarding the Pagan Sabbats, along with some great articles by local writers and a section for advertising. I offer FREE advertising for any local metaphysical service, group, event, class, etc… All past newsletters and sign up info can be found on our website.

What would you like people to know about the Stone Moon?

The Stone Moon is a much-needed addition to Bellingham and is definitely worth the drive into town. As our slogan states: “Physical Elements For Your Spiritual Journey”. It doesn’t matter which spiritual path you’re on, we have the tools that will help you on your way – whether you prefer to simply light a candle or incense while meditating or reading a book, or you are looking to stock up on items for your next ritual – we will likely have what you’re looking for and if we don’t we would be quite happy to get it for you.

What payment is accepted?

We do not currently offer a senior discount, but we are certainly willing to begin offering one along with our student discount of 10%. We accept, Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Amex and Square Wallet as payment. For those of you with smartphones, I strongly suggest checking out Square Wallet as there are more and more businesses in town using square up for their credit card processing (The Stone Moon, Chocolate Necessities, Starbucks on Holly, Dashi Noodle Bar, Goat Mountain Pizza, Ciao Thyme, Cheese Meats Beer, and more) https://squareup.com/wallet - You also get 20% off your purchase at The Stone Moon if you sign up and use Square Wallet as your method of payment.