The Uncrossed Path Blog
Welcome to The Uncrossed Path Blog, where each post delves into the art and practice of cartomancy, focusing on traditional approaches to tarot, playing cards, and Lenormand, grounded no-nonsense divination. Here, you’ll find explorations of cartomantic techniques, interpretations grounded in cultural and philosophical insight, and discussions that emphasize clarity over mystique. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or a discerning seeker, these articles offer a rigorous approach to understanding the cards, with an eye on truth rather than trend.
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The Power of Falling
A Rusalje ritual is an ecstatic dance practice from the Homolje region of Eastern Serbia, performed by the women called Rusalje (pronounced as ruh-sah-lye, “the falling women”). The practice, which is now largely extinct, used to take place on the holiday of Pentecost. It takes place on the 50th day after Orthodox Easter, colloquially known in Serbia as “Duhovi” (spirits) - a Christian holiday, dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. On this day, the people of Duboka village would gather in front of the cave, and start playing the music and dancing the traditional dances. All of a sudden, one of the women would fall to the ground in a violent trance.
‘Drama Queen’ Projections and New Relationships
“I need your help, I fucked up bad!” are the words I hear regularly. And behind them usually lies a problem caused by a blind, anxiety-induced, projected reaction in the love sphere. This we often tend to label as a ‘drama queen’ response, but let us be honest, all relationships affect us greatly. Some relationships we leave as a wiser person, some we leave richer or poorer, and some we leave as downright damaged husks of a human being. It is particularly the latter kind that often tends to cause problems in all future relationships, or even prevent us from ever trusting another person again altogether.
Cursed, or simply exhausted
Being a cartomancer with a South Slavic background often means that you are confronted with clients believing that they have been cursed at least 80% of the time. Folk magical practices and Western ceremonial ones are very much alive and kicking within the borders of Former Yugoslavia, and naturally, when weird and hard-to-explain events occur, some people get rather nervous.