August Tarot of the Month – Mandrake – A Love Letter to Music and its Creators

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Salutations my little clusters of Light and Beauty! Rock Oracle welcomes you! (Always) Stacy here again with another musing about life, wonderment, and – of course – music!

For today, though, we don’t start off with music straight away. We actually start off with –  drum roll (kind of punny) – Tarot! – an interest I’ve had for several years but that I haven’t really shared with people yet. Well – here we are! I hope you find the message insightful and encouraging ~

That’s what I love most about tarot, actually – how insightful and encouraging the message(s) can be. I especially love the idea that the messages are from your Spirit Guides, Guardian Angels, The Universe, etc. Look, anyone (or any thing/entity) that wants to send some wisdom and guidance to help us get through this thing called life? I’m all for it! (Anyone else singing “Let’s Go Crazy” in their head now? LOL)

Prince is actually a fabulous artist to transition us into the tarot pull of this month – Mandrake (Sensuality). I mean … come on. It’s Prince (RIP) – one of the most sensual musicians in history LOL Sensuality doesn’t always mean sex, though – you pervs! *wink* LOL

This card was pulled from ‘The Herbal Astrology Oracle’ deck by Adriana Ayales that one of my best friends and soul sisters, Jess, gifted me about a year ago. It’s by far my favorite deck. The tie to herbalism/nature is *chef’s kiss* (I’m a big fan of – and a bit of a nerd for – plants and nature), and the history and wisdom Adriana so beautifully melds together in the associated Guidebook, along with the associated artwork by the unexplainably talented Joséphine Klerks, always inspires me into the wonderful world of pondering and musings. 

The Mandrake is a really interesting plant with an even more interesting history – which is probably the most boring way to introduce this information … Geez LOL … I’ll work on that for next time LOL

Mandrake has been around for millennia! The first official reference of it comes out of the Mesopotamia era, actually. So, this plant (and its magic/wisdom) is ANCIENT. 

It was revered for its aphrodisiac effect – the Egyptians even used it to make “love potions” they’d then use in rituals (ooohh la la LOL) – but also had several medicinal uses, like helping treat infertility, anxiety, depression, stomach ulcers, and more. Some other fun facts: Mandrake is also known as “Satan’s apple” and is native to the Mediterranean. The roots look like a little human, too, which is so cool and disturbing at the same time ha

For those of you still like, “What the f is she rambling on about?” – you might recognize the term or image of ‘mandrake’ from Harry Potter. You know! The screaming baby plants the students have to wear earmuffs to handle because of their high-pitched squeals? (Any other Harry Potter fans/nerds out there?? I see you!) 

Well, thankfully mandrakes carry a much less troublesome energy in real life ha

Adriana’s take for the message from Mandrake energy is:

“Mandrake is here to ask you to find new forms of intimacy. Ask yourself, what inspires bliss, joy, and passion in my life? Notice how you relax into flow and more easily attract what you need and desire when you focus on energy givers, such as joy. Mandrake is here to assist you in liberating unchanneled creativity and sensuality, releasing energy from the sacral center, and activating your pleasure centers to experience a higher form of love. Don’t allow unworthiness, fear of rejection, and inhibition of pleasure to stop you from experiencing higher love. Focus on giving your gifts to the world with overwhelming passion and opening up to receive fully and fearlessly.”

Wow. I just love this message! And what better a message to connect to music. After all, music is a literal embodiment of creativity, passion, and expression! It’s the one “language” we all understand – connecting us no matter where we come from, how we grew up, or how differently we’ve experienced life. When you go to a show next time, take a look around – you’ll see what I mean 🙂 

Sensuality is one of the main drivers behind creativity, passion, and joy – along with intimacy (which we’ve learned stems solely from sensuality but I would argue isn’t true). Sensuality and intimacy are two of the most essential aspects of humans/life that make us unique and allow us to feel alive. They help breathe that aliveness into us through motivating us to pursue our passions and interests, seek connection, share our gifts (as Adriana’s message so appropriately encourages) … I would definitely say sensuality is a “must check yes” for authentic expression and freedom of self, as well!

Any musician that’s ever released music – all throughout the history of the world – has harnessed this Mandrake (sensuality) energy in one way or another! Music elicits some of the most intense emotions we can feel, and those emotions are connected straight to the vulnerability and intimacy that grows from our sacral space. (Of course, this is all just my opinion!) 

> Some great examples of musicians (some of my favs, I’ll add) who are historically known for expressing so beautifully from that sacral space – harnessing that Mandrake energy!

Music can produce such intense responses for listeners – we know this to be true – but have you considered what that experience is like for the creators? Composing the notes and rhythms, building the songs from the ground up … musicians pour parts of their soul into the music they share out. As consumers, it’s easy to take elements like that for granted, of course. 

Marrying a musician (who quite literally lives and breathes music) has allowed me the opportunity to gain a different perspective, but, before then, I, too, was “guilty” of not thinking of the work that goes into creating music. Really, I suppose I started gaining more perspective when I finally moved to Nashville – after having grown up 20 minutes north and gone to college about 45 minutes south. The more musician friends I met (and dated … eventually marrying one LOL), the more I realized how raw and vulnerable that process is. For some, it’s something they do for fun – and that’s totally okay! We all benefit from boppy, upbeat music! For other musicians, though, music is their main avenue for self-expression – making it one of the most intimate activities they partake in throughout their lives. And that’s pretty wild to consider – in an extremely impressive way!

Like … creating an entire record?? Getouttahere! I can’t begin to fathom the mental, spiritual, and emotional energy that goes into that. (Although I have been gaining a better understanding over the last year watching my husband go through the process of creating a new record – the first one in a decade or more! Don’t worry – Rock Oracle will definitely be writing about that when it’s released! Will share some fun, abstract shots of his studio room until then.) 

It’s awe-inspiring to know there are so many people in the world willing to bare parts of their soul and so bravely express themselves through music (and just art in general) – that’s what makes it so special.

This powerful message from the Mandrake plant is a solid reminder that inspiration – the kind that invites sweetness, aliveness, and connection into your life – is always accessible. Even in the times we may feel we’ve lost connection to the magic of life, we haven’t lost the ability to find our way back. There are several portals we can explore to find it, but music (I think) is one of the best because it’s so easily accessible, has so many avenues to explore, and is one of the few elements in life we don’t really have to try to understand. Rhythm and music are written into our DNA and can always help light the path back up for us.

Thank you, Mandrake, for your beautiful message this month – and THANK YOU MUSIC for being one of the safest forms of intimacy and self-expression many of us might ever experience. And to the creators of music and art out there: thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you … your vulnerability and energy are so deeply appreciated!

Until next time, you perfect little clumps of Stardust ~