Typewriter Tarot’s
Spring Retreat

Thursday, April 10 - Sunday, April 13 | Austin, Texas

Let’s gather for four days of magic, Tarot, creative exploration, ritual, rebirth, and community! I’m excited to host you in my hometown (or maybe it’s your hometown, too!), and to share with you some of the people, places, and experiences I love most about this place we call Austin.

Where We’ll Be…

Our creative headquarters for the weekend is…
The Workshop @ 300 Allen Street in East Austin

Owned by a local couple, Heather and Marshall Lyles, The Workshop offers space for creative refuge and play. Marshall is a long-time therapist who trains other mental health professionals in various modalities, including sand-tray therapy. The Workshop is Marshall’s teaching space for these trainings, and he and Heather offer this space to other teachers for covering groups. The Workshop offers a big open space with various little “ecosystems” within — a classroom area, lounging spaces, a small kitchen, and a creative space filled with art supplies, sand trays / sand, and oodles of objects we can use in our archetypal explorations.

Have a look!

What We’ll Do…

We have two full days and two half days together to play, learn, share, and grow.

Below is the tentative, but mostly firm, schedule for our retreat. In some areas, I included more detail so you really have a sense of the journey we’re on. Some elements may change, depending on availability and weather, but I’ll continue to update this page, and adhere as closely as possible to this plan, or provide exciting alternatives and substitutions.

Snacks and lunch are included with the price of the retreat. Breakfast tacos will be available at The Workshop our first two mornings, for those who want them. (Breakfast tacos are basically Austin’s Wheaties, so you get to eat like you live here — if you want!) Dinners are group affairs (but optional if you need some time to yourself). You’ll pay for your own dinners, but selected eateries are affordable to mid-range in price.

Thursday, April 10

11am-2pm (ideally) — 👋🏻 Arrive in Austin from wherever you’re traveling (unless you live here!).

3-4:30pm — Arrive at The Workshop for our welcome reception. 🥂 Enjoy mocktails, snacks, music, and meet some magical people. (Think: Ace of Wands!)

5pm-6:30pm — 🕯️ Opening circle & ritual. Invocation, introductions, set intentions and wishes for our time together. Get oriented for our weekend and pull our first cards together! (Think: 2 of Wands and 3 of Pentacles!)

7pm — Dinner at De Nada 🥙 (pay your own way).

friday, April 11

9:15am — 🌮 Breakfast tacos from El Primo (my fave taco truck). Or breakfast on your own.

10am-10:30am — 🧘🏽‍♀️ Morning meditation, Tarot pull & journaling.

10:30am-12pm — ✨ Self-Futurism ✨ with sand tray play + an oracular gallery walk! We’ll feel into our visions of who we’re becoming and how we’re growing, then conduct some creative spell-casting by assembling 3D landscapes (in miniature!) using sand trays and objects from The Workshop’s vast collection. We’ll then enjoy an “oracular gallery walk,” offering little divinations to one another inspired by our sand-tray landscapes.

12pm-12:30pm — Lunch catered by East Side King 🍱 (included).

1-2:30pm — Walk to 🏺 Armadillo Clay for a tour. Armadillo Clay provides supplies and support for clay and ceramics workers in our area. It’s a locally owned enterprise that’s been in business for 40 years — a period that’s seen a lot of change in Austin, including the loss of numerous long-standing businesses from earlier areas. We’ll get to hear from staff about running a creative enterprise and see their kilns (I hope!).

3-5:30pm — Yin yoga, 🎵 sound bath, and 👁️‍🗨️ vision journey with yoga therapist Sam Pullen. We’ll get cozy on the floor and enjoy slow, relaxing, restful movements, along with a singing bowl session and guided meditation with my friend, breathwork colleague, and yoga therapist Sam Pullen. Sam led a soundbath at a previous retreat, and some folks had transcendent encounters and experiences during their journeys. And all found rest, restoration, and release. We’ll have transition time after for tea, snacks, and journaling.

6pm — Dinner at 🍔 Sour Duck Market (pay your own way). A locally owned eatery, the third in a local franchise that began as a food truck back in the 2000s. The market offers a chill outdoor patio with plenty of space and not too much noise. But you may also dine on your own and decompress after our sound bath. Your choice!

Saturday, April 12

9:30am — 🌮 Breakfast tacos from Veracruz, another amazing local taco truck parked at Radio Coffee & Beer, one of my favorite South Austin coffee houses. Or breakfast on your own.

10-10:30am — Arrival & transition time. Get settled, refresh your tea cup, journal, pull cards if you like.

10:30-12pm — ⚖️ Civic Mysticism and Spiritual Activism with Becky Bullard of 💋 Democrasexy, who was featured in The Hierophant episode of Your Creative & Magical Life!). (Think: Justice, 7 of Wands, The Devil, and 6 of Cups!)

12-1pm — Lunch catered by 🥪 Thundercloud Subs, one of Austin’s oldest sandwich shops.

Then… an adventure ensues!

🌿🔥🌊 think: knight of wands, 6 of swords, The Chariot, The fool! 🌿🔥🌊

Pull a card here at Zilker Botanical Gardens!

Anoint yourself in the cool and holy waters of Barton Springs Pool!

My favorite old hippy vegan cafe, Casa de Luz.

If Austin had a Central Park, it’s Zilker, “a complex” of natural spaces in the shadow of downtown, where ACL Festival is held (I have a rant on this!). Zilker Park’s defining feature is a huge, gorgeous lawn where people play soccer on weekends and enjoy picnics. The botanical gardens are part of the park, as is Barton Springs Pool, the piece of Austin I will miss most when I flee north someday. We’ll spend our afternoon, visiting these spaces and making low-key (but powerful) magic — in the gardens, at the pool, and at a nearby vegan diner.

2-4pm — Move to 🪷 Zilker Botanical Gardens 🌸 for nature magic! (Think: Ace of Pentacles and all the members of the Pentacles Court!) Enjoy light movement with yoga therapist Kelly Marshall (no yoga, just some standing movement, tapping, and laying on the grass — blankets provided!). Followed by a little talk about bird magic from my sweet momma Donna Diggons (literally my mom — the bird nerd who raised me — she’s amazing!). Then we’ll wander the garden and find the plant, ecosystem, or element that’s calling to us for connection. We’ll then sit and pull cards to converse with this nonhuman being (and perhaps spot a fairy?!). As we sit in our chosen corner of the garden, we’ll craft a declaration we’ll be using in a later part of our afternoon field trip.

5-6pm-ish — Witches’ Choice (or DIY) 🛁 Baptism at 💦 Barton Springs Pool. (Think: 10 of Cups, High Priestess, The Moon, the whole Cups Court!) Barton Springs is the most incredible thing about Austin — a beautiful spring-fed pool about 1/8 of a mile long, right near downtown, where the waters are always 68 degrees Fahrenheit. (When you’re dying of summer blues in Austin, Barton Springs is sometimes the only thing that can save you.) You can enjoy our visit to the pool as you like — sitting on the hill and journaling, swimming on your own, people-watching, etc. But for those who want to, I’ll be guiding a ritual where we “baptize” ourselves into our next chapter. We can do this in small groups, so we have just a few compassionate and supportive witnesses holding us. Then we’ll plunge ourselves into the cool waters of the springs. We’ll be able to do this without “making a scene” (unless we want to make a scene!) or feeling too exposed. (Austin is freaky anyway, so it doesn’t matter!) You’ll have different ways of adapting this ritual and full freedom to define what it ritual means to you. (I know baptism is a loaded concept and experience, but also a sacred act. I honor that we all have a different relationship to “baptism.” You get to honor that in whatever way feels right and appropriate for you.)

6:30-8pm — Dinner at nearby 🥗 Casa de Luz (pay your own way). Casa de Luz is another of my favorite spots, very close to the park. It’s only about $13 for a full, nourishing meal, and the place is laced with old Austin hippy vibes and the philosophy that food is medicine. This is a fully vegan restaurant, and each day they offer soup, salad, and a full plate of smaller dishes with a variety of flavors and textures. I love eating here after a yoga class when I want to hold on to the peace and quiet and keep giving my body loving things. It’s also lovely to walk into this little healing village — another Austin gem! We’re a short Uber ride from downtown and East Austin, but locals might be able to provide rides for out-of-towners back to their hotels.

Our afternoon outing, as you can imagine, is contingent upon good weather. I’ll have a back-up plan indoors if conditions call for it, and we’ll enjoy some creative magic elsewhere! Think: some combination of Mexic-Arte Museum, 📜 Harry Ransom Center, 🖼️ Blanton Museum of Art, film screening, and / or 📚 central library visit. I’ll poll retreaters to check y’all’s preferences and prepare.

Sunday, April 13 / 🌝 full moon in libra, baby!

9:30-10:15am — Light breakfast fare 🥯, chat & check-in. Enjoy fruit, pastries, cheese, and sliced meats. We’ll check in and reflect with a one-card pull over breakfast.

10:15-10:45am — 💌 Writing love notes to Future Selves + 1 fellow retreater (white elephant-style), to open later on the next new moon.

10:45am-12:30pm — Conduct our group 🔮 Tarot reading (to be commemorated in a work of art you’ll receive after the retreat!) & close the circle. 🌀

12:30-2pm — Celebratory & parting lunch at Grizzelda’s (included).

💻 I’ll also host a Zoom gathering for retreaters two weeks after our weekend, on the new moon in Taurus. This will be a time to share any magic that’s unfolded since our retreat, and reconnect as a community.

Over the course of this weekend, you’ll experience creative exploration in a variety of ways, and receive support, tending, and guidance to connect with Self, restore your energy, and tune into your intuition.

You’ll leave this retreat with new insights about what you’re creating for yourself, who you’re becoming, how you can support yourself in your journey, and a sense of community with people who are wishing you well and similarly committed to creativity and magic. We’ll also be casting our own personal and collective spells that will bring beautiful things into our lives down the road.

I’ve designed this retreat to facilitate big breakthroughs, along with gentle, beautiful discoveries and encounters. My goal is to help you remember how essential creativity, play, and magic are to our wellbeing, and to give your body, nervous system, and spirit lots of space to practice that. My aim is to inspire you to continue crafting a spiritual practice and philosophy — centered on magic and creativity — that helps you navigate this tumultuous world.

I hope you’ll join me!

Travel & Accommodations

Your travel and accommodations are not included in the price of the retreat (more on that below).

Arriving

I recommend folks from out of town arrange your travel so you can arrive in Austin by about noon or 1pm on Thursday, April 10. Better yet, you can arrive on Wednesday, April 9.

departing

I recommend folks from out of town arrange to travel out of Austin in the late afternoon or evening of Sunday, April 13. Or, better yet, the morning of Monday, April 14, so you have a bit more time and space to rest and integrate before traveling again and dropping back into your home world. If needed, you can leave earlier in the day on Sunday and skip our lunch at Grizzelda’s (but we will miss you!).

accommodations

Below is a list of hotels located fairly close to The Workshop (this list is NOT exhaustive!). Hotels and Air BnBs in East Austin are within a short Uber ride to The Workshop, though other areas are also relatively convenient. It can be fun to stay along South Congress or Lady Bird Lake, as well. For folks staying near The Workshop, it’s possible, depending on location, that local retreaters (including me!) will offer rides throughout the weekend. The Workshop’s address is 300 Allen Street (quite close to the Austin airport). I recommend booking your accommodations (and travel!) as quickly as possible! If you’d like to be matched with another retreater to share a hotel room, you can let me know in your welcome form, and I’ll try to connect you with someone.

I’m also offering my home in South Austin to two retreaters (I’ll be staying about 2 minutes away at my partner’s home). It’s a small-ish, 1,000 square foot home with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a back deck and yard, and lots of birdsong. My house is about 15-20 minutes from The Workshop, depending on traffic, but I can offer rides to and from if you’re willing to go a bit earlier and later than the group. The rate is $150 / night + a $30 cleaning fee per guest. Email me if you’re interested. I’ll be able to provide photos within a few weeks!

If you live in Austin and have additional space in your home that you’d like to offer, please email me the details and pricing, and I can add those options here.

Exchange

I’m offering three price points for this retreat. I need most people to invest / contribute at the middle price point, with a few people investing at the lower and higher price points. Please consider how you are financially resourced (including housing, cash, credit, savings, investment accounts, second-income earners, etc.) as you choose your price. If you are able to invest more, you make it possible for someone with fewer resources to participate at a lower rate.

Payment plans are available, and I’m asking for a $350 deposit to hold your spot. Remaining balances can be divided and paid over the months of March and April by invoice or Venmo. You must pay your full registration fee by April 1, unless we’ve worked out an alternative plan. Below, you have an option to pay your deposit, or pay in full at one of the rates below. Shortly after you make a payment, I’ll reach out with a welcome email, reminders, and a survey.

If you’re a Creative Magic Collective member, you’ll save $50 on whichever price point you choose. It’s best to just pay the deposit now, and know that your total will be $50 less than whichever price you choose below.

$785 (3 spots available)

$845 (12 spots available)

$905 (3 or more spots available)

If you are dying to attend this retreat but can’t possibly contribute at the lowest rate, please reach out and let me know what would be possible for you. Depending on how the retreat fills up, we can try to work something out, including (for locals) a work trade around meal pick-up or rides for fellow retreaters.

Reserve your spot

Your payment will look like a donation (because of the button I’ve used above), but it will not be handled as such on my end, nor is your payment tax-deductible (unless you consider it a business expense). If you’d rather make your payment via Venmo, I love that, and my handle is @Typewriter-Tarot.

Refunds

$150 of your payment is nonrefundable, no matter when you cancel your spot. You have 72 hours after your first payment to change your mind, but $150 of your payment will be kept to cover administrative costs.

Cancel your reservation before March 1 and receive 85 percent of any payments made minus $150.

Cancel your reservation before March 15 and receive 70 percent of any payments made minus $150.

Cancel your reservation before April 1 and receive 40 percent of any payments made minus $150.

Cancellations after April 1 are nonrefundable.

In the event of an unforeseen crisis (like another pandemic, a severe weather event, or a personal complication on my end, like illness or death in the family), all payments, minus $150 will be returned to you.

FAQs

I’ve attempted to be thorough in sharing information about the retreat, but I’m sure I haven’t covered it all! Send me your questions, and as I receive them, I’ll add the answers here!