SMALL EXITS PRODUCING EXODUS
Transfigured
Oracle Deck for Change
The Transfiguration Oracle Deck was created by Exodus's founder Taylor Simone during her time participating in the Residency Ritual with Dark Room Oracle (Learn More Here).
Responding to the residency's call to move through a ritual that is accessible to others, the possibility of curriculum became clear. The deck stands at the intersection of spiritual practice and education, providing a curriculum designed to uplift and empower. Each card invites users into a sacred space where they can project their interpretations through evocative imagery and powerful affirmations.
The theme of the deck was prompted by Simone's desire to explore the tension and beauty inherent in processes of transfiguration, change, and metamorphosis. This aligns with Exodus's holistic view of practice. These cards are more than mere tools; they are companions in your exploration of metaphorical and practical change.
In our pursuit of a just and equitable future, we often overlook the discomfort that accompanies change. Pivoting with materials or techniques, experiencing interpersonal change, or environmental shifts are all types of shifts that call us into the unknown. This deck acknowledges that discomfort and provides the tools to embrace it, guiding us through the transitions we envision for ourselves and our communities. n.
Included in the deck are 31 cards with hand-drawn images. This decade-long collection of sketches blends portraiture and abstraction to capture moments of metamorphosis. These visual dairies have always been a cornerstone of processing transformation in my practice, making them the perfect foundation for this deck.
Join the Journey: Embrace Change
I invite you to connect with me on this transformative journey. In the coming months, there will be an announcement on how you can support the production of a limited edition print run of the deck!
To support today, share this project, join the mailing list, and become part of the community.
Guide Intro: Seeds of Change
Transfiguration:
A Spiritual cycle of life and death
What does it mean to be?
What does It mean to embody change as a constant?
What does it mean to account for the continuum change?
Spirit resides in the flux.
So does the turbulence that comes with being a child of change
before identifying it as magic.
This season of change felt different.
Still incredibly difficult but, a softness has permeated. A party of adventurers or maybe tools I have learned to put into proper context. I am still learning to anchor down in what feels aligned. To be the flux instead of riding the rough tides of resistance. In July 2023, I started the Ritual Residency with Dark Room Oracle. To begin, the steward of Dark Room, Sonia Litynskyj, and I communed and made space for discussion. During our time together, a word that kept coming up for me was “transfiguration”. It stayed with me and after reflecting this definition unfolded:
A spiritual upheaval - reworking - uprooting - decomposition - a spiritual process of change.
A sentiment that appears often in my writing is that “I myself am prone to spontaneous combustion.” In both strengths and weaknesses, I pivot often. Due to intuition, spirituality, capacity, neurodivergence, new variables, and the nature of life. All things where change is guaranteed to make a home.
A state that shows up often in my practice is that of flux. My interests have always pushed me to explore the intersection where things are coming together while coming undone. It’s captured in my processes, thought work, and physical manifestations. Months after our conversation, I am experiencing major change. After an extended period of isolation, I moved back home to Michigan. At this moment I am reminded again of our time in conversation. When I shared a desire to embrace change because I had begun to see the depth of it.
Similar to my reverence for processes of grief, I began to see spirit in it all.
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Growth.
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Perspective.
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Expansion.
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Lineage.
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Yes & Tension.
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But beauty in the reconfiguring
I now realize it is also a tool for myself. Transfiguration, surrendering and intuition can be equally easily distressing. Spaces of the unknown can be terrifying. As someone who feels an affinity towards it, the prospect of feeling ungrounded is still not the most appealing. However, many things motivate me.
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Deepening my understanding
of my practice and process
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The way change has illuminated the thin veil between our bodies, spirits, and things.
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Similar to grief, change pushes you to redefine your scope of selfhood. Pushes us into more expansive perceptions and past discomfort.
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This pushes us to reflect on who we are regarding change and the ways we navigate it. It is also a marker of our relation to the trichotomy of surrender, intuition, and manifestation.
This is a tool that encourages users
to illuminate pockets of change in their lives, ground in affirmation, and reflect on their relationship with change regarding the ways it impacts practice.
Aligned with Exodus's framework of practice, it pays reverence to the processes that make space for self-actualization. It is also a guide for those who want to embrace intuition, transfiguration, and change. Gaining comfort and courage to surrender to the nature of life.
Ritual Documentation
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01
Returning to Ritual
“This season of change felt different. Still incredibly difficult but, a softness has permeated. A party of adventurers or maybe tools I have learned to put into proper context. I am still learning to anchor down in
what feels aligned. To be the flux instead of riding
the rough tides of resistance.”
-Ritual Residency, Writing (Draft)
Read More (4 min read) Here
02
Tides of Changes
"Give gratitude and thanks.
‘That is, I am.
Change is all, I see.
With this, I am free’
Close your eyes if possible and chant the mantra in
your head or aloud."
-Ritual Residency, Writing (Draft)
Read More (3 min read) Here
03
Ritual Reflection
"It's hard to grasp change as a tangible material that you are always working with. It sits as an omnipotent force. I believe it touches all aspects of life. This includes practice, organizing, and lived experience."
“...there is no other option but, to surrender in the face of what is cosmic leaps larger than you; in both scale and perceived power. The ritual gave me time to find the parallels between that reverence and my discomfort with change."
-Ritual Residency, Writing (Draft)
Read More (6 min read) Here
An Invitation to Enter
Guide:
Ritual Activation
I extended an invitation for you to move through this ritual before using your deck. This is a simplified version of the ritual I created and performed before developing this work.
When first activating the ritual, I was moving through a personal process of change. One thing I reflected on is the importance of giving yourself grace. Both grace and gratitude offer a gift of comfort during these processes.
In the name of change, I extend grace to you. Add or subtract from this ritual in whatever way you would like. If moving through the ritual based on intuition feels more suited to your practice, I welcome that. If so, be sure to ground into the deck's mantra.
"That is, I am. Change is all,
I see.
With this,
I am free."
The extended ritual was a beautiful and soft experience. It started with me sitting in front of my altar, with paper and a pen, free writing the bones of this introduction. I woke up early the next morning to set up an altar. I called on my ancestors, paid reverence, and laid out my intentions. I then sat with the cards and intuitively wrote out the titles of several cards. The ritual was then broken up over the course of a week.
Of course, in poetic irony, many things in life prompted the need for a reshuffling of plans.
With my intention sewn, I navigated those moments leaning into a desire to flow, searching for embedded lessons, and even glimpses of a self on the other side of the process. To put it simply I sat in discomfort instead of resisting growing pains.
I share this to give an example of the materialism at play with your deck. By that I mean the relation exchange. What unseen and interpersonal elements would I contribute? Moving through the ritual, I held a deep consideration of what I brought to this relationship. I recognized I was bringing my ancestors, patience, a seed of faith, and parameters that uplifted my reverence for the materials. In hindsight, I find, an inherent safety provided in the ways ritual calls for this consideration and an elevated level of accountability,
As with processes that usher in metamorphosis, a key to moving through is being open to taking the first step down a path uncharted. Here is a personal philosophy of mindfulness that helped me move past fear and surrender.
Let go of everything you have imagined.
Hold on to the fuel
of that Dream.
Surrender what it looked like to the forces of Change.
Forces that can perceive more then fathomed &
shift what seemed
unmovable.
Ritual
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Bathe in Jezebel Root, Camomile Flowers, Epson Sea Salt, and a color you are drawn to (one that carries meaning). Light sandalwood incense. Soak, Rest, and Bathe in your intention to embrace and ground in change.
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Connect with your ancestors in the quiet. Utilize grounding techniques. This can as be as simple as closing your eyes in addition to humming a mantra, sitting in silence, or taking a few deep breaths. Be sure to give gratitude and thanks.
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"That is, I am. Change is all, I see. With this, I am free."
Close your eyes If possible and chant the mantra in your head or aloud. Repeat until you feel ready to move forward or your body feels relaxed. Then take three deep guttural breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth.
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Give your home a light or deep cleansing. You can use any method of your choice.
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Take your deck and run it gently through the smoke of an incense of your choice. Set the deck on a window seal or in the moonlight for one OR three nights
Deck Usage
This resource was created by Taylor Simone S. and published by Exodus School of Expression. © Taylor Simone, Exodus School of Expression, 2024. All Rights Reserved. If sharing or using this material please cite the source. This material is not to be edited or redistributed for sell in any way.
Transfigured
Oracle Deck for Change
Explore the digital version of the Transfiguration Oracle Deck, a tool designed to guide you through personal and spiritual transformations. Each digital card features a hand-drawn image paired with an affirmation, inviting you to project your own interpretations and insights. A comprehensive guide and extended prompts will be available in 2024, offering deeper engagement and reflection. For now, immerse yourself in the imagery and affirmations, and share your unique interpretations with our community. We invite you to connect with us by tagging your posts on Instagram or emailing us at Exodus Express. Your insights and experiences are invaluable to us, and together, we can embrace the journey of change.
Explore the digital version of the Transfiguration Oracle Deck, a tool designed to guide you through personal and spiritual transformations. Each digital card features a hand-drawn image paired with an affirmation, inviting you to project your own interpretations and insights.
A comprehensive guide and extended prompts will be developed in 2024, offering deeper engagement and reflection. For now, immerse yourself in the imagery and affirmations, and share your unique interpretations with our community. We invite you to connect with us by tagging your posts on Instagram @Exodus_Expression or emailing us at Exodusexpressinfo@gmail.com Your insights and experiences are invaluable to us, and together, we can embrace the journey of change.
Join the Journey: Embrace Change
I invite you to connect with us on this transformative journey. In the coming months, there will be an announcement on how you can support the production of a single print run of the deck!
To support today, share this project and join the mailing list today to become part of the community.