Room to Fly: the story behind the deck

Last spring I took a trip to Maui to spend a week with one of my nearest and dearest soul sisters, Emily, to explore her island life. That first night we went down to the beach to witness the lunar eclipse. We sat listening to the waves crash, surrounded by ginormous sleeping sea turtles. It was truly magical.

She gifted me an oracle deck, and that night, we drew our first cards. 

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  Sea turtle sleeping on the beach

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  First Oracle card pull under the lunar eclipse.

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  Whale watching

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  Sunsets in Maui.

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  Maui's lush island landscapes

Each morning we pulled another card.

The messages were thoughtful and encouraging. Sometimes they offered clarity or they sparked reflection but most importantly, they created space for meaningful conversations and deeper connection.

From Maui, we reunited with my husband, Josh, in St. Augustine for a weekend of Widespread Panic shows. It was the perfect ending to a beautiful journey, all woven together!

We continued to pull a card every morning.

When I returned home, I kept pulling cards! I took them on the road and shared them with friends. We’d talk about the messages and the insights they sparked. The cards became conversation starters, and reminders to pay attention to what was happening within us.

I began thinking about what an oracle deck inspired by music could look like. As I listened to shows I would jot down themes for each song and powerful lines that resonated More than eighty songs made the master list!

I dorked out and put all this into a spreadsheet. The songs naturally grouped themselves into larger themes of awakening, growth, healing, celebration, and transformation. As themes came together, so did the structure of the deck. I wanted the experience to feel like a journey, much like a live show itself. Not a collection of random cards, but designed to become your own story.

The result became three cycles: Awakening & Remembering, Strength & Surrender, and Integration & Illumination. In many ways they mirror the cycles we all move through in life, the choices we make, the patterns we repeat, the things we learn to let go of, and the moments when we begin to see ourselves a little more clearly. We move through these cycles again and again, each time carrying a little more of what we’ve learned with us.

Each card carries a theme inspired by a particular song, but the messages themselves are universal. They are invitations to reflect, to grow, to trust your intuition, and to discover what resonates within your own experience.

Inspired by the deck I received in Maui, I wrote original messages, reflection questions, and prompts for every card. Before the artwork was created, I shared the guidebook with friends for feedback, allowing the messages to evolve.

I drew inspiration from sacred symbolism, nature, and imagery from each song, and created a pallette layered with vibrant colors and patterns. Each card thoughfully made with intention, and a hint of magic.

My hope is that these cards become what that first deck became for me... a feeling of wonder. That simple gift from my friend gave me a nudge from the universe when I needed it, and ultimately, the inspiration to create Room to Fly.

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  Never wanna leave!

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  Room to Fly card pull of the day.

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  Reunited on the east coast!