3 Kinds of Readings for these Hot August Nights

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Foggy Cemetery, Dan Antion
Photo credit Dan Antion

Welcome, everyone.  Many people associate eerie, spooky things with wintery scenes.  However, for me, they go with the hazy heat of summer.  If me being that way that seems unlikely to you, maybe it’s because as a child my sister died not long before the beginning of August. (I’m not looking for sympathy, just explaining.)  Afterwards, other children thought that meant I should be good at telling them ghost stories.  I did my best to pretend to be okay and entertain them in a dark garage, with August sunlight beaming around the edges of the big door, which we all found spooky enough. 

Now, on this particular hot August night, rather than ghost stories, I have readings for you — a few different types of readings.

Brother Love dark man playing guitar in graveyard by Teagan via Night Cafe

First, this snippet from the prologue of Brother Love: A Crossroad

This time you’re doing the reading, in the usual way.  The first characters we meet are Jinx and Brother Love (here called “the musician”).  Jinx loves blues music. 

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On a moonlit night, a dark figure sat on the corpse of a fallen tree.  He touched the narrow brim of his Trilby style hat, pushing it back from his brow.  Patiently he tuned a guitar.  Long fingers deftly twisted the tuning knobs.  Wooden pegs would have been typical.  These were made of ivory.

No, they’re not just ivory, they’re made of bones, Jinx silently reminded himself.  I wonder if they came from one of the old graves here?

Any grave stones were long gone, if there ever were any in the first place.  Only the town’s oldest residents knew the clearing near the crossroads had been a graveyard.  Even they wouldn’t have been able to say whether it was a potter’s field or an old Choctaw burial ground.

With head tilted, Jinx waited eagerly for the music he hoped to hear.

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Secondly, here’s (a very rough, spontaneous) audio recording of me reading what happened a little later in the written scene above.  It’s also a nod to Nina Simone and “Sinnerman” (song writers Les Baxter and Will Holt, 1956).  I’m certainly not trying to compete with Ms. Simone — I couldn’t begin to come close.  I recorded this on a whim years ago, just for fun.

Mabel Amber at Pixabay
Photo credit Mabel Amber at Pixabay

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Finally, a completely different kind of reading.

The Energy Oracle Cards

Energy Oracle 3 card reading

Intention plays a large part in card readings.  That’s why you can find them done online or on blog posts, directed at large groups of people.  My intent in this reading is that it be for each person here.   To do that, I simply take my focus yes, to include myself, but mostly projected in a much broader way, as I think of everyone while I focus on general need and randomly draw the cards.

I prefer quick three-card reading layouts.  This card layout asks three questions that lead to the answer for our query.

Our “Query” is rather general, but suitable as we near the transition period of kids going back to school, and/or the end of August. It is simply:

Moving Forward  

1:  What is unknown about the current issue or problem?

Door to Personal Healing y Happiness Energy Oracle card

The Door to Personal Healing and Happiness is a harbinger of personal change — most suitable for our query “moving forward.”  In this case it represents the issue of personal things we’re confronting.  That might be an outer change, like finding a new place to live, or coping with a special food plan.  Or it could be an inner change like breaking a bad habit or even an addiction, or dealing with a loss — any kind of inner healing.

Now, as we go forward into this reading, remember that each card ties back to the other two.

2:  What is blocking you?

Archangel Raphel 4th Chakra Energy Oracle card

The Fourth Chakra, Archangel Raphael represents love, compassion, and self-acceptance.  How, you may ask, can that be an obstacle?  Well, it certainly can be if one needs to work on having more of any of those things.  This time, I’m pulled toward the self-acceptance part.  Consider our query, moving forward plus the first card’s inner/outer healing.  This second card tells us that however far we have (or maybe haven’t) come, we need to keep working on some of those issues. They aren’t done yet, and they’re making an obstacle to our moving forward.

3:  How to proceed for best results?

Appreciation Energy Oracle card

Appreciation is a card that reminds us to choose gratitude.  Gratitude isn’t always just sitting there waiting for us — sometimes we have to make a choice to actively choose to feel it.  Look closely at the background in the artwork. Those aren’t flower bushes.  They’re meant to be thorns and brambles. The woman is surrounded by them, yet she stopped to enjoy the wonders of a single rose.  This card tells us to congratulate ourselves for every moment that we choose appreciation.

Summary of Reading

Now… we’re moving forward.  (1) We’re working on inner and/or outer change, hardship, or healing. BUT the Door to Personal Healing and Happiness also tells us that the changes on which we’ve been working are ready to blossom (we just can’t see it yet). So make sure to see your intentions through and stay optimistic.

(2) The energy at your heart center (the fourth chakra) is probably low but your work isn’t finished.  The Archangel Raphel card encourages you to have compassionate self-talk. Beating yourself up will block you from moving forward and get in the way of (1st card) achieving change, breaking habits, or healing the hurts within.

(3)  How do we get the best results? Genuine gratitude, especially for simple things can carry us through the obstacles of our unfinished healing and/or the changes we’re in the process of making.

To conclude this reading, here’s an affirmation from the Energy Oracle:

“I choose to see and appreciate the beauty and value around me.  I increase my gratitude every day, and I am attracting even more to be grateful for.”

I have one caveat about this reading.  Yes, gratitude can be a choice.  Yes, it attracts even more appreciation.  But it has to be genuine. Do NOT try to force gratitude on yourself.  That can lead to even worse thoughts about one’s self.  If the gratitude is not there, then it simply is not there.  Don’t force it.  Just take a little peek now and then and look for it.  It will show up eventually, if you’re open to it.

Now, before you think I’m being all holier-than-thou, I want you to know that following the above advice will be at least as much of a challenge for me as it is for any of you.   Wishing you a splendid weekend and week ahead.

Friendly comments are welcome.  Hugs on the wing!

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Naturally, the obligatory shameless self-promotion must be included.  It’s the book that produced the first part of this post.

Brother Love – a Crossroad

Strange things abound in 1950s Parliament, Mississippi.  Jinx the magpie can fill you in on the details.

Brother Love updated cover 2026

 

Universal Purchase Links

Kindle:  relinks.me/B07V25SXFR

Paperback:  relinks.me/107952309X

Audiobook:  By Virtual-Voice.  Click here for a four-minute sample.

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This blog is entirely human-written.  Furthermore, the author expressly prohibits any entity from using this publication for purposes of training AI technologies to generate text.  No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author, or used with permission, or from free sources.

Copyright © 2026 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

53 thoughts on “3 Kinds of Readings for these Hot August Nights”

  3. this post resonated with me. Sorry about your early loss and I enjoyed seeing brotherly love here. Your advice on gratitude was perfect. It can’t be forced and must be how we feel. Sending hugs xo

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  5. I really enjoyed your reading, Teagan. When we stop to count up our blessings and analyze how fortunate we are, it always puts those challenges and obstacles in our lives in a healthy perspective. Gratitude is a part of my life now, and it makes all the difference. In fact, I am grateful and appreciative for all your observations on oracle and tarot cards…an area I am still learning about. Hugs to you and the Scoobies.

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  6. I loved your reading, Teagan. As one who has been around for a while I can endorse the tenants. The most important being gratitude. As I look back on accomplishments, I can say being grateful for the means to accomplish what was done, certainty led to more. Today, I am most grateful for each day and grateful for what I can accomplish. Hugs and I hope you have a grand week.

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  9. First… love your voice Teagan. I always like hearing you sing, and now I hear your reading voice is A+.

    Thanks for the reading! I see a couple of places in my life where this overall projection is valid.

    Love the snippet, and I hope the Scoobies aren’t too, jealous of all the wonderful time you spend with us here in blogville.

    Not sure why, but I’m thinking of doing he Racoons post around the Solstice.

    Big Hugs!

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    1. I’m happy that you enjoyed this, Resa. Your raccoons post is going to be huge fun. Maybe the equinox fits them because the percentage of dark hours will start going up, and they are seen as nocturnal animals… Hugs back. 🤗

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  10. I really like your reading/singing Teagan. Where are we going to run to? We can’t escape ourselves.
    And the reading is very relevant to me. Gratitude is something I definitely need to work on. But change is coming, so best to be prepared. (K)

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    1. Hi, Kerfe, it’s wonderful to see you. It makes me happy that you enjoyed this. I hear you — I’ve been trying to reconnect with my sense of gratitude all year. I admit that I haven’t made a ton of progress… But, as I was saying, it actually is important not to try and force it.

      You are too kind about the voice reading — thank you. I sort of gave the accent of my youth permission to come out for that. Birdie would have had an accent. It’s funny… I’ve always loved that people have all sorts of accents. Unlike a lot of people, I never tried to lose or hide mine… it just (mostly) went away on its own, even before I left Atlanta/Nashville. I’m always glad to know it hasn’t completely left. Once on a shuttle bus at work, a colleague that I had worked with for several years suddenly looked at me in astonishment when we were chatting. He said he had never heard me have a southern accent before. I didn’t even know what I said that let it out. I told him that it comes and goes — and usually at the most unexpected moments. One syllable words that include the letter “A” are my biggest tell. LOL. They can slip into four syllables easily. 😀 Big hugs.

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      1. I have a friend from New Orleans whose accent comes out when she’s with friends from the South. I also have a friend from NC whose use of cain’t is a dead giveaway. You can always tell a New Yorker because they wait “on line” not “in line”. I like accents and regional language use too.

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        1. Ha! I was bad about “cain’t” as a child. My 4th grade teacher finally got me out of it. She hated that word. To her that wasn’t accent or dialect, it was bad grammar. I was always good with English classes, but at 17, I started working on my spoken grammar, and that’s when my accent also started slipping away.

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  11. Teagan, your thoughts about not forcing gratitude resonated with me. The image of noticing the single rose among all those thorns and brambles reminded me that life has many ways of evolving. To be able to see the rose gives hope. How wonderful to hear your voice reading from Brotherlove!!! Fabulous!!! Sending many hugs on speedy wings to you and the Scoobies!

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    1. Hi, Rebecca. The WP gremlins seem to have eaten my comment from yesterday… I’m delighted that you enjoyed this. Thank you for your kind words. Yes there are thrones and brambles aplenty, but like the card, they blur and become less significant when one focuses on the rose. Hugs winging back to you. 🤗 😽😻

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  13. I’m motivated to bloviate profusely in comments with this post. I was surprised about the loss of your sister so early in life. All of my siblings and I are in the final stages of life after quite a few decades of hardcore life adventures and challenges together. I can’t fathom how hard that is to let go other than our belief we’ll reunite and continue our shenanigans together so no need to let go. I think a book on Brotherly love in this era of digital hate mongering and global madness is right on time. Love thy brother was an ancient commandment we never adopted. Maybe there is still time. And of course, card reading is a favorite pastime for me. I have several different decks even one to interpret dreams. I’m always surprised at how close they come to providing the right guidance for every occasion. Happy Weekend, Teagan!

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    1. Hi Daniel. LOL, your comments never feel like bloviation. (Bloviate is a fabulous, fun, whimsy-making word!) What’s your favorite card deck? The tales you could tell about your siblings would keep us all glued to the screen, I’m sure. Actually, here’s a link to more about what I mentioned at the beginning of the post. I couldn’t deal with writing “part 2” of my personal story. (I did a series, getting people to tell about their personal reinventions and called them “Re-Inventionators”.)

      https://teagansbooks.com/2025/07/30/re-inventionators-teagan-part-1/

      You really aren’t far off about the book. Actually in “Brother Love: A Crossroad” would be closer to the lack of brotherly love in that the characters are outcasts. That refers to the name of a character. Neil Diamond’s “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” along with the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson’s connection to the devil at the crossroads legend, together served as an inspiration-springboard for the story and the character called Brother Love. Anyhow a very happy weekend to you too. Hugs.

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    1. Dear Luisa, thank you from my heart for this wonderful feedback. I put a lot of thought and effort into giving this post atmosphere — thank you. Brother Love has several eerie scenes. Most of it is more “strange” than actually spooky. I wanted the reader to feel they had walked into an off-kilter, odd, slightly disturbing place. But I gave it plenty of light moments with Jinx. Wishing you a brilliant weekend. Hugs.

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      1. Dear Teagan, thank you so much for your kind words! You did a fantastic job building that unique, slightly disturbing yet atmospheric world.
        I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts behind the story.
        Wishing you a beautiful weekend! Hugs.

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  16. Thanks, Teagan. I love the reading, and your reading especially. I think the story is perfect for this time of the year. And thanks for the reading. I has made me think, and I appreciate your comment about gratitude. I know exactly what you mean. Big hugs and love to the Scoobies. (I’m going to be busy with the local festival from today and next week, but I will be around when I have a break). ♥

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    1. What a wonderful expression. Back at ya, Annette. It makes me happy that the reading resonated with you. Actually, I ended up doing four — because the cards kept looking like they were too specific to me. I finally got my focus in line. I’m out of practice. ^^’ I hope you have a splendid weekend. Hugs on the wing.

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    1. It makes me happy that you enjoyed this, Dan. You’re right — there is usually more to be grateful for than we realize. It’s just that sometimes it’s hard to see through the thorns to find the roses. I hope you can get some rest this evening. Hugs. 🤗

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