Teagan's Books

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Welcome, all.  You’ve seen me do a few collaborative posts lately — I used to do them a lot.  It’s wonderful to be doing collaborations again.  You can see by the title-line that I have a guest today.  However, I’m saving the best for last, and starting with the reading.

With Halloween on the horizon, what better deck of cards for me to use this weekend than the Shapeshifter Tarot by D.J. Conway and Sirona Knight. (This deck has been out of mass circulation for a while, but if you’re drawn to it, I’ve seen it at eBay and Esty. I love that it has a full-sized book.)  It’s based on the standard Rider-Waite deck, but the individual card names have been changed (though the meanings are mostly the same) and it has some extra cards, 81 instead of 78.

Halloween is about the boundaries between the living and the dead, and the threshold between seasons. It occurred to me that many of us feel (to one degree or another) that we’re sort of stuck in our own “between.”  So, the topic of my reading is coping with being between — or purposefully using our time between.  Daphne volunteered to help me with the cards.

Reading

While We’re Between

Just now, I did a three-card reading on that topic — one question for each of the three cards.  Above each photo is the question.

What Is Unknown About the Current Situation?

Ten of Pentacles:  Wealth

What could be unknown about our wealth?  We aren’t a bunch of ingrates with no gratitude for what we have.  We know what is or isn’t on our bank statements.

“Wealth” is a card of healing and inspiration at home.  Have you overlooked a little thing in a relationship with a friend or family member that needs nurturing to help that relationship stay solid, or improve?  Or this card can be a nudge to consider various types of wealth that might not have occurred to you — that you already have. It can also be that we are preventing wealth (of whatever type) from coming to us because our negative self-talk is in the way.  You attract what (you believe) you are.

The card suggests that we are either overlooking existing wealth, OR that it’s time to work on having the kind of positive self-talk that brings/attracts/manifests your particular kind of wealth.

What Are the Obstacles?

Success (Nine of Pentacles)

How can success be an obstacle?  It is if we are in the mindset that we are unsuccessful!  This card asks us to reevaluate what we think success means.  Loss of confidence can result from any number of different situations.  Also, things don’t always turn out the way we hope.  Has something like that made you think you are anything other than successful?  If so, then this card is a reminder that you are so very much more than those events.  It is a nudge to view success differently.

How to Proceed for Best Results?

Rebirth

Transformation.  Release.  Reinvention.  This card is a reminder that all of those things are within our grasp.  It takes a unique kind of courage to reinvent ourselves or even implement a minor transformation.  It requires a particular form of letting go.  Isn’t this “between time” a great time to start?

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 I promised you a visitor, and I promised you a story.  Here are both!

Meet Edward Ortiz

I’ve only been following Edward for about a year and a half.  His is a very different blog than mine, but I’ve always been impressed with his posts and the insights he shares. You can learn more about Edward at his blog,
Thoughts about Leadership, History, and More.

When I was ready to post a reading from my Shapeshiter cards, I considered what cultures had shapeshifters in their legends or mythologies.  I remembered Edward mentioning something in a post he did about the Taíno people of Puerto Rico.  I asked him if he could say a few words about shapeshifters that are included in those legends, or Taíno mythology in general.  To my delight, instead of simply talking about it, Edward made his response into a short story.

Now, I’m happy to present…

A Tale of the Jupías

Carlos Martinez had always been fascinated with the mystery and spookiness surrounding the Halloween festivities in Puerto Rico, especially with the horror stories. One day, he overheard one of his sixth-grade classmates mention the Jupías and explain that they must be avoided at all costs. Carlos asked Marcos to explain, but he didn’t know many details except that they came out at night and were terrifying.

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Over dinner, Carlos asked his mom, Angela, about the Jupías.

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“Mom, one of the kids in school mentioned the Jupías and said that they were terrifying and that we should avoid them, but when I asked him about them, he didn’t know much.”

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“Ay mijo, it has been decades since I heard that name,” Angela replied. She then explained what they were.

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“The Jupías are part of our ancestor’s mythology.  According to the Taíno beliefs, the Jupías were the spirits of the dead.”

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Carlos was intrigued and wanted to know more.

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“Está bien, mijo,” Angela said. “I’ll tell you a story that was well known when I was growing up.”

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A long time ago, the Taíno spiritual leaders, called the behiques, warned the people of Borikén that when the moon disappeared behind the clouds, the Jupías would leave their graves and wander among the living. They took the shape of bats, hanging from the tamarind trees, their eyes reflecting the moonlight like tiny embers.

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One October night, a young jíbaro named Juan heard scratching at his front door. Curious, he opened the door and found a dozen bats hanging from his porch. At once, they turned their heads toward him, and he heard the voice of his mother, who had died three years ago, coming from a distance:

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“Juan, my son, why have you left me alone?”

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He took his lantern and followed the voice past the tamarind trees and toward the cemetery. When he arrived, he noticed the earth around his mother’s grave lay freshly disturbed.

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Right before dawn, one of the cemetery keepers found Juan’s lantern burning beside the open grave, but there was no sign of the young jíbaro. Only a single bat remained, hanging from the wooden cross above his mother’s grave. The keeper was afraid and told the people of the village what he had found.

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And from that day forward, whenever the October moon vanished, the villagers barred their doors and refused to answer any voice calling their names from the darkness. 

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Carlos’s eyes were wide open as he listened to the story. That night, as he went to bed, his mind kept recalling the story, and, as the silence of the night surrounded his room, he anxiously waited to hear the mysterious sounds.

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But none came.

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At least, not that night.

The end.

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Thanks for reading.  Friendly comments are welcome.  Be sure to check out Edward’s blog.  Hugs!

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Here’s the obligatory shameless self-promotion

Although it’s a twisty mystery, it’s also a quick read.  As I usually do, I included a section about technology and cultural items that are mentioned in the story. 

A Peril in Unseen Frequencies

Universal Purchase Links

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0HKPZ7TH4

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0HKTFCD8Z

Virtual Voice Audiobook:  relinks.me/B0HKNDVYDM

A Medium’s Peril full series link: relinks.me/B0CG2SXX24

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Copyright © 2026 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

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