Trusting What’s Beneath The Surface: Let Your Inner Wisdom Guide You And Allow Your Creative Potential To Shine Through
Episode 17: Trusting What’s Beneath The Surface
This episode explores key themes for April 2026 using a tarot spread. I share what’s coming through for me using my favorite decks from the Wild Unknown. I explore themes around visibility as an artist, new beginnings, and connection to your inner wisdom.
Episode Details
Summary
In this episode, I’m sharing a tarot reading for the month ahead and reflecting on the themes that are emerging as we step into a new season. As spring begins and we enter a new astrological year, this feels like a moment of renewal, creativity, and quiet transformation.
I walk through a four card clarity spread, beginning with the raccoon as the overall theme. This card speaks to the experience of being a creative in hiding, navigating questions around identity, self-expression, and the fear of being fully seen. It invites us to explore what parts of ourselves we’ve been keeping tucked away and what it might look like to step forward with more honesty and authenticity.
From there, I explore the Ace of Wands, which brings in the energy of new beginnings and creative potential. This card asks us to consider what we want to nurture and grow in this next chapter, without needing to have all the answers. Creativity thrives in openness, and this moment is an invitation to follow what sparks something within you.
I also reflect on the High Priestess, which calls us inward. This is a time to reconnect with intuition, to listen to what exists beneath the surface, and to trust the quieter forms of knowing that don’t always come with clear explanations. There is wisdom in the unknown, and part of this season is learning how to move with it rather than resist it.
Finally, I share the message of Judgment, reframed as an invitation into forgiveness. Letting go of old identities, old fears, and the parts of ourselves that were built around survival allows space for something new to emerge. This is not about rejecting who you were, but honoring that version of yourself while allowing growth to unfold.
This episode is a reflection on what it means to step out of hiding, to trust your inner voice, and to create from a place that feels true. Wherever you are in your own season, there is space for you to grow, to explore, and to become.
This episode is for you if…
You’re learning about tarot and interesting in using it to connect with your intuition\
You’re ready to become more visible as an artist or creative
You’re ready to step into your next version or identity
You’re building self-trust and want to learn how to channel your inner wisdom
You’re planting seeds for the future and embracing a new beginning
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Welcome to The Shoreline, where we explore the tender in-between seasons of the human experience. My name is Kim, and I'm here to support you as you navigate your next becoming. Here, we don't fix, we listen. We don't rush, we allow. Hello, and welcome to today's episode. We are in a new season. It's now spring. It's Aries season, and we're about to start a new month. And so I wanted to share a tarot reading with you today. I'm going to do the same clarity spread that I've been doing for the last couple of months. It's a four-card spread where the first card is kind of the overall theme, and then there are three cards that are kind of different components or elements of the theme that's coming up. I'm using two decks from The Wild Unknown. The first is the Animal Spirit deck, and then the second is the Tarot deck from The Wild Unknown. I love these decks. I've been using these cards since I first started doing Tarot years and years ago, and I just really love the messages that they have, the illustrations, and yeah, they're just cards that really resonate with me. So that is what we're doing today, and let's get into it. So the first card that came up is from the Animal Spirit deck, and it's the overall theme for April, and the card that came up was the raccoon. I don't normally do this, but for whatever reason, I'm feeling really called to read what is in the Animal Spirit Guidebook. So first, the raccoon is part of the earth animals, and the earth element is really all about practical concerns, what we address in kind of our mundane physical realm existence, and it has us kind of looking at what we're afraid of, and what is keeping us stuck where we're at. And so that's what the raccoon card is going to address, and I really just want to read the description for you, because I think that for this card especially, it's just such a good one. So I'm just going to read it in completion, and we'll just go from there. So the raccoon card. Talented, shadowy, in hiding. Raccoon energy is at play within all artists to greater or lesser degrees. At best, it indicates talent, tenacity, and skillfulness, with a particular musical instrument or creative tool. Its shadow side points to an unresolved issue around self-image and success. Sometimes using a stage name or wearing a mask works in an artist's favor. Other times, it limits creativity. Am I who my audience thinks I am? What if I'm ready to grow into something more? Raccoon energy won't let us off the hook until this creative ego fear is resolved. When in balance, generous friend, exceptional artist. When out of balance, competitive, starving artist. To bring into balance, making new work. I really love this card, and I personally really resonate with the message. I feel like I've been really exploring my creativity and writing, and just like stepping into sharing more and what that's looked like. We've talked about just kind of the online space and the landscape of social media. And this has been coming up for me a lot lately of just thinking about like, how can I step more into the authentic, truest version of myself? And I love in that description how it talks about kind of being wearing a mask, or being kind of an artist in hiding. And I think that with being a creative of any kind, it's so easy to think about, oh, what do I think people want from me? Or what do I think will make me successful? And I think that a lot of times that can really hold us back from our greatest creations. And so this card is really asking you like, what can you let go of? And how can you show up and share from a really true, deep, authentic place? I think too, there's a lot of like challenge that comes with being a creative in our world. And there's a lot of messaging that comes with it, of like, oh, if you want to be an artist or a creative as a career, it means struggling. It's not realistic. It's not practical. And I think that this card is really as we step into a new season, a new astrological year, kind of a new era, how can we challenge those beliefs? And, you know, I'm not saying that you have to completely abandon your career and like live as an artist. Maybe you are in a creative career. Maybe that's something that's a desire of yours, but how can you view this differently? And how can you create for the sake of creating and allow yourself to be really courageous and make things without knowing necessarily how it's all going to come together or pan out? I think that a lot of times we want to have all of the answers, and that's really just not possible. And it's really hard to have a really rich, fulfilling creative existence if we're always trying to plan ahead or know the outcome. Creativity really thrives in freedom, in exploration. And so I think it's really important not to limit yourself. I think at the same time, the raccoon cart is really asking us to look at our survival mechanisms. What aspects of ourself do we let kind of be in the driver's seat because we're afraid, because we want to control and put pressure on ourselves? And what would happen if you allowed yourself to exist from a really supportive, abundant place and not from a lacking place and without trying to just survive? What if you actually got to thrive? What would that look like for you? So again, this cart is really asking us to look at what part of us are we keeping really close to the chest? What part of ourselves are we hiding from the world? And what gifts do we have to offer? And at the same time, looking at our fears and how we're just the things and instincts that we allow to drive us that are keeping us in a place of merely surviving. And I think as part of it too, what do you actually want? What do you dream of that doesn't feel possible? If you had all the time and space in the world, what would you do? And if you're an artist or a creative, what would you like to create? Where are you feeling called to explore? And I think especially if you find yourself kind of at a shoreline in an in-between season, that is where there exists so much potential and so much creativity. The limit really doesn't exist there. There's so much opportunity. And so where can you really let yourself go, and where can you find that opportunity to nurture maybe a creative seed? Which leads me into one of the first supporting cards in this spread. So we have the raccoon as the overall theme for April. And then the first card that I drew as one of the key themes is the Ace of Wands. And the Ace of Wands really is all about this creative energy, really nurturing a seed and allowing it to grow and blossom. The card itself, it has a wand or a stick in the center with flowers coming out of it, and then all of these lines in a beautiful red, orange, and yellow, just radiating energy around the wand. And the Ace card, it's the first of the journey of the suit. So it's all about beginnings. And I think it's so special that I pulled the Ace of Wands because Wands is the suit of fire. And I just think that this card really represents where we're at in the cycle. We just shifted into spring. We just started Aries season. Aries is a fire sign. We're at the beginning of in the astrological year. So it's all about new beginnings. And what seeds do you want to plant? What do you want to nurture and grow as the year continues to evolve? And I think the Ace of Wands is asking that of us, of what do you want to create? What brings a spark to your life and lights you up and energizes you? And how can you invite that into your day-to-day? How would you like to expand and grow? And that's like, I just love that energy of expansiveness and growth and letting yourself evolve, especially if you find yourself in an in-between season of life. I think I've been experiencing this myself of like, okay, I see my next version. I can see the next shoreline now because I've been out to sea long enough and I know where I'm going, but there's part of me that's not ready yet. And I think that I really struggle with a couple aspects of that of like, okay, I can see the new version. I see the shoreline. I see where I'm going. And then I automatically just want to like, boop, jump to that new version of myself. And I put pressure and I push and I push, and then it feels really more uncomfortable than it has to feel. And then there's the other part of me that's like pulling me back to the old shoreline that's really reminiscing and thinking about how things used to be and who I used to be and why that's better than who I am now. And then there's a third part of me that's like, okay, like I really am comfortable in this in-between space. I don't want to ground into my new reality. As much as I don't want to go backwards, I'm happy in this kind of like limbo liminal space. And that can be the challenging part of the, of a shoreline, of an in-between space, is like you're kind of being pulled in all directions. You're really in this like space of constantly moving and you're not really sure where you're going to land. You're not on solid ground yet. And I think that the beautiful part about this season and this next month is that you can really choose what you want to nurture and how you want to grow and expand. And it doesn't have to be everything all at once. You don't have to completely reinvent yourself. Maybe it's revisiting a part of you that, that's been dormant for a while or that felt lost. Maybe it's as simple as, you know, starting a new personal practice. You're journaling or maybe you're a visual artist and you come back to your medium. Maybe you are a musician and you just start to create just for yourself. But wherever you are, I think that it's okay to say, this is where I'm at. I don't have it all figured out. And I may know where I'm going, and I don't need to push to get there. And it's also okay if you don't know where you're going. I think that's where this exploration can come in of just allowing yourself to grow and to expand and trust that you're becoming the next version of you that you're meant to become. And leaning into that, I think that none of us are meant to remain stagnant. We're always growing and changing, and it's okay to outgrow parts of your life. It's okay to not feel ready to step into other aspects, like taking time to kind of pause and be like, this is where I'm at now, this is who I am now, and I want to grow without an agenda, and just nurture myself and expand in a way that I don't know yet who I might become. So that's the Ace of Wands. And the next card that I drew, that is another key factor in this, is a card from the Major Arcana. So I've talked about this before, but in the traditional tarot journey, you have four different suits, and then you have the Major Arcana, which is a journey in itself, and they're just kind of like cards that hold more weight. So the card that I drew as the next kind of supporting factor is the High Priestess. And this is all about really connecting to darkness and to like your own intuition and your own inner wisdom. It's allowing yourself to kind of explore your intuitive nature because we are all intuitive, right? Like we all have access to that, and can you reach out to realms outside of what is physical? So think about like your dream world, the part of you that kind of knows without knowing why necessarily. And just allow yourself to see what comes up there and what might be hidden in the dark or in the shadows. Coming back to the raccoon, it mentioned like being a talented artist in hiding in the shadows. Like what exactly is lurking in the shadows for you? And can you have the courage to face it and let it surface? And use your intuition as your guide. I think it's leaning into lunar energy, into more feminine wisdom, into softness without having to push and take action. It's like, can we allow ourselves to be shaped and to grow in a soft, inactive way, right? It's that idea of surrendering and just seeing what emerges. And then the last card that I want to bring into the spread is another card from the Major Arcana. And it's really interesting. The High Priestess is the second card in the Journey. And this next card is the 20th card in the Journey. And this card is the Card of Judgment. It's the second to last, the penultimate card in the Major Arcana Journey. And it's all about forgiveness. I think when you see a card like Judgment, you can be... It can kind of be off-putting, or like you feel... You feel maybe like a constrictive energy coming forth, or maybe fear. But I think this card really is about... Forgiveness in the sense that you are just letting go of the past. You're letting go of fear, and you're trying to release any sense of control and constriction. It's expansive. And so, as part of this journey, I think it's about forgiving yourself from whatever has held you back, and to recognize that the things in place that keep you kind of using your survival instincts, you don't have to judge them. It's not good or bad. It's just an inherent part of being human and being on this journey. We all have survival instincts. That's how we've gotten to the place we've gotten to, and it's not a bad thing. And at the same time, you're being called to expand into more. You're being called to allow your truest, most authentic self to come forward, and you have to shed some of these egoic identity pieces in order to do that. And as part of that, this judgment card comes forth to bring about this forgiveness of like, and to honor all of these parts of you that have existed that maybe you're ready to let go of. It's not about like, oh, I don't need you anymore, or you're good or bad. It's about saying like, thank you so much for getting me to this point. And I'm ready to kind of like, leave the nest. I'm ready to see what else is out there. And I'm ready to release you as I grow and evolve. And maybe they'll come back. Maybe they won't. But I think that it's important to just sit with the different parts of us, especially the egoic parts that try to drive us, that part of us that is worried what other people think, the part of us that wants to fit in, wants to be successful, wants to have stability and control and know all the answers and say, I see you, I acknowledge this part of myself, and I want to see what else is out there. I want to lean into my intuition, my inner wisdom. I want to lean into the mysteries of life, into the darkness and the shadows and just see what emerges and how I can nurture that as I step into this next version of myself and as I come out of hiding. I think that raccoons as animals can be really misunderstood, and it's not bad to wear a mask. It's not bad to hide in the shadows. It's just a part of the journey. And so how can you really take that next step toward your next version, towards a more authentic version of yourself? Can you nurture your intuition and your creativity? Because at the end of the day, like we're all intuitive, we're all creative. We all have that capacity to receive and harness creative energy. And what's beautiful about it is we all find creative expression, differently. We are all so unique and the way that I would express myself creatively is going to look different from the way that you express yourself creatively. And that's what's beautiful. And some of us will make a career out of it, others won't, and ultimately that doesn't really matter. Having a creative career doesn't make you more valid or more of an artist. It's just for some of us or for some of you, it's part of your journey. And for others, maybe you're a little bit more protective or you want to keep that as part of just your personal life. I want you to really just allow yourself to be in a way that feels most free and natural to you. And that's really, I think, to summarize, is like the essence of this reading is like, how can you step into a version of you that feels more true and more natural and more easeful? It might feel uncomfortable and not great at first because discomfort usually doesn't feel that good. But as you settle in, it'll feel more spacious, more free, more easeful. And that's the direction we always want to go, into a space that is truer, more authentic, more free, you know, more expansive. And that's what these cards are calling you into for the month of April. It's how can you lean into the darkness, the shadows, the mystery, while kind of letting go of what's keeping you stuck, and thinking about what seeds do you want to plant and nurture for this next season? And so, that's what I have for you today. You know, if you find yourself stuck or you're kind of in that foggy middle, you're not sure what's next, you want support, I always encourage you to reach out. I'm happy to give you a clarity reading of your own. If you want to book time with me, you can also just email me or send me a message on Instagram. Truly, I'm always here for you. I want to support you in whatever season of life that you're in. And so that's it for today. I hope that you take good care of yourself while the waves carry you closer and know that your next version is already waiting on the shore.
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Kim Kogane is a writer and intuitive guide helping you navigate the tender in-between seasons. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her dog, Cauchy, and three cats. Learn more about Kim.
