a visitation

New Year’s Day, 11 pm. I lowered the lights, lit my candles and incense, and sat down to do my year ahead spread.

As I closed my eyes and shuffled the cards, I heard a noise. A sort of scampering sound. I assumed it was Marvin, up for his nightly zoomies.

But no, Marvin was still sleeping peacefully at the foot of the bed as he had been for hours. Husband was quietly watching a movie, earbuds in.

I went back to the dining room table, back to the task at hand. And heard it again. I thought maybe it was fireworks popping off in the distance. I opened the back door. The sounds seemed to pause.

I started pulling my cards, spreading out one for each season and one for the year.

And I heard it again. It sounded like something was on the roof. But a bigger something than the squirrels we’re used to. Something with heft.

Was there an intruder up there? Ever since childhood, the intruders have been my biggest fear. Was someone on the roof?

I looked up at the skylights in the kitchen, as if that would give me some sort of clue. But all I saw was the inky night sky.

And then, out of the corner of my eye, through the glass doors, I saw the fruit tree tremble.

And down came a raccoon, his large body moving gracefully along the thin, naked branches of the tree.

Of course. Raccoons are no surprise. They like to wash their weird little hands in our pool. I adore this.

They almost always come in pairs. And a few seconds later, as number one was washing his hands while cautiously watching me, eyes round as saucers behind his bandit mask, the fruit tree trembled once again and down comes number two.

And then number three.

Then four.

Then five.

Five raccoons partying on our roof new year’s night as I was pulling cards. This must be auspicious.

Did you know a group of raccoons is called a gaze?
A gaze of raccoons.

So as I was gazing at my cards, gazing into the potential of this new year, a gaze of raccoons were gazing at me behind their bandit masks.

Of course I looked it up. Some spirit meanings of raccoons include transformation, curiosity, playfulness, creativity, and trickster energy. Love it.

*** the image is not my 5 raccoons. My 5 would not cooperate for a photoshoot, so these are just 5 randos from the internet.