"Switch Witch" is a children's book written by Audrey Ades and illustrated by Haydini. The book tells the story of a witch who visits children's houses on Halloween night, exchanging their unwanted candy for a special toy. The main character of the book is a young girl named Lola. Lola loves Halloween, but she doesn't like the sugary candy that she collects while trick-or-treating. One day, Lola's mother tells her about the Switch Witch, a friendly witch who helps children trade their Halloween candy for a surprise gift. Excited about the idea, Lola decides to give it a try.
After losing his job last December, Wong Fung, 26, said he felt constantly insecure and turned to online fortunetellers for guidance.
The cultural shift of the ancient art of divination in southeast Asia from in-person consultations to online platforms has spawned new opportunities for swift connections over smartphones and introduced the practice to a young, tech-savvy generation. Historically, fortunetelling has been a significant part of everyday life in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China as far back as written records go dating to the Oracle Bones of the Shang Dynasty that lasted from 1600 to 1046 B.
Excited about the idea, Lola decides to give it a try. She puts all of her unwanted candy in a special box before going to bed on Halloween night. In the middle of the night, the Switch Witch arrives and takes the box of candy, leaving behind a beautifully wrapped toy in its place.
Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon
This content was published: February 19, 2019. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Beyond Fortune-Telling: Reading Tarot for Self-Knowledge and Personal Development.
Claire Burgess, Community Education
Most people know of Tarot as the deck of illustrated cards used by fortune-tellers, lumping it into a category with crystal balls and Ouija boards as something of either supreme psychic magic or questionable accuracy. By some, it’s dismissed as a charlatan’s trick, and by others, it’s revered as an ancient mystical artifact holding the secrets to life. And the truth is that Tarot might be all of these things—depending on who’s shuffling the deck. But for me, and for the many people who use Tarot in their everyday lives, Tarot is an essential reflective tool, a comforting companion, and an unlimited channel to self-knowledge and personal development.
Tarot, in my view, isn’t a crystal ball that tells the future. Instead, it’s a practical (which is not to say it isn’t magical) tool for self-discovery, healing, and empowerment. When we pull Tarot cards and read them, what we’re really doing, on some level, is reflecting on our lives and how they match up with our desires. In doing so, we incorporate our personal mythologies, our stories of self, and all the data from our pasts in order to help us understand the present. From this vantage point, we can then see our likely trajectory based on our habits and patterns, our strengths and weaknesses, our action and inaction, our decisions. The Tarot helps us access these insights so we can decide to change, grow, accelerate, pause—whatever it takes to shift our paths for our betterment.
That’s why Tarot has earned a reputation for fortune-telling: because it works. Tarot tells the future because it guides us to our own agency. It equips us with self-knowledge and a bunch of reality checks and wake-up calls. It empowers us in the present to enact the future we desire.
One of the ways that the Tarot achieves this is by encouraging reflection, and the other is by reconnecting us to our intuition—a skill inherent in all of us, but one that we’ve been taught so thoroughly to ignore. The Tarot does this, I think, by speaking to us in the language of intuition, a tongue of symbols and images, archetypes and narrative, colors and numbers, and all the other elements of tarot which speak to us individually and collectively. But it’s not necessary to be a 9th Level High Priestess (no, really—I made that up) in order to read and understand the cards, and that’s because, aside from the arcane glyphs and the mythological references, what the Tarot really does is show us a story we already know: the story of ourselves. We just haven’t read that story closely enough yet.
So, maybe Tarot can be used to tell the future, but reading to know our fates is, in truth, not using the Tarot to its full capacity. Sure, we can cast some cards and get an idea of what will happen tomorrow. But more powerful and far more useful than that is pulling cards to get an idea of how we, ourselves, are causing those events of tomorrow—or, better yet, how we can heal our negative patterns and shift our behaviors in order to effect the futures we want to see. So Tarot’s most magical ability is not in telling us the future. It’s in helping us create it.
Claire Burgess (they/she) is a professional tarot reader, tarot teacher, writer, podcaster, and artist, among other things. They teach two tarot classes at PCC’s Cascade campus: the in-depth 4-week course “Tarot: the Art & Skill of Intuitive Reading,” and the 1-day introductory workshop “The Mysterious Tarot.”
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I would like some information about the following class:
Tarot: The Art & Skill of Intuitive Reading
I could not find a date for it. Please let me know.
Hi Pascale,
Thank you for reaching out. You can find the course listing for Tarot: The Art and Skill of Intuitive Reading here: https://www.pcc.edu/schedule/default.cfm?fa=dspCourse2&thisTerm=201902&crsCode=9PDV618D&subjCode=9PDV&crsNum=618D&topicCode=PER&subtopicCode=&crnList=26934
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Thanks again!
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I would like some information about the following class:
Tarot: The Art & Skill of Intuitive Reading
The next morning, Lola wakes up to find the toy and is thrilled with the surprise. She realizes that she made a great trade and that she can now enjoy Halloween without worrying about the excess candy. Throughout the book, Lola shares her story with her friends and classmates, encouraging them to try switching their candy with the Switch Witch too. The book highlights the importance of moderation and healthy habits, showing children that they can still have fun on Halloween while also making healthier choices. "Switch Witch" is a fun and imaginative book that promotes a positive message about balanced eating and the joy of giving. It encourages children to think creatively and teaches them about the concept of bartering. The colorful and engaging illustrations by Haydini bring the story to life, captivating young readers and sparking their imagination. Overall, "Switch Witch" is a delightful book that combines the excitement of Halloween with a valuable lesson about making healthy choices. It is a perfect read for children during the Halloween season, offering an alternative perspective on the traditional candy-filled holiday..
Reviews for "Switch Witch Books: A Magical Journey Through Literature"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I found the Switch Witch book to be incredibly confusing and hard to follow. The storyline jumped around so much that I struggled to keep up with what was happening. Additionally, the characters were poorly developed and lacked any depth or complexity. I was hoping for a captivating and immersive read, but unfortunately, I was left feeling disappointed.
2. John - 1 star - The Switch Witch book was a complete letdown for me. The writing style was dry and lacked any creativity or originality. The plot was predictable and uninteresting, failing to hold my attention throughout the entire book. I found myself constantly checking how many more pages I had left before finally reaching the end and being relieved to be done with it. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and well-written story.
3. Emily - 2 stars - I had high hopes for the Switch Witch book, but it fell short of my expectations. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked any real growth or development. The dialogue was often awkward and unrealistic, making it difficult for me to connect with the story on an emotional level. The overall pacing was also quite slow, and I found myself losing interest in what should have been an exciting and mysterious plot. I was left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied by the end of the book.
4. Michael - 1 star - I regret wasting my time on the Switch Witch book. The plot was convoluted and poorly executed, leaving me feeling confused and frustrated. The writing style was clunky and filled with unnecessary descriptions that didn't add anything to the story. The book lacked a clear direction and failed to deliver any meaningful messages or themes. Overall, it was a disappointing read that I would not recommend to anyone.