A Tarot Reading With Oracle Sisters
Spending a few days with Oracle Sisters feels like a whirlwind holiday romance that you will hold onto for a lifetime. You know you shouldn’t get too attached to the emotions you experience as – much like any holiday romance – you can’t stay in their company forever. As someone who has never believed in love at first sight, Oracle Sisters’ have made me rethink my whole belief system. Whether it’s the magic of their Paris-allure or whether it’s just the fact that they are as stunningly beautiful on the inside as they are on the out, you will never forget your time with Oracle Sisters.
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Poised in the back booth of The Sun Tavern in Bethnal Green, the band join me in a spiritual afternoon of tarot reading alongside card reader Fausta Joly. Relishing in the connotations that come with their name and the fascination they have with astrology and spiritual practices, tarot readings are something the band are not only passionate about but is something they have been studying. As someone who wasn’t too familiar with tarot reading, the band kindly guided me through what makes it so magical.
Guitarist and vocalist Lewis Lazar explains: “Tarot is a weird combination of the imagery and the intuition that you have between the question and the person; then you can relate it to the person’s question and story. What’s interesting about it is in all kinds of divination there’s a synchronistic element to it. For some reason, you can’t explain that these cards that you pull perfectly match up with exactly what your unconscious is trying to reveal to you.”
“If you’re just reading the card, then you’re not doing anything magical. The magic is the luck and the chance that you pulled that particular card in particular relation to what you’re thinking. That’s the mystical element to it.”
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The band start reading my cards around the table. Predicting an imminent crisis for me as well as recognising there is a habit in my life I need to move on from – is this a personal attack at the fact it’s Dry January and I’m sat with a beer as we do this? – they flip over a fourth card that symbolises healing and finally seeing the light. With this positive climax to my reading, it’s now time to put attention back on the band themselves.
Having released two critically acclaimed EPs in ‘Paris I’ & ‘Paris II’ in 2019 and 2020 respectively, their forthcoming album ‘Hydranism’ has been years in the making. A truly ambitious debut, merging the band’s influences of folk, rock, jazz and blues, ‘Hydranism’ is already one of 2023’s most anticipated releases.
One definition of an Oracle is ‘a person (as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a god is believed to speak’. With their forthcoming album being recently recorded in Greece, it would be silly to not assume that this was some kind of link to the band name itself. However, when discussing the Greek links, Lewis revealed the name was simply inspired by cult flick The Warriors. “We were trying to find a gang name that connotated the type of music we were writing at the time. The Oracle Sisters was inspired by that concept of all these games. Like The Baseball Furies – the two words put together describe an entity. We were looking for our own warriors gang”.
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But what is in a band name? Are they vital to a bands success? Some other suggestions that are still on the original ‘band name list’ that Lewis carries on his phone (such as Fortune Brothers and The Full Moon Clan) may well have been detrimental to the bands success. “I mean, is The Beatles the best name in the world? Because, with The Beatles you don’t even see the band name anymore. I think we were just envisioning our name on the back of warrior jackets we wanted.”
There’s an imposing collective mileage between the trio, with Oracle Sisters respectively calling New York, Belgium and Edinburgh home, so it’s no secret that they have been heavily inspired by multiple cultures. Currently based in Paris, there’s a romantic polish to the band in their nature, their humour and their music. After spreading their dreamy compositions around the globe, it really does feel like they are crafting their own world and taking inspiration from multiple traditions. “You bring the sunshine and the fun into building an empire and that’s what you’re about at the moment” states tarot reader, Fausta Joly. “You’ve completed this cycle and have a level of success- now I really feel like you’re at the stage ready to build your Empire…” The band jokingly respond: “That’ll be album two!”
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With the forthcoming debut album from Oracle Sisters bearing resemblance to the authentic beauty found in artists such as Flyte and Father John Misty; indeed, a lyric from Father John Misty’s track ‘God’s Favourite Customer’ sticks out to me throughout the few days I spend with the band. He sings, “I’m out here testing the maxim that all good things have to stop”.
Time spent with Oracle Sisters may have to stop physically but it’s no secret that you will hold onto the way they make you feel for eternity- as they really are testing the maxim that all things have to come to an end. The authentic love they make you feel is the kind that you feel in your throat all the way into your gut – a feeling reminiscent of your first true love. Being with the Oracle Sisters is a holiday romance, one you will hold onto for the rest of your life and continue to compare any subsequent flames or love interest to. I don’t need to be able to read the future to tell you that you will fall head over heels in love with them, in the same way that I did.
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‘Hydranism’ will be released on April 7th.
Fausta Joly tarot bookings can be made on IG: @fauifesto. Decks used for this reading include @ari_wisner transient light tarot, Tantric Dakini Oracle, and Salvador Dali’s deck.
Words: Jazz Hodge
Photography: Rachel Lipsitz
