“Tonight is the night I’ve been waiting and praying for since I was twelve years old. I’d pictured it countless times: my handsome groom feeding me chocolate-covered strawberries in bed with a glass of champagne in my hand. I’d seen myself wearing lacy lingerie, my husband wearing snug boxer-briefs and a satiny robe that draped over his muscly shoulders (outfits I’d seen in one of my mom’s Sears catalogs). I saw myself gasping in ecstasy, responding to my husband’s perfectly knowing touch.
I hadn’t thought to picture the presence of my religion’s expectations.” — An excerpt from Amanda’s forthcoming memoir about growing up in fundamentalist purity culture and the impact of religious trauma
Magdalena Tarot Magazine Issue 5: The Hierophant Libra 2021 focuses on the meaning of religious tradition. Many people have had traumatic experiences from dogmatic religious upbringings and Amanda E.K. is no exception. In this issue of Magdalena Tarot Magazine, she shares an excerpt of from her upcoming memoir about the pressure, stress, and anxiety she experienced from her evangelical community because she was a virgin bride. As the story of the wedding night unfolds, I felt riveted to the pages of the personal narrative. Amanda E.K. is now working through healing the effects of relgious truama, another issue we discuss in this issue of Magdalena Tarot Magazine.
If you are curious about Amanda’s experience, you’ve experienced religious trauma yourself or you’re looking for a good read, download this issue of Magdalena Tarot Magazine on Amazon. It’s free download days from today, 10/10/21 – 10/13/21. If you feel called to pick up this issue, please leave a comment and a rating! And if you like it, please purchase a back issue to help this project as it grows! Don’t worry if you don’t have a Kindle, there’s an app you can download so you can read Magdalena Tarot Magazine on your phone!
Amanda E.K. is a writer, filmmaker, creative coach, Reiki practitioner, and the former editor-in-chief of Denver’s Suspect Press. She writes a monthly queer erotica column for OUT FRONT Magazine, and will be releasing an erotica collection with OFM early 2022. Her production team—Glass Cactus—has won awards for their short films and TV screenplay. Follow Amanda on instagram @amanda.ek.writer, and learn more about her coaching and creative projects at AmandaEKwriter.com.
Magdalena Tarot 