Celtic lenormand – How to survive the last week of Summer?

For my daily draw I’ve used the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington. First I’ve shuffled my deck thoroughly and then I searched for the sun card to represent the intense heat of this week. Then I picked up the two cards on either side of the sun, asking how to get through this week as good as possible.

And I drew: anchor + house and birds +letter:

Lenormand is sometimes such a blunt and direct tool and can tell you exactly what you already know. As if it is telling you: “why do you bother me with  trivial questions with such obvious answers! I am capable of so much more." And maybe it is right; I do tend to forget this tool when I need guidance for something. I also notice that I often return to the same decks and forget others entirely. And I do believe each system and each deck has its own individual quirks and qualities so this is a good reminder pay some more attention to my neglected decks. But I digress so let’s look at the cards: 

Anchor and house. 

Stay at home, especially during the hottest hours of the day.

Birds and letter

Write a blogpost, journal, phone a friend and talk with M about daily fun stuff and don’t start complaining  about how hot it is.

Anchor and letter

In Dutch we have a saying: “Who writes will remain” so I will take this as an encouragement to journal more elaborated this week. When it is so hot I tend to skip the juicy details and keep my entries more concised.

House and birds. 

Social gatherings at home. You're all invited! :D

The Tower - I am only human

Yesterday morning I drew The Tower from the Druidcraft Tarot as my focus card for my daily Lenormand reading.  Not the most favorable card for a daily draw. The question I derived from this card was: What will shock me and/or undermine my confidence in an abrupt way?

From the Celtic Lenormand I pulled: cross, ring and clouds. I see cross and ring as a commitment to my spirituality. All my cards together looked like a rather unsuspected and emotional test of my spiritual beliefs. Again nothing too look forward to…

The day went by and nothing happened and honestly I totally forgot all about my cards until late at night when I went to bed to read a few pages in one of the books on my tablet. 

Since the battery was almost empty I had connected it to my brand-new charger cable. (A replacement for the one that died on me after about two weeks). I started reading and after a few seconds I noticed again the red cross in the battery icon: the G*dd*mm*t, F*ck  and Sh*t’s  broke the silence in my sleeping room. Ample moments later I noticed I hadn’t fully pushed the plug in its charging port. When I did so my battery was charging again….. And then I remembered my cards…

An electrical setback causes such emotional distress that I forgot all about my beliefs and started swearing ( which of course normally I never do!).

Often such minor events can be tracked back literally to our daily draw. Look how the lightning strikes The Tower…

The fool - The Magic of a Fresh Outlook

The last couple of days I’ve been having a lot of fun with my Lenormand cards,  so for today, just like in my previous post, I have pulled one tarot card as a focus for my daily three card Lenormand spread. My tarot card  for today is The Fool from the Druidcraft Tarot.

This card is all about naivete and innocence; about seeing the world through the eyes of child with wonder and amazement, as if today is the first day of our life. So the question that came to mind was: What do I need to be open, carefree and content about? What do I need to experience today as if it was the first time?

And I pulled from the Celtic Lenormand: fox, ring and tree.

The ring stands for commitments and relationships. The Tree card tells me this is not about casual relationships but more about long standing family ties, deep rooted but often with gnarls, cracks and broken branches. And then like in all families often the fox comes around to emphasize the nasty little irritations we all have gathered over the years. 

Some even have turned into festering wounds of unmet desires and expectations. Often this says more about us than about them, so how do we shut up this deceiving inner voice who seeks out the tiny cracks and flaws in our commitments? I think if we were to look at our loved ones like we did the day we realized we loved them, everything else would be trifling and meaningless…

So this morning I have visited my husband and we had a very pleasant get together indeed. I will also try to  keep this message in mind when I address M and my mother today. I suspect it will make all the difference.

The Sun - Finding Peace

Today’s card is the Sun from the Druidcraft Tarot. We see a boy riding a horse on a summer's day. The sun is directly behind his head so we can only see its rays. This card is about everything joyful and happy we can think of.  It's also about confidence and vitality, about having the courage to put yourself and your talents out there,  so everyone can see how magnificent you truly are. But too often we don’t; feel like this and we are tempted to chase this illusive happiness in the outer world. We buy things, we eat things and yes they do make us happy, for a while, and then we have to hunt for more.

So my question for the Celtic Lenormand was: where to find a more lasting joy and I was quite surprised by the cards I pulled:

Lily + Cross + bear

In the center there is the cross; for me the card of spiritual beliefs and faith. In this context I see the lily as a symbol of harmony and inner peace. The bear is all about strength and courage and standing up for who you are and what you believe. These cards tell me that instead of chasing  happiness, I should turn inside to my spiritual beliefs and find there the inner peace and strength to bask in that sunlight which is a beautiful symbol of the Divine light shining from without and within every moment of our life. (whether we are aware of it or not)

What Matters Within Spread.

A few days ago I came across the What Matters Within spread on IG by @violetauraphoto

Originally this is a tarot spread but like most spreads, the type of cards you want to use is entirely up to you. After having taken a very long break from my Lenormand cards I decided to use my all-time favorite Lenormand deck: the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington. For each position I picked two cards instead of one because Lenormand is generally read in pairs.

The positions are the following:

1 What’s behind me (taken from the bottom of the deck) man + woman.

Ouch, where is this going? This represent the loving and equal relationship I had; both of us working for our family; making a home for us; a safe haven. Notice these two cards actually create a house in the middle. Like these figures are two part of one painting, we were like two peas in pod 

2 What’s before me (taken from the top of the deck) stars + house

Following  my destiny, seeking guidance on how to rebuild my home again on all levels: spiritual emotional and physical, having a clear perception on how make the new foundation strong and reliable and maybe wish upon that star

3 What’s within me (taken from somewhere in the deck) anchor and burial mound

One of my words for this year is Letting Go. I feel this pair urges me to finally let go of that false outdated  sense of security and that it is time to acknowledge at heart level that I can and have to make it on my own. If I am able to do so, I will be more inclined to let Spirit guide me and confidently set sail to new shores

Tarot and Oracle Decks on my Altar

Lately it seems to be trendy to take the tarot and oracle decks you are currently working with out of their boxes or bags and put them out in the open on your altar or some other kind of sacred space. Preferable with a crystal on top to keep it safe, to charge it, cleanse it and whatnot.  I’ve seen this practice for the first time in a video by Raecine from Owlmoon 513.

I can remember, I was not overly enthusiastic back then, because in my opinion there would be a dust gathering problem and the backs might discolor in the daylight. Over time, on YouTube and on Instagram, I’ve seen others doing the same thing, which is totally okay because that is how we learn from one another. Personally for me, my Tarot and Oracle decks are one of the most important tools of my spiritual practice, so it would be very fitting to have some decks ready to pull from on my altar. Because my altar was in some serious need of dusting and cleaning/cleansing anyway, I thought, why not try to put some decks on there too.

And so I did. On my altar I have now out in the open: the Sacred Rebels oracle deck, The Wildwood Tarot, The Celtic Lenormand and as a trusted old friend; The Original Rider Waite Tarot.

It has been three days now since I’ve made the "altaration" and I absolutely love it. It such a good feeling to be able to pick up your deck and start shuffling it right away. It feels so intimate and very inviting to me. Like in the fairy tale of Mother Holle when the apple tree calls out: "Shake me, shake me, my apples are all ripe,." so is are my decks calling out to me: “shuffle us shuffle us, we have many tales to tell”

Celtic Lenormand- a very feminine Line of Five

For my daily draw I’ve used the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington. First I’ve shuffled my deck thoroughly and then I searched for the Woman card with the spindle in her hands. This is the one I identify the most with. The Lady card feels more like a representation of the Goddess to me. Then I picked up the two cards on either side of her...

My cards are: Birds - Chickens + Bear  + woman + Lady + snake - fierce

For me these are all cards who have a very strong  feminine energy. Of course the bear can also represent a businessman but for me she screams: Mother!!! But back to the reading:

Chickens + Snake – This week S. is visiting her boyfriend’s family up North and M and I are staying at home together. I want to keep in mind to be more socially aware and to spend time with her. We do love to talk about  almost everything and like to have very in-depth discussions, but we both have the tendency to spend to much time behind a screen . I do want to be careful not to get irritated and snap when our social time “exceeds both our limits”. J

Lady + Snake – I see these two cards as a advice to protect my boundaries this week  and be firm but kind about it. Also it is better to use my wits and humor than my ability to “bite”.

Chickens + bear – Social interaction with a great dinner: baked salmon, bread + herb butter, salad and wine

Bear + Lady – These two are literally me, applying my skills at the stove tonight and baking us a beautiful piece of salmon. Or at a more spiritual level:  My  relationship with the Mother, the Goddess which is lately strong and fulfilling.

Al together I think we will have a lovely week together as long as we keep an eye out for the snake.

It was a bit of a challenging combination of cards, since  three of the additional cards from the deck appeared in my line of five but I loved it to figure out what they mean for me today. 

Divination 3x3x3 Tag: Tarot, Oracle, and other forms of Divination

A few days ago Chloe from Inner whispers posted a video on Youtube which was called: Divination 3x3x3 Tag. In this video she shared with us her three favorite Tarot decks, Oracle decks and other forms of divination. At first I thought this is not for me, since I don’t like to talk in English and especially not on YouTube. Writing on my blog feels entirely different, much less vulnerable.  So then I thought why not make some pictures of my favorite decks and share them here:

Because it was already extremely difficult to pick three decks from each category, the decks I will show you are in random order.

My 3 favorite Tarot decks:

The Original Rider Waite Tarot by A. E. Waite, Pamela Colman-Smith

I had to pick an RW because it  has the imagery I can always fall back to. It is the system with which I’ve start out my tarot journey. This version appeals to me the most. Not only for its color scheme but also for the feel and smell of the cardstock.

The Druidcraft tarot by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington

After a long period without tarot this is the deck that brought me back to this deep felt passion of mine. I love the West European feel of it. It feels close to home for me. And of course the art is amazing, as all will’s art is.

The Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans. 

Although I own this deck for only about fourteen I already am so in love with this deck. It reads very intuitively and I am sure we will bond perfectly together

My 3 favorite Oracle decks:

The Tao Oracle by by Ma Deva Padma

I’ve bought this oracle because I was already in love with the Osho Zen tarot but these cards exceeded my expectations. The images are so beautiful and diverse. The deck covers every aspect of life; the dark and light. For now I use it only as an oracle but you can also chose to read it according to the I Ching system which I am not familiar with (yet).

The Sacred Rebels Oracle by Alana Fairchild, Autumn Sky Morrison

This is my favorite Oracle deck ever. It somehow makes me feel as if this deck is made especially for me. It came to me in a period I needed this deck very much and it has given me already so many wonderful messages

The Goddess Inspiration Oracle by Kris Waldherr

I love the fact this deck has 80 cards: so many aspects of the Divine Feminine in one deck. It is an easy deck to work with: just pull a card and you will get an empowering affirmation from one of the many goddesses from all over the world. I use this deck very often.

My 3 favorite other forms of divination

My DIY runes

These 24 pebbles are my doorway to the realm of divination. They have opened doors for me I never knew existed. Recently I’ve start using them again and  I love the honest and raw energy they have.

The Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken, Will Worthington

I’ve waited so long for this deck to be published and now I am so happy it is finally home with me. Besides using it for divination it has already become my main deck for creating magic. I love it how the images, as small as they are, really draw you in.

The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle by Caitlin Matthews, Virginia Lee

While waiting for the Celtic Lenormand this lovely deck came to my attention and it has become one of my favorites to. The images are lovely and solely based on the symbol. So a good counterpart for the more intuitive Celtic Lenormand.

I hoped you enjoyed my take on this 3x3x3 tag. 

What are you favorite decks? Please share or leave the link to your participation to this tag in the comments. 

Runes, Druidcraft Tarot, and Celtic Lenormand in one reading

Today I’ve done what I’ve been dreaming of ever since I've heard that Will Worthington was doing the artwork for the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken: Combining this deck with the Druidcraft Tarot from the same artist. And of course I had to include my beloved Runes. Recently I've found a second hand wooden set of Runes on the online thrift store in the Netherlands. I thought it would be nice to combine them with these two decks. 

I pulled one rune for the general energy of the day: Ingwaz. This is the rune of fertility. Not so much the creative fiery action but more the peaceful slumber afterwards. The quietness of the sown land; patiently waiting for the first sprouts to appear. This requires a harmonious balance and inner piece.

Very promising indeed but how do I really feel about all this? This answer was given to me by the Ten of Wands from The Druidcraft Tarot: “Not so good. So much to do, so many responsibilities, no time to rest or to be quiet. Always busy.”  Mind you, this is about feelings; not about the actual situation. Often our minds are so busy and chaotic it seems like we have too much going on and so little time to accomplish everything. This feeling can be so overwhelming, we have to fight the urge to throw away all the wands from our back, sit down and do nothing at all.

Although this last option can be very  tempting it is not the most healthy thing to do. So what can we do now in order to feel the peacefulness of Ingwaz and heal our emotional overload?

I pulled two cards from the Celtic Lenormand and they couldn’t have been more fitting: Child + Heart.

We could try to engage in one thing with the openness and trust of a child. Putting in all our love and devotion to this task or project and really feel connected to what we are doing.

Yes, this is a difficult one, when you feel like the Ten of Wands. But when you look at this little boy playing with his boat in the trough, you can almost feel how his heart is traveling  to the ocean where one day he will sail his own ship to far away shores. This intent is patiently waiting, gently growing stronger….. this too is Ingwaz .

So for today I will do one thing, choose one Wand and I will love what I do with all my heart. This way I will experience inner peace, patience and quietness.

Celtic lenormand - Line of Five

Besides using it for spellwork this gorgeous lenormand deck: The Celtic Lenormand By Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington has already become  my most favorite lenormand reading deck. This deck suprises me time and again with its clear and indepth readings. The additional cards has proven their worth to me on many occasions. Besides reading Lenormand cards sometimes for daily advice, I do like to read the cards mostly for spiritual guidance and personal empowerment. And this deck lends itself for either approach perfectly.

Yesterday I have pulled five cards after I had taken down my healing spell. The question was: “Where do I go from here?”  The middle card is the main focus of the reading and the other four cards will give me additional clarification and advice.

The cards are: Path(22) + Lady(29) + Stars(16) + Dog(18) + Fish(34)

Stars, as the main answer to my question, speaks to me of following my dream, my true North: to follow my Star. Then I will find my inspiration to create again.

Dog + Lady:  A, or a few good female friend(s) will help me along the way or the Lady is the Goddess from my Healing Spell and She will protect me as my loyal guide  on this journey

Path + Fish. These trusted friends/guide will help me chose the road to flowing abundance and spiritual growth;  to feelings of having enough, of being content  and connected  to my intuition

Path +Lady : Lady of the crossroads….She will ask me to choose at some point

Dog + Fish : A wealthy friend????  Or rather somebody who can bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to the table….

I loved doing this reading and again I was very pleased with what this deck had to share with me

Celtic Lenormand Healing Spell – Update

The last full moon on May 4, I have created a Healing spell for myself with the CelticLenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington. Today when the moon is almost dark and we are about to enter another moon cycle, I wanted to share with you my experiences and some alterations I've made.

First of all I am happy to say I feel a lot better than two weeks ago. The sun has certainly began to shine more regularly for me and since I have been mediating again, I do feel more calm and peaceful. I won’t comment on how much this has to do with my spell but I can say with certainty it did help a lot.  Every time when I went to my room I was reminded by the cards of my intent to enter the burial mound to face my fears and come out stronger, more confident and happier. During these two weeks I noticed it was hard for me to do so. It was almost as I was lingering before the entrance of this burial mound. So I strengthened my Spell with some crystals. I picked one for each “bridge” card: Black obsidian for dealing with my fears and grief, Rose Quartz for the love I want to give myself and others and Amethyst  for the wisdom I need to grow and move forward in life. 

And still it wasn't enough. Fear can be suffocating and grief can cause large stumbling blocks. That's when I decided  to turn to Deity. To represent the fierce aspect of the Goddess I choose the Lady card with her spear in her hand and shield in the background. I blended the entrance of her house with the entrance of  the  Burial Mound.  She would be there to give me courage and protect me when I would enter the into the darkness.  I also added a bindrune which is the combination or Nauthiz ( the strength to persevere) and Uruz (vitality and willpower). Especially the woman card was helpful for me. It gave me the feeling I didn't have to do the scary part all on my own.

As you can see I have added quite a bit. For me magic is like cooking: adding ingredients and spices to a dish until I feel the recipe is finished. I also think it keeps the spell's energy moving. 

Tonight I am going to take down my spell and give thanks for the  positive changes in my life.

( and maybe be cook up a new one……)

Healing spell with the Celtic Lenormand

Yesterday was the day of the full moon and inspired by Chloe from Inner Whispers, I decided this would the perfect time to create a healing spell for myself with the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington. 

Chloe has been talking and writing about how to implement magic into our daily life. Her approach is very down to earth but with lots of room for mystery and enchantment. After having read about her ideas about magic and watched her video’s, I thought performing this spell  would be a beneficial and proactive approach to my current situation. For me a Spell is something between a prayer with props to focus on and an affirmation made visual. I believe there is something magical about intention combined with ritual, words and representations of the intent.

Before I started creating my spell I first performed my own little ritual to break in a brand new deck. First I set  up sacred space with a few items to represent the elements and then I divided the deck in nine stacks and put it back together again. I repeated this three times while thinking of my intent for the usage of these cards.

Then I flipped through the deck to find  some appropriate cards for my healing spell:

Situation (left) – Mountain (21) and Clouds (6)

As of late I am feeling depressed and weighed down. It is very difficult  for me to move from this clouded and obstructed place

What do I want? (right)- Sun (31)and Lily (30)

I want to life a happy life; to feel  more confident and good about myself ; to let my inner light shine . Also I seek inner peace and harmony

How do I bridge this gap? (middle)– Heart (24),Burial Mound (8) and Owls (12)

With lots of Love (including self love)and inner wisdom I will enter that dark place to learn what is hidden and let go what no longer serves me.  I will come out more compassionate, happy, loving  and a lot wiser

I will leave this spell on my altar until the dark moon when I shall revisit it, see how I’m doing and maybe make some changes for the new moon.

A wonderful Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday! No, I am not  going to tell you how old I am. J  M was so kind to take some pictures I could share with you.

Our preparation started on Saturday when M and I had baked our traditional birthday apple crumble pie

 Together my girls surprised me with a  beautiful Carnation bouquet in  a variety of colors. These are my most favorite flowers

 Presents!!!!

I am so happy with each and every one of these gifts:

Of course there were chocolates mmmm. No celebration can do without them. A Kate Spade clip for my planner. A book about the social and cultural changes in our country in the last fifty years which has brought back so many memories. A book about Goddess Holle  and how she has changed from a greatly worshiped Germanic deity in to a fairy tale figure (Mother Holle). She is a goddess I feel very connected to. And not to forget two of my most desired decks : the Wild Unknown Tarot  By Kim Krans and the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken and Will Worthington

Later in the afternoon my husband came to visit and gifted me some art supplies  He loves to paint himself too so last week we went shopping together in a art supply store.

He bought me a watercolor sketchbook, some water-resistant drawing pens and a tear off palette to use when I paint with acrylics. 

“no gifts for me?”

Al together it was a perfect day.