What is already in you can overcome any challenge

It’s been a challenging week. Lots of family stuff going on which culminated in my husband's dental chirurgie under general anesthesia. Everything went perfectly fine but him undergoing this procedure was a pretty daunting prospect for both of us

Since all this has taken a lot of my energy, the advice from my previous posts on how to embrace my creativity and face the always accompanying  fear have been left untried.

For today again I feel myself encouraged to find my bliss and to let no fear withhold me to experience the joy of creating.

My card for today is “What is already with you” from the Sacred Rebels Oracle. This card tells me I don’t need to look elsewhere for strength and courage because all these qualities are already within me. I just need to acknowledge and embrace them and accept them as an intrinsic part of me. The guidebook recommends to start with small steps and then feel how you grow from the inside out. It starts like a flutter but gradually you have to let it fly free and surrender to who you are supposed to be.

The accompanying card is Mountain from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand. Although this mountain seems far too high to climb it’s a piece of cake when you have wings. Mountains and other kinds of roadblocks can be quite disheartening but when you discover your wings you’ll be free to soar the sky.

"I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar"

R.Kelly

The King of Coins and fox – Sometimes you just want to run off

Today’s card is the King of Coins from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. This is the king who is practical and reliable, sure of himself and sometimes a bit conservative. He is a great manager and  his focus is always on the welfare of everyone he is responsible for. He yearns for sensual pleasure and is sometimes a bit self-indulgent.

When you have so much responsibility, you have to make time for the good things in life. And most of the time the king doesn't feel guilty in doing so. But he never crosses boundaries because he knows the eyes of his people are always upon him. Look at him standing there on the balcony with his Pentacle in his hands. What is he thinking? What does he want?

For some additional information I pulled one card from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand: the Fox. Oops. There is something sneaky going on here. Although the fox wants to get into the henhouse, I've got the feeling the king wants to run off and  leave his Pentacle behind for a while. I guess everybody can relate to this feeling. We all have our responsibilities but o, how wonderful it would be, if we could just play truant for a while and run off to do whatever we want and maybe even misbehave just for a tiny little bit… Or maybe we have to manipulate others to have some time to ourselves. Is it so bad to feign  a headache when you want to be on your own for a while…..

I think there a lots of ways to “sneak out” if we need to. Maybe not all totally legit but certainly very understandable. 

Knight of Wands – Setting my priorities straight

Today’s cards are the Knight of Wands from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot and the man card from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand. Both decks are by Ciro Marchetti. This Knight of Wands is as fiery as it is possible. Red and Yellow and every hue in between is used to create this image. Two dragons are battling one another with fire, while unaware of the damage they are causing to their surroundings. They are passionate and reckless, strong and vital. But maybe lately a bit over the top with all their plans, projects and challenges. This knight can sometimes give us  the idea of  “I can do everything if I really want it”. So we plunge in enthusiastically with passion and good intentions and only to feel afterwards the blisters on our soul. Then we have to admit we've acted like the dragons in this card: a bit over the top and somewhat impetuous.

But then I pulled the Man card. Today I read this card as being  the Knight of Wands, without his armor. He is tired of fighting his inner and outer battles. There too many options, too many battlefields. In his hand he is holding one rose and he is silently waiting until he knows for sure which challenge is worth his sole focus and all his energy.

I do relate to these cards very well. For five days now I am trying to change my behavior and routines on several fronts and I am coming to the conclusion that it might be a bit too much ad once. Because I do want this challenge to be a success, I have to set my priorities  straight. What do I want to  focus on? What is it that I want to change the most? One rose…. one priority ….

Lenormand – practice, practice, practice!

This morning I figured it was about time I picked up my Lenormand cards again to practice my reading skills so when my copy of the Celtic Lenormand would arrive, I would be able to work with it. For this line of five I have chosen the Gilded Reverie by Ciro Marchetti. The question is: what advice can you give me on how to pursue my challenge of “Making room in 40 days”?

After shuffling the cards I searched for the ring as a symbol of my commitment to this challenge and picked the two cards on either side of the ring. Together they form a line of five with:

whip + cross + ring + heart + sun

Cross+ ring+  heart : it is important to devote yourself spiritually and emotionally to this commitment.

Whip + cross : establishing some repetitive spiritual practices can be very helpful

Sun +heart:  Give yourself permission to bask yourself in the light of self love

Whip + sun : although there will be difficulties, maybe self-doubt and other  and inner  struggles, this challenge will  strengthen your confidence and will give you  a lot of insight in yourself

These cards gave me lots of practical advice. Especially about  creating some daily rhythm, so there will be some flow during the day and I won’t be constantly aware of the things I cannot do but more focusing on what I can and want to do. Honestly it feels a bit like when I quit smoking but with the heart and the sun in view I am on my way again!

Ten of Cups - There is a lot to be grateful for

Today’s card is the Ten of Cups from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. At first I intended to pick a card myself which would represent my latest obsession with the “Midori travelers Notebook”. Besides being overly fond of tarot and Oracles decks, stationery, planners and journals etc  is something I am getting more and more addicted to. But since this blog is mainly about my love for tarot I decide to  just pull a card and see what the tarot had in store for me today. Well isn't this a lovely picture. I see both Tara and our new puppy in this card. Tara in dog’s heaven near a cozy fire place completely  healthy and happy, where cats are friends instead of mortal enemies J. On the other hand this might be our near future. In a few hours we are going to visit our puppy for the second time. We are so looking forward to this and we are counting the days until we can take him home with us.

Finally I see myself in this card, so happy and content with my finished leather project. I am going to finish it tomorrow and although excited to make my own version of the Midori, I am also a bit anxious to ruin the leather. Maybe this card is a good omen, so I pulled a card from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand: Bouquet! I see this one as the gift card and I suppose everything I’ve written  about in this post can be considered as gifts to be grateful for.

Three card Lenormand spread - Confusion

Yesterday’s decision to pick up a lenormand instead of a tarot deck suited me just fine. The reading was to the point but not to in depth. It was not so easy to find some peace and quiet for myself though. Putting a chair in the garden is simple but silencing my inner babbler wasn't. And also life has a way of putting tons of distractions on your path when the only thing  you want is to be left alone and rest. 

One thing which was rather tiring and distracting yesterday is that I've received my hearing aid. OMG, I didn't remember how noisy the world was. It is fun though to put it out for a while, when you want to have some calm moments J 
Finally I did manage to create a simple abstract collage which was very relaxing to do.

So back to the cards. For today I've drawn again a line of three from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand:

Stork + Anchor + cross

1. Spiritual changes are disrupting my sense of stability
2. When I want to seek out new spiritual beliefs I have to stay grounded
3. I have to lift my anchor if I really want to move to the next winding of my path

Well these are very different interpretations, some even contradicting. So which one do I choose or maybe which one did  I overlook? I am a bit confused right now.

The inserts count 27, which is the letter card:

Maybe I will receive a letter, a mail or a comment; maybe I will read an article but something in writing will help me to see things more clearly

Perhaps you can shed some light for me over these cards????

Three card Lenormand spread: What’s next….

This morning I was sitting next to my bookcase with a shelf full of decks and I couldn't decide which deck to use. I held some of them in my hand, drew some cards but nothing really happened. No “Aha” experience or a “Yes that’s it” thought. I drew the proverbial "blank" this morning. Although I didn't like it, It didn't strike me as odd. After an intense couple of days for me the last week, tarot wise, the well was a bit dried up. So I decided to draw some Lenormand cards to answer the question; what to do next. I used the Gilded Reverie Lenormand and I drew three cards with the center card as the main subject:

Birds + House + Ship

1.      After a lot of  and talking/blogging about a spiritual journey it is a good idea to stay home and rest for a while.

2.      Being at home talking about a journey; physical or spiritual. What do I long for? Where do I want to go?

3.      Searching for a place to retreat away from the chatter of daily life.

The first and the last interpretation speak to me the most. I guess I really need some peace and quiet today. I do feel a bit hermit-like lately and I love spending time alone. Autumn is starting early this year and I love the introspective quality of this season.

When I count the inserts for a conclusive message , I get lily: When I listen to the message of these cards I may find harmony, tranquility and maybe even wisdom.

So today I am going to consciously seek for a quiet place, in or outside myself, to explore silence and rest for a while…..

Combining Tarot and Lenormand in one reading

Inspired by Chloe and Siddaleah  I've been practicing again with my Lenormand cards for several days now. And I have to say it hasn't been easy. There has been times the cards only spoke jibber jabber to me and I felt like throwing them into the trash can. Could it be possible I'm not cut out  for this? Since I am a stubborn woman (Taurus) I didn't want to be defeated by 36 pieces of cardboard so I kept practicing.

And gradually the fog was lifting and the cards started to make sense to me again. It was helpful for me me not to search for generic meanings but to ask a question first. Was it about love, money or health? But how many questions can you come up with while practicing on  your own. So I included my tarot cards in the reading. I picked a tarot card which would be the topic of my reading and then I drew a line of three lennies about this topic.

The topic for this reading was the Ten of Swords from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot : How can I let go of all my self defeating thoughts and move on?

Then I pulled three cards from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand (both decks are by Ciro Marchetti):

7 Snake +15 Bear + 5 Tree

Biting thoughts (suspicions and self loathing) can be conquered by confidence and inner strength which will improve your physical (health) and mental (wisdom) well being.

I liked how the bear was swimming away from the snake and towards the tree; moving on from one situation to another.

Building confidence is certainly helpful for me while practicing with these cards. Whining about how I will never, ever be able to read them won't help me to improve my skills.J

Practicing like this is so much fun and very encouraging for my confidence in reading the Lenormand.

Six of Cups and Mountain - Tarot and Lenormand playing together

For today I have drawn two cards from two different systems and both cards have been made by the same artist: Ciro Marchetti. From the Legacy of the Divine Tarot I’ve got the Six of Cups and from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand I've pulled the mountain.

First I drew the tarot card to represent the overall feeling/energy of the day;

This cards depicts a girl lying in the grass and she is recalling some good times when she was playing with her friend. It is very easy for me to identify with this girl. Life used to be so easy. There were less difficult choices to make. Of course it wasn't always sunshine and roses  but at least my husband was there to stand beside me. And nowadays it is just me who has to make all the decisions. But I am very glad  I can cherish a lot of good and loving memories. So why does this card affect me more than usual?

For a modification of this tarot card I drew Mountain. This card is about blockages, difficulties and frustration. When we are confronted with our mountain it is only natural we are inclined to look back to the green meadows of the past and to imagine them greener than they really were. How tempting it might be to idolize and dwell in these pastures, it is better to get your backpack and lace up your shoes and start climbing the mountain.

It is obvious how the Lenormand card emphasizes for me the danger of living in the past and can be seen as an encouragement to face my problems. I think any other Lenormand card would have highlighted a different aspect of The Six of Cups. The Tarot card represents for me the psychological side of the matter and the Lenormand card the more mundane and active side. Although Tarot and Lenormand are  two different systems, I think they can work very well together

Ps. don’t get me wrong; There is nothing as comforting as a stroll down memory lane J

Gilded Reverie Lenormand - a Three Card Spread

Yesterday I was inspired by Olivia from First EarthTarot  to pick up my Lennies again and give them the attention this lovely system deserves.  Although it contains “only” 36 cards, it is a comprehensive study which  requires a lot of dedication and practice. It is almost as if I would say English isn't that difficult; you write it with just 26 letters.

So back to the cards. I am still in the stage of reading three card lines, So let's see what this line has to say about my renewed acquaintance with the Lennies:

Bouquet + Stars+ Ship

1.       Pleasure is found in following your dream

2.       The gift of an inspirational journey

3.       A longing for putting my talent in motion

When I read these cards they give me the distinct feeling I should give this system a fair change, explore it’s usage for me and see  this study as an adventurous journey.  I will be open minded and find out if I can re-establish a connection to these cards. Furthermore I will try not to be scared off by the blunt language of the Lennies.  Maybe it's similar to not being fearful anymore for the Death card and the Ten of Swords.J

If you have any additional thoughts about these three cards, please leave a comment. 

A quick three card Lenormand spread before the day is done

Today I haven’t had the time to post my daily draw, but this evening I've drawn three cards from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand which I had to share with you.

I drew: child + Key + dog

1.       The solution to your problem lies in being loyal to your inner child

2.       New playful beginnings supported by friends

3.       Your friends offer you solutions how to play and be carefree

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

We can have it all, if we dare to dream

Yesterday, after an exchange of thoughts with Sycamore about her last post: “Where the Heart is” , I started thinking about how hard it is for many of us to discover what we really want deep down inside. My wishes are most of the time the “good girl” wishes  and I wonder if that is all there is. Could it be I am afraid of my own buried desires? Or perhaps  of my undiscovered “greatness” J. Sometimes we put our light under the basket instead of on a stand mostly out of a false sense of modesty. That’s how a lot of us were brought up.

And what have the cards to say about this? Well they couldn't be more clear today. I drew these three cards without set positions just to read them as a story-line:

Legacy of the Divine Tarot

The Four of Cups tells us how hard it is to find that one cup that gives us the most pleasure; our true passion. Some cups are just fine but mostly they contain convenient and dull wishes, which keep us satisfied in our day to day lives

The Knight of Cups challenges us to follow our intuition and to pick up that one cup that truly belongs to us, to channel all our creativity and passion into it and go for..

The World. This is how we all can feel if we treasure our dreams and follow through on them.

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

How we bring this wonderful idea into practice? That is when the Lenormand comes in play

Scythe+ mountain+ Child

For me it is becoming very obvious: We have to cut away inner blockages and let our inner child play. I am certain that trough playing and experimenting we are all able to find what really makes our soul truly sing. 

A quick three card Lenormand line

Since I am quite busy with cutting and pasting for my Soul oracle cards this will be a quick daily draw with my new Gilded Reverie Lenormand by Ciro Marchetti. It’s good to take a short break from collecting pictures and flipping through magazines because the images are already effecting me emotionally although they aren't even pasted on a card yet J

The cards for today are bear + tree + mountain:

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

• An authority with a traditional background is causing problems
• A strong woman has health issues which are hindering and frustrating
• Deep rooted jalousie can block you from moving forward

It feels good to search for various interpretations for this line. I've seen this on Chloe’s blog  “Inner whispers” and it keeps you from getting stuck with ready made answers: a tree isn't always about heath.

For today I've chosen the second interpretation. My health isn't that great and it so frustrating to feel you are getting older. This morning I went outside on my bike again. It was freezing a little and the sun was shining. A great ride. After this post I am going to do my exercises (physiotherapy) So I do try to maintain a healthy lifestyle but my joints aren't what they used to be.

Following my own path and staying on track

Legacy of the Divine Tarot

I had mixed feelings and wasn't sure what to do. Yesterday I had planned a little detour with my tarot cards. It seemed fun to me to explore if I could do predictive readings. I have been talking with some of you about the possibilities of predicting and I even invented a new word for hindsight interpretation which is a very common manner to fit a prediction: Afterdiction (© lol)

Talking with you made me realize I didn't want to go through with this experiment at all.  The way I work with cards is just fine with me. And I respect and encourage everyone to do what he/she does best and feel comfortable with. But I am positive predicting is not for me, in anyway not now

But I wouldn't be me if I felt a great pressure to accomplish this experiment because I said so.

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

So this morning I drew three lennies for this week: stars + scythe +ring. These three cards could mean a number of things: A divorce from a celebrity. Hopefully a contract will be ended.

For me they just cried out: Follow your bliss and don’t fulfill this commitment!!!

So here I am writing this post. I asked the tarot for a guidance card: The Hermit from the Legacy of the Divine came to the rescue.  Well I’m sure he can guide me through my inner landscapes, encourage me to read my map and help me to stick with who I am and what I want and not to get distracted so easily. I've already picked up my daily meditation and gratitude practice  to reconnect to the Divine but it will be also very helpful to stay focused and on track

Tarot as a predictive tool

Crystal Visions Tarot

Yesterday I've read a post on Olivia’s blog “First Earth tarot” about whether or not Tarot can or should be used as a predictive tool.

Predicting the future has always been the first purpose of this deck of cards. Later on we have began to use tarot as a tool of psychological development , spiritual growth and guidance and  as instrument to enhance our intuition. It will be obvious that I am  mostly keeping myself busy with the last two subjects. Predicting? not so much my thing. Do I believe it is possible? I’m doubting it. In my opinion every tarot card can be applied to every situation. The one you pull will determine (if you let it) your focus on the situation at hand. For instance, should I go on this journey?  Ten of swords: perhaps, but you should be careful.  The fool : you will have great adventures. Who is to say which card is right? they both can be: you can be careful and have adventures at the same time. This is of course an example.

But I have decided to give this predicting with cards a go.

Gilded Reverie Lenormand

Yesterday I pulled, just for the fun of it, three Lennies: stork + rider+ coffin

Oeps! Coffin. I don’t like that card in a prediction. And immediately there is that other stumbling block why I don’t predict the future. I feel uncomfortable when I pull scary cards. None of the Lennies did ring a bell for me. This morning I pulled a tarot card for the main energy of today: eight of wands from the Crystal Vision tarot. Then it hit me. This is not going to be a normal Sunday: First M and I are going to visit my husband and will be decorating (stork) his room, then we will go home where S  and her boyfriend are throwing a late Sinterklaas party with a lot of guests (unicorns + rider). And what about me? I am sitting in my tiny room blogging and listening to music (boxed in and hiding J) A coffin isn't always scary!

I have to confess I liked it a lot. And tonight I’m going to pull three cards for the coming week…….

My personal review of The Gilded Reverie Lenormand

A long time ago I did try to purchase this Lenormand deck form  Ciro Marchetti’s website, but sadly I was informed he didn't sell it any more. You can imagine my happiness when I heared this deck was going to be published by US games. 

I've pre-ordered my copy with Book Depository and it has arrived safely yesterday. I had read some reviews  already so my expectations were high. Excited and with al little bit anxiety. (I've had some misprints before) I opened my package. OMG what a cute and sturdy box I found in there. It opens with a magnetic flip. I had never seen such a nice box to go with a US Games deck. The cards are just beautiful. They are gilded, which adds to the luxurious feel of this deck.

The colors are vibrant and lush and the cards are thick and glossy and also quite large compared to other Lenormand decks. Since I never work with grand tableau’s, I don’t mind this at all. I like the size of these cards which does justice to the beautiful artwork of Ciro. My favorite card as always is “mice”. Wouldn’t  you love to tickle this little guy’s tummy?

The deck doesn't contain the extra cards of the original self-published version. But I've heard US games will probable print an expansion pack for this deck with the additional cards in the beginning of 2014. I am certainly planning to buy this too. It does come with a well written LWB by Tali Goodwin and Rana George. Each card has tells a little bit about itself and after that follows the general meaning.

And even the backs are stunning. This picture says it all

I am glad I've picked up my Lennies again and did some practicing before my package had arrived. So with a totally refreshed memory I am going to play with this gorgeous deck

The first three cards I've pulled for this deck were: garden + birds + clover:

·         People are coming together to discuss the happiness this deck has brought them

·         There’re  a lot of positive comments about this deck in the community

Simple and clear just as any other Lenormand deck, except this one is absolutely stunning!!!

I am not a Lenormand deck collector but I am very happy with this addition to my more traditional decks. I highly recommend it to every Lenormand reader. And with all the gilded edges and decorations it could be a great Christmas gift too.

For now, I only have to wait for the Celtic Lenormand Oracle from Chloë McCracken and Will Worthington to be published…..  J