Eight of Wands - Keep your calm in a chaotic world

Today’s card is the Eight of Wands from the Llewellyn tarot. We see the familiar eight Wands in the air, although today it doesn’t feel like they are all going in the same direction. Some seem to go upwards and some seem to fall from the sky. What also stands out is the calmness of the grazing deer. Some are eating and some are watchful but they are all convinced there is no need to fight or run to a safer place.

Often when a lot of Wands are flying over our head we tend to jump up, decide, act, again and again until each Wand is taken care of. We don’t like to allow those Wands to pass freely without our interference and to watch how life unfolds. To be able to do this demands a great amount of trust and confidence in our inner strength and in our resilience when something isn’t going as we hoped it would.

There is a lot happening in my life but I have to take a step back from most things, instead of jumping in, to “help” and  “fix it all. This card teaches me perfectly how to live in a chaotic world.

Time for lunch J

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis de Sales

A Few of My Favorite Things Spread

Yesterday I found a lovely tarot spread on IG, created by Magpietarot and it's called: “A few of my favorite things spread". I thought it would be fun to try it out here and I chose the Crystal Visions Tarot to do this. You have to separate the Minor Arcana into suits. Than shuffle your little stacks and pull one card from each suit to answer the questions below. I also pulled one card from the Majors because I didn’t want them to feel left out.

From the Wands: Where does my confidence shine?  Eight of Wands – Wnen I am on a roll and everything is going my way.  I don’t mind doing a lot as long as all the horses are running in the same direction. Then I feel like I am the queen of the world
From the Cups: What brings me joy? Queen of Cups.  Very simple but not so easy: To love and be loved and feel connected to  God(dess)

From the Swords: Where do I feel wise? Four of Swords – Haha, that is a good one! When I take a time out when I need it and not when it is already long overdue.

From the Pentacles: What makes me feel safe & secure? Eight of Pentacles – When I do the work and stay in the moment. Whether it is painting a picture or doing the dishes. 

From the Majors: Which underlying energy will make it all possible? The Hanged Man. To let go of all ideas about what I think I should do and try to live more in the here and now, where I might see things from a fresh point a view.

Eight of Wands and Fortune Faery - The Difference between Wanting and Wishing

My cards for today are Eight of Wands and Fortune Faery from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm. 

  

In the Eight of Wands we see a highly skilled and focused young woman who is about to release her arrow towards her goal. She also has a lot of arrows in the quiver on her back; so many more goals to aim for. This card often urges me to list what I want to do in the time coming and today it got me thinking about what I want to do when Autumn will finally arrive here:

Learn how to knit toe-up socks, practice how to sketch quickly without an eraser, bake an Apple pie with the apples from our tree, go back to the gym, get acquainted with some of my decks on a deeper level and journal  more with them, clean my house, wearing long trousers, work with oil pastels…..

After I had written down a lot of wants and needs, I drew a card to find out if I hadn’t forgot something essential and I got the Fortune Faery. A little girl is about to blow on a dandelion puff and let her wish roam free on its little seeds.

She asked me: “You have so many wants, but what do you wish for?” And I was silent.

There is a great difference between wanting and wishing. Wanting is about things which are grounded in reality and which we are able to obtain if we direct our energy towards it. But wishing is more ethereal and fleeting. What we wish for is often not likely to happen but we can always hope and have faith it might happen one day.

Maybe I am afraid to wish because I don’t want feel disappointed. Or I am to pragmatic to believe in wishes coming true. Or maybe I am utterly content with where I am right now. This post will not provide me with an answer but it does stir up some serious food for thought.

"If you want to something, don't just wish for it. Life is too short to wait.” Stephen Hines

Kenaz and the Eight of Wands - Let’s built a fire

My rune for today is Ken or Kenaz, which means Fire or Torch and thus it stands for all things related to fire , both literally and metaphorically. So not only for a sense of security and warmth and of comfort and safety, for home and hearth but also for enthusiasm and fervor, cleansing, inspiration, creativity and confidence. Since fire sheds its light in the dark it also stands for wisdom and knowledge. A whole spectrum of  meanings for such a little rune. So I asked my cards: “what do I need to keep my fire going” and I got, don’t laugh, the Eight of Wands, which I immediately interpreted as kindling wood. But not the ordinary kind, the dry sticks which we can buy in large amounts in stores like Home depot. No, these wands come flying straight to you when you need them the most to keep you inner flame alive. These eight wands carry inspiration, new idea’s and  a change of wind to feed your fire with Spirit’s breath.

Often when our fire is nothing more than a pile of embers these  wands seem to come out of the blue like a Grand surprise and once our bonfire is burning high, we can decide to jump over it, take the leap and live life to the fullest again

Eight of Wands - Keep going, Keep growing

Today I pulled again the Eight of Wands  from the Joie de Vivre Tarot. Little did I know how it would reveal to me something very important which I wasn’t yet quite fully aware of. At first I felt annoyed; whatever could I write today about this card that I hadn’t wrote already  a few days ago.  Then I thought perhaps I could approach this card from the opposite side; the need to speed up and get things done. Not quite my cup of tea for a day off.  So I pulled another clarifying card and I got the Chariot. Together they felt very determined to get me moving, so I laced my shoes and went for a walk . 

After a short time I reached the park and entered it. Following the path I enjoyed the peace and solitude of my surroundings. Not the silence though, because so many birds where performing their most beautiful songs. I was amazed by the  wonder of nature’s awakening on this spring morning. And then it I hit me. I was walking in a park on my own. Nobody else was there and I wasn’t afraid. I’ve walked  there  a few times more these last two weeks, but I didn’t fully realize this up until now. It was amazing. It is freeing not to need someone to protect me from everything that might happen in this park. After so many years this fearful story has faded away so much that is isn’t able to affect me any longer. This walk has given me back a part of my strength and independence for which I am so grateful. I felt victorious, just like the figure in the Chariot!

One of the pictures I took there today tells the same story: Even from very old wounds can grow new life.

The Pitfall of the Eight of Wands

For today I’ve drawn the Eight of Wands  from the Joie de Vivre tarot. The keywords from the LWB are: boldness, direction, activation, passion, acceleration.

“Aiming high, the courageous astromouse, Nucleus, ventures across the galaxy with a take-charge energy that will break down all obstacles. One-eyed aliens, Zoom and Boom, help guide him in the right direction as he forges ahead with powerful determination."

It is  not a matter of to having no determination enough, but more a matter of feeling overwhelmed by all the things I should do, according to my own high and not always realistic standards. After two very pleasant and enjoyable Easter days, I was more than willing to stumble or perhaps rather jump in my own pitfall of long daily to-do lists with a lot of boxes to tick off.

No matter if I enjoy  them or not, a strict part of me me tells me they have to be done. Now that’s where this Eight of Wands comes in to play. Look how curious and exited Nucleus is about his life. He is enjoying his journey and all the beautiful experiences he has encountered so far and so many beautiful things are still to be discovered before he will reach, (will he ever reach??) his destination.

I have to remind myself about something I tend to forget very often: it is me who makes these lists, joins the challenges, sets the goals, plans my chores and activities. I put them there because I want them there.  It is also  up to me to take them off this list if I want to. So whatever I am going to do today, it is because it is my desire to do so and that way it will also ask a lot less energy of me than when I view them as “have to’s" and “should’s”.

Also a lovely alternative for a to-do list is a: “What have I done today list” or as Nucleus would describe it: filling in the ship's log!

Eight of wands – Wake me up inside

Today’s card is the Eight of Wands from the Mary El Tarot. We see a winged red lion carrying a sleeping child under a starry arch of Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the night sky. The lion holds in his paw and hand a rainbow lemniscate, the symbol of eternity.

It might appear that God is carrying you here, that you are watched over by divinity, but in truth it is you, the wisest most courageous part of yourself who is carrying you.

This card is a wake-up call to your sleeping self.  The part that thinks she is alone, separated, inadequate, not worthy and so on. All of us have a greatness inside ourselves which yearns to be embraced, if we only would wake up and see how strong and wonderful we really are. The best way to “wake up” is to relax and to listen to our inner voice, which will inspire us to create with colors, movement, words and music. There in the beauty and splendor of art we will begin to get a feel of our true potential

“You were born with potential. 

You were born with goodness and trust. 

You were born with ideals and dreams. 

You were born with greatness. 

You were born with wings. 

You are not meant for crawling, so don't. 

You have wings. 

Learn to use them and fly.”

Rumi

The Three Blessings

It sounds like the title of a fairy tale but in fact it is the subject of a three card tarot reading which Carla from Rowan Tarot came up with. Kerry from Neopagan Priestess has tried it too.

I liked it so much and thought it was such an uplifting spread, that I would like to try it for myself. I've used the Morgan Greer tarot and after shuffling my deck I asked: “What are my three blessings for this phase in my life?”

And I've got:

The Eight of Wands:

Things are speeding up and going my way. Actions of the past are setting things in motion for today. My eight wands are sprouting, so lots of my creative ideas are full of possibilities. I can pick the one which I feel most passionate about without letting myself get overwhelmed by the other seven (The Eight of wand is my todo list card J)

The Eight of Swords:

No more bondage by limiting thoughts. I am able to take of my blindfold and remove the ropes around my body. I can enter the castle behind me and go to my art room to play because playing is sacred, making mistakes is a must, and trying is a gift to myself.

Three of Pentacles :

And the first two blessings are coming to fruition in the last one: Creating with pleasure, inspiration and fulfillment. This card is one of the most supportive cards in the deck for me. The Empress may be all about creativity but here we see a craftsman doing the work en enjoying himself. Improving your skills day by day is a gift not a chore.

Eight of wands - A boost of optimism and confidence

For today I've drawn the Eight of Wands (twice) from the Joie de Vivre Tarot. To be honest I don’t like this card (in any deck) although this depiction is rather cute. Look at his rod, illuminating the way and the two little friends who travel along with him. But eight wands  are often flying too high and too fast into the unknown. When you've read my post about Poe brave flight you’ll know why I feel troubled about this card

The keywords from the LWB are Boldness, direction, activation, passion, acceleration.

“Aiming high, the courageous astromouse, Nucleus, ventures across the galaxy with a take-charge energy that will break down all obstacles. One-eyed aliens, Zoom and Boom, help guide him in the right direction as he forges ahead with powerful determination."

To be honest when I drew this card I didn't feel like blogging about it and I put it back and shuffled the deck again. I never do this unless I draw the same card from one or two days before. After  I had shuffled the deck I drew  another card…. and I pulled the Eight of Wands. What are the odds!

For me this card is about hurry and haste. Moving quickly and putting you best foot forward. I am a box checking person. First everything of my todo list has to be done before I can allow myself to relax This can be very annoying for my girls and tiring for myself. So the hurry and haste thing I can relate to and perhaps I should try to be somewhat more relaxed with the Easter weekend coming up and a lot of  boxes still to be checked.

The Aiming high is a bit more difficult. You have to be bold and daring to aim high. “To boldly go where no man has gone before” says Nucleus (or captain Kirk) I don’t consider myself as bold;  on the contrary. Perhaps if I translate this to optimism; expecting everything will work out all right. This attitude could be one step in the right direction. Again with Easter on its way I could use a dose of confidence and optimism to create a wonderful holiday for my family. Perhaps this post is a bit rambling but while writing, this card makes more sense to me now.

There is enough love to go around

Wildwood Tarot

Sometimes when someone shares a problem or their pain, old wounds are scratched and too much pain is revealed. A lot of talking, holding and loving is needed to ease the emotions and the pain again. What stays is the love between me and my daughters. I am so grateful that we always can find our  way back to each other. 

When I asked the cards: what is needed to affirm the peace and quiet among us? The Wildwood Tarot gave me The Eight of Bows – Hearthfire. 

This is an appropriate card : it tells us about the love and the friendship which can endure hardship and struggles.  According to the book these people celebrate the fact they endure, strive and survive. The most important things to them is the warmth of this fire, the food and drinks, to share it with loved ones and to listen to and laugh with each other. We don’t have a hearth fire in our home. But I do have a large candle which I light every afternoon when the sun is setting. It is for me a symbol of life and warmth and love.  After such an emotional collision I am always so grateful for the love we share in this family. And the more we give, the more we receive J

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…….

Little gnomes come to the rescue

October 17: Fly agarics remind us of gnomes. In fairy tales gnomes are little helpers. They shine shoes and clean our houses. What do I need a gnome for?

Crystal Visions Tarot

The first thing that comes to mind is my wish that they were real. My god(dess), my house needs some serious cleaning. I think a whole family of gnomes could be kept busy here. But since I’m not  into slavery (Free the Gnomes!) I ask them for just one favor:

Please be there for me if I’m in an eight of wands situation.

Although the eight of wands from The Crystal Visions Tarot is the most beautiful I have ever seen so far, it is still not one of my favourite cards. It`s always giving me a feel of anxiety. Everything is going to fast and I would be afraid to loose control. It isn’t strange this card is also connected to falling in Love.  Since that’s certainly not the case with me I see more the amount of unicorns galloping of the mountain as an endlessly growing todo list with lot’s of priority marks. I would like to be helped with  my scheduling and finishing projects so I can check my boxes J

Or for instance, this card could also represent my clutter falling down the stairs of the attic and every single item is asking me: “Do you still want me? Where do you want me to go?" And so forth. I could use some help with that either.

Yes I definitely don’t like this card. I’m thinking of to may stresfull chaotic things now. Help! J