Mother of Fire - Tending the Heart(h) Fire

Today’s card is Mother of Fire from the Vision Quest Tarot. She is related to the Queen of Wands but I feel she is much easier to approach than her royal niece. She looks up from her scared task; the tending of the hearth, the center of her abode. And just as she feeds the hearth fire with pieces of dry wood, she also loves to feed our heart with passion and courage.

As an adult mature woman she has already gathered  a lot of life experiences and she wants to share her wisdom with everybody who sits down by her fire. She has so many stories to tell and she wants to inspires us to live our life passionately and filled with joy.

I feel a bit sorry for her because as a mother myself, I try to share my wisdom with my girls, but more often than not they want to make their own decisions and learn from their own mistakes. 

So Mother of Fire teaches me today to share my stories and inspire my girls and everybody else who visits my Hearth but also that most of the time giving advice, when it is not asked for, is a waste of effort and time

Affirmation: Today I will warm myself by the fire of my hearth and the fire of my heart and I will chose to do the things  that will bring me joy so I can share this joy with my loved ones.

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 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.

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!

Flower Power haul!!!

Just a quick update about our trip to the gardening center. It was a very hot and moist day. But M and I were determined to buy some blooming plants for our garden to add a touch of color to al the greens. It was very difficult to choose from such an wide range of plants. Our garden isn't that big so we  had to be careful not to buy too much. 

After some serious decision making we went home with a nice set of plants,which are now a member of our garden family. After seeking out the right spot and planting them, we welcomed them home with a lengthy watering session. J

To be honest, although we enjoyed working together, most of the credit for this project goes to M. as well as for the photo’s she took with her new camera.

For this occasion I have picked three lennies which in my opinion are very representative. Although the meaning is of course crystal clear, I tried to elaborate a bit….just for practice

House + heart + bouquet

1. Some flowers in the house and garden is good for everybody’s well being!
2. Receiving love from your family is a precious gift
3. Homemaking is a satisfying talent
4. An abundance of love will give emotional security
5. Trying to make a small business from home using your gifts and talents
6. Developing you talents at home with care and love 
7. ….etc

(The guidebook of the Enchanted Lenormand is AMAZING!)

My first Square of Nine with the Lenormand about Creativity

Yesterday I've read my first square of nine with the Piatnik Lenormand. This little deck is my main practice deck. I like the pictures and it's classic look and  also because I have two copies of this deck so if I'll ruin it, I still have a spare one left. This little deck is living in my purse so I can practice my combinations where ever I go.

I've seen how Chloe from Inner whispers  has tackled her square and I thought her approach was clear and structured, which is wonderful way for a beginner to learn this spread :

To add something personal to the reading I decided to turn the center card first, in order to determine the topic of the reading: Moon - intuition , creativity. These keywords jumped out to me for this reading. 

Then I turned over the other cards....

First I've read the corners. 

Cross + Key + Heart: 

Open your heart to lighten you burden. The solution to your emotional setback is to be found in your heart.

Cross + Fish + Heart: 

Setbacks are asking for abundant love. An abundant rich spirituality is the solution to your problems

The Action Cross has the following cards:

Bouquet + Moon + Sun: talent and intuition will lead to success

Lily + Moon + Whip : Practice frequently until you  are satisfied  and content. Don’t beat yourself up but be gentle for yourself

I like it how the corners clearly state the problem en the action cross contains a practical advice: it is not only talent you need but also practice, practice, practice.  And not to forget a kind and gentle attitude towards your efforts. It is also good to notice the first card was the burden (Cross) and the last card is love (Heart).

 J