Queen of Wands - To blog or not to blog

The question whether to keep blogging has been on my mind quite a lot. On one hand, I really miss writing about tarot and the connection with my online friends but on the other hand, I keep asking myself why would I want to continue. I have been posting tarot pictures on IG very regularly and that felt as it was enough for me. One thing I am sure of is that this tiny spot on the World Wide Web is still so very dear to me and I don't want it to fade away with so many other inactive blogs.
But truthfully, sometimes I feel as if I have said it all. What possible more could I write about a card....
And then I pulled the Queen of Wands from the Thoth Tarot, which has become an absolute favorite deck of mine. What stands out today are the black spots on her leopard which symbolize the remnants of her past. The story goes she was once a dark haired Queen with a black panther who has transformed into the Queen she is today. But she still carries the scars of all the hurt and suffering she has been through.
The challenge of this Queen is to share her story with others and by doing so to reaffirm time and again what she has learned. so it will be ingrained in her most inner being.
Repetition isn't a bad thing. Originality is overrated. It is the mere act of writing and sharing what counts.
So I sincerely hope this post will inspire me to write the next one....

Queen of Swords – Me and my journal

Today’s card is the Queen of Swords from the Spirit Within Tarot by Steven Bright. As you all know I identify highly with this queen and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how Steven has captured her in his deck.

We see a woman sitting at her desk in front of her laptop, scratching her head with a pencil. She is obviously pondering what to write next; how to formulate her words in a way they will describe her feelings and ideas as clearly as possible. It feels so natural to see myself in her place. It is almost as if the silhouettes are inviting us to put ourselves or others in the depictions of the deck.  

I like to journal, almost on a daily basis. It helps me to get my mind in order and to think in a more linear way, which can be a good thing when your mind sometimes resembles a merry go round. Also, I feel that writing things down makes them more real, more tangible. I’ve been journaling since I was ten years old so I can hardly imagine myself without a journal by my side.

And then I was wondering what she was journaling about and I got …the Nine of Pentacles. This is a favorite of mine in any deck. Although I don’t shy away from writing about sad and painful things, I do like to emphasize what is beautiful, magical and delightful in life. Focusing on the sad stuff comes naturally to many of us. It used to be that way for me too. So nowadays I’d like to push myself a bit further and try not to write only about the clouds but even more so about their silver linings. Like the lady in this card, I have so much to be grateful for.

Ace of Air – Being honest with ourselves

This morning M. and I went shopping at a local metaphysical store and she gifted me a gorgeous piece of tumbled Sodalite. This stunning deep blue stone with white calcite veining is a stone of clarity, honesty, and truth. For me, it is a perfect stone to help to express myself more truthfully in my writing. The card I picked to go with this stone today is the Ace of Air from the Vision Quest Tarot. The feather in the depiction reminds me of a quill pen, so it fits wonderfully with my intention for this piece of Sodalite.

Although I am a fervent journaler and creative writer, it is sometimes hard for me to be really genuine and authentic in my writing.  Too often I am inclined to shy away when I touch upon painful subjects or I find myself smoothing over a difficult situation.

Yes, even in my journal, my safe place, my sacred space, I sometimes, mostly unwittingly, wear a mask instead of being true to myself.

I sincerely hope this stone will become a key for me to open the doors to my inner realms, to help me be confident enough to seek for the right words to write down what I find there and to bring me inner peace when I am done.

While writing this I realize it is a great stone for shadow work.

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Thomas Jefferson

Sacred Heart – A new Project, a new Oracle Deck.

My card for today is Sacred Heart - Passion, Love, Spiritual Communion, from the Gaia Oracle by Toni Salerno. We see a beautiful crimson red heart in the center of this card. The heart is burning with passion and desire but it is not consumed by it. It is perfectly balanced between the sun and the earth. It has exposed itself fearlessly to the radiant fiery sunrays and at the same time it is deeply rooted into the earth. This is causing the perfect centering of the heart.

This card is all about following your passion, doing the things you love most, without being afraid of failure. Trusting Spirit will keep you motivated and  inspired to express yourself creatively.

Yesterday I’ve gifted myself the Dutch version of the Gaia Oracle. I’ve bought it because I love the artwork and the warm color tones. Also I want to use it to for a more in depth exploration of the Divine Feminine. I love it that Toni Salerno has depicted the men and women in this deck not too detailed so we can veil them with our own perception of divinity.

I will be using this oracle also on my Dutch blog: “Tarot bij de Koffie”. A few days ago I’ve  written, after a very long time, a post for this blog again. I think I am going to do this regularly without neglecting  “Greylady’s Hearth”, which feels so like home to me. Writing has always been a passion of mine. I could live without making art but my life would feel incomplete without writing. Writing in Dutch allows me to flow just a bit more than writing in English. Less searching for words or looking for phrases. Besides wording my thoughts, writing an English post is sometimes also a bit like solving a puzzle. J

I’ve put a tab for “Tarot bij de Koffie” at the top of this blog and if you like to pay me a visit there you are always welcome.

Page of Swords - writing practice

For today I have drawn the Page of Swords from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm. We see a young fey woman, with feathers in her hair, handling her sword. She is about to start her practice or perhaps she is just finished and putting her sword back in its sheath. In either case she is determined to get more proficient each day. She want to be ready for battle when needed.

Swords are all about thought and ideas and today this card is telling me to wrap my thoughts about some issues I’ve been putting off. To stop the doubting and swaying back and forth  and to try to be more specific with what I know, belief and stand for; to try to put words to my blurry thoughts. Doubting is great but it is also good to determine exactly what it is what is making you doubt. I have the tendency to avoid the more intricate subjects hidden in the corners of my mind.

Although I am a fervent journaler,  I am also a bit apprehensive to see my more uncertain thoughts in writing. I have to remember I am just like this page: practicing, so not every slash with my sword  has to hit its mark.

 “Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time”  M. Murray

Woad - a taste of freedom

For today I've drawn Woad from the Druid Plant Oracle. The keywords are: freedom, Bardistry and Warriorhood

In the picture we see a fully grown Woad plant. The leaves were used  to extract a blue dye which the Picts, the ancient British warriors, used to paint themselves with before going to war. This was very clever indeed it because besides frightening the enemy, it also prevented wounds to bleed to severely because Woad has styptic properties. It was also used for dying cloth. Nowadays Druids use it to dye their Bardic robes.

The spear and the boar are both representative of warriorhood.

When you look outside at the clear blue sky you will often sense a feeling of freedom. How wonderful it would be to just fly away. This is the same shade of blue as the dye made from Woad leaves. To obtain this sense of freedom our inner Bard, our creative self, urges us to express our creativity. Not only to think about it but to really put yourself out there. Whatever you create is worth the effort because it is yours. You have to fight for your freedom; to aim for what makes you happy and fulfilled.  Without the desire to achieve what you really want, it is possible you’ll put your own need to create aside for the needs of everybody else. Or maybe worse, you will hide your true creative self behind needless chores, afraid to fail or perhaps to succeed? So put on you warrior paint and pick up your pen. pencil, brush or flute and  aim for  what makes your heart sing!

Lately I've noticed how I can feel totally free when I'm writing. Time seems to fly. I love to puzzle with words and sentences or to freewrite and accept everything what is pouring out of my pen, I am less afraid to fail than with my drawing and painting. Not only do I write daily for this blog but I also write in Dutch, just for myself. It is something I've always done but lately I enjoy it so much more. I think the combination of writing and tarot really has opened countless doors for me.