Death – Listen to the wisdom of Owl

Today is the last day I will be working with the tarot of the Sidhe by Emily Carding for a while. I’ve been working with this deck exclusively for the last ten days, which is a lot longer than I usually work with a deck. Overall it felt good.  A great advantage of working with one deck is that you really get a feel for its imagery and its use of symbols;  I always could understand and speak the French language better after our vacation than on the first day we’d arrived in France.

For today I’ve drawn Death: It is a timely card for me. The last few days have not been that easy but I feel a lot better already.  Again I had to let go of some old beliefs, unreal expectations, grief and love, in order to be able to move on again. It seems to me life often consists of a sequence of Death and Rebirth. Just like the cycle of the seasons but I think this Death- Rebirth cycle moves even faster. It feels almost like a clashing of waves on the beach. Sometimes you even don’t have the time to get dry before the next wave hits the shoreline.

In this version of Death we see an owl flying in front of  lots of butterflies. They all are leaving the burial mound above which a crescent moon witnessing this event Their life has been transformed. They have moved from one stage to another. The caterpillars have disintegrated almost completely in their chrysalises in order to change into a butterflies. I wonder if they would have been afraid,  if they knew what they had to go through before they could become a butterfly.

It looks like the owl is showing them the way out to their new transformed life. He is holding a salmon in his claws. This salmon (a symbol of wisdom) has sacrificed his life for the owl so he can share his new received insights with the butterflies.

I wonder what wisdom Owl is offering them…?

The Moon – Don’t swim into deep water yet

Today’s card is The Moon from the Tarot of the Sidhe by Emily Carding. This card feels a bit melancholic to me but after yesterday’s Maker Five –Winter’s Bite, it is definitely an improvement. Yesterday was a very challenging day for me which has made it quite clear to me that even though I have learned a lot already, I still have a long way to go. There is some serious water gazing waiting for me. What stands out for me the most in this card is the promise of support from Spirit. We see a woman sitting beside a moonlit pool and she sees a whole different world in its reflection. Beneath the surface she is not alone and maybe she is coming to this pool to be reminded of this because during the business of Summer’s sunlit days there is often no time for reflection.

This card advises me to sit with my feelings and not to run away from them. It is not necessary to explore them on a deeper level. Not yet. Acknowledging them is okay for now. Just sitting there and watching my reflection is progress enough.

Dreamer Prince - The Gift of Liberty

Today’s card is The Dreamer Prince – Gift of Liberty from the Tarot of the Sidhe by Emily Carding. We see a Sidhe prince with his hands over his ears and from his head a flock of birds is taking flight. When I think of the twittering of the birds in my garden, this flock of birds could be deafening for our Prince. So many idea’s, so many thoughts are sprouting from his ever busy mind. He always has inspiration enough.  His well of ideas never runs dry.  But it is very difficult for him to stop his train of thoughts and to focus on one subject or idea and to elaborate on it, let alone do something with all his bright ideas.

Often I feel overwhelmed by my own stream of consciousness. I have all these thoughts about what I want to do and most of them never gets done or when I am starting vigorously with something new, I am losing interest along the way too soon and so I have a pile of unfinished projects stacked away for more productive times.....

Since I am getting older, I also seem to leak my greatest ideas without being aware I’ve lost something precious. So now I am always, wherever I go, carrying a notebook with me to jot down the things I want to remember. I also like to make lists and mind maps to keep my thought process  a bit within limits.

“He dreams of more than any could know,

But they are seeds he cannot sow,

His winged thoughts fly upon the air,

Never to land within a prayer…”

E. Carding

Just before posting this I was thinking how much he resembles me when I try to meditate... 

Dreamer Eight and Maker Four – Grounding activities can free you from your web of thoughts

Today's Card is Dreamer Eight ( Eight of Swords) and Maker Four (Four of Pentacles) from the Tarot of the Sidhe by Emily Carding.

Carla from Rowan Tarot wrote this morning about how she felt when she would draw a card like this as her card of the day. Well clearly I can sympathize now. The Eight of Swords been my nemesis tarot card for a very long time and now it has found its way back into my life as Dreamer Eight - Web of Mirrors. This card is all about being trapped in your own limiting beliefs and being unable to see reality. This is often caused by fear of letting go the illusion of control. The figure in the card is a spider like Sidhe who has woven her own web of self sabotaging thoughts. Thread by thread, thought by thought, she has imprisoned herself more and more.

The only way out is for her to become aware that this entangling situation is of her own doing:

“Yeah, as long as we know we’re trapped, we still have a chance to escape ” (S. Grant)

Then I asked what would be a helping attitude for me to face reality. And I got the Maker Four- The greedy Tree. This what not what I had expected at all but this is what I got, so there was bound to be a message for me in there somewhere: Besides being greedy this card is also about protecting what is precious to you. So today this card is all about protecting my self-worth, my time, my health and about feeling grounded by taking care of my physical me. Doing something is for me personally the best way to unravel those cobwebs in my mind

“For when we weave a web of thoughts

Of “ifs” and  “shoulds” and “coulds” and “oughts”

And fears of what the others seem

We make a prison of our dream”

(E. Carding)

Maker Ten and The Dreamer – a Dream of Abundance and Stability

Today’s cards are a very appropriate for the Summer Solstice: the Maker Ten and the Dreamer of the Tarot of the Sidhe. And yes the deck is in honor of the Solstice too!

First let’s look at the Maker Ten. This is a card of prosperity, abundance and stability. An important man is about to be crowned as leader because of his accomplishments for the community. It is a happy occasion with food and drinks and many merry Fae who came to honor this man. 

“The crown was forged by Maker King

And to him Fortune’s gifts we bring

For all will flourish in this land

Under our noble leader’s hand”

(E. Carding)

But the second card makes me wonder if this happening is more about what the Fae people want than about the wishes of their leader. The blazing sunlight is illuminating the mind of The Dreamer. I get the impression the leader's mind is already focusing on his next project or idea. Something beneficial for his people no doubt and he will be glad that tomorrow he can go about business as usual.

“All things are born in the land of Dream

In an insubstantial airy gleam

In the eternal Dreamer’s golden mind

As pure as one by Gods Divin’d”

(E. Carding)

It strikes me that this group resembles my family very much: a father, a mother and three children

The Fae man reminds me of my father, the provider of his family, a tower of strength for all of us. He was not so keen on celebrations with himself as the center of attention.  He was a gentle, modest and such an intelligent man. I miss him and not only today on Father’s day…

Queen of cups – walking the waves

Today’s card is the Queen of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot. I absolutely love this depiction of the Queen of Cups. She has risen from her throne and entered her kingdom. Fearlessly and with confidence, she is walking the waves, following a path which is unfolding for her step by step. Without a plan or road map, just guided by her intuition, she puts one foot before the other and with every step a sea turtle is there, to carry her as her stepping stone. She is totally aligned with her intuition, her feelings and emotions. This is her realm. This is her home. The stars in the sky will guide her. They symbolize wisdom from days past and  hope for the future.  In this card everything is fluid: the sea, the standing stones in the background, the sky, her glowing creative imagination: all the elements are present and flowing naturally into one another.

Tomorrow I am going to visit my mother for a few days. When we are together we are both very much like this queen, each in our very own way.  I do hope my intuition will guide me to put my feet on solid places and be kind and loving, while wading through this watery weekend.  I just want to be there and enjoy her company without expecting anything in return.  I want to focus on our time spend together instead of on how I would have wanted it to be.

So when I return home again I will be fulfilled and happy to have been there for her, like she has been there for me for so long!

So see you all next week! 

New moon in June

Yesterday I drew two cards for the New Moon of this month from the Shadowscapes Tarot and both hold some very sound and also summery advice for me:

        

Release – The eight of Cups

For me this card is all about soul searching, shadow work and seeking truth and answers in places you’ve never been before. A lonely and sometimes scary journey into the unknown, leaving behind who you once was and not knowing how you will emerge from this adventure. But now is not the time to dive deep, so I should let go of that tempting distant glimmer in the depths which is just out of reach. I’d better swim back to the surface and bask myself in the summer sun.

Embrace – The Hanged Man

Well  he sure is getting a tan. This card is always a real challenge for me: letting go of control, surrender to what is and while doing change my perspective and be open to new ways of thinking. A shift in consciousness is sometimes all we need to continue our journey peacefully. Often it is hard for me to do nothing because when my mind is unoccupied, unwelcome thoughts will creep in. So I read and  I write, I draw and I knit  to keep the worrying at bay. But when I look at this card even the little Fae  are quietly  waiting so perhaps when I try to let go of suppressing my darker thoughts they will stop wriggling and writhing too. Isn't it a fact that what we fight is always getting stronger?

And just now I noticed the Hanged Man has a beautiful  shining  ball of light in his hands, so we don’t always have to dive deep to find our treasure. When we hold still and surrender it might just magically appear…

Five of Swords – Self-interest or Self-care?

Today’s card is the Five of Swords from the Shadowscapes Tarot. This  is a card of conflict.  In many Rider Waite based decks it depicts one person holding five swords while defeated adversaries are walking away. Here however we see an angel like figure holding  one sword in his hand and carrying two crossed swords on his back much like in the Two of Swords.  It is not easy to decide who this angel is. Is he the aggressor  who acts only out of self- interest, or is he the defeated one, a cast out angel from the heavens?

Often our role in a conflict is difficult to assess; it goes back and forth like the swinging of a pendulum. But one thing is certain; before entering a conflict we have to be sure if it is worth it to engage in the conflict at all.

Engaging in a conflict with our own interest in mind can sometimes be in fact an act of self-care.  As long as we don’t trample and hurt our opponents just for the sake of wanting to be right. Yes this card is often just about heated discussions and wanting to be right or at least to be entitled to our own opinion.  Personally I am inclined to be “cast out of heaven” so for me this card is all about letting myself be heard and to be taken seriously whenever a conflict arises. 

First and Last Tag

This post is inspired by Kelly from The Truth in a Story.  After a lot of us have participated in Chloe’s tag: 3x3x3 divination, she has started her own tag about our first and last tarot and oracle deck and other divination systems which don’t involve cards. So let’s start with the last part of this tag: 

Other forms of divination

Sixteen years ago I’ve made my runes using ordinary pebbles. Tarot wasn’t in the picture yet. I felt I should work with runes because they were part of my ancestral heritage.  Also you have only 24 runes  and 78 tarot cards. So the decision was very easy at the time.

This is my first and my last divination set other then tarot or oracles. Although I have  become a fervent collector of card decks, I have never felt the need to try out other forms of divination beside my runes

Tarot decks

My very first tarot deck was a pocket version of the Rider Waite Tarot, which has softer color tones than the yellow box Rider Waite. I remember taking it with me on a holiday. I tried to read and understand the guidebook but all it did was confuse me and I didn’t want to unwrap the cards because I was so afraid to pull the Death card before we traveled home. Who know what powers this deck could have…???

When we were safely at home again I bought a book from Hajo Banzhaf which opened the doors for me to more in depth tarot studies

My last Tarot deck is the Wild unknown Tarot.  Although I only have this deck for about  five weeks it has already become one of my favorites.  It amazes me each time how these pen drawings with a touch of color can evoke such deep feelings and so much meaning. I also love how well it works together with my Runes. A wonderful match between a first and a last

Oracle decks

My first oracle deck was the Dutch version of the Goddess Guidance Oracle deck. I wanted to work with some of the depicted goddesses and needed representations on my altar.  At the time I thought I had to pick this deck very carefully because I had no intention to buy any more oracle decks. It was gifted to by M about four years ago.

My last oracle deck is the Gaia Oracle. Again the  Dutch version and again because I want to use it to explore the Divine Feminine. Lately I have been very interested in Germanic goddesses. Like Holda and Freya. I’ve discovered there is so much more to them than what you read in most  books. This is also true for Erda, Eartha, the personification of Earth (Aarde in Dutch). She is similar to Gaia, so working with this deck is a great way to relate to her and other goddesses.

I have really enjoyed this tag very much. It has brought back  a lot of memories and it was fun to see how much ideas about divination can change over the years.

Computer problems

Due to some problems with my computer, I will taken a little hiatus from blogging and commenting on my favorite blogs
See you soon

Four of Swords - Be Still and find Peace

Today’s cards is the Four of Swords  from the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. This deck seems to be popping up on several of my favorite blogs and YouTube channels. so I was inspired to pick it up and draw from it myself. This card seems to be a follow-up from my last post about turning inwards and listening to your intuition.

We see a woman adrift in midair with three swords above her head and one held with both hands on her chest. Her head is the center of golden spiraling swirls. Her hair is swaying  and the ends are blending in with these swirls. Around her body lotuses are floating in the air as a symbol of spiritual and mental purity; of enlightenment. The sword on her chest  has the sigil of an eye, which symbolizes seeing the world with your heart, filled with compassion and love.

Although this card is, like yesterday’s card, also about meditation and listening to the “silent whispers of our heart”  it is also about the necessity of retreat. Often, when this card shows up it is an indication we have been running around in our head far too long and got trapped and/or lost in the tangle of our thoughts. As you all know by now, I have a very swordy personality, so whenever I draw a version of this card I feel an relief. It urges me take a few steps back and breath. The Four of Swords is a kind of guardian angel card for me. So today I will try to carve out time to relax and enjoy the silence in and around (if possible) me. Not only because I love it but because I need it!

Lost in my mindscape

List'ning to the whispering

Of a silent heart

Intuitive Communication - Silent Whispers of the Heart

For today I’ve drawn Intuitive Communication - Silent Whispers of the Heart from the Gaia Oracle by Toni Salerno. This is actually my second attempt of writing this post because my laptop managed to shut down Word without prompting me to save the Doc I was working on. You can imagine I didn’t whisper then.

Any way in this depiction we see a woman kissing a tree and while doing so making a connection with the heart, the source of life of this tree. And in turn the tree enfolds her in waves of his energy. 

This card encourages us to become silent. We don’t always have to sit down to meditate in order to find those still moments in a day. We can be working in our garden, riding our bike, washing the dishes or taking a stroll, as long as our mind is quieting down. Often it is even easier for me to be still when I am not meditating but doing something relaxing. As if my mind objects against  this practice of meditation and gets even louder than usual. It is almost as if I have to trick myself into listening to my inner voice.

So these spontaneous quiet moments are great for listening to your intuition, to this little voice, to whatever you name your gut feeling. For that is what it is most of the time: a feeling. I’ve always wondered  how do you hear that inner voice? Well this card tells us it is a silent whisper, a feeling, a flutter but never the less it is there and you have to be ever so mindful to catch it, cherish it and to listen to it with all your heart and most importantly: to trust it!

Affirmation from the guidebook:

I focus on my inner world . . .

I am one with all creation. . . .

All is energetically connected. . . .

I trust my intuition. . . .

My awareness expands through love.

Peace –Bathing in Sunlight

My card for today is Peace- dissolving unwanted or disturbing thoughts from the Gaia Oracle by Toni Salerno.

Here we see a radiant sun, painted in mostly orange and yellow with a touch of green symbolizing the illuminated Earth. This warmth, this light is so precious to the soul.  No wonder the Sun has been a symbol for Divinity since a long as we can remember.

The Sun itself is the center of everything, while its rays burn away our worries and outdated obstructing thought patterns. This card invites us to take the time to find our own center and reconnect with our spiritual sun, our Divine spark. The most commonly used practice to do this is also the most difficult to maintain.  And yet it is through mediation we can learn to let go and stop clinging to our thoughts as if they are the only thing that really matters. When we will let our thoughts go like clouds in the wind, the sun will come out again and will start shining bright.

Literally: Finally Summer is here! The sun is shining so brightly today and I am going to enjoy it while it lasts

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.

Full Moon reading with the Crystal Visions Tarot

Yesterday the moon phase widget on my blog indicated there was a full moon. Yay for the widget, because the weather has been very cloudy for days, so the moon was nowhere be seen.

After my daily (yes, I am slowly getting into the habit again) meditation, I’ve pulled some cards from my Crystal Visions tarot by Jennifer Galasso, using the Full Moon Spread I’ve found on the Aeclectic Tarot forum.

The positions are the following:

0. Yourself in your current situation (from the base of the deck)- Queen of Pentacles

It seems this queen is very popular these days. She has been popping up on several blogs in various capacities and now she  has arrived here too. She is highlighting my effort to be more active, both physical and creatively and to get my nose out of the books and experiment with my new art supplies. I’ve also been working and playing with my Crystals a lot more. You can see in the depiction this queen is really loving them too. Also I would love to take my bike out for a ride but the heavy wind and the rain here are spoiling the fun. I feel I definitely take better care for myself lately

1. What can be seen with clarity, so bright that it can even blind you? - Ace of Pentacles

Since I feel a lot better than a month ago, it feels like I am much more capable  to bring my ideas into fruition. This ace is a symbol of abundance, wellbeing and manifesting your intent and for all these aspects I am truly grateful. E.g. I am more mindful of my diet, I make art, I want to revive my Dutch blog, I‘ve stopped biting my nails, I journal and meditate more regularly, so all and all I feel good about myself and the things I accomplish

2. What gets completed. What closes a cycle? - Four of wands

This feeling good is represented in the four of wands. Here we see a prince and his princess celebrating their union. They radiate joy and optimism for the future. I feel like they symbolize two parts of me who are now accepting and embracing each other: making me stronger and more resilient.

3. What begins to fade away, to darken, to abandon you... or what needs to be?- The unknown Card.  

This is the very first time I’ve pulled this card from the deck. This card is all about a hidden factor, an uncertainty. Since it is fading away I am not going to give it much thought. Perhaps it will reveal itself in my upcoming New moon spread. For now the crystal ball stay cloudy and unclear….

I like how this reading accentuates that I am feeling so much stronger than  a few weeks ago. For me the Full moon is all about celebrating your accomplishments of the last four weeks and expressing gratitude for what you have received . And I know I do have lot to celebrate and be grateful for.

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.