Reflection - Illusion, Self-examination, Distortion

Today’s card is Reflection from The Gaia Oracle by Toni Salerno. I like that it fits perfectly with the full moon tonight. This card is all about looking around you and determine how your physical reality reflects your inner turmoil. Now this makes me chuckle. Cards can have a grim kind of humor too. While I am typing this, my back is really killing me. Somehow I must have done something stupid and I can’t remember what or when but it hurts like h*ll.  This prevents me from doing the things I love most, like writing and drawing etc. So this is the perfect time for reflection while I sit, lie down or walk sequentially for short periods of time.

“Observe your thoughts and feeling throughout the day and make a note of negative or unconstructive thoughts and feelings. This practice, over time, will in itself help heal and restore balance to your life.”

This card urges me not to just skim the surface but to be brave enough to go deeper and to journal about it but I will limit myself to short notes for now. So now I am going off for my stroll around the block to loosen up the muscles and do some "serious" reflecting!

“My heart is full of love and light

All is well in my world

I feel the peace within me and this creates peace around me

I observe all I think and feel

Each negative thought or feeling is automatically transformed to love” 

Six of cups – Remembering you

Instead of picking up my Gaian tarot for my daily draw I was mindlessly playing with my Original Rider Waite Tarot and I pulled my card for today: the Six of Cups. this card is all about happy childhood memories, feeling safe and nurturing our inner child.

Yesterday I’ve  received the very sad message that my aunt had passed away. She was such a gentle and loving soul. Always ready to help others where and whenever she could.  She lived with her mother, my grandmother, and always when I visited them for the holidays she took me places like the cinema, the zoo, the beach  or just shopping. She even took days off from work, especially for me. Together we’ve seen the Sound of Music seven times!  We played games together in the evenings after dinner. Later when I had a family of my own she was just as loving for my kids as she has been for me. It saddens me she is gone but I know for her it must have been a relief because the last year of her life she was very ill So from now on I will treasure the precious memories I have of her, safely in my heart.

“If there comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever."  Winnie the Pooh

The Star - Opening to Grace

Today’s’ card is The Star from the Gaian Tarot. Again another Major Arcana card and this time a very tranquil and serene one. This is the card which follows after the storm and lightning of The Tower. A woman kneels near a sacred starlit spring. She drinks from the magical water to recuperate and to be filled with hope and inspiration  Above her stars are shining and watching over her.

This card represents a renewed connection with the Divine which is unearned and freely granted.

After a busy weekend, today will be a day of graceful calm and gratitude for the many blessings in my life. Also I want to be aware of my connection with God(dess) and with everything else in this beautiful abundant world.

“Now is a good time to begin the practice of gratitude, of giving thanks. When our hearts are full, it's easy to be thankful. If we begin the practice now, it will be easier to sustain when times are rough. Follow your star, for it will guide you home. “

It has been too long since I’ve opened my gratitude journal, so today will also be a good day to revive this practice.

I am grateful for: M cleaning and reorganizing closets - being home again – friends and family -the unconditional love of our dog - lots of rain - coffee with biscuits – hydrangea – tarot decks -  internet - and so much more

The sun - Feeling good

After my last post, the Sun card from the Gaian Tarot as my daily draw, couldn’t be more appropriate. Since my impromptu little art session I feel so much more relaxed. It is if all my windows are opened and fresh air is coming in. Look how the woman in red is dancing in the sunlight. She is totally engaged in her dancing and enjoying the flow of her movements. There is nothing but the here and now and the joy of being alive.

This is the card of the great YES; a card of happiness, celebration joy and everything good and optimistic you can think of. It is so important to understand we can all feel this way if we are brave enough to take the necessary choices and actions. Happiness is our natural state of being. When are able to let go of our excess need of control and our rigid belief systems it will surface effortlessly

This weekend I am going to celebrate my mother’s birthday.  My brothers will be there too, so it also will be a family reunion. I intent to spend this time together with an open heart, a smile on my face and without any expectations

I wish you all a lovely sunny weekend and I’ll see you again next week

Hugs

P.S I've been on Instagram for a few weeks now and I would love to follow my readers. So if would like me to, please leave your Instagram in the comments

The Magician and Bindweed – The Power to Break Free

 

Today’s cards are The Magician and Bindweed (the Devil) from the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert. Although the cards come from a different deck they form a fitting follow-up on yesterday’s post.

The Magician reminds me of the power I have to change my life. Nobody else but me can make the necessary decisions and act on them accordingly. I drum through my life either on a humdrum rhythm or with creative passion or maybe with a healthy balance of both. 

But when we see Bindweed there is some serious need to wield my magical powers in order to set myself free. To stop thinking about creative expression and start drumming vigorously. With every strike of my brush or my pencil the bindweed dies and withers. Now it is not about the quality of my art but the quantity. Just break free and start gardening later!

For now this will do and I am going to slap some paint on paper and feel free!
P.s And I loved it!

Eight of Arrows – We Struggle Because We Have Hope

 

Today’s card is the Eight of Arrows (Swords) from the Wildwood Tarot. We see a young woman struggling to find her way through the snow and the blizzard. There are eight broken and wasted arrows lying in the snow, with no use to anyone anymore. The woman is carrying a lit lantern, which is a symbol of her hope to eventually find her way again. Everybody knows how it feels to be in a situation like this; to be challenged by choices and dilemmas, which are often calling for harsh and sometimes painful decisions. And we know we are the ones who have to make them. Life can be cruel and difficult but we are fueled with hope that we will prevail. Otherwise we wouldn’t struggle and fight to overcome these challenges. And what will our destination be, once we have survived this storm?

The Six of Arrows. We are heading for the port to set sail on our boat towards calm weather. Now that we have left behind our broken arrows, our old thought patterns, we are energized with new possibilities and ideas. There are boundaries to cross. New reasonings will be tested, and new approaches will be researched. What wonders may lie ahead???

Personally I’ve experienced yesterday a minor struggle of my own.  After reading Bev’s blogpost “indulging the Ego” I was wondering what hidden agenda I myself had for creating art and why my ego is always so hesitant to create since it would probable result in praise.  Or is my ego afraid that I will ruin the drawing and it won’t get it’s quick fix. Some part of me wanted to start drawing again so badly and finally, late at night I succeeded to overcome my inner adversary and I drew a woman’s face. Maybe I should call her Hope.

Tarot and Oracle Decks on my Altar

Lately it seems to be trendy to take the tarot and oracle decks you are currently working with out of their boxes or bags and put them out in the open on your altar or some other kind of sacred space. Preferable with a crystal on top to keep it safe, to charge it, cleanse it and whatnot.  I’ve seen this practice for the first time in a video by Raecine from Owlmoon 513.

I can remember, I was not overly enthusiastic back then, because in my opinion there would be a dust gathering problem and the backs might discolor in the daylight. Over time, on YouTube and on Instagram, I’ve seen others doing the same thing, which is totally okay because that is how we learn from one another. Personally for me, my Tarot and Oracle decks are one of the most important tools of my spiritual practice, so it would be very fitting to have some decks ready to pull from on my altar. Because my altar was in some serious need of dusting and cleaning/cleansing anyway, I thought, why not try to put some decks on there too.

And so I did. On my altar I have now out in the open: the Sacred Rebels oracle deck, The Wildwood Tarot, The Celtic Lenormand and as a trusted old friend; The Original Rider Waite Tarot.

It has been three days now since I’ve made the "altaration" and I absolutely love it. It such a good feeling to be able to pick up your deck and start shuffling it right away. It feels so intimate and very inviting to me. Like in the fairy tale of Mother Holle when the apple tree calls out: "Shake me, shake me, my apples are all ripe,." so is are my decks calling out to me: “shuffle us shuffle us, we have many tales to tell”

New Moon in July - Get real!

For this New Moon I've drawn as usual two cards. The first one for the energy I am going to release and the second one for the energy which is beneficial for me to embrace. From the wildwood Tarot I pulled:

1 Release - Page of Vessels

This Page is depicted as an Otter, sitting on a slab of stone near the river. Otter is a very playful and joyful creature. He also represents being intuitive, brave enough to be vulnerable and open to share his feelings. I don’t see how I would want to release any of those qualities.

As a challenging card this signifies self-indulgence, living too much in your imagination and being absorbed by your own troubles. Now those are more likely aspects of my life I want to let go of.

2 Embrace - Ace of Stones

I was pleasantly surprised to see this card in the Embrace position. It is also the first card of my Tarot spell for a healthy life style.

Here we see a standing stone as a symbol that we can create changes in the material world if we set our mind to it; we can manifest our hopes and dreams but also our fear and anxiety. It is up to me what I chose to create. The potential of this Ace is limitless.

Together these cards tell me to step out of my over busy imaginative mind. I’ve spend more time thinking about a healthy lifestyle, than actually living it. Luckily I know myself and I am not going to beat myself up over this but I do love the fact how this reading is giving me a wake-up call to get real.

Three of Bows - A combination of Skills and Inner Trust

Today’s Card is the Three of Bows from the Wildwood Tarot. The Wanderer is welcomed by a hooded archer. This is a place to reassess where we’ve come from and where we are going. Which path shall we chose? Which path is the right path? From the archer we learn that some choices can’t be rationalized. He has learned to control his bow and arrows by many hours of practicing but in the end, when he is confronted with his aim, he has to focus and let go of his arrow, trusting it will reach its goal. He knows from experience he will be successful; most of the time.

Now we have to be on our way again while trusting and listening to our inner voice which will tell us were to go. I wonder where we are heading? 

And then I pulled the Hooded man. Is it the same archer but much older and wiser? How long have we traveled towards this little door in the ancient Oak tree? Are we invited in to repose and regain our strength so we can  receive the wisdom from The Hooded man and his little wren?

So many questions today and so little answers. I like that. Time will provide the right answers and will show us the right direction, if we are only patient enough to wait and quiet enough to listen.

For me both these cards are telling me to slow down and stop hurrying towards whatever is so important that it can't wait. Today is for quieting my mind and about taking stock. If I know where I am coming from it will be much easier to find out where I want to go next.

The Forest Lovers -Where do we find True Love?

Where ever did I get the idea that the Wildwood Tarot is a wintry deck? 

Today’s Cards is The Forest Lovers. The setting of this card is during Beltane, the beginning of summer, when the world is in full bloom. The Lovers are celebrating their handvasting near a Birch tree, which is adorned as a maypole. Both are pledging their love for each other with their hand over their heart; the seat of their true love. It is very likely that their marriage will result in a third creative energy. The lilies are symbolizing this very clearly.

Personally for me The Forest Lovers is mainly a card of self acceptance which will eventually result in true self love. This card is all about embracing the darker aspects, the not so nice parts of myself. It is about commitment and about “for better and for worse”, even when we discover parts of ourselves which we loathe and detest. Yes, these are harsh words but it is not so difficult only to embrace our minor flaws. We all have more despicable aspects too. When we uncover these parts, our self love it really tested to the core. Can we hold our hand over our heart and say “I do” even then? 

I think only if we can truly and completely accept and love ourselves, we can truly and completely love someone else. Because “to truly love, we must be truly whole”

The Wheel – Change is Good

After having read exclusively with The Wild Unknown Tarot for ten days, it was time for me to pick up one of my other decks. But which one? After some careful deliberation I chose the Wildwood Tarot. Only now, while writing this sentence, I notice the similarity between the names of the two decks. This makes me wonder how many of our choices are influenced by “Unknown” factors.  First I hesitated to start working with this deck in the midst of Summer because for some reason I always felt like this was a deck for the darker and colder part of the year.

Anyhow the decision was made and I pulled my first card: The wheel. This cards radiates change on every level. A major part of the changes in our life are caused by outer circumstances, like the cycle of the seasons, time, life and death etc. these are aspects of life we have to accept. But, between those unavoidable threads of the warp of our loom we can chose our own yarn and patterns for the weft. That makes us “the weavers of our own destiny” and for that part of our destiny we are wholly responsible.

As a daily draw this card urges us to take matters into our own hands when possible, without falling into the trap of being overly controlling. Everybody around us has their their own loom to work on and we cannot decide which pattern they are going to weave. We can only watch and advise and then let go and live our own life

As a side note: this card shows me very clearly that the Wildwood Tarot is for all seasons!

“The secret of change is to focus all you energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new” (Socrates)

Mother of Cups - Taking a step back to let magic roam free

When I woke up this morning, I felt tired or maybe just plain lazy but I didn’t feel like doing anything at all today. Of course I had to do some grocery shopping for the weekend and some other household chores but my heart wasn’t in it. So I thought let’s ask the cards why I feel like this and what to do about it?

And I pulled the Mother of Cups from The Wild Unknown tarot. This is the fourth Mother I've pulled from this deck in a very short time. Pulling queens from my tarot decks always lifts my spirit. 

In this version of the Queen of Cups we see a white swan against a black background holding her wings over her cup. In the darkness we see multi colored little stars . Is she chanting, is making magic or is she protecting her cup? Everything is possible with this fluid queen. She is water of water, so she has a deep understanding of feelings, intuition, magic and so forth.

For me today this card is telling me to take a step back from my magical working and let the Universe have its way with it; to let my intention fly high as sparkling stars into the loving arms of my Goddess. Meanwhile I should relax and do the things which make me happy and fulfilled to restore my energy and just let the magic happen. I should follow my intuition and not my to-do list. Now that is an advise I can live with on a sunny day in July.

Tarot Magic for a more healthy lifestyle (Part II)

After having carefully picked the cards for my tarot spell for a healthy lifestyle I started two write the words; The Mother of Swords part of magic. This is the part where you craft your magic with pen and paper. As a side note, in my opinion pen and paper are the most powerful magical tools I have to my disposal. Journaling is often a magical practice for me.

After some scratching and tearing I’ve come up with a prayer, a spell and an affirmation. I am definitely going to use the prayer and the affirmation but I am not sure about the spell part. It seems a bit redundant. When I wrote my prayer I addressed the Mother of  Pentacles and the Mother of Swords as two parts of the Goddess, who could be of help to me to achieve my goal. When I called them  Earth Mother and Sky Mother in my prayer, I immediately was reminded of the goddess Holda who is both Earth and Skye goddess. This connection was  to me a conformation I was moving in the right direction with this spell. 
So this is my prayer:

Aardemoeder, Wolkenmoeder Wakker mijn verlangen aan Om gezond te zijn Om sterk te zijn Om dag in dag uit Datgene te kiezen wat goed is voor mijn lichaam. Aardemoeder, Wolkenmoeder Bevrijd mij van starre patronen Geef mij heilzame gedachten en Leer mij vliegen als een vlinder

Earth Mother, Sky Mother Wake up my desire To be healthy to be strong So each day I will Choose the things Which are good for my body. Earth Mother, Sky Mother Free me from rigid patterns Give me healing thoughts and Teach me how to fly like a butterfly

And this is my affirmation:

Vandaag kies ik bewust voor gezonde voeding en genoeg beweging om mijn lichaam de liefde, zorg en aandacht te geven  die ik verdien. Hierdoor word ik vandaag sterker, gezonder en voel ik me meer comfortabel in mijn eigen vel.

Today I consciously choose for a healthy diet and plenty of exercise to give my body, the love, care and attention I deserve. Because of this, today I'm stronger, healthier and I feel more comfortable in my own skin.

The stones ( Mother of Pentacles part) to go with my spell are:

Labradorite to promote change and to protect me from tempting influences (chocolate!)

Aventurine for the Earthy part; for health and determination (Mother of Pentacles)

Sodalite for the Airy part; for clear and motivational thoughts. (Mother of Swords)

Rune: Uruz for strength and a strong, healthy  physical body

Finally I’ve made a vision board for in my room; a Mother of Pentacles part of the spell tooIguess. This board is the first thing I see every morning when I wake up. It is just a simple pin-up board where I pinned al my clippings from magazines which are related to a healthy lifestyle!

I’ve been enjoying doing all of this. To be busy with the writing and the crystals and clippings made me feel very connected to my goal. And now the last part is to activate my spell and  do the work!

Tarot Magic for a more Healthy Lifestyle (Part I)

For today, instead of a daily draw, I want to show you the cards I’ve picked which motivate me and might be helpful for me to start living more healthy. I also want to include them in a not quite finished tarot spell.

Last weekend I was painfully aware of the fact that my physical well-being has been on the back burner for way too  many years. My diet is far from healthy and seriously out of balance and I hardly exercise at all.  I know I make up tons of excuses but  I feel without a doubt the aging of my body starting to hinder me to do the things I want to do.  I am well aware of the fact that some processes can’t be stopped but I do want to give it a go to slow them down a bit.

This notion is strongly influenced by having pulled the Mother of Pentacles two times in row. She is not only protecting her fawn but also encouraging him to grow up and be the strongest deer of the herd.

Over the years I have more than once tried to change my not so healthy lifestyle but never with long-term results.

So if the old way doesn’t work for me than I should try something new: Magic!!

First I’ve flipped through my deck to pull every card which reminded me of physical wellbeing and then I narrowed it down to four cards to create a bridge spell which I’ve learned from Chloe of Inner Whispers.

The cards I’ve chosen are:

Situation/ Issue - Ace of Pentacles

This card represents my potential to become a healthy strong woman. I love it how even though the tree is cut down to a stump, there is still a strong life energy burning in the center to bring forth new life and new beginnings on the physical plane, represented by the budding twigs and leaves.

Energy needed 1 – Two of Wands

This is for me a card which represents the choice, the intent to actually do job. And when I would slack,  I will pick up my two wands and make that same choice  over and over again as many times as needed. 

Energy needed 2– Eight of Pentacles

This spider is teaching me to do the work. To start each day with a positive intent to work on my web and make it strong and flexible.  Changing a lifestyle  is a long-term process and when challenges arise, like wind and rain for the spider,  I have to “hang there” in and keep going anyway.

Result – Six of Wands.

Look how gracious this butterfly has freed herself from the tangle of branches. She is strong and has moved from the darkness of self-defeating actions into the light where the sun shines over her to celebrate her success

These three cards will become the center part of my Tarot spell, which will be the topic of my next post!

I pulled one extra card to ask how I should proceed with this spell and I got the Mother of Swords, my favorite court card in any deck.  She is telling me today, that first I should choose the wording of my spell wisely and secondly I should approach this new intent with the same motherly advise I would give my girls: be gentle but truthful to yourself. Don’t  believe everything your inner resistance is going to tell you along the way but wield your sword of truth and awareness and be mindful to address yourself with encouragement and compassion. 

Full Moon Reading for July with the Wild Unknown Tarot

Unlike last month, yesterday evening the sky was clear and we could see the moon shining her cool white light over our overheated country.  I’ve been sitting outside enjoying the view and the slowly falling temperatures.  It was not until very, very late that  I pulled some cards.  It surprised me how beautifully they correlated with my last full moon and new moon reading of June. .

0. Yourself in your current situation (from the base of the deck) Five of Cups

We sees a sad and burdened horse with his head  held down facing the shadows. He doesn’t see the five cups above him, suspended in the light. Although I do feel somewhat better, it hasn’t been a very cheerful fortnight for me due to some personal circumstances.

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

Look at how gentle and tender the doe is minding her fawn. The Mother of Pentacles radiates care and motherly love. This was my 0 card last month and seeing this card in the 1st  position, it is very obvious I should nurture myself and treat myself like a loving mother should.

2. What gets completed. What closes a cycle? The hanged Man.

A bat is hanging in his cave but he is not sleeping. He is mindful and sees everything what is going on with his red eyes, but he will not be involved. This was my Embrace card for the previous new moon. Seeing it in this position it indicates to me I should become more active again and the time of surrendering and just being is coming to an end.

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

Although I have become aware of many positive traits of the Emperor over the last year, I think in this position it tells me to abandon my deep-rooted need to control ( an ever reoccurring  issue )

Again I was amazed how well this reading fitted with my last two moon readings. I loved doing this full moon reading with the Wild Unknown Tarot. What I like about the deck is that you are able to see the whole reading at a glance and then you can focus on the individual cards. 

Justice – Balancing opposites

On this very hot first day of July, I will start working with my Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans. It was gifted to me in May for my Birthday but besides flipping through the deck and admiring the artwork,  I haven’t really worked with it yet.

My card for today is Justice. We see two cats, one white and one black sitting next to each other with their backs towards us. Their tails are crossing and they are both looking straight at us. Everything in this card is expressing the idea of balance. This version of Justice it like a dismantled Yin -Yang symbol Even the color of their eyes is opposite to the color of their fur

In this card there is no other color used but black and white. Justice sees no color, just the bare facts and no emotions or other  distractions. Justice is all about universal balance between opposites, about truth and fairness and responsibility for your own actions. The sword represents fair decisions and cutting to the chase. Decide what is best for yourself and everybody else involved. And after that decision, it is up to you to take responsibility for the consequences of your choices.

For me, being often insecure about my own decisions, this is a difficult card to start out with but I think a very representative one for the energy of the deck. Not only because the cards are mainly drawn in black and white, with here and there a meaningful splash of color but also because of the straightforwardness of the images. They convey their message without a multitude of symbols. Of course the images are layered but they speak truthfully and clearly and they are teaching us to trust our intuition as a part of sincere decision making.
And remember not making a choice is a choice too