Celtic lenormand – How to survive the last week of Summer?

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 sun card to represent the intense heat of this week. Then I picked up the two cards on either side of the sun, asking how to get through this week as good as possible.

And I drew: anchor + house and birds +letter:

Lenormand is sometimes such a blunt and direct tool and can tell you exactly what you already know. As if it is telling you: “why do you bother me with  trivial questions with such obvious answers! I am capable of so much more." And maybe it is right; I do tend to forget this tool when I need guidance for something. I also notice that I often return to the same decks and forget others entirely. And I do believe each system and each deck has its own individual quirks and qualities so this is a good reminder pay some more attention to my neglected decks. But I digress so let’s look at the cards: 

Anchor and house. 

Stay at home, especially during the hottest hours of the day.

Birds and letter

Write a blogpost, journal, phone a friend and talk with M about daily fun stuff and don’t start complaining  about how hot it is.

Anchor and letter

In Dutch we have a saying: “Who writes will remain” so I will take this as an encouragement to journal more elaborated this week. When it is so hot I tend to skip the juicy details and keep my entries more concised.

House and birds. 

Social gatherings at home. You're all invited! :D

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.

Three card Lenormand spread: What’s next….

This morning I was sitting next to my bookcase with a shelf full of decks and I couldn't decide which deck to use. I held some of them in my hand, drew some cards but nothing really happened. No “Aha” experience or a “Yes that’s it” thought. I drew the proverbial "blank" this morning. Although I didn't like it, It didn't strike me as odd. After an intense couple of days for me the last week, tarot wise, the well was a bit dried up. So I decided to draw some Lenormand cards to answer the question; what to do next. I used the Gilded Reverie Lenormand and I drew three cards with the center card as the main subject:

Birds + House + Ship

1.      After a lot of  and talking/blogging about a spiritual journey it is a good idea to stay home and rest for a while.

2.      Being at home talking about a journey; physical or spiritual. What do I long for? Where do I want to go?

3.      Searching for a place to retreat away from the chatter of daily life.

The first and the last interpretation speak to me the most. I guess I really need some peace and quiet today. I do feel a bit hermit-like lately and I love spending time alone. Autumn is starting early this year and I love the introspective quality of this season.

When I count the inserts for a conclusive message , I get lily: When I listen to the message of these cards I may find harmony, tranquility and maybe even wisdom.

So today I am going to consciously seek for a quiet place, in or outside myself, to explore silence and rest for a while…..

My personal review of The Gilded Reverie Lenormand

A long time ago I did try to purchase this Lenormand deck form  Ciro Marchetti’s website, but sadly I was informed he didn't sell it any more. You can imagine my happiness when I heared this deck was going to be published by US games. 

I've pre-ordered my copy with Book Depository and it has arrived safely yesterday. I had read some reviews  already so my expectations were high. Excited and with al little bit anxiety. (I've had some misprints before) I opened my package. OMG what a cute and sturdy box I found in there. It opens with a magnetic flip. I had never seen such a nice box to go with a US Games deck. The cards are just beautiful. They are gilded, which adds to the luxurious feel of this deck.

The colors are vibrant and lush and the cards are thick and glossy and also quite large compared to other Lenormand decks. Since I never work with grand tableau’s, I don’t mind this at all. I like the size of these cards which does justice to the beautiful artwork of Ciro. My favorite card as always is “mice”. Wouldn’t  you love to tickle this little guy’s tummy?

The deck doesn't contain the extra cards of the original self-published version. But I've heard US games will probable print an expansion pack for this deck with the additional cards in the beginning of 2014. I am certainly planning to buy this too. It does come with a well written LWB by Tali Goodwin and Rana George. Each card has tells a little bit about itself and after that follows the general meaning.

And even the backs are stunning. This picture says it all

I am glad I've picked up my Lennies again and did some practicing before my package had arrived. So with a totally refreshed memory I am going to play with this gorgeous deck

The first three cards I've pulled for this deck were: garden + birds + clover:

·         People are coming together to discuss the happiness this deck has brought them

·         There’re  a lot of positive comments about this deck in the community

Simple and clear just as any other Lenormand deck, except this one is absolutely stunning!!!

I am not a Lenormand deck collector but I am very happy with this addition to my more traditional decks. I highly recommend it to every Lenormand reader. And with all the gilded edges and decorations it could be a great Christmas gift too.

For now, I only have to wait for the Celtic Lenormand Oracle from Chloë McCracken and Will Worthington to be published…..  J