Three Card Spread – Keep checking in with yourself

For today I have decided to do the Within-Without-Advice spread with the Smith Waite Tarot. The cards I drew fit perfectly with my previous post about my attempt to create a “Free-Flowing routine” in order to establish some fulfilling and more healthy habits.

Within – Eight of Pentacles

It seems I feel quite content with the result of my new routine. Working with it brings structure in my life and a great deal of satisfaction. Gradually I will get better in maintaining my new and still fragile set of habits.

Without - The Chariot

Look at me I am riding on the wind. Just doing great. Oh no, not quite the movement I was expecting. Yes, this chariot has left the city behind the walls but now, in his concrete wagon he is going nowhere. It looks very impressive on the outside world but what is going on the inside of the charioteer?

Advice – The King of Cups

This is for me the archetype of the healer. He is our inner therapist, the part of ourselves that is able to distance himself of the problem at hand. He urges you  to find out what is really going on.

Yes it is obvious I am already trying too hard; becoming too rigid in my efforts although my intent was to stay compassionate with myself  and surrender to the flow of the day. This is so me: wanting to do my very best, even if it is not the best for myself. So I will take this advice at heart and I will proceed more slowly, more gently and more consciously about how I am feeling.

A Few of My Favorite Things Spread

Yesterday I found a lovely tarot spread on IG, created by Magpietarot and it's called: “A few of my favorite things spread". I thought it would be fun to try it out here and I chose the Crystal Visions Tarot to do this. You have to separate the Minor Arcana into suits. Than shuffle your little stacks and pull one card from each suit to answer the questions below. I also pulled one card from the Majors because I didn’t want them to feel left out.

From the Wands: Where does my confidence shine?  Eight of Wands – Wnen I am on a roll and everything is going my way.  I don’t mind doing a lot as long as all the horses are running in the same direction. Then I feel like I am the queen of the world
From the Cups: What brings me joy? Queen of Cups.  Very simple but not so easy: To love and be loved and feel connected to  God(dess)

From the Swords: Where do I feel wise? Four of Swords – Haha, that is a good one! When I take a time out when I need it and not when it is already long overdue.

From the Pentacles: What makes me feel safe & secure? Eight of Pentacles – When I do the work and stay in the moment. Whether it is painting a picture or doing the dishes. 

From the Majors: Which underlying energy will make it all possible? The Hanged Man. To let go of all ideas about what I think I should do and try to live more in the here and now, where I might see things from a fresh point a view.

Eight of Pentacles – Keep at it

Today’s card is the Eight of Pentacles from the Original Rider Waite Tarot. This card is all about being dedicated to what you are doing and to trying to improve your skills. If we want to get better at something we have to put in time and energy in it and most important the will to begin our practice.

Often the moments before I actually start practicing, whether it is drawing, painting, meditating exercising, you name it, I hear those nagging voices, giving me all sorts of reasons why I shouldn’t do it. Fighting these voices feels like such a waist of energy.  I wonder why we are so often set out to sabotage our own personal growth in the different areas of our life.
This morning I’ve started taking regular morning walks (again). The sun was shining, the world looked bright and fresh.  I took my camera and stepped out the front door. While walking  I noticed how nature was coming to life again. I took some pictures here and there and was contemplating my daily draw. I even noticed I was praying, giving thanks to God(dess) for the beauty of this morning. So besides getter fitter, this walk has given me so much more: some undivided attention to the world around me and the world within.

I suppose it matters a lot what your thoughts are about improving your skills. Are they strict and serious or playful and delighted for this opportunity to better ourselves? Is there room for failure and errors or do you beat yourself up about such things?

Maybe if we would change our thoughts about what we are trying to improve, the voices wouldn’t have so much effect on us and we would have more energy to put into our practice :)

Listen to the Hermit…

Today’s cards are the Eight of Pentacles and The Hermit from the Anna K Tarot.  The Hermit is showing up very regularly for me and also other cards which are conveying his message, like the King of Cups from the same deck who is enjoying some quiet time, reading a book by his fireplace. They all seem to want me to take some time for myself. 

It has been quite a hectic week so far. Last weekend I went to visit my mother and how much  I love to see her and spent time with her, it still always a very  energy consuming event. So when I returned home I was more than willing to follow the advice of The Hermit. But life has its own agenda and Monday morning we’ve received some very thrilling news: My SIL has found a job very near to our home town so S and he will be moving out soon but they will be living close by. He has applied for jobs all over the country, so this job is an answer to many of my prayers. But the thrill of excitement has changed S into a small indoor tornado. Chatting about moving out, houses, furniture, color schemes has left me with hardly room for my own hermity ways whatsoever. And because I do love to be included in her eager anticipation to move out, you can imagine how difficult it is for me to find some balance.

The Eight of Pentacles is my cloaked temptation to keep control over my daily life. As long as I am cooking, cleaning, doing groceries, meditating, drawing my cards, leaving comments, posting pictures on IG, writing in my journal and uploading a blogpost now and then, I will have the reins of my life in both my clenched fists. (p.s. let’s not forget the upcoming holiday preparations :D)

Look how strict and severe the master is checking the work of his pupil. This is my inner parent who hates it when I slack. I guess he is never really satisfied and how much effort I put into it, it is hardly ever enough. I can always do better and more.
So today I am going to embrace my inner Hermit. Like a wise and friendly elder he will guide me into a more quiet and peaceful state of mind. He will be able to convince me to let go of all my to-do lists even the “spiritual” ones and to listen carefully to that soft inner voice which will tell me what it is I  really need in this moment.

I am even considering to take week off from my digital life and spend some real quality time with Me. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of days you will understand why and what it is I am up to: No-Thing :)

Hopeful Past-Present-Future reading

Usually I use tarot primarily for daily draws. That way the cards can empower me, guide me or help me to approach a situation with a new point view. I hardly never do actual readings for myself but today I felt like doing a Past Present Future spread. Just three cards nothing, more nothing less. And I got:

Past: Eight of Pentacles

This is me doing my daily “chores” ( meditating, gratitude journal, making art, etc:) ticking of boxes day in day out in the hope things will get better….

Present: Five of wands. 

A lot of inner conflict, knowing that just pointing out a winner isn’t the solution. Every part of me has to agree and make compromises. How can I shape and form my path in a way which will fulfill me completely?

Future: The Star

Yes, that is a hopeful card.  And so beautifully timed after my last post about the Tower. She is naked and vulnerable, brave and strong enough to expose herself to Love.

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. 

New moon in October - be careful with your egg

I've been skipping my New Moon reading for a few times but for this month I thought let's give it another go to make this a monthly habit again. I like to have a kind of theme for the coming lunation and drawing tarot cards is a wonderful way to determine this.

I drew two cards from my deck; one for the Release and one for the Embrace position. Just a simple spread. No ritual and no meditating beforehand, just a thorough shuffle and an open mind should be enough for today.

The deck I've used is the Tarot of the Hidden Realm and the cards are:

Release: Eight of Pentacles:

This cards invites me to release the need to be disciplined and structured in my writing and other creative outlets. Practicing can wait for a while. Just do what you like when you can find the time. And stop being so hard on yourself and try to stop obsessing about slacking

Embrace: Ten of Wands:

In this card we see no burdened man with ten wands on his back but instead a little boy with the huge responsibility of carrying a Phoenix egg. He is destined to merge with this egg which is full of possibilities of drive and fiery passion. It feels to me this card already contains Ace potential. As long as you can be patient and vigilant, this egg will hatch and you can be filled with all its strength. This is a promising energy to Embrace.

Conclusion: When I am able to let go of the need to create regularly, I can focus on this fiery energy of the Ten of Wands, which can fuel my creativity when everything settles down in this household. In the mean time I can scribble, doodle and play a bit, but no pressure is to be applied because we don’t want to break the egg!

The Courage to dare to embrace the Ordinariness of Life

For today I've drawn the eight of Rainbows  (Pentacles) "Ordinariness” from the Osho Zen tarot. We see a woman walking in nature, enjoying the blossoming trees and the flowers all around her. “Beauty can be found in the simple, ordinary things of life. We so easily take this beautiful world we live in for granted. Cleaning the house, tending the garden, cooking a meal--the most mundane tasks take on a sacred quality  when they are performed with your total involvement and love.” (guidebook) 

This is an attitude which can bring us so much joy but is so hard to maintain. So I pulled another card with the question: what do I need to enjoy an ordinary life? Imagine my surprise when I pulled "Courage" (Strength) from my deck!

This little tiny flower had the courage to meet the challenge of the rocks and stones and it has become the flower it was meant to be, basking in the sunlight. 

Our daily life with its chores and routines can easily be represented by the rock and stones This courageous Daisy is asking us this: Do we dare to meet the challenge of our daily life; "to dare to live life fully right where you are" and embrace each moment of it. Maybe it can be helpful if you can look at your life as a beautiful painting. Instead of looking at the whole picture in a glance, and judging it in second, look for the details, the brushstrokes and how the light is captured on your canvas.  See the beauty of the colors and notice how they deepen by your perceptive look. Enjoying life can be as simple as looking at it with wonderment.

Today I am  going to be grateful for the colors my day is going to be painted with. So I will brighten the palette of my life

Eight of Pentacles - Practice with Passion

What is joy for the eyes this is. This is the eight of Pentacles from the Hidden Realm Tarot. We see a strong male Fey: a dedicated muscled blacksmith who is proud of his work and wants to improve his skill with every item he produces. Hour after hour he stands in the sweltering heat of his smithy while he forges one pentacle after the other. Look at his eyes. He is examining his work with the greatest attention. Is it perfect or could he perhaps do better the next time?

This eight of pentacles is so much more then only practicing  conscientiously in order to  improve your skills. This is about expressing a deep fiery passion and  hot flames of creativity; about not being satisfied until you get it right, about focus and fine tuning, about being totally absorbed by what you are doing and becoming one with your work.

Lately my thoughts and actions have been scattered and all over the place. It is tiring and restless. So I guess this is good reminder to pick myself up and try to focus on one thing at the time. I suppose this will improve my inner calm and help me to stay more centered.

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” Kurt Vonnegut

Eight of Pentacles - Practice increases confidence

No, I didn't write “practice makes perfect” because I think aiming for perfection is aiming for fear. In this Eight of Pentacles from the Crystal Visions Tarot we see a woman at her spinning wheel in the shadow of an apple tree laden with apples. I suspect she is humming because from here I can sense the peaceful flow she has entered while spinning her yarn. It looks so simple but looks can be deceiving. Spinning takes hours of practice before you can spin a fine even thread without breaking it too often. And once you've got the hang of it spinning becomes a dance between the wheel, the wool and the spinster's hands and it can be as serene as a meditation. That is what strikes me the most of this depiction: the peaceful tranquility of the scene. This is of course enhanced by the green pink and yellow colors.

Since I've picked up my art again I've been practicing daily in small bits and pieces: putting a layer of paint somewhere. Dripping some ink somewhere else, sketching little things etc. This way it will become more easy to take the leap and create something and I am practicing my skills on a daily basis which will improve them eventually. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate my art into my daily life and it will become as approachable as writing. The biggest challenge is not to create but to keep creating!