Expressing Gratitude with the Wild Unknown Tarot

Today’s question: “what am I most grateful for?”  got me thinking about how,  when we express our gratitude, we often talk/write about the same daily experiences like: A sunny day, a cup of coffee, cuddling with our furry friends  or looking at the flowers in our garden. Reading in my gratitude journal, I notice how I tend to repeat the same things and over again. And yes, I am truly grateful for them but this question filled me with the desire to stretch my perceptive a little and maybe look a bit more inwardly. So I asked the tarot to show me three aspects in my life for which I am grateful: three joy’s which are sometimes a bit out of reach of my day to day experience. From the Wild Unknown Tarot I  pulled:

The Moon: I am grateful or each time I am brave enough to face my fears and do it anyway. The last few days  I have been making abstract art journal pages  and each time it became too “pretty” I used gesso to “mess it up “ again

Four of Swords:  I am grateful for each moment of peace and quiet in a day. They give me a sense of security and also trust that I can return to this place whenever I need it.

Four of Wands: I am grateful for the pauses in life which are meant to celebrate what I have achieved. Resting in the blue center  of gratitude before  being ignited by the fiery passion of the wands again

Happy Easter

With the Four of Wands and the Seven of Wands from the Joie de Vivre Tarot, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter Sunday!

These two cards encourage us to enjoy the celebrations with our family and friends but also they remind us to  take care of our own needs and make time for ourselves. As always balance is is everything!

Hugs Ellen

Time to leave my Tower

For today I wanted to share again a part of the IG Shadow Work challenge with you. This day the question for our daily draw was:

Devil – What do I need to let go of?

For me The Devil is all about illusions, so with that in mind I shuffled my cards and drew the Four of Wands. While shuffling, another card jumped out of the deck, so I decided to pay attention to this one too. It was the Four of Cups. Now I had two fours to work with. Four is the number of Stability and Security but two times four feels more like stagnation and being stuck in the mud.

The four of wands urges me to let go of my futile attempts to keep resembling a nice and quiet conventional family in a house with a white picket fence. I thought I had had it all once but all too soon I discovered that life isn’t about experiencing the suburban bliss but more about how to cope with the many challenges life offers you and how to cherish the moments of breathing in and out in between.

Besides the need of letting go of this illusion it is also important for me to let go of my feelings of discontent with my life as it is right now. Clinging to this illusion and the sadness over my major loss makes it very hard for me to really move forward.

Today, eleven years ago, my dream of always and forever was shattered to pieces. Maybe it is time I try to pick up some to the shards to make room for new dreams. In order to do this it is necessary I leave my tower but before that I have to fill up my Cups with lots of love and gentle compassion for myself because it is so scary….. 

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.

A three card spread to get my creative juices flowing

Yesterday I've come across another fabulous spread created by Beth from Little Red tarot. Her spreads are always down to earth and yet at the same time so in depth. Since I love small spreads I couldn't wait to try this one out: "How to find your Mojo back"! Maybe you haven’t noticed but the last painting I have posted here was in February and since then my inspiration and drive to visually express myself went from zero to nothing. I’ve  been writing a lot but I miss being able to just pick up a piece of paper and paint, draw or do some collage. And while writing this, I know it is my own mindset which is keeping me from creating. (eight of Swords mentality L) So finding this little spread is very timely for me. I’ve used the wildwood tarot and the cards couldn’t have been more outspoken and clear today: 

Firstly, divide your cards into majors and minors. Shuffle the two piles separately.

Draw the first card from your major pile. Then lay cards two and three from the minor pile:

1.Major: Here’s your mojo, hiding – The Wanderer

In order to find my mojo back, I will have to reconnect with my inner child, be open for adventures and new possibilities, play and have fun. Let go of fear and tread new paths with courage and an open mind; taking  a leap o faith. Oh yeah!

2.Minor: Here’s what’s getting in the way. – Four of Bows – Celebration

Although this is quite a positive card which is all about celebrating the bounty, good fortune and finished projects, this card can also warn us about the danger of feeling too secure. It is often tempting to stay in the Four of Bows energy afraid for what might come next and thus we stagnate our own creative flow.

3.Minor: Here’s your solution. Do this now! – Six of Vessels- Reunion

Remember the times when you felt you were empowered and able to create. When being in the flow was a like a second nature and revisit them and reconnect with your inner strength. l drink form the well of experience and wisdom to rediscover my inspiration and trust in my own ability to create.

So what does this mean in practical terms? I am going upstairs with a large mug of coffee to flip through some old sketchbooks and paintings and after that I am going to pick up a piece of paper and I am going to play without troubling myself with the outcome. J

Don't run away from grief

October 30: An angel on a tombstone, lovely flowers in a vase. A burning candle on a grave: there are all sort of ways and rituals to come to terms with death. What eases the pain of death for me?

Anna K Tarot

Death is not always about the  loss of a loved one. It can also be about the loss of something (project, relationship, job etc.)you hold very dear. I think whenever you feel grief, there has been death in whatever form. So how do you  ease grief? You don’t; please don’t. It is good to find pauses for you grief; to have some breathing space. Find distractions, go out in nature, be with family, but please never numb you grief. It’s a  natural way of releasing your emotions and sadness after someone/thing dear and loved has been taken away from you. When you try to suppress those feelings they will hunt you down even stronger than they were in the beginning.

And what has the tarot to say about this? I took out my Anna K Tarot, because I think this deck will keep the answer grounded. And it did: I've got the four of wands! Regular meanings for this card are celebration, showing gratitude, achievement but also moving forward into the five of wands. This card is all about moving forward in life, even after a major traumatic event as death. In my opinion grieving is also moving forward. It is very important to connect with other people and celebrate life, remember together and be grateful for these memories. The most intense pain can be eased by nature. Walking and spending time outside can be very healing. 

Lo Scarabeo Oracle

The three lennies I ‘v pulled to go with this card are coffin + tree + stork. 

At first glance I thought these cards were talking about the deceased but afterwards they made me thinkmore about the person who is left behind: the sadness, the lack of energy, the change.

Coffin +Tree :health problems, being extremely tired and worn out

Tree + stork : Something life changing has happened

This will be the last prompt for my blog, because the last one of this series will be to personal for me to write about. I will include it in my Samhain celebration tomorrow. I wish you all a very happy Samhain/Halloween J

Gratitude makes me quiet

October 24: The first frost. A sign of winter, cold and stillness. What makes me quiet inside?

Druidcraft Tarot 

It’s still warm outside. There hasn't been any frost yet, but still I can wonder about how I get peace and quiet inside of me. Today we've got the four of wands of the Druidcraft Tarot. Usually it stands for celebration after  the work is done. But here the celebration is over; There’s little left of the bonfire. Everyone has gone back home. Since I’m not a party person, I like this moment of rest. Yes I do acknowledge that celebrating successes (and not only the large ones) is important, but the quietness after, the moment of nothing left to do is so wonderful. That’s when I truly can feel my thankfulness.

Yesterday was another gardening day, raking leaves, dispose of dead plants and so forth. Of course the most of it was done by my daughter but nevertheless the feeling of having this done is so good.

This morning I went for the first time to a physiotherapist who will teach me how to move properly without straining my neck so much. I've got exercises to do at home but it also involves a lot of changes. For instance I am now sitting straight up at the dinner table writing on my laptop instead of in my comfy chair. And OMG it feel so much better already.  I am typing this post without hardly any pain at all! I am so relieved and thankful. And that is another aspect of this card for me: being thankful for achievements. This is apparently a minor one but the impact for me is huge.