Full Moon in April

For this full moon I have pulled three cards from my Original Rider Waite Tarot. Even though I have so many other beautiful decks, I seem to be in totally love with this deck all over again. Of course it has been my one of my favorite tarot decks all along but nowadays I read with no other deck than this one. Maybe it is only a springtime infatuation but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

I have asked my deck three questions:

What is crystal clear? Two of Wands – It is time to pick a Wand, to make a choice. Don’t feel pressured to go for the easy option. The options are many. The world is in the palm of our hands. So maybe it is also time to leave my comfort zone.

What am I grateful for? Queen of Wands – although it doesn’t  always show, I know that beneath my fear of failure and my insecurity lives a passionate and creative woman who is eager to get up from her throne and is ready for some action.

What do I need to let go of when the moon starts to wane? Nine of Pentacles – This is one of my favorite cards in the deck. And just like with The Hermit, I am too much attached to this secluded inward energy. But  there is no need to break down the wall. Perhaps I will look for the gate of her garden so I can (again) leave my comfort zone. I noticed she is looking to her bird instead of to the city in the back ground. And her bird doesn’t bring her much new from the outside world either because he is blindfolded.

Together the cards all seem to convey one clear message: leave you comfort zone and live a little! Easier said than done but the fact I read it in these cards is promising. I don’t have to jump from the castle tower. I can take also the stairs J

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. 

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.

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.

Wolf Moon in January – Seven of Stones

The Full Moon in January is often  called the Wolf Moon. This name originates from America. During the winter  wolves would come very near  the villages of the Native Americans and howled. They were hungry because there was so much snow and finding food was extremely difficult. Therefore, the villagers called the full moon in January: The Wolf Moon.

Question for  a daily draw: What am I hungry for? And I pulled the Seven of Stones from the Chrysalis Tarot.

The keyword for this card is Regret. Well that is not what I am hungry for but I see this card as the very moment this girl has enough of her own wallowing in too many regrets. This is the moment she is considering to put her pan flute to her lips and blow a cheerful tune. Sometimes enough is enough and all you can do is accept the past because there is nothing you can do to change it. Try to embrace its lessons and continue to follow your path; step by step, day by day.

So I am hungry for following this river to wherever it may lead me; I am hungry for the flow of life without these stagnating blocks of guilt and regret. 

The full Harvest Moon of September – Tarot Spell

Yesterday, it was the night of the full Harvest moon and encouraged by Bev from By the Sycamore Tree I've decided to create a tarot spell/visual prayer in order to help me cope with and accept the coming changes in my family. (S will be moving out when her boyfriend finds a job) Also to help me see these changes in a positive light; perhaps even as a kind of personal harvest after years of mothering.

I've  learned this type of spell from Kerry from Neopagan Priestess. The tarot is a wonderful tool to visualize and focus on your desires, need for change and maybe even your gratitude before you have actually experienced the fulfilling of your desire or noticed a positive change.

Because I've been working with the Anna K Tarot lately, this deck was a natural choice to use for my spell.

First I've laid down yesterday’s card as the main theme. Then I flipped through the deck to find cards which resonated with me and/or were connected one way or another to this theme. This went very quickly and without a lot of thought. Finally I narrowed the little pile down to three cards to put around the theme card.
I've picked the following cards:

Ace of Pentacles for Me and M nourishing our roots, planting seeds, redefining our living together and for new exciting opportunities for both of us

The Sun as the symbol  for joy, a positive outcome, and self-confidence for all of us

The Three of Rods for S making plans and starting out on a new exciting journey 

I loved how these three cards were radiating their yellow sunlight over the darker Eight of Cups. Yellow and blue, a match made in heaven!

I've put it all on tray (thank you Kerry!) to put it wherever I want it to be. To focus on my intent I've come up with this little prayer. I tried to translate it as well as I could.

“May the sun shine its light over you and your journey and your choices yet to make and over us while we are keeping our home safe and enjoying the new opportunities this change will  bring us.”

Drawing for the Full Moon in January

Yesterday I’ve celebrated the first full moon of this year. I’ve called it The Gray Moon. We have strange weather here: It isn’t as cold as usual . It doesn’t snow or freeze at all. But outside it is gray. The clouds are gray and it is just chilly, drizzling and dreary. This moon it is for me all about cleansing: inward and outward. After the excesses of the holidays, I feel like I have to prioritize what is really important for me and what I can live without easily. One of my goals for this year is to live a simple life and to be grateful with what I have rather than to long for what I don’t have. I believe in the principle of gratitude which teaches us we already have everything we need right now. This principle will color and warm this gray period of January as well as my own heart

After a short meditation I’ve drawn three cards from The Osho Zen Tarot for this Full Moon. (Keeping in mind my theme for this moon is Letting go.) I've found this spread on “Songs from the Wishing Tree” 

Osho Zen Tarot

1 What are my achievements for this moon period so far? Morality. The queen of Clouds. She is the most stiff and severe queen (of swords) I've ever encountered. I read in this card, my sense of morality is no longer a hollow shell of rules and regulations but more a result of awareness in what is going on. I’m trying to let go of the presumptuous notions of what is right and wrong and how one should act. Rather I try to assess the situation at hand and react according to what I believe is the right thing to do or say in that particular circumstance.

2 What are the highlights of this moon? Silence.

My first impression is I am happy I have picked up my meditation practice and I try not to skip it too often. I enjoy the inner silence, the peace and quiet that stems from meditating
“The face in the sky is deep in meditation, a goddess of the night who brings depth, peace and understanding. Now is a very precious time. It will be easy for you to rest inside, to plumb the depths of your own inner silence to the point where it meets the silence of the universe.”

3 What is the next step to take? Maturity. This card tells me to carry the inner balance, the peaceful tranquility I receive from my meditations  into my daily live. And to know this inner light can’t be dimmed by external circumstances. Practical this means not to let my girls,(and the rest of the family) push my buttons. I like to be able to maintain my inner calm and communicate with, instead of snap and yell at them. This  means letting go of control; of wanting everything to go my way and to realize we are three grown up women with our own responsibilities .

Pfff that will be hard J

Full Moon in September and Seeking Balance

Balance

This is the time to celebrate the playfulness I have welcomed in my life on the new moon (zet daar een link in):

I have started this blog which is for me a huge step out of my comfort zone. I’m more the quiet listening type. Not so keen on getting out there.  But so far it has brought me a lot of fun writing it and I’m so happy with all the nice comments I’ve got.  Also I have tried to do some creative activities. The page of Swords I have drawn will be the subject of a next post.  Although I have had idea’s enough to “play”, I wasn't able to start them all because  I've strained my neck which caused a pinched nerve in that area. That hurts a lot. (Ouch)

So this full moon will be all about being proud  of what I have accomplished and about rethinking my options. How can I be playful and enjoy myself, when my body doesn't want to play along. I am certain though that I don't want to fall in my eight of swords trap; feeling sorry for myself and block every option of having fun.

Saturday it’s Mabon. Usually I celebrate the wheel of the year only with some decorations and baking. But this year it will be all about balancing my physical and my mental  well being.

The picture is a collage I’ve made last year representing the seeking of balance during this season

The translation of the Dutch text in the picture is : “Between the past and the future there is only  “I am”.”