Page of Wands - Don’t forget to fuel your fire

Today’s card is the Page of Wands from the Raven’s Prophecy Tarot and instead of a childlike page with a wand in his hand, it depicts a burning match, symbolizing “the raw spark of an idea”. The Page of Wands is all about confidence, curiosity and wanting to experience it all. However, the problem with a single match is that it often burns out before it can start a real fire. We tend to get enthralled by this tiny little flame and forget to give it fuel to make it burn brighter and stronger. This often results in burned fingers and a feeling of disappointment and missed chances. The question we need to ask ourselves is if we want to use this fire to fuel our passion and desire to create, or if want to let it go to waste and wait for the next match to lit up.

We all have those days when great ideas pop up and fly away again but sometimes we need to try to take hold of that spark of inspiration, fuel it and start a fire.

Today I am going to rearrange my altar for this season and I want to try to keep it simple but meaningful.

What are you going to create today?

Page of wands - Get off the beaten path

Today’s card is the Page of Wands from the Llewellyn Tarot. This is a card filled with enthusiasm and a zest for life. This Page is playful and he always feels the need to try new things and broaden his horizon.

When I saw this card my first thoughts were: “Well, it is clear this isn’t me today.” Lately, my energy level is quite low and I feel absolutely uninspired to do the things I usually love to do. While writing this I realize this is exactly the message I need to hear: get off the beaten path and do something out of the ordinary:  Wear something colorful instead of always black, draw with crayons instead of watercolors, read fairy tales, anything as long as it is different from what you normally do.

For a habitual person like me, this could become quite an adventure but I believe if the little rabbit is up to it so am I. I think my inner child, whom I have promised some extra attention this month, will be quite excited about this.

Page of Wands – be mindful of the little sparks

This morning we have been on family chestnut hunt in a beautiful nearby park.  The perfect place to welcome Fall into our land. Lots of huge old trees, a pond, and loads of chestnuts. Each autumn they give me that giddy childlike feeling of wanting them all!!.

When we returned home I was very tired, not only from this morning but last week was a busy week as well. So I wasn’t surprised when I drew this particularly Page of Wands from the Ravens prophecy tarot. This Page is depicted as a lit match in the dark and immediately I heard the song: "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine" . This spark of fire, with so little fuel to keep on burning has to be protected and shielded from draft and wind at all cause. It might go out any moment.  But when I am able to protect this little match, it might also be the start of a crackling hearth fire.

For now any idea or new project which comes to mind I will jot down in my journal for another day. I will not lose it to fatigue or lack of enthusiasm. 

Three of Wands - Bloom where you're rooted

Today’s card is the Three of Wands from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm.  

  

A lovely couple with their new born child is depicted in this card. They’ve made a commitment to each other and they chose to stick with it for better and for worse. Their love for eachother and their hope for the future have brought a new life into this world. Their lives will never be the same but they are okay with that because this little baby will give them Love and Joy and so much more than they ever dreamed of.

I tend to read cards mostly as a mirror of my soul, so for today I see all three of them as aspects of myself. At the beginning of my adult life, like many of us,  I started to make life changing choices and with each choice I made, other options were ruled out. Little by little my path seems to have less forks in the road and mostly I am okay with that. I mean, I don’t mind that I can’t climb the Mount Everest nor do I miss milking my cows at four o’clock in the morning. I think you get the idea. The older we get the more settled we are becoming and the more rooted we get in our way of life.

Then there is this child, which represents the fruits of our labor, our goals and our passions. How do  I love this child: my children, my paintings, the home I’ve build for my family and my love for them and last but not least the becoming of me.

When I asked the cards to tell me a bit more about this child, I had to laugh because I pulled the Page of Wands. This little child is growing up so fast and he is getting stronger too. He is becoming more and more self aware and comfortable with who he is. He is curious, active and optimistic and loves to learn new things. A lovely guide  for when I want to play some more in my art journal to try out some new techniques  or maybe for when I want to do something completely different than what I'm used to....

Six of Cups – I remember a time when…..

Today’s card is the Six of Cups from the Tarot of the Hidden Realm. We see a woman bathing in the bay. This is where she can connect to her memories in a very soothing way. She feels them floating through her mind, just like the little waves are caressing her body. Some of those memories are kind and precious, some of them feel uncomfortable and sad but she tries to accept each one of them with gentle compassion. Often when something distressful has happened, it is not so easy to take a light-hearted stroll down memory lane again.  Personally I still find it very hard to revisit photo albums from more than a decade ago….

This card reminded me of an exercise I’ve read somewhere online once: 

Shuffle your deck, pull a card and finish the following sentence:

“I remember a time when…………

Whatever memory comes to mind when you look at your card, it's okay. It doesn’t matter if the meaning of the card has nothing to do with your memory.

Often memories are little snippets of a larger story. You can decide if you want to spent some more time there or if you want you can pull the next card. Don’t forget this exercise is supposed to be a pleasant experience. Try to embrace your memories with love and compassion. If a card disturbs you in any way feel free to pick another.

These four cards came up for me this morning:

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Page of Wands: I remember a time when I got my first set of “real” watercolors and how amazed I was by the quality of its beautiful pigments.

Ace of Pentacles. I remember a time when I started my first job as a teacher and how thrilled I was that  I was the one who would teach these little persons how to read in less than a year

Seven of Pentacles: I remember two times when I shared my body with one of my girls. The waiting. The caring and attentive love of my husband. We became parents and I like to think we were good at it

Justice: I remember a time when I thought life wasn’t fair. Why did this have happen to us. But gradually over the years life taught me about balance and how time and new experiences fill the empty places

Maybe you would like to try this for yourself. You can journal about your memories or just sit with them for a while

"We don't remember days, we remember moments." Cesare Pavese

Where do we go from here?

It freezing cold outside and this frosty weather is a perfect representation of how I feel lately. As you all know S is moving out and is very busy in her new house. The actual move is scheduled in about two weeks and that leaves me in a kind of stasis: a “before and after the move” way of thinking. 

The two cards I’ve drawn for today from the Original Rider Waite Tarot, depict the upcoming changes in our lives very well: The Page of Wands is eager to try out new things. He isn’t quite clear about the how and the why but he does know he wants something new and exciting. The Chariot tells us to find our way into the world, follow our dreams and pursuit our goals. It speaks about living authentically and finding our purpose in life. Fortunately this cards holds the promise of success.

The three of us are on the threshold of a new phase in our lives. S is moving out and M and I are about to find  a new way of living together. Also we have to learn  to live without each other. Not to see and talk to one and other on daily basis. It will probably take some time to get used to all of these changes.  

But for now it is still freezing  outside and everything stays the same for a little while longer

Page of Wands – Just play and have fun.

Finally, no swords today! Today’s card is the Page of Wands from the Original Rider Waite tarot. He is the most playful, enthusiastic court card in the deck. He likes to experiment and start all kinds of different projects without the need to finish them. He sees life as a banquet where you can taste all kind of dishes to find out which one you like the most. He is creative, lively and  passionate in nature .

This card immediately reminded me of our puppy. How different our life will be when such a little rascal  is running around our house. Discovering everything, chewing on our things and doing other mischief. 

On the other hand I can see myself in this page too. Now summer is over I feel so much more lively and I have lots of ideas. One of them is a DIY project. I want to make a “Midori travelers notebook” knock off. This is nothing more than a leather flap  with a few elastics in the spine to hold some notebooks. They are very pricey (too pricey for me) so two day's ago I've visited a leather factory to buy some leather. Now I only have to decide on the size of the notebooks for this cover before I can start cutting my leather. This triggers my insecurity and I hope I can tap into the playfulness of this Page and just pick the best option for now and go for it….. 

Bella Rosa is recollecting memories

Today’s card is Bella Rosa (the Devil)  from the Chrysalis Tarot. This female devil comes to us from the Carnival of Venice; beautifully dressed and with her face behind her white mask. Nobody is to know who she really is. Her true self is hidden deep down inside. She probable has lost her sense of self along the way too. She is wearing gloves so she doesn’t feel the thorns nor does she see the beauty of her rose. She is detached from real life and is soothing herself with artificial material obsessions and habits. Her mirror symbolizes her self-indulgence and narcissistic ego.

No matter how difficult it might be, it is time to get real. To remove the mask and look in the mirror; to see who you really are and to feel what you really need.

And what could that be?

The Mime (Page of Spirals) is hopping carefree and merrily towards us accompanied by her ram. She will help us to recollect lost, fractured and repressed memories. She will be like a comforting balm for your soul after you've taken of your mask. She will return who you truly are to mindfulness. The good and the bad stuff. It all deserves to be known. It all is worthy of our compassionate love and of deep listening. You might be surprised by the wonder of who you are without your masks and costumes.

Affirmation: Today I will open up to find and recollect parts of my true self and I will cradle them like a long lost child

The Goddess with a thousand names

Writing the Goddess' name

I have been thinking a lot about my last post about how to get the know the Goddess by naming aspects, qualities and attributes; by coming up with suitable adjectives and epithets. I also thought it would be a good idea to do some collage. Up till now it is hard to find pictures which represent Her and at the same time don’t confine Her. So I find myself back behind my laptop with a new Word Doc.

How am I going to capture Her essence in words?

Which words can describe Her without limiting Her?

Since She is all encompassing, where do I start?

To be honest I speak a lot about God(dess) but momentarily I perceive God as Female. This differs from time to time but for now I will address God as She and Her. Feel free to substitute these words by He and Him or They and Them

In my opinion the goddess is represented by numerous goddesses/archetypes. In every culture there are for instance a mother, a warrior, a maiden, a protectress, a wise woman, a lover, an enchantress, a teacher, a healer, a storyteller, a weaver, a spinner, a witch, a wild, woman….. etc.

These words tell us something about Her, yet they remain colorless and abstract. With adjectives and epithets we can paint the nouns and give them more depth and layers. For example:

Teacher of a thousand ways –Diligent Weaver of lives – Gentle Healer with the softest hands – Lady who has dominion over all that is wild and ferocious. Brave warrior, full of strength and compassion,

Nurturing Mother with Her arms open wide…..etc

When you start playing and shuffling like this with words, the possibilities are endless. And isn’t that what She is all about. So for the time being I will shift my attention to writing about Her instead of trying to make a collage or a painting.

To boost my “creative writing skills”, I thought it might be a good idea to draw a single card  (oracle or tarot) which will point me to an aspect of The goddess

Robin Wood Tarot and Goddess statue

For example this morning I’ve drawn the Page of Wands. In my tarot journal I have written this quote from Leila Vey: “I am the spirit of innovation and self-expression. I see the world in a new way, and can hardly contain my excitement with its possibilities. I live for the spark of inspiration which plunges me into the joy of creating something new. Even when others disapprove, I cannot help but express myself with truth. I celebrate my individuality, my originality in everything I do.”

So I could name The goddess:

The creative confident Lady of exiting new possibilities

The fierce Adventuress who dares to take a risk

The brave and frank Speaker of truth

(I have to admit this is easier in Dutch J). So, these are just a few of my thoughts and I welcome any ideas from you how to get to know Her a little bit better.

New Moon in September

After a meditation in my garden, I drew two cards for this new moon from my Osho Zen deck. (This is an idea from Neopaganpriestess).

What should I let go of: Conditioning

What should I welcome in my life: Playfulness

Osho Zen Tarot

 These cards gave me the goosebumps for they talk about attitudes I really want to try to let go and to develop.

The time is now right for me to shed my sheepskin and let my wild woman run free to play and enjoy herself. Perhaps first like a gentle fun-loving cat to rediscover my inner self. But I am certain my inner Lioness will emerge in due time.

I have combined this spread with a slight variation of the tarot spell from Monsoonmagick:

Pick three cards from your deck that represent your intentions for the next mooncycle and put them on your altar as a focus point;

One card for the waxing moon; for what you want to welcome in your life.

One card for the full moon; for your goal. What do you want to have accomplished  and is to be celebrated on the full moon.

And one card for the waning moon; for what you want to release or be careful for.

From my Crystal Visions Tarot I’ve picked the matching cards: The devil and Page of wands,

so for the waxing moon I've already got the page of wands. For the full moon I've picked the Strength (Yes, me and my lioness J) As my goal for the full moon is to embrace my inner lioness. For the waning moon I've picked the eight of swords. My all-time nemesis card.  I want to be strong enough to prevent myself from falling in to repetitive blocking and paralyzing thought patterns.

All four cards are now on my altar. During this waxing moon my page of wands is on top. I put some  carnelians around them to enhance the energy.

Crystal Visions Tarot - Jennifer Galasso

I am very excited to work with these three cards this monocycle and I will let you know how it went.