Two of Wands - Trust, have a little bit of faith and relax.

Today's card is the Two of Wands from the Joie the Vivre Tarot.  A sunny and joyful card on a rainy April day. The question I asked myself to draw a card with was: How can I nurture myself today?
This card is about reflection on where you've come from, listening to your intuition so you will know where to go from here and imagining and preparing for your future. Outwardly, it might seem like we're are doing nothing worthwhile but on the inside, a lot is going on.  The challenge of this card is to find a balance between being active and letting our ideas and intentions having a life of their own: about not striving and clinging to the desired outcome too much.
Since I like to be in control almost all of the time, I like to know exactly where my life is heading, what obstacles I might expect on the way and how long it will take me to go from A to Z without any detours. Yes, I know life doesn't work this way but like many of us, I often live by the illusion that is does.
Today this card is telling me to ease up, to let go of my expectations and to trust that God or the Universe will respond to what I have put out there in a loving generous and wonderful way ( so much better than to expect gloom and doom because I don't like to be disappointed  :))
Taking care of myself today might be about learning to have a bit more trust and faith in this Loving Energy.

Eight of Wands - Keep your calm in a chaotic world

Today’s card is the Eight of Wands from the Llewellyn tarot. We see the familiar eight Wands in the air, although today it doesn’t feel like they are all going in the same direction. Some seem to go upwards and some seem to fall from the sky. What also stands out is the calmness of the grazing deer. Some are eating and some are watchful but they are all convinced there is no need to fight or run to a safer place.

Often when a lot of Wands are flying over our head we tend to jump up, decide, act, again and again until each Wand is taken care of. We don’t like to allow those Wands to pass freely without our interference and to watch how life unfolds. To be able to do this demands a great amount of trust and confidence in our inner strength and in our resilience when something isn’t going as we hoped it would.

There is a lot happening in my life but I have to take a step back from most things, instead of jumping in, to “help” and  “fix it all. This card teaches me perfectly how to live in a chaotic world.

Time for lunch J

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis de Sales

In the world, not of this world

After my last post I have been thinking a lot about how to stay true to myself and today I wanted to ask this question to one of my decks. The sacred Rebels Oracle seemed to be a perfect fit for this question and it replied to me with: In the world, not of the world.

We see a woman with a shoal of fish. She jumps out of the water, clad in nothing but the locks of her hair. Although she used to be perfectly happy to be one of the shoal, lately it seems she has outgrown the mentality of the shoal and has started to make up her own mind about things. She knows this will make her extremely vulnerable so for now, although she is perfectly aware of her peculiarities and unique points a view, she still remains a part of the shoal. Perhaps for safety, community or just the need to belong to something more than herself.

This in between phase demands a lot of  courage and trust, in order to find a balance between being true to yourself and being part of this world; a constant weighing and questioning of when to swim with the shoal and when to jump out of the water,

As always balance is everything

Ace of Coins and Two of Flames - Some gardening tips

Today’s card is the Ace of Coins from the Margarete Petersen Tarot. In the center of the card, a snake is spiraling herself around a tiny seed. She feels protective because she knows how much potential this seed holds. It feels like she is waiting for the right moment to hand to over to me but first, she wants me to find out what it is  I need it for. Honestly, I don’t  know yet but I do know it holds the promise of abundance and growth of everything tangible in this world. Maybe I could plant it before I knew what it is I really want/need. This could be considered as a sign of trust. I wondered if she would give it to me under these conditions and then she pulled back…..

So I asked my deck what to do next with this little seed and I got the  Two of Flames. This card is affirming to me that we don’t need to know the outcome before we can plant our seed. We only have to give is warmth and love. We have to father and mother it. Sometimes it needs more active energy to grow and sometimes we have to let it rest. Both energies, passive and active are equally important for our seed to awaken and sprout. In the meantime, we can cherish this germinating period to ponder what wonderful gift we are about to receive. 

Nightingale - Trust

Walking in the park. Picking Bluebells and Buttercups. Feeling Summer in my heart and on my skin. This morning I have also meditated for 15 minutes which was a great accomplishment as well. All in all, today is starting out to be a good day. Al this has inspired me to pick up an oracle I’ve never used before, although I have it my collection for ages: Too light, too simple, too fluffy. But honestly I could use a dose of light and fluff. So I shuffled my cards and I pulled Nightingale – trust: My word for the year and a confirmation that all things will be well.  After each night the sun will come out inevitably so why not sing to instead of fight with the darkness.  All these smalls tokens of hope and trust, like my walk, my mediation, creating an art journal page, enjoying coffee with a bonbon and last but not least, writing this blog post after so long; all these things  are bright shining stars guiding me on my journey and ensuring me that wherever I am, I am never lost.

Oracle used: "The Cards of the Elves" by Tiziana Mattera

Four of Swords – Quiet down our Inner Critic

Today’s question is: "How can I let go of self doubt?" and I pulled the Four of Swords. As you know this is one of my “sigh” cards; my permission to let go and quiet down the mind from anxiety and those nagging critical inner voices.  After having completed my oracle challenge on IG, I am experiencing waves of self doubt again. Afraid of putting something on the page which is less “pretty“ than my DIY deck.  Even in my art journal, where I try to play more freely and experiment with my art supplies, I feel the urge to create something “beautiful” and with “beautiful” I mean worthy to show other people. This feeling  has made it crystal clear to me  my that  Inner Critic is holding the reins (again)

So this morning I decided to take up my habit of writing 750 Words a day, before doing anything else. This is the digital equivalent of writing morning pages. For me it is a perfect way to clear my mind and to get those creative juices flowing again. This way I will be able to create room to relax and to do whatever fills me with joy, without any result oriented expectations. This  could be just as simple as allowing myself to take a nap, a walk or perhaps filling up a (new) page in my art  journal just for the fun of it. And no, I am not obliged to finish the last page and make it more “pretty”. Maybe it is even better to fill up some loose leave pages first. Just putting a few collage elements, some paint and some scribbles on them to overcome my fear and to loosen up a bit. The only rule is to keep it abstract!

All and all a very timely question for me today.

Raidho and Six of Wands - Rise up!

When I pulled my rune for today, my first thoughts where: “Not Raidho again!" But then I pulled the Six of Wands from The Wild Unknown Tarot to go with it and I realized how a single rune contains such a wide variety of meanings.

Raidho is the rune of movement, journey and travel and since I am on a sort of spiritual quest as of late, it is a very fitting rune for me these days.

The Six of wands is all about success and victory. Now you might ask if this means I have completed my quest? No, not at all but I can say I have escaped the tangled branches and the lost feeling this dark place entails.  Now the butterfly is flying upwards into the light. Although it is a beautiful place to be and it is tempting to find a spot to stay there forever, the butterfly will have to keep moving on to become the best butterfly he can be.

How often do we resist to leave that safe place of victory? It can be so scary to continue our journey with the possibility of failing or getting lost again? I am positive that if we keep this moment of success in our thoughts, it will build up out inner strength and trust, and then moving on will become a bit less frightening

Of course this card also reminds me of the devastating storm our dear friend Bev of By theSycamore Tree and her family and community had to endure yesterday.  I hope and pray together they will be able to rise up (again) from this terrible experience.

Three card spread with the Dreams of Gaia: To move beyond doubt

As usual I wanted to draw one card and share my thoughts about it but when I drew the Seven of Air from the Dreams of Gaia Tarot, I knew I had to add some more cards. This card represent so beautifully what I have been struggling with these last few months. This card is all about belief systems and the different teachings of wise and spiritual people.  

Ever since I was a young girl I wanted to belong to a group of people who shared the same beliefs as I did and I have never came across such a group. I tried to fit in with some of them but it never lasted long.  Gradually I have accepted that what I belief is personal and ever changing. But sometimes I feel the need for some conformation that I am on the right track. Sometimes I even envy the confidence of some religious groups who are “absolutely sure” of their spiritual convictions. This feeling is strongly connected to my word of the year: Trust. Do I trust myself enough to keep following my own path, even though it is leading me along deep chasms filled with doubt and steep mountains covered with insecurity. 

So after pulling this initial card I wanted to know how to deal with these feelings and I pulled Choice, the first card of the deck. This card is asking us to move forward, to make a choice which is fulfilling for both our heart and our mind. There is no way back. The past is gone forever and there is only this little moment in time. If we don’t choose, we are stuck there in a kind of limbo where we can mull over which door to choose so long that we might not even remember why we are stuck there in the first place.

Then I wondered what would happen if I would trust myself enough to follow my intuition, to chose a door, any door and continue to walk my path? The answer to this question is the Ace of Air, the gift of insight and clarity. Some keywords are, belief it or not: unlearn and let go, a new personal ideology, personal truth, new ideas.  So now I realize it doesn’t really matter which door I choose; the gift of The Ace of Air is always within me and I will take it with me wherever I my path will lead me. 

Raidho and the Queen of Cups - Trusting you inner Compass

Last weekend I have immersed myself in Norse myths, the Edda, and my rune studies. It seems that a light snowfall is all it needs to awaken my love for that part of my ancestral heritage. So with that in mind I wanted to pull a rune for today’s post and I got Raidho (wheel, travel). This rune is not only about physical travel and all the preparations this involves but maybe even more so about spiritual travel; about finding our path in life and following it. Both kinds of travels require some similar attributes which are a.o. resourcefulness, determination and flexibility.

So which aspect of ourselves can help us to keep moving forward in the right direction?
And I got the Queen of Cups form the Shadowscapes Tarot. I love that in this depiction she has risen from her throne and is walking the path with one carefully placed step at the time. She has no need to watch where she puts her feet. She is following her inner compass, which tells her exactly where her companions will emerge. It looks so easy, almost effortlessly. She is dancing on the waves for as long as she keeps moving forward because in movement we can find our balance.

I think our intuition is our most important guide on our journeys. It allows us to travel with ease. If we can muster the courage to trust this sometimes elusive part of our soul, we will able to  dance through life and over whatever waves we will meet. I also believe we can trust that we are carried when needed.

The Veil and Seven of Fire – Divination or Exploration?

From the Halloween Oracle I got The Veil – Future, which represents the” thinning of the veil” around the Festival of Samhain or Halloween. 

It is said that during this season it is the perfect time for divination and all things magical. Although I hardly ever use my cards for giving me a peek into my future, for this one time I asked a little hesitant: “What do I need to know about my future?” Because I can’t get enough of The dreams of Gaia Tarot, I pulled the Seven of Fire, from this deck.

Seeing this card made me  laugh a littly bit. This card is all about divination and using your intuition and I think it might be the Minor Arcana counterpart of ‘Intuition” from the  Influence cards of the Major Arcana. Since this is a Minor Arcana card I think this card mostly about how to put our intuition into our daily practice and how to develop this highly influential part of ourselves.  According to the guidebook listening to our intuition can be a completely internal process; you just “know” something or it can be triggered by external stimuli (like our cards). But both ways do depend on a large amount of trust in ourselves.

Today this card is encouraging me to listen to and trust in my inner voice and also to be aware of those little things which happen during the day and which give me a that tingly feeling of a meaningful coincidence.

Or maybe I got it all wrong and this card is telling I  will to get into the card reading business any time soon now.

My words for 2016

This  year I’ve had some difficulty choosing my word for the year. Previous years my word had always come naturally to me; distinguished itself gradually from  other options but this time around I couldn’t make up my mind and was left with three words, equally appealing to me. So I made a daring decision: This year is my year, so why not have three words.  I am free to do whatever I with my word of the year so without further ado here they are:

(Drumroll………………………)

Osho Zen Tarot

Attention

This year I want to try to really pay attention to the present moment instead of wasting it to worries and regrets.  The present moment is all we really have so I want to make the most of it

Letting go

Letting go fear and control will encourage me to embrace what is here and now and to step in each moment with an open mind.

Trust

I want to trust that  everything I experience  in my life will bring me more understanding of who I am and will help me to become who I am supposed to be and most importantly that everything will be okay

Last but not least, my motto for this year is:

Everything will be okay, so let go and let God(des)

Do you have a word or motto for the coming year?

New Moon in August: The Wanderer - Trust

For this New Moon I've decided not to draw a card but to choose one I felt strongly connected to. The quality I want to embrace on a conscious level for the coming two weeks;  the waxing moon, is Trust. Recently I've becoming painfully aware of the fact I find it so difficult to trust. And when I say trust, I mean trust in life in general, trust in my fellow man and last but not least trust in the Divine. So this is an area of my life that is in  great need of some serious embracing. The card that stood out the most for me to symbolize this quality was The Fool and in particularly The Wanderer from the Wildwood Tarot.  Personally for me, most Fool cards radiate too much carelessness and naivete, but the Wanderer wants to put  consciously and carefully his foot on the rainbow in order to cross over to the lush forest on the other side. What wonders will await us when we trust in more than ourselves. If we only dare to take the first step. Often it is lack of control which makes us anxious and uncertain and we are too cautious and keep on living on the edge of the cliff, longing for the forest: a better life. It is trust which enables us to take that first step with our arms and heart open wide. Trusting we’ll grow wings or we will be caught in loving arms when we move forward. Such a leap of faith will make the rainbow appear so we can cross the gap and live in the forest . 

Six of Cups - Trust in yourself; You've already come this far!

For today I've drawn the Six of Cups from the Joie de Vivre Tarot by Paulina Cassidy. The keywords are: Trust, harmony, nostalgia, community, innocence. 

“Swimming side by side, Bliss and her mer-bunny friends, Charity and Innocence, appreciate the simple joys of life. Six cup-flowers gently sway with the waters of emotional contentment. Their peaceful, turquoise ocean ripples with harmony and balance”. 

What a peaceful card for a sunny summer day. Wouldn't it be lovely to just float around in a sea of contentment and be happy? When we revisit the past in our memory it is often colored by our own perception. Memories are not objective pictures and reports about what actually has happened. More likely they resemble the past in colorful paintings and fiction. How we perceive the past is up to us. We can highlight the wistful victim stories or we can swim between our blissful memories which can strengthen our trust in ourselves. So much has happened but now we are exactly where we are supposed to be. Every event and decision has brought us here today and I for one am grateful for that. From here on I will be moving forward making new memories for tomorrow. 

Today I am going to make some blissful memories!