From complacency to fiery enthusiam with Eihwaz

For today another a combination of my runes and The wild Unknown Tarot. They fit so seamlessly together as if it was meant to be. I really am enjoying working with both of them.

My rune for today is Eihwaz. 

This is the rune of death and transformation, much like the Death card in tarot. It urges us to release what is stopping us from moving forward and from spiritual growth. Often this can be hard and even painful but most of the time the rewards are worth the effort

So what do I have to let go of? The World. 

Although the world it a very positive card and is all about completion and fulfillment, it also can be a very tempting place to stick around. We have so much energy spend to get there. Why should we leave this wonderful feeling about ourselves and our accomplishments behind? Why should we move away from this haven of admiration and pride? Because  else we would only move in circles instead of forward and we would probable become complacent.

So if I was to let go of The World energy what could be out there for me? The Daughter of Wands.

She is moving like a lemniscate looking at her blossoming wand from every angle possible. She is the free spirit who gets excited about almost everything new. She wants to try and experience new things or revive old projects with  renewed enthusiasm.

So in short: Experiencing the energy of The World is wonderful and we should enjoy it as long as we don’t forget to jump of that cliff and start again with something new.  

Berkano and the Nine of Pentacles - Time to leave the nest?

Today’s Rune is Berkano, the equivalent of The Empress. This is the rune of abundance, creativity, fertility, nurtering, and of course the symbol of the Divine Feminine. My card for today is the Nine of Pentacles from the Wild Unknown Tarot.  Immediately I  felt so safe when I saw this depiciton: nine pentacles are symmetrically arranged in a diamond shaped nest. They are shielded from the outside world with white soft feathers. These feathers give  a very motherly feel to the nest.  The Nine of Pentacles is all about being content with what you have achieved and received so far. It is a card of accomlishment and gratitude. This card is related to the Hermit. Al the nines share an energy of solitude and reflection; of discovering who we truly are. But they also encourage us not to stay to long here but to move forward in life and trust we will have the tools and the wisdom to do so.

Personally for me today this means I want to trust and embrace my ability to make art. Considering my nine pentacles in the nest, this is not a strange thing to do. I’ve come to this Nine of Pentacles  through a lot of practice (Eight of Pentacles) but after having ""reveled in my success" it is time to spread my wings and leave the nest.

What is helping me a lot to move forward lately, is the notion that I don't have to be super creative all the time. Copying pictures is a very good practice and a lot of fun too. It is also a good way to warm up our creative muscle. The results are rewarding and it is very relaxing thing to do. 

Affirmation: Today I am grateful for the gift of creative abundance

P.S  I've added yesterdays drawing of a little gnome. M. noticed it looked like The Hermit. Now I like it even more. J

Nauthiz and the Knight of Cups - No need to walk on water

For today I have pulled the rune Nauthiz two times:  First on my Rune app and then, because it didn’t feel “real” enough, another  one from my rune pouch. Maybe apps are quite capable to tune into our energy field???

Anyway Nauthiz is the rune of troubles and poverty and of the need and strength to turn the tide. And that is when the Knight of Cups from the Shadowscapes Tarot starts riding the waves. His mount is a white unicorn, symbol of his purest intentions. The undines and sylphs are beckoning him towards the shining gold cup; his holy grail.

This is an admirable quality of this Knight but perhaps also his downfall. He might feel  the urge to keep on riding, searching, until he can hold this perfect Cup in his hands. The elementals are seemingly helping him but maybe they are also leading him away from his true purpose: to live in and enjoy the present moment.

This strive for perfection is an eternal ongoing quest and this might be blocking him from experiencing his daily small but also very significant accomplishments.

Today I will enjoy the present moment and receive the abundance of this day.

P.S. This afternoon I've been practicing with my new pens without the need of making a perfect drawing. I've just copied a picture from a fairy tale book and I had a lot of fun  doing so. And that is what matters the most

Divination 3x3x3 Tag: Tarot, Oracle, and other forms of Divination

A few days ago Chloe from Inner whispers posted a video on Youtube which was called: Divination 3x3x3 Tag. In this video she shared with us her three favorite Tarot decks, Oracle decks and other forms of divination. At first I thought this is not for me, since I don’t like to talk in English and especially not on YouTube. Writing on my blog feels entirely different, much less vulnerable.  So then I thought why not make some pictures of my favorite decks and share them here:

Because it was already extremely difficult to pick three decks from each category, the decks I will show you are in random order.

My 3 favorite Tarot decks:

The Original Rider Waite Tarot by A. E. Waite, Pamela Colman-Smith

I had to pick an RW because it  has the imagery I can always fall back to. It is the system with which I’ve start out my tarot journey. This version appeals to me the most. Not only for its color scheme but also for the feel and smell of the cardstock.

The Druidcraft tarot by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington

After a long period without tarot this is the deck that brought me back to this deep felt passion of mine. I love the West European feel of it. It feels close to home for me. And of course the art is amazing, as all will’s art is.

The Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans. 

Although I own this deck for only about fourteen I already am so in love with this deck. It reads very intuitively and I am sure we will bond perfectly together

My 3 favorite Oracle decks:

The Tao Oracle by by Ma Deva Padma

I’ve bought this oracle because I was already in love with the Osho Zen tarot but these cards exceeded my expectations. The images are so beautiful and diverse. The deck covers every aspect of life; the dark and light. For now I use it only as an oracle but you can also chose to read it according to the I Ching system which I am not familiar with (yet).

The Sacred Rebels Oracle by Alana Fairchild, Autumn Sky Morrison

This is my favorite Oracle deck ever. It somehow makes me feel as if this deck is made especially for me. It came to me in a period I needed this deck very much and it has given me already so many wonderful messages

The Goddess Inspiration Oracle by Kris Waldherr

I love the fact this deck has 80 cards: so many aspects of the Divine Feminine in one deck. It is an easy deck to work with: just pull a card and you will get an empowering affirmation from one of the many goddesses from all over the world. I use this deck very often.

My 3 favorite other forms of divination

My DIY runes

These 24 pebbles are my doorway to the realm of divination. They have opened doors for me I never knew existed. Recently I’ve start using them again and  I love the honest and raw energy they have.

The Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken, Will Worthington

I’ve waited so long for this deck to be published and now I am so happy it is finally home with me. Besides using it for divination it has already become my main deck for creating magic. I love it how the images, as small as they are, really draw you in.

The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle by Caitlin Matthews, Virginia Lee

While waiting for the Celtic Lenormand this lovely deck came to my attention and it has become one of my favorites to. The images are lovely and solely based on the symbol. So a good counterpart for the more intuitive Celtic Lenormand.

I hoped you enjoyed my take on this 3x3x3 tag. 

What are you favorite decks? Please share or leave the link to your participation to this tag in the comments. 

Runes, Druidcraft Tarot, and Celtic Lenormand in one reading

Today I’ve done what I’ve been dreaming of ever since I've heard that Will Worthington was doing the artwork for the Celtic Lenormand by Chloe McCracken: Combining this deck with the Druidcraft Tarot from the same artist. And of course I had to include my beloved Runes. Recently I've found a second hand wooden set of Runes on the online thrift store in the Netherlands. I thought it would be nice to combine them with these two decks. 

I pulled one rune for the general energy of the day: Ingwaz. This is the rune of fertility. Not so much the creative fiery action but more the peaceful slumber afterwards. The quietness of the sown land; patiently waiting for the first sprouts to appear. This requires a harmonious balance and inner piece.

Very promising indeed but how do I really feel about all this? This answer was given to me by the Ten of Wands from The Druidcraft Tarot: “Not so good. So much to do, so many responsibilities, no time to rest or to be quiet. Always busy.”  Mind you, this is about feelings; not about the actual situation. Often our minds are so busy and chaotic it seems like we have too much going on and so little time to accomplish everything. This feeling can be so overwhelming, we have to fight the urge to throw away all the wands from our back, sit down and do nothing at all.

Although this last option can be very  tempting it is not the most healthy thing to do. So what can we do now in order to feel the peacefulness of Ingwaz and heal our emotional overload?

I pulled two cards from the Celtic Lenormand and they couldn’t have been more fitting: Child + Heart.

We could try to engage in one thing with the openness and trust of a child. Putting in all our love and devotion to this task or project and really feel connected to what we are doing.

Yes, this is a difficult one, when you feel like the Ten of Wands. But when you look at this little boy playing with his boat in the trough, you can almost feel how his heart is traveling  to the ocean where one day he will sail his own ship to far away shores. This intent is patiently waiting, gently growing stronger….. this too is Ingwaz .

So for today I will do one thing, choose one Wand and I will love what I do with all my heart. This way I will experience inner peace, patience and quietness.

Getting reacquainted with the Tarot of the Hidden Realm

Sometimes without knowing a well beloved deck gets forgotten while other decks, especially newer ones get all the attention.  I saw in the archives of my blog that is was October last year since I've used the Tarot of the Hidden Realm.

lost and found drawer

Why? For no particularly reason. So this morning I went outside with a cup of coffee and flipped through the entire deck, naming one thing per card which stood out for me and get reacquainted with this beautiful Fae deck. Then I shuffled the deck and pulled three cards. No spread, no positions, no question and….no guidebook. The last one was the most scary part because this deck is somewhat difficult to read for me and such a long time has past since I worked with this deck

In the box of the Wild unknown Tarot there is a message printed which says: "You'll find no wrongs or rights inside this box, only mirrors for reflection. open your mind, draw a card, & have fun on your journey". This wisdom is of course valid for working with any deck.

 I think tapping into our intuition is the key for a balanced reading. Because without it our personal interpretation of the cards a reading would soon become lifeless and boring. Usually when I read for myself I will get flashes of insight of what a card means to me and sometimes this has nothing to do with the intended meaning of this card. Often I check if my ideas correlate with what the guidebook says but for today I just wanted to follow and acknowledge the messages of my intuition.

For today I've drawn:

King of Pentacles - Instead of identifying with this king it feels like I am the little Fae girl who is sitting on his lap and it feels so safe and warm, nurtured and cared for. This king represents my home, my family, my books etc. and lots of coffee. It feels like home to me but I have to be careful not to get to comfortable there because I do want to keep building on my self-reliance and self-confidence. But for the here and now it is a good place to be. Resting, enjoying his stories, and regaining my strength to get on with my life.

Six of Swords - This is quite another energy. This woman is following the eagles in the sky; higher and higher into the far away mountains. She is leaving everything known to her behind to find truth and clarity and a new way of looking at life. Often our minds are clouded with assumptions, so it is good to step away,breath in some fresh air, filled with new ideas and gain some broader perspectives.

Temperance - a great card to find between the previous two. Neither of both energies are meant to stay the same for a long time. This card promotes to dance through life harmoniously and take the lessons and joy from each and every situation. She seems to pour her fluids effortlessly, moving the energies, like the flow of the river behind her. But when we look closely to her face, we see her concentration because she doesn't want to spill one drop of it. So live life and choose joy!

Honestly, I loved doing this. It felt like free writing; Just going with the flow. Not at all as scary as I thought it would be.J

New Crystal friends

Yesterday I went shopping with M. to our local New Age Shop. I felt in the mood to look for one or two crystals as an addition to my Crystal Family. I do have quite a nice collection of crystals. Some tumbled, some rough and some bracelets and pendants  but just like collecting tarot decks, there is always room for another addition. 

A while ago I was so clumsy to break my Rose Quartz donut and I really missed having a smooth larger piece of Rose Quartz. It is my go to stone for Self Love.

The other crystal I've been  looking for was a Snowflake Obsidian. This is a crystal which is great for shadow work and balancing the darker en lighter aspects of yourself. This stone is softer and more gentle to work with than a Black Obsidian. 

It reminds me of the Goddess Holle, a Germanic Mother goddess who encompasses an all round image of the Feminine Divine: from Spring goddess to death goddess and everything in between. Her memory is  kept alive in the fairy tale of mother Holle who shakes her feather bed to let it snow on earth.

I did find both of these crystals which made me so very happy. Last night I let them sit on my altar in an Abalone shell with a few Citrine tumbled rocks and Clear Quartz chips to cleanse them . So today they are really mine and all ready to be making their first appearance on my blog.

I've found a lovely little wooden treasure chest where they fit in together perfectly. Our little gnome is taking his task to protect them very seriously.....