New Moon in September - Gratitude can be found in every situation

For today I’ve chosen to work with the Goddess tarot by Kriss Waldherr. Maybe this choice of deck is influenced by the large amount of red and orange in my last Art journal page or, which I think is more likely, I felt in need of some serious motherly energy. Although my  cards did not feel like motherly cuddles and hugs, they did offer me some clear advice for the coming month:

Release - Ace of Cups

A difficult card in this position. Why should I want to release a potential of Love and Creativity. But then it hit me. It is my clinging to this Ace which I need to release. The urge to feel happy , joyful and creative all the time. Sometimes its feel like I am on ongoing quest to feel good.  And even that can become a exhausting burden. So to let go of this Ace will make room for life to flow more effortlessly and fluently.

Embrace - Fortune  Lakshmi

Lakshmi is a Hindu goddess of abundance, wealth, prosperity both in the material and spiritual field. At first glance you might think why should you have to release that lovely Ace if this is your embrace card? Receiving Abundance and spiritual wisdom is not related to feeling happy or loved. The abundance of life is bestowed to us not matter how we feel. It is up to us to discover this Fortune in every situation of our life and when we find it to be grateful for it. In doing so our hearts will be more open to receive Love and Creativity. So when we are able to let go of the  Ace of Cups, it will return to us naturally.

When art has a mind of its own

A few days ago I wanted to play in my artjournal and this time I felt like making something abstract: no pretty faces or flowers or even a jumping dolphin. I just wanted to get  some colors on the page and maybe add few marks. Everything about this page would be playful and intuitive. So I started to paint with hues of red, yellow, orange and brown.  

After the first few layers had dried, I noticed the shape of a cloak behind a tree and immediately all my intentions with this page where gone, like dust in the wind. The painting took my hand and guided me into a darkening autumnal forest where a little girl and her dolly came across  a cloaked woman with a lantern in her hand. .. I added some oil pastels to enhance the shapes which were eager to be found.

Then the only thing to do was to add some details and this is the final result:

Although I really enjoyed working on this page, the next one might be an abstract. But then again nothing is certain when you start playing in your  artjournal

Ehwaz and the Nine of Wands – Don’t let your past define you

Today’s rune is Ehwaz, which means horse and it stands for cooperation and loyalty, as well as for movement and progress or maybe even a combination of the these two aspects. For today I wanted to know how to  get going again after feeling a bit out of sorts due to the extreme heat and humidity here. I want to do so many things but it is so hard to really get anything done. 

To answer to this question I pulled the Nine of Wands. Often I see this guy as a defender and a warrior. Someone who doesn’t give up and will fight for the cause, although he might get hurt or overburdened in the process.  I’ve been there, done that and I’ve learned the hard way this isn’t always a  healthy attitude. I also notice he is turning his wounded head to the eight wands behind him his as if he is defined by his past experiences.  This might cause fear or recklessness or it might even render him immobile. 

The Deviant Moon card is highlighting the incapability to move. This figure is  sitting on the stairs with his head down and he is not even holding his ninth wand. A possible answer to this problem can be found in the Nine of Fire from the Gaian Tarot. In this card we are encouraged to stay in the here and now and  to acknowledge our past experiences but  not to  let ourselves be hindered by them in any way. By telling and retelling our story, our great deeds and challenges, we might color the present moment in ways that will prohibit to enfold our full potential. The Gaian tarot guidebook talks about the benefit of a spiritual practice which of course I fully agree with but which I am not putting into practice lately.

So for today I will begin (again) with a  daily meditation and gratitude practice. And I will not let my previous lack of success to maintain my practice taint this new beginning!

“Each morning we are born again.  What we do today is what matters most.” - Buddha 

Seven of Wands – A time to clear out the Dead Wood

For today I pulled the Seven of Wands from the Original Rider Waite Tarot and I picked its counterparts from the Wildwood Tarot and The Wild Unknown Tarot. 

When I pulled this card, the first thing that came to mind was of course “standing up for your beliefs” but when I saw the other two cards, I was reminded of how some of us (including myself), struggle with too many creative idea’s, passions and whatever keeps our heart and soul occupied. That got me thinking about the concept of pruning. After the Summer our garden looks a bit like a jungle. Some of our plants, like the Wisteria, even grow offshoots which almost strangle you when you walk past them. But if you want to have flowers and the next year you have to master the art of pruning. Prune too much and the plant will wither and die, too little and all its energy will go to maintaining all the excess branches and leaves instead of growing new flowers. In short we have to prune our non viable ideas (for now) to give room to our most  passionate desire to come to fruition. And perhaps maybe you will be amazed by how rich and luscious your creative talents will grow and develop.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” Steve Jobs

Moving from Summer to Fall with The Sun in my heart

By know, I suppose you all know I am not fan of Summer. In the beginning of this week it looked like Summer was finally over. Temperatures had dropped quite significantly and it was pouring all day long. Love it!! Drinking coffee, knitting socks and listening to the falling rain… I don’t need much to make me happy.

But nothing is as unpredictable than the weather and since Wednesday it is sweltering hot again. And so I asked how to overcome my disappointment about this and I pulled three cards:

1 How does this weather make me feel? – Ten of Swords.

Now that is exactly how I feel: defeated, self pitying , complaining about how hot it is, not being able to do anything physically active, depressed, you name it, I feel it.  I want to stop this so badly because it is preventing me from enjoying my day. So let’s see what I can look forward to, which might cheer me up a bit

2 What will Autumn bring me? – The Ace of Cups

And that I exactly how I feel about Autumn! An abundance of feelings of happiness, gratitude and Love is flowing from this beautiful Cup. Autumn is indeed a gift from God(dess), a time to enjoy the bounty of the harvest.

3 How do I move forward until the wheel turns to my favorite season? – The Sun

O my Goodness! There he is: the Sun, blistering hot but with a smile on his face. “Come outside and play” he seems to call to me. The Sun stands for joy, happiness and a for zest for life. I could use some of that for sure. So I think I have to stand up, get rid of those swords in my back and walk towards the rising sun in the Ten of Swords. No more complaining today. I want to finish this blogpost and that will be the beginning of a joyful day because I choose it to be so. 

“The Beauty of Letting go” tarot spread

A few days ago I came across a small but powerful tarot spread on IG. It is called “The Beauty of Letting go” tarot spread (from Arcane Mysteries) and yesterday I tried it for myself, using the Original Rider Waite tarot:

1 What must I let of? Queen of Swords. 

Now that was a major disappointment to begin with. How could I release the Queen I identify the most with but then I realized she is can also be the embodiment of my less positive traits:

I see her sitting on her throne, all high and mighty. She is been through a lot and it only has made her stronger and more willed to survive. She will make sure her people won’t have to go through any of her own ordeals so she is determined to advise them and guide them even push them into the “right” direction.

Yes I can relate to that: The hovering mother, the meddling mother, the know it all mother. At least I can acknowledge these parts of me and that will be the first step of letting them go

2 What will I gain and accomplish as result of this release? Ten of Wands

No, I don’t think I will get overburdened by this. Rather I feel this card means that I can lay down all these self imposed responsibilities and lift up my head to see the beauty of the clear blue sky and enjoy life as is comes without the burden of having to control everything and everybody. So I will lay down these ten wands and stroll leisurely to that lovely little house in the distance. There I will pour myself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and dwell some more on the liberated feeling of letting go.

The Page of Pentacles and Jera – the beauty of our daily life

My rune for today is Jera which means year, harvest and cycle and it got me thinking about how we often complain of the tediousness of our day to day life. Each day ,each week, each month, with its same chores, the same social obligations and the same boredom. Yes, life can be like that too. The turning of the year teaches us there is a time sow and a time to reap. We are now entering the reaping phase of the year and people will be turning more inward soon. It will be Christmas before you know it. Sometimes the inevitability of these cycles can make me feel a bit tired and dulled. So what attitude can be helpful if we feel like this? I pulled the Page of Pentacles. Notice how he is situated in farmland, which is the perfect metaphor for cycles and seasons. He is holding his Pentacle in his hand and he is examining it as if he has never seen a Pentacle before. And I suppose there lies his secret. He is amazed by every aspect of this Pentacle: how it shines brightly in the sunlight, how it feels smoothly in his hands and imagine all the things you can do with this magnificent Pentacle.

Maybe if we would start out our day with the intent to find beauty in the common things. Look at the world through the eyes of a child (a Page) and let the world surprise you again and again and again. It might even be fun to journal you daily discoveries!