Child of Air - Keeping a “beginners mind”

Today’s card is the Child of Air from the Gaian Tarot. The Children (Pages) in this deck are all curious, wondering, playful, and they all have a “beginners mind”

The Child of Air is definitely in awe of the rabble of butterflies which is flying around her. One of the butterflies is even resting on her hand. Because of her calm and steady posture,  she is not at all startled by the fluttering of wings around her head. No, she is totally focused on that one big yellow butterfly sitting on her hand.

The Child of Air encourages us to be open-minded to all kinds of points of view and to soak up whatever information we can get our hands on. But, she also teaches us to stay alert and present so we will not drown ourselves in numerous redundant facts and loose perspective of what we wanted to accomplish the first place.

Affirmation . “I learn new things by keeping an open mind.”

New Moon in May

For this new moon, I have pulled one card from the Gaian Tarot as to what energy  I should embrace during this next cycle of the Moon and I got The Sun.
This card puts a big smile on my face. As you all know I haven't been feeling all too well as of late but now, when I am starting to feel a lot better this card is an affirmation to hold on to this positive change in my life. I don’t expect everything to go smoothly and within my control but I can try to focus on the things that make me happy and on what  I am grateful for. It is often not so much the reality which makes us happy, sad or anxious but the way we perceive this reality. This card encourages me to seek joy intentionally and if I can’t find it, it urges me to do something which makes me feel good: painting and drawing, walking and riding my bicycle, enjoying my garden, eating strawberries and chocolate and reading a good book or perhaps even buying a red dress. And yes, it's okay to spend time with myself because I am totally worth it!
I also love that when I feel good, others seem to feel better too. It seems that Joy and Happiness are as contagious as an ordinary cold
All in all, I am really looking forward to working with the energy of this card for the next four weeks.
Affirmation from the guidebook: I "choose to make a life that creates happiness for myself and for others.”

Seven of Water – Try them all

Today’s card is the Seven of Water from the Gaian Tarot. A man has been offered seven cups and he can choose only one to drink from. I wonder how he has made his decision. Did he take a whiff or maybe even a sip from each cup? Or is this considered cheating and do we have to be content with whatever we get. Hopefully, he has intuitively chosen the right cup, the right dream to follow through. The birds in the lake behind him don’t have to choose. They can have it all. Catch each and every fish they can get and swallow them if they taste good.

Today this card makes me feel a bit obstinate. I want to take a sip from every cup presented here. I want to try and taste them all. I want to know my options. Only then I can make a well-considered choice! 

Four of Cups - Snap out of it!

Today’s card is the Four of Cups from the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot. This card is all about discontent, boredom and lack of interest in about everything. Look how he has closed himself off from all outside suggestions on how to feel better. If we are getting stuck in this energy it can easily lead to self-pity and even depression.

It has been quite a while since I really felt like blogging or in doing anything whatsoever and this card depicts this feeling perfectly well,. Yes, I have been very busy moving my husband to a temporary care home because the house where he was living before is getting a rebuild. This event was physical and emotional draining for me. It left me with little energy for myself and it eventually got the best of me. I know all too well this kind of thinking can easily become habitual and self-sustaining. I knew something had to change but it felt like I wasn’t able to do so. Until this morning, when M told me I had to become responsible for my own wellbeing and to be willing to do the things which would make me feel better. She can be quite persuasive when she feels it is necessary. So I got out of my chair, took a shower, went out for some groceries and started blogging. I feel like a different woman now. I have flipped a switch and I have snapped out of this funk.  Thank you, my dear girl, for a firm kick in the butt.

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

Waterfall and Calendar - Tick tock, tick tock…

Today’s cards are Waterfall and Calendar from The Chronicles of Destiny Fortune Cards. 

In our present society we are mostly ruled by the clock and our calendar. We make appointments and try to keep them. We implement routines and schedule our obligations until little white space is left on our to-do lists and in our diaries. This habit makes it even more important to plan some time for ourselves.  And not just ten minutes or  a spare hour somewhere between the dentist and  a meeting but I was thinking more about an evening, an entire day or a weekend; enough time to be able to just flow with the hours instead of keeping track of them on your watch. Together these cards emphasize the important of replenishing your soul on a deep level; to let ourselves be revitalized and healed thoroughly. Take enough time for yourself . You are so worth it. The Calendar card reminds us there is a big difference between a morning shower and a bath by candlelight.

Expressing Gratitude with the Wild Unknown Tarot

Today’s question: “what am I most grateful for?”  got me thinking about how,  when we express our gratitude, we often talk/write about the same daily experiences like: A sunny day, a cup of coffee, cuddling with our furry friends  or looking at the flowers in our garden. Reading in my gratitude journal, I notice how I tend to repeat the same things and over again. And yes, I am truly grateful for them but this question filled me with the desire to stretch my perceptive a little and maybe look a bit more inwardly. So I asked the tarot to show me three aspects in my life for which I am grateful: three joy’s which are sometimes a bit out of reach of my day to day experience. From the Wild Unknown Tarot I  pulled:

The Moon: I am grateful or each time I am brave enough to face my fears and do it anyway. The last few days  I have been making abstract art journal pages  and each time it became too “pretty” I used gesso to “mess it up “ again

Four of Swords:  I am grateful for each moment of peace and quiet in a day. They give me a sense of security and also trust that I can return to this place whenever I need it.

Four of Wands: I am grateful for the pauses in life which are meant to celebrate what I have achieved. Resting in the blue center  of gratitude before  being ignited by the fiery passion of the wands again