Magical Tranformation

Titania's Love and Success Spell Cards

Ah, the forgotten treasures that can be uncovered when having a total de-clutter. As I forge ahead on my boxing and bagging spree from my daughter's old room, I have come across so many, long forgotten, items.  

When I first moved here, she, K, had already been away at university for a year.  Her room was only truly a base between semesters, so had been a bit of a storage space for many things (my other daughter, E, being the guilty party).

Hidden among the treasures was an item from E's long ago 'teen witch' phase,  something that I now recollect buying as a present for her.  The box is slightly marked (probably black eyeliner) but it's contents totally intact.  Titania's Spell Cards for Love and Success are a delightful little set of 64 cards each with a simple spell intended for a specific outcome.  But that is not what drew me to them.

On the other side of each card is a delightful image, very simplistic and all different.  You know what I'm thinking, right?

This would make a great little oracle deck, a totally personal deck, one that could be 'just for fun' or something more specific, some specific theme, but great for just reading intuitively.

Looking through the images it does seem to be more capable of being a general themed little deck as there are images that involve plants, animals, earth elements and even general items like the umbrella and handbag.

So my downtime creative project this next few weeks is getting to know these cards and seeing just how they work (and searching for the other deck that I remember purchasing for E). Totally transforming their original purpose to one that is  more useful to me,  oh and telling E to take her badly hidden clutter over to her house instead of cluttering up mine. 

From Broken Windows, Robots Grow.

Vibrational Energy Oracle by Debbie A. Anderson. (App Version)

Having usually been an old fashioned girl at heart (in the technology field anyway), I have tended to stick with what I know and always used Microsoft Windows for everything.  Even my smart phone is a Windows phone.  However as, with all things, my trusty laptop has seen better days and being held together with duct tape it is becoming increasingly difficult to use, the battery doesn't work and it has to be used via the mains outlet so I am tied to where I can use it.

As I peruse the cyber world of tarot I have been made more aware of the popularity of tarot apps and their growing use, so with interest I looked into them and I like the concept.

I have so many tarot and oracle decks on my wish list that just seems to keep growing but refrain from buying, due to either uncertainty, cost and space.  This is where I feel the apps can bridge that gap.    They are inexpensive and take no space.  I can justify £3.99 to then say that the deck is beautiful but just doesn't work for me without having to find space on a shelf for something that will likely gather dust until I re-home it.

Well this is where my laptop and phone let me down.  Having Windows as an operating system is just no good for the ever growing plethora of apps, the choice is very limited and the quality, poor.

So I have branched out and got myself an Android tablet and 1 or 2 tarot and oracle apps (just for research sake, you understand).  Although it cost more than my what a tarot shopping spree would cost, it enables me to be 'doing' wherever I am.

One of the apps I downloaded was Vibrational Energy Cards by Debbie A. Anderson.  The cards are stunning.  I was very surprised that the one card draw I did for myself for today was 'Creative Explosion'.  I felt it was an accurate portrayal of what my day holds.  I am full of ideas and feel fully charged.

Today I am customising my tablet (now known as Andy, the robot), looking through the apps and getting a feel for the downloaded decks.  

I am even writing this blog post with it, as I sit out with my morning coffee while my dogs investigate the garden.   

Andy is going to open up so many possibilities and give me the chance to use decks I have been wanting to use for so long.  I feel like today is not going to be long enough to do everything that is in my head.  So Creative Explosion as my card for today couldn't have been more accurate.  I am up and raring to go!

I think my venture into the new world of Android is going to be a very rewarding experience and now I'm off to post a picture of my dogs on instagram.

Have a lovely day everyone.

You Have a Name, Not A Label

Psychic Tarot for the Heart by John Holland

Within all of our relationships with the people in our lives, there tends to be one that we get lost in.  This isn't helped by the opinions from others who tell us. 'your romantic relationships should come first, your children should come first, we need to have a large circle of trusted friends, we need to do large family gatherings regularly.  
I'm not advocating neglecting any of these relationships, but just which relationship should be your priority?

I believe it is the relationship we have with ourselves.  I am leaving babies and very young children out of this equation as they obviously need our constant nurturing and attention, however even a new mum needs time to have a soak in the bath (alone) after a full day of nappies, bottles, sick and snot. 

If we give ourselves over to our relationships we become lost in who we really are.  We are too busy anticipating and delivering the needs of the other person, that recognising our own needs gets neglected. 

I am no control freak, yet my kids, when younger, had a strong routine, a regular bed time and a quiet time at some point through the day.  This was a way for me to touch base with myself, to nurture me.  

Romantic relationships were quite tricky, I am fiercely independent and like to be in charge of my life, so boundaries were set and often broken (I seemed to attract needy, insecure men) and this is where my love life fell down.

I am often shocked when I hear or see women who have become someone's mummy or partner.  We all have an individual identity and yet so many people are happy to lose that identity.  Sometimes it may be that who we really are does not seem significant, yet we are all here for a purpose, and that purpose is to learn about ourselves.  

So if you are feeling like you are an extension of someone else, take some time to look at what you would truly like to do-just you, what dreams do you have, what sparks your imagination?

Seek some clarity within you, find out who you are, what makes you tick.

Think of the relationships that hold you back from doing that and ask why?  Who is holding you back?  You will be surprised at the answer. 

Make your needs and wants heard.  Set your boundaries firmly in place and do something for you.  You might be surprised at the positive change in your relationships that it brings. 

Shelving the Idea

It seemed like the answer to my problem.  The problem being, where to put all my tarot and oracle decks, tarot books and journals (5 currently in use) that seem to be taking over my living room.

So I copped a bargain in the sales and got this lovely shelving unit for £10.  

I stood yesterday morning waiting for it to be delivered making beeswax polish with pure beeswax and coconut oil, to lovingly treat the raw wood.  I added some cedarwood essential oil and it smelt soooo good.

I've waxed it as smooth as porcelain, it has a sheen that looks like silk.  

Being a master of the screwdriver, I lovingly assembled it, and waxed it once more ( I think the smell of the wax has got more to do with it though than a love of polishing).

Out came the drill and hey presto I have storage for my collection.  That is, until I realised that one was not going to be big enough.  Oh heck no!! 

I still have decks on my bedside table, one deck is actually under my pillow.  I have a couple of decks on a bookcase and another 2 in the post.

I love the unit though, the top shelf has a lip to it and is just the ideal size for the bigger oracle cards, the fit like a glove. and no need for bookends to hold everything on the shelves.

So, guess what I'm off to buy tomorrow (no prize awarded to guessing correctly), yep another shelf unit, although ideally a bigger house may be a better idea (although would cost considerably more than a tenner).

A spread for 2015

As we all move towards a new year, we all make promises to ourselves that this year will be better/different/the year we achieve all our personal goals.

I've been developing a spread that may be of some use if you are not sure what 2015 shuld be doing for you.  It is not a predicitve spread, but a spread of self learning and awareness. 

The spread uses O The Fool as the pivotal card and is loosely arranges around the figures 2,0,1,5.

The first 2 cards I have placed as something from your life that needs to be left in 2014, something that no longer serves you or doesn't working for you.  In practice readings I have done, it has read two ways, so you need to use your intuition to go with it.  The first interpretation can read as an entire situation, a brief outline of an issue, the whos the whats the whens.  The second interpretation (and it has happened in approximately 50% of the practice readings is that it shows an issue and the reason to leave it behind, the whys.

The Fool card is not interpreted, per se, it symbolises the new year, new start, new step in your life.

Card 3 is the main focus you need to keep in 2015.  It is the lesson that we need to learn to put all the rest into place (even better if a Major shows up here).

Cards 4 through to 8 are also lessons to take on board over the coming year, they may be small changes or realisations that need to be addressed to help us deal with whatever 2015 is going to throw at us. 

It has taken a while to figure if the positions work, and in reality they can be tweaked to be whatever you choose them to be.  But I do like this spread, it can be a bit of an eye opener when most people tell you they are going to go to the gym next year, or give up chocolate and you can say, I'm going to develop my authoritive side/ try and become less self sabotaging, or speak my truth, and I'll keep eating the chocolate when I feel like some (and not judge myself harshly about it) thank you. 

Have a play around with the spread and let me know what you think, let me know if you have given the positions different meanings and if so, what are they, and how do they work for you.

Yule (B)Log

As the shortest day and longest night, Yule, to me is a turning point.  I love the long lazy summer days, so my heart sinks when the sunny days leave us and the dark days creep in.  

Yule gives the promise of the returning light, the plants and flowers slowly begin to stir beneath the earth and the birds and animals start to re-appear.

I think Yule is the perfect time to leave some of our baggage behind in the darkness and nurture what we want to bring into the light.  Tarot can help us look at what these tings can be,  I have always been inspired by The Four Queens' approach to tarot and she has lovingly shared some lovely Yule tarot and oracle spreads on her YouTube channel here.

I think if we dig deep enough within ourselves there is always something we can find that can give us hope and inspiration to pursue, something to bring light into our lives.

Too many people make new year resolutions based on a major change in their lives and by February, have given up as they are not seeing the rewards fast enough.  By using tarot we can 'check in' with ourselves and get a snapshot of what we need to address to accelerate our goals.

I am going to spend some time tonight assessing my goals for the coming year, and if I have to journey one small step at a time, I will.  I will have a monthly check up with the cards to see if I am progressing in the right way and if I need to change anything I am doing, or even need to address an entirely different issue then so be it.  I am not going to run a race with myself to get where I want to be.  I'd rather take a stroll and enjoy the scenery, after all life is meant to be an experience and I want to experience as much as I can.

Have a blessed Yule and may the returning light illuminate your heart.

Pre-Christmas Cards

Father Christmas came early this year, I have acquired the latest addition to my oracle collection, Colette Baron-Reid's Wisdom of the Hidden Realms.

All I can say is, 'amazeballs'.  The artwork is so rich, the images just speak for themselves. All the card artwork is by the artist Jena DellaGrottaglia, which gives a nice constant flow to them, which I like.  I sometimes feel when the artwork on the cards are a collaboration of different artists, some cards in the deck just don't give me the vibe.  

This could be why the Oracle of Shadows and Light, and Shapeshifters remain my favourite oracle decks as Jasmine Becket Griffiths artwork is consistant on both decks. 

I have been having some 'getting to know you' time with each card and think the deck and I are going to get along well.

The Wisdom of the Hidden Realms cards use reversals, which I like, however the upright position is called an ally, and reversed is called the challenger.

Some of the cards are ally only, a few of the cards are both ally and challenger in the same instant, making it an interesting deck to read.

I can't wait to try them out properly and really get to know them, this is why I'm going to offer some free readings HERE in the coming days, so keep checking back if you would like to find out what these cards have to say to you.

A Festive Tarot Spread

Feel free to use this spread, if you are using it on a forum or blog or any other website, please link it back to me here.
Many thanks.

I've put together a little seasonal spread for you.  Its been tested out using Legacy of the Divine tarot deck, and seems like it is pretty accurate.

.  

Feel free to use it, let me know what you think.  All I ask is if it is going onto a blog, forum or any other website, can you please link it back to me here.

Obviously its festive so here are the card position definitions.

Card 1 The Tree, this is your basic 'core', where you sprang from, where your roots are deep.

Card 2 and 3, Your Branches, this is where you have had growth, the lessons you have learned, where you have been developing.

Card 4, The Tree Lights, this is where/what makes you shine.

Card 5, The Baubles, this is what hangs from the branches, subconscious thoughts/underlying issues.

Card 6 The Star At The Top Of The Tree, your hopes/fears.

Card 7, Your Gift Under The Tree, this is something coming your way.  I placed card 7 horizontally to make it neutral 'cos lets face it, nobody wants coal in their Christmas stocking.

I hope you have fun with it.

The Tower and the Compost Heap

This quote reminds me of The Tower card in tarot.  We are sometimes dealt a blow that can seem like the end of our world, as we know it.  

I believe that no matter how destructive the damage of a bolt from the blue can be, there is always a chance to salvage what you can and re-build something better.  Even if there is not one thing salvageable, if you have your self then you have something to re-build with.

We occasionally read an article somewhere on hugely successful people who have been plummeted to their very depths by losing everything they have through various seasons, and yet they have the determination to climb through the debris of their life and climb back up.  We believe these people are the exception to the rule, but are they?

What of the ordinary wife and mother who, because of a divorce, ends up in social housing, working for minimum wage, feeling everyday is a struggle.  In doing so, she instills a strong work ethic in her kids, as they decide to stick in with their education so they can take better employment.

Or the young widowed father, quitting his job to raise his kids, so in years to come, his own son is comfortable being a 'hands on' dad.

Aren't these all 'Tower moments? Making fetilizer from the 'shit' in which we can then plant seeds that will grow and flourish.

Not all 'Tower moments are this severe, it may be the reputation of the card that makes us believe, when it shows up in a spread, that we are going to lose it all.  It may be that the disaster we are waiting to befall us can be that flat tyre we notice as we are leaving for work, delaying us, just long enough to miss the hold up on the motorway due to a minor collision.  Or missing the bus for that all important job interview only to receive a call later that day regarding a job closer to home and with better pay and conditions.

The Tower hits when we least expect it or want it, but fearing it is not going to help. Embrace the changes it will bring.  It can be so liberating when you realise all those expectations, responsibilities and social conventions no longer count and you can let go and make a new beginning, doing it your own way. 

Life is meant to be an adventure, how can you enjoy the twists and turns of your story when you have your stage directions are already written, you need to use some ad lib too.

Parlour Games and Positive Movement

Hands outstretched and her vision obscured by the blindfold, she steps out cautiously, hoping to get a sense of where she is. 

Sometimes in life the only way to move forward is to go blindly, feeling for a touch of something solid to steady us as we go.  The inability to see what lies ahead can make the journey scary but it may be that we may cannot have the distraction of stopping to see what is around us.  If, like the woman in this card, your current place is one that is appealing, you may decide to not move anywhere and become stagnated in where you are.  If, however your surroundings are not so pleasant you would hurry yourself through to get away from it, and miss something important that you needed to find there.  

Some people will happily go along and enjoy the adventure, relishing the air of mystery, not knowing where they are going but happily explore wherever they are.

Some people are reluctant to move, but know that the blindfold will not come off if you don't even try.

Some peoples' blindfold is thrust upon them and have no choice but to participate and fumble about in fear and dread, but are then happily surprised that they found courage and strength in themselves to allow their lack of vision move them forward.

Then we have the ones who will stand on the spot, refuse to move, if they can't see where they are going they are not going to take the risk of falling or bumping into something for fear of hurting themselves.They fear they will end up somewhere unpleasant, that they will be made to look foolish, so they stay exactly where they are.

I think its all a part of life, instead of being focused on how something looks, we need to experience how something feels.  We need to sometimes have the courage to use all the other senses to guide us. 

In todays modern age we are bombarded by media images of what our lives should look like, The beautiful people with their beautiful families and homes, the fantastic successful careers they have.  

In reality what do these people feel.  Does the woman struggle with food issues in a bid to stay slim, is she constantly concerned by her looks and fear the first signs of age.  Is the man in her life spending vast amounts of time working out to keep that six pack, toned pecs and pert butt after a long day in a cut throat job that drains him mentally.  Are the children nurtured and having quality time with their parents or being pacified with material goods.  Life may look good but how does it feel.

If we stop just using our eyes to see where we are heading in life and allow ourselves to just take a 'leap of faith' and let our other senses take us where they will, we would possibly find a lot more satisfaction in where we find ourselves and the lessons we have learned.

If you have faith in your gut feeling, then you are not going to go wrong. 

Secrets and Shy

No card talk today, I've been doing some study work all day with them and I'm all tarot'd out.  Don't get me wrong, I could talk all day about tarot and oracles, however I have to give this old brain of mine a chance to recover or I'll end up going into over-drive.

So instead I'm going to let you in on a little secret about me.

Anybody who knows me in the physical world would describe me as loud, funny, quick witted, opinionated, friendly and out going. They are possibly flatteringly correct but in another way they are very wrong.  

These people who would use this kind of description of me are people who are close, trusted friends.  When I use the term 'trusted' they can wear that as a badge of honour, as I find trusting people extremely difficult.  All my close circle have something, very personal to me, in common with me, and these vary from friend to friend.

As a child I was very shy, I was brought up for the first five years of my life in a different country, my parents having emigrated when I was a baby.  I knew no extended family and my world consisted of my father, my mother and my brother.  After 5 years abroad, my parents came back to the U.K where I was thrust into a large family of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.  It was alien to me,  I was a very petite child, with a strong Australian accent, and these strange people would fuss around me, quick to point out how sweet I was with my white blonde hair and suntanned skin, I was, asking me to say things in my funny accent.  I hated every moment of the over the top attention.  To me, I was just me.

Being shy was no excuse, my mother would tell me to 'stop being so stupid', 'answer people when I was spoken to' and the cruelest one, stop being so pathetic'.  I had been taken away from everything I had known, bright sunny days, miles and miles of open land, and a rather middle class background and thrust into this grey, cold country, with what seemed like a grubby landscape of nothing but streets and houses.

Even in school I was treated like some strange being, the little blonde one with the funny accent, made to stand up and read in school assemblies, tell the other children about life in Australia, ad I ever seen a koala or a kangaroo. 

I was miserable and lost.  I had been cosseted by the exclusivity of my small family, where I could play in my fantasy world and imagination.  Now I was being told I had to behave differently.

Unfortunately my mother's remarks came back and bit her in the rear.  As I grew I became 'out going' and talkative, developed a strong regional accent, and my mother despaired of the monster she ad created. I had swung the pendulum way too far in the other direction and she was frequently embarrassed by my extrovert behaviour.

Recently, over the last year and a half, I feel I have come to terms with the reasons for this..... I AM AN INTROVERT.

I spent so many years being made to feel ashamed and uncomfortable with being and introvert, that I created an alter ego who was the complete opposite of who I truly am.  It was a mask I wore well, but was never comfortable with.

Why people think being an introvert is a weakness is beyond me.  I feel that it is the reason I am able to show empathy and compassion, find forgiveness, and accept my own faults.     

As I explained here here I am happy in my own company.  I am not anti social, I just do not feel comfortable in big social groups. Some people see me as being aloof, stand-offish, even as thinking myself above other people, these people couldn't be further from the truth.

If someone becomes my close friend, it has taken a while to get there,  It has usually taken them to share something personal with me that I can relate to that has been the catalyst in me trusting them as a friend.  

Even with the protection of hiding behind a computer screen does not change my introverted tendancies.  I have 43 fiends on facebook, this includes family  I never accept friend requests from friends of friends.  I am a member of a number of forums, yet will only post maybe once a week (on some it is less than that).  

So, you may think, why start a blog? why offer free readings?  Because I do like interacting with people, I enjoy listening to other peoples' stories, I too have a story, its called 'who I am'.  

As I try to find meaning to my life, I find writing it down helps me to view it objectively.  I have been told on several occasions that what I have lived, can also help and that I should write a book about my life (it wouldn't be believed if I did).  But this is my starting point.This is my little way of putting it out there.  And like an alcoholic at an A.A meeting I want to stand up and be accountable for what I am........I am Pisces Moon, and I am an introvert 


  

Selfishness, Solitude and the Single Girl

Oracle of the Shapeshifters

I notice when I travel around the various tarot forums I'm a member of, the number of posts from people wanting answers regarding their love lives, crushes, obsessions is enormous.

Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people wanting to find that one true love, but the amount of people who believe it is the be all and end all is frightening.  The general thinking is to just throw yourself in whole heartedly into having a partner, any partner and calling it love.  

I am of the belief that real deep love only comes through time, and is not something that happens after a 3 hour dinner date.But seriously, the amount of people who post on these boards with things such as 'How does he feel about me.... I went on a date 5 weeks ago with this guy and he hasn't called so I did a tarot spread.  I can't read the tarot cards but I think it meant he's in love with me, cos I love him'. (This is not an actual post, but you get the gist of what I'm saying). 

Call me an old fart if you wish, however I am a firm advocate of loving yourself first. Don't bring another person into your relationship with yourself until you have a firm foundation to build on.  I've read some horror stories of people who believe they are 'destined to be together' and then go on to describe the most horrific stories of distrust, jealousy, obsession, emotional abuse and at best dislike for the person they are having a 'relationship' with.  This to me just smacks of at best, low self esteem and at worst, sheer desperation.

I'm not mocking, I've been there, oh boy have I been there.  I've had some horrific 'relationships' that felt like love, However I can look back now and realise my self esteem was at rock bottom at the time.  My last relationship makes me want to hang my head in shame, but I won't bore you with details. 
We can be our own worst enemies when someone else is loading the bullets into the gun.

So why are people so afraid of being alone?  Do they dislike their own company?  I find people like this to be very shallow people.  How can you not like being alone with yourself?  How do you even know who you are if you are constantly being fed by other peoples' thoughts and opinions?  Or do these people not trust or like their own thoughts?

Being alone is not the same as being lonely.  You can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely if there is no connection there.  And I'm not even going to touch on loneliness as that is something totally different.

Being alone is a good time to think your own thoughts, get things straight in your head, even sing at the top of your tone deaf voice if you so wish, without someone telling you you're tone deaf.  So what if you are, to enjoy something doesn't mean being good at it.

Being alone makes you accountable for your every thought and action, its a brilliant time to reflect on your hopes, dreams, fears likes and dislikes.

This past 2 years has opened up so many different avenues to me, I have found things about myself that previously I had never noticed before.  My choice of reading material has totally changed, my political views are now different and I have a spiritual side of me that is developing in a way I would never have imagined.  Even my priorities are different now

I'm single by choice (yes, it is my first choice) and have been for a while.  I have no interest in finding someone to share my life with because I realised that until I found out who I truly was, and find enough reasons to love me, I couldn't expect someone else to love me.  I enjoy my time alone, I've become openly selfish, in that I don't want to have to think about 'us' just me.  I know by looking back, I have always had a selfish streak in me, I accept it and have no problem with integrating it as part of me.  I feel at this time in my life I need to be selfish.

I have become so much more at peace with my past, and accepting the negatives about myself.  I am happy with where my life is now.  I don't have someone projecting their issues on to me, making me feel I am unworthy of anything.  I do't even feel the need to socialise just because it is expected of me.  I'm a happy hermit.

So when I read all this anguish from others about either the desperate need for finding someone that loves them or that their one true love ( the 7th in a space of 2 years) is causing them hurt, I feel like replying,' Turn off Facebook, quit wearing Eau de Desperation and get a mirror.  Because reflected back is the one person who can truly love you for you, warts and all'.  You do not need any other person to validate you.  Only you can do that.

Right I'm back off to my cave in the wilderness to sing tunelessly very, very loudly.

Love Is All Around Us

VI The Lovers, Tarot of the Hidden Realm

When The Lovers card appears in a spread, most clients assume that this is a sign that the true love they seek is going to happen.  In some readings it can mean exactly that, however sometimes it is not even close.

Originally this card was called 'Love' and somehow over time evolved into The Lovers and its meaning became fuzzy.

The Lovers is about developing bonds, close, personal, deep bonds.  It can be a connection between two friends that on a mental level, seem to think the same thoughts, have the same beliefs, see things from the same perspective.  Almost like 2 halves of the same thing. 

It is about those people in our lives who bring a connection that makes them special to us. It is about love, but may symbolise the love we have for our partner, parent, sibling, child or friends. They are the people who enrich our lives just by being a part of it.   

There can be an element of physical attraction, even sexual desire, within the context of who the card is portraying.  But the card alone is not always read as that passionate romance that will sweep us off our feet.

The card is also to do with choices, moral and ethical dilemmas that call on us to decide what we must do, from our our best choice.  It is the difference between right and wrong, it symbolises our beliefs, our truth and our morals.

So if it shows up in a reading for you, don't think that it is necessarily time to book the minister and telling your mother to buy a new hat, you may be very disappointed. 

Love is in our lives in many different guises, if you accept that you are never going to be poor.  

Light My Fire

Enchanted Map Oracle, Colette Baron Reid

I love the fact that what I do to pay the bills leaves me plenty of time to embrace the things I love.  I may not be an expert in any of my hobbies and interests but I have the luxury of time to pursue what makes my inner light shine.

As a child I loved to create, and was always being reprimanded for the scrappy bits of paper lying all over my bedroom floor among crayons, scissors, glue, pens and pencils.

I begged my mother to teach me how to knit at the age of 7 and spent many a happy time knitting blankets for my doll’s pram.  They were by no means perfect but it sparked something in me that made me realise, inspiration is enough to lead you anywhere.

Many years later I worked in a craft shop where I could indulge my passion for card making, scrapbooking, and mixed media art.  It also gave me th opportunity to demonstrate things I had learned and share that knowledge, in the hope that even one person gained inspiration to give it a go themselves.

I even taught myself to crochet about 12 years ago via the internet, something my mother had never learned to do so was unable to teach me.

I’m no expert at any of these activities, but, I can produce decent results.  The end result is not necessarily the goal for me, it’s the doing, and it’s the idea of taking some basic items and playing with them, from the initial idea, to the activity, of putting the idea into motion and doing it for me.  I'm not really bothered if someone doesn't appreciate my efforts, however its a bonus if they do.  Its a bit like keeping a diary, albeit a very tactile one, nobody keeps a diary for someone else to critique.its personal to the writer.  This is how I view my creations.

The same goes for my love of tarot and oracle cards.  I enjoy getting to know the cards, looking at each image, seeing how each one makes me feel.  My take on a card may not match some else's, however, neither is wrong, we just view things from slightly different angles  

Visually I adore Colette Baron Reid’s Enchanted Map oracle, the artwork is stunning. The images are rich, emotive and intriguing.

I look at these cards as mini pieces of art, and am in the process of using some of the images in a photo manipulation programme to create wall art for my home. 

I’m using the card ‘Spark’ to go on the wall in my bedroom, near my bed.  

I’m using the image and association of the card to remind me that every day I will find at least one thing that will bring me that flash of inspiration.  It may not be obvious at first but it maybe that one thing tat keeps coming back into our mind, as if the subconscious is telling us 'take note'.

Whether that be a creative inspiration, a topic that piques my interest and learn more about, (or blog about) even an insight to check in with myself, work on an underlying issue or just to remember to enjoy ‘being’.  It may be the tiniest thing, but it will resonate with me, touch my heart and my spirit.

I don’t want to spend my days with my eyes, ears and heart closed to what is happening around me.  I want be open to the little quirks of life that may sometimes pass us by.  

I talk to some people and think ‘How can someone be so blinkered?’  They must walk around with their eyes shut. 

This is an amazing planet we live on and a fascinating universe we exist in, why are some people just happy to merely exist here and can think no further than the tip of their noses.  

We, in the grand scheme of things, only inhabit this planet for a millisecond of time.  Surely it would be nice to think of just one thing we could leave behind to say ‘I was here’.  Just a small wisp of ourselves that, even if it touches just one single being, can be our legacy.

We can’t all be Michelangelo, Shakespeare or The Buddha, but we can be inspired by them, whether it be for the art, the mastery of language or their dedication of finding true spiritual peace. 

 We can all find a spark somewhere and use it to light a torch to guide us on our journey through this life.  You just need to be looking in all the right places

SO GO ON, CREATE SOMETHING AS BEAUTIFUL AS YOU!

1. The Magician of the Mature Kind

The Magician from Legacy of the Divine Tarot by Ciro Marchetti

I'm feeling like The Magician today.  

I only started this blog a few days ago and felt just like The Fool,  in a rapid transition I feel  I am now The Magician.  I am starting to find things are changing and taking shape in my life. I know too that I am the one making these amazing changes.  I am the one in control of what this universe is offering me and I am embracing it and using it to its full potential.

Certain things that I felt were eluding me are now coming into being.  I had all the tools yet I didn't know it, I knew what I needed to achieve and yet I couldn't make it work.

Suddenly its as if everything has fallen into place, everything was there just waiting to be manipulated in the right way and I am now making a progression on my life path.

Being no spring chicken I assume most people would think that I should have progressed way further than this.  I had.  Yet, several times, however in the last few years I had a rapid succession of my Tower being struck down.

I'm not one to dwell on the past, never have been, I don't ever believe that going backwards achieves anything.  My motto comes from the  Donna Summer song 'I don't wanna get hurt' from about 1988 (I told you I was no spring chicken).  The 2 lines of the song are,  'I don't need all friends to remind me, mistakes that I've already made.  I just leave the past behind me, and go on believing that I'll be okay'.  Yup I live by this, it doesn't mean to say I don't have emotional scars, I do.  At a very deep level but I am working on these daily and I can see that the scars are self inflicted, and only I can heal them.  This is mainly what led me to tarot.  

However I digress.  My main point about the Magician card lies in the fact that most tarot decks I have looked at portray this card with a youthful figure.  My love of the card from Legacy of the Divine is that it portrays our magical manifestor as an older man.  Someone who has tried time and time again to get the conditions right.  

He has the face of a person who has the ravages of time imprinted on his skin.  Across his cheek is, what looks like, a scar. Was it possibly caused by previous efforts blowing up in his face ?  

This is a man who has worked many times to manifest his desires and looks as if he has had many strikes against him in his efforts. His eyes hold the look of someone who has had a 'Eureka' moment and cannot believe it is now happening. His full concentration is focused on his creation, scared to drop his gaze in fear that it will fall or disappear from him.  It is within his grasp, he can reach out and touch it, in solid form.

For this reason I love this card.  I love that it realises, that for some, it may take many years to understand how to bring everything together and make it into something real and solid.  Especially in todays world where it seems love is disposable and financial stability is fragile.  But don't get me started on that. 

Love and light xx

A New Deck Ramble

From top L-R: King of Pentacles, Ace of wands, Ace of Cups. Bottom L-R The High Priestess, 4 of Swords) 

I received my Tarot of the Hidden Realm (by Barbara Moore, art by Julia Jeffrey) a couple of days ago and I am in love.
These cards are absolutely beautiful.  I have posted a picture of some of my favourite images from the deck. however every image is enchanting
I was unsure about how good these would be to read with due to the lack of traditional symbols, however I think the expressive faces tell you everything you need to know.
For an intuitive reader they are an absolute delight as these cards speak to you from core level.

I was quite surprised by my choice of deck, as the muted earthy tones are a far cry from my usual deck, which is vibrant and lively with a lot of background imagery, however I feel this may be part of the attraction to this deck.  Beguiling fae beckon you to look closely, and listen carefully. The artwork is captivating, I am totally blown away

I'm not an avid fan of 'traditional' decks.  I do own a Rider Waite Smith deck but the imagery leaves me cold.  For traditional learning methods it is a good deck, however I've never done anything by the rules, I've got by this long on bending them or making my own, and its always worked for me.

I do study my RWS and have several tarot books, I do try and absorb traditional meanings but, as in every aspect of life, everyones view is different, not right or wrong, just different and some of my tarot books although conveying similar messages can be  'off the mark' for me.

Its a lifelong process and who knows, if I'm still alive and kicking in 25 years time I may just have got some handle on 'traditional' meanings.  But for now its all about going with the flow, its something I've suppressed for many years due to various issues, and I now feel comfortable in my slightly sagging skin to take control and follow my heart.

As for the here and now, I'm just going to get to know these beautiful creatures because I feel this is going to be a very happy relationship.

0 The Fool

I feel like The Fool in tarot.

I am stepping out into a new adventure and have  no idea where this is taking me.
I'm more likely to ramble on and just stumble on my way and learn as I go.  I have no expectations, as I know little of this cyber world, so I have no fear of stepping out, making mistakes and finding what this world has in store.

I'm relatively new to tarot but I am absolutely hooked, I am studying at my own pace, in my own way and it seems as though everything is falling into place.  Never having been one for rigid learning methods and best left to my own devices, I'll ask for help when I need it.

I appreciate input and happily consider other peoples opinions.  I may not always get to the point someone is making in the same way that they formed their opinion.  I think 'off in tangents', I play with ideas, toy with them, even role play them in my mind to see how they sit with me and then I can see the other persons point.

Maybe that is why oracle cards and tarot appeal so much.  Its input gives me different perspectives to work with and absorbing the messages given by the cards is like a gym session for my mind.

I love the idea of a visual aid to get the mind working, I can ponder over the message of a card for hours, even days.  If this sounds like a 'nothing better to do' statement, it isn't.  I go about my daily business and see where the message fits in to each situation, Come a certain time of night I will switch off that thinking, turn my attention elsewhere, paint, draw, craft and create. I let my brain choose its free time like a child at playtime at school.  I let it burn off the excess energy in whichever way I feel works best.