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.

Postman Pat and the Illuminati

Tarot Illuminati by  Erik. C. Dunne

I can be so ostentatious at times and when I see money in my account that has no obvious purpose, it seems to find its way to exchange itself into a new deck of cards.  I honestly do not know how it does it but it does.  Honestly these things just magically 'appear' in my shopping cart.  That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Today I was excited to receive my copy of Tarot Illuminati by Erik. C. Dunne.  To say I was hyper excited was an understatement.  I was at my daughter's house and luckily my post man knows me so he handed the parcel(s) in there, seriously I could have kissed him.  

My delight was a little obvious as I ripped open the package then proceeded to ooh and aah my way through the deck.  The colours are so vibrant and each card is loaded with imagery.  I'm a little hmmm about the faces of the people on the cards, but I suppose its just a case of familiarising myself with them. 

I know some people do not appreciate CGI decks, I don't have a problem with them as, if done well, it can add layer upon layer of imagery which to me only enhances the understanding of each card (no TdM for me thank you).  The LWB (if you can call it that, as it is not little or white) is beautifully written by Kim Huggens, one of my favourite tarot authors.  Each Major has a full page colour reproduction of the card with a one page explanation of its significance.

There are a few spreads in the book too and information is given about furthering your learning with tarot with astrology, numerology and Kabbalah.  

I'm a Ciro Marchetti girl myself and adore his tarot and oracle decks and eagerly anticipate the release of Tarot of Dreams on the mass market. But I must admit I am royally impressed with Illuminati. 

I am looking forward to doing some self development readings with these cards, as I feel they have a wealth of information within each card.

I have also been ordered, by my daughter. to give her a reading with these as soon as possible, so it looks like I may be busy this evening.

  

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.

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!