Here we are at the end of the year, where we look back on the past months and begin to think towards the new year to come! 2018 is going to be a Big One, where we really start to work towards finding personal balance after a couple of years of major challenges and realizations that have been pushing us to the point we are at Right Now: standing at the doorways of something totally new and terribly exciting. That’s some conscious word choice: this will be a year of allowing what’s not working to fall away without unnecessary struggle, of seeking justice through right action, and of measuring our actions against our hearts and finding useful answers in between.

I’ve been thinking over my own resolutions for the past few years, and am amazed at how far they’ve come, what as shifted in terms of my personal goals. For me, 2016 was about the 2 of Cups, 9 of Pentacles, and The World: I wanted to recognize the love in my life while also loving and providing for myself, and through that finding the balance needed to “step through the final veil” into a new cycle, which brought me to my main goal for 2017: the 6 of Wands, wanting to be recognized for my efforts in sharing my passion with others. I’ve been considering my goals for 2018 carefully, knowing it’s going to be a truly transformational year, and have consciously chosen my “cards for the year” to be the 2 of Pentacles, maintaining work-life balance, the 9 of Cups, emotional satisfaction, and XIV – Temperance, more balance through finding patience and calm within. These are majorly abbreviated meanings for those cards and my reasons for choosing them are super-deep, but I’m excited to have already started trying to live by my vision for what these resolutions mean to me!

To support my resolutions I laid out a crystal grid of my usual desert rose, selenite wand, and amethyst cluster for clearing of energy and anxiety and for Higher Self connection, nuumite for deep and powerful healing, a little turquoise Kali statue to help me recognize and communicate where changes need to be made, another amethyst to help me think clearly from a place of intuition, apatite to further help me communicate what I need to feel empowered in my life, lepidolite for further soothing of my anxious patterns, red phantom quartz for breaking negative habits, agatized coral to help me flow with my personal patterns and find strength in the ones that do help me grow, and turritella agate to ground myself through working on those patterns and releasing myself from the ones that are “poisoning” my life.

Together, these three cards will require me to be honest with myself about how much I can handle, and whether what I’m choosing to “handle” is even worth handling. If it throws me off balance, maybe it’s not worth it! For example, I’ve been trying to reevaluate how to do my blog posts because I’ve gotten kind of bored with the moon phase posts — this is my cue to be honest with myself and change my format so I feel more satisfied with the work I’m putting out. Yay! Admitting that to myself helped me calm down, release the guilt I was feeling for getting behind, and in turn inspired me for the new direction I want to take with posting — a “back to basics” card-of-the day style, visiting with each of my decks for the first month or so of the year. I feel good about it and feel one-card posts will be a more manageable use of my precious blogging time ❤

Consciously choosing these cards was an interesting exercise for me — I used to marvel at people who did it as opposed to “choosing blind” from the deck. But lately I feel like I can “guess” the cards in spreads before I turn them over, to really cool effect — it feels like “levelling up” in a video game!

It’s neat to notice that the two minor cards add up to 11/2, which is the number vibration of the year ahead, and then with Temperance it adds up to 25, or 7, which is my Birth number — this will be a year where I settle on my personal “will” and find the drive to persevere in my efforts!

What are your New Year’s resolutions? Feel free to leave a comment!

If you’re interested in a reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! I’m currently offering a special on my 15-card Year Ahead reading: enter the coupon code NEWYEAR2018 for $15 off an $80 reading at checkout.

Deck used:

Tarot Mucha. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Giulia F. Massaglia. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2014. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.

We’re into the Waxing Crescent phase of the Moon, where we use all that we came up with during the Waning phases to set the foundation for the new cycle ahead. At this time of year, the Winter Solstice, that means ramping up for the New Year and all that will come with it! Things will only get brighter from here, especially with the new perspective we’ve gained on our respective challenges — we are all inspired to work through them and make 2018 the best year yet.

This spread is based on The Numinous’s Waxing Crescent spread for Setting Foundations. In honour of the Solstice, I drew from the Druid Animal Oracle, the Druid Plant Oracle, and the Wild Wood Tarot. I laid out a crystal grid of selenite, desert rose, and an amethyst cluster for clearing of negative energy and anxiety and to establish Higher Self connection, sunstone to welcome back the Light and amplify the happiness you have, iolite to help you communicate your vision for the future, labradorite to help you “go with the flow” as you make it real, two hawk’s eye for protection and far-sightedness, petrified wood to bring in ancestral support, red jasper for grounding, magnesite for solid thoughts and ideas, pink opal for compassion and connection with the people who love you, tiger’s eye for multifaceted creativity and emotional strength, and crazy lace agate to remind you to laugh with life.

Oracle cards: Bee + Fern

Truly, you are filled with an amazing amount of energy, a pure vitality, and you are driven to really start building the structures that will support your work and attract you support and community. The sun is coming back into your life! And with it a massive creative spark, one that will find you doing that “wing-spreading” we’ve been anticipating for so long — indeed, it is time to unfurl, to ease into the new patterns you’ve been envisioning for yourself, and to achieve that balance between dark and light that fills you up with all the sweetness and magic that life can offer.

Card 1: Your source of energy and willpower: 8 of Bows (Wands) reversed

Things are finally settling down, and you can feel how much you are settling into the new “way things are” — in such a way that you are completely inspired to persevere in your efforts, feeling safe in your newfound stability. Whether this matches with your external reality or not, either way, your spirit and your passion have found an awesome groove and you are thriving on it — you are ready to bring that inner flame out into the rest of your life, finding ways to warm it up and make it a hospitable place for your new trajectory to grow and expand. If anything, you are committed to the path you’ve chosen and are ready to share it with others, in turn inspiring them to pursue their own!

Card 2: Your talents: XII – The Mirror reversed

Yes, the time for being still, for pondering is over — it’s time to act on the past weeks,’ months,’ years’ reflections, and bring them forth in a way that you can touch and fully feel! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and you just know it opens on to something amazing. This is the result of you taking the “dark” for all it was worth, for bravely allowing yourself to sink to your own darkest depths, so that you could understand where you as a person are coming from — you are now equipped with a clear picture of what you need for personal balance, combined with precisely how you are going to get yourself there.

Card 3: The environment: I – The Shaman

You have set yourself up so incredibly! All this time that felt like you were in limbo was really spent gathering exactly the tools, abilities, and sheer intention you need to really make this work. You are ready to create magic, and you are healing your situation! You are ready to take full action, because you know that at last, it’s Your Time. You can feel safe in getting ready to Start — you have been preparing for this moment your whole life, and it is time to believe in the power of your own unique, personal “shine.”

Card 4: Your resources: 8 of Stones (Pentacles)

This spread couldn’t be more clear — you have all the skills you need to do what you love, and you are going to excel at it. It will take lots of hard work but you are dedicated, as you can feel through your whole Self how very much you are destined to do this!! You’re making it work in the greatest way, and you are being rewarded with the satisfaction of a job well done — and boundless new opportunities as the result. Don’t stop now! Keep going, keep working, and keep savouring how awesome it is that you have exactly what you need to succeed.

You’re feeling renewed — to the point that something you thought would never be possible so, so apparently is. Go get it!! You’ve found a great balance between your thoughts and actions, and are feeling very much in control of your own life at this point — so much so that you’re ready to make a new spiritual start as well, one that helps you feel fully aligned with all the gifts you’ve been given. When things fall into place, it can be hard to believe! But believe it you should, and can — keep creating, keep doing, keep trusting that you really do deserve the good things coming to you. You have worked so hard for this and now it really is yours! The first steps have been taken and you are entering the real hands-on building phase. Give yourself a pat on the back and get to it!

Decks used:

The Druid Animal Oracle. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Illustrated by Bill Worthington. New York: Fireside/Simon & Schuster, 1994.

The Druid Plant Oracle. Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. Illustrated by Will Worthington. London: Connections Book Publishing, 2007.

The Wild Wood Tarot. Mark Ryan and John Matthews. Illustrated by Will Worthington. New York: Sterling Ethos/Sterling Publishing, 2011.

Here we are at the New Moon in Sagittarius! New Moon energy is all about New Beginnings, about the “launching point” for all the new ideas you came up with during the Moon’s Waning phases. This New Moon takes place at 26 degrees Sagittarius, which indicates that it will be about putting the work in to harness your passion, and through that finding new ways to balance that work with your personal relationships and community.

For this spread, based on The Numinous‘ New Moon: New Beginnings spread, I chose to draw from Angel Tarot Cards, Oracle of the Mermaids, and Revelations Tarot. [Side note: lately when I meditate on which decks to use for a particular reading, certain cards images will pop into my head at the same time, and without fail they show up in the spread! I’m internally squealing with intuitive delight all the time!] I laid out a crystal grid of my usual desert rose, selenite wand, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, along with a big raw carnelian for a huge infusion of creativity and emotional awareness, yellow calcite for solid recognition of your personal power at this time, Botswana agate for further understanding of your emotions, two shells to help you “go deep” as we enter this fresh New Moon energy, dumortierite for grounding through positive self-expression, aventurine for heart-centredness, citrine to welcome in abundance, serpentine for grounding through understanding your heart’s patterns, and dendritic/tree agate to help you establish new structures for yourself and to help you grow.

Oracle Cards: IX – The Hermit + 41. Sisterhood reversed

Yes, you’ve come up with some cool new ideas — you still have some work to do before you feel ready to bring them forward, but that’s natural at this point in the cycle. There is a lot going on astrologically surrounding this New Moon, and we are preparing to enter a completely different energy, one that will surely have everyone feeling “out of their element” as we make adjustments to catch up. Mercury is going direct in a few days, coinciding with Saturn leaving Sagittarius and entering its home sign of Capricorn — we’re shifting from loose and wild to tight and regimented! This will require a re-evaluating of our personal support systems, and a need to use our “inner lanterns” to light the way for a little while, until things settle down and start to feel incredibly propitious once more– which they will!

Jumpers: 4 of Cups + 6 of Cups

The Revelations Tarot is a lively one, it threw two jumpers out for this spread! These cards together further confirm that you are on your way to feeling “complete,” but that getting there will require a process of reconciling whatever disappointment you are feeling at this time with the expectations you had for the future. Reflecting on the past will be helpful here, in measuring what worked then and what did not, but moreso what is needed is a “wiping clean” of your slate: nothing is the same now, and moving forward, everything will be different! As such, you can create whatever picture you want for what the future will be: you are rippling with potential, the very type that will carry you on warm winds to exactly where you want to be in the New Year. You’re working up the spiral and your Inner Child is here to play, to help you envision the Very Best for yourself! You are so, so ready for this change!

Card 1: Where you have been. III – The Empress

Truly, over the past while you have created a fertile environment from which your “new life” will blossom: you have been tending and nurturing your situation so carefully, and this good work will support the acceleration to come. It feels like “you’ve got the whole world in your hands,” and you do! Now, just like a mother whose baby is taking its first steps, it’s time to prepare to “let it go:” send your vision, your creation out in to the world to do its thing, while you wait, make your personal adjustments, and trust that the love you’ve put out and given in will come back to you a hundredfold. What you have made is beautiful, it’s working, it is attractive to others, and it is only the beginning of where your creative streak will take you in the months ahead. You have truly come in to your own!

Card 2: Where you are. 9 of Wands reversed

You are in a process of sudden change! Those “warm winds” are picking up quickly, transporting you to a place where you recognize better boundaries for yourself and your personal energy, as well as a release from the guilt-cycle that has been so characteristic of your life up ’til recently. That is, until you said “no more!” and took up the tools yourself, to build that fence that will keep out past negative influences and help you protect what you have worked so hard to achieve. This is a wearying process, to be sure, and part of the work to come will continue to involve carving out lots of time for rest and self-care — you can keep out the external stuff, it’s about managing the “internal” ankle-biters and setback-makers that will remain an ongoing challenge.

Card 3: Where you want to be. 10 of Wands

You want to be on top of your “passionate” game! The reason you’ve been putting all this work in is because you want to be as busy as possible with what you love to do — you look forward to the point that so much is coming in that you don’t even have time to think about the mundane “rest.” But Rest you still must — know that all you want really is coming to you, and before you know it, you will be so busy that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a moment to catch up. You can do it! As you start to notice this shift happening, take a moment here and there to acknowledge your massive progress, to feel thankful for how far you’ve come, and to notice how very high you’ve made it on your personal Mountain. Continue to think creatively about how best to manage all your tasks and responsibilities, and hold utmost trust and faith in yourself to get it all done — you can! You will! A large part of this New Moon is about establishing new patterns and routines to maximize your efficiency — as soon as you notice a potential trip-up, bank on your new routine concepts to get you back on the path and even higher up the hill!

If you feel like you’re not “ready” for the huge things barrelling towards you, that’s okay! Continue to poke around your inner world, because the answers you need to handle this upcoming wave are all there to be found. This Mercury Retrograde was an exercise in accessing your intuition, in “listening to that inner voice,” and hearing it scream with love that it is here to support you!! As such, you’ve managed to make awesome headway in your personal relationships, which will provide a cool support as you prepare your idea for “what’s next” to be presented to the rest of the world. Your passion is alive, and that “return on your investment” from all the work of this past year is already on its way. Things are coming together for you in a way that will be apparent so, so soon. In fact, the “seed” that will seal the deal will also make itself known, and this will be the foundation on which you start building again as the Moon works up the Waxing phase of its cycle, bringing us to the Full Moon on New Year’s Day. No need to overthink right now — this process can be very easy if you open up and allow what’s coming to throughly excite you — don’t be intimidated by the increase in energy it will absolutely require. You can do it! You are answering your “calling” and can rest assured that you are doing the right thing.

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! I’m offering a discount on 15-card Year Ahead readings — enter the coupon code NEWYEAR2018 at checkout for $15 off an $80 reading!

Decks used:

Angel Tarot Cards. Doreen Virtue and Radeigh Valentine. Artwork by Steve A. Roberts. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2012.

Oracle of the Mermaids. Lucy Cavendish. Artwork by Selina Fenech. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2013.

Revelations Tarot. Zach Wong. Llewellyn Publications, 2005.

Here we are at the last phase before the New Moon! We’re deep into the inner work needed to start the next Moon cycle off on its best foot, and are in the process of accessing our deepest “secrets” in order to bring forth the truths we’ll face and make peace with by the time the New Year rolls around, and with it, the next Full Moon. The cards for this phase show that we’re making massive progress, indeed — that challenge now is to allow ourselves to rest, with all the positive developments being made!

For this spread, working with the energy of the Waning Crescent Moon and focused on how we can best Rest and Reflect at the end of the Moon Cycle, I drew from the Feng Shui Tarot, Wild Kuan Yin Oracle, and Crystal Reading Cards. I laid out a crystal grid of my usual desert rose, selenite wand, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, red quartz for grounding, unakite for balancing of the masculine and feminine dualities at play, agatized coral for understanding of personal patterns, shiva lingam for positive connection with sexuality and passion, carnelian for creativity and connection with the emotional process, moonstone for understanding of personal cycles, and lilac lepidolite to soothe any anxiety we’re feeling as we enter the darkest point of the month ❤ ❤

Oracle Cards: 17. Sacred Falcon Shows the Way + Crocoite | Sexuality

Yes, you are being led out of the Fog that has been an ongoing theme for the past little while — you have received guidance, probably in quite an exciting way!, and are in the “processing” phase, deciding what you will do with this new information, this new infusion of energy. You’re marvelling at the way “life’s chemistry” works! You are excited, reinvigorated, hopeful in a way that feels both unfamiliar but also comforting — this is exactly what you’ve been needing, and you are open to continuing to communicate how this makes you feel and where you want this new surge to take you. Continue to let this feeling wash over you for now, hold on to it for a while before you really get going with your new direction! Remember, we need to wind down to recharge so we can be at our best when it’s really time to soar. Know that the passion you are experiencing is a gift, here to inspire you to make the changes you’ve been trying to decide on, but also to lift you up and help you realize just how high you can peak! Hunker down — this is a perfect time to “hibernate” with all these good vibes <3<3

Card 1: What will help you rest? King of Wands

Rest?! You’re too filled with the aforementioned passion to think about slowing down too much — but that’s exactly what you need to do, because you need as much of that bountiful energy as possible for the weeks ahead. The year’s not over yet, and there will be a big, final push that characterizes the “upswing” of the Moon cycle to come! Know that nothing can sway you from the course you’ve begun, and that truly, once you get back in action the results you seek will come much more quickly than you originally anticipated. All the more reason to rest as much as possible, whenever and wherever you can — you will need to be in tip-top shape for the exciting challenges to come. Nothing placed in your path at this point is there to deter you, but rather to fire you up, to stoke that inner furnace, to keep you motivated and charging towards your goal. It’s so close now, and you can already feel how great it will be to attain it — for the third time, conserve your personal energy, because you are going to need it for the huge influx of passion-work, not to mention leadership-style thinking, that will be required of you very soon!

Card 2: New goals charging: 5 of Wands reversed

Indeed, an intense ongoing battle has moved into “reconciliation” territory. Oh wow, did you ever think that slog would never end — everyone was so invested in “their side” of the story that it seemed like it would never work out. But then, just like that, the clouds parted and things began feeling positive once more! Huh?! Don’t analyze it too much, instead be glad that things are feeling celebratory instead of discriminatory! Do reflect on your part in what happened, but in such a way that you improve your approach and can feel better about the way you communicate your needs in this situation moving forward. There will still be a few related zaps here and there, but the structures you have in place to keep the positivity flowing will hold, as everyone involved truly wants this to work out at this point.

Card 3: Where balance has been found: XX – Judgment

Yahoo! You’ve “heard” the divine messages being thrown at you left, right, and centre — your “calling” at this point in time is clear, and you feel like you know what you need to do. Awesome job! Stay on track with the spiritual/grounding exercises you’ve put in place for yourself, because they really have been helping you get closer to who and where you want to be at present — you have figured out how to harness what works for you, and you have “permission from the Universe” to use it to your full advantage. Take the next few days to just be still with this idea, allowing yourself to feel lifted up and out of your recent slump, knowing you are being transported to much better things. As I’m writing, I keep thinking “but I don’t need to tell you this — I know you can feel it!”

We can all start to get really excited for 2018: it’s going to be such a special year, where we are able to take stock and fully see how far we’ve come through the tough and trying work of the past few years. You have done such a great job of staying on task, keeping yourself in the game, continuing to put the work in and reaching out — the struggle is relenting, and will be replaced with further inspiration and good types of excitement. You’re really doing it, you are taking control of your situation and finding ways to live your personal dream! As for the current phase of what you’ve been working towards, you’re through the “first step/baby” stage and are approaching the midpoint. That’s where this need to conserve your energy now comes in — the midpoint is the trickiest to get through, but once you do, everything becomes so much easier, like when you walk home with your arms full of groceries and finally cross the threshold and can put everything down. You feel like you could float up to the ceiling! Either way, you’re not there just yet: you have just filled the bags and paid for the groceries themselves and are getting ready for “the walk.” You’re doing it — keep going! There is so much good waiting on the horizon <3<3

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Crystal Reading Cards. Rachelle Charman. Sterling Ethos, 2016.

Feng Shui Tarot. Eileen Connolly and Peter Paul Connolly. Published by U.S. Game Systems. Scans via Tarot.com, August 27, 2015. Illustrations from Feng Shui Tarot used with permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902. c. 2001 by U.S. Games Systems.  All rights reserved.

Wild Kuan Yin Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Wang Yiguang. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2015.

Ah, we’ve made it through the Waxing Gibbous Moon phase, where we made some important realizations about what we’re working through and how to make sense of it productively. We are in the Last Quarter, where we further process all that’s going on and how we feel about it — this is a time for “letting go” and crystallizing what we’ve learned about ourselves recently in a way that we can make use of once we’ve taken the time to rest and reflect on all that’s been going on. This has been an important Moon cycle, kicking off with a Super Moon and coinciding directly with the current Mercury Retrograde — important things are happening, and paying attention and giving ample time to people and projects will further help you absorb the “lessons” being learned at present.

This spread is based on The Numinous’ Last Quarter spread, focused on Letting Go. I drew from Connected and Free: The Alchemist’s Oracle, Creative Whack Pack, and Wrozba Z Kart Tarot. I laid out a crystal grid of selenite, desert rose, and my favourite amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection. I added raw emerald to welcome abundance and connect us with our bodies and intuition from a place of heart-centredness, moonstone for understanding of our personal cycles, more amethyst to dispel any anxiety we’re feeling, ruby zoisite to remind us that we’re all “diamonds in the rough,” and howlite to bring in not only Higher Self connection, but Higher Self protection, in the form of little intuitive nudges in the Right Direction.

Oracle cards: Storytelling + Give Yourself a Whack on the Side of the Head

The Creative Whack Pack is so funny — it can be so blunt! These cards tell me that we’re all still assuming that the road ahead is going to be “easy,” or like we’ve made enough progress and should be seeing result by now. Nope! There’s still a ways to go, with much more effort and fresh thinking required — this is only the beginning of the story, and write now we’ve opened on a clean page, where the tale of 2018 begins. Take some time to really think on how you want next year’s “story” to unfold, and what you can do to make that happen — at this point it need only be a shift in mindset, with appropriate action to follow when we’ve recharged our personal energy and are ready to rev things up once we’re past the New Moon.

Card 1: What to accept: King of Wands

You’re doing it! I feel like I say this every reading, but oh my, you have come so, so far. You’re set in your passion in such a way that you are inspiring others to seek their own, and you are admired for your vigour and determination to lead your own way. Trust in the personal power you have drummed up, and let its warmth at your back continue to push you forward through whatever challenges the rest of the year throws at you (it’s almost over! At this point, you’re in control — but be sure to use your power judiciously, and to be very much aware of keeping any anger that threatens to spill over directed in a way that is supportive of your progress, and of the people you are guiding as well.

Card 2: What to forgive: II – The High Priestess

We had a lot of “Scorpio action” going on recently — Jupiter is still there, and one characteristic of that placement is masses of secrets coming out, light being thrown on what was meant to be kept hidden, but also huge expansion of our personal passions. We are all working on our respective “stories,” sorting through what we want others to see and what we’d rather they not know about ourselves and our situations. Be gentle with yourself, but also with others at this time. If someone comes to you with something to share, no matter how minute it seems to you, be open and hear them out — they chose you to receive this information, so be prepared for the next page should you reject their reaching out. If you recently handled such an outreach “badly,” trust in the ways of the universe to sort things out, and keep focusing on being honest with yourself about how to you can be your Best You in the future.

Card 3: What to learn: 2 of Cups

Where is the love? You have it! If one thing seems to be going right, it’s this. Whether it’s your closest personal relationship or the radical self-care being prescribed all over the place, your heart is warm and open to receive. Things feel like they’re stacking up well emotionally, so hang on to this balance, this loving progress you’ve made, and trust this positive pattern to continue to flow. Thinking and acting from a place of love and care is the pivot point from which everything good is happening — continue to give of yourself, and know that that’s all you need to do to continue drawing in the love you so truly deserve.

Yes, we’re going deeper and deeper within as the Moon’s face gets darker, and what a conducive time for this to happen during Mercury Retrograde, which opens up our intuition and allows us to connect with our Inner Wisdom in a way that just doesn’t happen at other points in the planetary cycles. Listen to your thoughts, listen to your dreams, listen to your surroundings — this is a time when all sorts of messages are coming through, and that’s all you need to do — listen. You’re receiving all sorts of new ideas that you’ll be able to do so much with once you’ve given them time to percolate! Balance has been found at this time, and you can focus on the love and connections you do have now to carry you through to the beginning of that next chapter waiting on the horizon. So much is still unwritten — let that very much excite you!

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout.

Decks used:

Connected and Free: The Alchemist’s Oracle. Lauren Aletta. Illustrated by Tegan Swyny. First Edition. Inner Hue, 2014.

Creative Whack Pack. Roger von Oech. Stamford, CT: U.S. Games Systems, Inc., 1989.

Wrozba Z Kart Tarot. Aleksandra Jasniak. Illustrated by Anna Galuszka. Krakow, Poland, 1998.

I was so relieved to realize what “phase” we’re at in the moon cycle based on how — well, looney!! — I was feeling yesterday. We’re past the peak of the Full Moon and all the excitement that came with it, and now we’re working on “re-settling” by going back within for the next few weeks, to a place where we regain understanding of our selves and our responses to our respective environments at this time.

This spread is based on The Numinous’s spread for the Waning Gibbous phase of the Moon, focused on Turning Inward. I was really feeling a “Shadow” deck, so I chose to draw from the Mary-el Tarot, with the Mother Mary Oracle and Goddess Guidance Oracle cards — I don’t know about you, but when I pulled these cards I was going through some intense stuff and needed a big cosmic hug! The decks delivered.

I laid out a crystal grid of my usual selenite, desert rose, and amethyst cluster for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, the blackened wood rosary I keep with my Mother Mary Oracle, malachite for heart healing and protection of children and hope, white opal for balancing the messages we’re receiving, vogesite for further energetic clearing and clarity of mind, two petrified wood to bring in an energy of ancestral support, citrine to welcome abundance and remind us of our personal power at this time, cropcircle stone for grounding through understanding patterns and expanding the mind, and jet for protection of personal energy while maintaining a lightness of spirit.

I have to include the Shadow and Higher Self cards for this reading — they were too perfect, and were exactly the confirmation I needed when I drew this spread! I was feeling pretty desperate and these cards really helped me relax, especially where the main reading has some intense points.

Shadow Cards: 41. Our Lady of Sweet Rest + Sige | Quiet Time + 6 of Disks reversed

I think I actually laughed out loud at these cards — they’re saying quite loudly “CHILL!!!” It’s true that we’re at the point in the cycle where we are all feeling very overwhelmed, with more being thrown at us all the time. Accept how these occurrences are making you feel, but be still with it — give yourself permission to rest, to choose not to choose right now. It’s okay to feel like poop every now and again, as long as you take necessary measures to keep yourself from burrowing deeper in the — well, poop-pile. Halt!! Pull back and assess where you are, why you figure you’re there, and where you very much want to be — and that’s all you have to do for now <3<3

Oracle cards: 32. Our Lady Who Gives Peace + Maeve | Cycles and Rhythms

Indeed, the conflicts and difficulties you’re experiencing are natural, not only for this time of month, but also for this stage in what you and bringing in to the world! You’ve experienced some successes and some setbacks in your new venture, and this is a time for taking stock of what is working, of what is not, and for continuing to trust that it’s all going exactly as it should. You are supported in this, especially for the way you are working to make sense of every part of this experience — you really are learning your personal patterns through this, in such a way that you have a better grip on them and how to use them to your advantage. As such, know that this is a time not to “force the issue,” instead to pull back and marvel at what you can count among your achievements.

Card 1: Fears: Ace of Wands

During this natural lull in personal energy, it’s natural to fear that all your new ideas, all your new motivation will be lost! Not so. You are a rechargeable battery, and it’s time to pop back into the charger for a while, so both you and those great ideas will be at full power when it’s time to implement them for real. Lean in to your current sense of confusion and misdirection — there could even be new inspiration to be found there, to think on while you’re building yourself back up!

Card 2: Secrets: 8 of Cups reversed

Part of what you’re feeling is how very much you’ve been trying to endure your struggle “on your own” — we’ve touched on this recently, the need to let the people you care about “in” to help you. This card confirms it — you are seeking warmth and support, but you are so emotionally overwhelmed at what you’re going through that you’re scared to make yourself vulnerable by admitting to how very much you need support now. Don’t be afraid — trust, trust that reaching out really will help the fog start to lift, for everyone involved.

Card 3: Lies: XVII – The Star

No, you’re not out of the woods yet — the funny thing with hope, is we hope and hope and hope and seem to still find ourselves right where we started! Don’t think that any of this will be easy, or that the work is “done” so to speak — no, you must keep building, or at least chipping away at those old foundations, recognizing that the road ahead will never be easy. Always maintain hope, even when it feels like you just keep slipping back to the bottom of the hole. Once we’ve made a bit of progress it can be easy to think that we’re done with the previous lesson — quite the opposite, the previous lesson just becomes part of the fabric that we carry with us always, becoming a reference point for what helped and what didn’t when the same problem arises later in a different form. That sense of hope (with a heaping dose of creative thinking!) is your cloak on this journey, and it will always steer you in the right direction.

Card 4: Regrets: 9 of Disks reversed

Oops — again, when we make a bunch of progress, sometimes it becomes easy to set aside the personal grounding practices (meditation, journaling, exercising, etc) that were so integral in getting us to that point. These acts of self-care are more important than ever at this point in the Moon’s cycle, where the darkness creeps back in and our personal “demons” start nipping and grabbing at our heels again. Keep working at it, keep doing what you love, and know that you’ll feel more comfortable with your self, with your life, with everything soon enough.

Higher Self Cards: 13. Our Lady of Innocence + Lakshmi | Bright Future + 7 of Disks

These cards broke me right down — they were exactly what I needed to hear, and I hope they help you, too! This is not your fault, or some conspiring of the powers that be to punish you for anything. No indeed, this is just another little purification, and you are simply challenged once more to allow, allow, allow what’s trying to fall away to be let go of. Focus on the future, because the dreams you have for it can be real, and you’re already doing great work in holding them in your heart, not to mention the effort you’ve already put in to very much making them happen. Persevere, keep doing the little things that keep the world turning wit what little energy you do have, and know that you’re poised for a big positive boom. To underline the message at the bottom of the Lakshmi card: “Stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine.”

You are still so very much in the “first phase” of all this! There is much to be done, for sure, but those steps are not ready to be taken — this is a time for considering what they miht be, with no pressure to actually do anything about it just yet. Focus on reconnecting with others when you’re feeling better, continuing to lay our foundations, continuing to determine the structures you’ll need in place moving forward. Again, stop worrying as best you can — things really are falling into place, and the balance is being determined and identified by these reoccurring discomforts. You do have a measure of control here; rest on it, recuperate, and prepare to be amazed once the path becomes clear again.

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Decks used:

Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards. Doreen Virtue. Various artists. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2004.

The Mary-el Tarot. Marie White. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2012.

Mother Mary Oracle. Alana Fairchild. Artwork by Shiloh Sophia McCloud. Victoria, Australia: Blue Angel Publishing, 2014.

 

Yesterday was the peak of the Full Moon in Gemini! It was a SuperMoon, the biggest and brightest of the year — although in my neck of the woods, it was also cloudy and snowy! Did you make any Moon-wishes? This Moon’s energy revolved around communication, specifically friendly expression between our selves and the people we care about, and also uniting our inner “dualities” to help us towards feeling complete as the new year rolls around. It was a cool one for me, as it happened at the same point as my natal placement!

To continue my exploration of the moon phases, here is The Numinous‘s Full Moon tarot spread, focused on an energy of Celebration! This is a time for assessing our strengths and how we’ll use them to manifest our best lives. Since the energy here is very conducive to “getting back to basics,” I drew from my trusty Tarot Mucha, with her sister decks of Astrological Oracle Cards and the Nature-Speak Oracle. I used my favourite general crystals with an extra citrine for increased self-confidence and dragon’s blood jasper for heart-centred sense of purpose. Selenite and desert rose selenite for energy clearing and Higher Self connection, amethyst cluster for dispelling anxiety, red jasper for grounding, carnelian for creativity, more citrine, aventurine for heart-centredness, blue lace agate for clear expression of your needs, sodalite for connection with your intuition, and more amethyst to further solidify Higher Self connection.

We’ve all been going through rapid-fire changes lately, but ones that we know are constructive — your fortune finally feels like it’s within reach, and you know more and more all the time exactly what you need to do to grab it. You can feel the energy building and pushing you towards where you need to be, and you’re in the process of learning how to harness that — really, more how to actually let go and simply allow all the wonderful things unfolding to occur.

Oracle cards: Capricorn + Oak | Be strong but gentle reversed

Oh, you’re doing such a great job!! You’re really thinking with your heart about the best approach to all this, so that you can be sure your tenacity is rooted in something you can actually use. Patience is key here — stay the course, because the seeds you’ve planted are good, but they will take time to grow. Not too, too long — you may even start seeing results during Capricorn season! Either way, keep ticking away at it, keep focusing on upward momentum, keep trusting in your creative vision and its possibilities for adaptation.

Card 1: What brings you joy: V – The Hierophant

You’re feeling in a great place where to comes to the “social structures” in your life — be that work, education, spirituality — and you feel like you’re in a good place in terms of recent conflicts and approaching their resolution. More specifically, I’m hearing that you’re in a good place surrounding what you are “married” to, whether it’s your actual partner or simply what your life is most devoted to at present. The passion is there, as well as the willingness to push through any remaining issues. You have reason to trust that you are fully supported at this time! Thank goodness!

Card 2: Your gifts to the world: 3 of Wands

Indeed, this is the result of you continuing on, keeping up the good work, trying new things and realizing how to frame asking for what you need. You did just that, and have an unshakeable feeling that you’ll receive a positive response, if you haven’t already! Maintain this wave of inspiration, keep sending out feelers, keep marvelling at how well delegating responsibility really does work. More opportunities are coming at you as a result — remain open to receive, but either way, there’s no way they’ll miss you. The sun has truly set on your old ways, and turning your back on them feels better than you expected it to. Stand strong, knowing you have done and continue to do the right thing.

Card 3: Your unrecognized potential: 9 of Cups

And holy moly, are more good things ever on the way to you — you’ve hit the sweet spot, opening up your own personal powers of manifestation! Pure “wishing” energy is emanating from you, waiting for you to make good use of it. You are poised to receive your ultimate satisfaction, and all you need to do to receive it is let it cross your mind! Huh? Spend some time alone, quietly, maybe with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, whatever’s your fancy, and just be — be still with yourself, thinking on just exactly what would make you the most happy. Once you have your answer, hold it in your heart, trusting with all your might that that alone represents planting this new seed to grow and grow into exactly what you want for yourself! Part of the challenge here is realizing that it really is that simple — the 9 of Cups is a “Law of Attraction” card, where what you think will be drawn to you, so keep those thoughts pure and positive!

Know that the cool, seemingly miraculous stuff that’s been happening has a purpose — you’re moving much closer, much faster to everything you’ve been hoping for through these past trying months. It has been a literal “spiritual quest,” with the appropriate challenges to boot, but it has also allowed you to realize how very connected you are with the world and the people around you, in turn helping you come to some important conclusions about what can be done with those very connections. You are so ready for the next step — light your match, make your wish, and go get it!!

If you’re interested in a personalized reading with me, head over to my Etsy shop! Feel free to use the coupon code THANKS15 for 15% off your reading at checkout <3<3

Decks used:

Astrological Oracle Cards. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Antonella Castelli. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2012. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.

The Nature-Speak Oracle. Ted Andrews. Jackson, TN: Dragonhawk Publishing, 2006.

Tarot Mucha. LWB: Lunaea Weatherstone. Artwork: Giulia F. Massaglia. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2014. © Lo Scarabeo Italy.