Spring is in the Air!

©  Chanel Bayless

It's getting warmer, the birds are tweeting, and this image of the Princess of Swords is a welcoming sign that Spring is well on its way. 

In the King's Journey Tarot the Princess of Swords is one of the prettiest I have seen. The Swords characters in a Tarot deck tend to look a little glum, strict and plain, but here we see a hippy-esque, flower-power princess surrounded by butterflies playfully wielding a sword and swirling around on a meadow in the countryside; you can even imagine her giggling away, so unlike the Princess of Swords, but for the first time I can remotely identify with her (with my sun sign in Pisces and moon sign in Cancer, I am a solid member of the Cup family... most of the time ;)).

All the Princesses (or Pages in other decks) herald new beginnings, activities and experiences; here, the Princess of Swords is on a quest for new knowledge, a fact-finding mission or discovering the truth about a situation. She doesn't mince her words when she communicates with others, sometimes oblivious to social etiquette, and she may even at times lack respect and empathy for people around her.

But on the other hand she seems like she's enjoying herself in this image; living for the moment and radiating confidence.

Keywords: smart, curious, inventive, emotionally detached, a keen observer, well-spoken, honest and direct, experimental, impulsive, seeking mental stimulation

Empowering Messages from the Princess of Swords:

• Think things through clearly without jumping to conclusions
• Use logic and reason
• Keep trying; trust your abilities to overcome obstacles and reach your goal eventually
• Research facts, expose the truth
• Be fair, acknowledge different points of view
• Act with integrity, be true to your values, beliefs and ethics
• Set high standards
• Stand up for yourself

Affirmation: I pursue new ideas with focus and determination. 

What new mental activities would benefit you at this moment in time? What changes would they bring? How would they improve your situation? What is holding you back?

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it 

Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life

Tarot eBooks - Great value, innovative Tarot study material

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Daath - Discovering your Divine Light

©  Chanel Bayless

Following The World in the Major Arcana, Daath is one of the two additional trumps in the King's Journey Tarot. After the Fool's accomplishment of self-realization, Daath makes perfect sense; now that the Fool has established himself in the world, he looks up to the universe and turns his attention to spiritual ascension and enlightenment. A new era has begun; the Fool no longer feels the need to jump off the cliff into a new adventure, he now wants to build on the experiences he has gained so far. 

It's no longer about physical needs, a home, money, career, relationships, dealing with the ups and downs in life; instead of fulfilling his ego's needs, the Fool now focuses on the needs of humanity - giving back to society, volunteering, detaching from material and personal desires, giving purpose to everything he has achieved so far, giving his life meaning, creating harmonious balance between body, mind and spirit. The Fool moves from being selfish to being selfless and self-giving; he is looking at the bigger picture. This way his Divine Light will reveal itself to him.

Daath (Hebrew "knowledge")  is the unification of the 10 sephirot of the Tree of Life in perfected state of infinite sharing. Perhaps we can view Daath in the King's Journey Tarot as a harmonious unification of all trumps in the Major Arcana. 

There is no need to delve deeper into the Kabbalah and the Tree of Life, in order to understand the meaning of Daath in a reading; as I understand this card, the main keywords are as follows:

Turning knowledge into wisdom, practicing detachment from ego and the physical to live for humanity; finding purpose in life; appreciating all experiences you have gained so far and realizing they have made you the person you are today; acceptance of the past, present and your destiny; finding inner peace; giving back to society; philanthropy, holistic living and lifestyle. 

Quotes inspired by Daath:

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.” 
― Joseph Campbell

“Nin knew how much humans loved money, riches, and material things—though he never really could understand why. The more technologically advanced the human species got, the more isolated they seemed to become, at the same time. It was alarming, how humans could spend entire lifetimes engaged in all kinds of activities, without getting any closer to knowing who they really were, inside.”  
- Jess C. Scott, The Other Side of Life

“The greatest create of power you have on earth, whether you are an angel, a spirit, a man or woman or child is to help others.” 
- Anne Rice, Servant of the Bone

“Ye know full well that the meaning of life is to find your gift. To find your gift is happiness. Never to find it is misery.” 
- Terry Pratchett

“If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”
- Deepak Chopra

"The word enlightenment conjures up the idea of some superhuman accomplishment, and the ego likes to keep it that way, but it is simply your natural state of felt oneness with Being."
- Eckhart Tolle

“I - Want – Peace: I is ego, Want is desire; Remove ego and desire and you have peace.”
- Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Where is your place in the world? How do you embrace Daath into your life? 

Warmest wishes,

Christiane


Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it
Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life
Tarot eBooks - Great value, innovative Tarot study material

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Create Vision

©  Chanel Bayless

"It is a sign of wisdom to be able to set goals and then, having done so, to let them go. All that is required for success is a vision of the destination. The journey itself will reveal the means to take you there." thoughtfortoday.org.uk

The Three of Wands in the King's Journey Tarot is an image of adventure and excitement. The goal is in sight on the horizon, and the wanderer is taking in the view of the journey ahead. The bright sunny sky suggests clear vision. This is the moment when the next steps are being assessed and evaluated, but we all know that often it is necessary to make changes  to even the best plans when we are travelling along the road to our destination. 

This image gives the impression that the journey ahead is a long and eventful one across a variety of terrains, but that makes this venture so exciting and fun.

The message of this card is to be optimistic about progressing with a project or venture. Now is a good time to pause for a moment and contemplate your options. Pursue your goal but be prepared to be flexible as you go along. 

Keywords for the Three of Wands: creative vision, purpose, moving forward, progress, embarking on a new venture, leaving security behind to explore the unknown, expanding horizons

Watch out, if you feel you have taken on too much, but also don't give up too soon, if you experience difficulties or delays. Make sure your goals are achievable rather than holding on to ideals that are unrealistic. Making changes to your original plan doesn't mean failure. 

"Vision is one of the secrets of personal transformation. Always start with vision not action. See it and you will be it. Be it and you will do it. This is how we create our own life." - relax7.com

Affirmation: I pursue my goal with enthusiasm and a positive mind. I have the power and determination to turn my dreams into reality.

Quizz: Can you spot the dragon's tail in the image? And what do you think it symbolizes? 

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it 

Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life

For more inspiring quotes and affirmations for each card please check out my ebook Empowering Messages from the Tarot

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook and on Twitter and Pinterest.

Reclaiming Your Personal Power

©  Chanel Bayless

The Eight of Swords in the King's Journey Tarot depicts a blindfolded man bound and suspended from a cliff by a rope. 

Underneath him is a field of clover, which symbolizes luck should he take the decision to free himself from his situation. 

Red ropes are wrapped around the man, which lead to eight swords encircling the clover. 

The landscape is pleasantly green, with trees, the clover (for a reasonable soft landing) and a flower on top of the cliff suggesting the promise of better fortunes ahead, if the man would make the effort to free himself from his restrictions. 

But the mountains, hills and cliffs indicate boundaries and obstacles that need to be overcome.

Keywords for the Eight of Swords: limitations, restrictions, obstacles, feeling powerless, overwhelmed, lacking direction, waiting for others to help, bound to circumstances, feeling trapped, avoiding responsibility.

In numerology, the number 8 symbolizes evolution, movement, renewal and rebirth, which all seem to be at odds with the image of stagnation. 

But this is where the true message of this card lies: if this is your current situation, you now have the opportunity to rediscover your personal power to help you move forward. 

Questions to ask, when the Eight of Swords comes up in a reading:

Do you feel surrounded by obstacles? 
Constrained by circumstances? 
Limited by lack of clarity and self-belief? 
Blinded by narrow-mindedness? 
Or does everything seems fine on the surface, but deep down you're unsure? 
Do you want to break free, but feel tied-up to obligations? 
Do you actually know what you want?

The flower on top of the cliff symbolizes the goal that is within your reach, but the man has chosen not to see it; he may even be put off by the effort it would take to reach the flower. 

Boundaries and obstacles are often self-inflicted. The man may have chosen the position he is in, but if he stays where he is, he will starve. 

It's time to get his feet back on the ground and get moving.

Ideas to regain your personal power:

• Be gentle with yourself; sometimes changes cannot happen overnight, but if you start to set yourself some meaningful goals, you can take one step at a time.
• If you don't know what you want, explore what you don't want, which may help you gain more clarity about your more compelling needs. 
• Focus on personal aims along the way that empower you, e.g. gaining knowledge, more independence, learning a new skill etc. Even small achievements can boost your confidence and motivation
• Explore the way you think; do you tend to overgeneralize? Jump to conclusions? Compare yourself with others? Sometimes the way we think can be distorted or unrealistic; each situation is different despite similar patterns and outcomes. Make an effort to find out the facts and the truth.
• Start and keep believing in yourself
• Remember that you do have choices, and there will be a solution 
• Have the courage to take action rather than getting depressed about your inertia. Push your fears, self-doubt and feelings of insecurity aside.
• Avoid self-sabotage like saying "I can't...", "It's impossible...", "It won't work.." etc.
• Assess the impact of your actions. Have they taken you into the right direction? Identify your next step. You may now be starting to gain more control over the situation

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result” 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Affirmation: 
I am determined to focus my energies on turning my intentions into achievement.

What empowering message does the Eight of Swords hold for you?

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it 

Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life

Tarot eBooks - Great value, innovative Tarot study material

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.

The King's Journey Tarot

The King's Journey Tarot deck, designed by Chanel Bayless and illustrated by James Battersby, is a wonderfully vibrant deck with evocative and inspiring images.

Not often do I get blown away by a Tarot deck, but this time I did, when I looked at the cards for the first time after they arrived in the post.

This is an unusual deck; the borderless cards are untitled and unnumbered, and it boasts an additional 5th suit - Spirit. The Major Arcana also includes two additional cards - Daath and Soul. 

This may not be an ideal beginner's deck, but it's worth the extra effort to master it, if the artwork appeals to you.

The borderless cards allow you to create a seamless image when you put several cards together:

Seven of Cups, The Empress, Four of Swords

Have you noticed how the edges manage to flow from one card to the next and create a sense of continuity?

This is another nice touch showing that a lot of thought went into designing and creating these cards.

The King's Journey Tarot Companion Book is also available; an A4 size, 135 page spiral bound workbook with a wealth of information, including full colour images throughout, from lulu.com

You can purchase the deck on James Batterby's website.

Warmest wishes

Christiane

All images © Chanel Bayless & James Battersby, King's Journey Tarot Deck - 94 Cards, Self Published 2010

Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it 

Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life

Tarot eBooks - Great value, innovative Tarot study material

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumbr and Instagram.

Zodiac Card of the Month: The Moon

The Moon is associated with the zodiac sign Pisces. If you have been born between the 20th February and 20th March, then Pisces is your sun sign, and the Moon is your sun sign card.

Depending on your year and time of birth, Pisces can also be your moon sign, and then the Moon would be your moon sign card.  The sun and the moon sign of your birth chart offer insight in the conscious (expressive) and unconscious (hidden) personality traits. 

As a sun sign card, the Moon reflects your visible personality, how you express yourself and how you openly engage with people and the world around you. 

As a moon sign card, the Moon reflects that aspect of your personality you keep hidden or is blocked. The attributes of the moon sign are felt within you and reflect your emotional instincts and habits.

Personality Traits associated with the Moon:

Positive: imaginative, dreamy, introvert, quiet, reflective, romantic, artistic, flexible,  spiritual, emotional, compassionate, sensitive, intuitive, tolerant

Negative: depressed, moody, self-conscious, changeable, secretive, evasive, escapist, gullible, dependent, confused

Pisces Life Lessons:

• assert yourself when you feel taken advantage of
• connect with the realities of life and get organised, especially in money matters
• express your feelings when you feel overwhelmed; share your worries and fears with others to resolve them
• follow your heart, but don't lose your head; balance your intuition with common sense
• take initiative to solve a problem rather than waiting for it to sort itself out

The following Pisces correspondences also relate to the Moon:

Element: Water
Colour: Violet
Season/Timing: Winter (February 20 - March 20)
Ruling Planet: Neptune (also associated with the Hanged Man)
Stone: Moonstone, Amethyst, Aquamarine

Key Word: Compassion
Key Phrase: I Believe

Would you like to know more about your personal zodiac cards and what they might tell you about your personality? The Tarot can be used to provide a personality profile based on your astrological data. If you would like to receive your personal in-depth Tarot Personality Profile by email, you can order it on my website. 

Transform your life this year: 

Tarot Readings - Insightful guidance when you need it 

Learn Tarot - A magickal, inspirational tool for life

Tarot eBooks - Great value, innovative Tarot study material

Learn more about Tarot and Astrology with my new online course.

Make sure you subscribe to my feed to receive the latest Tarot Astrology articles straight into your inbox when published.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The Fool - Living Life to the Full

 

Do you sometimes feel that life passes you by and everyone else is having a whale of a time?

Friends tell you about their latest adventure holiday to ta far flung place, while you are feeling like a boring homebody, because you are content with a tub of ice cream in front of the telly.

Perhaps you’re wondering, if you are living life to the full like the others seem to do, and if you should finally pull up your socks and embark on a trek across the desert on a camel.

But here’s the truth:

Living life to the full isn’t about climbing the highest mountain or swimming with sharks to feel the thrill. It also doesn't mean you have to go out every weekend and get drunk. 

Not everyone is made to live an extreme lifestyle, and many people, who are constantly on the go and “out there” often have issues they are trying to ignore or running away from.

Living life to the full means focusing on your personal potential rather than comparing your life with that of other people.

It means pushing yourself a little every day to avoid getting stuck in a comfort zone that stops you from growing and evolving.

It means to start each day with the commitment to live without fear of uncomfortable situations or people; plucking up the courage to try something new, take a risk and face situations that you’d rather avoid but know you need to tackle.

Living life to the full also means living in the present and mindfully experiencing each moment.

Learning to live like the Fool, who is happy-go-lucky enjoying his journey without care in the world, will help you do just that.

He welcomes a new beginning with open arms, and yet each new beginning follows an ending.

The Fool has learned to detach from old habits, an old situation and is moving into uncharted territory.

It is said that only fools live life to the full, because it is only them, who go where most of us fear to go, and they do what many of us tend to avoid.

It is fools, who break out of their comfort zones without wondering about consequences.

They take risks, take any failures in their stride, but along the way they also reap the rewards.

The Fool on the image is standing at the edge of a cliff, which reminds me of one of my favourite quotes:

"Living on the edge is perilous, but the view is breath-taking."

Again, this isn’t about engaging in high-octane activities or immigrating to the other side of the world (unless you feel extremely passionate about these things rather than just trying to prove something to others).

Instead, challenge yourself to conquer your own fears, evasions and negative self-talk by pushing yourself even just a little bit every day.

Face those challenging situations and difficult people with the mind of the Fool.

Stick with it and you will soon realize that it is exhilarating to overcome your own obstacles, which tend to linger in our minds. It takes courage to challenge our inner obstacles and doing so is certainly not "foolish".

The Fool in the Tarot is associated with Air, the element of intellect, logic, reason and communication.

Often the Fool indicates what may be going on in someone's mind rather than referring to action, such as having a strong urge to start afresh. Before action can take place, the mind needs to be ready for it without inhibitions.

So next time you wonder, if you live life to the full even though you're not travelling the world or embark on adrenaline-fuelled activities, explore how you can challenge your fears and evasions with the help of a Fool's mind.

Recognize your small conquests and achievements every day, and soon you will know that you live life to the full.

What challenges have you recently been facing? In the past, what situation did you try to avoid but tackled anyway? How do you feel the Fool's positive energies can help with current issues you need to resolve?

The Tarot isn't just about fortune-telling; you can use the cards to get to know yourself better and explore your strengths and weaknesses to improve the way you engage with people and situations. 

Let the Tarot empower you and help you live life to the full; check out the Cosmic Faery Tarot Guidebook.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Cosmic Spirit Tarot and Wellness

 

Love is in the Air

Or is it?

Many people will be asking today "When will I meet my soulmate?" "Will I ever find lasting love?" and even "Will he/she call me again?"

If you are single and wonder if you will be blessed with the happy-ever-afters you're hoping for any time soon, then today is a good day to just let go of your worries and treat yourself to some favourite things and celebrate your journey so far.

You may remember good moments and bad, but most importantly look to the future by using today as turning over a new leaf, a new step into the right direction.

Just like the Empress on the image here on the left, love yourself and know that you are worthy of being loved. 

The more you radiate love and affection towards others, it will come back to you, and the right person will enter your life at the right time.

The Empress is associated with the planet Venus, named after the Roman goddess of love.

Venus also represents beauty, sensuality, nurturing, indulgence, creativity, nature, fertility, abundance, self-assertiveness, confidence. 

The Empress seems comfortable in her own skin and happy where she is. Develop these attributes within yourself, and over time you will notice positive changes in your love life.

Here is an insightful quote from relax7.com I would like to share with you:

Barriers to Love 

Whatever is in your heart that is not clean, not true, will ultimately begin to act like a wall, obstructing the natural flow of love. People who say that there is no love in their life, are being blocked by this wall. Actually there is love, but they just can't accept it. Ego is the clearest example of this. Ego limits the flow of love by placing conditions on the love you give and receive. Ego uses love to satisfy its own needs and desires. It produces a love which is deceptive, one which brings only temporary satisfaction. Ego does not allow you to experience true love or share it. If fact, ego is capable of destroying your ability to feel love altogether.

Finally, I will end this post with some inspirational words about love:

"You'll discover that real love is millions of miles past falling in love with anyone or anything. When you make that one effort to feel compassion instead of blame or self-blame, the heart opens again and continues opening."
- Sara Paddison

"I'm proud of my heart. It's been played, stabbed, cheated, burned and broken, but somehow still works."
- Unknown

"True love is when your heart and your minds are saying the same thing." 

- Leanna L. Bartram

Happy Valentine's Day!

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Cosmic Spirit Tarot and Wellness

 

That Old Devil called Love

BEFORE ----------------------------------- AFTER 

So, you are in love and want to get married. Great! Now you want to know, if it will last...

Well, that of course is up to you and your other half, but the Tarot does give you an indication of what is likely to happen to a long-term relationship.

The somewhat cynical message from the Tarot can be seen here in the form of The Lovers and The Devil, where the playful Gemini twins morph into inhibited Capricorn.

The Lovers depict Adam and Eve in Paradise overlooked by archangel Raphael. It's a bright, sunny and optimistic card. Choices to be made, but the potential and outlook seem rosy and happy.

Fast forward a few months or years, or any timescale that has led to a change in the relationship. 

The Devil depicts a couple in chains. The background is all black, and it is the demonic figure of Baphomet, who has taken over from angelic Raphael. 

A grim but archetypal outlook for a couple in love, their destiny foretold by the wisdom of Tarot time and time again. 

Also note the numerical connection of the two cards: The Devil is number 15 in the Major Arcana sequence; 1 + 5 = 6, the number of the Lovers.

Yes, long-term relationships have the tendency to go stale and boring. 

The Devil suggests that in relationships many people become complacent and take the other for granted. Over time, couples even become dependent on each other, used to each other and lack the energy to get out of the tedious rut. 

Instead, there is a tendency to find pleasure in activities outside their marriage.

The Devil card in a love reading may not be such a good thing, but thankfully with Tarot this card can be a wake-up call to make some positive changes, to bring the spark back into a relationship. 

As long as there is love, there is hope for good intentions and perseverance to succeed.

Do you believe Tarot accurately reflects the journey of long-term relationships? What are your thoughts on the connection between The Lovers and The Devil cards, given their similar imagery?

Would love to hear from you!S

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Cosmic Spirit Tarot and Wellness