A Message from the Two of Wands

"What can you do today to move closer to where you want to be?"

- Leonie Dawson 


(click on her name to discover Leonie's fantastic e-courses and online community to help you transform your life)

Weekly Inspiration: Contentment

After a visit to the countryside over the weekend, it's hard to believe we live in a material world. When you experience the simplicity and beauty of nature, you wonder why you need all the stuff you've accumulated over the years, and why you would want even more.

Materialism and greed are associated with the Devil in Tarot, and they go hand in hand with limitations and dependency.

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need." - From the movie Fight Club, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

Isn't it time to let go? The recent economic crises may be a blessing in disguise. Now we have a great excuse to say "I can't afford that" and start spending our money wisely rather than freely.

"You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need." - Vernon Howard

Living a more spiritual life is saying good-bye to excessive consumerism, and instead enjoying the simple pleasures in life, shifting our focus and energy from "acquiring" to "creating" and just "being".

"To the right, books; to the left, a tea-cup. In front of me, the fireplace; behind me, the post. There is no greater happiness than this."  - Teiga 

What are you doing this week to feel more content? How much does your happiness rely on acquiring things that you may want but not necessarily need? How could you utilise your energy and resources in a more sustainable and fulfilling way?

Check out my quick and easy Nine of Cups contentment meditation.

If you love Tarot and would like to learn more, request my fabulous freebies to start your Tarot journey and transform your life.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Celebrate The Sunrise

 Aquatic Tarot © Andreas Schröter 

If you have just arrived from Carla's blog as part of the Tarot Blog Hop series - welcome!

Today's topic is the celebration of today's Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

I usually mark this special day by having a lovely scrumptious goblet of Mead later in the garden, surrounded by plenty of Citronella candles to keep those pesky midges at bay.

Hopefully, it will be warm outside tonight (you never know with the UK weather!), and I can see some bats shooting erratically through the evening sky whilst thinking of A Midsummer Night's Dream. If I'm lucky, Oberon will turn up ;)

Of course, I mustn't forget to do something Tarot related, so following on from my Ostara Tarot spread, the Summer Solstice is a good occasion to take stock of how plans, projects and life are panning out so far this year.

This time of year, it's all about spending time outdoors, in your garden and enjoying nature's beauty and bounties. Just like the child in the Sun image above, it's time to relax, be carefree and have fun.

If you have a mature, overgrown garden like mine, then you will be busy tending to the crops you have planted to enjoy a fruitful harvest later in summer and autumn. You will also have to keep up with the weeds, but I only get rid of them in areas, where they encroach on the more valuable plants.

Just recently I have become rather fond of all the dandelion in my garden; I have discovered that you can make a very healthy cup of tea from its leaves. So, not everything that is declared a weed is useless.

And this is how it is in real life. We can associate everything we dream of, do and want to achieve as seedlings, that need planting, tending to and nurturing. We need to weed out some things in our lives that are no longer useful, and along the way we sometimes make mistakes: regretting having discarded of something that could have proven useful after all, or having overlooked more opportunities for joy and abundance, because we didn't pay attention.

With the Midsummer Tarot spread you can try to make the most of what you want to create and avoid the pitfalls along the way as best as you can. This spread works well in a general reading, but it can also be used to examine a specific area in your life such as relationship, work, lifestyle, creative ambitions, etc.:

1. How does my garden grow? 
This card gives you a general indication on how things are progressing so far.

2. What areas need special care and nurturing?

This card highlights an aspect or issue you may be neglecting, or that needs special attention at this moment in time.

3. In what area do I need to do some weeding? What do you need to discard, let go of, release? This can relate to possessions, beliefs, people, the past, emotional baggage etc., but be careful not to make a rash decision you may later regret, especially when it can affect relationships and people.

4. What else can I do to make my forthcoming harvest successful? What else can you do to achieve your goal.

5. Where are more opportunities for growth? Are you missing something? What seeds can you grow at this time of year that will produce some winter crop? What is on offer today that can lead to growth and achievement in the future?

I hope you enjoy trying out this spread as part of your solstice activities. Please do let me know, how it's worked for you.

And now please jump back onto the blog hop train and visit Aisling's blog for more sunrise celebrations. Be inspired!

Wishing you a de-"lightful" Summer Solstice,

Christiane

PS: A little gift for you to take along your way, an enchanting quote from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Feel free to share with your friends online.

Transform your life this year: 

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Zodiac Card of the Month: The Chariot

The Chariot is associated with the zodiac sign Cancer. If Cancer is either your sun or moon sign, then the Chariot is one of your zodiac cards.

As a sun sign card, the Chariot may reflect your conscious, expressive, outward, open personality; how you engage with people and the world around you.

As a moon sign card, the Chariot reflects your unconscious, hidden, blocked personality traits, instincts and emotions; you feel them within.

Personality Traits associated with the Chariot: 

Positive: shrewd, cautious, imaginative, protective, stimulating, home-loving, nurturing, sensitive, tenacious, energetic, purposeful, a natural leader

Negative: insecure, changeable, possessive, clinging, self-pity, manipulative, moody, driven by emotions, resentful

Chariot/Cancer Life lessons:

• Overcoming the need to cling on to relationships that no longer work only to feel more secure and less alone 
• Letting go of grudges and past hurts to maintain healthy relationships
• Stepping out into the world leaving familiarity and security behind 
• Comforting others whilst also taking care of your own emotional needs
• Learning to trust and accepting all of life's experiences
• Becoming more ambitious and persevere to achieve your goals

The following Cancer correspondences also relate to the Chariot:

Element: Water
Season/Timing: Early Summer (June 22 - July 22)
Ruling Planet: Moon (also associated with the High Priestess)

Stone: Amber
Key Word: Family
Key Phrase: I Feel

You can order your in-depth Tarot Personality Profile reading on my website.

Giving Up The Habit Of Worrying

 Aquatic Tarot © Andreas Schröter 

The Nine of Swords is all about worrying, anxieties and fears.

It's obvious when looking at the image: the woman seems to have just woken up from a nightmare, the background is pitch black, no glimmer of light, as if all hope and optimism has been lost.

The suit of Swords relates to the element air, which is associated with the mind, logic, reason and intellect.

The pattern on the blanket is a combination of a red rose and the symbols of the zodiac air signs, which suggests that anxiety is created in the mind based on emotional attachments.

Emotions can be irrational, and as a result worries and fears can be irrational, too:

"I've suffered a great many catastrophies in my life. Most of them never happened." - Mark Twain 

This quote sums me up quite nicely. When I was in my twenties, I suffered badly from anxiety, caused by irrational fears about illnesses (in my imagination I suffered from the most horrific incurable conditions), fears about the future (as a student I worried, if I would ever get a job and earn a living), fear of flying, fear of eating British beef.....

Hey! 25 years on, and I'm still alive despite some health issues, managed to get a couple of well-paid jobs along the way, but I was also unemployed a few times (worrying about "Will I ever get another job?"). British beef hasn't made me gone mad yet...so far, and I know now that all those horrible feelings of anxiety in my early adult years were a waste of time.

Let's face it: worrying serves us no purpose other than to make us feel tense and miserable, especially when we worry about things beyond our control.

"Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere." - Vance Havner

Instead, focus on generating kind and optimistic thoughts, so life can begin to flow into more positive directions. Focus on creating the life you want, rather than creating fears.

Try this:
"I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety or fear try to call me, they keep getting a busy signal - and soon they'll forget my number."  - Edith Armstrong

It is true that most worries and fears are blown out of proportion. Many people worry too much, because they think too much. Over-thinking is a bit like over-eating; the heaviness makes it impossible to remain light and flexible.

"No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear." - George MacDonald

If you worry a lot, then this book
might help you

When people have negative thoughts regularly, they gradually become attached to them. Negative thoughts become a habit, and it's so damn hard to get rid of any kind of habit you have nurtured for so long.

What is the solution? 

Learn to detach yourself from negative thoughts. Detachment is letting go; acknowledge your worries and fears, but then release them, like soap bubbles that float up and away into the sky.

Think for a moment why you harbour these anxieties; do you need attention or reassurance? I needed lots of reassurance (=attention?) on a regular basis.

But one day I realised that reassurance was like a drug feeding my habit of fear.

I stopped asking for reassurance.

The trick is to break the cycle, stop feeding the fear...stop paying it attention...not letting it rule my life. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

I decided I have to let life take its course. Whatever will be, will be.

I went cold-turkey. It was tough, but I started to keep myself busy with adventures and creative projects that I enjoyed and helped me grow (yes, Tarot was part of that, too ;))

"Loneliness, insomnia, and change: the fear of these is even worse than the reality". - Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966 

Remember that when real difficulties crop up in your life, you will be stronger and more resilient than you think. Real difficulties, unlike the imaginary ones, can be overcome. 

Life isn't always a smooth ride. Something bad can happen tomorrow, next week or whenever, but it's beyond my control, there is nothing I can do about it except withdrawing from life, and I don't want to do that.

Nurture a desire to be free from negative thoughts:

"Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow."  - Philip Gulley

Let go and know that all will be well. Trust that life will take care of you. Have faith.

Don't let fears hold you back!

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Transit of Venus

The Empress © Cathy McClelland

Everyone is talking about it; not just geeky stargazers and new age astrologers, but even the BBC is broadcasting a program tonight about this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. But what exactly is it? And what does it mean for us?

Today and tomorrow, Venus will pass directly between the earth and the sun. If you have suitable protective eye wear, you could see a small dark spot slowly moving along the sun's surface. Although this happened back in 2004, the next Venus Transit will not occur until 2117.

Astronomers are beavering away right now; with new technology they want to measure the exact size of Venus, its components and ultimately answer the question, if there is other life out there in our solar system.

We already know that unlike Earth, the climate on Venus is like hell: temperatures of around 700 degrees Celsius, high in carbon dioxide (creating this super greenhouse effect) seas of lava...but at the same time its composition is most similar to our planet, just in different measures. Shame! After all, in astrology Venus is regarded as the planet of love, beauty and harmony, and these joyful energies are coming home to us over the next 48 hours.

In Tarot, Venus is associated with the Empress. After the intense full moon in Sagittarius yesterday, our efforts to harmonise and heal our relationships will be getting that extra boost by Venus's presence close to Earth.

Making Use of the Venus Transit Energies

If you would like to manifest the positive energies of the Venus Transit together with the Empress, choose your favourite Empress image from your deck collection, place it on your altar, mantelpiece or in any prominent place, where it can be easily seen, and focus your thoughts on your intentions when you look at it. Light a candle (pink or green would be good) next to your Empress card tonight and tomorrow evening to intensify your focus on love, healing and harmony. You can also place Rose Quartz by your Empress, if you love crystals and have one to hand.

If you like, you can also draw a card to answer the question: How can I bring healing and harmony into my relationships with others (or with yourself, if you feel you need to practice self-nurturing) at this moment in time?

My choice of card for the Venus in Transit event has to be the Empress of the most beautiful and evocative Star Tarot (see image above). Which one is yours?

May the current cosmic energies bring you love, healing and harmony!

Christiane 

PS: Order a love reading by email today; readings from only £5. Click here..

Dream, Explore, Discover

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.” -   John Hope Franklin 

In my latest post on my website "Are you Investing In Yourself?" I talk about the importance of experiencing learning with people rather than just relying on books and your own company. 

My inspirational message for this weekend is to simply dream, explore and discover by engaging and sharing with others. Expand your mind and widen your horizon. Get unstuck. New possibilities are found beyond your comfort zone. Take that leap of faith.

I'm doing it! What about 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 and Pinterest.