Setting Goals For The Year Ahead When You Don't Have Any

Are you on the road to somewhere?

In recent months, there's been an overwhelming influx of new year diaries and planners online, available in all shapes, sizes, and themes. 

It seems that setting goals is essential for achieving success, and these planners are designed to help you document everything and track your progress daily, weekly, or monthly.

Even I have created the Tarot Moon Journal workbook for all Tarot enthusiasts out there, who not only want to be more mindful about their aspirations, but also want to learn some new tarot skills along the way.

But perhaps you are thinking that this is not for you. You don't have any specific goals except survive and have some good times along the way.

For many people, 2016 turned out to be difficult and even traumatic at times, and if you are one of them, then perhaps all you want to do is recover and heal and simply make the most of the cards you are going to be dealt with this year.

One of them is our global year card, the Wheel of Fortune. Brace yourself... swoosh! 😄

And then you see all these fancy, optimistic la-la people on the internet raving about how certain planners helped them build a successful business or find their soulmate.

And you just recoil feeling a little bit shitty, because your situation is a little less happy-go-lucky-la-la, to say the least.

But guess what? It's perfectly okay not to have any goals.

Yes, don't worry about it. Just let all that hype go.

Word of the Year creative journaling sheet
from Cosmic Faery's Journal workbook

Instead, you can do a bit of soul work with your tarot cards to gain some perspective and direction.

Perspective is always good, especially when you feel you're drifting and you don't quite know what you want or where you're heading.

Start off by calculating your year card (mine is Strength this year)

Then, work out your word for the year based on your year card (my word for the year 2017 is CREATE).

Your personal power word will offer you a sense of purpose, direction and guidance over the next twelve months ahead.

Tarot journaling for healing and
personal growth

Now you should have some idea of what you might want to focus on over the coming months, and you can continue to draw tarot cards for more specific ideas.

On the left you can see a page from my Tarot Moon Journal, on which I have simply recorded the cards I drew for specific areas in my life.

These cards can give you a hint on what you may wish to aim for, but if not, then just leave them there and revisit the page from time to time to see, how the messages of the cards begin to unfold.

You don't need to have any flashy goals to have a great year ahead.

If you have experienced loss, heartache, health issues or any other challenging situation, every little step towards recovery and healing will be a huge achievement.

Drawing a card and asking What can I do today to help me heal? can be an empowering way to make a positive difference without getting overwhelmed by elaborate or even out-of-reach goals.

Once you have made a start with your year card and personal power word for 2017, you may feel a little more in control of the direction you wish to take.

And having at least some control over your life is a good feeling. You can build on that with regular journaling as a personal development and healing tool.

If you would like to learn more about creative tarot journaling for healing and personal growth, then please do join me on Ko-fi.

Wishing you all the Best for the New Year,

Christiane 🦄

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Making Tarot Journaling More Fun

From: Cosmic Faery's Journal Workbook

Who says keeping a diary or recording your tarot / oracle readings should be done on boring white paper?

There are more creative ways you can make your journal look exciting and inviting.

In order to make it easy for you taking the first step, I have created a wide range of journaling sheets for you to download for free and also to buy. 

As you can see from the pics in this post, adding some colour and redesigning the writing space already makes a difference to help you think outside the box.

In addition, using different colour pens, your own doodles, stickers and printed card images you will make your journal truly unique.

There are many different journaling sheets available, for one-, two- and multi-card readings, daily/weekly reflections, gratitude lists etc.

From: Cosmic Journaling Oracle
Digital Edition & Guidebook

The sheets are designed to be flexible; you can also use them to record your favourite quotes, things to do, books to read, films to watch, bucket lists and so much more.

And the best thing about downloads is you can print them again and again to feed your journaling habit.

My latest creation is the digital edition of the Cosmic Journaling Oracle, which comes with a guidebook including printable bonus material such as greeting cards, journaling sheets and cover pages.

The oracle deck has been specifically designed for journaling but also for divination.

Together with the guidebook you can use the cards for self-exploration while creating a unique record of your life journey.

All my printable products have been designed for paper lovers and those who would like to rediscover their passion for handwriting and the real feel of paper (rather than just keeping notes in the digital twilight zone on electronic devices).

From my journaling workbook and the Cosmic Journaling Oracle guide
#cosmicjournaling on Instagram

I'd love to welcome you to the cosmic journaling club. You can make a start with my freebies, and please do let me know how you get on. You can buy my journaling ebooks here.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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The Cosmic Journaling Oracle - Awakening

Cosmic Journaling Oracle

The Cosmic Journaling Oracle isn't quite like other oracle decks out there.

It doesn't tell you how to interpret each card, it asks you to write your own story. That's why the word 'journaling' is part of its name.

The Cosmic Journaling Oracle invites you to create your own meanings for each card by exploring your life from one card to the next - from awakening to completion.

Pick a card and see what memories, ideas and emotions are triggered. Write about them.

The divination aspect of this deck lies in the random draw of a card, which asks you to pay attention to this particular topic.

You can also use the cards to answer specific questions, no problem at all. But before you do that, spend some time with the cards to make a connection, and you will notice how spookily accurate the messages and even predictions may turn out.

Awakening - I'm not telling you how this card should fit into your life or indeed how you should define or interpret it.

This is my personal story about Awakening, and yours may be similar or totally different, and that's the beauty of an oracle deck, which doesn't limit the card meanings to the creator's personal world.

Here, my story about Awakening only acts as an example of how you can work with each card of the deck.

Awakening - the moment I began to realise that after years of stagnation something was stirring inside me. My Awakening moments occurred at times of great change, grief and loss.

After one such event many years ago, I picked up my Tarot deck again after years of abandonment. There it was in my hands again, and the rest is history.

The very first time I came in contact with Tarot was when I felt overwhelmed by life's uncertainty with a lack of direction, when I was a student at university in the early 1980s.

By chance I joined a women's circle at the campus and looked with curiosity through a Tarot deck one of the women brought along. I was wondering, how fortune-telling could possibly work, and I wanted to know.

Awakening.

The urge to go on a magickal quest was always inside me, but it had to be ignited by a spark.

Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, after years of lying dormant, a spark ignites the spirit lifting up body and soul.

It's a wake-up call.

In my readings, I interpret Awakening as transformation about to occur, which will bring growth and expansion.

In a relationship reading, this could mean meeting someone, who will change your life, or an existing relationship is being examined due to new insights or developments.

For a single person, Awakening can mean being clear about standards, values, sexual preferences and expectations, therefore avoiding unsuitable, even emotionally harmful relationships.

In work and career matters, it can mean a calling, vocation, change of direction.

Awakening leads to something new and therefore personal growth.

What is your story of Awakening?

The Cosmic Journaling Oracle will be available in March 2016 as a digital download and shortly after as a printed deck.

In the meantime, you can explore Tarot Journaling with my ebook.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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How To Include The Tarot In Your Daily Spiritual Practice

“Daily spiritual practice??!” I hear you say with a snarky cackle. “Honestly, I don’t have time for that.”

But are you sure you don’t have five minutes in a day just for yourself?

A grounding practice doesn’t need to be elaborate. You don’t have to set aside time for a full 10‑card Celtic Cross tarot reading every morning to clear your mind or reconnect with your intuition.

A simple one‑card reading can offer daily insight, reflection, and gentle guidance—and it takes no more than a few minutes.

If traditional meditation feels impossible (the lotus position, the closed eyes, the attempt to think of nothing😂), journaling can be a much more accessible way to unwind and centre yourself.

Here’s a simple approach:

🌅 Morning or 🌙 Evening - Choose What Supports You

Self‑reflective meditation works well either at the start or the end of your day.

• Morning: Set the tone for the hours ahead. Look at what’s coming up, what you need to pay attention to, and how you want to show up.

• Evening: Reflect on the day just passed—your favourite moments, lessons learned, small victories, and anything you want to release.

In both cases, writing is key. Putting your thoughts on paper grounds you, sharpens your focus, helps you problem‑solve, and supports emotional healing.

🔮 The Practice

Draw one card from your deck - tarot or oracle. Make a few notes. That’s it.

(If you’re wondering what to include in a one‑card reading, you can explore that here.)

☕ My Own Routine

I like to get up before my son wakes at 7am. I make a coffee, sit at my desk, pull a card, and jot down a few reflections using my checklist.

Later in the day, when I glance back at those notes, I often notice how the mindset I captured in the morning has quietly shaped the way I moved through the hours that followed.

My fauxdori journal filled with cosmic journaling sheets

Lately, I’ve found myself enjoying evening reflections at the end of a busy day.

Most nights, I do them right in bed - cosy under the blanket, with my favourite tarot deck and my fauxdori journal filled with the journaling sheets I designed specifically for this practice.

If the idea of a gentle nightly reflection speaks to you, you can download a cosmic journaling sheet in two sizes:

Evening Reflection A4 - for your ring binder. Two pages to be printed double-sided.

Evening Reflection A5 - designed to print double-sided to fold into a booklet or use as traveller's notebook (fauxdori) inserts.

For your evening reflection, you can draw a card in the morning, note it on your sheet, and then return to it at night to journal about how its energy unfolded throughout the day.

Experiment with the different approaches and see which rhythm feels most supportive for you.

⭐Download on my Ko-fi page⭐

And if you already have your own tarot journaling habits, I’d truly love to hear about them - feel free to share💚

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Why You Should Have A Word Of The Year

Cosmic Faery's Journal Workbook

A new year has begun, and resolutions are made and discarded within a matter of weeks.

This is a shame, because so many resolutions are worthwhile, and if they can be kept, will have tremendous benefits, such as boosting confidence, health, self-worth etc.

Turning a resolution into a goal and pursuing it mindfully is the first step towards success, and there are some tricks you can apply that will help you along the way.

First, take some time today to calculate your year card and explore the energies surrounding you over the coming months.

Your year card can offer you ideas on what you should focus on during 2016, perhaps inner qualities that will help you achieve your ultimate goal such as loosing weight, improve your love life or get a new job.

Tarot of Quotes

There is always something hidden that stops us from getting what we want to achieve, and your year card may point you into the right direction towards discovery.

While you treat yourself to this quiet time of reflection, you can choose your personal word for 2016 based on the energies of your year card that will act as your inner guide towards your goal.

Once you know your word, write it down on little notes and put them in places, where you can be reminded of it often.

My personal word of the year is ONWARDS, based on The Chariot, my year card for 2016.

The Chariot is telling me that the year ahead won't be easy, but ONWARDS will remind me to let go and move forward rather than being held back by a 25-year old comfort zone.

I worked out my word of the year by using a journaling sheet I designed for my ebook Cosmic Faery's Journal Workbook.

There are lots of guided journaling prompts in this workbook, which I created to help you ground yourself and become more mindful about your potential and opportunities.

In this exercise, I show you what types of word to choose to make it more potent, and once you have chosen your word of the year, it can act as a powerful prompt to help you put your choices in alignment with your goal when decisions have to be made.

In the workbook, there is also a journaling sheet to help you catch up with your magickal word more regularly, so you keep remembering and apply it when you need it.

And have I mentioned recently how powerful just ten minutes of daily journaling can be? 

Honestly, if you keep thinking that you don't have the time, then please try to shift that mindset and create some little me-time each day to ground yourself, reflect and explore by putting pen to paper. 

You will soon notice how therapeutic it can be.

Happy New Year!

Christiane

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Cosmic Spirit Tarot and Wellness

 

Lunar Eclipse Tarot Spread and Journaling Sheet

Next week on the 27th and 28th September the world will experience a rare phenomenon: a supermoon total lunar eclipse.

The last time this event occurred was over 30 years ago, and we won't be seeing this again until 2033.

What's more, the colour of the moon will turn red, so it's aptly called a 'blood moon'.

Needless to say there are people out there, who believe the world will end on that day, but rather than being worried about that, I will instead try out a Tarot spread I created for this event.

It's a simple 3-card reading, but for some extra fun it involves the High Priestess, the Moon and the Sun:

1. Shuffle your deck thoroughly.

2. Then, look through your deck until you get to the High Priestess. The card behind her will answer the question:

What is currently hidden that needs to be revealed to me?

3. Next, look through your deck until you get to the Moon. The card behind will answer the question:

How does this affect my feelings and emotions?

4. Lastly, look through your deck until you get to the Sun. The card behind will answer the question:

How can I gain more clarity?

I tried this spread before and found it illuminated new ideas and perspectives I didn't see before and connected them with my emotions (which before had puzzled me at times). Quite a revelation, so why not give it a go at this special time of the year.

In order to make this reading even more fun, I have created a cosmic journaling sheet you can print and use to record your reading. Access the PDF document here.

This reading was first published in my Tarot Moon Journal 2015, and the 2016 edition of this popular workbook will be available early November. If you wish to be notified when it is published, please subscribe to my newsletter.

If you enjoyed this spread and its matching journal sheet, please check out my latest ebook Tarot for All Seasons.

And don't forget to let me know how it's worked for you. I'd love your feedback!

Warmest wishes,

Christiane 🌛😄🌜

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Three Routes To Healing Tarot Spread

While navigating my healing journey, I came across this quote on Tumblr and thought it could be turned into a Tarot spread to cope with and overcome bereavement.

It would also work well for anyone, who has experienced a painful relationship breakup, abuse, bullying or anything, which has caused an emotional wound that needs healing.

Draw one card for each question:

1. How is my pain currently expressing itself? 

It's not just about feeling sad and depressed. A myriad of feelings and emotions can be brought up by bereavement, such as guilt, anger, resentment, even less obvious ones.

2. What lesson does it offer?

What can be learned from it? How can this lesson be taken on board, so step 3 can be carried out?

3. How can I release it?

What can be done to detach from it and let go of it?

Everyone, who is feeling emotional pain, is in a vulnerable position to seek help from the most unusual places.

I know what it's like to desperately wish for the pain to go away, or for it to be magically taken away by someone else.

It's easy to be tempted to visit a "Healer", and I was pondering recently, how some Tarot readers have started to call themselves Healers, and why I cannot join them.

Yes, there are people out there, who can help you heal, but choose wisely and know that you are your own best Healer. It's hard work on your part; you cannot avoid putting in your own effort.

But I do hope that this spread will help you on your way to recovery.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane


PS: You can also try the following activities to help you on your healing journey:

30 Days of Healing

Very simply, pull a card from your favourite Tarot / oracle deck each day to explore "What can I do today that will help me heal?"

Here, you learn to nurture and empower yourself to help you move forward.

30 Days of Gratitude

Just like above, pull a card each day to explore "What can I be grateful for today?"

This is a good exercise to practice positive thinking.

Click on the link below to download a specially designed journaling sheet you can use for both explorations and save it on your device. You will need to print it twice for 30 days of exploration:

Healing/Gratitude Exploration (PDF document)

The sheet is designed in such a way, that you don't need to write a lot each day; a powerful word or phrase is all you need, and it is easier to remember, too. Make it as practical as possible, so it is easy for you to take action.

If you publish the sheet with your writing on social media, please add hashtag #cosmicjournaling. I'd love to see how you get on with it, and your feedback is so very much appreciated.

This journaling sheet and so many more will be included in my new ebook.

On Losing My Parents, Keeping The Faith, Healing and Gratitude

“Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.” 

Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever

On 7th July my father died. His funeral was two weeks ago, on Thursday, the 16th.

He was 93 years old, frail and wanted to go, because he was sick of his body slowly giving up on him.

With my father gone, I'm now an orphan as my mother died in 2001.

Most of us will have to endure the loss of our parents at one point in our lives. It's a daunting rite of passage borne out of the natural flow of life.

I can feel the gaping hole in my life. Even though I didn't always get on with my parents, I know they always loved me unconditionally.

There is nobody else, who loves me this way.

Unconditional love is a very rare commodity. Friends and lovers come and go, and yes, of course there is love, but it tends to come with strings attached such as compromises and adjustments.

If it doesn't work out, people move on.

But my parents never did, even though I did some crazy things in the past they didn't approve of. I always had their unconditional love and a safe haven to retreat to when my world was crashing apart.

I'd like to think they are still around somehow and watch over me.

But faith for me isn't just about something I wish or believe.

I am having faith in myself, knowing that despite my loss I am grateful and enjoy life.

I know that a new chapter has begun for me, and I keep growing and evolving, and there will always be change that needs to be embraced rather than resisted.

My broken heart will heal, yet a scar will remain, and that scar will teach me more lessons about life, love, compassion, impermanence, letting go and making the most of the time I have on this planet.

My parents will always be part of me. The way they brought me up is reflected in my personality today.

Both were victims of the Second World War, which affected them deeply. No doubt that burden has been passed on to me during my childhood, even though I am carrying a lighter load.

“Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o-er wrought heart and bids it break.”
William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Memories are invoked when looking through old photo albums. Pictures of my parents being young and in love, stylish black and white photos from the 50s and early sixties.

I will be sharing a few of them on Instagram, not just because they are about my parents, but they are such fascinating images from a bygone era.

Posting those pics won't be dwelling and being depressing, but it will be joyful and fun.

“Everyone grieves in different ways. For some, it could take longer or shorter. I do know it never disappears. An ember still smolders inside me. Most days, I don’t notice it, but, out of the blue, it’ll flare to life.”
Maria V. Snyder, Storm Glass

I keep thinking about the way I grieve. Am I grieving at all?

Since my return from Germany, after one day of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, I have had the urge to get back to my work and my life. Just as if nothing happened.

Of course I cried.

Firstly, when I saw my father lying on his deathbed in the hospital, knowing that this would be the last time I would ever see him.

I spoke to him and stroked his forehead. When I felt it was time to go, I covered his face with the white sheet the nurse had pulled back earlier.

Secondly, at his funeral surrounded by family and friends, when I had to leave him for good.

There were a few tears in between, but otherwise grief hasn't overcome me. They say that grief comes in waves, and I know that there will be moments in which I will miss him terribly, just like my mother, who died in 2001.

But life is for the living, and I know there is still so much for me to do. All that knowing is the basis of my faith.

Healing and Gratitude 

Perhaps you are going through a similar situation. Bereavement requires healing. There is something you can do to help yourself heal.

30 Days of Healing

Very simply, pull a card from your favourite Tarot / oracle deck each day to explore "What can I do today that will help me heal?"

Here, you learn to nurture and empower yourself to help you move forward.

30 Days of Gratitude

Just like above, pull a card each day to explore "What can I be grateful for today?"

This is a good exercise to practice positive thinking.

I have created a special journaling sheet you can use for both explorations. Click on the link below to download and save it on your device. You will need to print it twice for 30 days of exploration:

Healing/Gratitude Exploration (PDF document)

The sheet is designed in such a way, that you don't need to write a lot each day; a powerful word or phrase is all you need, and it is easier to remember, too. Make it as practical as possible, so it is easy for you to take action.

If you publish the sheet with your writing on social media, please add hashtag #cosmicjournaling. I'd love to see how you get on with it, and your feedback is so very much appreciated.

This journaling sheet and so many more will be included in my new ebook.

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.

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Introducing Cosmic Journaling

There is so much I want to cover in this post, and I'm not sure where to begin.

But after having just taken a deep breath, I start with the Chakra Wisdom Oracle, which I recently bought and immediately loved the cards and the whole concept of the deck.

So I decided to use this deck together with the Tarot of the New Vision to do the Life is a Bed of Roses reading.

My post isn't about the actual reading but how I have recorded it.

You see, I'm in the process of creating completely different kind of journaling sheets that I hope will encourage and inspire you to write, putting your readings, thoughts and observations about your spiritual journey onto paper in a more fun and creative way.

On the image here you can see that I have made notes of my reading on the sheet surrounded by the cards I have drawn.

You can download the sheet here and try it out for yourself. Perhaps you can even do a better job than me filling it in.

My handwriting has become a bit dodgy after years of using a keyboard, and I could have used different colour pens to make it even prettier.

The nice thing about these journal sheets is that you can reprint and use them as often as you like. Along the way you will start to set your imagination free...and perhaps improve your handwriting too!

I have already created lots of different sheets for various readings / spreads and spiritual explorations, which will be available in an ebook soon, and already had such fun filling them in.

Cosmic journaling isn't just about writing into a plain notebook; it's about turning your writing into a visual experience and in the process help you unblock your creativity.

Let me know what you think. Use the journaling sheet, take a pic of it and post to Twitter or Instagram with hashtag #cosmicjournaling. You can also tag me @cosmicfaery.

Find out more about Cosmic Faery's Journal Workbook coming in September 2015.

Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards
(c) Watkins Media Ltd. 2014

And last but not least, having mentioned the Chakra Wisdom oracle cards earlier, I really enjoy working with them at the moment.

It is very rare for me to connect with an oracle deck (I'm very much a tarot girl at heart), but this one really speaks to me, and I learn more about the Chakras, which I always wanted to do.

I have had some fascinating readings with these cards, for myself and others, so if this kind of deck appeals to you, then I can highly recommend it.

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, Tumbr and Instagram.

Life Is A Bed Of Roses

Roses on Tarot cards
Universal Waite Tarot (c) US Games 2008

The other day I heard someone say "life isn't a bed of roses, you know", and I found myself quietly disagreeing.

Life is truly a bed of roses.

Plenty of beautiful and fragrant blooms (which we sometimes overlook or take for granted), but also little annoying thorns hiding between the sheets!

Then I looked at my RWS Tarot deck to find all the cards that contained roses, and I found nine (see pic).

We can find roses on challenging cards, where they may indicate the need to pay more attention to what goes well in one's life rather than being all consumed by doom and adversity.

Roses are a bit like double-edged swords: the femme fatale, no gain without pain, yin and yang, feminine (blooms) and masculine (thorns), Venus and Mars.

So the following reading involves the Empress (Venus - beauty, love, nurture, creativity) and the Tower (Mars - strife, conflict, upheaval, destruction).

This two-card snapshot reading is about recognising and appreciating the beauty in your life while looking out for the thorns that are lying in wait ready to prick you. Ouch.

First, thoroughly shuffle your deck.

1. What is beautiful in your life right now?

Look through your cards until you get to the Empress. The card behind the Empress reveals something good in your life that you need to recognise and cherish.

2. Hidden thorns you need to watch out for

Look through your cards until you get to the Tower. The card behind the Tower reveals something unsettling that you need to be aware of.

It's quirky, a bit wacky, it's outside the box!
Download and get writing.
#cosmicjournaling

You can record your reading on this funky journaling sheet (.pdf), which is a little taster of what's to come in my forthcoming ebook Cosmic Faery's Journal - Tarot and Spirituality Workbook, available in September 2015.

I'd love to see pics of your completed journaling sheets - post them on Instagram using #cosmicjournaling in your description and tag me @cosmicfaery

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

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Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Cosmic Spirit Tarot and Wellness