Eva, Queen of Wands (c) 2013 Image used with permission
A few weeks ago I came up with the idea to create personalised Tarot cards and decided to run a competition.
I’ve been turning my own photography into Tarot cards for ages, so I wanted to offer three lucky winners the opportunity to have their favourite photo turned into a magickal Tarot image.
And here are the winners:
1. Eva
2. Angela
3. Sibylle
Congratulations, ladies!
One photo has already been transformed (see image), and I will be working on the other two this week.
I am so delighted with the response I received to my first ever competition, and grateful to everyone, who posted their entries and supported me this way.
Thank you so much!
Warmest wishes,
Christiane
PS: You can take a look at Sibylle’s card on her blog the Hag’s Den
When I recently came across an old photo of my son in his football outfit, it made me smile and think “that’s the Page of Wands”, and so I turned it into a Tarot card.
What do you think?
I had great fun doing it, so on the spur of the moment I’ve decided to run a little competition:
I am offering 3 lucky winners to turn a photo they provide into a personalised Tarot card.
If you would like to enter this competition, all you need to do is post a comment at the end of this post. I will make notes of all the names and draw one out of the hat on the 12th June.
In typical Fool fashion, I might close the competition sooner or later depending on demand, and I might even pull more than three winners out of the hat… best thing for you to do is leave a comment as soon as possible to secure your entry.
Once the winners are chosen, I will take my time with each photo to turn it into something special. If you win, you can either let me know your preferences (e.g. which card, quote, style), or you can let me surprise you.
If you choose the latter, your personalised card will be a kind of reading; I will tune into the image and let my intuition guide me, which card and quote would work best to offer a special message to you.
Please choose a photo (.jpeg image), on which the main object is centred, so it won’t be covered by title of the card or quote (if you want to have one included).
It can be a photo of you, a loved one or a pet…the choice is yours.
When you leave a comment, please include a link to your website/blog, or email me your details (cosmic.faery@ntlworld.com), so I can contact you, if you have won.
So, what are you waiting for? Make me happy by leaving a comment to enter the competition.
Warmest wishes,
Christiane
PS: Please note that your privacy is very important to me. Your photo will never be shared or published on my website or anywhere else without your prior permission. You also retain copyright, and my website address (as shown on the images above) will not be added to the finished card.
If you are using crystals in your spiritual practice and would like to combine them with Tarot, then the Crystal Tarot deck by Philip Permutt is ideal for this purpose.
The cards have wonderfully sparkly vibes radiating from the colours and images.
Each card depicts a crystal together with the traditional Tarot image. For example, we see Moonstones at the feet of the High Priestess and pink Tourmaline with the Ace of Swords.
The small companion book provides the basic information for each card and its chosen crystal.
It also offers a brief introduction to Tarot crystal meditation, includes Chakra correspondences with each card and also includes two spreads.
The pip cards in the Minor Arcana are non-illustrated, which doesn’t make this an ideal beginners’ deck.
But if you would like to learn more about using crystals in your Tarot work, then this deck is a very useful tool for that.
I have listed below the Major Arcana cards and their corresponding crystals as suggested in this deck.
The crystals in brackets are alternatives based on the Golden Dawn correspondences; use the crystal that you feel more comfortable with, works for you better or is available to you; some crystals mentioned seem to be rare and difficult to get hold of.
I have drawn a card from this deck to sum up the inherent quality and energy of this deck, and I pulled Strength:
Based on the book’s interpretation of this card, the Crystal Tarot may be especially helpful when at a crossroads and trying to make sense of the possibilities and opportunities available.
Messages received from this deck will offer confidence, encouragement and illuminate the need for balance and show how to achieve it.
Luckily, I have both Citrine and Tiger’s Eye in my crystal collection, but I don’t see the need to purchase all the crystals suggested in order to read with this deck.
You can also obtain crystals for those cards you use more often for spells, magick and path working.
Overall, this delightful deck with its gentle images can be used without crystals if necessary.
The naive-style artwork of the cards will also no doubt speak to children, who show an interest in the Tarot.
I managed to get the Crystal Tarot from Amazon UK for less than a Fiver; if you live outside the UK, try the Book Depository (they ship worldwide and are often cheaper than Amazon).
When I started my Tarot business in 2006, I was terribly naive and ignorant. Nevertheless, in typical Fool-fashion I pursued my dream without knowledge, planning and foresight.
Shortly after my launch, a sudden health scare with a traumatic stint in hospital followed by a scary operation six months later didn’t help either.
But I had to keep going, because I couldn’t afford to wait for some bureaucrat to create a suitable job for me (one that allowed me to work flexible hours AND was intellectually stimulating, too).
So, here I am, seven years later, still alive to tell the tale. It has been a roller coaster ride, and today I am in a position that allows me to make a modest living from doing what I love.
“Modest” is a good description of my income; after ten years of working in a stressful but lucrative corporate world, starting my own business as a Tarot reader meant down-shifting, to put it mildly.
What have I learned along the way?
1. Be authentic
Do it your own way. Don’t compare yourself with others or imitate them; find your own voice and style. Create your own niche. Offer something different and unique, i.e. offer your feelings, opinions and true personality. Find new ways of expressing your knowledge.
2. Be generous
Share your knowledge freely on your website. The more you share for free, the more your content is shared and the number of your readers grows. You will also increase sales of the products you do charge money for, because your readers have learned more about you and what you can offer.
3. Network
Don’t try this all on your own. Connect with like-minded folk, make friends, support others in their ventures, and you will be supported in return. I have noticed a few people online, who didn’t make it, because they failed to maintain a support network that reached well beyond the limited Tarot community. Spread your wings. Collaborate. Don’t ignore people, who support you.
4. There is no competition
I don’t see my fellow Tarot readers as competitors. Just like lawyers, accountants, hairdressers and so forth, there is plenty of opportunities for all of us. We are all unique, offering different approaches and services, and clients should have a healthy choice when they are looking for Tarot guidance or teaching.
I don’t hesitate to recommend fellow Tarot readers, whose work I admire and respect. It adds to my reputation, and I admit that I learn from them, too! Follow me on Twitter and join my Facebook page to see who I adore and recommend.
5. Evolve
I started off with a website created in MS Publisher and now run four websites/blogs using WordPress and Blogger. I began with Tarot and now incorporate astrology, spirituality, positive and conscious living, self-development… the whole shebang.
I’ve created eCourses and eBooks, and I will be creating more. It’s important not to stand still but to grow and develop your business. Learn from your mistakes and ditch what doesn’t work for you, so you can concentrate on implementing new ideas that do.
6. Be honest
Don’t hype; don’t make promises. A Tarot reading isn’t a miracle cure or solves a problem from one minute to the next. Learning Tarot takes perseverance and commitment. Clients can have unrealistic expectations; make sure you don’t feed them with exaggerated claims.
7. Get help
Don’t wait too long for professional business coaching if you get stuck. It can save your business and is worth the money. Coaching has helped me double my income.
No, I’m not earning a six-figure sum, but paying my monthly bills has become a little more comfortable. And I also have a clear vision about how I can develop my business further.
8. Declutter
Applying the Zen philosophy to your business (and indeed life!) can accelerate your creativity, productivity and efficiency. I used to have over 200 emails in my inbox (urgh!), which I have now cut down to 10 (ideally should be ZERO at the end of the day).
My workspace is clutter-free, and important paperwork filed rather than floating around randomly. Keep your mind clutter-free by making notes of your ideas and to-dos; this way you don’t try so hard to remember the important bits. I just love my A4 task notebook! Remember, your surroundings can reflect your state of mind.
9. Take time out
When you are enthusiastic about your business and love what you do, it’s easy to work every day for many hours including the weekend. After all, it often doesn’t feel like work at all, but it is important to switch off on a regular basis. Set times for breaks and stick to them. This will help you find new inspiration and recharge your batteries too. After all, you don’t want to run out of steam or suffer burn-out.
10. Limit your time on the internet
If you are marketing your business online, then you can take advantage of automated services, which help you spend your time on the internet more efficiently. I use hootsuite.com to schedule my social media marketing 24/7.
It has significantly reduced my time spent on repetitive tasks, and it generated new business too, because I could run my marketing campaigns at times when I was actually asleep.
I don’t hang out on Facebook either; only occasional updates. I prefer to be busy creating, research new ideas and just post status updates I feel are really important.
A few months ago I started my new website Tarot for Business, on which I share knowledge and experience about how to combine Tarot and spirituality with creating a fulfilling working life.
In the meantime, my journey is still continuing and evolving, and I’d love to hear about yours.
On the 22 June 1990, leading politicians from the US, UK, Soviet Union, France and Germany gathered in Berlin to celebrate the end of the Cold War between East and West.
On the image you can see the removal of the Checkpoint Charlie hut (precariously balancing above people’s heads!) and the permanent opening of the border (view the original photo at the end of this post below).
After so many years of division, communist oppression and isolation, Justice has finally prevailed and balance restored.
We all have different ideas about what Justice means; some favour the emotional notion “an eye for an eye”, others prefer fairness based on detached but careful consideration and cooperation, as expressed in the quote by the 34th US President Eisenhower.
Justice in the Tarot isn’t suggesting an eye for an eye. Linked to the zodiac sign Libra, it stands for objectivity, fairness, honesty and balance.
In a reading, Justice can also indicate legal matters, the need to be emotionally detached to make fair decisions, considering all sides of an argument with an open mind and personal integrity.
Sometimes Justice can also indicate that life isn’t always fair, and it can take a long time for Justice to prevail – patience is required.
There may also be a need to be true to yourself, do what you think is right, even if you stand alone and face intimidating opposition.
Questions to ask, when Justice is drawn:
How can you create balance in your life?
Do you need to detach yourself from emotions in order to resolve current issues?
What decisions do you need to make, and how do you weigh up their pros and cons?
If you’d like to learn more about Justice and all the other cards in the Tarot, please check out my ebook The Cosmic Faery Tarot Guidebook.
If you love Tarot journaling, then perhaps you would like to treat yourself to my latest ebook, the Tarot Moon Journal 2013.
It’s a calendar/Tarot diary/workbook with lots of journalling sheets to do monthly readings in tune with the moon – a great way to incorporate astrology in your Tarot work.
And it’s only a Fiver!
A magickal little treat that will last for a whole year!
The Witchy Tarot is a seriously funky, slightly naughty deck, depicting saucy witches with big pointy hats, goats, broomsticks and even scateboards!
At first glance, the images are fun, full of symbolism, and each one really tells a story.
The style is a mix of traditional and contemporary – surrounded by nature and old-fashioned kitchens and gardens, the witches are dressed in mini skirts, flare trousers, stockings and high heels.
This deck certainly has a sense of humour!
The Major Arcana is based on a traditional tarot deck, but it is also divided into groups of 7 cards relating to tools, plants and animals that are part of a witch’s life.
The Devil is the odd one out – he doesn’t belong to any group.
Some of the Major Arcana cards are interpreted differently to my own perception.
For example, the Fool‘s keywords are “chaos, haste, breathlessness, loss, rebellion”, whereas the Hermit‘s interpretation is “sluggishness, delay, cold blood”.
In comparison to the Hermit, the Hanged Man suggests “temptation, punishment, natural therapy”.
The Minor Arcana has been changed the most; the suits and the court cards have been renamed:
There is method to this madness, but you really have to get used to it.
For example, the “celebrations” relate to the four fire festivals of the Wiccan/Pagan wheel of the year:
Celebration of Flames (Page of Wands) – Beltane
Celebration of Cauldrons (Page of Cups) – Imbolc
Celebration of Broomsticks – (Page of Swords) – Samhain
Celebration of Boulders (Page of Pentacles) – Lammas
The Moon seems an apt connection to the Knight expressing volatility and movement. The four phases of the moon are linked to each Knight:
Moon of Flames (Knight of Wands) – Waxing Moon
Moon of Cauldrons (Knight of Cups) – Full Moon
Moon of Broomsticks (Knight of Swords) – New Moon
Moon of Boulders (Knight of Pentacles) – Waning Moon
The Goddesses (Queens) are:
Flames – Holda (German)
Cauldrons – Bona Dea (Roman)
Broomsticks – Morrigan (Celtic)
Boulders – Hekate (Greek)
The Trials (Kings):
Flames – Flight with whip and broomstick
Cauldrons – Sabbath with dancing
Broomsticks – Initiation and kiss
Boulders – The brand of fire
I really like these correspondences and have listed them here, so you can make use of them with any tarot deck, if they resonate with you.
The enclosed mini booklet offers a brief overview of the structure of this deck and card interpretations.
It also contains a 13-card spread, the Circle of Witches, which is useful as a general reading covering all aspects of life.
Overall, I really enjoy getting to know the Witchy Tarot. It’s a deck for 21st century women, who embrace witchcraft as the “Craft of the Wise” and as a tool for empowerment and spiritual growth.
Although this deck may be aimed at the younger generation, it will appeal to the young at heart regardless of age.
Finally, I have drawn a card that expresses the inherent energy of the Witchy Tarot:
3 of Cauldrons
“Witches cuddles, tenderness, assistance, availability, communication, study, love designs with an older man”
When I recently came across an old photo of my son in his football outfit, it made me smile and think “that’s the Page of Wands”, and so I turned it into a Tarot card.
Once the winners are chosen, I will take my time with each photo to turn it into something special. If you win, you can either let me know your preferences (e.g. which card, quote, style), or you can let me surprise you.
I have drawn a card from this deck to sum up the inherent quality and energy of this deck, and I pulled Strength:
Finally, I have drawn a card that expresses the inherent energy of the Witchy Tarot: